Dead on Mars

Exhausted, Tang Yue brought the antenna back into Kunlun Station. He pulled out the data cable before stumbling into the airlock. It was already half past one in the morning.

The wind speeds didn’t show any signs of dropping. Tang Yue was somewhat worried. He didn’t know if the weather would improve in the day. However, with the level of visibility, it didn’t make a difference if the sun rose or not, whether it was day or night.

It was completely dark in the sandstorm, making it impossible to tell night from day. Tang Yue could only determine the time with a watch.

By putting away the antenna, it meant that Tomcat’s communications with the United Space Station were over. They couldn’t leave the antenna outside, for it would definitely be swept away by the hurricane if no one watched over it. Yet, there was no way for Tang Yue to stay outside to watch over it… He needed rest, and he didn’t want to exhaust himself to death.

The communications lasted for more than an hour until the United Space Station swept past overhead and went beneath the horizon. Only then did Tomcat end the communications. During this entire time, Tomcat kept droning on and on without giving Tang Yue a chance to say hi. He had even imagined the scene of re-establishing communications, believing that it would be like a Hollywood movie—the damsel in distress feeling lost and frantic while the male lead stood in front of the console, silently pressing down on an earpiece with great composure. Then, he would use an extremely magnetic and masculine voice to console her: “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

But, all Tang Yue did was stand outside Kunlun Station holding the antenna for more than an hour. He was indeed just a side character for comic relief.

When Tang Yue entered the Hab, he saw Tomcat slumped in the chair, its eyes looking up as its face looked ashen. It seemed weary towards life.

“What happened?”

The cat’s face looked defeated. “I need some alone time.”

During the hour-long conversation with Mai Dong, Tomcat’s goal was to inform her of all the things to take note of, so that she could be prepared.

It imagined the conversation to be something along the lines of:

Tomcat: Remember the first point. Make sure that the United Space Station’s docking mechanism’s microwave radar is functioning properly!

Mai Dong: Got it!

Tomcat: Remember the second point. The relative speed of the target spacecraft and the tracking spacecraft needs to be kept within 5 m/s!

Mai Dong: Getting you loud and clear!

Tomcat: Remember the third point. Take note of the manual docking system’s operational situation. If the automatic docking system has a mistake, you will have to activate the manual controls.

Mai Dong: Roger that!

Tomcat: Do you have any other questions?

Mai Dong would immediately stand at attention, saying: No! I understand everything you have said, Sir!

Simple, efficient, clean, and straight to the point. It was filled with the discipline and precision of a scientist and military man. That should have been the case.

But unfortunately, the reality was this:

Tomcat: Remember the first point. Make sure that the United Space Station’s docking mechanism’s microwave radar is functioning properly!

Mai Dong nodded: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tomcat: Remember the second point. The relative speed of the target spacecraft and the tracking spacecraft needs to be kept within 5 m/s!

Mai Dong nodded in response: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tomcat: Remember the third point. Take note of the manual docking system’s operational situation. If the automatic docking system has a mistake, you will have to activate the manual controls.

Mai Dong continued nodding: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tomcat: Do you have any other questions?

Mai Dong shook her head: No.

Tomcat: Do you understand everything?

Mai Dong blinking her eyes innocently: Nothing at all.

Tomcat: Why… Why did you say ‘yeah’ if you don’t understand a thing?

Mai Dong: W… What should I say other than ‘yeah?’

Tomcat felt his cardiac motors crank to a halt.

It had the feeling of young parents giving their children study guidance. Tomcat finally knew why parents would fall ill over such matters. There was nothing you could do to these brats. You might believe that you have explained it sufficiently clearly, going from the basics to the advanced. Even a pig would understand from your lecturing, but those brats would look at you with a look of innocence, completely at a loss when asked questions.

This wasn’t just being dense.

This was called being impenetrable.

Therefore, when parents guided their children in their studies, there were only two outcomes. Either the children needed some alone time, or the parents needed some alone time.

Tomcat felt as though everything ahead was bleak and dark. It was surviving on Mars with two useless bums. One of them Tang Yue, a clueless idiot who ran around naked while only being capable of giving approximate and rough precision when doing work. The other was the rookie lass, Mai Dong, who could only widen her innocent eyes, nodding and saying ‘yeah’… It was fine with Mai Dong on the space station, but what was the meaning behind Tang Yue’s existence?

A feces-generating machine that only knew to run naked in Kunlun Station? Was he trying to generate fertilizer to enrich Mars’s soil?

Robinson Crusoe spent decades on a remote island, but at least he had an assistant, Friday. If you had given Robinson Crusoe a burdensome assistant like Tang Yue, he might have just drowned himself to death during the shipwreck at the beginning.

F*ck. It’s inevitable. So be it.

After Tang Yue leaned the antenna on the wall, he took the life support system off the Radiant Armor’s back.

“Have all the problems been discussed with her?”

Tomcat nodded.

“What did Mai Dong say?” Tang Yue crawled out of the Radiant Armor before hanging the EVA suit on the wall. “Is she done with the preparations?”

“She said ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.'” Tomcat muttered. “I think she’s done with her preparations.”

“Excellent!” Tang Yue clapped in glee. This clueless idiot was completely lost in his excitement of impending success. “The supplies are ready. The Eagle is ready for launch. The United Space Station is ready. All we need to do is wait for tomorrow’s launch… We are fully prepared, except for that crucial element. Once the wind speed drops below thirty meters per second at daybreak, we will launch the Eagle! We will send the supplies up to the United Space Station!”

Tang Yue rubbed his hands in glee as he paced about. He didn’t look anything like an exhausted man.

Tomcat glanced at the wind speed indicator.

The wind speed outside is 35 m/s. It has already dropped 9 m/s from its peak. This means that the atmospheric activity is gradually weakening. If this trend continues, the wind speed might drop below 30 m/s after daybreak… Tomcat’s jaded heart ignited with hope again. Even though Tang Yue and Mai Dong were dumb, there was such a thing as dumb luck. It was possible that the two rookies would receive the blessings of heaven, allowing the Eagle to dock without any mishaps?

Tomcat sighed as it spread open some paper over the table.

“What are you doing?” Tang Yue came over out of curiosity.

“I need to make final confirmation of the launch and docking procedures.” Tomcat began writing and drawing on the paper. “I need to ensure that there’s no flaw in this entire process.”

Tang Yue pulled a chair over and sat beside Tomcat as he looked over.

“Are there any flaws that might appear?”

Tomcat paused before sighing.

“The situation is… probably not as optimistic as you imagine it to be.”