Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven

Port Burroughs is the capital of the high-level space trusteeship, built on a hill with anti-gravity equipment.Expensive nuclear energy drives this device buried thousands of meters underground, and the reverse gravitational field generated is only enough to suck a little air from the top of the mountain.All around is an airless, bare wasteland. CT energy will eventually change all the Burroughs stars. Space engineers have always dreamed of this. The endless energy transmitted from the Bryan transmitter will definitely be able to create an anti-gravity well that reaches deep to the center of the earth. The gravitational device would certainly suck the air around the entire asteroid.This CT energy can also produce air, soil and water, and at that time, the bare surface of the Burroughs star will no longer exist.

But these are still just a dream. An hour later, Jenkins began calling the Port Burroughs signal tower on a beamphone, getting clearance to land at the emergency landing field outside the city.He then requested that the call be transferred to Mr. Martin Bryan, CT Building.After a while, a crisp voice rang on the phone: "Brian's office." Jenkins froze for a moment, he was familiar with the voice.During the two years he had been on the Liberty Star, it had haunted his ears forever.This is Jane's voice!I once loved deeply, but somehow lost the voice of Jane! "Brian's office," Jane repeated, "who's calling?"

"Please find Mr. Brian." It doesn't matter who she is anymore, I don't have time to relive old dreams anymore, death has already hit him like a poisonous sword.Suddenly, Brian's words flashed through his mind again. "Nick, of course I know her." The uncle smiled lovingly, "You have to guard against her!" "You know who she is..." "I don't know her name," interrupted Brian, "but I know the type, the women from Earth to the Mandatory are all the same—predators. Planetary Wealth, trying to bring it back to Earth. Better forget about her, Nick, and get on with your work."

After that inexplicable breakup, Jenkins did do so reluctantly, but felt very uncomfortable.Now, Jane.Harding's reserved voice brought him back to reality. "I'm sorry, Mr. Brian is very busy. I'm Harding, his private secretary. If you leave your name and what you want to do, I may be able to convey it for you." "Nick Jenkins," he added eagerly, "maybe you remember." "Nick!" She called his name out of breath, maybe out of joy, maybe sad, maybe just surprised.For the next long second, all he could hear was the amplified hiss and beeps of celestial interference.He waited anxiously for her to speak, trying to remember the color of her eyes and her hairstyle.He couldn't help thinking...

No, he fought the urge.He is already dying, and he has no right to hope for any more life and love.Jane's mysterious charm no longer matters.Unless she can help herself build the Brian Transmitter. "Why, Mr. Jenkins!" Her voice suddenly became cold and calm, showing only a little surprise. "I didn't know you had started your vacation! I hope nothing happened." "Jane, please." He paused, trying to soften the emotional tremor in his voice, "let me talk to my uncle." "Sorry, he's on the phone and told me not to bother. If there's anything I can do..."

Jenkins couldn't help becoming suspicious. She had abandoned him as soon as she heard the name of CT Company. Now, how could she be employed by CT Company? "Okay." He still maintained his casual, brisk voice, "I still have an hour, and I'm going to land at the emergency landing site. I need the 80 tons of conductive alloy requested by Mr. Drake, right away. You Do you know anything about alloys?" "I've seen the order." She seemed a little surprised, "I thought it was sent to the Star of Liberty a long time ago." "not yet." "Then your uncle must be ready. He has been buying this alloy through Mr. Gast and other friends for a year, and now has a total of 300 tons."

"Okay!" Jenkins breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that his uncle would not disappoint, "Please tell me uncle..." “He’s here.” Jane interrupted him. Then Jenkins heard a frank and sincere voice, with concern in his words: "Nick, are you hurt?" "No," he lied calmly, "but I have bad news..." "Be careful, Nick," Brian interrupted hastily, "someone might be eavesdropping. You know how rumors affect the market, and I'll pick you up." The emergency landing site is located on another hill west of Port Burroughs, connected by a steep, winding road.

Jenkins parked the tugboat in the safety pit of the emergency landing site. A paramedic rushed forward to test the radiation emitted by the hull, posted a warning on the outside of the valve, and left.Jenkins walked into the landing pad, arms bared, ready for routine anti-radiation injections. "Just do a skin test," the orderly said impatiently. "Those injections really don't help much. If you're irradiated, you're going to die." Jenkins nodded casually, looking around for his uncle. Brian hadn't come yet, and calls to the office went unanswered.Jenkins looked anxiously at his watch, 17:10.The office should have been closed long ago, uncle promised...

