Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

If a twentieth-century globetrotter were brought to this day, he would be amazed at the picture of the earth.The coastline is beyond recognition.What San Francisco and Chicago had wrested from the bays and lakes was taken back by rising seas or lakes.The Qattara Depression in Libya has become a slightly brackish freshwater lake, half of which comes from rainwater and half from seawater poured in from the Mediterranean Sea.Bermuda is a memory of the past.The Dutch polders are once again part of the North Sea.New Orleans was submerged in the slow flow of the lower Mississippi River, whose main course had long since breached a dam built by the engineering troops and flowed down the Atchafalaya River.Hawaii has lost its tourist attraction, Waikiki Beach, and while many islands remain, they were originally volcanic islands.The low-lying sandy islands off the east coast of North America are now reefs.Sharks sniff hungrily at Atlantic City casinos.Golf courses on Georgia Sea Island are now covered in coral.New York Bay was three times its size, dotted with islands, and the Statue of Liberty still stood, ankle submerged.When the ice floes in the Arctic began to melt, there were no serious consequences. The ice has been floating on the water anyway, and the melting will not cause sea level rise.The melting of icebergs is different, but even that is nothing compared to what happened after Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf disappeared.As a result, the coastal areas of each continent were submerged in water, while scorching and dry winds blew in the central areas of the continents, forming new arid dust storm areas one after another.

Once aboard the airship, Polly squatted down on a small sofa, which creaked under her weight.From the slanted window she peered down at the ground, making a vitriolic comment on everything she saw. "You Earthlings are such a waste," she said mercilessly to Sandy. "Look at the open spaces down there, no one is using them." Sandy didn't answer.He didn't care about the shortcomings of the earthlings.He was thinking of his dead friend.The airship had flown over half of the original Canadian province of Manitoba, and he hadn't adjusted to the fact that he had lost Aubie.

But...he was on a blimp that would take him on a new journey to experience the human world. It's bound to be fun.Riding in an airship was nothing like any other form of transportation he had ever been in.Its hull is filled with hydrogen and can carry 300 people. There are staterooms, music rooms, lavatories and a restaurant on board.Passengers on the airship do not need to use seat belts to secure themselves in their seats and can move around.However, it is not like a starship, because you can feel it moving under your feet, the hull trembles with the roar of the engine, and jumps up and down under the impact of the air current.Moreover, it also has portholes to look out to the ground.

The airship rose slowly to a height where there was no disturbance of the air current.Sandy began to adapt to her body's reaction, and her mood gradually brightened.Margerie Dapp knocked at the door and invited him to have a drink with her, and he said yes at once, glad to be out of Polly's way, and even more delighted to have Margerie's company. They sat side by side on a soft light-colored sofa and looked out.Margerie had said the journey would take a day and a half.Now the twilight of the first night was coming early, for they were flying in the direction where the darkness fell, and the night plain flashed past below them.Margerie took Sandy's hand.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your friend Aubie," she said. He held her hand tightly, seeing her gritting her teeth in pain, he was busy and relaxed. "I know. He's my best friend." "Yes." She was silent for a moment, looked at him, and then said, "Do you want to talk to me about him?" "Oh, can I?" He realized that this was exactly what he wanted to do, very, very much.The desire was even stronger than the desire to write a new poem that was haunting his mind, stronger even than anything else he wanted to do with Margerie Dapp.And so she listened in silence and sympathy to all that he told her about Obiel: their childhood together on the Heckley spaceship; the troubles they had gotten into together; how he acted as his bodyguard, buffering himself in front of him; the two of them sometimes sharing their "biscuit milk" alone; How proud to have fertilized the eggs of the four elders. "I miss him," he said, squeezing her hand again.

