Multilingual Science Fiction
A Glint off the Glass
Rick Novy
(Simplified) Chinese translation from English by Wing Pun
玻璃上的闪光
力奇．诺维
门一闭上之后，达毕娜的幽闭恐惧症就开始发作了。无论她在练习的时候、在模拟器裡面、在演习时试过多少次也好，临场带来的恐惧也远远比不上实际情况。她渐渐接近那颗正式名称为克卜勒3b、有着非比寻常磁场的行星——只是觉得自己仍然没有心理准备迎接这个如幻似真的时刻。
「怎麽了？你的心跳上升了。」
利昂柔和却果断的牙买加腔令她稍稍平静下来。她一边深呼吸，一边凝视着他方正的轮廓和黝黑的皮肤。「我猜我只是有点紧张而已。」
「你的话一定没有问题的。不过也不要连呼吸也忘掉啊！」
虽然话是这样说，她还没有放下操作架，就可以听到心脏像大鼓一样明晰的响声。那个地方，那个有着神奇磁场的地方，到底会是怎样的？她再深深地吸了一口气，好像放鬆了一点。
仔细地检查操作清单上的每个细项之后，终于到了关键时刻了，「请批准放下吊臂。」
「上吧！」
达比娜鬆开连接着她吊舱的拘束器。只是这麽微不足道的一个动作，就足以令吊舱有足够的动量和母舰分道扬镖。她马上控制吊舱的移动方向，以令她可以完成任务，完全忘掉了刚才的紧张。
「你去那个螺旋形构造那边，看看能不能找到甚麽解释我们眼前前这些疯狂的数据。」
「收到。几个小时后再集合吧。」她瞄了瞄磁力计，随着她进入那个被利昂笑称为「顽童」的行星的磁场，数字只是不断地飚升。真是名副其实啊。
那裡不可能有殖民。和金星一样，它和它的恒星距离太近，温度高得不可能有人生存，但这还不是它最致命的地方。「顽童」极为高强度的磁场会定期和恒星的强大磁场发生反应，造成致命的游离辐射和次原子粒子雨。「顽童」上绝对、绝对不可能有人生存。进行科学调查和殖民不同，但也绝非一个简单的任务。
磁场最难对付的地方是你看不见它，只可以看见它造成的影响。达比娜只见连繫着恒星和行星的螺旋发出粉红色的光芒，大概是由于带电粒子沿着磁力线的运动造成的。这一切实在是太奥妙和美丽，她可得留神自己不要被它催眠了。
随着她越来越接近螺旋结构，磁驱动就越来越大，她发现自己正朝向螺旋暗淡的光芒加速。当然，这也在计划之中。计划的目的是透过围绕整个螺旋状结构，收集集磁力计、光谱仪、质谱仪、盖格计数器等等大量的数据。理论上，这会是一件轻鬆的工作。
实际上，达比娜也不是完全信得过这些仪器的读数。在地球，即使是在有活跃的范艾伦辐射带活动的时候，它们仍然能正常运作。但是在这裡，这些方法则是从来没有被测试过。她望了望紧急推动器上的压力读数，希望可以安慰一下自己，利昂来自无线电的通讯却分散了她的注意力。
玻璃上的闪光》── 力奇．诺维
节录自《开普勒的星球们：十三个关于真实存在的遥远世界的故事》, Hadrosaur Press, 2013.
A Glint off the Glass
Rick Novy
(Traditional) Chinese translation from English by Wing Pun
玻璃上的閃光
力奇．諾維
門一閉上之後，達畢娜的幽閉恐懼症就開始發作了。無論她在練習的時候、在模擬器裡面、在演習時試過多少次也好，臨場帶來的恐懼也遠遠比不上實際情況。她漸漸接近那顆正式名稱為克卜勒3b、有著非比尋常磁場的行星——只是覺得自己仍然沒有心理準備迎接這個如幻似真的時刻。
「怎麼了？你的心跳上升了。」
利昂柔和卻果斷的牙買加腔令她稍稍平靜下來。她一邊深呼吸，一邊凝視著他方正的輪廓和黝黑的皮膚。「我猜我只是有點緊張而已。」
「你的話一定沒有問題的。不過也不要連呼吸也忘掉啊！」
雖然話是這樣說，她還沒有放下操作架，就可以聽到心臟像大鼓一樣明晰的響聲。那個地方，那個有著神奇磁場的地方，到底會是怎樣的？她再深深地吸了一口氣，好像放鬆了一點。
仔細地檢查操作清單上的每個細項之後，終於到了關鍵時刻了，「請批准放下吊臂。」
「上吧！」
達比娜鬆開連接著她吊艙的拘束器。只是這麼微不足道的一個動作，就足以令吊艙有足夠的動量和母艦分道揚鏢。她馬上控制吊艙的移動方向，以令她可以完成任務，完全忘掉了剛才的緊張。
「你去那個螺旋形構造那邊，看看能不能找到甚麼解釋我們眼前前這些瘋狂的數據。」
「收到。幾個小時後再集合吧。」她瞄了瞄磁力計，隨著她進入那個被利昂笑稱為「頑童」的行星的磁場，數字只是不斷地飈升。真是名副其實啊。
那裡不可能有殖民。和金星一樣，它和它的恒星距離太近，温度高得不可能有人生存，但這還不是它最致命的地方。「頑童」極為高強度的磁場會定期和恒星的強大磁場發生反應，造成致命的游離輻射和次原子粒子雨。「頑童」上絕對、絕對不可能有人生存。進行科學調查和殖民不同，但也絕非一個簡單的任務。
磁場最難對付的地方是你看不見它，只可以看見它造成的影響。達比娜只見連繫著恒星和行星的螺旋發出粉紅色的光芒，大概是由於帶電粒子沿著磁力線的運動造成的。這一切實在是太奧妙和美麗，她可得留神自己不要被它催眠了。
隨著她越來越接近螺旋結構，磁驅動就越來越大，她發現自己正朝向螺旋暗淡的光芒加速。當然，這也在計劃之中。計劃的目的是透過圍繞整個螺旋狀結構，收集集磁力計、光譜儀、質譜儀、蓋格計數器等等大量的數據。理論上，這會是一件輕鬆的工作。
實際上，達比娜也不是完全信得過這些儀器的讀數。在地球，即使是在有活躍的范艾倫輻射帶活動的時候，它們仍然能正常運作。但是在這裡，這些方法則是從來沒有被測試過。她望了望緊急推動器上的壓力讀數，希望可以安慰一下自己，利昂來自無線電的通訊卻分散了她的注意力。
《玻璃上的閃光》── 力奇．諾維
節錄自《開普勒的星球們：十三個關於真實存在的遙遠世界的故事》
, Hadrosaur Press, 2013.
A Glint off the Glass
Rick Novy
Original text in English
As soon as the door closed, claustrophobic pangs began. How many times had Dabrina done this in practice, in stimulators, and in drills? Those could never be the same as the real deal. The planet, formally known as Kepler-3b, with its funky magnetic field and proximity to its star - nothing could have prepared her for the reality of this moment.
“What’s the matter, Dabrina? Your pulse is up.”
Leron’s smooth but decidedly Jamaican accent calmed her, at least a little bit. She pictured his square jaw and dark complexion as she took a deep breath. “It’s just nerves, I guess.”
“You’re doing fine. Just memba to breathe.”
