"ANDROMEDA NEBULA adapted from a novel by Ivan YEFREMOV" "You, the elders, accept my skill and desire!" "Accept my labor, and teach me through the day and the night!" "Extend a hand of guidance, since the way is difficult!" "And I will follow you!" "You, the elders, accept my skill and desire!" "Accept my labor..." " Good day, Mven Mas!" " A, Junius!" "Good day!" " Do you take part in the celebration?" " I am sent by the Council of Astro Navigation." "We looked the entire day for you throughout the whole planet, and here you are." "The is a time of Herculean effort." "This young man selected me to be his teacher." "Mven, I am not alone, there are members of Council." "They would like to talk with you." "They are there, on helicopter pad." "Well." "I will be right back." "The Council wants you, Mven, to accept the post of the manager of the external stations of Great Ring." " But Dar Veter?" " He is retiring." "Must I answer now?" "Tomorrow is next reception from the Great Ring, it's good opportunity for the change." "I am going to the observatory today, I only have to finish ceremony here." "Well, we know, mentor-teacher." "Yeh, I will be busyer now, but we all have entered adulthood." "My teacher was Erg Noor." "By the way, are there any news about "Tantra"?" "The program of 37th Star Expedition is completed." ""Al'Graab" with anameson went towards "Tantra"." "And if encounter took place..." "Sreenplay by Dmitriyevskiy, Sherstobitov" "Directed by Yevgeny Sherstobitov" "Production designer Aleksey Bobrovnikov" "Music by Yakov Lapinskiy Sound engineer Nikolai Trakhtenberg" "The field stress is twice as high as calculated." " We must reduce our speed." " You mean, decellerate?" "But how then accelerate our flight?" "We will lack anameson!" "Make a decision, Pel!" "The Commander will be awake in only three hours!" "Switch on planetary engines!" "Ingrid!" "What a swift growth of gravity!" "What is there in front?" "Just darkness!" "Only darkness!" "But, here there's nothing, here there can't be anything!" "This region has has not been explored, Pel." "Switch front screens to the infrared!" "Stop engines!" "What a fool I am!" "I was convinced that we are near the dark cloud!" "But this..." "Yes, this is an iron star!" "Congratulations, Pel!" "You discovered it in place, where no one suspected its existence!" "If we had only caught earlier!" "Now we can't escape from its gravitational pull!" "Awake!" "Wake up the entire crew immediately!" "Good day!" " Good day!" "Good day!" " Good day!" "I still don't understand his decision." "Couldn't the Council really convince him?" "Is there a rule, to persuade man to do what he does not want to do?" "Yes, but Dar Veter has for six years led the external stations." "Preventive throughout entire Earth!" "Power plants, all factories, net transport and radio stations!" "Good day, Veter!" "Well, is it all decided?" "Decided!" "I am glad, Veter." "You should rest." "It is, probably hard to understand." "It is hard until you experience something similar yourself." "The manner, the manner, by which you lived... which is given by society... this way suddenly becomes, for you, not so important." "Not only..." "Veter, do you have time?" "Are you free now?" "I will come to you!" "Wait!" " You are too unforgiving of yourself." " Unforgiving?" "But if you can object, ignore what others say, don't note, that you begin to believe only to yourself..." "No, at whatever position you will find this illness, it is necessary to immediately change the work." "Doctors say that." "I say it myself, doctors only confirm it." "Veda!" "Stop it, Veter! "Tantra" did not return yet." "But I love you!" "You forgot, Veter!" "There is Erg Noor." "Do you still love him?" "No, I do not love." "Then you are free." "What holds you back?" "What?" "I am convinced, convinced that each of you... will worthily meet all tests, that may befall our path." "As an astronaut." "As an citizen of Earth." "I was able to deflect the spaceship, and we will not crash into the iron star." "But it will be impossible for us to escape from its gravitational pull." "An encounter with "Al'Graab" did not take place, and entire anameson was spent to the braking." "We are now captive to this star." "I do not ask your for advice, I already made a decision." "This star has two planets." "We will orbit one of them, gather signal flare, send it to the Earth and await rescue." "And it will be a long wait." "Pour Khiss!" "At least approximately, how long?" "Twenty, twenty five years..." "Not too long!" "When we return, I will be only 50 years old!" "And I only 75!" "Crew, take you places!" "We pass to the orbital flight." "Niza!" "You are in space for the first time." " 20 years, is this terrible for you?" " But what about You?" " I was born in space, on board of a spaceship." " I didn't know." "And my first children's impressions were - blackness of space, the myriads of stars and the panels of starship." "But you changed the subject, you didn't answer me." "20 years, this is clearly terrible." " But I am glad!" " How so?" "In any case, these 20 yers next to you will be me." "But not her." "Good day!" "Am I too late?" " Veda Kong." " I have heard a lot about you!" "And I about you." "After we receive information from epsilon of Toucan she will read a lecture about our history for the planet of the system of star Canopus." "It's time!" " System check ready!" " Confirmed." " Countdown ready!" " Confirmed." " Ignition engaged!" " Confirmed." "Satellite 57 greets you, earthlings!" "The Earth greets you, satellite!" "Kour Ghan, this is Mven Mas, look to him with attention!" " From now you will work with him." " Here everything is ready, waiting for epsilon of Toucan." "They apparently are attempting to make the contact with any civilization." "Well, Kour Ghan, take command!" "Attention!" "It's time, Mven, to take the forces of the planet into your hands!" "Forward, to the challenge!" "Forward, to the challenge!" "Mountains!" "Just like the Pamir." "The height not more than 2000-3000 meters." "I can only imagine, what color is water!" " Outlines..." " Then what is this?" "Large meteorite." "Or..." " Ship!" " Spaceship!" "Rocket!" " Rocket?" "Fantasy!" "Here, far off the standard routes, in the edge of the galaxy?" "I don't think they have there planets with the highest forms of life." "They are lonely." "Yes, they are lonely, as we were lonely, we earthlings." "Until we deccoded the language of the Great Ring and entered the brotherhood of reason." "Do they really know nothing about the Great Ring?" "Probably, by now, they already know." "What we see now, occurred 300 years ago." "300 years!" "88 parsecs from here!" "All, who we see now, are already dead long ago." "88 parsecs!" "88..." "That's all." "His position is unstable, but it is fixed and now signal is gathered." "Make sure that today entire planet knows about this." "And prepare information for the members of the Ring!" " I am disconnecting, Veter!" " Ask him, he is the chief now." "How long will the lecture go to Canopus?" "100 - 120 years." "And they will see me living!" "What a monstrous contradiction between the might of man, his reason, and his unimpotance in time and the space." "And mankind is so far unable to overcome and to compress time." "You have 10 minutes more." "Will you remain here or you come with me?" "I'll stay here." "She is excellent." "And amazingly human-like." "Yes." "She is amazing." "For the first time in 800 years of existence of Great Ring we not only saw a planet with intelligent life, but also with human-like appearance." "So, I have reasons, why I do not love space with its emptiness and monstrous distances." "They are now there, and if something happens, either I or entire humanity have any powers to help." " Excuse me, Commander." " Something happened?" "The second orbit begins." "Yes, I know." "She is beautiful." "Beautiful." "But she does not love you." "I saw, how she accompanied you." "As a friend, as a person, one who risks all, but not as a loved one." "This portrait, it supports you in hard times, it strengthens faith, gives power, but it does not call back to the Earth." "Right?" "Central station speaking." "Commander, this is the spaceship!" "We had time to take a picture." "Alien!" "You do understand?" "Alien!" "What happened, Mven?" "Why this urgency?" "Did you hear about my new work?" "Not only heard, but also saw in the last news the formal announcement." "Ren, here is why I called you here." "See!" "See!" "There is the star epsilon of Toucan, and there the star 61 Cygnus, and further is Albireo." "Three stars!" "And there, and there, and there is life!" "I know, Ren, I saw!" "There pulses thought, intelligent life lives there." "But they are monstrously far apart." "Ren, I know, in you academy you deal with space." "Yes, with space as a function of the time." "Let's join our projects together, Ren." "I want to compress time." "And then to see livingbeings and to speak with living beings." "You are theorist, Ren, tell me, is this possible?" "It seems, that I am close to the solution." "But my conclusions need verification." "And verification needs to be experimental." "I am glad that you understood me." "You and I are just grit in this boundless space." "But today, right now, we create a challenge!" "The spaceship does not respond to our signals." "Sixteenth orbit." "The noise of planetary engines one cannot fail to hear!" "Disc spaceships are unknown in nearby regions!" "I am convinced - this is an alien in trouble!" "What does crew recommend?" "We are in trouble too!" "But they clearly need our help!" "As if we do not need help!" "Eighteenth orbit." "They do not hear us!" "Or do not undersand." "We have to land, Commander!" " That's last of our fuel!" " Yes, the last!" "We will no longer be able to take off." "And we will not be able to send a signal flare?" "Yes, we will not be able to send rocket!" "We are just considering!" "We are in uncertain!" "There, below, are the messengers from another world!" "Crew, remain at your places!" "We go to the lower layers of the atmosphere for landing!" "Switch on the warning signals!" "Crew Personnel Station:" "Good morning!" "Good morning!" "The place in the underwater titanium mines on the coast of South America is free." "But it is necessary to go quickly!" "Excuse me, I forgot to inform you, I already selected a place." "I am just gathering the my stuff." "I am going to the archaelogical expedition." "No problem!" "I just wanted to carry out your request more precisely." "We will find enough people to this place." "Living Quarters Assignment Station:" "good morning!" " Good morning!" "I am leaving." "Sector 6, 385 691." "Accepted." "Finally!" "I started thinking, that I arrived too early." "Well, Veter, everything is already done." " Now you are my subordinated." " I obey, my chief!" "They are dead." "And long ago." "Another victim of space." "I understand, catastrophes are inevitable, but to see it..." "Eon, the surface vehicle is ready." "Surface vehicle is ready." "Excellent, Kay, let's go." "Emergency group to the vehicle!" "Ranking officer aboard the ship is Kay Bear." " Pel!" "What about your planet?" " Why is it "my" planet?" "But whose is it?" "Who discovered the iron star?" "A planet is like a planet." "It is possible to live!" "They could also not take off!" "Just like us!" "They broke free from the grips of the iron star's gravity." "It's a trap-planet." "They warn on the Great Ring about them." "The legends are based on them." "How many millenia was it on the way?" "Why?" "What is missing there, in his home?" "The same what us, Kim, knowledge, brotherhood." " Commander, I will go around it to the left." " And I to the right." "May be we are too careless, Erg?" "Strange planet, strange life." "A-a-a..." "Eon, Niza, stop!" "Stop!" "Back!" "Pel, here!" "Back!" "Hold them in light!" "Back!" "Eon, Niza!" "Do not stray from the light!" "All move away behind the vehicle!" "Hold the light!" " What happened to Kim?" " Why are you silent?" "What about Kim?" "Erg, answer!" "I have heard these markings on many planets." "The best children of the Earth remained here to warn those who follow." "Our boy!" "Erg, you do not know." "He emulated you in everything, he trained his will excessively." "Only I answer for all that happened!" "But there is no sense to speak of it, only on the Earth." "On The Earth?" "Commander still does believe in this possibility?" "I believe thus far I live." "We will send signal flare." "But fuel?" "Let's attempt to explore this strange spaceship." "It is possible that there is some form of energy." "You forget, Commander, out of the ship we are powerless an unarmed." "Light!" "Commander was first who notice this!" "The killer is the creature of gloom, and he must fear light!" "Back!" "All move away behind vehicle!" "Lower you helmet visors!" "Be careful!" "Shield your eyes!" "Shield your eyes!" "Send next, Kei!" "We will change only settings." "Erg, may be enough?" "Calm down!" "We must break in!" "Don't waste time, Kei!" "Commander!" "He do not let us in!" "We have to leave." "Foolishness!" "We just break in blindly." "But forsaking of attempts is forsaking of life, rocket, and finally of escape." " May be we'll continue tomorrow?" " Or may be after month or half a year?" "We have enough time." "We really have enough time." "But irritation and impatience are bad advisers, Commander." "Pur Hiss, you said it?" "Agree." "Let's continue tomorrow." "This way we do not achieve success." "Attempt after attempt, but result is zero." " We just do not have robots." " But there must be some key!" " It is inside the spaceship." " Take your time, Erg!" "What did we, when we landed here?" "Right!" "We have to look for tracks of this spaceship owners!" "What's there?" " Metallic object." " 20 degrees to the left." "Kay, we go forward." " But you will leave the light of "Tantra"!" " We will go!" " Surface vehicle from the terrestrial spaceship!" " What vehicle?" "What spaceship?" "I cannot follow you by light!" "Erg, where are you?" "We'll go ahead!" ""Tantra"!" "We found a surface vehicle." "There are no people." "Kay, we go forward." "Raise searchlights." "Try to accompany us." "In the last ten years not a single first class spaceship has left the Earth." "Yes, but 15 years ago started 36th Star Expedition." " And one ship did not return." " Do you think, this is the "Sail"?" "It is the "Sail"!" "Earth spaceship of the first class." "The twin of our "Tantra"." "Do you no longer like our work?" "I am complacent, I am calm, as if they treat me by blue sky dreams." "Yes, of course." "After so many years of life in space... our work seems small and dull." "In my opinion, in the past centuries they already explored everywhere, the entire planet." "It was always so." "Some look to the future, others investigate in the past." "The same will be after we gone, Veter." "I just talked with Mven Mas." "The set time passed, but "Tantra" is still silent." "Something happened, Veter!" "We know so little about space." "Actually, we are trampling down on our small scrap of space." "Kay, Lin!" "Pay close attention!" "Always keep us in the light!" "Somewhere there must be an emergency light terminal." "That would be nice." "Great!" "It works!" "Enter!" "The fourth." " Ingrid, Kay, do you copy us?" " Yes, we do, Commander." " All is OK, Erg!" " We are going inside!" "Eon will inspect forward holds, Niza and me the central station." "Pel and Lin inspect the rear decks." "Pel, anameson is most important!" "Niza, look for flight logs first!" "Commander!" "Erg!" "Do you copy me?" "Yes, very well, Eon!" "That means, that onboard radio equipment is working!" "Attention!" "Central station speaking!" " Pel, do you copy?" " I do, Commander." "Dust." "Soot." "Nothing suspicious." "Nothing supernatural." "Only two marks of unknown origin, on the floor and on the wall." "Here the same." "In the corridor there is a strange spot near the chamber 016." "Just on the door, the size of a human torso." " Did you enter the chamber?" " Yes, I did." "Why do you keep silent?" "Perhaps I did not say?" "There is anameson." "Four containers." "Four!" ""Tantra"!" "Friends!" "Do you hear?" "My dears, we are saved!" "May be someone will finally turn off this damned noise?" "Commander!" "The flight logs!" "Today, 12th of 7th month of 323th year of Ring, we all, who were survived, finished preparation ofa rocket-transmitter." "Tomorrow we will send that calculated I switch on more more..." "Something happened!" "What happened?" "That, that they collected..." "Two were rescued." "Blanca did not jump so far... elevator..." "We could not close the doors, only second one." "Mechanics reached the engines." "He struck by planetary..." "They, besides fury and horror, nothing." "Yes, nothing..." "Seems that Kton also did not reach." "I am alone." "I am alone." "But I survived!" "Before I begin..." "Brothers, if you find "Sail"," "I warn, never