Dead on Mars

“The Chelomey probe’s landing point is 95 kilometers southwest of Kunlun Station. I’ve sent you the exact latitude. The probe is made up of two parts, the lander, and the rover. I’ve already established communications with the lander, but the rover remains uncontactable… The Chelomey is currently in a semi-hibernation, and its battery reserves are very low. It sends me a signal once every five minutes.”

“OK, thank you for your help, Miss Mai Dong.” Tomcat opened the garage’s entrance. “Please continue tracking Chelomey.”

Tang Yue and Tomcat stood in the garage with the huge Mars Wanderer in front of them. The polygonal driving compartment protruded at the front with a dark panel of glass embedded in it.

The Chelomey probe was nearly a hundred kilometers from Kunlun Station and, without a doubt, it was impossible to cover this distance on foot. All they could do was drive the Mars Wanderer to find it.

“The Mars Wanderer can travel at best thirty kilometers a sol. It travels at night while being charged in the day. So, the ninety-five kilometers will take at least three to four sols. The return trip will take six to eight sols.” Tang Yue leaned against the garage wall as he studied the Mars Wanderer while doing the math. “It’s impossible to rely on the Radiant Armor’s life support system for six to eight sols, so we’ll need to move the OGS over. But in that case, we’ll need to modify the Mars Wanderer…”

Tang Yue reckoned that moving the OGS experiment module was a rather complicated task. It wasn’t an air-conditioner that could simply be moved… The Mars Wanderer’s experiment module was airtight, this saved him a lot of trouble; otherwise, making the enclosure airtight would have been a huge problem. After all, it was quite impossible for him to use tape to wrap up the entire vehicle.

“In six to eight sols, we will need to carry at least ten sols worth of food and water. The weight needs consideration as well. There’s limited space in the experiment module, so there’s no way to accommodate everything. We will have to wrap the items and put them on the rooftop.

“There’s also the problem with power. We need to bring the solar panels along with us, and we need to bring a sufficient quantity of them to satisfy the Mars Wanderer’s needs.” Tang Yue leaned on the vehicle’s door and turned his head to look at the Battery Farm. The neat array of solar panels were reflecting the sunlight.

Usually, with the Mars Wanderer parked in the garage, the Battery Farm would provide it with the required power to charge its batteries. But if they were to drive the electric vehicle a hundred kilometers away, they would need to take the solar panels with them. On Mars, solar panels weren’t considered a highly efficient source of power. They were capable of providing the power needed by the research equipment, but it was way too demanding to power a vehicle. This was why the charging process was so slow.

The Mars Wanderer had two battery packs at the top of the car, but the batteries didn’t supply the engines with power, instead, they supplied the experiment module.

“The Mars Wanderer’s maximum output is 30 kW. If we remove all the power-draining equipment in the experiment module, and install the OGS equipment cabinet, while the heat source is provided by the RTG—which doesn’t expend any power—then a solar panel’s power output is 200 W. We will need to bring…” Tang Yue began doing the math.

“There’s no need.” Tomcat shook its head and cut off Tang Yue.

Tang Yue was stunned.

“We don’t need the OGS or the RTG, nor do we need to modify the Mars Wanderer.” Tomcat tapped on the wheels which weren’t filled with air but were comprised of finely woven metal mesh.

“We aren’t bringing the OGS?” Tang Yue looked over. “Then what about the oxygen?”

Tomcat looked at him with burning eyes as it enunciated its words clearly. “There’s no need for oxygen.”

Tang Yue was alarmed before suddenly realizing what Tomcat was getting at… There wasn’t a need for them to modify the Mars Wanderer or install the OGS in it, much less bring the RTG and supplies. There was no need for the life support system since Tang Yue didn’t need to participate in this operation.

Tomcat never had the intention of letting Tang Yue join it. It could go alone for it didn’t need oxygen, heat, or a life support system. All it needed was a vehicle and a bunch of batteries.

This was the simplest solution. Modifying the Mars Wanderer involved too much work, and moving the OGS cabinet was too complicated. Besides, food and water took up too much space. In this trip, spanning more than a hundred kilometers in the middle of nowhere, any accident that happened midway would lead to inconceivable consequences.

“You’re going alone?”

Tomcat nodded. “I’m going alone. I’ll drive the Mars Wanderer, and remove all unnecessary items. I’ll take half the batteries and nothing else. This is the fastest and simplest method, and also the safest and most reliable way. Stay on Kunlun Station while I try my best to return within seven sols.”

“Mr. Cat is going alone?” Mai Dong asked. “There won’t be any problems, right?”

“If something can happen to me, then there’s only doom awaiting Tang Yue if he joins me.” Tomcat shook its head.

“But having another person means another person watching your back.”

Tomcat stole a glance at Tang Yue. “Watch my back? Him? He’s only a burden.”

Tomcat and Tang Yue immediately began removing the chains and detaching the experiment module. They would then switch to attaching a sled. The sled was basically a flatbed with wheels. It didn’t have any driving force or suspension. It was the simplest and lightest configuration of the Mars Wanderer—the tractor form.

Tomcat wanted to drag the Chelomey back, so it only needed a sled.

The tractor form allowed the Mars Wanderer to reach its highest speed, exceeding that of a bicycle.

Tang Yue returned to Kunlun Station to grab a bite to eat, while Tomcat drove the Wanderer into the garage before the two began packing the solar panels.

“On average, each sol gives an effective charging time of eight to nine hours without exceeding ten…” Tomcat dismantled the solar panels and placed them on Tang Yue’s tiny cart. “I can only charge during the day from six in the morning to six in the evening while proceeding through the night.”

“How many solar panels do you need?” Tang Yue asked.

“Let’s guarantee that Kunlun Station can operate normally, then I’ll take away all of the rest.” Tomcat stacked the solar panels on the cart. “How much power do you need on Kunlun Station?”

“I can shut down most of the functions in the Hab, leaving only the life support system and communications system on. For now, the RTG should be able to handle it.” Tang Yue did the math. “Thirty solar panels would be sufficient.”

“Alright, I’ll take the remaining ten.” Tomcat nodded. “Ten solar panels, each providing 200 W. Ten hours make it 2 kWh. It should be able to run 30 kilometers a sol. Then, from Kunlun Station to Chelomey’s landing point, it will need about three sols… if everything goes as planned.”

Tang Yue and Tomcat pushed the ten solar panels onto the sled and tied them down with ropes.

“They won’t fall off from the vibrations, will they?”

Tang Yue nudged the stacked solar panels which appeared securely fastened.

“No.”

Tomcat found a huge plastic sheet and covered the solar panels to prevent the sand from getting to them. It then carefully tucked in the sides. After all, the solar panels were the lifeblood of Kunlun Station.

After everything was done, the sun had already set.

Tang Yue circled the Mars Wanderer a few times, inspecting while thinking. He was like a traveler just before heading out. Even though he had finished packing his luggage, he still needed to do repeated checks in fear of forgetting something.

“Can you rush back in seven sols?”

“I’ll try.” Tomcat patted Tang Yue on the shoulder and made him crouch down. “Don’t mess around on Kunlun Station. Don’t pig out on food and water. Don’t dismantle the equipment. Don’t dismantle the OGS or RTG. Don’t try to attain enlightenment by killing yourself. Make sure to be safe.”

Tang Yue nodded.

“I’ll be back.” Tomcat knocked its forehead onto Tang Yue’s visor. “Good luck.”

Tomcat turned around and crawled into the Mars Wanderer’s driving compartment, started the engines, and set off slowly on the Wanderer. The vehicle turned, dragging along the sled and solar panels towards the boundless desert.

Tang Yue stood at the garage watching Tomcat leave. The tractor moved up and down the dunes until it got smaller and smaller and vanished against the red sunset.