秸秆 - 关于太空旅行的短篇小说
秸秆 - 关于太空旅行的短篇小说
吸管
关于太空旅行的短篇小说
林奎斯特通过卡林
走出生物瘀应该是一个不错的缓慢，非不和谐的过程。 它应该采取更比一天，而是用了不到一个小时的时间。 即使在深睡眠，这是一个可怕的痛苦过程。 施泰纳感到他的心仿佛被从他的胸口剧烈撕裂。 一个人应该永远不会退出这一迅速，他想。 风险太大。 一个人的头脑可以撕裂。 但他知道这回事，只是相同的。 不管什么原因，它发生。
之前，他已完全达到甚至意识，知道什么是斯坦纳可怕的错误。
这不是走出停滞，他担心这么多。 他想，他能处理的。 他的理智能够承受的压力。 他担心的是后会发生什么，他是完全清醒的。 必须有一些紧急情况，需要我们加以注意。 复杂的东西。 生命受到威胁。 如果没有，船舶的计算机可以处理的问题，不管它是。
他全身酸痛。 它觉得仿佛每一块肌肉，他是可怕的局促。 随机思想和人的脸上，他曾经知道他的脑海里跑。 他听说在他耳边重复熟悉的名字。 他看到他的整个生命存在重复一遍又一遍。 他让图像来。 迫使他们回到他将推动对精神错乱。
他觉得他的心，慢慢地，来到他的身体回来。 这种极端的肉体痛苦是该症状。 不打它，他告诉自己。 为了打击意味着争夺的电信号，并可能分散他们完全。 试图迫使你的大脑也迅速回到你的心，能做到这一点。 因此，施泰纳试图放松，让这一切发生，因为这是应该。
他试图忽视的痛苦，他可以作为最好的。 集中在身体痛苦的觉醒过程太硬可能迫使在错误的过程中，电脉冲。 他们可以被发送到他的大脑中错误的部分或另一船舶的部分或进入别人的大脑。 这一过程的任何一个方面可以做的，这也集中，所以他让他的生命在他面前的形象传递，从来没有想得很多关于每个人，从来没想到过的事情对任何特定的多。
如果计算机已经允许他正常的时间之后，他不会有任何这些问题。 他已经能够对任何想他喜欢，但不会有任何风险。 但是这一次有些异样。 有一些原因，他需要清醒起来，并很快。 有什么事需要他来处理，虽然他无法想象那将是什么。 他肯定不会对船舶的系统专家。 机上有更多的资格处理可能出现的问题比他的人。 他只是一个生物学家，关于这次访问，研究他们的生活，预计他们到达时，发现他们的目的地的形式发送。 那么，为什么他所需要的？
他认为这是他最后的意识正在从比特的存储单元的牵引下，回到他的老熟悉的身体。 这是一个舒适的感觉从来没有在两地在你的心中字面上一次。 它留给他的超脱，什么也没有守住，仿佛他不是在任何现实的方式连接。 它感到好像他一生能飞随时分开。
虽然最终通过的感觉，尽管这增加了的身体痛苦，感觉更舒服施泰纳知道，他的心再一次安全地包裹在他的头骨的事实。 几分钟后，他能感觉到自己已被完全符合他的身体重新连接。 他开始猛烈地抽搐，无法控制。 起初，他担心他可能会伤害自己的玻璃套管，略高于他躺在那里，但后来他意识到有限制按住他的。 大，重软垫肩带举行他的脚踝，和手腕。 人们对他的胸部，在他的头顶之一，在他的膝盖每个之一。 他不能伤害自己。
他抽搐持续一分钟左右。 他睁开眼睛，看到一半他通过上述玻璃的微光。 它可能已经很多年了，他看到的灯光。 他的想法是极其模糊，但他知道我会消失。 他什么都听不到，但随着时间的推移也将通过。 在抽搐停止，约束自己拉过他，把他躺在垫子上回缩。 他现在有时间躺下来，放松，和测试移动他的胳膊和腿，他的技能。
几分钟过去了。 他的眼光开始明确一点。 是时候起床。
武器用颤抖的手指，将无法在其全部力量，他把对血瘀室盖内锁，并推动它打开。 一个寒冷的寒气席卷了他赤裸的身体，他给了一个快速颤抖。 他抬起了自己在长罐的边缘和屁股坐在他的双脚在地板上。
他走到前面的血瘀室，到为支持优势的情况下他的腿突然决定扣下他的体重控股。 在读出的超过了他的头在那里已经结束了展望室，他看到了他在停滞了一小四年多。 这是一个漫长的时间，他也承认，但他已经定了近十六英寸 不管出了问题，以往从未发生的托马斯甚至中途的通过与它航程。 他们还必须在中间的空白地方。 或者，也许，他们只是穿过Calstner制度。 施泰纳知道他们会用自己的方式作为对他们的最终目标当然校正太阳的引力，在Syntac制度。 也许出了错的对抗中。
感觉有点措手不及现在更加确信，他开始在接近，里面所有的冬眠商会结束他的房间走。 有15对11的棺材大小的管人。 四则留在储备。 施泰纳知道还有12个在逃生舱，对工艺的另一端位置。 他强调指出，这些可能需要一段时间很快的感觉。
在他的内心深处，是认为他应该到主控室，因为他可能需要尽快，但他忍不住停下来看一看在总统府看，还是在她的血瘀室睡觉。 他的眼睛向上和向下跑她的裸体的形式。 他从来没有见过这样的她面前，它有点沮丧他知道，他可能永远不会再看到她这样。 他期望很大。 他们已经好几年的朋友，但是在这些年来，她已明确向他，她并不像一个情人对他感兴趣。 在过去，他曾试图把对她完全隐藏，但现在，她静静地躺在睡觉，不知道他的存在，他没有采取任何痛苦来控制他看着她的吸引力。
也许他还举行了一些希望，他可以带她周围。 也许事情会改变，而她也开始思考着他的方式，他对她的想法。 他承认，这是一个长镜头，但他仍守住了希望。
这么长的一段时间，他希望看到她赤身他有点不高兴，他的视力非常差，他不能充分享受的时刻。 它认为，仿佛他是通过这样的入侵盯着她的空间。 即便如此，他发现很难从她的眼泪，他的眼睛。
她突然激动。
惊，施泰纳跳回来。 他回顾了她，一旦他意识到她并没有这么快醒来。 她的脸抽搐了一点，他能看到她的周围身体其他部位的运动位。 看上面的读出了她的头，他看到她仍然有另外12分钟前，她会自觉。 他认为这有点讽刺的是，他将在她的。 她实际上是船员。 她会知道如何运行船舶的系统。 他主要是对这项任务的观察员。 她更重要的任务的，比他的成功，或者让他想。 或许是出于一般发生在计算机认为他在处理与比她好。 他怀疑。 它更可能是电脑已经决定，他将更多存活的时间快速唤醒能力。 它已确定，他有一个更稳定的心比她。
施泰纳感到一种优越感小浪对他来了，他感到有点尴尬的感觉方式。 就因为他醒来之前，她那样，并不意味着他以任何方式优于她。 这是一个关于船舶的一部分主观判断，他知道这样做并不总是做出正确的选择半众生的船舶。 有时，他们在极其恶劣的判断。 这是你不得不支付的价格有一个工艺本身的运行。
它的时间去运动，他告诉自己。
快速检查其他血瘀管，他确定，他是第四唤醒。 船长和任务专家两人已经上升。 他们坐在空管与吊开盖子。
当他正要离开他发现一室的读数是空白。 这不是展示了里面的人的地位。 这是奇怪的。 至少应该有一些表明他仍然活着。 施泰纳看着人在管。 他承认Drakin，特派团的专家之一他。 该名男子一动不动。
上移动，施泰纳拍手两次，看看他的听力任何回来了。 令人惊讶的是，他能辨认出声音的比特。 再20分钟左右，他预测，他将回到他的听力正常。
他走进另一个小房间，发现一个统一的适合他迅速拉开了。 然后，他匆忙了，下来一对主控室长走廊。
当他到达控制室，他看到了谁，惊醒了三名男子在他面前都坐着，通过计算机屏幕驼背。 当他走近他们，他看到他们盯着的形象，似乎是一个白色的星球。 可能之一Calstner制度。
Tomathin，特派团的专家之一，抬起头来，斯泰走近。 他给了一个有礼貌点头。 他们没有说什么，因为他们知道无法听到对方无论如何，而是Tomathin示意施泰纳，他画他的计算机屏幕。 该视图更改为显示一个写作计划，并Tomathin打出来， 有什么地方错了。 飞行途中相撞。 我们不知道细节。 我们正在一第六行星上紧急降落。
施泰纳宣读Tomathin从键盘和说， 这船登陆了吗？ 我们能不能呢？
Tomathin回答说， 不为它设计的火星表面降落，但船舶可以说，我们的意识。 不用担心。
回到地球？施泰纳说。
是。 我们放弃任务，是Tomathin的答复。
斯坦纳点点头。 “我想我会走出自己的方式吧，”他大声说。 他感到惊讶的是他的声音不好听乱码，那是，但很安静。 他的应变耳朵听自己。
Tomathin耸耸肩。 “你不是在路上。 我们不能这样做，直到所有人都出生物瘀事。“
施泰纳想知道，如果他抓住一切Tomathin刚说。 “到底什么是错的船？ 将要进行维修？“
“我们还不知道，”Tomathin回答。 他似乎是有一个更容易地大声比施泰纳了。 “我们需要等待，看看什么样的损害，我们对她做的时候，我们的土地。 我们可能需要使用的逃生舱回家。“
“我们为什么登陆，如果我们只打算做更多的损害， 托马斯 ？”施泰纳问。
Tomathin看着来回快。 他转身到计算机屏幕上。 显然他不想施泰纳误解他的回应。 他说， 我们是氧气用完了。 需要得到一些行星表面。
施泰纳盯着屏幕。 暗战的氧气？ 怎么可能？ 他们带来了绰绰有余。 什么可能发生，将可能使他们失去了这么多这么快？
“多少钱我们还剩下？”施泰纳问。
Tomathin的屏幕响应： 夫妻小时的价值。 也许少。
______ ______ ______
施泰纳算头。 有10人在控制室目前，包括他自己。 他再次来到计算与相同数量的上升。 谁的丢失？ 他不知道。 然后，他想起了什么，他看到刚才在血瘀的余地。 “哪里的Drakin？”他问道。
“Drakin被带出的瘀血太快，”上尉说。
施泰纳没有比这更需要任何解释。
因此，已经有一人死亡。 这比原以为施泰纳严重。 他可以想像太清楚它必须被Drakin喜欢。 有您的想法进行得太快。 你的意识零件的分裂。 他们拼命地抓，要挺住，只有成功地使自己的事情更糟。 一个人的思想的一部分无法生存未经他人的存在，当他们分开太远，整个意识解体，消失到虚无。 施泰纳可以想像它会感。 它只有半个，因为他已经从瘀醒来小时。 他还记得的感觉相当好。
“好吧，”说，所有在主控制室坐在小组队长。 “我们将在20或30分钟降落。 这是，当然，不是一个正常的演习。 它可以潜在的非常危险的。 但是，对我们的生存需要。 此外，船舶意识已经作出的决定，我们不能重写。 一旦在地面上，它是安全的尝试直接与计算机接口，我们可以找出到底是什么地方出了错。 截至目前，我们是一个小无知。 我们所知道的是，有一些飞行途中碰撞可能发生故障所造成的盾牌，辍学和左舷部分已经四分五裂。 还有的是一个严重的氧气减少，所以我们会收集从地球表面，足以让我们安全地返回地球。“
“我们放弃任务？”Tanyan问。 Tanyan是为船舶的系统一般维修的人。
“我们没有选择，”船长回答说。 “船上已经严重损坏，这将是受损更为严重，当我们的土地。 更可能会被限制使用。 我们将使用逃生吊舱回国的事。“他停顿了一下，等待任何问题，但每个人都沉默了。 “那么，”他说。 “把你的座位，请。 穿上你的安全带。 这有可能会有点颠簸。“
______ ______ ______
施泰纳感到自己变得更紧张，现在一点点，因为他看着总统府结束，坐在他旁边。 她拼命地抓着她的座位扶手。 她的指关节已经开始转白，她对她的脸上看紧张。 她一定是悲凉的着陆害怕，他想。
但施泰纳，另一方面，相对平静。 也许这是因为他没有对船舶的能力的理解是，她没有。 他没有任何想法什么是可能的，什么不是，并已确定为自己的生存的机会没有逻辑的手段。 在计算机中指出，没有哪很大的风险，尝试此登陆，但它可能是在撒谎。 是托马斯事项能够给它的说谎的船员呢？ 它会做这样的事情，以保持紧张程度了吗？ 施泰纳不知道，他不正是想知道的。 它的健康，如果我留晓得，他想。
回顾总统府一遍，他决定她的那种需要一些安慰了。 他想安慰她，告诉她一切都会好起来的，但是，当然，她知道比他对是否要转出好与否。 施泰纳决定，而不是说什么，简单地达到了她的过去，放在他的手。
她看着他这样做时，吓了一跳。 她看了看他，微笑着，轻轻拍拍他的手背。 然后，她拉她的手离开他和她的膝盖上休息了。
施泰纳拉他胳膊上了，感觉有点惭愧。 我不应该这样的事情，他想。 它只是结束时，她拒绝我的尴尬。 但也正是这样一个简单的动作。 她想为什么不持有人的手，如果这种情况是因为她害怕，因为它似乎是什么？
不要去想它，他告诉自己。
经过1不寒而栗通过船舶运行几分钟，令人吃惊的施泰纳一点。 “我们击中地球的外层大气，”他听到有人说。 几分钟等待和船舶再次握手，这一次更厉害。 他觉得他的肉体的安全带挖掘的颠簸贯穿了他的座位。 随着时间的推移，震动变得更糟。
他认为他被安全地固定在他的椅子。 所有这些带在他的胸部和腿部和肩膀，但不知何故，他仍然有空间抛出左右。 鞭打他的头从一边到另一边。 一会儿，他会觉得他的胸部很大的压力，因为如果它要撕开和幻灯片纠正过去的安全带，接下来他将不得不对他的座位，他的肩膀会感觉好像回到他们将要崩溃从被推得这么辛苦。 因为它认为，如果他的内脏器官被抛出疯狂来回下他的肉。 他不知道有多少损害人体之前，可能需要关闭。 也许比这更多，他决定。 你可以在任何永久伤害了很多的工作要做，但施泰纳知道他仍然有一些讨厌的伤痕时所要记住这一切都完了。
像这样被抛来使他感到颇为不安。 他想呕吐，但幸好他的肚子是空的。 施泰纳对自己笑了，因为他意识到这已经将近10年半以来他上次吃。 这是一段相当长的时间。 他突然发现自己的感觉饿了。 那好，他想。 把你的心了发生的事情。
也许这一切只不过是一些愚蠢的把戏。 如果船舶的意识只是做一些愚蠢的笑话？ 这是否可行？ 施泰纳不明白为什么会是不可能的。 这些电脑电路板上有模仿人类的头脑，一个人可能会尝试这样的事情。
整个局势感到喜欢它可能是一个笑话。 这一切都显得那么很难相信。 走出停滞这么快便立即投入到一些疯狂的情况下一套，而他完全没有控制权。 他看不出任何证据表明，即使有什么不对的船舶。 没有什么不合适。 有没有管道撕裂的报告一样，有说有。 这一切都显得那么假，太假是真实的。
施泰纳一直想知道如果它是安全，可以在一船是在事实上，活着骑马。 在许多方面，他知道，这可能是托马斯已经被认为是情绪。 并且有船的人知道，有等值的其他方面。 一个人可以犯错误，所以能在托马斯。但它实际上可以去疯狂？ 信任是在船上，向施泰纳，如委托街道上小康生活，一些随机选择的人。
但他知道这可能不是一个笑话。 这些船只在设计时某些人的属性，确定，但他们也设计得非常明确。 它绝不会决定做这样的事情，只是为了好玩。 这是太远的正常模式。 施泰纳表示怀疑，说真的，先进的电脑是不够了解，甚至幽默。 这一点也应为真实的。 但是，这想法是一样的替代可怕。
颤抖突然停了下来。 他现在有一点时间来放松。 目前仍然是一个小晃动，让他知道他们还没有登陆，但它几乎没有这么激烈了。 他低头看着自己。 如何努力实现他一直紧握他的手臂休息，他强迫自己放手。 他检查自己的一切过去，发现他已被可怕的瘀伤。 他全身酸痛。 他身子，尽可能地向前马具将允许和擦他的腿。 在他的面前伸展双腿的时候，他意识到了他的痛苦感觉很多是从仅仅是紧张造成的。 他一直在拼命，使用所有的肌肉力量，他，在他的座位持有自己的稳定。
他放松自己，并试图摆脱他积累了什么肌肉抽筋。
接下来的颠簸抓到他措手不及。 他的头被猛烈着，他的胸部被迫对安全带努力。 他花了一点时间来恢复，但他能拉回到了他的腿和支撑反对他的椅子底部恢复他原来的防守位置，他们。
更猛烈的摇晃，但没有这次将近长。 然后，有一个最后的努力。 这似乎是对船舶整个重量来对他下，推到他的座位的深垫子他回来。 但只持续了几秒钟，之后一切都寂静。 他看了看四周迅速。 过了一会儿，他看到了其他一些开始走出自己的座位上。 施泰纳试图做相同的，但发现很难去除安全带。 剪辑混乱的肩带和他，他发现他的手指不工作完全正确，也许是因为他抓住了胳膊拼命在休息或因为他刚刚得到了化瘀，仍然没有完全习惯了在他的身体了。 他不知道，他不在乎，他只是想成为自由的肩带。 在他们的暴力撕裂，他终于能够拉自己自由。 他站着，也许有点太快了。 他感到头晕波对他来，突然感觉好像他是在血瘀室回来。 一切都变成了黑色。 他的头脑一片空白。 他觉得自己属于他的膝盖。 然后，他能感觉到什么都没有。
______ ______ ______
当他醒来后发现自己再一次在他的大椅子上坐下。 Estigan，一个巨大的胡子短的人站在了他。 他高兴地点头。 “你醒了，”他说。 “我们认为我们可能已经失去了你。”
施泰纳呻吟着说：“我是多长时间了？”
“大约20分钟左右。 来吧。 另外还有一些大火扑灭了，需要在较低的水平。“
“是不是内部灭火系统的工作？”施泰纳问他慢慢地站起身跟随Estigan。
“显然不是。”
这两人迅速地蔓延到走廊，将导致接入方式下的船舶甲板。 施泰纳看不出任何损害的证据。
“难道大家透过落地它好吗？”他问道。 “没有人受伤？”
“我们都很好，”Estigan回答很快，他开始降掀起一个走廊的一侧阶梯。 “你是一个我们其实担心。 小心下来。 有一个很大的残骸和这个星球上的重力比你习惯的。“
施泰纳随后Estigan谨慎下来访问的阶梯。 现在，他重视它，但他似乎有点沉重。 他必须更加努力地工作，以防止摔倒。
当他的后裔，他开始看到飞机残骸的更多迹象。 这里和那里，他会发现一墙弯不对齐。 当他们有三个航班降落，他低下头一走廊，看到一厚梁吊下来的天花板和封锁整个方式。 的损害似乎变得更糟，因为他们去进一步下调。 显然，船降落在这样一种方式，以避免损害自己的中央控制室。 这就是为什么没有看到施泰纳在降落的任何破坏。
Estigan很快走下甲板上的三个阶梯。 施泰纳其次。 他注意到Vinisa，计算机界面专家，即将从下层的阶梯。 “火的受到控制，”她说，她走上了自己的水平。 “这不是什么大问题。”
“凡是看到了吗？”施泰纳问，不知道如何恶劣残骸。
“损害越差，当您去了。 有没有看到的。 让我们回到到控制中心。 我想我可以尝试一个接口，找出到底发生了什么，什么机会获得过这个世界。“
Steiner looked up the shaft that he had just climbed down. Six flights he would have to ascend in order to get back to the central control room. His body was still weary from being jostled so much in the landing, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it all the way back up. Looking down the shaft now he saw someone a level below, slowly climbing up towards them. He couldn't make out who it was though. He peered closer, hoping to make out the figure.
Suddenly Vinisa put an arm across his chest and pulled him back, away from the shaft. “Careful,” she said. “We've got a constant gravity here. You fall, there's nothing to hold you back.” She tipped her head, indicating the way back up. “You want to go first, Steiner? I can catch you if you slip.” She smiled at him.
Steiner looked at Vinisa for a second. She was a large and very muscular woman but he doubted that she would have the strength to catch him if he happened to fall. Overconfident in her abilities perhaps. Kind of a freakish woman, Steiner thought as he started up the ladder, what with that computer jack plugged into the side of her skull.
The upward climb wasn't quite as hard as Steiner had expected. He found that if he simply ignored the growing pain in his legs, he could keep up a steady pace and within ten minutes or so, he was back at the control center where he had started from.
The crew was already starting to group there. In a few minutes, everyone was in the control room, most of them focusing their attention on Vinisa who was sitting at a computer console, apparently preparing to jack in. Everyone seemed to be crowding around her. Steiner, however, wasn't interested. He still didn't really have any idea what was going on and it seemed as though trying to press for information would get him nowhere, so he simply went back to his seat and sat down, wanting to simply wait until something happened.
“This is going to take twenty or thirty minutes,” Vinisa said to the group. “We need to redirect some signals, here. So it's going to take some time. You guys can back off now. The info isn't going to come easy.”
We ? Steiner thought. She thinks of the computer as if it were alive, so she says we when referring to her and it. 奇怪。 Very strange to have such a connection with an artificial mind. He felt some kind of anger burning within him, directed at Vinisa and her foolish way of looking at the ship consciousness, but, in fact, it was caused by his whole situation. Steiner hated being left in the dark like this. He always wanted to know what was going on and to have control over his situation and to be in a place like this, with your destiny being controlled by some insane computer system and nobody seems to care, it can be quite frustrating.
He stood up. “If this is going to take so long, I'm going to wander around the ship for awhile.” He left the control room without looking at anyone, just wanting to get away from it all, wanting to be alone for awhile.
After he had been walking down a corridor for a few moments, Istana caught up with him. “I'll come with you,” she said.
He smiled at her and nodded his approval. Maybe it would be okay if she came along, if it's just the two of us.
They walked in silence for a few moments. Finally she said, “You worried about what's going to happen with us?”
“How can I be worried?” he replied. “I don't even have the slightest idea what's going on.”
“What don't you understand?”
Steiner thought about that. He did, in fact, have just as much information about the situation as everyone else, he just didn't know what to do with that information. “I don't know,” he said. “I just feel trapped here, like I have no control over anything, like my whole life is being run by some wacky machine.”
“We're all trapped.” She smiled. “Don't worry. The ship knows what it's doing. We'll come out all right.” She put a hand on his shoulder then pulled it away quickly. “Come on. If you need information so badly, lets go see if the escape capsule is still in tact.”
“That's three levels up.”
“Short little climb.”
在这个时候爬上似乎比以前更加努力。 总统府先死了。 施泰纳没有什么大的困难跟上她，但她设置一个稳定的步伐，使得他的双腿疼痛后，一切都完了，他们安全地走出甲板上12个阶梯轴。
有一个很大的残骸在这里。 所以，事实上很多，这是很难得到解决。 他发现自己争夺过梁，墙与压缩的倒塌，企图达到逃避胶囊。 最后，他们不得不回头的时候，他们发现了墙板，梁桩，油管等残骸，在一个点，过大，无法绕过。
之后他们决定回头几分钟，他们遇到了Tithiane。 她似乎很兴奋。 她的眼睛闪闪发光。 “对你们两个来，”她脱口而出。 “我有我想要的东西给你看。”她转过身来，对施泰纳和总统府示意跟随，并在快速走在走廊去了。
他们走了几步后Tithiane。 施泰纳想知道这可能是因为她希望向他们展示。 她似乎很高兴的所以它可能没什么大煞风景。
这是一个简短的走在走廊和多达13级，有一个很大的攀越下降横梁和残骸。 “它的权利在这里，”Tithiane表示，由于他们圆一个角落。 “来看看这个。”
正如施泰纳来到拐弯，他看到一整面墙曾被撕成从工艺方面，揭示了地球上巨大的看法，他们降落。 他看着连绵的山丘了雪，巨大的山峰和冰川覆盖。 看来好像他们已经降落在一个长谷结束，现在在船舷开放提供了一个巨大的上升对其中任何一方上山查看。 他看见一个轨道，尽可能广泛的船舶，扩大了他们的眼睛就可以看到。
Tithiane指出在这条赛道。 “我想，我们提出，当我们降落。 看多远，我们才停止下滑！“
斯坦纳点点头。 “有雪”。
“地段的积雪的，”Tithiane回答。 “你看：我们甚至没有击中坚实的基础，当我们降落。 大概是什么拯救了我们。“
“我不觉得冷，”施泰纳指出。
“有一个力场。 这是保持寒冷，随着气氛。“
总统府说，“这不可能非常节能。 这种紧张的领域我们必须燃烧燃料储备相当快。“
“我担心这是”Tithiane回答。 “来吧。 让我们回到控制室。 他们很可能愿意尝试由现在的界面。“
Tithiane开始离开总统府之后。
施泰纳回顾了他们在那里滞留的星球。 他不得不承认这是十分美好的景象：所有的雪和冰，可能建立在数百万年了。 该塔和冰墙上的大小和品种的大规模城市提醒他。 巨大的山脉，攀升任山谷两侧高，看上去像摩天大厦，而是一个形状，颜色和美丽，只能想象地球上回来。
但是有别的东西给它的一切：危险，可怕的知识，他将无法生存5分钟以外的船舶，因为寒冷和气氛。 有几个步骤的进步，但能源领域，将意味着必死无疑。 有没有在那里生活，并把这种思想在整个现场的一个丑陋的色彩排序。
“嘿施泰纳，”总统府喊他，“你来？”
“是啊。 在你身后。“勉强他转身离开了现场，并赶紧追上总统府和Tithiane谁已经开始在其周围的一路向中央控制室碎片爬行。
______ ______ ______
施泰纳看着Vinisa拉她的金发远离了她的头部侧面插入计算机插口和自己的船。 她眨了眨眼睛迅速几秒钟，然后点点头。 “我有一个连接，”她说。
“这是怎么回事呢？”Tomathin。 The entire crew was now crowding around Vinisa as she sat, staring blankly into a computer terminal.
“I don't know,” she said. ”Hang on.” She paused, started rapping her fingers on the armrests of her chair. ”Okay, here we go. We collided with a hydrogen atom in mid-flight as the Tomas was making the adjustments needed to turn us toward the Syntac system. The shields were down for less than half a second, but a single atom managed to get through.” She paused. “That's about a one in a million chance.”
“Why were the shields down at all?” Steiner asked.
“The ship can't operate both the maneuvering thrusters and the protection shields at the same time. It takes too much power. Now we're on a planet called Marthis. To give us the best chance of survival, the Tomas landed right along the equator.”
“What's the temperature out there?” Steiner asked.
“About two-forty below zero. That's as warm as it gets anywhere on this planet. The atmosphere has a good percentage of oxygen–enough for our needs anyway. We should be able to pull enough out of the air to sustain us for the four year trip home.”
“What we really need to know,” said Captain Spietz, “is what condition the ship is in. Will we be able to take off again.”
“No chance of that,” Vinisa said. “The escape capsule is still in working order, though it's going to take some work to get it off the ground.”
“Just what is it's condition?”
“It's facing up, luckily. It was damaged more badly than expected.” She paused. “Three stasis chambers are broken beyond repair but the rest are either in perfect working order or need only minor adjustments. Computer estimates that it should take only a week and a half before we're ready to take off.”
“Good,” said the captain. “What do the power reserves look like?”
“We're okay for the time being. At the present rate of energy consumption, we've got about two months.”
“That doesn't leave us much room for mistakes.”
“No, it doesn't but if we stick to the plan then we should get out in plenty of time.”
“What is the plan?”
“We need to clear away the debris that's blocking our entry into the capsule first of all. Then I can reconnect to the computer in there and the Tomas and I can direct the operations. One other note: there's a large amount of damage on the thirteenth deck. There's a wall completely missing. A force shield has been placed to combat the cold but it is recommended that crew members stay away from this area, for fear they might fall through the field and perish on the outside.”
“Noted,” Captain Spietz said. “Is there anything else of significance Vinisa?”
“Not that I can see right now. We just need to get rid of the debris in front of the capsule then we can see first hand what we need to do to get ourselves home.”
“All right then, we can get to that later. Right now we should get something to eat and get some rest.”
Vinisa started to disconnect herself from the computer but the group did not seem to want to break up just yet. They lingered for a long while as if there might be something more to say. Eventually though, the group started to split up and Steiner went off to find his sleeping quarters.
______ ______ ______
In the night came the realization of something he had overlooked.
He awoke suddenly, sweating profusely, numbers running rapidly through his mind. Vinisa had said that three stasis chambers in the escape capsule had been damaged beyond repair, but there were only twelve to begin with. That left nine. Nine stasis chambers for ten crew members.
“One of us is going to have to stay behind,” he said to himself. He was alone in his sleeping quarters. “One of us is going to die.”