This time she didn't shrink back, and held his hand tightly.After a moment's pause, she said, "One thing that surprised me, I mean, the rest of the Highkleigh didn't seem really sorry for Obiye's death, did they?" "Death isn't a big deal to the Highkleys," he explained. "My old teacher, for example. Well, maybe she should be called a nanny. Her name was Marsala, and she was like a mother to me." He tells Margery how Marsala, after finding out she was old, threw herself into Tichthick's mouth without complaint.Marge Li trembled, and Sandy said quickly, "That's the way they handle things like this. Marsala thinks she's doing the right thing, do you understand? She makes room for the new An egg hatched and laid. As far as I know, no one protested when his own death came, and no one grieved."

"But you're sad, Sandy." "Because I'm not from Heckley," he said proudly. The door opened and Polly strode into the drawing room. "Sandy," she complained, "it's time to rest, I want you to go to bed with me. I'm so...how do you say that word? Yes, lonely!" "But I don't want to go to bed with you," Sandy told her clearly. "I want to stay with Margerie." Polly licked her tongue unhappily. "Will she sleep with us?" "Of course not," Sandy blushed. "Polly, you are on the earth now, and you have to learn the living habits of the people on the earth. The people on the earth sleep alone except when mating."

"But I don't like sleeping alone," she sobbed, "I miss Aubie too!" Sandy changed his mind.He knew, of course, that Polly missed nothing more than the warmth and company she found sleeping in a huddle with Aubier.But she never said a word that softened Sandy more than that. "I think I'll have to go and be with her, just for a while," he said to Margery. "I'll be back, maybe." But the fact is that he himself was tired.The long 24 hours on Earth had an effect on him as well.Lying in Polly's cabin, with his arms around hers and hers around him, he felt relaxed.

He did want to go back to Margery Dapp.As soon as he heard Polly's low, staccato snoring, knowing that she was asleep, he tried gently, but in vain, to wrestle himself from her arms.Polly grunted and reached out and pulled him back... His next thought was to wake up and find himself lying next to Polly, hours had passed. He moved, and Polly let out a long, sighing snort, and turned over.He quickly broke free and moved outside, so as not to be crushed underneath.He tiptoed up and looked around, the windows of the cabin were still dark, he didn't know what time it was.For a moment he considered whether to lie down next to Polly again, basking in the warmth of her large, strong body.But on another thought, maybe Margery Dapp was still waiting for him in the lounge of the airship.

It's a silly idea, and certainly wrong.There was no one in the narrow passage of the airship.The lights were all off.The living room was empty. Sandy sat down in a window seat and stared out.The dark sky is dotted with shining stars.The slight jolt of the airship no longer bothered him, but almost comforted him.Perhaps I have begun to get used to this kind of bumps.Thinking of this, Sandy suddenly leaned over and looked forward, a little confused.For a moment he thought he saw another constellation, just below his feet, a cluster of bright red, white, and green lights. It's not a star.Possibly another airship, gliding noiselessly a thousand feet below them, crossed their course here on a point-to-point flight.

"gentlemen?" He turned around as if he had done something wrong, and a sleepy flight attendant peered at him from the door. "Would you like a cup of coffee, sir?" she asked. "Oh, yes, thanks!" he said hastily. "More cream and sugar." "Come right on, sir," she said, starting to leave, but then stopped. "I can turn on the TV for you if you want. Or you can listen to the music on the boat. There are headphones in the seats." "In a while," he said politely.He wasn't going to watch TV on Earth, or even talk to Margery Dapp, even if she was with him at the moment.Because he has a lot to think about.The first thing, and the worst thing, was of course about Aubie.When he thought of Aubie, he felt a twitch in the back of his nose, reminding him that tears were coming.He didn't try to stop the tears.He realized that maybe he was the only person in the vast universe who wanted to cry for Obiye.Surely no one on this planet cries.It is also certain that no one on the Heckley spaceship will mourn the death of Obier, and perhaps a few crew members will look up the name and blood of Hochesk Tikori-Kak 5329 out of curiosity, referring to their own , to see what kind of blood relationship they will have. But Aubie died. Aubie is not the first.One by one, Sandy's closest people left him - his mother died before he was born; I killed myself!But he wasn't the only one paying for it!Sandy paid for it too!He realizes that he is not only sad for Obiye, but also angry with him. Here comes the coffee.Sandy gulped down a cup of sweet, strong coffee. He drank it so fast that his throat hurt a little, so he poured another cup.The sugar in the coffee quelled a hunger pang he hadn't been aware of and lifted his mood—not much, but it made tears less of a threat.For some subtle reason, he couldn't be sure.He thought maybe it was because "coffee" contained "caffeine" and "caffeine" was a "stimulant"; maybe it was because he was proud of himself slowly adapting to the diet of the earth.He decided that the next time Marguerite suggested a drink, he'd take a risk and drink something stronger than a diluted wine.He had seen Hamilton Foyle drink a drink called Scotchman on the Rocks.Boyle can enjoy this wine, so can he. He remembered what the crewman had said, and it occurred to him that there were other earthly pleasures here for him to try.He found the earphones on the seat and put them on his head as comfortably as possible, being careful not to crush the hearing aids and hurt his ears.After debugging, he found a music channel that seemed to suit his mood at the moment.He leaned back in his chair, listening to the music, and the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually disappeared.Turning his head slightly, he could see the bright stars in the sky, the flickering lights of a small town passing by on the ground, and Tchaikovsky's pathetic symphony in his ears reminded him to fall asleep again. When Sandy awoke, he heard himself humming faintly. He immediately sat up and pulled off the earphones wrapped around his neck.He saw Hamilton Boyle standing in front of the giant TV screen in the lounge, on which Sandy saw himself describing to an unseen interviewer the quiz game he and his teammates had been playing for 20 years. "Oh, sorry," Boyle said, "did I wake you up?" It was a stupid question, and the facts speak for themselves, but Sandy replied politely, "That's fine." "I just wanted to hear the news on TV," Boyle said apologetically. "Lieutenant Dapp will be here in a minute. We thought you might want some breakfast." "Oh yes," said Sandy eagerly.The porthole next to him was filled with bright sunlight, and white wool-like clouds floated under the window, and the sun shone warmly on the skin, which was very comfortable.He stood up and stretched. "I'd like to see 'news' too," he said. Boyle grinned.This is a handsome man, Sandy thought, and it's hard to believe he's sixty-two, but that's what Margerie said.He had thick gray hair, cropped short; his face was unlined.The lines of his features weren't soft enough, Sandy thought critically, and he laughed too much, sometimes for no reason.He seemed to want to be nice, though. "You're the biggest story of the day," Boyle said, "and the other interesting piece of news is that there's an old satellite that's about to de-orbit and fall back to Earth, and it might do some damage to where it landed . However, it has been several days and we still cannot be sure." "Does this happen often?" Sandy asked with interest. "Very often," Boyle replied curtly, snapping the TV off.He didn't seem to want to continue talking about it, so Sandy changed the subject. "I didn't know you put cameras in the room yesterday, when I was talking about life on the ship." Boyle looked at him thoughtfully. "You don't mind, do you? People are so interested in you." "Especially you cops," Sandy pointed out. Boyle was at a loss for words, but then replied easily: "Yes, I am a policeman. It is my duty to protect society." "Like a kojack?" Boyle's eyes widened, then he grinned. "I keep forgetting that you watch so many old TV shows. Yes, like Cojack, like any good cop. I need information, and the best source of information is someone on the inside." "What inside?" Sandy asked.Boyle shrugged. "I don't know much about the police," Sandy continued. "Do you still use torture to get information?" "I've never done that!" snapped Boyle. "Never mind. I admit that some cops do it sometimes, and that's natural, isn't it? Don't the Highkleys never do anything like that?" ?” "Never," said Sandy affirmatively, "I've never heard of a Hykleite deliberately torturing, for whatever reason." "Never even resort to threats?" "With pain? No! Or do you mean threats of death? That doesn't work either." He explained, "The Heckleys are not as afraid of death as you—we are." "Oh, that's what you said to Lieutenant Dapp," said Boyle, "so...let's say a Highkleite has gone mad and wants to turn against society, and there's no good way, say, to