"ANDROMEDA NEBULA by the novel of Ivan YEFREMOV" "You, the elders, accept my skill and desire!" "Accept my labor, and teach me at the day and at the night!" "Give me the hand of aid, 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 holiday?" " I am sent by the Council of Astronavigation." "Entire day we look for you throughout whole planet, and you are here." "The time of Hercules's Exploits." "This youth 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 area." "Well." "I'm right back." "The Council requests you, Mven, to accept the post of the manager by the external stations of Great Ring." " But Dar Veter?" " He is leaving." "Must I answer now?" "Tomorrow is next reception from the Great Ring, it's good opportunity for the transfer of the matters." "I am going to the observatory today, I have only finish ceremony here." "Well, we know, mentor-teacher." "Yeh, I will be more busy now, but we all have entered into the maturity." "My teacher was Erg Noor." "By the way, are there any news about "Tantra"?" "The program of 37th Starry is finished." ""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 stress of field is two times higher than calculated." " It's necessary to lower the speed." " Retard?" "But how then accelerate flight?" "We will lack anameson!" "Make decision, Pel!" "Commander will be conscious after sleep only after three hours!" "Switch on planetary!" "Ingrid!" "What a swift growth of gravity!" "What is there in front?" "Just darkness!" "Only darkness!" "But, here's nothing, here can not be anything!" "This region is studied too little, Pel." "Switch front screens to the infrared!" "Stop engines!" "What a fool!" "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 about its existence!" "If we caught earlier!" "Now we can't escape from its attraction!" "Awakening!" "Immediate awakening to entire crew!" "Good day!" " Good day!" "Good day!" " Good day!" "I still don't understand his decision." "Couldn't the Council really persuade him?" "Is there a rule, to persuade man to make that, what he does not want?" "Yes, but Dar Veter six years led the external stations." "Preventive throughout entire Earth!" "To all power plants, to all factories, to net transport and to radio stations!" "Good day, Veter!" "Well, is all decided?" "Decided!" "I am glad, Veter." "You should rest." "It is, probably, hard to understand." "It is hard, until you experience similar yourself." "The dear matter, the matter, by which you lived... which is given by society... this matter 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 merciless to yourself." " Merciless?" "But if you can increase voice, ignore the observation of comrade, don't note, that you begin to believe only to yourself..." "No, at whatever post you will find this illness, it is necessary to immediately change the work." "Doctors say that." "I say it myself, doctors only confirm." "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 does hold back you?" "What?" "I am convinced, convinced that each of you... will worthily meet tests, fallen on our path." "As an astronaut." "As an earthling." "I was able to deflect spaceship, and we will not fall down to the iron star." "But it will be impossible for us to escape from its attraction." "Encounter with "Al'Graab" did not take place, and entire anameson was spent to the braking." "We are captured by this star." "I do not ask your for advice, I already made a decision." "This star has two planets." "We will become satellite of one of them, gather signal flare, send it to the Earth and await an aid." "And it will be long wait." "Pour Khiss!" "At least approximately, how long?" "Twenty, twenty five years..." "Not too many!" "When we return, I will be only 50!" "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 for You?" " I am born in space, on board of the spaceship." " I didn't know." "And my first children's impressions were - blackness of space, the myriads of stars and the panels of ship." "But you foxed, you did not answer me." "20 years, this is surely terrible." " But I am glad!" " So?" "In any case, these 20 yers next to you will be me." "But not she." "Good day!" "Am I not late?" " Veda Kong." " I have heard a lot about you!" "And I about you." "After the reception of 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!" " I give preventive!" " Agree." " I give counting!" " Agree." " I give battery stations!" " Agree." "Satellite 57 greets you, earthlings!" "The Earth greets 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, give direct connection!" "Attention!" "It's time, Mven, to take the energy of the planet into your hands!" "Forward, to the refusal!" "Forward, to the refusal!" "Mountains!" "Just like the Pamir." "The height not more than 2000-3000 meters." "I imagine, what color is water!" " Outlines..." " Then what is this?" "Large meteorite." "Or..." " Ship!" " Spaceship!" "Rocket!" " Rocket?" "Fantasy!" "Here, in the side from the basic routes, in the rear of galaxy?" "I think, they