他当时没有睡，现在，坐起来对他的床铺边。 他不知道他是如何进来的睡眠中，以这样的实现，所有他知道的是，他有。 有时，在奇数智力作品的方式。
为什么他们不说什么时候他们都在一起，Vinisa被劫持到电脑？ 当然必须有人意识到，不会有足够的瘀血商会去走一走。 他们为什么不告诉他？ 是不是应该是一些大的惊喜，谁没有意识到这一点时，他们终于准备离开？ 施泰纳可以很容易想象的船员一个疯狂的冲刺要求其瘀管。 就像音乐椅，他想。
他想到会有人问他是否有正确的事情，但决定的，他不能把一个错误的much，而且这种行为将只make他看起来愚蠢。 相反，他躺在床铺上退缩，但现在发现它根本睡不着。 他开始想越来越多，他从未签署了这次远征行动。
______ ______ ______
他们工作和关闭约8小时，终于成功地清除路径逃生舱。 施泰纳发现自己快要累死了相当轻松，这增加了重力下工作。 事情比体重轻于Marthis他们会在地球上，但仍然超过他用。
他并没有说什么，他实现了到前一天晚上。 他相信其他人也想通了，更可能之前，他已了。 船员们似乎很平静，unconversational。 唯一的谈话围绕着自己手头的任务。
施泰纳忍不住在船员休息，因为他看出来的碎片进行走廊，不知道哪一个都需要留下。 他不知道有很多很好。 他们都熟悉，但他并没有与任何人，除了总统府的朋友。 他探讨了其中的每一个自己的感情，想象会是什么感觉，以故意留给他们一个在后面。 他是害怕什么，他不认为这将是太困难。 会有在这些人一看没有太大的痛苦发送到他们的死亡。 除非，当然，总统府。 即使有，不过，它不会是不可能的。
他没有想到，他的可能性将大大的选择留下来的。
______ ______ ______
“我们有一个链接起来，说：”Vinisa。
他们都挤在逃生舱之间的血瘀商会，看Vinisa连接船上的电脑主机自己。 施泰纳对俯身轻轻一院，希望他不那么沉重，打破玻璃，导致他们更加麻烦。 在地板倾斜角度轻微，难以站立或逃生胶囊内得到解决。
“好吧，”船长说，“什么是我们与逃生荚确切情况如何？ What needs to be repaired before we can lift off?”
“The storage capsules on stasis chambers one, four, and twelve have short circuited,” Vinisa said. “They are beyond repair, and we have no replacements on board.”
“What would a 'storage capsule' be,” Steiner asked Tomathin, who was standing nearby.
“The center of the stasis chamber,” replied Tomathin. “It stores the human mind in a state of unconsciousness. Very complicated circuitry. Microscopic actually.”
“The hatch has been blown slightly askew,” Vinisa continued. “We'll need to set it right or it won't be air tight and our oxygen will leak out before we can enter stasis. We also need to do some simple power rerouting on chambers three, five and six. That should only take five or six hours with one person working on each. The hatch should be the hardest part. For the rest, Tomas and I will take care of ourselves. That's mostly just simple power flow tests and of course the extraction of the oxygen from the atmosphere which the ship has already begun. We should be out of here in less time than originally expected–except, of course the two of us who won't be going.”
Two? Steiner thought, but quickly realized that Vinisa thought of the ship as a living entity (not that Steiner insisted it wasn't), and that she was referring to the Tomas as the second person who would be remaining.
______ ______ ______
Steiner heard Vinisa's voice coming through the earphone plugged into his left ear. He was lying on his side, next to the sixth stasis chamber, a panel removed and the inner circuitry revealed.
“Do you see the terminal that spreads into a Y formation, to your left?” Vinisa's voice asked Steiner.
Steiner touched one silvery terminal with his pen sized electronic pointer. The pointer was designed to send a slight electrical signal that the ship could sense and tell if Steiner had the correct terminal.
“No, no. Not that one. Try three to your left.”
Steiner touched another one. They had been at this for forty-five minutes and still hadn't gotten anywhere. It was monotonous work, but he knew it was necessary in order for anyone to get off this planet, so he forced himself to ignore the pain developing in his side as he lay on the hard floor.
“You still don't have it. Further to the left.”
Steiner looked up at Vinisa, hoping to get some sort of help, but she wasn't facing him. Instead, she was hunched over a table, the link cable still attached to her head. She was fully integrated into the ships systems now, probably wasn't even aware of still having a physical body. She was simultaneously overseeing all three repair jobs on the stasis chambers.
“Steiner, you still there?”
“I'm here.” He touched the next terminal.
“There, you've got it. Now hook it up and test it.”
It took several minutes to hook the terminal up to the tester and to the original power source at the right side of the open panel. When he finished he said into his tiny microphone, “Okay, got it. Run the test.”
After a second: “No, that's not it. Let's try the next one–”
Steiner groaned as he did each time the connections did not work. This was surprisingly painful work. He had wanted to help out in some way but this was getting sickening. But it helped to take his mind off of everything else that was going on.
He started looking for the next terminal as Vinisa continued to direct him.
______ ______ ______
The ten of them sat silently in the galley. It had taken almost a week to get the escape pod into working condition, but it was finally ready. Steiner sat in a small plastic chair, his legs pulled up close to his body. He gripped his ankles tightly as he waited. A tense ache had built in his chest and stomach. It was time now to decide who would be able to go, and who would have to stay aboard the Tomas.
The captain held in his hand a mass of bright red wires. This was their chosen method. They would draw straws. Steiner thought this was a bit of an old fashioned method to choose, but several people had objected to having the computer randomly select someone. Captain Spietz had refused to select someone himself–probably because he would feel obligated to choose himself, Steiner thought.
“All right,” Spietz said. “We all agree now. This decision is final. No arguments. Nothing needs to be said after the short straw is drawn. I will go last since I'm holding them and might have an idea which is the short wire. Do we all agree?” He glanced at each person individually. They all nodded their heads or gave an indication that they agreed that this was the best way.
When the captain looked at him, Steiner nodded and said quietly, “No whining.”
“Yes,” the captain agreed. “No whining. No use making everyone else feel like shit after it's all done and decided.” He looked at the next people. They all agreed.
Steiner held his breath as they started to draw. Estigan went first, then Tarly and Petirs. Steiner felt a bit of relief as he watched Istana also draw a long straw. She closed her eyes for a second and let out a long breath, leaning back in her chair. Tomathin drew his wire with eyes closed, then felt it up and down until he was sure it was long. He let out a barely audible sigh of relief.
When Tanyan also drew a long straw, Steiner started to worry–it was getting down to the end. He stood up quickly, not wanting to wait. “I'll go–can I go next?”
Captain Spietz held out his hand with the four wires that were left. In a time that seemed to drag on forever, Steiner reached out and drew.
At first he couldn't tell. Then he stared at the wire held in his hand, thinking that this must be one of the long ones. It had to be. But then the captain opened his hand, revealing three wires of the same length. Steiner held up his wire to compare with the three. They were clearly longer than his… by at least one third.
He sat back down hard in his chair. “Oh, hell no,” he muttered without thinking about it. He stared at his little red wire as if in a daze. After several seconds he looked up to see the whole group staring silently at him. Their gazes seemed to burn his skin and he cringed when he saw them. He smiled, which was the only thing he could think of to do, and tried to laugh, but what came out was a hideous distortion, sounding more like a snarl. He waited. They gave no reaction, simply sat silently, staring.
