Chapter 4 third chapter

They are not dead.The emergency lights come on quickly, albeit dimly.Quinn told Mindy to get the bike out of the lifeline while he hurried back to the spaceship.Jomo was already there, and soon Clay was too. It's dangerous!The superconducting coils on that old atomic furnace engine were carrying too much current.As long as the coil can still conduct electricity, the huge current can be maintained, but once the operation error is uncontrollable, the coil will explode like a bomb. The history of those engines is longer than that of the aperture station, and they are indeed running overtime. A small molecular misalignment often makes them lose their electrical conductivity. At this time, it only takes a few seconds for the safety relay to stop The energy that sustains life will be lost.

This time, they kept their losses to a minimum.Backup power was also provided by the fuel, fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in tanks buried beneath the snow and ice, buying them a little time for emergency repairs. "We are lucky enough." Jomo said with a sweaty smile, the sun mark on his face appearing and disappearing. "The No. 2 engine has been overhauled, all tests are normal, and it can be started." The lights were dimmer.He increased the current flow to engine #2 to melt the fuel.With a roar from the fuel injection pump, the engine started.The room suddenly brightened.

Quinn heard the sound of fans turning and people cheering, and fresh air rushed in. The aperture station is alive again. He helped Jomo find the broken coil in the No. 1 engine, cut it off, and then welded the coil removed from the No. 3 engine.The amount of current in the engine rose steadily, but not a single spark. "Everything is all right, my child!" Jomo wiped his hands and smiled happily at him.Quinn thought what was wrong, Jomo shouldn't have called him "my boy", but he didn't say it. "Don't panic, don't sweat, both engines are good enough, everything is safe!"

They stepped out of the boat, and the sight outside made him feel that not everything was safe, that something he feared happened, but he didn't say it. The supply ship finally arrived, the same Alderbaron, this time captained by Teziu Jinsey.Before the ship landed, he reported that he had detected the hull of the Spica.After the encounter with aliens, the Spica slowed down, but remained in its past orbit.Its route would be through Jannott, and Clay suggested intercepting it. "Metal is useful to us," he told Carbon. "Nobody's bringing us metal." "A pile of scrap iron," the old captain disagreed with Clay. "Twice dismantled. First when the aliens got it, and again when Cafodio caught the alien bird. The rest are useless."

"Someday, sir, it will be useful someday. It will be useful when people come to live in the Aperture." "No, we're not scrapers, nor are we here to colonize." Carbon was strict with his subordinates, but he was always friendly to Clay. "As I recall, we are only here to defend our planet and the Solar Empire." "The aperture is wide enough to accommodate everyone." Clay knew how to reason with him without irritating him. "If aliens become our friends, maybe we can exchange heavy metals with them for space, and then the metal of that spaceship will be really precious."

With that said, he handed the star mist bottle to Carbon. "No." Carbon waved his hand and told him to take the bottle away. "If those brimstones smell good to you, go ahead and enjoy them. We all need some kind of relief in this freezing world, but I'd rather have a glass of wine." "Drink." Clay nodded happily. "But then again, we really need that ship. We can get close to it with a microship. With the help of a couple of people, I can drag it into orbit—" "No!" Carbone was a little impatient. "If the alien wants that wreck, it's up to him. Suck your Star Mist and stop talking about building a new kingdom in the Aperture!"

Aldebarron finally landed on the padded plastic mat that had been prepared for her.After the mail was unloaded, Quinn saw his mother's letter.She is still in Zurich, where she works as a researcher in Kirwan's laboratory. "Now I'm Earthling," she wrote, "and happy." There was also a new photograph in the letter, of her smiling, looking much younger than the mother he remembered, and so beautiful, how he wanted to see her again. "Hey Quinn, I really miss you," the letter went on. "I used to dream that you would live with me, but now I know that's not possible. It's getting worse and worse here. I I’m not saying this to make you worry about us. You must have heard a lot about the terrorists of the ‘Holy Clan’, but the giants have a strong security force, I think, in the Sun Empire, security is no problem.”

Clay only had one letter.When Quinn saw him reading the letter, his eye circles were moist, his face twitched a few times and then became numb again.He turned around and took a long breath of Star Mist, then handed the text message to Quinn. "Clay—oh, Clay, darling," she wrote with trembling hands, "I'm so torn about telling you this, because I love you both, you and little Quinn. It hurts my heart, but what can I do—you used to say that to me, and I know it myself now. You two will live in the Aperture forever, and I will live here forever." "Please—please help Quinn understand me."

With a new husband named Olaf Thorsen.They met in the laboratory. He is an expert on Kewanlong wire, specializing in superconductors.In the photo, they stand in front of a house in Empire of the Sun and smile at each other.He had blond hair and sun marks on his smooth, ruddy cheeks that shone like yellow moons.It seems that they are very happy.Quinn wanted to say that he understood all of this, but his tight throat made him unable to speak. He had trouble sleeping that night.Since his mother loved that Olaf Thorsen, he must be good, but he missed her desperately.The letter had rekindled all his longings, and made him think again of satellite cities, skylines, and the wonderful old Earth.

He was indignant.When Mindy returns to Kodobosi, the security department will give her the sun mark, because her parents have sun blood, and they will testify to her.And he was abandoned forever.How he needed a father!But his mother didn't tell him the truth.Thinking of this, he couldn't help being a little angry with his mother, which even overwhelmed the anger at Mindy just now. He was up late for breakfast, and Clay asked him what was wrong. "It's okay." He said muffled. "I'm fine." Clay must not have slept well either.His red scarf smelled strongly of star fog, and his lashless eyes looked dark and sad.

While feeling sorry for him, Quinn tried to make herself feel at ease in Jannot.Now that Jomo had let him operate the engine, and he had learned how to start it, Clay and Carbon still insisted on shining the searchlight into the vast black sky. Carbon was on guard against the enemy, and Clay was looking for friends. Aldebarron had been here for two weeks, unloaded and loaded with atomic reactive matter.One of the people who came to the Aperture Station with the boat this time was Jason Cowan. "The son of a giant." Clay said with a smile, recalling that painful experience. "The little rascal who saved my life is now grown up. Jin Sai and Carbon told me that he has become worse now. To avoid the trouble he caused on the side of the sun, the giant made him I got on a boat and learned how to drive. I heard that he actually killed a flying officer because of his wife. Carbon hated him very much and told me not to associate with him." The next morning, Quinn was observing the wreckage of the Spica on the observation deck, when Carbon brought Jason in to see the detection equipment.Quinn couldn't help turning his head. That's Jason Cowan!Son of a giant! I saw him wearing a shiny uniform with a laser gun hanging on his hip, looking tall and energetic.He had a prominent "Romanov" nose and an air of nonchalance.Long auburn hair, a mustache also auburn, and a neatly trimmed mustache, a majestic presence.Quinn had never seen a man with a mustache, and the bright sun-mark filled him with envy. They ignored him, but he heard Jason teasing Carbon.With those bright green eyes that are not afraid of anything, Jason ridiculed Carbon for being afraid of aliens. He asked Carbon disdainfully, if the aliens really came, how would he plan to protect the aperture station.The poor captain was flushed and furious, but he did not attack.Quinn was listening, worried that the two of them would have a big quarrel. At this moment, Clay walked into the room, and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. "Good old ghost!" Jason recognized him. "Get off my father's boat." He turned and teased Carbon again. "You were so anxious to throw him out of the cabin with the garbage, remember?" "These—" Carbon's voice rose sharply. "These are things of the past," He took a deep breath to calm his anger. "We're good friends now!" Clay saw it, so he introduced Quinn to Jason.Jason stared at him, green eyes as impassive as a cat's.Quinn immediately hated Jason because of his cold eyes, because of his big nose, and because of his blatant unfriendliness towards Carbon. Yet his surname was Kirwan, heir to the giants, and everything Quinn aspired to, including that "Romanov" nose.Somehow Quinn had asked him to look at the Spica through the binoculars.After reading it, he still asked Carbon in that mocking tone, if there are any aliens on the wreckage going back now. "Impossible, master." Clay answered immediately. "It's been more than three years since the last alien bird was caught, and if the aliens were going to do anything, they'd be there long ago." Jason asked when the Spica passed Jannot. "Forty-one hours from now," Quinn told him. "It's half a million kilometers from here." "Can we go up and see—" "No!" Carbon walked away from Jason. "Absolutely not!" Jason shrugged, looking smug.Quinn saw that Clay couldn't wait to reach for the smoke, and Carbon couldn't wait to get rid of Jason. "Go ahead." Jason shrugged again dismissively, "If they don't have time for me—" He smiled at Quinn, and that smile changed Quinn.Jason's arrogance turned into a warm current.He seemed no longer indifferent, and those green eyes seemed to welcome him into the world of glorious Jason.Quinn's initial dislike melted into heartfelt admiration. "Quinn, would you like to show me around?" "Sun Kirwan—" He was a little overwhelmed by his good fortune. "I'm willing to help." Jason had a camera, but he didn't want to take pictures of the gym and the gardens and those slush holes.He doesn't seem interested in anything until Quinn takes him to the Capala spaceship.He laughed at Jomo's English without hesitation, but when he heard that Quinn was an assistant in the engine room, he suddenly perked up. "Really, boy," he said, his green eyes widening. "Can you really start a nuclear engine?" "So-so." He asked if the Kapala had any nuclear-powered tiny spacecraft. "Here, put it at the other end of the tunnel." Quinn told him. "On an insulating mount to keep the ejector from melting ice. Typically used to service orbital signaling devices." "Can it go out to the wreck of Spica?" "My stepfather tried to go out in it and drag the wreck into orbit, but Captain Carbon—" "Old Carbon?" Jason snorted disdainfully. "Come on, let's go and have a look." "Master, the air valve is locked—" "I'll pick the lock." He touched the laser gun in the black leather case. "Come on, boy." They paddled along the tunnel.There was a blinding flash of his lasgun; after a puff of smoke, he pulled the valve.Quinn covered his aching eyes and followed him into the small spaceship. "What an ugly piece of shit," he yelled at the little engine. "Can you really drive, boy?" "As long as the machine turns, I can drive it. Clay had a problem with the main magnet the last time he was out. When he came back, I wound Jomo's coils." He looked at Jason anxiously. "Master, I don't want to cause trouble—" "Listen, kid! I'm the son of a giant." Jason laughed and said, "I'll be the one to support the sky falling." "But, master, I'm nothing—" "Maybe not now." Jason smiled slyly at him. "I believe you would like the sun token." "I am willing." Quinn couldn't help admitting, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm willing to pay any price—" "It's a deal, kid!" Jason patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically. "You come with me today, and I promise to get you a sun marker. Let's fly to that broken ship and catch an alien bird to play with!" "But, master—" It is possible to get the sun mark!His voice was choked, and his eyes were spinning.Day and night, he was looking forward to breaking free from Janenot's cage, to be as energetic and unconstrained as Jason.If he could find his father, he might still be able to seek a high position in the Kewan Building-it's just a wild idea! "I can't go." He shook his head. "That's stealing a ship." "Stealing a ship from the Empire of the Sun?" Jason laughed. "The giant is the largest shareholder of Sun Empire." "It's also unlikely that we'll find another alien bird—" "That's okay." Jason shrugged. "We can tell people, the alien bird has escaped! Come on, boy! If you can seal the valve, lift the anchor, and start the engine-" Jason smiled, what is impossible in this world? "I—" Quinn's voice was small and rough, "I will." The little spaceship slid out of its berth and flew into space.The engine started, but it was as erratic as the old Capala's engine.He had no choice but to stand by the machine, check the flow rate of the magnetic flow for a while, listen to the roar of the pump tube, check the voltage for a while, fine-tune the fuel quantity, and look at the thrust gauge of the spacecraft for a while. But he also glanced briefly at Jannot from the rear cabin.A gray, tattered sphere, with the distant sun shining on it faintly, it is like a small ink dot among the stars.Watching it quickly disappear before his eyes, Quinn felt a strange emptiness mixed with excitement inexplicably.The only world he had ever known was becoming a dot, and would soon be lost in the sky of planets.He might be sad to lose it, but with a friend like Jason, the dazzling world beyond the sun is within reach.Or it seemed to be like this - "Listen, kid." Jason's lazy voice came from the intercom, making him doubt what he had just thought. "I see you set the thrust gauge to only 1/4G and get to that wreck in eight hours. Can you hurry up?" "Maybe—" He hesitated. "But the magnet wire rewinds—" "Speed ​​up, kid." He pushed the thrust gauge to 1/2G, and then continued to push it until the small light bulb flickered, warning him that dry transistors might go wrong and there was a danger of superconductivity.He nimbly pulled back the thrust gauge a little.The warning light went off.He remains vigilant about getting the engine to its full potential without exceeding its limits.He began to like this flight, and even had an inseparable emotion with this brave little spaceship. He was grateful even to Jason.The dashing son of the tycoon is now his comrade, in the same boat as him.This is a rare opportunity that he has longed for, to fly out of the tunnel and return to the magical world beyond the sun.An hour later, Jason, dressed in a robot pilot suit, returned to Quinn and rummaged through the interior cabin to find some hard biscuits and artificial juice.The two of them ate together. "Cheers to our aliens!" Jason raised the frosted lightbulb cup in his hand. "If we run into aliens—I don't want to run into aliens, though." "If you don't want to—" Quinn shook his head at Jason's smiling face, and suddenly murmured in his heart, wondering if Jason really had the excitement he had just now.If Jason was already excited, what else could freshen him up?It seemed that this tall sun man still made him unable to understand.He plucked up the courage to continue: "—then what are we doing here?" "You are so stupid to ask!" "I'm sorry, sir—" "It's okay, kid." Jason smiled even brighter. "I guess you've found the answer." Jason paused, his slightly squinted green eyes looking like a cat again. "Old Ferlando can't live forever. I plan to take over his position, but the succession is never automatic. He was elected because he got an alien bird back. I also need this kind of thing, Xiang Qi The Human Council proved that I was better than he was then. See now, boy?" Quinn nodded.He dared not say he liked it, but he listened with gusto when Jason talked about the Cowan Building and the Committee of Seven that controlled it.There members are brutally competitive; there are bribes, blackmail and treachery; there are revelators and saints waging war to bring down the Empire of the Sun; there are lies, spies and assassinations. Everything he had never heard of.He listened attentively and enviously, when will he be as fearless as Jason?At this time, the wireless phone in the cab rang frantically.Jason turned back to answer the phone.Quinn heard Carbon yelling into the microphone. He didn't hear what Carbon was saying, but he heard Jason's sarcasm answer. "About the alien bird, Captain? If you are afraid that there is an alien bird on that wreck, we will drive it away; if you are not afraid, we will bring you one back as a pet." Carbon's voice on the microphone got even shriller. "Worried about me? No need, I'm fine." The signal went off, but Jason was still in the cab.Facing the small engine alone, Quinn felt uneasy again.Except for that charming smile, he really couldn't say anything about Jason.Come to think of it, Jason wasn't a trustworthy person either. The supply ship will depart soon, and Jason will definitely go with the ship.Although he had inadvertently promised himself the sun mark, Quinn believed that Jason would forget him completely, and he would have to stay and pay a heavy price: Clay would be very sad, even if Jomo, Will be disappointed for "his kid" too.He was starting to feel very uncomfortable. "There she is!" Jason roused him from his contemplation. "Stop the boat, let's go take a look" They had flown beside the wreck.It looked smaller than he'd imagined, and it was broken, leaving nothing but a bare metal shell.Most of the ship's frames have been dismantled, and they are brightly illuminated by the sun.He suspected that aliens had visited the wreck since Cafodio caught the alien bird. "There will be no monsters here." Jason pointed the camera at the cabin. "They have no hiding place." "We have space lights, master," Quinn