Chapter 9 chapter eight

One of the reasons why Venus is so hot is because its atmosphere contains a lot of carbon dioxide, which absorbs heat from the sun.The temperature on Mars is very low, one of the reasons is because its atmosphere is very thin, there is not enough carbon dioxide to absorb heat.Earth's atmospheric conditions lie somewhere in between, yet humans have altered them.They exhale carbon dioxide every time they exhale, and they create more carbon dioxide every time they burn fuel to run an engine or, as is often the case, to heat a home.So the temperature of the earth is getting hotter and the ice and snow are melting (this is why Sandy said that she lives in Miami Beach, the policewoman is going to laugh. Now only jellyfish, crabs, sea seams and northern pike live there ; because Miami Beach, like most of the lower coasts on Earth, is under water).Not only that, but the atmosphere is like a heat engine. The higher the temperature, the more energy it generates, which is manifested in storms, air mass movement, frictional wind...the most common is hurricanes.

The term "hurricane" sounds strange to Sandy.You'd only hear words like that in those old weather forecasts, and there had never been a hurricane aboard the Heckley ship.But on his way to the police helicopter, he saw a corner of the cowshed disfigured and a tree down in the yard.The word "hurricane" popped out of his subconscious mind as he thought of some other uprooted trees he had seen during the storm. He would have questioned the two cops, but they didn't seem to want to talk, and didn't tell Sandy their names, if they had names.They didn't look much alike.Men are shorter than women, with flatter features and darker skin.He looked a lot like Hackley's zookeeper.The policewoman, like the mother in Sandy's photo, is fairer and slender, but not as young and pretty (and, not naked).They politely escorted him to the "helicopter" and put him in the front right-hand seat.

The female police officer fastened the belt for him, and Sandy tensed up all over.Partly because she, an earth woman, touched him and made his startled glands throb; and partly because they tied him up like a prisoner!After the helicopter took off, they reassured him that the belts were for his safety, and he let himself relax.Then again, Sandy was confident that even if things went wrong, he'd be able to snap the strap off. What to do after breaking the strap is another problem.The male police officer sat next to him to fly the helicopter, and the woman sat in the seat behind Sandy, and the metal thing next to him was a "gun."Sandy knew all about guns, mostly through the westerns and cop movies they had taped.He knew that if a man shot at someone else, the victim would collapse in excruciating, often fatal pain.He also knew from the footage that a man in uniform had the power to shoot any "suspect" and blow his brains out.

Sandy wouldn't want her brains blown out, especially by an Earth woman—not young, of course, but likely fertile.He turned his head as far as he could and smiled at her. She didn't smile, just said, "Please sit up straight, sir." Then she leaned over and Sandy could feel her breath against his neck. "Did you say your home was in Miami Beach?" "Yeah," said Sandy in the made-up words, "I was traveling--hiking--and got lost in, well, the storm." She snorted mockingly: "Then where are your gills?" Sandy frowned.She said that this sentence must have a certain meaning, what does it mean?

"Emmons, don't bother." The male police officer said, "The captain will take care of everything." He moved the controller a few times with his hands and feet, and the slow "chug" sound of the propeller on the top of the plane accelerated, and the helicopter Soar up from the ground. Sandy's number one problem now wasn't guessing at the conversations that confused him, but trying not to throw up again. When the helicopter jumped into the atmospheric entrance, it didn't tremble and jump as much as the landing ship.It moves much slower and more gracefully.Things were just as bad for Sandy, however.The policewoman quickly slipped him a flying vomit bag from behind.Sandy ate only a morsel at that dairy farm, thinking his stomach should be empty.But his reaction surprised himself, the bag actually came in handy.

After a while, he suppressed his nausea and looked out of the plane window. There were more trees on the hillside below. Some upright trees looked like limp bare branches, yellowed leaves, and some bark had been peeled off. All that was left was the dead trunk standing there.But this is Earth after all!Realization of this most important fact made him tremble with excitement.He came home! The helicopter leaped up and dodged a ridge, its fuselage swinging.Then it flew over a pass, and Sandy saw a road below, which he had no doubt failed to find on the stormy night.The storm was coming in that direction because there were more rows of fallen trees on the hillside.

The helicopter swooped by in less than five minutes for the six-hour walk he had spent stumbling and twisting the night before.Sandy suddenly felt nauseous, and was just considering whether to use the bag again, when the policeman who flew the plane said, "It's there." right there.The Hackley landing ship.It is moored peacefully on a lush hillside.The sun was high, but its gray landing lights were still on. The landing craft looked surprisingly small, even shabby, in the grass, for it had been badly damaged by the flight and the storm.The foil on the outside of the spacecraft, which protects it from tiny meteor strikes in space, is scarred and crumpled.After landing, a net used by the Hekleys to cover the hull was torn into strips.The whole ship looks like it has been through many vicissitudes.

