Chapter 6 Title VI Committee

Dr. Bosey always felt that it was a grave mistake to locate the United Planetary Headquarters on the Moon.Obviously, the earth is going to rule the whole process - as it controls the land and the sky. However, it is too late to change now, and there are no other options.Whether individual settlers like it or not, Earth will remain the cultural and economic center of the entire solar system for centuries to come. Dr. Bossie was born on Earth and didn't immigrated to Mars until he was 30 years old, so he felt that he could observe various political situations more objectively.He knew now that he would never be able to return to his home planet, even though it was only a little over five hours away by transit spaceship.At 115, he's still perfectly healthy, but he knows it's going to be difficult readjusting to living in an environment with three times the gravity he's enjoyed for most of his life.He has been banished forever from the world that gave birth to him.Fortunately he was not easily sentimental and never let the incident disturb him.

What made him feel impatient was that he was always facing those familiar faces year after year.Advances in medicine were a good thing—it never occurred to him to turn the clock back—but the men who surrounded the conference table had been working with him for more than half a century.He knew in advance what they would say on any proposed issue, how they would vote, how they would be elected.One day, he hoped, one of them would do something totally unexpected—even if it was some deviant reaction. Chances are they felt the same way about him. The Rama Council is still quite small at the moment and no doubt it will expand soon.Six of his colleagues - each representing a member of the United Stars - were present at the meeting in the flesh, as they had to.At the distance of the solar system, electronic diplomacy is impossible.Those old members who are used to instant communication on Earth have never been able to accept the fact that it takes minutes or even hours for radio waves to travel between two planets.When told that the Earth cannot communicate face-to-face with any of its distant children, the constant complaint is: "Can't you scientists do something about it?" Only the Moon has political and psychological considerations. A minute and a half of delay is barely acceptable.The fact that there is life on this celestial body makes the Moon - and only the Moon - a suburb of the Earth.

Those who attended in person were all experts from the committee.Professor Davidson, an astrophysicist, is an old acquaintance who seems less combative today than he once was.Bossie was unaware of the spat over Rama's last probe imagery, but the professor's colleagues don't seem to want him to forget about it. Dr. Shawma Burroughs was an acquaintance from many encounters on television.She first came to fame 50 years ago with an archaeological achievement, a stunning discovery in the vast Mediterranean Sea Museum. Bossie still remembers the thrilling moment when the lost treasures of Greece and Rome and a dozen other cultures reappeared in broad daylight.It was one of the few temptations that made him regret moving to Mars.

Exobiologist Calisso Perilla and historian of science Dennis Solomon were two other select guest participants. Bosie was slightly displeased to find that Conrad Taylor was there too.The renowned anthropologist earned his reputation by completing his work on birth rates in the late 20th century with an odd combination of scholarly effort and sensuality. In any case, no one denied Sir Louis Sanders the right to sit on the committee, only the great old historian did not attend in the flesh.Even for such an important meeting, he stubbornly refused to leave Earth.His stereoscopic image occupies a seat to Bosie's right, indistinguishable from the real person.As if to complete the illusion, someone put a glass of water in front of him.Bossie didn't think it would be interesting to apply scientific skills to such a thing.But it is strange that there are some great people who, like children, find it amusing to be able to be in two places at the same time.Sometimes this electronic miracle creates comic embarrassment.At a diplomatic reception, Bossie once saw a person try to walk through a stereoscopic image, but it was too late to discover that the image turned out to be a real person.Even more ridiculous, someone tried to shake hands with an image.

Now, His Excellency the Ambassador of Mars to the United Planets pulled back his scattered thoughts, cleared his throat and said, "Gentlemen, the committee is now in session. I think I'm right in saying that this is a project that will focus outstanding talents. meeting to resolve outstanding issues. The Secretary-General gave us instructions on how to assess the situation and, if necessary, make recommendations to Captain Newton." Everyone knows that he is oversimplifying when he says this.Unless there is a real emergency, the committee will not contact Captain Newton directly - if he knows of the existence of such a committee.This is a temporary committee under the United Interstellar Science Organization and is responsible to the Secretary General.Although the Solar System Mapping Agency is an integral part of the United States, its work is only in the implementation of missions, not in scientific research.However, the cost of deep space communication is very expensive.The only way to get in touch with Endeavor is through the "Star Network News Agency". "Star Network News Agency" has spent a lot of time building its prestige. It is an independent company known for its rigor and efficiency.Its central computer is currently unaware of the Rama Council's existence.