force What if he said what he didn't want to say?" "I don't think so. Anyway, there is no need to resort to threats or torture." Boyle seemed to lose interest in the subject. "Why isn't our breakfast here yet?" he said, then smiled. "So you don't know we're filming you." Sandy shrugged. "Actually, before we landed, it wasn't clear if you had televisions or if you didn't. When the Hykleites first came to this part of the galaxy many years ago, they received all sorts of radio signals , radio, TV, everything. And this time there was almost nothing. We thought you guys cut them for some reason." Boyle's expression looked depressed. "Oh, in a way. There's so much junk floating around in the Earth's atmosphere that satellite communication doesn't work that well, so we basically switch to microwaves or fiber optic cables. Even local radio or TV stations have directional antennas , so you don’t have to waste energy sending a signal into the sky.” "Isn't it because you want to keep it a secret?" Sandy asked boldly. This time Boyle was really taken aback. "Of course not! Why do you think that? We don't even know the Heckley exist." He shook his head. "No, it's all because of the mess we've made here. Not just physical obstacles. The old Sputnik A few are still emitting all kinds of messy rays, and the effects of Star Wars will continue for a long time. However, I have to admit that when the war is going on, it is indeed a beautiful picture of light." Sandy pricked up his ears. "You saw that battle?" "Yes, of course I saw it. I was only 12 years old. I didn't see much myself, and I mean with my own eyes—there's not much to see in Cleveland, Ohio, especially during the day. Star Wars is in Cleveland time It started at two o'clock in the afternoon, and it was over by sunset. But the whole process was shown on TV, and believe me, it was a spectacular fireworks display in space." He paused, looking at Sandy. "Haven't your parents ever mentioned it to you?" "How is that possible?" Sandy said bitterly. "They died before I knew who they were. I never saw them, really—just a picture of my mother." "Oh? Can I have a look?" Sandy took out the photo from his pocket and handed it to him. Boyle looked at the square piece of paper carefully, and then carefully said: "She is such a beautiful woman." .Do you mind if I make a copy of this photo?" "What?" Sandy asked in surprise. "I think the public would love to know what your mother looked like," he said, pocketing the photo. "Have you ever seen their spaceship?" "My parents' spaceship? I haven't actually seen it, I've only seen photos." Boyle nodded quickly, as if he had just had an idea. "Let me tell you what to do, Sandy. If we showed you all the pictures of all the ships we found back then, would you recognize their ships?" "I think I can try." "That's all we can ask of you. Ah, here comes Lieutenant Dap, and our breakfast!" said Boyle enthusiastically. Marge Li walked into the lounge, followed by a crew member pushing a small cart.Margeley greeted them.The crew took the domed silver-covered plates from the under-table heater and prepared three breakfasts. Sandy's attention was first attracted by the smell of breakfast, but he still noticed Margeley's clothes.She looked stunning, with her long red hair glossy and glossy, in a completely different outfit from the night before—a knee-length skirt the same color as her hair, one with tassels. A white leather jacket, a pair of bright blue socks reaching to the calf, with red, blue and white twisted lace on the hem.Only then did Sandy realize that Boyle's clothes were different from the one he wore the night before, and he couldn't help frowning, wondering if there was something wrong with him wearing the same clothes every day. However, it was time for dinner, and Sandy's attention was immediately occupied by breakfast. The "pancakes" were delicious, especially the sticky, sweet dollops of "maple syrup" on top.And the small plate of "fruit" platter is also delicious.At first he only tried to taste in small sips, but the contrasting taste and flesh of "orange", "grapefruit" and "melon" made it difficult for him to resist the temptation of them.With Polly's appearance, the day's inquiry resumed.It was not until Polly had left to enjoy her own lunch and swoon time that Sandy had the opportunity to take Hamilton Boyle aside and ask him if there was really a reason for changing his clothes so often. He hurried back to his cabin, his face flushed all the time.He got into the small bathroom and poured hot water on himself. The Highkleys never told him that he smelled bad and that was not their concern.None of the Highkleites bothered to hide their scent.He told himself ruefully that he should have