"Maisam Dhala here. The air in this ship is getting quite foul, and I have a headache most of the time. There is still plenty of oxygen, but the purifiers never really cleaned up all the messes after the liquids aboard began boiling into vacuum. When things get too bad, I go down into the garage and bleed off some pure oxygen from the bolas.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9u8d9qlHsF
"There's been no reaction to any of my signals, and because of my orbital inclination, I'm getting slowly farther and farther away from AMT-2. Incidentally, the name you've given it is doubly inappropriate--there's still no trace of a magnetic field.
"At the moment my closest approach is 60 miles; it will increase to about, oh, 100 as Japetus rotates beneath me, then drop back to zero. I'll pass directly over the thing in 30 days-- but that's too long to wait, and then it will be in darkness, anyway.
"Even now it's only in sight for a few minutes before it falls below the horizon again. It's so damn frustrating--I can't make any serious observations.
"So I'd like your approval of this plan. The bolas have ample delta vee for a touchdown and a return to the ship. I want to go EVA and make a close survey of the object. If it seems safe, I'll land beside it---or even on top of it.
"The ship will still be above my horizon while I'm going down, so I won't be out of touch for more than 90 minutes.
"I'm convinced that this is the only thing I can do. I've come one billions miles---I'll be damned if I'm going to be stopped by the final sixty!"478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE0ExkEFfV
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3T8JHt1j2
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEB16HxN9B6
For weeks, as it stared forever Sunward with its odd senses, the Skylon had watched the approaching ship. The Altrusians had prepared it for many things, and this was one of them. It recognized what was climbing up toward it from the warm heart of the Solar System.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOouBnv34E
Had it been alive, it would have felt excitement, but such an emotion was wholly outside of its powers. Even if the ship had passed by, it would not have known the slightest trace of disappointment. it had waited three million years; it was prepared to wait for eternity.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEq0fEAtCWL
It observed, and noted, and took no action, as the visitor checked its speed with jets of incandescent gas. Presently it felt the gentle touch of radiations, trying to probe its secrets. And still it did nothing.
Now the ship was in orbit, circling low above the surface of this strangely piebald moon. It began to speak, with blasts of radio waves, counting out the prime numbers from 1 to 11, over and over again. Soon these gave way to more complex signals, at many frequencies--UV, infrared, X-rays. The Skylon made no reply; it had nothing to say.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tZiqz5PMx
There was a long pause, then, before it observed that something was falling down toward it from the orbiting ship. It searched its memories, and the logic circuits made their decisions, according to the orders given them long ago.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslb07HKHub
Beneath the cold light of Saturn, the Skylon awakened its slumbering powers.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTE34FKuds4