"This Captain Newton," said Sir Robert MacKay, Ambassador of Earth, "has a great responsibility. What kind of man is he?" "I can answer that," said Professor Davidson, pressing a few keys on his memory board with his fingers and reading the following resume: "William Newton, born in Oceania in 2077. Educated in Sydney, Bombay and Houston. Then spent five years as a graduate student at the Academy of Astronautics, specializing in propulsion. Commissioned second lieutenant in 2102. Progressive through the ranks...Third mission to Pluto Captain...notable for establishing bases on Venus 15 times...errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...dual starship, Earth and Mars...wife and one child in Oceania, another wife and two children Now, looking forward to the third..."

"Wife?" Taylor asked innocently. "No. Of course it's the child." The professor retorted before seeing the other's grinning face.Lighthearted laughter rippled around the table, though envy outweighed laughter to an overcrowded Earth.After a whole century of serious efforts, the earth is not yet able to keep the population below the target of 1 billion. . . . "Appointed as captain of the Solar System Mapping Service's research spacecraft Endeavor. First mission to intercept a moon of Mercury...well,... when this operation was ordered, an asteroid mission was in progress...trying to meet the deadline arrive……"

The professor turned off the memory board display, looked at his colleagues and said, "I think we were very lucky, considering that he was the only one we could find after that urgent notice. We might run into An ordinary captain who is only good for delivering mail." "This record only shows that he is capable," objected the Ambassador of Mercury (population 112,500 and growing), "but how would he react in such a completely unfamiliar situation?" On Earth, Sir Louis Sanders cleared his throat.A minute and a half later, he was doing the same on the moon. "Not an entirely strange situation," he reminded the Mercurian, "although it happened three centuries ago. If Rama is dead, or inanimate—that's what all phenomena look like now." Show—Newton's position is that an archaeologist is about to discover the ruins of a ruined culture." He bowed to Dr. Blaise, and when she nodded in agreement, "There are not many instances of this. Foreseeable danger Rarely, although accidents can never be completely ruled out."

"But what if it's a booby trap?" asked Dr. Blaise. "Pandora?" Ambassador Mercury asked eagerly, "What is that?" "That's a metaphor for legend," Sir Lobutt explained, with a look of embarrassment common in diplomatic settings, "meaning that Rama is a potentially dangerous tomb, a box that shouldn't be opened, you know. ’” He wondered if the Mercurian people understood that the study of the classics was discouraged on Mercury. "Pandora—Pandora," Tyler snorted, "oh, that kind of thing is possible, but why would any intelligent race do such childish stuff?"

"Well, even excluding this unpleasantness," Sir Lobutt went on, "we are faced with the much more inauspicious possibility. An active, inhabited Rama. That would mean the separation of two cultures. Encounters—on very different technical levels. Pizarro and Incas, Pili and Japanese, Europeans and Africans come together, with almost necessarily disastrous results—to one of them. One or both. I'm not making a judgment, I'm just pointing out some precedent." "Thank you, Sir Lobutt," replied Bossie.It is a little annoying that there are two knights on a committee; at present the titles are only left to a few Englishmen. "I'm sure we can all agree that there are these terrified possibilities. But if the creature in Ramari was... er... warlike, would that have any bearing on our decision now?"

"They might ignore us if we leave early." "What -- after they've traveled billions of kilometers and thousands of years?" The debate has divided and deadlocked.Bossie leaned back in his seat and stopped speaking, waiting for a consistent conclusion. As he had foreseen.Everyone finally agrees that since the first door has been opened, there is no reason for Captain Newton not to open the second door. ----------------------------- Notes: