Chapter 21 Section VIII

The family was sitting around the dining table eating, and Michael and Simone came in arm in arm. "Good morning!" said Simone with a gentle smile. "M--good morning," answered Ben, bread and jam and butter in his mouth.He stood up and walked slowly around the table, went to embrace his beloved sister. "Could you help me with my math today?" Patrick asked Simone. "Mom said we're going back and I have to work hard." Michael and Simone sat down at the table.Today Simone, like her mother, looked a little strange. She picked up the coffee pot and drank coffee to calm herself down.

"Is the honeymoon over?" Katie asked with her usual cynicism. "Two days and three nights? You must have listened to all the classical music in the database, haven't you?" "Yes, Katie." Michael smiled.He looked at Simone affectionately, "We removed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door to help everyone pack their luggage and get ready to go." "We're all fine," Nicole said.She was delighted to see her daughter and Michael living together harmoniously after living alone. "Don't worry about me, Simone is more mature than me in some ways," Nicole thought.

"I wish Hawkman could tell us something specific about the return trip," Richard grumbled. "He didn't tell us how long the trip would take, whether we'd all have to sleep along the way, etc." "Eagle said he couldn't be too sure," Nicole reminded her husband. "He said there could be a lot of 'out of control' changes." "You always believed in him," retorted Richard, "you most believed in..." The doorbell interrupted their conversation.Katie ran to open the door and walked back with Hawkman. "I hope I didn't interrupt your meal," Hawkman said apologetically. "We have a lot to accomplish today, and I need Mrs. Walkerfield's assistance."

Nicole took a sip of her coffee and looked at Ying Man curiously: "Is it just me?" She was a little scared.In six months in Nord, she had never been alone with a Hawkman. "Yes," Hawkman replied, "I need you to come with me alone. This is a special task that only you can do." "Give me ten minutes to get ready, okay?" "Of course you can," said Hawkman. After Nicole walked out of the room, Richard asked the Hawkman: "Through the tests on our bodies, you are sure that we can keep us in a safe sleep state during the acceleration period, but what will happen during the normal flight without acceleration? Are you still asleep? "

"Mostly asleep." Hawkman replied, "This can prevent aging and keep you healthy. But there are still some uncertain issues in the arrangement. Maybe it will wake you up a few times during the voyage." "Why didn't you tell us this before?" "It hadn't been decided at that time. Arranging your missions is a rather complicated matter, and the basic plan was decided only recently." "I don't want to prevent my aging process," Katie said. "I want to see other humans on Earth as a mature woman." "Yesterday I told your parents," Hawkman said to Katie, "that it is important to slow down the aging process while you and your family are asleep. Since we don't know exactly how long it will take you to return to the solar system, you may be sleeping 50 years..."

"What?" interrupted Richard, terrified. "Who said it would take fifty years? It took us twelve or three years to get here. Why can't we...?" "I'm going to be older than Mom." Katie had a terrified look on her face. Nicole came in from the next room. "I heard you say 50 years. Why? Why did it take so long? Do we have to go somewhere else first?" Richard said angrily: "Obviously! Why didn't you tell us before we made the 'allocation' decision? If we had told us then, we would have made some other arrangements. God, 50 years! Nicole and I would both 100 years old."

"No, you don't," Hawkman said blankly. "We estimate that you and your wife age at a rate of five or six years. The children grow a year every two years before their growth slows down. Aging is extra cautious. Also, 50 years is the longest time limit." Katie walked over to Hawkman and said, "Just before I get completely confused, I want to ask, how old will I be when I meet other humans outside of my family?" "I can't answer this question exactly, it involves some uncertain statistics." Their alien partner said, "The most likely answer is that your physical development is close to twenty-five years old, that's all I can say At this moment, the Eagle Man signaled to Nicole, "Your mother and I have something to do, we will be back before dinner today."

"As usual, you still haven't told us anything," Richard grumbled. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to work with you like this." "That way you will have a lot of trouble." Eagleman emphasized to Richard before leaving. "In fact, our predictions are all based on observational data. There is no substantial difference in the results of whether you cooperate with us, as long as But you'll be happier that way." "Goodbye," Nicole said, and left with Hawkman. "Good-bye," said Ben.The door of the room was closed, but he was still waving at his mother.This is a very long document.Nicole reckoned it would take at least a quarter of an hour to read the whole article.

"Have you finished?" Hawkman asked again. "We have to start as soon as possible." "Please explain to me again, what happens after the video is done?" Nicole asked. "We will broadcast this video to Earth a few years before you reach the solar system, and your human partners will have enough time to respond." "How do you know that people on Earth have received the message?" "We have feedback signals." "What if you can't even receive a feedback signal?" "That's why we have contingency plans in place."

Nicole still didn't quite understand why she was being asked to read the message, and she asked Hawkman if he could give her some time to discuss it with Richard and Michael. "What are you worried about?" Hawkman asked. "I'm worried about everything," Nicole replied. "This text doesn't look right. I feel like you're using me for your ends, and I don't know what your ends are. I'm afraid I'll be The scum of mankind." Hawkman poured Nicole a glass of water, sat down beside her, and said, "Let's analyze this problem logically. We have told you clearly that our goal is to collect detailed data on spacefarers in the galaxy." information, isn't it?"

Nicole nodded. "We have established a living quarter in Ramari for two thousand people and sent you and your family back to recruit some humans to join us on a tour for our observation. Everything you do now, including that videotape All to tell the people on Earth that we're on our way. Those two thousand members of your race will meet you in orbit around Mars with your culture. What's wrong with that?" Nicole pointed to the electronic notepad Yingren gave her and protested: "The content of this message is too vague! I don't understand many things, such as what will be the ultimate fate of these human beings? It just means that they will To be 'cared for' and 'observed'. Also, there is no mention of 'why' they are being studied, nor is there any mention of the Nords and their commanders. Also, the tone of the sentence Terrible—'I am telling you, people on Earth who have received this message: If the human-sent team does not meet Rama in the orbit of Mars, then this spaceship will approach Earth in an uncontrollable manner , get the race of the earth', obviously this sentence is obviously hostile." "You can make some changes if you like, but you can't change our intentions." Hawkman replied, "However, I should tell you that we have a lot of experience communicating with your kind. can be successful.” "But why don't you let me take this document back to the apartment? I can discuss it with Richard and Michael, and everyone can revise it together, and ease the tone." "This video can only be completed by you today." Hawkman said stubbornly, "We are happy to discuss revisions and work with you for as long as possible, but you must complete it before you go home." Hawkman's voice sounds friendly, but the meaning cannot be changed. "I have no choice," Nicole thought, "I was totally ordered to finish this video." She stared for a moment at the strange-looking creature sitting next to her, "This Hawkman is nothing more than a robot. ’ Nicole said to herself, feeling quite exasperated, ‘he’s carrying out his editorial orders, and there’s no point in arguing with him.’ "No!" Nicole exclaimed suddenly, startling herself too.She shook her head firmly and said, "No, I won't do it!" Hawkman was clearly unprepared for Nicole's answer. They were silent for a long time, neither of them spoke.Distraught, Nicole develops a keen interest in her partner. She wondered: "What is he going to do now? Is there a lot of new complex logic programs running in his head? Is he receiving signals from somewhere else?" Finally Hawkman stood up and said, "Okay, okay. You're amazing... We never thought you'd turn down this video." "You've been paying no heed to what we've said. I feel like you've been ordered by others to use me and tell us as little as possible about us... If you really want me to help you, at least answer some of my questions question." "What exactly do you want to know?" "I told you," Nicole replied, looking annoyed, "what on earth is going on here? Who (or what) are you? Why are you watching us? Why should we leave a fertile couple? I have always opposed breaking up my family, and I should have protested strongly from the very beginning! If your technology is so advanced that you can create something incredible like Nord, why can't you create a human embryo? … " "Calm down, Mrs. Walkerfield," said Hawkman. "I've never seen you so angry before. I think you're the calmest of your bunch." "Mr. Hawkman, look!" After a pause, Nicole said again, "I'm not stupid! I know who rules this place. We human beings deserve your respect! Our problems are all very reasonable!" "What if we answer your question satisfactorily?" "You've been watching me carefully for over a year," said Nicole, and she smiled. "Have I ever been unreasonable?" "Where are we going?" Nicole asked. "A short visit," replied Hawkman, "will be the best way to reassure you." The curious round speedboat was small enough to hold Hawkman and Nicole.The front half of the speedboat is a fully transparent spherical shape.Yingman sat behind the window, pressing the control panel next to him from time to time during the flight, but most of the time the speedboat moved forward automatically. A few minutes later, the spherical speedboat passed through a long and narrow passage, passed through many doors, and then drove into the darkness.Nicole was breathing heavily and felt as if she was suspended in mid-air. "Nord has three spherical simulation areas." Yingman began to speak, "There is a hollow center in each of the three areas, and we are now driving on the passage leading to the living simulation area." A few minutes later, a flash of light appeared ahead.The airship sailed out of the black passage into the huge hollow hub. "We've observed everything we have, long and short term, of every kind," Hawkman said. "As you can guess, we've installed hundreds of monitors in your apartments. All your walls are It's a one-way mirror—we can see all your activities in this hub." Nicole was no longer surprised by Nordry's miracle, but she was still amazed by the scene around her: hundreds of small lights moving back and forth in the dark, like swarms of fireflies dancing in the summer night sky.Some lights are flashing back and forth by the wall, some are moving slowly across the sky, and some seem to be still from a distance. "We also have a maintenance center here," Hawkman said, pointing to the flashing lights ahead of them. "This hub can keep track of everything that happens so that accidents don't happen." "What's that over there?" Nicole asked, tapping on the window, a few hundred miles to the right a speedboat was docked in a residential area. "It was a special observation team," Hawkman replied, "using our most advanced remote-sensing monitors. Those special apartments were inhabited by a remarkable race whose characteristics had never been recorded in the galaxy before. For some reason, they Most of them are dying. We try to save them." "Everything doesn't necessarily go according to your plan, does it?" "That's right," Hawkman replied, seeming to smile in the reflected light. "That's why we have so many contingency plans." "What would you do if no humans discovered Rama in the first place?" Nicole asked abruptly. "To achieve the same goal, we have other alternatives." Eagle Man said vaguely. The speedboat raced forward through the darkness.After a while, a speedboat slightly larger than them came to their left. "Do you want to meet a representative of another species? Their development level is comparable to yours." Hawkman said to Nicole, while pressing the control panel, the speedboat was immediately illuminated by soft lights. Before Nicole could say anything, the second speedboat pulled up beside them.The front of the circular speedboat is also transparent, and it contains a colorless liquid, and two creatures that look like eels with wings undulate and swim around in it.Nicole estimated the creature to be about three meters long and twenty centimeters thick.Their black wings spread out like wings, stretching out to a meter wide. "The one on the right with no color markings on its body is a pseudo-intelligence creature," Hawkman said to Nicole. "It's the same function as mine. It's a collaborator of the aquatic race. The other one is a spacefaring creature from another world." Traveler." Nicole stared at the alien creature: its wings were tightly tucked around its tender green body, and it was sitting expressionlessly in the liquid. It's bubbling. "It's saying 'Hey, are you curious?'" Hawkman said. "How do you know?" Nicole asked, and couldn't help fixing her eyes on the strange creature.The creature's ends, one bright red and the other gray, were tangled and squeezed against the speedboat window. "Look, my colleague in that speedboat is interpreting for me. Would you like to answer them?" Nicole's mind went blank.She stared at the strange "red-faced" creature—it had many markings on its body, none of which she had ever seen on Earth.She stared silently not knowing what to say.She remembered the question she had often discussed with Richard and Michael—when would it be possible to talk to another sentient being? "But we never thought it would be like this," Nicole thought. More bubbles popped from the window of the speedboat, and Hawkman translated for her: "Our planetary home arose 5 billion years ago, but stabilized after 1 billion years. Our galaxy has 14 major There are three intelligent species on our ocean planets, but we are the only spacefarers. We started exploring space about 2,000 years ago." Nicole was ashamed of her silence. "Hi... hi..." she said intermittently, "I'm glad to meet you... 300 years ago our race - human beings began to explore space. 