Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Retreat

When he hurried out of the laser-cut hole in the wall, he found that the six Rama suns were still bright. Maybe Rousseau got it wrong?But not like it. Rousseau seems to have anticipated this reaction. "It changes very slowly," he explained apologetically. "It took me a long time to notice the difference, but I can't be wrong. I took a reading and the brightness has decreased by forty percent." Newton's eyes had adjusted from the twilight of the glass temple, and he believed in Rousseau.Rama's long day was drawing to a close. "That means," Newton said, "we're going home. All the equipment is here and we'll never need it again."

There is one point in the plan, at least it is right.He chose London as his target, because no other city was so close to the ladder, only 4,000 meters to the foot of the Beta ladder. When they were about to reach the foot of the ladder, they felt a slight jolt.Newton turned around and looked at the big and small horns of the South Pole, thinking that there would be a discharge.But Rama never repeats as it is.If there is discharge from those awl needles this time, it will be too weak to be seen by the naked eye. "The bridge," he called, "have you noticed?" "Noted, Captain. Very slight vibration. Possibly another change in flight attitude. We're checking with the gyroscope... readings are small, millionths of a second, and still going."

It turned out that Rama started to turn here. The last vibration was just a trial movement, but this time it was real. "Increased deflection rate, five millionths of an arc." "Keep all systems on the ship. We may have to scramble." "Do you think this is an orbit change? We're still a long way from perihelion!" "I don't think Rama is running by our textbook. At the foot of the beta I rest for five minutes." Five minutes seemed a long time, and the light was fading rapidly.They are psychologically accustomed to the eternal day, and it is difficult for them to remember the situation of surveying the world for the first time.They couldn't wait to get out of here, back into the sunlight beyond the 1,000-meter-thick shell.

"Axis hub post," Newton called, "are the searchlights ready? We'll need them soon." "Yes, Captain, here it comes." The spot of light cast by the searchlight still appeared so faint in the dimmed Rama light.It had served them before, and now it might have to lead them back. After an hour of continuous climbing, they came to the fourth flight of stairs, 3,000 meters away from the plain.Except for some slight vibrations from time to time, there is no abnormality.There was enough light to make them feel optimistic, even wondering if they had left too hastily.

While resting on the fourth platform, Cafu exclaimed: "What kind of noise is this? Captain!" "Noise? I can't hear anything." "Sharp whistling, changing frequency, you must be able to hear it." Now Newton heard it, and the sound seemed to come from all directions, and it quickly became very loud, even harsh, then dropped to a low level, and then stopped suddenly. A few seconds later, the sound came again.repeating the same pattern.The sense of urgency is like the howling of a lighthouse siren in a foggy night.It contains information and is urgent.It's not designed for human ears, but they can still understand it.Then, as if to deepen the impression, the light of Rama also joined in.

The light, which had been so dim that it seemed to be going out, was now shining again.Bright beads of light, like spherical thunder, danced along the six light grooves that once illuminated the world.They move synchronously from the two poles to the sea, and the meaning is very obvious: "Go to the sea!" It calls with irresistible power. "Hub Post," Newton called anxiously, "can you see what's going on?" Rousseau replied in a tone of fear: "Yes, Captain. I am looking at the southern hemisphere. There are dozens of biological people there-cranes, bulldozers, and many scavengers. They are rushing towards the sea, and they are faster than me. Much faster action ever seen. A crane fell straight off a cliff, like Jimmy did, but much faster.. as soon as it hit the water it broke into pieces.. the sharks came.. tearing apart It's... really uncomfortable to watch...

"Now I'm looking out across the plain. One of the bulldozers seems to be out of order... going round and round. Two crabs coming and tearing it to pieces... Captain, I think you'd better come back right away." "Believe me," Newton said emotionally, "we're going back as fast as we can." Rama was battening down, like a ship getting ready for a storm. The maddening whistling of pitch-shifting ceased abruptly, as did the leaping of fireballs along the Straight Valley; Rama's six suns became continuous bands of light. But they darken quickly.From time to time, a slight vibration can be felt under the feet.Reports from the bridge said Rama was still changing course very slowly.That might be reassuring, but if it did stop turning, it would be worth Newton's serious consideration.

According to Rousseau's report, all biological people have disappeared.The only activity in Rama now is that a few humans are climbing step by step on the north arch. Newton thought that if Rama completed its orbital switch now and began to accelerate northward, the inertia would throw them all off the ladder and into the distance of the plain. He tried to reassure himself that the possible acceleration would be weak.Dr Perilla's calculations are convincing.It is impossible for Rama to have a gravitational acceleration of more than one-fiftieth, otherwise the water of the Cylindrical Sea would overflow the cliffs on the south bank and submerge the entire southern continent.But Perilla was in a cozy study here on Earth, without a huge metal thing threatening to collapse over her head, and maybe Rama was originally designed to be flooded on a regular basis?

No, it's ridiculous.It would be foolish to imagine that a billion kilograms of mass could suddenly be accelerated with a force large enough to throw them off.But Newton still tried not to let himself leave the safe handrail as he climbed upwards. After toiled up the vertical ladder, Newton almost forgot the spasm of his muscles and cast a final glance at Rama.The brightness is now like a full moon night on Earth, everything is so quiet, but the details can no longer be seen clearly.The South Pole was obscured by misty fog, and only the peak of Big Horn could be seen, protruding like a small black spot in the distance.

He looked around the Cylindrical Sea, and now there was a spray like a wave on a hidden reef at every precise distance in the sea.Rama's changed posture has been reflected, although the purpose is not very clear. Newton bids a silent farewell to all the cities, and hopes that the people of Rama will forgive him for the destruction he has caused, and maybe they will understand that it is all for science. As the doors of the inner air chamber closed all this view for the last time, he found himself thinking: Strange that night should come when Rama was already close to the sun. -----------------------------

Notes: