Chapter 4 Chapter Four

After boarding the Quantum spacecraft No. 99, the Kip family came to a spacious cabin.The chamber was round, like a giant pie.There was a desk inside and a big black woman was sitting at the desk.Kip was fascinated by the woman and couldn't stop staring at her. I saw her wearing a yellow and green flower uniform, her hair was shaved clean, and she looked very strange. "Welcome, Dr. Verili." The black woman stood up and greeted Rima. Then, she checked the bags they were carrying one by one.Found Kip's game board and took it out. "Why not?" Kip argued. "It's mine. My luggage isn't overweight."

"But this is a prohibited item." She turned and explained to Lima, "Electronic items may cause abnormal vortices in the nuclear conversion field, which will prevent the normal launch of the spacecraft and cause disasters." But she assured that the toys can be returned after the spacecraft stops functioning.She also told the family how to find their sleeping cabin. "When the spaceship is launched, stay in your own cabin and don't run around." The black woman ordered.In order for Kip to understand, she raised her voice, but her voice was still low, not like a woman's voice, "Once you hear the countdown, please lie down on your own bed, fasten your seat belt, pay attention Watch the monitors and listen to the news. The moment the spacecraft launches, you may hear a loud noise and see a bright light. Then, you will suddenly feel weightless."

Dai was a little uneasy, looked up at her mother, and asked, "Have we gone far?" Rima didn't know how to answer the child, and looked at the black woman for help, and the black woman nodded and said, "Far. Yes, very far." Far." "I left Mimi at home, can I still go back and get it?" Dai frowned, looking like she was about to cry. "I can't..." The black woman stopped suddenly and changed her words, "Don't think about those things, what you need now are these few things." She gave each a pair of black goggles, a paper bag and another small paper envelope.

"The small paper envelope contains earplugs." She said, "When the countdown starts, put the earplugs in your ears and put on goggles. And prepare a vomiting bag in case you vomit." Finally, she Ask Kip: "Got it?" "I'll be fine," he told her, "but I have a question for you: how do you know there's going to be a bang and an arc when you fire it, since the person who fired it never comes back?" "We really don't know. At least not exactly." She turned to Rima and said, "What we know is only what we observed at each launch site. We, including the entire spacecraft, will be converted to wave state matter This is certain. Besides, everything is uncertain. We can only hope that when the spaceship enters a strong gravitational field in the future, the matter will be converted again and return to normal matter.”

Kip asked, "What is a gravitational field?" "It is the attraction of a massive object, such as our sun, which forms a huge gravitational field. If we encounter such a gravitational field, we will be lucky. The best case for further hypotheses is that the Attracted by the gravitational field, our spacecraft stops within a safe distance far enough from that gravitational center, so that it will not fall into the gravitational center and be destroyed. Moreover, there is a planet suitable for human life nearby. Further, the planet Well within range of the rockets we carry to get us there safely."

"You said 'lucky' just now?" Kip blinked and looked at the black woman, feeling a little confused, "So, you don't even know if we can encounter such a gravitational field?" "Yeah, no one's sure. But that's what's so exciting about Operation Space Seed." Whether it was as exciting as she said, Kip wasn't even sure.The black woman went on to say: "Of course, there is another possibility that we will not encounter such a gravitational field, so we will always be in the inertial motion of the spaceship, and will never return to normal. Traveling on a quantum spaceship in a wave state, 'feel 'How - if time still exists, can people feel it - we have no way of knowing. In fact, in the wave state, time has stopped, that is, it does not exist, so people have no way of feeling it at all."

"I see." Kip nodded and replied, "In a word, we are taking risks." "Exactly." The black woman turned around and said to Rima, "Dr. Virili, if necessary, you can ask the doctor for some sedatives..." "No sedatives," Kip said. "No matter what happens, I want to stay awake." Kip found it hard to understand the theory of wave state conversion and normal state restoration of matter. Fortunately, the family was busy looking for their sleeping cabin.After settling down, Kip stopped thinking about it and forgot about it for the time being.At this time, he had the opportunity to see the entire internal structure of the spacecraft.It is like a tall multi-level pagoda, layered on top of each other, majestic and magnificent.A fast elevator is installed vertically in the center to communicate with the upper and lower floors.From the elevator, no matter which floor you go to, you can see some small circular cabins with many doors.Passing through a door on the G floor, they arrived at their new home—the cabin G-9.

The sleeping cabin is small and round, like a small pie.There are a few small beds, a few seats, and a small table, all mounted on the wall.When not in use, these things can be folded up and leaned against the wall without wasting space at all.The bathroom is at the wider end of the cabin.In addition, a huge holographic surveillance mirror is installed on the wall, and the scenery inside is constantly changing, like a moving viewing window.Through it, you can see the mountains in the distance and the snow on top of them, and you can see the trucks and cranes driving away from the base.The ship itself can also be seen as it looks towards a holographic camera in a bunker where base personnel are hiding.

"Attention everyone! Attention everyone!" Suddenly, accompanied by a pleasant bell, a loud voice sounded from nowhere, mysterious and unpredictable. At this time, the monitor on the wall suddenly lit up, showing the circular control cabin of the spaceship, with gray consoles and flickering monitors everywhere in the cabin.Then, a man's face appeared on the screen.The man was in uniform and looked stern. "I'm piloting Glengersh to give you an update. There's been a change of command on board, and Alter's captaincy has been replaced by Herman Steck. Now, Captain Steck is speaking."

Glenn Gersh stood to attention and saluted the new captain before disappearing from the screen. "I want to tell you one of the most regrettable things." At this time, Steck changed his original fashionable dress, took off the scarlet fashion, and put on a yellow and green flower uniform. Strangely, from his In his tone, Kip could not hear a hint of regret, "A sudden illness made Captain Alter fall ill. He was rushed to Las Cruces Hospital for diagnosis and treatment a few days ago." "Art is not sick at all," Lima exclaimed when he heard that, "when we saw him just now, he was fine."

"Right now, the results of the diagnosis of the disease have not yet come out. But the spacecraft must be launched on time without delay." Steck's tone was brisk.Then, he raised his voice and continued: "I have assumed the important task of commanding this flight. The final inspection work before launch has been completed. Now I announce that the spacecraft has entered the launch state, and the wave state transition will proceed as scheduled." After speaking, he disappeared from the screen. "Alter is my father's best friend." Rima sat blankly, staring at the empty screen, and said to herself as if lost, "Whenever he returns from the moon base, he always lives with us." Let’s go together. I don’t believe that he will fall ill.” Kip noticed that his mother’s expression was ugly. Mom said that children should stay in the cabin and not run around.But now there are still many hours before the launch.Kip felt bored, and couldn't help but miss those video game characters he used to get along day and night. The captain of my "Comet", the warriors of my "Justice Legion", the warriors who bravely fought against the purple sun alien invaders, how I miss you! Finally, Kip couldn't bear it anymore, so he went to ask his mother.His mother allowed him to go out and look around, on condition that he didn't get in the way of others. Kip took the elevator down to the lower cabins.There was a busy scene: someone gave orders loudly, someone ran around to take orders, all kinds of strange machines made drumming sounds, delivery trolleys kept coming out of the elevator, and the sound of drilling machines came from somewhere. There was a whining sound, and someone was banging on metal.Then Kip went up to the top floors.It was silent there, completely different from the situation below.When Kip came to the kitchen and dining room, it was empty and there was no one there. He could only see all kinds of kitchen utensils and tableware, including metal, ceramic, white, and silver, all clean, bright, and sparkling. On the next floor, you will arrive at the fitness cabin.There was a strange smell of detergent and sweat indistinctly.There was silence in the cabin, empty and dark, and the gloomyness was somewhat scary.Rows of running machines stand there, and the pull rings hang in the air, like monsters and ghosts in the game world, which is creepy. "Dang-wow!" Just as Kip was hurriedly preparing to leave, he suddenly heard the sound of glass breaking.Startled, Kip looked around and saw a door with a flashing red light marked "Emergency Exit" open, and a man came out. "Hello." The man hurriedly greeted Kip in Spanish when he saw him. A thought flashed through Kip's mind: run away!But he didn't.He noticed that the other party was wearing a worker's blue overalls instead of a uniform, so he lost his fear.He also found that instead of being angry, the other party looked flustered, and Kip felt even less afraid. "Hello." Kip also tried to respond in Spanish. "My name is Carlos." The man introduced himself.Then, he came forward from the back, stood in the middle of the cabin, and said eagerly in a low voice: "I got here, so I have to hide here. I just want to take this spaceship, and I didn't do anything else... …except for this piece of glass, of course.” "My name is Kip." "It's a pleasure meeting you!" the man said earnestly, spreading his hands. "Please don't tell me about me, please." It was filthy with oil and paint, and one of his hands was bleeding.In short, Kip felt that the man opposite him acted suspiciously and should be reported immediately.However, he also felt that the other party's eyes were kind, not like a bad guy.Besides, his hand was injured, and there was no bandage, which looked pitiful. "Okay, I promise you." Kip finally made up his mind to keep the secret for him, "but I heard that this journey is very dangerous. As long as you are not afraid. As for me, I will not take you Tell anyone about the situation." "What a friend!" said the man cheerfully, trying to shake Kip's hand, but he stretched it out halfway, found it covered with blood, and drew it back, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. " "Good luck!" Kip said.The man looked around alertly, stooped to pick up a few large pieces of broken glass, and retreated behind the door.Behind the door, Kip saw, was a small storage room filled with oxygen cylinders and a yellow spacesuit.With a bang, the door closed. Kip exited the gym, thinking about the adventure with Carlos and his safety all the way, wishing him to hide well so that no one would find him.Soon, Kip was back in the elevator and continued his visit.The elevator stopped in front of another door with the words "Computer Communication Room" written on it.The door was closed tightly and could not be opened.Kip had to go up another level.There, he saw a huge telescope that he had never seen before, and there was a display screen in the lower part of the mirror.In front of the monitor stood a man in uniform with an impatient face, frowning and staring at himself.The man spoke up, warning Kip to go back to his cabin immediately.When we got back to the cabin, Dai was still sleeping, and my mother was sitting and watching the monitor.Seeing her son back, she turned down the volume on the monitor and asked Kip if he felt better. "I think..." said Kip hesitantly, "if you think Mr. Steck is lying, Captain Alter isn't sick..." Seeing his mother's tense face, Kip quickly stopped. "I have no way of knowing," Rema replied, her voice low. "Anyway, Steck is now the captain, and we must respect him. Of course, there is no need to like him." Kip wanted to tell his mother about meeting Carlos, but he held back.He has to keep his word. "I don't see why we're here," said Kip again, and he knew it would hurt his mother, but he couldn't help thinking about it, "If all we know is that we're gone, besides, If you don't know anything, not even where the ship is going, then the whole operation seems absurd, a pure adventure game." "That's right." Lima bit her lip, thinking about how to