Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chance and the Watch

The first hour the spacecraft escaped from the planet's gravitational bondage was uneventful.The turmoil of departure was almost like that of the first canoe made of hollowed out tree trunks to set sail on a certain river in ancient times. You have your own stateroom; your luggage is looked after; and the strangeness of your surroundings and the aimless jostling and jostling of people make you feel uncomfortable at first.The last moment was filled with shouts of affection, and then, gradually calmed down, the dull clang of the airtight transition chamber could be heard.Then, the air made a slow whistling sound, and the transition chamber automatically screwed in like a huge drill bit, forming an airtight seal.

Then, there was a strange silence.Red signal lights flashed in each stateroom: "Please wear speed suits... Please wear speed suits... Please wear speed suits." Flight attendants raced down the corridor, knocking once or twice on each door before slamming it open: "Excuse me, please put on speed suits." The speed suit is cold, tight and awkward, and while it takes a lot of work to put on, it puts you in the middle of a hydraulic system that reduces the dizzying stress of takeoff. In the distance, nuclear-powered motors roared, and the spaceship maneuvered through the atmosphere with low power.Immediately afterwards, as the oil in the hydraulic acceleration suit gradually compressed, it retreated.You are back almost endlessly.Then, the acceleration decreases and you slowly move forward again.If you survive seasickness at this stage, you may not have to worry about space seasickness for the entire trip.

During the first three hours of the journey, the sightseeing room is closed to passengers.When the atmosphere was left behind and the double doors of the observation room were about to be opened, a long queue of tourists was lined up at the door.There are not only 100% tourists from all planets (in other words, those who have never been to space), but also a considerable number of experienced travelers. After all, viewing Earth from space is one of the "must-have shows" for travelers. The viewing chamber is a blister on the ship's "skin," two feet thick, curved, and made of steel-hard clear plastic.A retractable iridium steel casing protects it from the atmosphere and its dust particles.At this moment, the shell has been retracted, the lights are turned off, and the hall is full of seats.People peered out through the blister, the glow of Earth lighting their cheeks.

The earth is suspended below the viewing room, like a huge orange, blue and white, shining balloon, half of the earth is almost completely illuminated by the sun.The land exposed between the clouds is a desert orange with a few thin green lines sparsely interspersed.On the horizon, the azure ocean meets the pitch-black space, making it stand out.The sky as clear as black jade around the earth is full of stars. Those watching waited patiently. It wasn't the sunlit half of the globe that they wanted to see.As the spacecraft flies away from the ecliptic with a slight, inconspicuous lateral acceleration, the dazzling polar caps of the Earth come into view.The shadows of the night slowly engulfed the earth, and the vast Eurasian and African world island solemnly stepped onto the stage, with its north side "down" and its south side "up".

The sickly and sterile land hides its hideous face in the jewels of night.The radioactivity made the land look like a blue crystal sea, shining with strange festoons.This seems to tell people how nuclear bombs came to earth in a whole generation before the force field defense system to resist nuclear explosions was successfully developed.The successful development of the force field defense system has made it impossible for other planets to use this method to achieve self-destruction. Hour by hour, the tourists stared intently at the earth, until the earth gradually became like a half bright coin in the endless darkness.

Byron Farrell was also among the sightseers.He found a seat in the front row and sat down, with his arms resting on the armrests, his eyes lost in thought, deep in thought.I didn't expect him to leave the earth in this way.He was going in an inappropriate way, in an inappropriate ship, to an inappropriate destination. His swarthy arm brushed the short stubble on his chin, and he regretted not shaving that morning.After a while, he had to go back to his cabin to get trimmed.However, at this moment he was reluctant to leave.There are people here.Back in his own room, he would be alone. Maybe that's why he had to leave here?

He didn't like this new feeling now, this feeling of being pursued and having no friends or relatives. All friendships have evaporated.The friendship had withered from the moment he let the phone wake him up less than twenty-four hours ago. Even in the dormitory.He has become a headache.He came back from talking with Johndy in the student lounge, and that Esbeck guy cracked him up.He looked flustered and his voice was shrill. "Mr. Farrier, I'm looking for you. This is an accident that never happened. I don't understand how it happened. Can you explain?" "No," he almost shouted. "I can't. When can I go back to my room and get my stuff out?"

"It will definitely be fine in the morning. We have managed to bring the test equipment into this room for testing, and the radioactive traces are no longer higher than the normal environmental radioactive standards. You are lucky to have escaped this disaster. Otherwise, in a few days Minutes, and you're done." "Yes, yes, but, to tell you the truth, I want to rest." "Please use my room before dawn. We will re-arrange your accommodation for the remaining few days. Oh, by the way, Mr. Farrier, if you don't mind, there is one more thing." His attitude was unusually polite at the moment, and in his overly intonation, Byron could almost hear that the words he was going to say were on the verge of his lips.

"What else?" Byron asked wearily. "Did you know if anyone would try to..., uh--trick you?" "Tricking me like that? I don't know." "Then what are you going to do? Of course, the school is most unhappy to be famous because of this accident." How he kept calling this incident an "accident"!Byron replied coldly, "I understand what you mean. But don't worry. I'm not interested in investigations or the police. I'm leaving Earth soon, and I don't want my plans to be disrupted either. I won't File any lawsuits. After all, I'm still alive."

Esbeck was almost secretly relieved, that's what they asked of him.Nothing unpleasant, just an accident that will be forgotten. At seven o'clock in the morning he returned to his old room, which was so still that there was no humming in the closet.The radiation bombs were gone, and the counters were gone, presumably Esbeck took them and threw them in the lake.Doing so is really destroying evidence and eradicating traces, but it is the school's confidant.He threw his things into the suitcase and called the attendant for another room.He noticed that the lights were on again, and of course the TV phone was working, and the only remnants of last night were the askew door and its melted lock.They gave him another room.For those who want to inquire about his intentions, this undoubtedly proves that he wants to live.He then used the dorm building phone to order an air taxi.No one, he thought, saw him calling.Let the school be baffled by his disappearance, and do whatever they want.

At the spaceport, he met Jondee once.When they met, they gave each other a wink.Jondy said nothing, as if he didn't know him at all.But after he passed, Byron had a plain black ball in his hand.It was a special space container and a spaceship ticket to Rhodia. He glanced at the small spherical space container.Container is not sealed.Afterwards he read the letter of introduction in his stateroom, which was but a few words. In the observation room, Byron watched the earth slowly disappear with the passage of time, and for a while, he thought of Sand Jondi.Jondee came into his life like a whirlwind, first saving his life and then driving him down a new path in life that he had never tried before.Before, his understanding of this person was very superficial.Byron knew his name, and when they met, he just nodded and made an occasional exchange of greetings, that's all.He still doesn't like this person, he doesn't like his coldness, his well-dressed clothes, and his overly artificial character.However, all this has nothing to do with the present matter. Byron wiped his crew cut anxiously and sighed.He found himself wishing, in fact, that Johndy would be in his presence.At least, this person can take charge.He knew what to do; he knew what Byron should do; he made Byron do it.And now Byron was alone, feeling too young, alone, unaccompanied, and almost timid. During the whole thought process he tried not to think about his father.Because it's useless to think about it. "Mr. Melain." After calling this name two or three times in a row, Byron suddenly felt that someone was patting his shoulder respectfully, and he raised his head. The messenger robot called again: "Mr. Melain." Byron stared blankly for about five seconds before he suddenly remembered that that was his current name.The name was written lightly in pencil on the airship ticket that Jondee had given him, and the cabin had been booked under that name. "Well, what's the matter? I'm Melain." The tape in the robot's belly twirled, sending out messages with a faint hiss. "I have been ordered to inform you that your cabin has been changed. Your luggage has been packed. If you see the purser, he will give you the new key. We trust that this will cause you no inconvenience." "What's going on here?" Byron suddenly turned around in his seat.The increasingly sparse clusters of tourists who were still watching the scenery of the universe turned their attention to the place where the sound erupted. "What does it mean?" Of course, it is no use arguing with a robot that is merely performing its own function.The messenger droid nodded respectfully at its metal head, its inherent, mock-human fawning smile remaining unchanged.Then it turned and walked away. Byron strode out of the viewing room, walked up to the officer at the door, and said in a more intense tone than he expected: "Listen, I want to see the captain of the spaceship." The officer showed no surprise. "Sir, is there something urgent?" "Very important. They just changed my stateroom without my consent. I want to know what that means." Even at such times, Byron felt a little less responsible than more difficult, but this was because his resentment had been smoldering for a long time.He was nearly killed; he was forced to leave Earth like a evasive criminal; he was going to a place he didn't even know, doing things he didn't know how to do, and now they were in a spaceship, and they If you want to mess around with him, this situation should end. All the while, however, he had an uncomfortable feeling that Jondy would have acted differently, perhaps wiser, if he had been in his place.Well, he wasn't Jondy after all. The officer said, "I'll call the chief purser." "If you wish to see the captain, then," he said politely after a short conversation on the intercom of the small spaceship hanging on the lapel, "you will be invited. Please wait a moment." Captain Herm Gordale was a rather short and stocky man.When Byron entered, he rose politely and shook hands with him across the desk. "Mr. Melain," he said, "I am sorry we have to disturb you." He had a square face and iron gray hair.His short beard was neatly trimmed, a little darker than his hair.There was a never-fading smile on his face. "I'm sorry, too," said Byron. "I've booked a cabin, and I'm entitled to it. I don't think even you, sir, have a right to change it without my consent." "Yes, Mr. Melain. But, you know, it's a matter of urgency. At the last minute before departure, a dignitary came. He insisted on moving to a cabin closer to the ship's center of gravity. He has a bad heart, and it is very important that the gravitational effect of the spaceship on him be as small as possible, we have no other way." "Okay. So, why only focus on my room?" "Someone has to move it. You're traveling alone and you're young, and we don't think a little more gravitational pull will be a problem for you." His eyes subconsciously looked up and down Byron, who was six feet two and hulking. similar body. "Besides, you'll see that the new cabin is superior to the old one. You don't lose any money by changing cabins. Really, you don't lose any money." The captain of the spaceship came out from behind the desk. "Would you like me to show you to your new cabin?" Byron found it inconvenient to complain any more, and the whole thing seemed both reasonable and unreasonable. As they left Byron's cabin, the captain said, "Would you be so kind as to come and have dinner with me tomorrow night? Our first jump is scheduled for that time." Byron replied absently, "Thank you, I'm very honored." However, he found the invitation strange.Even if the captain just wanted to appease him, such an approach would certainly be unnecessary. The long table in the living room of the spaceship is very long, taking up the entire length of a wall in the living room.Byron found himself sitting near the middle of the table, inappropriately at the head.However, his seat card was clearly placed in front of him.The flight attendant had no hesitation in asking him to take his seat, and there was nothing wrong with it. Byron was not overly humble.As the son of a Wildmoss rancher, he never had to develop such qualities.However, as Byron Meilein, he should be an out-and-out ordinary person, and these things should not happen to ordinary people. For example, the captain was exactly right about the new sleeping quarters: the new rooms are more advanced.His original room was a third-class single cabin as stated on the spaceship ticket, but now he was given a first-class double cabin.There was a bathroom attached, for his own use, of course.There are also shower facilities and air dryers separated into small compartments inside and outside the bathroom. This is simply an "officer's country", with almost an absolute majority of people in uniform.The lunch was brought to his room on silverware, and the barber arrived unannounced just before dinner, all of which may have been due hospitality to a luxury first-class passenger on a space shuttle, but to Byron Meilein Speaking of which, it is too favorable. The discount was simply too great: for Byron had just returned from an afternoon walk when the barber came.On his walk he followed a corridor that had been deliberately meandering.Along the way, no matter where he turned, there was a crew on duty-polite, step-by-step.After he managed to get rid of them, he made his way to his old cabin D140.He had never slept in that cabin. He stopped to light a cigarette.During this time, the only passenger in sight turned into a corridor.Byron pressed the light annunciator quickly, but there was no answer. His old key hadn't been taken away from them yet.No doubt it was an oversight.He inserted the silver rectangular foil into the keyhole, and the unique pattern of the lead opaque body in the aluminum casing activated the tiny photoelectric cells, and the door opened, and he stepped in. That's all he has to do.He exited the cabin, the door closing automatically behind him.One thing became clear to him at once: his old room was unoccupied, neither dignitaries with weak hearts nor others.The beds and furniture were clean and tidy, no suitcases or toiletries in sight, no signs of occupancy at all. So they surrounded him in luxurious surroundings only to prevent him from taking further steps to return to his original room.They were bribing him to leave his stateroom obediently.But why?Were they interested in the room, or in him? At this moment, he was sitting at the long table with puzzled questions.When the captain entered the living room and took his seat on the high platform with the long table, he stood up as politely as everyone else. Why did they change rooms for him? Music was playing on the spaceship, and the partition wall between the living room and the observation room had been removed.Dim lighting cast a layer of orange-red on the entire hall.The parlor was crowded, perhaps because of the initial acceleration, or the possibility of space-sickness after the first experience of the slight difference in gravity between the parts of the ship, the worst of which was now over. The captain of the spaceship leaned forward slightly and said to Byron, "Good evening, Mr. Melain. How do you like the new room?" "I'm very satisfied, sir. It's just that it seems too generous for my lifestyle." Byron replied in a flat and monotonous voice, as if he saw a look of astonishment flashing across the face of the captain of the spaceship. look. When the dessert is served, the shell on the transparent plastic blister in the observation room is smoothly retracted into the hemp hole, and the light is so dim that it almost goes out.Neither the sun nor the earth nor other planets could be seen in the huge black sky.What unfolded before their eyes was the Milky Way—the longitudinal view of the Milky Way Lens.It forms a diagonal light trail between the solid and bright stars. The voice of the conversation subconsciously calmed down.Seats are turned so that everyone faces the stars.The guests at the banquet became the audience.The melodious music became a soft whisper.In the peaceful atmosphere that gradually formed, a clear and steady voice came from the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen! We are about to make our first jump. I imagine that most of you know what a jump is, at least in theory. However, many of you - more than half, in fact - have never experienced a jump." . I would like to say a few words about the latter in particular. "The so-called transition is worthy of the name. In the space-time structure itself, the speed of matter motion cannot exceed the speed of light. This is a natural law first discovered by the legendary ancient Einstein. Apart from this law, there are probably many more Credit goes to him. Apparently, at rest time, even at the speed of light, it would take years to reach other star systems. "Thus, one jumps out of the fabric of space-time into the almost unknown realm of hyperspace. In hyperspace, time and distance have no meaning. It is like going from one ocean to another across a narrow isthmus, rather than over the ocean. Go around the mainland to go the same distance. "Of course, going into hyperspace, what some call 'space in space,' requires enormous amounts of energy, and a great deal of ingenious calculation is required to ensure that the ship re-enters normal space and time in the proper place. It takes all this energy The result in exchange for intelligence is: the ability to pass through an incomparably long distance in zero time. Only this kind of leap can realize interstellar travel. "Our upcoming jump begins in about ten minutes. You will be notified in advance. There will be little fleeting discomfort at best, so I hope you all remain calm. Thank you." All the lights on the spaceship were extinguished, only the stars were still shining there. After a long time, suddenly, a crisp and pleasant voice echoed in the air, notifying people: "The jump will be carried out on time in one minute." Then the voice began counting down: "Fifty...forty...thirty...twenty...ten...five...three...two...one..." Everything seemed to be interrupted in an instant, and people only slightly felt the impact of the spaceship's jolt deep in their hearts. In a fraction of a second of infinity, a hundred light-years have passed, and the spacecraft that was sailing on the edge of the solar system just now is now cruising in depth in the interstellar space. Beside Byron, someone with a trembling voice said, "Look, star!" In an instant, the whisper spread like wildfire, and spread throughout the hall, and there was a murmur around the dining table. "Look! The stars!" In that same fraction of infinity, the constellations are transformed.The vast and vast Milky Way galaxy, its central part stretches 30,000 light-years from one end to the other.Right now, the spaceship is getting closer to the center of the galaxy, and the number of stars is increasing.They are a black velvet vacuum of fine powder, complemented by the occasional twinkle of nearby stars. Although Byron was not in the mood for wandering, he suddenly remembered the opening part of a poem.The poem was written during his first space travel, which first brought him to the Earth which is now farther and farther away from him.He was only nineteen at the time, a sentimental age.His lips moved silently: Bright and light mist, stars like dust around the universe; Immediately feel the vision unfold, the vast universe, panoramic view. Then, the lights came back on.Byron's reverie snapped back from space.He was back in the reality of the living room of the space shuttle.Towards the end of dinner, the hum of conversation became dull again. He first glanced at the watch casually, then slowly moved the watch to his eyes and stared at it for more than a minute.This was the watch he had left in his bedroom that night, after it had been subjected to the lethal radiation from the radiation bomb.The next morning, he put it away with other items.How many times had he looked at it since then?Many times he stared at it, absorbed in the time, and totally oblivious to the other message it was clamoring for him. The plastic strap appears white, not blue.Yes, it is indeed white. Gradually, everything that happened that night finally came to light.How wonderful that one fact can clear up all the confusion. He stood up suddenly, and said in a low voice, "Excuse me, I'm sorry." It was a faux pas to leave his seat before the captain of the spaceship, but at this moment, it didn't matter to him. Instead of waiting for the gravity-free elevator, he quickly walked up the ramp and hurried back to his cabin.He locked the door behind him and took a quick look in the bathroom and closet.He didn't really want to catch anyone.If they were going to do something, they would have done it hours before. He checked the luggage carefully.They have gone through his luggage thoroughly.And there is hardly any trace of their coming and going.They carefully removed his identification, a packet of letters from his father.There's even a letter of introduction to the Rhodia star Hinrique in a spherical container. That's why they changed his room.They are neither interested in the old room nor in the new room, they are only interested in the process of changing the room itself.They must have had an hour or so legally--that's called legally, in space--to attend to his luggage, and thereby serve their own purposes. Byron sat down on the double bed, thinking furiously, but he was helpless and helpless.The traps are perfectly arranged, and everything is done according to the plan.If he hadn't left his watch in the bedroom completely unexpectedly that night, he wouldn't have even now understood how tight the Tyranid net was in space. The cabin doorbell rang softly. "Come in," he said. The steward came in, and he said respectfully, "The captain wants to know if he can be of service to you. You didn't look well when you left the table." "I'm fine," he said. How closely they stare!He knew now that there was no way for him to escape, the spaceship was being polite, but it was definitely sending him to die.