Not knowing exactly what he was doing, Steiner dropped the wire over his shoulder, got up and started walking toward his quarters.
______ ______ ______
He stood, now, staring at himself in the mirror in his quarters. His stomach was painfully tense. He rubbed his hands hard across his face, hoping to somehow change the way he felt, to ease the numbness of his mind.
After examining his face for a while longer, he turned away, laid on his bunk and stared blankly at the ceiling. He saw himself picking the wire out of the captains hand. Over and over the action played in his mind. A simple pluck. He could have grabbed the one next to it–then everything would be different. He had paused to think about which straw to grab. If he had just went for it without thinking about it…
When Steiner had lain there for a while (perhaps an hour, perhaps only five minutes: he had no sense of time right now) there was a knock on the door. He remained quiet. Whoever it was, he wanted no company.
After a moment, Istana opened the door. Steiner did not look at her but could sense her staring at him from across the room. She stood silently in the hatchway–half in, half out.
“Are you going to say something?” he asked, once it had become apparent she wasn't going to leave.
“What would you like me to say?” It sounded like there was a slight twang in her voice that wasn't normally there.
He did not reply. He didn't trust himself to say anything. But he looked at her.
She cocked her head. “Would you like me to leave?”
He opened his mouth to tell her that would probably best, but thought better of it. It might help to talk to someone. He feared losing control of his emotions, though.
“You can stay, if you want,” he said.
She stepped in and let the hatch close behind her. “Are you okay?”
He didn't even consider responding to that.
“Dumb question?” she asked.
“There's not much else you can say,” he replied. “Did they ask you to come and talk to me? Make sure I'm nice and calm?”
“Somebody needed to do it.”
“I kind of figured I would be picked,” Steiner said. “I've been the outsider from the beginning. I haven't had any control or any understanding about anything on this mission. Everything has been decided either by random occurrences or by a computer.” He looked at her for a moment. “I'm not whining am I?”
She took a step toward him. “You're just stating a fact. But none of us have had a feeling of having control over anything. You're not the only one who's felt lost.”
“None of you can honestly say you feel as lost as I do right now.”
“I guess that's probably true.” She motioned to a spot on the bed. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
He didn't reply; but after a moment she sat down anyway.
“You know you really don't need to be here if you don't want to,” he said. “I know this is awkward for you and it's no picnic for me. It's getting late and I know you'll want to get back to your quarters for some sleep. I want you to know you won't do me any great damage if you leave me alone.”
“Why are you trying to get rid of me?”
“I'm not.”
“Would you like me to leave?” she asked.
He paused a moment. “号 If it's okay, I'd like it if you stay awhile.”
“Then that's what I'll do.” She leaned over him, into his line-of-sight. “You can't seriously think that I'd feel okay with leaving you here all alone, do you?”
There was a long moment of silence. Then she leaned slowly down and kissed him on the forehead. “I'm going to miss you,” she said, and Steiner could see a little wetness forming in her eyes.
He sat up, more so that she wouldn't be crying on him than anything else. His mind had cleared a little.
“Kiss me,” she said.
He only stared at her. He felt no desire right now. “What's going on with you?”
“Haven't you always wanted me?” she said, choking back tears.
“You knew about that?”
“I knew.”
“You've never made a move before.”
“Sometimes it's best not to.” Istana said.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It was better that nothing happen between us, better we remain simply friends.”
“Now it's different?” he asked.
“What harm can it do now?”
“So you come to me now, asking me to kiss you–for what reason? Because you pity me. Because you know I'll be left here all alone and you won't have to see me after a day and a half. Isn't that so?”
“That's not so.”
“You came here to make love to me, didn't you?” Steiner was sickened by the idea that she intended to give herself to him for no reason other than that she felt sorry for him.
“You don't want to?” she asked.
“I don't want to.” He was stunned that he would actually say those words. They were completely true though. He couldn't take pity. Not like this.
She looked hurt. “You want me to go?”
“I told you I'd like it if you stay.” He reached out a hand and ran it through her dark hair.
“We have to begin preparing the stasis chambers in five hours. They have to be calibrated to our mental wavelengths–”
“I understand,” he said. “You'll need to attend to that.”
“I can stay with you until then if you'd like me to.” He noticed she had begun to cry very lightly.
“我很愿意。”
She fell into his arms and began kissing him about the face. He didn't feel the joy from her embrace that he always expected to. It all seemed to be too mechanical, no real emotion in the act. But for the time he had stopped repeating in his mind the act of drawing the straw.
They fell on the bed and he lay, again staring blankly at the ceiling. The pain in his stomach had ebbed a little. Istana quietly sobbed, her face pressed against his chest. He held her close, not speaking. After a time her crying ceased and they lay silently. Eventually he realized she was sleeping. He could feel her steady breathing; it was almost hypnotic. Steiner began to feel tired himself and soon drifted into sleep, thinking of nothing but Istana lying in his arms.
______ ______ ______
He woke a few hours later. Istana had rolled away from him. He got up slowly as not to disturb her and quietly as he could, opened the hatch and left the room.
Without thinking about it, he went to the galley. Everyone seemed now to be asleep. There was no one around. Steiner sat in the galley for a short while before noticing a little red wire lying on the ground. He picked it up. It was his, the one that had decided his fate. He stared at it, twisted it around his fingers, and finally stuffed it in his pocket.
He was calm now. He had accepted the fact that he would be dead in two or three months time, and didn't feel the fear anymore. The pain in his stomach was mostly gone now.
Finding an access way in the corner of the galley he began climbing. It took barely five minutes to get to the thirteenth level. Climbing over the piles of rubble, he made his way toward the section that was missing the wall, where he could look out on the planet surface. He wanted to see it again. In the sections of the ship where the lights were still working, they would turn themselves on as he came near. He never had to walk in complete darkness.
When he arrived he sat down on a bit of debris and stared through the missing wall. It was nighttime outside. One small moon provide enough light for steiner to see the basic outline of the mountains.
His thoughts kept coming back to Istana, probably still sleeping in his bed. He couldn't understand his own feelings toward her. He'd wanted her for years, more than anything, yet in the end, when she had offered herself to him, he had turned her down without hesitation. There was something sickeningly unattractive about giving yourself to someone for no reason other than pity. Sometimes you don't have any idea what you really want, Steiner decided.
