Dead on Mars

The Hab didn’t have its lights on.

The monitor’s white background light illuminated two faces.

A human face.

And a cat’s face.

The two faces had a look of nervousness and excitement. Their brows were furrowed together in unease as though they were two dads waiting for the birth of their children outside a delivery ward.

Tomcat’s eyes widened as its paws hung over the keyboard, trembling.

Tang Yue moved a chair over, his eyes wider than Tomcat’s.

“Is that it?” Tang Yue’s voice trembled as he gulped a mouthful of saliva.

“I’m not sure. It needs confirmation,” Tomcat whispered. “But it’s highly likely to be it.”

Ever since Earth vanished, nothing had excited them more than these two words on the screen. This was the first time Kunlun Station had received a message that hadn’t come from the United Space Station.

After Tomcat discovered the “HELLO MARS” on the screen, it immediately rushed over to kick Tang Yue awake.

“Give it a try.” Tang Yue nudged Tomcat.

“Come on. Let’s see what it is!” Tomcat typed on the keyboard as it nodded.

Three seconds later, the page refreshed. Kunlun Station’s computer quickly gave a report. It had responded at its fastest possible speed to establish communications with the visitor. A communication mechanism was set up, allowing all its more intimate details to be exposed to Kunlun Station.

Tang Yue and Tomcat saw its stats. It was a white spacecraft that was twenty-two meters long. It looked similar to the Eagle, like a fat rod. It had a white back and black bottom, but it didn’t have an upper and lower vehicle or any windows. This was a disposable unmanned spacecraft. On the sides of the spacecraft were the gigantic words and label: CNSA and a red flag.

“Incredible. This little guy actually escaped the calamity and found its way here… It didn’t even have any control or coarse-adjustment commands from Mission Control. It has flown for so long and such great distance without getting lost.” Tomcat shook its head as it gasped.

Tang Yue’s grip on Tomcat’s shoulders suddenly tightened as his eyes turned red.

The thirteenth cargo spacecraft for the Mars Landing Project from the People’s Republic of China.

Tianzhou 37.

This cargo spacecraft had been launched the day before Earth vanished. It was to send supplies for the next Mars landing mission and also to start the second phase of Kunlun Station upgrades. This spacecraft carried fifteen tonnes of supplies, including large amounts of food, water, medicine, daily necessities, fuel, and electronic components for maintenance and upgrading. Kunlun Station’s second phase of upgrades was key to the expansion of the Mars Landing Project.

In the three-phase Mars Landing Project, Tang Yue’s and Mai Dong’s thirteenth scientific mission was the last step of the first phase. The second phase was about to begin to test the technology of setting up a Mars base. It included long-term farming, sealed ecospheres, as well as extraction of methane and water from Mars’s surface. Tianzhou 37 was the bell that signified the beginning of the second phase.

According to the original plan, the second year after Tianzhou 37 was launched, Tianzhou 38 and Tianzhou 39, as well as the brand-new Orion III spacecraft would be launched to begin humanity’s full colonization of Mars.

“Tianzhou, this is Mars Landing Project Payload Specialist, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, Employee Number CNMEP390012C, Tang Yue. Do you copy?”

Tang Yue sent the greeting.

Moments later, the communications window presented the spacecraft’s reply.

“Specialist Tang Yue, this is Tianzhou 37. I wish you a happy life.”

Tang Yue was so excited he nearly smashed his keyboard.

This was an unexpected surprise. No one knew that deep in space, there was a spacecraft that had survived… This lone survivor had been flying for nearly a year without anyone knowing about it. It had finally contacted Kunlun Station today.

Tang Yue actually knew of Tianzhou 37’s launch, but he didn’t hold out any hope for it. When Earth vanished, it had swept away 99% of all man-made spacecraft. As Tianzhou 37 was launched shortly before Earth’s disappearance, Tang Yue believed that it would have vanished along with Earth. After all, they had completely lost communications with Orion I which was still near Mars.

Even if Tianzhou 37 escaped the calamity, it didn’t receive any commands from Mission Control after Earth vanished. If any error happened to its flight program, it would lose sight of its target.

Even Tomcat didn’t believe there was hope for the Tianzhou 37. It believed that it had either disappeared like Orion I or would deviate too much and miss Mars before flying into endless deep space.

However, this tenacious spacecraft had managed to arrive on schedule.

Its computer system had blindly cruised a distance of more than a hundred million kilometers and had arrived at its destination with inexplicable precision.

“This is Kunlun Station. Tianzhou 37, do you copy me!?” Tianzhou 37 wore the earpiece and communicated with it via voice. “Answer if you copy!”

“This is Tianzhou 37. I copy you. I wish you a happy life.” A gentle female voice sounded over the comms.

“This is Kunlun Station. Tianzhou 37, do you copy me!?”

“This is Tianzhou 37. I copy you. I wish you a happy life.”

“This is Kunlun Station. Tianzhou 37, do you copy me!? Tianzhou 37, do you copy me!?” Tang Yue was exhilarated.

“Why are going on and on like a broken record?” Tomcat glanced at him. “The other party is a true-blue recorded message. All its replies were preset. All it will do its wish you a happy life. Why are you so happy chatting with a computer?”

“Where is it now?” Tang Yue asked. “How far is it from us?”

“Twenty sols,” Tomcat replied. “I’m establishing communications with Tianzhou 37 and connecting to its navigation controls. I’ll guide it and adjust its trajectory… This spacecraft is more tenacious than we imagined. Without any guidance from Mission Control, it relied on the backup system to adjust its flight path and wandered all the way here.”

“Backup system?”

“Yes, the sun and the stars.” Tomcat nodded. It’s really impressive. The Tianzhou series of spacecraft is really the most reliable one I’ve ever met. If it were the Cygnus series from Northrop Grumman, it would probably have drifted all the way to Jupiter… OK! The path has been set. It will enter Mars’s orbit in twenty sols.”

“Excellent! Excellent!” Tang Yue cheered in excitement as he pumped his fists. “What does it mean to have the heavens help me? This is it!”

Tianzhou 37’s appearance was undoubtedly timely. It was an unmanned cargo spacecraft that was filled with precious supplies. The goods on Tianzhou 37 were enough to support Tang Yue and Mai Dong for several years.

Tang Yue could finally be free from a life of endless compressed biscuits.

He could finally eat noodles and vegetables and drink fruit juice and coffee. He could even have frozen dumplings.

There were also antibiotics, multivitamins, as well as anti-radiation pills. Even hair loss could be curbed.

Most important of all, Tianzhou 37 could dock with the United Space Station. Mai Dong could ride the cargo spacecraft and land safely. The level of safety was a lot higher than the unreliable Orion II. Tianzhou 37’s landing was as stable as a Boeing commercial plane… Without any exaggeration, Tianzhou 37 was a lifeboat. It carried with it a new lease of life, plenty of it. It had come at the last minute before Orion II’s descent, leaving hope to live on in the hands of Tang Yue and Mai Dong.

If the cargo spacecraft was here, Tang Yue wished to give it a deep kiss.

It would be his first kiss.