reminded him. "Only one, in the internal affairs box." "I just want pictures." Quinn watched him take pictures, watched the ship slowly rotate, watched the sun shine into every dark corner.There are no aliens, only rotten iron and broken copper.The aliens might come and take what they need, but when they're done they'll return to the Aperture, leaving Clay out of sight and his dreams of building a better future for humanity out of reach. "Boy!" Jason suddenly called out, his voice sounded very hollow in the narrow spaceship. "I see the sign on the board that it's low on oxygen. Let's go back! Start the engine--as soon as possible!" They stayed too long.He had to jerk the thrust gauge.The red warning light kept flashing, and he had to pull the thrust gauge back to 1/2G. "Speed ​​up, kid!" Jason urged. "Hurry up! Or we'll have no air to breathe!" This time he pushed too hard, and despite pulling back and forth, the main magnet was still scalding hot. Finally he could see Jannot through the porthole, expanding from a dim gray spot to a small gray snowball.But it expanded very slowly, and before he could reach for it, the main magnet exploded. A puff of hot smoke obscured his eyes.Dragging the artificial fire extinguisher in his hand, he stumbled to the outer cabin to take a breath, but he heard Jason banging the air box. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear the roar of the generator.Jason's drawn out tone followed. "I really don't want to abandon you, boy, but this emergency boat is not suitable for you, and I am suitable for sitting down. Besides, I have to hurry back, otherwise, once Jin Sai leaves, I will be thrown in your stinking place." in the ice box. "I've wronged you, kid..." As soon as he finished speaking, the valve slammed shut. Lu Ensang and Xiyanggen are from Newlyn, and both sisters study linguistics.Their younger sister, Jin Jini, volunteered to guard the Volmirn Observatory at the edge of the aperture, guarding against the invasion of black companions. Just at the beginning of their career, they came to the Star Observatory to study the rescued planetary beings.They are also newcomers in Airdrie, so they have sympathy for these primitive people who are desperately resisting.The pair hope to help bridge the cultural gap with them. However, their progress was extremely slow, and Lu Ensang gradually lost confidence.In addition, her sister is now in charge of these planetary people, and she is tired of being under her elder sister's jurisdiction, so she asks the director to re-arrange her work. "Those guys are just stupid," she told the director. "I approached them in the most natural way, but the prisoners were all trembling with fright, and they had no spirit of cooperation. Those guys who live on the inner edge of the small aperture want to talk to us, they keep sending out childish signals, Director, should we answer? " "You Newlyn folks." His authoritative tone made him glow green with peace. "You have to learn Elder's principles of life, that is, patience, caution, and peace. The above has warned us that we must not reveal our identity and address at any time." "Careful?!" She was so anxious that her wings turned red. "I think you're being overly cautious. Their signals are blatantly announcing their presence on Aperture. There's no doubt they want to befriend us." "Perhaps setting a trap for us, trying to avenge the lost ship?" "If we don't get in touch, we'll never know what they're up to." "You Newlyn people are always hasty."' "Because life is short." "Is it too short to think?" When the director scolded her, his eyes flashed blue. "We don't have very convincing evidence that these people are suitable for Elder. Maybe they are some bloody thugs, abusing technology, even they can't control themselves." "I'd rather take that risk." "If you want to take the risk—" The director looked at her with a flash of blue light. "Maybe you'd like to go on a reconnaissance mission." She straightened her wings and waited for the following. "We've never called for volunteers," he told her. "Because the mission is frighteningly dangerous. We've lost a scout. A young engineer who was willing to risk a planetary ship—" "Quick Smith." Sad shadows passed over her mind. "Our old friends, let's study the technology of planetary people together." "It's so miserable to say." His big eyes flashed. "Not once did we try to take him out of that spaceship. He always said there was no rush. Then we found out that a large number of planetary people had arrived, but there was no time to send a boat. He must have been captured. I'm worried that he will have a hard time in the future." .” The director didn't continue talking. "It's okay," she said. "I'll try to do better." "You Newlyn people elude me." She saw a glint of pleasure in the director's eyes. "Because of this character, your luck may really be better." "You want to say that we are primitive characters?" "The kind of primitive character we admire." He shrugged, and she was amazed by the look of respect that flashed across his face. "First, you are willing to take risks, and second, physically you can withstand the radiation, gravity and atmosphere that can kill us." She asked if there were any other instructions. "As close as possible. If possible, scout out the equipment the planetaryians use to launch and control their broken ships." After speaking, he closed his eyes. "I warn you again, this work is extremely dangerous." "To broaden your horizons," she told him, "it's worth the risk!" Life Brake is a special drug that can make people enter a dormant state when they are in distress in space.It lowers body temperature, slows down metabolic processes, and reduces a person's need for oxygen, water, and food.There are many side effects, sometimes fatal.Survival depends on age, physical condition, tissue mass, medications, and duration of the coma.In rare cases, people survived a coma for as long as a year.