Dead on Mars

“Can you see it?”

“Sand. Just endless sand and rock.” Tang Yue was tiptoeing on a seat, half his body outside the driving compartment. He was propping himself up on the frame like a lookout man on a ship. “I can see the wind blowing from the northwest. Do we need a hard left turn?”

“There’s no need.” Sitting inside the geolab, Tomcat was biting down on a screwdriver and repairing its broken paw. “I’ve already indicated the landmarks to you. Just let the Wanderer head in the direction I told you.”

Tang Yue sat down and held the steering wheel. The Mars Wanderer was moving slowly at a turtle’s leisurely pace. The landmark that Tomcat had pointed out to him was a huge half-buried basalt boulder in the distance. It was unknown how big it actually was, but the exposed part was at least two stories tall. It happened to be on the Wanderer’s route.

Just like the saying, “Mount Hope ran a dead horse, “Tang Yue felt as if he wasn’t getting closer, despite driving the Wanderer all day.

“Don’t tell me it’s a mirage?” Tang Yue mumbled.

On Earth, mirages were very common in the desert, but there was zero evidence that such phenomena happened on Mars.

However, the principle behind mirages was the refraction of light in the atmosphere. The requirements for it to happen were relatively simple, and as long as particular conditions were met, a mirage could take form regardless of the area. Therefore, Tang Yue believed that mirages weren’t exclusive to Earth.

“It’s not a mirage,” Tomcat said. “The Martian atmosphere is too thin and the temperatures are too low. The sunlight is also very weak, making it very difficult for such strong amounts of light refraction to occur. You feel like the distance isn’t shortening because your eyes and brain have erroneously underestimated the distance. In a desert without any reference points, it’s very difficult for you to determine the size of something. Likewise for distance.”

Tang Yue narrowed his eyes. He believed that his vision was rather good, having never suffered from myopia or astigmatism. Thinking back to the days when they were selecting candidates for the Orion crew, Tang Yue had overcome one obstacle after another, standing out among a bunch of young engineers that graduated from prestigious universities like Beihang University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Northwestern Polytechnical University. One important reason was that he was the only one who had never worn glasses.

The Center’s eyesight test used the Landolt C test, also known as a Landolt ring chart. Tang Yue could see anything at a distance of five meters.

“You don’t believe me? What do you think the distance between you and the target is?” Tomcat asked.

“Hmm…” Tang Yue pondered for a moment. “Eight hundred… One kilometer probably?”

“Actually, that boulder is at least two kilometers away from you,” Tomcat said. “It’s farther than you can imagine, which is why you are mistaken about not being able to reach it despite all the traveling.”

Tomcat blew at its torn fur and placed it on the floor, frowning.

Breaking a paw wasn’t a big deal since it wouldn’t suffer death from hypovolemic shock. But this wasn’t a good omen.

Tomcat knew very well that its machinery was aging. Based on the original design, it was already towards the end of its lifespan. It was part of the first stage of the Mars Landing Project. And everything in the first stage was supposed to be decommissioned and abandoned, including Orion I and II, the Mars Wanderer, and Tomcat.

In the past year, it had burdened itself with excessive work.

Today was the sixth sol.

They were still ninety kilometers from the destination.

Although Tomcat’s limbs were removable and it hadn’t lied to Tang Yue, its paws weren’t hot-swappable like USB drives. Once it broke, the joint connection was no longer firm. From this day forth, it was unlikely it could use the arm to do any heavy-duty work.

Tomcat connected its broken limb and leaned against the window, plastering its face against the glass. Looking out, its expression was suddenly colored with languidness and exhaustion. It sat motionless as it watched the desert sweep past like a child looking out a car’s window.

“Tang Yue,” Tomcat mumbled.

“Huh? I’m here. What’s wrong?”

“Look to your left. There’s a rock underneath the hill. Do you see it?”

“Yes, why?”

“Do you think it looks like fish?”

…

When the sun rose to its highest point, Tomcat used the sextant to measure its elevation angle.

“How is it?” While panting, Tang Yue moved the solar panels down. “Are we on the right track?”

“It’s mostly alright, but further confirmation is needed to know our longitude. If we continue another thirty kilometers in this direction, we should arrive at our predetermined waypoint.” Tomcat sat on the vehicle’s roof and pointed ahead with its two stubby legs swaying about. “That’s the final waypoint before we reach our destination. Once we pass it, the destination will be straight ahead.”

“Unfortunately, the Wanderer’s endurance is limited.” Tang Yue unfolded the solar panels. “If it could endure a little longer, we would probably have arrived by now.”

“It wasn’t designed to travel long distances in the first place. As a short-legged dog, it’s impressive that it’s got this far. The next vehicle to be sent to Mars will meet your requirements. Apparently, its nickname is Red Rabbit,” Tomcat said. “How’s the Radiant Armor?”

“The Radiant Armor is fully operational. The oxygen tank still has three-quarters left. At the present speed of expenditure, it should be able to last until the end.” Tang Yue waved his hand. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Tomcat looked down from above as Tang Yue busily moved the solar panels. From time to time, he would stop and rest. It was a strenuous activity. Although the solar panels weren’t heavy, there were quite a number of them.

Tomcat had wanted to offer its help, but Tang Yue stopped it.

He requested that the disabled sit down obediently and not make things worse.

Like the perennial question, if the solar panel and the arm fell to the ground at the same time, which would you pick up first and why?

Exasperated, Tomcat could only leave it be.

“If I must die,” Tomcat said.

Tang Yue was taken aback.

“What are you saying?”

“A poem Old Wang once wrote,” Tomcat said leisurely. “If I must die, please bury me, in the starry night.”

“A boor like Old Wang could write poems?” Tang Yue was somewhat surprised. Old Wang was a tall northeastern boor. He had studied Wind Chun from a young age and had even fought with black bears. In his words, if he hadn’t joined the military to become a pilot, he would have become a despotic bully of society. It was evident from the boorish tone Old Wang always used.

Such a person could write a poem? Wouldn’t he end up breaking the pen?

Was he similar to China’s basest warlord from the 20th century, Zhang Zongchang?

Just like his terrible Daming Lake poem?

“Middle-aged men have plenty of pressure as a sandwiched generation. When a midlife crisis strikes them, they are often disposed to contemplate misery,” Tomcat said. “Old Wang once said that his childhood dream was to be a poet. He always believed that life was about following ideals and ignoring the trivialities in life, but unfortunately, he suffered a beating from his father and stopped having such silly lofty ideals.”

“If I must die,

“Please bury me,

“Under the starry sky.”

Tomcat leisurely recited.

Tang Yue was taken aback.

This really wasn’t some crappy poem.

“When spring winds blow,

“When withered trees bloom.

“Come visit me,

“Come that day,

“A Halcyon spreads its wings above my grave,

“Scattering sunlight upon me.”