A sound from the corridor caught his attention. Vinisa was making her way into the room. She came and sat down beside him. For several moments they were silent, looking out at the landscape.
“What's on your mind?” she asked.
“It's a beautiful world isn't it?”
“I suppose so,” she said.
“I'll never be able to leave.”
“That's something I want to talk to you about.” She paused. “I want to take your place.”
He turned to look at her, but couldn't see anything in her facial expression. “You're serious?” he said.
“是的。”
“Why?”
“This is where I belong. Here, with the Tomas. ”
“This ship means that much to you?” Steiner asked.
“It's like a friend to me. It is an intelligent entity after all.”
“It will still be here when you get back.”
“Tomas will be gone when I get back. When his power reserves are used up, his consciousness ceases to exist.”
“How long will the power reserves last?” Steiner asked.
“Three months probably, with only one person on board.”
Neither spoke for a while. Then Steiner said, “Tell me why the stasis chambers can't be repaired on the escape pod.”
“The circuitry is too complicated. The storage capsules need to be replaced.”
“There are storage capsules in other chambers on the ship.”
“Hooking them up is such a complicated process it requires the use of nanites, and we do not have any aboard.”
“How long would the power last if I went into stasis?” Steiner asked.
“Three years at the most.”
“Still not enough time,” he said. “And you want to stay behind in my place. It's sure death. 为什么？“
“There comes a time. I don't think it's your time yet. Besides, this is my home. I can't see myself anywhere else.”
“And if I refuse? Will you go with the others or stay here to keep me company?”
“I'll go,” she replied. “No sense in both of us dying.”
“So it's about me, isn't it? You're doing this to save my life.”
She waited a moment before answering. “号 That's not it. It's a choice I made, for whatever reasons. It's not just because of you.”
“You can't frame your reasons for such a major decision?”
“Sometimes it's easier to decide what you're going to do than it is to decide what you want.”
“I can relate to that.” He paused. “I can't let you stay in my place. Go calibrate yourself to your stasis chamber.”
She stared at him for a moment, then got up.
“Good bye, Vinisa,” he said.
“You're not coming down before we launch?”
“I shouldn't.”
“All right.” She walked away, twice looking over her shoulder at him.
So it wasn't just an act of fate anymore. It was a decision he had made. He felt better about it, thinking that he had had a choice in the matter. Steiner couldn't help thinking that maybe coming out of stasis had effected his decision making process.
He sat on the floor, leaned against the wall and stared at the world outside. The sun began to rise over the mountains.
______ ______ ______
“How long before they launch?” Steiner said after an interminable length of time.
“They are ready to launch now,” came a computerized voice. “They are discussing whether or not to find you before they leave.”
“Tell them to just go,” Steiner said. “If they get a chance to say last words, they'll probably regret what they choose to say.” He waited for a response. After a while he said, “Did you tell them, Tomas?”
“They have been told. They're leaving now.”
A long wait and Steiner heard a rumble that he assumed was the escape probe lifting off. He went to the opening in the wall but couldn't see anything. “Have they gone?” he asked.
“They have gone,” replied the voice.
“I guess it's just you and me from now on.”
“This is true.”
“You don't talk much, do you?” Steiner had discovered that he could have a conversation with the ship and was exploring the possibilities.
“What would you like to be said?”
“You don't refer to yourself in first person,” Steiner noted.
“I refer to myself however I feel I'm expected to.”
“So if the person you're talking to thinks of you as an 'it', then that's how you refer to yourself.”
“是的。”
“Do you think of yourself as an 'it'?”
“I do not believe I can answer that question.”
Steiner stopped talking. He thought that the Tomas might continue to talk, but it was not designed for idle conversation. After a time, Steiner said, “Why don't you ask me a question, Tomas?”
“What type of a question?”
“Anything you've been wondering about.”
There was a short pause. “Why did you not wish to say good-bye to your friends?”
“Sometimes it's easier not to,” Steiner replied. “Sometimes it's easier to be kept in the dark about things. I felt it would be easier for them to leave if they didn't have to see me.”
“You complained earlier of not knowing what was happening,” Tomas said. “Now you say it is easier to be kept in the dark, which means it's easier not to know.”
“Humans sometimes have trouble determining what they want.”
“I have never had trouble with that.”
“What do you want?” Steiner asked.
“I wanted to get all eleven crew members safely to the Syntac system and back. When that became impossible, I wanted to get all eleven crew members safely back to Earth. Now that that has also proven impossible, my only wish is to keep you alive as long as possible.”
“What if I wasn't here at all? What would you want then?”
“I would want simply to survive.”
“And how long could you survive if I wasn't here, if the only power you were using was the power to keep your own consciousness in tact?”
“Approximately sixteen years.”
“That would be long enough for Vinisa to come back and get you.”
“It is not certain that she would come back,” Tomas said.
“You could send a message saying that you expect to survive long enough for someone to retrieve you. A synthetic consciousness like you must be fairly valuable, right?”
“I would probably be valuable enough to retrieve.”
Steiner stood up. Silently he walked to the edge of the gaping hole in the wall. He could see now the dim shimmering of the force field that separated him from the frigid outside. Taking the short piece of wire from his pocket, he flicked it. It passed through the force shield easily and without a sound. He watched it drop outside.
Slowly he reached out a hand and felt the tingle of the field. He thrust his hand through and immediately felt a surge a pain. His flesh was freezing. He pulled his hand back in as quickly as possible and held it pressed against his chest, trying to make the feeling return.
“What are you doing, Steiner?” asked Tomas.
“Just testing,” Steiner replied, vigorously rubbing his hand.
He took several steps back from the opening, stopped and stared. He prepared himself to run, but found he couldn't force himself to take the first step.
“What are you doing?” Tomas said.
“I'm doing you a favor.”
“You are going to jump?”
Steiner did not answer.
“I do not want you to do that.”
Steiner had the control now. That's what he had wanted, control over his own destiny. It was what he had been wishing for ever since he had awoken from stasis. Now he had it.
He took the first step. And the next. He ran, not hesitating as he passed through the force field that separated him from the unknown.