do not have thereabout planets with the highest forms of life." "They are lonely." "Yes, they are lonely, as were lonely we, earthlings." "Until we deciphered the language of Great Ring and entered to the general brotherhood of reason." "Do they really know nothing about the Great Ring?" "Probably, now they know already." "What we see now, occurred 300 years ago." "300 years!" "88 parsec!" "All, who we see now, are already dead long ago." "88 parsec!" "88..." "That's all." "His position is unstable, but it is fixed and now it is gathered." "Make sure that today entire planet would know about this." "And prepare information for the members of 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 nonentity before the time and the space." "And humanity is thus far not able to overcome and to compress time." "You have 10 minutes more." "Will you remain here or you come with me?" "I stay here." "She is excellent." "And amazingly terrestrial." "Yes." "She is amazing." "For the first time in 800 years of existence of Great Ring we saw a planet with the brothers not only on the reason, but also throughout the body." "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 me or entire humanity have no forces to help." " Excuse me, commander." " Something happened?" "The second turn 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, who goes to the risk, but not as a loved one." "This portrait, it supports you in the hard time, it strengthens faith, gives power, but it does not call back to the Earth." "Correct?" "Central station speaking." "Commander, this is 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 solemn deed of conveyance of the matters." "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, brothers on the reason live 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 connect our endevours, Ren." "I want to compress time." "And then to see livings and to speak with livings." "You are theorist, Ren, say, is this possible?" "It seems, that I am close to the solution." "But my conclusions need checking." "And checking is experiment." "I am glad, that you understood me." "You and me are just grit in this boundless space." "But today, right now, we throw a challenge!" "The spaceship does not react to our signals." "Sixteenth turn." "The noise of planetary engines one cannot fail to hear!" "Disc spaceships are unknown in the regions adjacent with us!" "I am convinced, that this is alien in trouble!" "What does crew propose?" "We are in trouble too!" "But they clearly need aid!" "As if we do not need aid!" "Eighteenth turn." "They do not hear us!" "Or do not undersand." "We have to land, commander!" " That's last fuel!" " Yes, the last!" "No longer we will be able to take off." "And we will not be able to send signal flare?" "Yes, we will not be able to send rocket!" "We are considering!" "We are in doubt!" "There, below, are the messengers from another world!" "Crew, remain at the places!" "We go to the lower layers of the atmosphere for the landing!" "Switch on the warning signals!" "The station of work assignment." "Good morning!" "Good morning!" "The place in the underwater titanium mines on the coast of South America is free." "But it is necessary to arrive urgently!" "Excuse me, I forgot to inform you, I already selected a place." "I am just gathering the 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." "The station of the distribution of accomodations, 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 behind." " Now you are my subordinated." " I obey, my chief!" "It is dead." "And long ago." "Another victim of the space." "As I understand, catastrophes are inevitable, but to see it..." "Eon, cross-country vehicle is ready." "Cross-country vehicle is ready." "Excellent, Kay, we go." "Emergency group to the vehicle!" "Elder aboard the ship is Kay Bear." " Pel!" "What about your planet?" " Why my?" "But whose it is?" "Who did discover iron star?" "Planet like a planet." "It is possible to live!" "It also could not take off!" "As well as we!" "It broke within the limits of the iron star's attraction." "It's a trap-planet." "They warns on the Great Ring about them." "The legends are folded on them." "How many millenia was it on the way?" "Why?" "What lacked it there, in his home?" "The same what we lack, Kim, knowledge, brotherhood." " Commander, I will go around it to the left." " And I to the right." "May be we are to 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 leave from the light!" "All move away behind the vehicle!" "Hold light!" " What about Kim?" " Why are you silent?" "What's with Kim?" "Erg, answer!" "I have heard these call signs on many planets." "The best children of the Earth remained here to warn those who are going by track." "Our boy!" "Erg, you do not know." "He imitated you in everything, he trained his will so ridiculously." "Only I answer for all that happened!" "But there is sense to speak about only on the Earth." "On The Earth?" "Commander still does believe in this possibility?" "I believe thus far I live." "We will gather signal flare." "But fuel?" "Let's attempt to penetrate into the strange spaceship." "It is possible, there is some form of energy." "You forget, commander, out of the ship we are powerless, unarmed before this." "Light!" "Commander was first who caught this!" "The killer is the creature of gloom, and he must fear light!" "Back!" "All move away behind vehicle!" "Lower filters!" "Carefully!" "Save eyes!" "Save eyes!" "What's there?" " Metallic object." " 20 degrees to the left." "Kay, we go forward." " But you will leave the light of "Tantra"!" " We go!" " Terrestrial vehicle from the terrestrial spaceship!" " What vehicle?" "What spaceship?" "I cannot accompany you by light!" "Erg, where are you?" "We go forward!" ""Tantra"!" "We found terrestrial vehicle." "There are no people." "Kay, we go forward." "Raise searchlights." "Try to accompany us." "In the last ten years no one ship of first class has left the Earth." "Yes, but 15 years ago started 36th Starry." " And one ship did not return." " Do you think, this is "Sail"?" "This is "Sail"!" "Terrestrial spaceship of the first class." "Gemini of our "Tantra"." "Do you no longer like our work?" "I am complacent, I am calm, as if they treat me by blue dreams." "Yes, of course." "After so many years of contact with space... our work seems small and dull." "In my opinion, in the past centuries they already dug over everywhere, entire planet." "It was always so." "Some look to the future, others are investigating in the past." "The same will be after us, Veter." "I just talked with Mven Mas." "The stated time passed, but "Tantra" is still silent." "Something happened, Veter!" "We know space so little." "Actually, we are trampling down on the small scrap of space." "Kay, Lin!" "Be especially attentive!" "Hold us always in light!" "Somewhere there must be the terminal of emergency light." "It would be funny." "Funny!" "It works!" "Enter!" "The fourth." " Ingrid, Kay, do you copy us?" " Yes, we do, commander." " All is OK, Erg!" " We go inside!" "Eon will inspect forward holds, Niza and me the central station." "Pel and Lin inspect stern accomodations." "Pel, anameson is most important!" "Niza, look for flight diary first!" "Commander!" "Erg!" "Do you copy me?" "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 super-natural." "Only two accumulations of incomprehensible 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, in the human's size." " 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 signal?" "Commander!" "Flight diary!" "Today, 12th of 7th month of 323th year of Ring, we all, who were survived, finished the preparation of rocket-transmitter." "Tomorrow we will send that calculated I switch on more more..." "Something happened!" "What happened?" "That, that they collected..." "Rescued two." "Blanca did not jump so far... elevator..." "We could not close 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 devised!" "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, accepted among the astronauts, let us recall the killed 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." "You are like awaiting for something." "We will finish loading of anameson in 12 hours, and then we will be able to take off." "Yes, Kay, as a commander, I am ready to give this command." "But as a scientist..." "We met here something unknown, and this unknown kills." "We are scouts, Kay." "After us will arrive others." "Tragedy of "Sail" can not be repeated." "Does it mean, that start is postponed?" "Yes." "We must meet those unknown face to face." "Eon is preparing one experiment." "I have to feel, to see this myself." ""Tantra", remove searchlight!" "Eon, light!" "Well, well, now we need patience." "Look, Niza, this time you were able to persuade Eon, but from tomorrow I forbid you participation in all actions out of the ship." "But commander, according to the timetable I am in the emergency group." "I am not joking!" "Are you afraid, that I am next to you?" "But nevertheless I will be next." "Next 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 take it." "These are the verses of very ancient poet." "Take it for the memory!" "Printed?" "What old times!" "Now!" "Do you feel?" "Pain in the spine?" "I feel too." "Attention! "Tantra"!" "Kay, are you ready?" "Attention!" "Light!" "Well, what was this?" " I had't time to note." " Me also." "Something like feelers." "May be these are spectres, the clusters of the darkness around the charges of some energy?" "No, no, it is clearly creation of living material." "And it tried to devour us." "The monster has striking reaction." "No wonder that those killed had no time to note anything." "Approximation of this is unpleasant, but we'll repeat experiment." "Kay, turn light off!" "The creature is not alone!" "I think, one ought not let him to touch the cap." "You are right." ""Tantra", get ready!" "Let each looks only to his side!" "Kay!" "Haven't ever seen something alike!" "This will not be forgotten until death!" "Erg!" "We have to seriously study these jelly-fishes!" "Jelly-fishes and spiral-discus!" "Are we scientists or not?" "We can't miss this possibility to learn, from where it is, who did construct him, what it carried to other places?" "That's why I propose planetary." "Use of a planetary engine, is, of course, good idea." "But how..." "It is decided." "Only men will go." "As in the ancient 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!" "Next!" "Ridiculous!" "There will be we all next to him." "Is it really so hard to understand?" "You all!" "But it must be, first of all, me!" "Me!" "No one must be close, no one!" "Niza?" "Louma felt herself not well, she requested replacement." "When they request, it cannot be refused." "We will clear it aboard the ship." "By the way, Kay..." "Commander, where are you going?" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Erg!" "Retreat!" "All!" "All retreat!" ""Tanta", hold light!" "Retreat!" "It is enough of victims!" "We are not ready for this fight." "Retreat!" " She is alive, but..." " She is dying?" "Not yet." "The heart works, one impact in one hundred seconds." "This is not death, but complete collapse." "Consciousness, torture?" "Excluded." "Absolutely." "If collapse will not progress, it's all the same." "Let she will sleep to the Earth." "I fear hovewer, if her heart will maintain the overload of takeoff." "What do you propose?" "We'll prepare a special chamber." "And then alter it into floating medical box." "Agree." "As soon as you do everything, report to the post." "We will stay here no more 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 devise 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" will be 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 about me?" "Erg!" "She does not hear!" "She cannot hear anything!" "You spoke, I am afraid to be close." "Now I am next, and I do not fear." "You have to rest." "Pull yourself together, commander!" "Erg!" "How long are we already with you 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 contemporary neurology penetrated to the process of the appearance of emotions." "I want to say that medicine manages a possibility to act on those cerebral centers, which manage the strongest experiences." "And I could..." "Do you propose... to act on my love, and thus free me from the sufferings?" "Man must not suffer, Erg!" "Suffering deprive you of reason!" "But crew needs you reason!" "She is right, Erg!" "She is right, Erg, right!" "Agree." "Am I late?" "No, no." "Please." "What's wrong, Erg?" "Carefully!" "Commander!" "Erg!" "Erg, what's wrong?" "Erg, do you feel bad?" "Here!" "Here!" ""That then I scorn to change my state with kings'."" "Erg!" "You did not understand anything!" "No, Louma, no!" "I will not give my feelings, even if they force me to suffer." "Suffering, if it is not higher than the power, conducts to the understanding, understanding to the love." "So it is locked circle." "Wou were good to me, thanks." "But there will be no second session, Louma!" "You, the elders, who called me to the way of labor!" "Aaccept my skill and desire, accept my labor, and teach me at the day and at the night!" "Give me the hand of aid, since the way is difficult!" "And I will follow you!" "You are changed, Veter!" "Earlier, when you commanded entire energy of the Earth, spoke with the distant worlds..." "Was I other?" "You started to smile more, to be glad about the simplest, the most usual things." "You are greatly changed, Veter!" "Mven Mas?" "What, is he to you?" "Yes, we arranged a meeting here." "He flew from Tibet." "With Ren Boze they are preparing an immense experiment." "Aa, this is surely connected with his dream about compressing time?" "Obviously." "And he needs me right here, at the holiday." "That is Mven Mas." " Excuse me." " Of course." "Everything is provided by you." "Now the most serious remains, the danger of work." "What scientist will frighten risk?" "I told not 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, window to the cosmos?" "I see billions of past human lives!" "Where instantly, as the sand between the fingers, ran away theyr youth, beauty and happiness of life." "They are asking for answering the great riddle of time and entering the fight with it!" "If you are so convinced, you should address to the Council of Astronavigation!" "I am addreesing to its chairman!" "But I did not give agreement yet, Mven!" "Is time for you to return to the big matters, Dar Veter!" "The Council does not see another candidate." "You will give agreement, Veter!" "Listen the report of the Council of Astronavigation!" "They return!" "They return!" "Veter, did you hear?" "Did you already hear?" "They return!" "I am glad for you!" "Very." "The ship is in one hundredth of parsec from the orbit of Neptune." "In the week "Tantra" will be received by hospitable Triton and after five-week quarantine, the Earth will joyfully meet "Tantra"!" "THE END"