The first thing Sandy noticed was that there was something else beside the landing craft.It was surrounded by five flying machines, the machines of man.These were helicopters, similar to the one Sandy was in, but most of them were larger.In addition, there is a group here, a group there, all standing are people, people from the earth.Some of them had cameras on their shoulders, looking at the landing craft, or at each other, but most of them were shooting at the Heckleys. Six Heckleys had emerged from the landing craft.Two - it looks like Polly and Burton - are talking to the camera.There are two blocking the ladder rods leading to the ship's hatch.There are two other people who are energetically and happily showing the extraordinary strength of the muscles of the Hekley people under the weak gravity of the earth in front of the watching earthlings.They were playing one of those Earth kids jumping over each other's heads that Sandy had seen on children's TV, called Leapfrog.They do look like frogs.

As soon as Sandy stepped off the helicopter, Tanya rushed towards him.The two policemen hurriedly stepped aside and reached for the other pistols at their waists, but they didn't draw them out.Tanya shed friendly tears, but yelled in Haikli language: "Lasander, you messed up things, it's not good at all. Be cautious when talking to these earth creatures before receiving new orders! " Sandy was very surprised and asked, "What new order? Your words are vague and not clear at all." She stopped answering him in Heckley, just patted him half-jokingly and half-reproachingly, then turned and jumped away, shouting in English, "Follow me, Sandy! These lovely earthlings are attacking us." What about TV 'interviews'!"

Sandy frowned at the two policemen in bewilderment.The man shrugged and the woman said, "I think you're going to be interviewed too, sir." Sandy followed Tanya, looking around. His mood began to improve.In the sun, the world was more beautiful and more intimidating than Sandy could have imagined.It is so wide!He has never been able to see more than 100 meters in his life, but now he can see the horizon several kilometers away, as well as mountains, rivers, and white clouds!The sun was also much brighter than he imagined, it was too bright to hurt his eyes! The second thing that surprised him was seeing Polly squatting on a flat, sun-warmed rock before half a dozen television cameras, shedding good-natured tears.She certainly did not follow the instructions of the senators.Instead of hiding their presence on Earth, she advertised it.Sandy stepped forward, and immediately the cameras were turned away from Polly and pointed at him, and Aubie and Helen came striding forward.

