Chapter 5 Section five

June 19, 2201 I can't describe in words what we went through inside the box. Words like "amazing, incredible, extraordinary" and so on are far less than what we really feel.Our lives have been repeating a pattern for the past week.Rama, the alien ship, proceeds in two different forms of acceleration: "normal acceleration" - where the floor vibrates and everything wobbles around, but still leads a relatively normal life; —that is, Rama was accelerating forward with a rather ferocious acceleration, which Richard estimated reached 11 g's of acceleration. We all had to stay in the box while overdrive.Rama has an 8-hour overdrive every 27 hours, during which we all have to stay in the closed box.The light on the top cover automatically went out 20 minutes after entering the box, and turned on again 5 minutes before the end of acceleration.

According to Richard's calculations, the acceleration is rapidly taking us out of the solar system.If the magnitude of the acceleration is constant and the direction is fixed, we will be traveling at half the speed of light in a month's time. Michael yesterday: "Where are we going?" "It's too early to tell," Richard replied. "All we know is that we're moving at a fantastic speed." The temperature and concentration in the box are adjusted accurately at each stage to suit our body.Lying in the hammock in the dark, we felt nothing but a slight downward force.I subconsciously reminded myself that I was in an accelerating box surrounded by some kind of fluid that protected the body from intense high pressure, but all consciousness disappeared with the loss of the body itself, and I could not touch Sounds, signals, smells, and no pain on the skin, my brain seems to have lost its normal thinking.

I tried to discuss this phenomenon with Richard two days ago, but he looked at me incomprehensibly, as if there was something wrong with me.He wasn't hallucinating.In this "deep sleep period" without feeling, he still performed mathematical calculations and drew various images of the earth in his mind.It is in such a lack of sensation that Richard can still accurately arrange his brain activity, which is the difference between us.With no cellular activity in my body, my brain works in its own unique way, which is hallucinations.The hallucinations in the dark usually start with red and green colored spots, and then the small spots get bigger and bigger, with more and more colors. Yellow, blue, and purple quickly form irregular patterns on my retina and gradually spread. Come on, a colorful Wanhua Jane appeared in front of my eyes.The color changes at an accelerated rate, and countless colored bars and blocks appear, which melt and disappear amidst the loud explosion.

The whimsical colors produced clear images, small and far away at first with no concrete image, and then getting closer and changing colors, and finally transformed into an image of my mother or some kind of cheetah or lioness.My intuition told me that those lionesses and cheetahs were all dressed up as my mother.The image of my mother is constantly changing, and as soon as I try to speak to her or communicate with her in some way, her image or the animal representing her image will disappear without a trace, leaving me alone , alone to bear the desolation of being abandoned. In recent hallucinations, colors turn into geometric shapes and then into silhouettes of people.My grandfather Aumann stood in a bright green robe before the procession, which ended with two of the most important figures of my boyhood: Joan of Arc and Eleanor.I heard their voices, but the line broke up and the image changed rapidly.I saw myself on the edge of a small pond near the villa in Beauvais, sitting in a small rowboat in the morning mist.I was terrified, trembling all over, and kept crying.Joan of Arc and Eleanor appeared from the mist, reassuring me that my father would not marry the English Duchess Helena, who was vacationing in Turkey.

One night I had visions of a most grotesque theatrical performance in Japan.There are only two masked figures performing in the hallucination.A man in a suit and tie, his large bright eyes still visible through his mask, is standing on stage reciting poetry.The other looked like a 17th-century warrior with a perpetually angry mask.The samurai began to intimidate me and his modern-clad companion on stage.The images of the two men merged into one in the center of the stage, and I screamed as the hallucination vanished. The impressive hallucination lasted only a few seconds.The second or third night I had visions of Henry while I was riding a giant octospider.He appeared in my hallucination for two or three seconds and then disappeared without a trace.

Just started yesterday and I haven't hallucinated for a long time.I realized later that I was hungry.A managua appeared in the dark, and when I opened my mouth to bite, it grew legs and ran away in fear, disappearing in the mottled colors. What does all this mean?What do these far-fetched hallucinations have to do with me? Interpretation of dreams has been a topic that has been debated for nearly 300 years and still has no results.My hallucinations are far more bizarre and unreal than ordinary dreams, and they cannot be explained by logic.However, I vaguely feel that these seemingly absurd dreams have some kind of inevitable connection with my real life.I believe that the human brain does not associate blindly and aimlessly, and all activities are purposeful.

July 22, 2201 The floor finally stopped vibrating yesterday.Two days earlier, when we hadn't entered the enclosure for the allotted time, Richard had correctly predicted that the acceleration was coming to an end. And thus began a new phase of our incredible voyage.Richard said that now we are traveling at half the speed of light, which means that every two seconds we travel the distance from the earth to the moon.Our way forward may be the constellation Sirius.In Earth's night sky, Sirius is the brightest and truest star we can see.If Rama stops accelerating now, it will take us another 12 years to reach the vicinity of Sirius.

Our lives are calm again, and I feel so relieved.Simone seemed to have survived her long time in the box unharmed, but I was a little skeptical that such an experience would be damaging to a baby.Rearranging our lives is of paramount importance to Simone. Sometimes when I am alone, I also have hallucinations and dreams in the box, and the dreams in the last few days are very clear.The last time I dreamed I was sitting with my father at an unknown open air concert.An old oriental gentleman with a long white beard stood alone on the stage, playing a strange stringed instrument.Unlike the dream I saw when I fell to the bottom of the pit, my father and I did not turn into birds and fly to Chinon in France, but my father's body disappeared completely, leaving only a pair of eyes.Seconds later five more pairs of eyes appeared, forming a hexagon before my eyes.I recognized my grandfather's eyes immediately, and my mother's, and I don't know who else's.Six pairs of eyes stared at me without blinking, as if they wanted to say something to me.Before the music ended, I heard a sound made of several voices mixed together - "Danger".