noticed that almost all the good smells wafting from Earthlings came from a single bottle. After he showered and dried off, he tried some of the men's cologne that Boyle had lent him in a glass bottle, and it smelled really nice.He poured out a palm full and slapped it on himself. Sandy's cries of anger and surprise woke Polly from her near-final swoon, and she staggered in to see what was going on.He told her angrily that the stuff he put on stinged, but she had no sympathy for him. "Maybe you're using the wrong place," she said. "Besides, this stuff is Earthling stupidity, and you better get used to it being Earthling. Put on your clothes so we can get some more interrogation." " "It's not cross-examination," he corrected, "it's just asking questions. It's only natural that they're interested in us." "Not only interested in us," she said darkly, "what do they ask you?" He shrugged, pulled on another pair of trousers, and looked nervously at himself in the small mirror again. "Various things, nothing special." "But they asked me some very important things in particular," she said in a stern tone, "about the history of the ship, whether the Hekleites had encountered intelligent life before, what they had done to them, and what happened to our ship. The technology of the engines, which ones are fueled by 'rare substances' - though they know I don't know. Especially about us Hekri, why we willingly die when it's our turn, how many eggs we store, store For how long, for what purpose ... there's nothing they don't want to know." "There's nothing you can't tell them," Sandy said nobly, combing his hair to see if he could get it into the Hamilton Boyle style. "That's what we're here for, to exchange information." "Yes, an exchange," she agreed, "but what information did they give us in return?" "I'm sure they'll tell us anything we want to know," he affirmed. She gave him a hard look. "You're an Earthling after all," she exclaimed, "so remember to act like one next time we sleep together." He turned to look at her, surprised by her tone. "Have I offended you, Hippolyta?" he asked. "You behaved badly in bed last night," she said angrily. "You deserve to die! Are you dreaming? What was it? You woke me up twice last night and I had to put You push away, because you seem to want to mate with me. It's stupid and disgusting! Lasander, leave this kind of thing to your earth woman, Margery Dapp." "Don't I want to?" said Sandy wryly. There weren't as many questions as usual that afternoon, but Sandy was tired.What Polly said somewhat dampened his interest.He doesn't like being questioned.He began to pay attention to the number and content of questions being asked. It's easy.The answer is "everything": from what the Hekri call their sun, spaceships, and landing craft, to why Ching Tai Chi Lo is an "elder" rather than a "senator."Hamilton Boyle showed as much interest as Margea Lee in the Earth movie shown to the entire Hackley crew.Margeley came up again, wondering how the lander's magnetic drive would slow down the debris in space.Sandy's face tightened.Although Margerie kindly compliments him on how refreshed he is after the change (and, when he asks, says he smells better now), he doesn't enjoy being with her at this point .He was therefore pleased to hear Boyle announce that the conversation was on hold while Bolton was on TV speaking from where the landing ship was. The area around the landing craft was not what it had been when Sandy had left it.The Heckley team, who stayed there to watch the house, hadn't been idle. The broken protective screen against the tiny meteorites was gone, and they had begun to install a shiny new protective screen for take-off.There was so much stuff and people popping up around the landing boat that it was a complete town—three huge rectangular buildings on wheels (Margerie explained they were called "trailer homes") around the small town. Small landing craft formed an arc; five or six fabric things ("tents") lived with a few earthlings working in mobile homes; besides, several helicopters parked nearby, several The propeller of the frame is still turning continuously.It was drizzling in the Inuit Republic, and the Hikri stayed indoors.Sandy caught a glimpse of a shot of Demme looking out of the hatch, and then the frame swung to reveal Bolton.Crouching in a tent, he explained in detail what a "railgun" would look like and where it would be built.Polly and Sandy had to watch TV all afternoon, explaining details that Burton had missed. At the end of a long day, Sandy was exhausted again.He found that coffee kept him awake. "I don't know if you should hold on like this," Margery said with concern, "Your body system isn't used to this at all, isn't