"Welcome to Earth!" Aubie shouted in English. Helen added sadly in Heckley, "Oh, useless ghost, you really messed things up this time." Sandy blinked: "What are you talking about?" "Speak Highkley!" Polly ordered, jumping off the rock and waddling over. "Because of your stupidity and incompetence, everything has been disrupted." "My stupidity?" "Yes, and incompetence," Aubier interjected, with a reproachful look on his face. "You failed to perform the task correctly. Once you open your mouth, they will know that you are lying and not telling the truth." "Well," Sandy said, "I didn't get it right, but I didn't tell anyone about the ship, did I?" "Stop talking!" Polly ordered. "Now we have to follow these people! I have contacted the spaceship, Lysander, and the elders are very disappointed in you. However, facts are facts, and there is still work to be done." We had to do it, so we got a new order. We told these people exactly what we were here for." "Tell them plainly?" Sandy asked, puzzled. "Oh, Lysander, be a Highkley, don't be a Husik! Just do what I do, smile, and let them welcome you home. Listen to what I say to them!" She turned to the camera, weeping apologetically, speaking in English: "Excuse me, we were just a little worried about our dear friend Lasander. Can we continue the 'interview' now?" Neither Sandy, nor the other Highkleys, had ever been interviewed before.They'd seen a lot of it on those old Earth TV shows, though.Polly acts like a talk show veteran in front of the camera.As she spoke to the camera, she dragged Sandy closer and tucked her hand affectionately into his belt.If Sandy hadn't been dazzled by the machines, people, grass, wildflowers, and rocks in this real human world, Polly's performance would have won his admiration.Her words were clear and persuasive. "Yes, we are the Haikeli people, an advanced race with high technology. Our recorded history can be calculated according to your years, which can be traced back to 16,800 years ago. The purpose of our coming to Earth is to share our history with you. Wisdom, and give you back John William Washington, a man of Earth—we call him Sandy—whose parents were two of your astronauts who were rescued by our spacecraft when they were stranded in space, then Because of a war you fought 56 ​​years ago. We raised their son as one of our own. The little story he told you about the carnivore keeper was nothing but a harmless lie. We just want him to come back to you Freedom of movement in between, so that the shock of his return home can be minimized before the inevitable revelation of his true identity. And, we feel that being on Earth for the first time, It is necessary to be cautious and clarify the situation first before deciding how to best let you know about us. We don’t want you to be greatly frightened when you suddenly encounter a truly advanced race of life.” She winked at the camera lovingly, Pausing for a while, he said again: "Now, if you don't mind, we have to go back to the boat for a while, it's time for lunch. Sorry, but the day on your planet is too long, and we really can't wait. You Come, Lysander?" When the Heckley wanted to eat lunch, nothing could stop them.After the earth people finally figured out this point, they hospitablely invited them to enjoy the food on the earth.Of course, the Haikeli people refused.Too hungry to discuss any further, they all climbed back up the ladder rods to the landing craft and closed the door behind them. Once inside, Sandy yelled in Highkley: "What happened? Why did the plan change?" "Because you made a mess of things," Aubier said with a grin in English. "Speak Heckley, no English!" Polly roared, "Who knows what kind of bugging device these earth creatures have? But Aubier is right, that's right. Lasander, you useless bastard , you failed, did not succeed, those earth creatures saw through your scheme at once. Lasander, how can you be so stupid, not smart at all?" Tanya, who was loading the dining car on the other side of the cabin, interjected, "Lasander, your incompetence puts our entire plan in jeopardy." Helen also said: "The elders are very angry, not happy at all." Even Obier wanted to open his mouth to condemn again, but fortunately Tanya had already taken the food out of the heater, otherwise Sandy would have to endure more criticism.They dropped Sandy at once and turned their attention to something more attractive. The cabin was cramped and there wasn't enough room for the six of them to eat at the same time.As always, Sandy passed up his chance and just waited for the tide of others to eat to die.Obiye was the smallest and was squeezed out.He tried to squeeze in through Polly, and she reached out to pinch him, and Aubie flinched back, bumping into Sandy. Seeing Sandy staring at him made him feel guilty. "Sorry for what I just said," he said flatteringly, "it's all so confusing. They're staring at us like that!" Sandy snorted. "You know now how I've felt over the last 20 years," he said, delighted at the role shift.It wasn't entirely pleasant to find himself no longer the sole center of attention, but on the whole he was happy. With her mouth full, Polly turned and glared at them. "I tell you to speak Heckley, not English!" She mumbled as she chewed, "It's natural for creatures on Earth to stare at us. In the history of Earth, races with higher technology and intelligence Visiting primitive savages, the same thing can happen, that's clear. They see us as 'gods,' no doubt." Then she pushed Bolton out of the way like a goddess, It was another burst of chewing to the dining car. Aubier took advantage of this opportunity and immediately got in, leaving Sandy waiting outside the chaotic and fiercely fighting crowd.Sandy didn't mind the wait, though seeing them scramble for food put him off a little.In the kitchen of a human carnivore keeper, everything is different. No one is tearing and biting at the food.Why shouldn't the Highkleans be more polite at mealtimes as they are? There was one more thing he couldn't figure out, and it was more serious.How, he wondered, had their carefully planned first contact with Earthlings gone awry so quickly?How did the people on earth discover the landing ship so quickly? After all, the whole plan was planned by the elders themselves.It was they who decided to hide after the landing ship landed. Lasander, as the earthling among the team members, mixed in with the human beings to scout the situation, so as to determine the safety of the first contact between the Haikeli people and human beings.Surely the senators did not make a plan that could not be carried out, is it possible? But the truth is that things went wrong from the start, which shows that the elders did not take all factors into account. This is impossible. The excited state of Haikeli's team members began to relax, and each of them returned to their seats crookedly with their eyes blank.Sandy walked solemnly to the dining car, picked some leftovers, and disembarked to enjoy his lunch in the dazzling sunlight. He only stayed on the boat for a few minutes before another larger helicopter arrived. The fuselage was white and looked imposing, with two incomprehensible words "Guoan" printed on the side.The helicopter's propeller was still turning, and the door opened, and five or six new earthlings jumped out of it. Sandy climbed up to the flat, sun-warmed rock to eat his lunch, and saw them coming toward him.The people with the cameras and the police officers walking around seemed to obey the newcomers. "Hello, Mr. Washington," one of them called, "I'm Hamilton Boyle." Sandy stood up cautiously, not to spill the tray of food.He held out his hand in standard Earth fashion. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Boyle," he greeted according to his well-trained routine. "Nice to meet you..." Boyle groaned in pain before he finished speaking, and quickly pulled his hand back and rubbed it. "You have great hands." He said in surprise. "I'm sorry," Sandy quickly apologized, feeling a little annoyed at his behavior, "I forgot that I was much stronger than you, and this was cultivated in the 1.4 gravity environment on the spaceship. Do you think..." He hesitated, trying to remember how That's the proper behavior. On Earth, asking someone to eat should be considered a friendly gesture, right? "Would you like to try this?" He handed over some pancakes. Boyle picked up a piece and examined it carefully. "Not now," he asked suspiciously, "what the hell is this?" A woman wrinkled her nose.Sandy didn't know what had happened. "The meat is husik," he explained, holding up a piece with his left hand, "a husik is a meat animal. The crepes you take are made from ground plant tubers mixed with some minced meat from An animal that lives in water. I don't know what you call it. The flesh of this animal is almost solid, with a shell, no bones, and the internal organs can be seen..." "Did you mean shrimp?" an Earthling guessed. "I don't know what 'shrimp' is," Sandy said apologetically. "Anyway, crepes usually consist of these: ground dry powder of vegetable tubers plus something with protein. They're really good. You don't really want to try for a while?" The man seemed both a little moved and a little disgusted.He sniffed the crepes carefully. "I wouldn't eat it if I were you," said a woman. "They smell fishy," said the Boyle. "Mr. Washington, do you eat these?" "That's all I've eaten my whole life." The woman smiled. "Well, you look in good shape," she said, looking him over. "It's kind of scary." Sandy was delighted. He was almost sure it was a compliment.Apparently he was much stronger than any Earthling - presumably than all other Earthlings - and he was almost sure that, in the eyes of Earthwomen, this should be an optional fertility advantage.He happily thought to himself when he would have a chance to try it.Of course not now, he is very clear that generally speaking, people on Earth do not mate in public.But soon! "What?" he asked, jerked out of his delusional reverie. "I'm asking, how do you get your vitamins?" one woman repeated. "Vitamins?" "It's the chemicals needed to maintain the normal function of the body, as well as minerals and so on." "Oh, I can't explain that," said Sandy apologetically, "you'll have to ask Burton. Everything was arranged by the food experts who knew exactly what we needed and controlled lunch accordingly. What, the lunch contains all the nutrition that everyone needs for the day. There is not much nutrition in the biscuit milk, they are just what you call a 'snack'." Then he had to explain what "biscuit milk" is. "We usually eat 'biscuit milk' six times a day," he said, "but here on Earth, your days are longer, so maybe we eat it a few more times. I don't know if there are some adjustments for lunch, Is their 'swoon time' once enough..." Of course he has to explain what "fainting time" is.Boyle sighed, put away the pancake he had been holding, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and stuffed it into a pocket. "May I keep this pancake, Mr. Washington?" he asked. "I think our food chemists would be happy to look into it, and your leftovers?" "Of course, if there are any left," Sandy said generously, "They may pass again, let me think..." He looked at his watch, and calculated the time in Heckley in his mind, "In about Earth time It'll be out in 47 minutes." At this moment, there was a roar in the sky, and Sandy stopped.The small, dark woman looked over her shoulder and said to Boyle, "Margerie is here." "Good," said Hamilton Boyle, his eyes still on Sandy.Boyle was a tall, lanky man, and Sandy was not good at guessing the age of humans, but he was still sure that he was one of the oldest Earthlings present.Sandy thought he was a serious man, even though he often smiled. "Mr. Washington, we'll be talking to your friends soon. There's a VTOL coming soon, and I hope you'll agree with us taking you to a more comfortable place." Sandy had two questions in his mind at the same time, and he didn't know which one to ask first.He skipped the question "What is a 'vertical take-off and landing aircraft'?" and asked, "Mr. Boyle, I don't understand what you mean by more comfortable. We are already very comfortable here." Had to raise his voice because a plane was in sight, heading straight for them from the sky.Then it stopped suddenly, almost fixed in the air, the propellers and ailerons rotated to new positions, and it slowly landed on the ground, the jet engine roared loudly.It wasn't a helicopter, its wings were almost the same as the landing craft that Sandy and the others took. The harsh engine sound suddenly stopped. "I mean go to the city," Boyle tried to persuade him. "There's nothing here but fields. We want to entertain you in a civilized place." "Ask Polly," Sandy answered absently.The words "National Security" are also printed on the fuselage of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft.The door opened, and a tall woman came out, striding up to them with firm steps, looking Sandy up and down. "Wow," she said enviously, "you're so big." "You too," whispered Sandy, gazing up at her.She wasn't as strong and strong around the waist as Sandy, but she was a head and a half taller than him, as tall as the other men.He couldn't help but be fascinated.This is how Sandy met Margerie Dapp.