This is my hallucination.Why am I the only one of the three of us having this hallucination?Richard and Michael also experienced loss of sensation, and admitted that they also had some grotesque figures before their eyes, although the figures they saw were not very clear.As we've guessed, the Ramas have injected us with some kind of chemical, or used those filaments wrapped around us to help us fall asleep in unfamiliar surroundings, so why am I the only one witnessing these eerie images?Richard and Michael think the answer is pretty simple: I'm an overly imaginative person. After entering the box, our prophet, General O'Toole, was a little distracted, thinking about other things.I kept asking him this morning, hoping to know what he thought.Finally he replied slowly: "Every new scientific breakthrough, I have to reinterpret the meaning of God. I tried to integrate the concept of Rama with my Catholic teachings, but the result was nothing more than the connotation of God. Just by extension. When I found myself on an alien spaceship, accelerating at relativistic speeds, I realized that I had to fully trust God, who alone is the greatest being in the universe.”

Richard and Michael only focus on the esoteric stuff.Richard focuses on science and engineering, while Michael focuses on spirituality.I can understand the arguments they both make in their respective fields, but the challenges of my future life are not limited to these two aspects.I have to value every day and every event in my life.The three of us are responsible for the growth and future of our only next generation, and the task of enlightening Simona falls on my shoulders. It is my duty to care for Simone.I watched her smile sweetly at me as I fed her, and at this moment, I no longer believed it was a hallucination.It doesn't matter to me whether God, Rama exist, or how the earth will develop, the most important thing is that I am Simone's mother.

July 31, 2201 The spring of Rama has come.As soon as the acceleration stopped, the ice began to thaw.The lowest temperature above our cave was -25°, and we were worried that the thermal system in the cave would reach its operating limit.Fortunately, after the acceleration is over, the temperature will rise by one degree a day, and the ice will completely thaw in two weeks. We are out of the solar system.The sun is still the brightest planet in space, and the air between galaxies is almost a vacuum. "Where does the heat inside our ship come from?" Michael asked.Our chief engineer, the handsome astronaut Richard Workfield, quickly answered the question: "The atomic system that produces the huge acceleration changes is probably also producing and releasing heat. There must be two different Operating system. When it approaches a heat source, such as a planet, it shuts down all the basic systems, including the propulsion system and the thermal control system." Michael and I congratulate Richard for this remarkable conclusion that seems reasonable. "But," I asked Richard, "we still have a lot of questions, like why did Rama have two different operating systems? Why did it shut down all the underlying systems?" "I can only guess at that," replied Richard with his usual smile, "Probably because the base system needs to be serviced regularly, and it can only be done when there is an external heat source. We see a lot of robots on the surface of Rama, and I think some robots are working for the base system." "I have an idea," Michael said slowly, "do you believe we were purposely put on board this alien ship?" "What do you mean?" Richard asked, frowning in confusion. "Do you really think that we have been placed here for no purpose? Don't you believe that there is still a possibility that human nature is destined to have human beings living on Rama at this time?" I like the way Michael reasoned.While he couldn't quite understand why, he could suggest that the Rama might not only be geniuses in hard science and engineering, but also understand all the psychology of the universe.Richard couldn't keep up with Michael's thinking for a moment. "You mean," I said, "that it is possible for the Rama to intentionally use a secondary system near Earth to draw us into an encounter with them." "It's ridiculous!" said Richard immediately. "But, think about it, Richard," continued Michael, "that Rama entered our solar system at the speed of light, orbited the sun, returned to its own orbit, and continued its long voyage. Why not? Obviously we For no other reason, you also predicted that there might be other 'aliens' like us on this spaceship..." I remind the two men that the Sea of ​​Cylindrical Sea will soon begin to melt and that hurricanes and high tides are likely at any time.All three of us agreed that our spare boat should be retrieved from Beta Base. The two men traveled through the ice and snow, and returned from the base after twelve hours. It was already night when they returned.Simone obviously sensed the changes in the surrounding environment, and she stretched out her small arms to Michael. "Look, Simone is so happy to be back," Michael said jokingly. "As long as Simone is happy," said Richard, looking strangely nervous. He kept this strange mood all night.When we were alone I asked him, "What's the matter, dear?" He didn't speak.I kissed his cheek and waited for his reply. "It's Michael," said Richard at last, plucking up the courage. "I just realized today. I found out he loved you when we crossed the ice and snow to retrieve the spare boat. You should have listened to him. Talk about it." It's all about you. You're an excellent mother, an excellent wife, and an excellent friend. He even admitted he was jealous of me." I kissed Richard and for a moment didn't know how to respond.Finally I said, "I think you're taking the casual conversation too seriously, Michael was just expressing his real emotions. I like him too..." "I know, that's what's bothering me," interrupted Richard abruptly. "He's tending to Simone most of the time you're busy, and you're talking for hours on end while I'm doing my research. ..." He stopped suddenly and looked at me with a strange, pitiful look that frightened me, not the familiar Richard Workfield look.Then his eyes softened and he leaned over and kissed me. Afterwards he fell asleep.Simone suddenly became irritable and asked me to feed her.As I fed Simone, I thought about all the times Michael had been with us, and I hadn't done anything to make Richard suspicious or jealous.After feeding Simone, I can still see that strange look in Richard's eyes.I swore I would spend more time alone with Richard in the days to come.