Rendezvous with Rama

The seven representatives of the UP, representing Mercury, Earth, Luna, Mars, Ganymede, Titan, and Triton, convene for the General Assembly. The UP’s dynamics are fraught because of the tensions between bona fide planets and their satellites. Settlements on other satellites and orbiting asteroids are likewise vying for membership in the UP. This has implications for the theory that Rama wants to join the solar system.

The Hermian ambassador begins his speech by summarizing the developments around Rama. After positing the theory that Rama will lodge itself in the sun’s orbit, the ambassador suggests that the Ramans need something from the solar system. He compares the biots to termites, fulfilling a hierarchy of specialized functions. He uses this comparison to drive the idea that Rama poses a threat to humanity. Citing certain clauses of the 2057 Space Treaty, the ambassador declares Mercury’s right to take defensive actions for humanity’s sake.

Norton asks Rodrigo how the development with the Hermians fits into his religion. Rodrigo states that the Hermians are driving the “age-old conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil” (231).

Rodrigo proposes manually disabling the bomb. Although the missile has surveillance functions, it will take time for the signal to travel back to Mercury, giving Rodrigo at least 10 minutes to work on it undetected. He argues that the missile is unlikely to have any traps installed since this would risk its mission to destroy Rama.

In private, Norton considers his options. He can’t consult Earth without Mercury intercepting his message. If he decides not to act, he’ll simply have to wait for the Hermians’ order to detach from Rama. He finally decides that “survival is not everything” and calls Rodrigo to initiate his mission (234).

Rodrigo uses a modified scooter to travel to the missile. When he reaches the missile and its carrier vehicle, he starts cutting through the cables, uncertain whether his theories about the missile’s lack of fail-safe mechanisms are correct. Something activates inside the missile, prompting Rodrigo to investigate.

The Endeavour receives a warning from Mercury to leave Rama within the next hour. Norton is angry, knowing that there’s no turning back. All he can do is wait for Rodrigo to either succeed or fail in his mission.

As the missile moves into position to fire on Rama, Rodrigo continues dismantling the second cable set. After disarming the bomb, Rodrigo considers the possibility that the missile may have an internal rather than external contact fuse. This would render his efforts moot, so he cuts the cables of the missile’s surveillance system so that the Hermians are unable to monitor their missile’s success. His readings show that the missile will no longer hit its mark.

Following Rodrigo’s safe return to the Endeavour, Norton records a duplicate message for both his wives that his conscience is clear. He indicates that the crew has only two more days to explore Rama before it reaches an unsafe proximity to the sun. He pauses to reflect on the sad fact that after their next visit, no human will set foot on Rama again. He then explains the plans for their return to Mars or Earth by Christmas, after which he expects to be granted a long leave from service. He once again reflects on how different life between the planets will feel after visiting Rama.

Norton, Mercer, Myron, and Calvert return inside Rama for one last exploration. Norton decides to explore one of the buildings. Mercer wonders if the biots will try to stop them.

They reach London, which is deserted. Myron uses a laser torch to cut a hole in one of the buildings. Its interior resembles an ancient temple made of glass. Hundreds of columns extend into the depths of the interior. As they pass the transparent columns, Mercer exclaims that one column was briefly occupied. They realize that all the columns contain holograms.

The team initially assesses that they’re in a museum before moving around and examining the other holograms. They present images of tools, instruments, and domestic objects, which gives Norton the sense that they’re actually viewing a catalog of templates. Norton suggests that the Ramans can instantly generate any of these objects just like they generate the biots.

They spread out to take as many photographs of the catalog as possible, frustrated that the building doesn’t contain real, tangible objects. Calvert calls their attention to an object that resembles a partial spacesuit, giving them their first sense of Raman biology. Based on the image, they estimate that the Ramans are about two and a half meters tall and have three arms and three legs. Just then, Rousseau calls them to return to the Hub, explaining that Rama’s artificial suns have started going out.

Rousseau explains that his evaluation is based on light readings, which have decreased by nearly half their usual numbers. Norton orders everyone to return to the ship and leave all their equipment behind. By the time they reach the stairs, they experience a ground tremor. Norton expects that the southern Horns are reactivating, but there’s no sign of activity from them. The Endeavour’s crew confirms that the Horns emitted a faint enough discharge to shift Rama’s altitude.

As the light fades away, Norton asks for the searchlight to illuminate the path. When they’re on the fourth stairway platform, Calvert starts to hear a high-pitched whistling noise. The older team members hear it when the noise drops in pitch. It overwhelms them, suddenly stops, and then restarts. They realize that it’s a warning message of some kind, which the Raman suns reinforce via a strobing effect that points to the Cylindrical Sea.

Norton asks Rousseau what he can see from Hub Control. Rousseau reports that thousands of biots are either hurling themselves into the sea or being deconstructed by Sharks and Scavengers. Norton believes that the ship’s automated systems are preparing for perihelion. The lights and noises cease, giving the impression that energy is being redirected to another part of the vessel.

Norton takes his last look at Rama as he disembarks from the ladder. Mist covers its south pole. The Cylindrical Sea is beginning to break over the high cliffs of each continent. He says goodbye to the Raman cities, asks forgiveness for the damage he left behind, and then climbs through the air locks.

The Endeavour retreats 100 kilometers away from Rama, monitoring its movement into the sun’s orbit. The crew rests and performs maintenance repairs on the ship. After recovering from his last excursion, Norton returns to paperwork and planning. On the second day after leaving Rama, Mercer informs Norton that Rama has come to a standstill. Norton steers the Endeavour into the eclipse of Rama so that the crew can watch for any further changes.

Suddenly, the Endeavour starts rolling on its own, giving the crew a view of the shifting starfield. The roll has no immediate explanation, except that the ship is caught in a powerful gravitational field. Norton soon realizes that Rama has activated its space drive, requiring no visible energy exhaust to move away from the Endeavour. Rama’s acceleration pushed the Endeavour into a roll, much like flotsam in the wake of a sailing ship.

Rama moves too far away for the Endeavour to spot against the sun. However, Rama keeps accelerating as it moves past the trajectory required to settle into the sun’s orbit. Instead, the Endeavour’s trajectory readings indicate that Rama is falling into the sun.

From a safe distance, the Endeavour’s crew anticipates Rama’s destruction. Rama starts rapidly spinning and covering itself in a hazy cocoon. The resulting object reflects the light of the sun. Rama sits inside the bubble, protected from solar heat. Later, the bubble stretches out into an ellipsoid shape. Readings show that the ellipsoid is starting to draw the power of the sun’s magnetic field around it. Rama continues to accelerate, this time moving out of the sun’s orbit. The sun was merely a power station that Rama needed to draw from to continue its journey. After several revolutions, Rama swiftly exits the solar system and moves in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Ernst visits Norton in his quarters to share some news with him: The government of Mars has given him permission to have a third son. Because he was sterilized upon joining the service, Norton’s frozen sperm is currently being used to conceive the child. It’s possible that the child will be born before Norton returns to Mars.

Because the two are off-duty, Norton and Ernst have sex. Norton admits that he’s feeling sentimental—not about his relationships but about Rama. He feels a sense of loss but is unsure of how to fully articulate his feelings. Norton knows that he succeeded in his mission because they discovered so much and escaped Rama without any casualties. He simultaneously feels like he has failed because the Ramans likely never knew about humanity’s interest in them. He feels as if he left his youth on Rama’s plains. Nothing about the rest of his life will ever measure up to his time on Rama.

Back on Earth, Dr. Perera wakes up from a dream that reminds him that “Ramans do everything in threes” (274).