answer her son's question, "But, boy, the reality is: we have no choice." Lima couldn't continue, she didn't know how to explain to her son, and she didn't know where to start.There was a long silence.Kip didn't dare to say anything.Seeing his mother in such a difficult situation, he regretted so much that he really shouldn't bring up this topic again.Finally, Rima turned off the monitor and continued talking. "Everything is caused by your father." But as soon as the topic was brought up, it stopped again.Lima lowered her head and patted Dai lightly, staring blankly ahead without saying a word.After a long time, I continued: "I have never mentioned him too much to you. Now, maybe I should tell you about it. Anyway, we are leaving the earth, and everything here will be a thing of the past. Do you want to hear ?” "Just tell me." Kip suddenly became interested. "You said that he participated in the seventy-ninth flight of the 'Space Seeding Operation'. I have been wondering about the whole story." "For quite a long time, when I mentioned him, or even thought of him, I couldn't stand it." Recalling the past, Lima felt dejected, her tone was low, and she suddenly looked much older, "I loved him, and I can't say anything." It won't make you and Dai hate him. Besides, he also wanted to treat us three well, and worked hard for it, at least in the days before he flew away from the earth, he did. " In her sleep, Dai hummed softly.Lima quickly stopped, no longer speaking.After pulling the quilt for her daughter, she just sat there blankly, staring at the empty monitor in a daze, as if she had forgotten about her son on the opposite side. "What happened to Dad?" "Oh, I'm sorry." Lima came back to her senses and shrugged her shoulders vigorously, as if she wanted to get rid of the sadness in her heart. "At the beginning, when we met, we were still very young and just joined the 'Space Seeding Operation' organization. Yes For us at that time, it was an incomparably sacred cause to spread the fire of mankind to distant galaxies. We met and flew into space together and never separated. However, since I am an expert in geological structure and bioengineering, I need to stay Working on the ground, with a team of engineers to design a lander that can adapt to various planetary conditions. And your father also became a commander of the launch base. For a long time, we were both the core of the base Therefore, we couldn’t make the trip for a while to realize our ideals. Finally, the opportunity came. Our engineering design tasks were completed, and the spaceship that was ready to launch happened to have vacancies. You were four years old, and Dai was still in my mother's womb. The doctor said that I should go to the flight after giving birth. And just like that, your father left me and went away alone." Speaking of this matter, Lima still has lingering resentment and can't go on talking.It wasn't until her son asked her why, that she reluctantly continued. She reached out and stroked Dai's hair gently. "He's infatuated with another woman, Holly Horn, a quantum engineering technician." At the mention of the name, Rima's face froze, but she calmed down immediately.She shrugged her shoulders, trying to look relaxed, staring blankly ahead, and her old rival seemed to reappear in front of her eyes, "She is a beautiful woman, blond, blue-eyed, and graceful. When we were studying at Georgia Tech University, we used to We live in the same dormitory, we are good friends, and we will always be." Speaking of this, Rima's lips trembled with anger, "Of course, she apologized to me, and your father also said that he felt sad. Maybe he said It's the truth. They left all their savings in the bank as support for you and your sister. I always wanted to forgive them, but..." Rima was too sad to speak.After a while, it calmed down a bit. "That's pretty much the way it is. That's how we got to where we are today. They left me with a limited amount of money, and I spent it all. I didn't save any money myself. Now 'Operation Space Seeding' It's over, my job is gone, and the professional knowledge I have learned is useless. Staying here, on the earth, Rima stared at the gray and empty screen of the monitor and smiled, as if seeing a new Hope is beckoning to them. "Who can predict what will happen in the future? We have now boarded the last seeding spacecraft. I feel that we have started a great journey. I can't wait to see the end of this journey." She paused "Maybe, it's not fair to you and Dai, I shouldn't do this, but this is an opportunity...an exciting opportunity worth trying! I hope you can try to understand Mother's hard work." "I will, Mom. Don't blame yourself." Kip stood up and hugged his mother tightly. "I am very happy to take this trip." The Kip family is still waiting quietly.Lima turned on the monitor again, and the ship's rules and regulations and safety rules were still being broadcast repeatedly.A waiter in a white hat came in and called them to dinner.For a quick meal, a sandwich with soybean soup.Later, when Kip was sleepy, his mother helped him make his bed and put him to bed.As the countdown began, Mom woke Kip up and fastened his sleeper harness buckle.Dai did not fall asleep, talking in her sleep, and calling her Mimi in a low voice. "There are still five minutes until the launch." Kip listened to the countdown while putting the soft plastic earmuffs in his ears. "4 minutes - 3 minutes - 2 minutes - 1 minute -" Mom reminded Kip to put on the goggles.Kip put it on and lay still, waiting for something to happen.What will happen?Is it a bolt of lightning?may be. "30 seconds—20 seconds—10 seconds—5 seconds—" Kip felt extremely nervous, trembling and out of breath. "4 seconds - 3 seconds - 2 seconds - 1 second -" "Crack!" A crisp voice sounded.Also, nothing happened.Kip took off his goggles, and it was pitch black in the cabin.Soon, the monitor turned on, emitting a faint green glow.Dai was still talking nonsense in her dream, begging for Mimi.Kip felt his body begin to float gently up from the bed.