See Hephaistos And Hades.
A comet of asteroidal mass somehow deflected from the outer cloud and too large for the automatic defense mechanisms to cope with falls toward Hades where it perturbs the shepherd satellites and destabilizes the system. Rinndalir with seven followers in two ships rushes to Hades at two gravities with biomedical support. One satellite is now passing through the antimatter, causing annihilation that boils away the gas and makes the ring chaotic. Rinndalir's ship, well shielded, enters the ring and launches a "mountain mover" missile that digs a shaft into the comet and releases antimatter, causing a plasma volcano that changes the comet's course.
A solid pebble-sized antiparticle pierces the ship's hull, killing one space-suited crewman and causing other damage before it exits. Rinndalir and his two surviving crew members receive a lethal radiation dose. With only months of life left, the crewmen choose to join the other craft whereas Rinndalir leaves the ship and jets through the antimatter down to Hades where he arrives dead.
"Gyrating slowly, he saw the cold river of the galaxy stream past." (p. 492)
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm not sure if I can approve of what looks like suicide on Rinndalir's part. Given medical support, I would like to think the last months of his life need not have been
degradingly miserable.
Sean
Sean,
Those who opt to live a few months longer he regards as "commoners."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And I would disagree with Rinndalir's attitude!
Sean
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