New Era
Year 1, September 10th.
After three months of travel, Mars was finally within reach.
According to Dr. Lambert's "Transcendence Deceleration Protocol," the crew ejected a massive quantity of ore residue from the ship's disposal locks. The result was immediate: the spaceship's velocity plummeted. It was proof that humanity had mastered a new, highly efficient method of space braking.
One should not underestimate this technique. In just a few seconds, ejecting sufficient mass could throttle a high-speed vessel from 28 km/s down to 1 km/s, a feat impossible with conventional human propulsion.
In the vacuum of space, deceleration is just as critical and just as difficult as acceleration.
Now, the Mars landing had become the singular focus of everyone on board. The Observatory had turned into the most popular destination on the ship. From the panoramic windows, one could see the Red Planet looming large in the darkness. To many, that vast expanse of rust-colored dust was both magnificent and romantic.
Couples flocked to the Observation Deck, treating the view of the alien world as the backdrop for their dates.
Meanwhile, in the newly constructed "Grand Mess Hall," scientists gathered in small clusters, debating the logistics of the landing.
Although humanity had explored Mars via probes and rovers, personally setting foot on the planet was an entirely different thing. The excitement wasn't limited to the civilians; the scientific community was also buzzing.
"Look, Mars has a thin atmosphere, about one percent of Earth's pressure. The water resources are concentrated at the poles in the form of ice caps. Therefore, we have to land at the North Pole," a middle-aged scientist argued while pointing at a map and forking up a chicken leg piece.
A researcher next to him frowned. "Water? We can drill for water underground anywhere. I say we land near a uranium-rich deposit. Energy is king! The new fusion reactors are about to come online. If we have electricity, we can synthesize or extract anything else we need!"
A female scientist across the table, eating spaghetti, chimed in. "I agree on the resources, but we need general minerals, not just uranium. We have labs to build, power plants to construct. Water can wait; heavy industry comes first."
"No, without water, we can't establish a biosphere," a biologist countered heatedly. "Our priority is a sustainable ecosystem. Without water, we can't plant grass or trees. We can't live."
At the next table, a researcher who had spent a considerable amount of credits on a luxury meal, pan-seared sea bass wiped his mouth and smirked. "It doesn't matter where we land. The Wolfpack Design Bureau has been prepared for this for months. We're going to steal the show on this mission."
A young scientist passing by with a tray stopped, bristling at the comment. "What's the Wolfpack? We Teslas are currently... look at the scoreboard! Our contribution points have already surpassed yours!"
"What? You only passed us temporarily! *Temporarily*, do you understand? Our big projects just haven't been declassified yet!"
The Wolfpack engineer looked ready to pop a vein. "Besides, did you guys even invent that deceleration plan? That mechanism was built into the Noah by the aliens! You just figured out how to use it. You discovered a feature; you didn't invent a technology!"
"Alright, alright, eat your food. Why are you shouting? Save the arguments for the academic conference!" The middle-aged scientist quickly stepped in to separate them, offering a bitter smile.
Over the past two months, the rivalry between the Wolfpack and the Tesla Institute had intensified. They were at loggerheads, constantly competing for prestige.
In response, many unaffiliated scientists maintained a neutral stance, refusing to side with either faction. Some even established independent research groups, turning the ship's academic landscape into a "Bipolar Order with Multiple Minor Powers."
"You young people... what's the use of talk? The key is results. Whoever fully deciphers the secrets of this spaceship... I, Hao Yu, will be the first to bow to them!"
Professor Hao Yu happened to be walking past with his tray. Hearing the argument, he dropped this sentence quietly but with enough weight to silence the table.
The scientists fell silent, exchanging sheepish looks.
This spaceship... you don't realize it until you study it, but once you do, it seems truly divine. The technological gap between the Noah and human science was as deep as abyss. Current science could offer almost no explanation for how it worked; they were reduced to blind guessing.
Breakthroughs like the "Transcendence Deceleration Protocol" were just reasonable inferences confirmed by trial and error.
Humans didn't understand the essence of the technology. They were like blind men feeling an elephant or a blind man crossing a river who happens to step on a stone. Concepts like Zero-Point Energy were just labels they slapped on phenomena they couldn't comprehend. Their research reports were essentially educated guesses that couldn't be verified.
Everyone knew this deep down. They found explanations just to comfort themselves. If asked *how* specifically the gravity drive or the hull worked? They had no idea.
Humanity was sitting on a mountain of gold but lacked the tools to mine it. It was anxiety-inducing. Every nugget of technology was the size of a house, valuable beyond measure, yet impossible for an ant-like human to lift.
For a scientist, seeing a miracle but failing to understand it was torture. That frustration fueled the fiery tempers of the physicists in the Tesla and Wolfpack factions.
"Let's get back to the topic," the middle-aged scientist said, breaking the tension. "I still think the North Pole is the best bet. It's a vast area, water is guaranteed, and there might be mineral deposits too. The trifecta: water, energy, minerals."
"Agreed. Regardless, a small vanguard team must land first for a scientific survey before we risk bringing the Noah down."
"True."
...
At 2:33 PM, the Noah, having shed its immense velocity, was officially captured by Martian gravity. It began to orbit the Red Planet.
If Earth is a blue marble, Mars is a rusty coin. The view from space was starkly different desolate, ancient, and red.
As the speed decreased further, the Noah began to graze the upper atmosphere. Due to the frictionless nature of the hull, there was no re-entry heat. However, external components like the sensor arrays, thrusters, and observation blisters began to heat up. Fortunately, the crew had prepared thermal shielding, so functionality remained intact.
As predicted, the Noah did not fall. It floated atop the Martian atmosphere like oil on water.
This was due to its impossible density. The ship was a sphere with a diameter of fifteen kilometers, yet it possessed a mass of only 1.03 million tons. This resulted in an effective density of roughly 0.000073 kilograms per cubic meter.
This density was lower than that of a hydrogen balloon!
This meant that even a thin atmosphere provided enough buoyancy to offset the ship's gravity. It would float in the upper stratosphere. A massive city-ship with the density of a cloud, another miracle of alien engineering they couldn't comprehend.
If they wanted to land, the solution was simple: attach heavy weights to the exterior of the hull to drag it down.
Inside the command center, Jason was presiding over a landing strategy meeting that had been running for hours. The basic plan was set: the Martian North Pole. The South Pole was rugged and mountainous, while the North was relatively flat, a better foundation for a base.
Now, only the personnel issue remained. The crew's enthusiasm was high, too high. Everyone wanted to go. Do they think this is a vacation?Jason thought, rubbing his temples.
A large group of department heads were talking over each other, all clamoring to be part of the expedition.
"Dr. Roman, you will be the leader of this expedition," Jason cut through the noise, having made his decision. Roman, the former chief biologist of the Moon Base, had the prestige, the cool head, and with leadership ability .
"No problem," Roman said immediately, his heart swelling with joy. He had spent years dreaming of finding life on Mars. He hadn't expected the opportunity to arrive so soon.
Seeing the role filled, the others became anxious, some half-rising from their seats.
"Mr. Jason, we can definitely do it!"
"Put me in, sir!"
"...I have experience in geological surveying!"
Jason couldn't simply crush their enthusiasm. He shook his head and compromised. "Here is the plan: the initial expedition team will be capped at 500 personnel. This is not a small number. Scientists, geologists, miners, doctors, and soldiers must all be included. We will bring ample food and heavy machinery."
He paused, looking around the room. "I will have the shuttle Victory run back and forth to transport supplies. We will keep you fed and equipped."
"Everyone, please fill out a volunteer application first. We will screen candidates based on merit and necessity."
The scientists rejoiced. Five hundred slot, —the odds were good. They repeatedly assured Jason they would complete the mission and report back promptly.
"Do you understand the mission parameters?" Jason asked, his voice hardening. "You are to find a site at the North Pole with water, minerals, and energy suitable for the Noah to land. You are also to investigate the possibility of indigenous life and eliminate potential dangers. Is that clear?"
"Understood!"