Doing fine. She hadn’t even released the docking arm yet, and already her heart did a drum roll. What would it be like out there, really out there in that magnetic field? She took a deep breath, and it seemed to help.
After going through the end of the checklist, the time had come. “Request permission to release the arm.”
“You ah go.”
Dabrina released the clamp holding her pod to the arm. That little action gave the pod enough momentum to drift clear of the mothership. Dabrina scrambled to get the pod turned about so she could get the mission underway, forgetting all about the nerves she had a moment ago.
“You away. Go catch that tendril. See if you can learn something about those crazy readings we saw.”
“Thanks, Leron, see you in a few hours,” She checked the magnetometer, watching the digits rise as she entered the magnetic field of the planet Leron had named simply Wicked. An appropriate name it was, too.
There would be no colony here. Too close to the star, as uninhabitable as Venus in terms of temperature, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Wicked’s sun boasted a powerful magnetic field that interacted with an unusually strong magnetic field from the planet on a regular basis. That caused all sorts of havoc in the form of ionizing radiation and showers of subatomic particles. No, colonization would never happen on Wicked. Scientific investigation was another matter, just not an easy one.
Part of the problem with magnetic fields is you can’t see them with your eyes. You can only see their effects. In the case of the tendril currently joining the star and the planet, all Dabrina could see was a pinkish glow, presumably from charged particles corkscrewing their way along the magnetic field lines. Subtle, yet beautiful. She would have to take care not to allow it to become hypnotic. As she got closer to the tendril, the magnetic induction drive became more efficient, and she found herself accelerating toward the faint glow of the tendril. Not that it was outside the plan, of course, That had been intended all along, and then the plan meant to try corkscrewing around the entire tendril to collect readings with the magnetometer, spectrometer, mass spectrometer, Geiger counter, and dozens of other instruments all running in concert. It was a simple job, at least in theory.
In practice, Dabrina never did have complete faith in these induction pods. They worked fine in Earth’s magnetic field, even during heavy Val Allen Belt activity. Out here, this application was completely untested. She glanced at the pressure reading on the emergency hydrazine thruster for comfort, then had her focus torn away when Leron called over the radio.
Rick Novy, ‘A Glint off the Glass’ in A Kepler's Dozen: Thirteen Stories About Distant Worlds That Really Exist, Hadrosaur Press, 2013.
Rick Novy grew up in Wisconsin. He has a Bachelor in Physics and Maths and a Masters in Engineering. His fiction has appeared in respectable publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, Flash Fiction Online, M-Brane SF, and Tales of the Talisman. He is a member of Codex Writers Group and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).