it?" "It's okay." Sandy reassured her.He couldn't spend alone time with her until his system was put to the test.As soon as he finished speaking, he yawned heavily. Marge Li showed a worried expression. "You didn't get enough sleep, did you?" "I can't sleep as long as you guys," he argued. "Well, if you're going to sleep..." "Oh, no! No, Margerie, I'd love to be with you for a while." She smiled at him in that earthly way that Sandy couldn't understand. "Aren't you going to write a poem again?" He shook his head, lost in thought.Did the poems he wrote have the desired effect?He said: "Just because I feel more comfortable with you. Not that Hamilton Boyle is bad, but ... I don't know, I think he doesn't actually trust me." "Oh, he's a cop," said Margery, before Sandy could speak, and added, "Of course I was, too. But he's been a cop all his life, and I think it's just an instinct in him. " "Margerie, will he torture me?" "Torture? Torture? Of course not!" she added reluctantly, "unless he's really forced to. Why would you ask such a question?" Sandy shrugged silently. "Have you kept any secrets from us?" Sandy pondered the question. "No," he said, "I have told you everything you asked." She sneezed, then looked at him thoughtfully. "So, is there anything we should know, but haven't asked because we don't know enough?" "As far as I know, no." His eyes were fixed on her. "Do you think there is?" Marge Li said slowly: "Actually, there is one thing I can't figure out." "What's the matter? Ask, Margery. If I know, I'll tell you." She stared at him for a while, then suddenly asked strangely: "How old are you?" The question startled him, and he quickly replied, "I'm about 22 years old in Earth time." "Yes, that's what you told us. You also said that you were rescued from an Earth spaceship before you were born?" "Yes, that's right," he said, not knowing exactly what she was trying to say. "But that was just after the war, 50 years ago." "Oh, yes," said Sandy, grinning happily.It felt good to finally be able to explain something simple to her after so many difficult questions. "Well," he began to babble, "because the ship travels at the speed of light most of the time. This causes time dilation, just like your Albert—Albert Love Einstein predicted in the theory of relativity. So on the spaceship, time passes slowly relative to me." "I see," she nodded, "So, it has actually been about 50 years since you were born according to Earth time. In other words, 25 years were spent on the way to Alpha Centauri, and 25 years were spent on the way back. On the way, right? Only because of time dilation, it only took about 10 years to go back and forth." "That's right!" he said beaming, pleased with her quick comprehension. She asked very seriously: "What does Alpha Centauri look like?" He blinks. "What did you say?" She repeated: "What was Alpha Centauri like? To you, that was only 10 years ago, wasn't it? You were about 10 years old, by your terms." He frowned. "I don't understand you." "Oh, Sandy," she said sullenly, "I was not stupid when I was ten years old, though naive. I wouldn't be so forgetful about things like that. If I were you, I'd always remember something about Alpha Centauri." Some things, even if you only remember how excited the adults were at the time. Don't you remember?" His brow furrowed even tighter. "I've seen pictures," he said finally. "Yes," she said, "we saw it too. The Hekleites showed us the video. But I haven't been there. What about you?" "Of course I've been. I should have been," he said reasonably, though his brows were still drawn together. She sighed. "I don't think you have been. I think they lied to you." He was stunned like a lightning strike, and felt that her words were a little hurtful. "Why would they do that?" he demanded, and she was speaking ill of the friends he knew best. "That's exactly what I want to know," she said gravely. "What reason would they have? Like, suppose they captured your parents..." "They saved my parents." He cut her off. "Well, when they took your parents on the Heckley, they assumed your father wasn't dead, your mother wasn't pregnant at all, and you were born when the ship started returning to the solar system, and then something happened to your parents, and the Heckley took you Raise..." "Something happened to my parents. It was indeed the Haikeli people who raised me." "But you don't remember anything about Alpha Centauri, so, Sandy, it's not at all what they told you." She made the point. He was so irritable that he asked sharply, "What do you mean?" "Sandy, I just want to tell you that they lied to you." "It's ridiculous! They don't have any reason to lie, do they? Why would they?" "I wish I knew," she sighed.