2/3 of the planet we live on is covered by water, and life on it We are the most intelligent of many species. All our light and heat come from a single golden, stable star. Three or four billion years ago, we evolved in water, and now we live in on land... Nicole stopped, and the creature that was "talking" to her still had its ends tightly intertwined, and its entire body was pressed against the window, so that it could express its body language more clearly.Nicole seemed to understand something, she stood up and turned around slowly, stretched out her hand and shook it.More bubbles appeared in that speedboat. "Do you have other ways of expressing your life?" After a pause, Yingren translated again. "I don't quite understand," said Nicole. The Nord interpreter on the speedboat writhed and communicated Nicol's meaning to the creature through the bubble. "We have two manifestations of life," the alien explained. "Our descendants live at the bottom of the sea with appendages, but unlike you, they build our homes, factories, and spaceships there, and then give birth to and The next generation like us." "No, no!" Nicole replied, "We have only one life form, and our children are always the same as their parents." The conversation went on for another five minutes, mostly biology.The alien creature was impressed by the success of humans in adapting to the environment with large temperature changes.It told Nicole that their race was poorly adapted to the temperature of the liquid, and they couldn't survive if the temperature of the liquid changed. To Nicole's amazement, the creature also pictured a water planet to her.Almost all of their planetary surfaces are covered with huge mats of photosynthetic organisms, winged eels that live in shallow water and use photosynthesis for everything from food, building materials, and even reproductive aids. Finally, Hawkman tells Nicole it's time to go.She waved at the creature whose body was still attached to the window.The creature spat many more bubbles at her, untangling the twined ends.A few seconds later, the two speedboats were already hundreds of meters apart. Darkness returned to the speedboat.Hawkman said nothing, but Nicole was excited.She was still thinking about many issues related to that alien creature. "Do you have a family? How many creatures live in your family? Can you talk to your children who live underwater?" Nicole kept thinking. Nichol suddenly felt a little disappointed in himself: "In the past, I always considered clinical medicine too much scientifically. In fact, I should really ask God what life is like after death, and what is ethics?" Nicole was lost in thought.Their speedboat turned around and stopped a few meters from their living quarters. The lights were on in Michael and Simone's bedroom, and Nicole could hear Simone saying to her new husband, "Is that Ben?" "I think so," Michael replied. Nicole watched quietly as Simone stood up, put on her nightgown and walked into the hall, and turned on the light in the living room, where her handicapped brother Ben was curled up on the sofa. "What are you doing here, Ben?" Simone asked softly. "You should go to bed. It's late." She patted her brother's sad brow. "I can't sleep," Ben replied, "I'm worried-worried-m-mum." "She'll be back soon," Simone reassured him. Nicole's throat tightened, and tears welled up.She looked from Hawkman to the brightly lit apartment in front of her, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "Okay, I'll do that video." "I'm so jealous!" said Richard. "I'm really jealous of you. I'd rather have my arms cut off than talk to that creature." "It's amazing," said Nicole. "Now I can hardly believe it's real. It's strange that no matter what question I ask, Eagle always knows the answer." "The Eagle Man is just guessing. He still hasn't told you why we need us to keep a fertile couple." "No, he told me." Nicole replied immediately, "He explained to me that the reproduction of human embryos is a rather miraculous and complicated process. If they don't observe the development process of embryos, they can't know the role of a mother." "I'm sorry, dear," said Richard quickly, "I don't think you really have a choice..." "I think they still tried to accommodate my request," Nicole said with a sigh. "Maybe I was kidding myself. After all, in the end I made the video, and it did exactly what they asked for." Richard stretched out his arms around Nicole: "As I said, you have no choice. Don't make it hard on yourself, dear." Nicole kisses Richard: "What if they actually use this information to launch a premeditated aggression?" "We have already discussed this," Richard replied, "their technology is so advanced that if they want to, they can take over the entire earth in a few minutes. The Eagles also told us that if their goal is invasion, there is no need to do so." With careful planning, they might have gotten there long ago."