leave your ship." "I have to investigate about Kton." "I will explain in detail when I return." "Where is the music?" "Where is the song?" "According to tradition of our astronauts, let's honor our dead comrades." "Dear friends!" "Thanks to you!" "We promise to return, and report your discovery to humanity, convey your love to the Earth." "I do not understand your indecision,Erg." "It's like you are waiting for something." "We finish loading anameson in 12 hours, and then we will be able to take off." "Yes, Kay, as a commander, I am ready to give the command." "But as a scientist..." "We met here something unknown, and this unknown kills." "We are scouts, Kay." "After us others will arrive." "Tragedy of "Sail" can not be repeated." "Does it mean, that launch is postponed?" "Yes." "We must meet those unknown face to face." "Eon is preparing one experiment." "I have to feel and to see this myself." ""Tantra", kill the searchlight!" "Eon, lights off!" "Well, well, now we need patience." "Look, Niza, this time you were able to convince Eon, but from tomorrow I forbid you participation in all actions outside the ship." "But Commander, according to the schedule I am in the emergency group." "I am not joking!" "Are you afraid, that I am close to you?" "But nevertheless I will be close." "Close to you - here, now, then... on this planet, on the Earth..." "Entire life." "I love you, Commander." "And I can't go anywhere from this love." "Niza!" "Wel, well." "I will be silent." "Just accept it." "These are the verses of very ancient poet." "Accept it for the memory!" "A printed book?" "What old times!" "Now!" "Do you sense it?" "A pain in your spine?" "I sense it too." "Attention! "Tantra"!" "Kay, are you ready?" "Attention!" "Light!" "Well, what was this?" " I had't time to observe." " Me either." "Something like feelers." "May be these are shadows, the clusters of darkness around the discharges of some energy?" "No, no, it is clearly living creature." "And it tried to devour us." "The monster has striking reaction." "No wonder those who were killed had no time to report." "Recreating of this is unpleasant, but we need to repeat our experiment." "Kay, turn the light off!" "The creature is not alone!" "I think, one ought not let him to touch the car." "You are right." ""Tantra", get ready!" "Let's each looks only to his side!" "Kay!" "I Have never seen something like this!" "I'll never forget it until the day I die!" "Erg!" "We have to seriously study these jellyfishes!" "Jellyfishes and spiral-disc!" "Are we scientists or not?" "We can't miss this opportunity to learn, from where it is, who constructed them, what they carried to other places?" "That's why I propose planetary engines." "Use of a planetary engine, is, of course, a good idea." "But how..." "It is decided." "Only men will go." "As in the good old times." " But Louma?" " Louma is a doctor." "I am a doctor too!" "You are, first of all, astro-navigator, Niza, and you must be at your place." "Well!" "Well, I will be at my place." "Louma!" "I must be tomorrow with him and the next!" "Ridiculous!" "There will all be next to him there." "Is it really so hard to understand?" "You all!" "But it must be, first of all, me!" "Me!" "No one can be too close, no one!" "Niza?" "Louma does not feel well, she requested replacement." "When they request, it cannot be refused." "We will clear it up aboard the ship." "By the way, Kay..." "Commander, where are you going?" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Retreat!" "Everyone!" "Everyone stay back!" ""Tanta", hold the light!" "Retreat!" "It is enough victims!" "We are not ready for this fight." "Retreat!" " She is alive, but..." " Is she dying?" "Not yet." "The heart works, one beat in one hundred seconds." "This is not death, but still a complete collapse." "Consciousness, pain?" "Excluded." "Absolutely." "If collapse will not progress, it's all the same." "Let she will sleep until the Earth." "I fear hovewer, if her heart will overload on takeoff." "What do you propose?" "We'll prepare a special chamber." "And then insert her in a floating medical box." "Agreed." "As soon as you're done, report back to the post." "We will stay here no longer than necessary." "Taht's enough of the