"Nick!" Brian shouted excitedly, and the dark waiting room seemed to brighten up all of a sudden.My uncle was already over 40 years old, but he was still well-proportioned and tall, his two manes of black hair were slightly white, and his thin face was rough and sincere. "Thank God, Nick, you're not hurt!" Brian took his hand, "I called O'Brien just now and he said poor Drake, Mackey and the others are in a bad situation .” "I'm going to die." Jenkins said silently in his heart. "Sorry, I'm late. Because there is a rumor in the market that the Liberty Star Laboratory exploded. The common stock index fell 10 points in 10 minutes. I have to beat the bears." Jenkins swallowed hard. After a while, he spoke out.Inspired by his uncle's firm confidence, he finally cheered up.He was happy to talk about anything other than radiation sickness.

"So, have you defeated them?" "It's a small matter." Uncle nodded easily, and said in a low voice, "I overcame the short sellers with the even better lie that CT Corporation will merge with Interstellar Corporation. I convinced them that the interstellar riches were deliberately seducing CT Corporation , in order to lower the stock price and build a position at a low price, so before the market closed, the stock index rose another sixteen points." Brian laughed. "Those friends in the clinic are too miserable." He looked at the dark sky with a serious expression, "However, today's rumors brought me four million dollars in profit." He glanced at the diamond casing. Watch, turned around quickly, "Come on, Nick, have dinner on Tor, do you have any luggage?"

Jenkins shook his head silently, a little disappointed in his uncle. "It's all right," said the uncle loudly. "There's everything on Tor. Although you're not injured, you look exhausted. You just stay there and take a good rest. You can also think about what happened in the office." job..." "Wait." Jenkins tugged at his arm. "I want to talk to you alone." "Okay, Nick." They were already out of the building.The rotation of the Burroughs group of stars is contrary to the time of the host place. At this moment, the small sun is rising from the tilted horizon.The bare peaks towered high, bathed in strong light. "Talk tonight, Nick" Brian gestured to the electric car parked on the side of the road, and the driver drove over, "I don't have time now, I have to pick up two people. Santiago likes to cook on time .” "Just a moment," objected Jenkins, "I want to talk to you about the CT explosion, it's very important..." He had to stop talking as the car stopped beside him quietly. "That's it." Brian smiled lovingly, and waited for him to get in the car. "Several interstellar stock holders have called to ask about the merger. We have to make a plan tonight." "Then..." Jenkins was about to speak when his uncle turned to the driver. "Mr. Gallus's office." He turned back to Jenkins gravely. "Nick, you must forget about the Star of Liberty. I know you are saddened by this disaster, but we will build greater things out of that rubble." cause. If the plans we laid out tonight come to fruition, we won't need the Liberty Star anymore." Jenkins just felt dizzy, tired and sleepy, and he no longer wanted to think about whether his uncle was the idealist who wrote "Endless Energy", and he no longer wanted to ask Jane.Harding's business. The electric car drove across the winding road and entered a narrow street.The houses with metal floors and tinted glass all looked ramshackle, cluttered and dirty.All the people on the street were in a hurry, with indifferent expressions.Jenkins remembered what his uncle said, they were all looters, they came to plunder asteroids for their own planets, companies, or themselves. He thought again of the changes the Brian transmitter would bring here.Endless energy can flatten the black stones protruding from the outside of these streets, turning this place into a small world full of green plants, building a better civilization here, a brand new world. "Nick, look over there!" Brian grabbed his shoulder and pointed eagerly, "Our new building is three floors higher than the Interstellar Corporation building!" Jenkins blinked tiredly and straightened up .The golden roof of the building, the purple glass and several large characters that look like yellow flames: CT company, caught his eyes. "Two hundred million dollars," said Brian smugly, "just wait for your office. The doors and windows are inlaid with knotty pine wood brought from the earth, and wood is more expensive than uranium here...  Two hundred million, Jenkins thought heavily, was enough to buy the conductive alloys needed on the Liberty Star.200 million US dollars can completely build the Fifth Freedom. "...look at Adam Gast," he realized suddenly his uncle was still talking, "smartest lawyer in the Trust. I hired him to defend old Drake, remember? He's still behind the scenes Manipulation got us a research permit. I've been employing him. Look, that's his office." The electric car pulled into the bleakest neighborhood Jenkins had ever seen.Following the direction Brian pointed, he saw the sign in a window above the bar, which was dirty and gray, as if it had deposited the dust of several planets. "This street is dirty," Uncle commented casually, "but Gast just won't move his office. He fought his way out of these people, and his roots are still here." He told the driver to honk for Gast Come down. The horn beeped and they pulled over to wait.Jenkins watched the people from different planets through the car window.Deprived asteroids, bearded Jupiters, dark Venusians and Martians, melancholy Earthlings. From pawnshops, taverns, and cheap hotels, they strode into bars as if fleeing from despair, and in a moment stumbled out drunk. The Fifth Freedom can change everything, Jenkins is convinced.These are the losers in the battle for fissile metals like uranium and thorium, and only energy freedom can heal them. "Adam, old man!" Brian shouted suddenly, "Come, meet my nephew." Gast came down the narrow stairs between the bar and the hotel, a short, dapper, dark-skinned asteroid.He had soft black hair, eyes set close together, and a black goatee.An expensive and well-fitting dress looks out of place with the street scene here.He had a thin mouth and a look of despair on his pointed nose. "Hello, Jenkins." Gast greeted briefly, then sat in the back seat, and opened the thick briefcase with a snap. "Sorry, Nick," Brian said, taking a seat next to Gast. "You'll have company soon, and we're going to fetch the secretary for the record. You're going to like Miss Jane Harding." He laughed. "Won't you, Adam?" Gast just nodded, and went back to reading the document: "If you want them to accept our merger proposal, this is our plan." Hearing Jane's name for the first time, Jenkins was stunned. When he saw that they were all concentrating on studying the plan and didn't pay attention to his gaffe, he couldn't help but secretly rejoiced.He tried his best to convince himself that women were no longer important to a man who could only live for a week, but he couldn't hold back his eagerness to see Jane. Motor vehicles drive into a busy street where the victors of the energy scramble live.The ornate shops displayed leather garments from Jupiter, rare foods from Mars, glittering trinkets from Venus, and books, clothes, and jewelry from Earth, all at great prices. Jane was waiting in front of a simple apartment.Seeing her, Nick forgot everything, the seed of death inside him.But he came to his senses at once, and sighed in pain. "Jane! Come, meet Nick!" Nick just watched Jane walking towards the car with a blank expression.As soon as Jane saw him, she stopped, and instinctively raised her hand, as if she was ready to push him away at any moment.She was taller than I remembered, and her dark blue eyes were as bright and charming as Vega No. 1 star. "Like it, Nick?" Brian chuckled. He nodded silently, only looking at Jane.She was wearing a blue bomber jacket with a matching bag, and she looked very dignified and elegant.The golden hair is neatly draped over the shoulders, like a smooth satin.She took a soft breath and came to the front of the car. "Hello, Nick." Her soft voice was especially pleasant.She took his hand, and Nick felt her warm hands trembling slightly.Jane sat next to him and said happily over her shoulder, "Nick and I are old friends." Really?Jenkins turned to look at the beautiful face he was trying to forget.The fair skin, tight lips, and stubborn chin all reveal a kind of strength, a kind of personality, and a kind of courage.She is so beautiful, but I don't know her well. "I'm sorry to hear about the disaster." Her voice was full of concern. "I know Captain Mackey. He came to the office to deliver the application. He's a weird man." Her blue eyes sparkled. With a sympathetic look, "Is he really hopeless?" "There is no hope." Jenkins felt another pang of pain, "All of them!" "Aren't you hurt a little?" Jenkins took a deep breath and didn't make a sound, just shook his head numbly.He had an urge to tell her everything, but managed to resist it.Compassion can't help him finish Brian Sender. Jane seemed to feel the pain in his heart, and began to change the subject, talking about the wonders on Tor.Jenkins tried to relax his tired mind and body.He savored the charm of Jane's crisp earth accent, no longer thinking about the shadow of death hanging over his head.