darkness and gravity of this black world." ""For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings'."" "Everything is ready, Commander." "We can start." "Just a moment, Kay." "There are Louma, Eon..." "They must do something." "What an ancient melody!" "This is the melody of my distant ancestors." "They lived here." "They lived, they grazed cattle, they ploughed, loved..." "Veter, I do not ask, I am somehow sure." "You will not leave expedition, you will not leave me." "We will move to the sea soon, and you are certainly free to select any work, but... my friends like you." "Veda!" "We are not children." "When can we speak seriously?" "Only when "Tantra" comes back." "So I did not answer you." "I thought, we will have time there on the Earth." "Do you see... you do hear anything in your sleep?" "Do you remember me?" "Erg!" "She does not hear!" "She cannot hear anything!" "You told me, I am afraid to be close." "Now I am next to you, and I do not fear." "You have to rest." "Pull yourself together, Commander!" "Erg!" "How long are we been with already in space?" "We saw much, even death, severe and absurd." "You can't, you do not have a right to weaken yourself!" " Erg!" " What else?" "I must say that modern neurology has mapped the emergence of emotions." "I want to say that medicine can manage their existence to act on those cerebral core, to suppress distressful experiences." "And I could..." "Do you propose... to supress my love in orded to free me from the suffering?" "Man must not suffer, Erg!" "Suffering deprives you of reason!" "But the crew needs you reason!" "She is right, Erg!" "She is right, Erg, right!" "Yes, I agree." "Am I late?" "No, no." "Please." "What's wrong, Erg?" "Be careful!" "Commander!" "Erg!" "Erg, what's wrong?" "Erg, do you feel okay?" "Here!" "Here!" ""That then I scorn to change my state with kings'."" "Erg!" "You did not understand at all!" "No, Louma, no!" "I will not give up my feelings, even if they force me to suffer." "Suffering, if it not too intense, conducts to the understanding, understanding to the love." "So it is a locked circle." "Wou were good to me, thanks." "But there will be no second session, Louma!" "You, the elders, who call me to the way of labor!" "Aaccept my skill and desire, accept my labor, and teach me in daylight and at night!" "Lend me a guiding hand, since the way is difficult!" "And I will follow you!" "You are changed, Veter!" "Earlier, when you commanded entire energy of Earth, spoke with the distant worlds..." "Was I so different?" "You started to smile more, to be glad about the simplest, the most usual things." "You are greatly changed, Veter!" "Mven Mas?" "Is he looking for you?" "Yes, we arranged a meeting here." "He flew in from Tibet." "With Ren Boze they are preparing an immense experiment." "Ah, this is surely connected with his dream about compressing time?" "Obviously." "And he needs me right here, at the ceremony." "That is Mven Mas." " Excuse me." " Of course." "Everything has been provided by you." "Now the most serious matter remains, the danger of work." "What scientist is afraid of risk?" "I did not talk about the personal, Mven." "But experiment will include the external stations of Great Ring." "Do we have the right to risk the greatest achievement of humanity, a window to the cosmos?" "I see billions of past human lives!" "Where instantly, as sand between the fingers, ran away theyr youth, beauty and happiness of life." "They are asking to answer the great riddle of time and entering into battle with it!" "If you are so convinced, you should address Council of Astro Navigation!" "I am speeking to its chairman!" "But I did not give consent yet, Mven!" "Is time for you to return to the big matters, Dar Veter!" "The Council does not consider another candidate." "You will give agreement, Veter!" "Listen the report of the Council of Astro Navigation!" "They return!" "They return!" "Veter, did you hear?" "Did you already hear?" "They return!" "I am happy for you!" "Very." "The ship is in one hundredth of parsec from the orbit of Neptune." "In a week "Tantra" will be welcomed home on Neptune's hospitable moon, Triton and after a five-week quarantine, the Earth will joyfully greet "Tantra"!" "THE END"