Mars.
It had been almost two weeks since the Ares was trapped.
Every day, Devil Worms would emerge from the surface, swim around the cabin of the Ares, and use their pair of scythe-like fangs to knock on the hull, then turn around and disappear into the desert.
Although the pair of scythes couldn't break the titanium alloy hull of the Ares, the psychological pressure on the astronauts was tremendous. Especially when they recalled the bloody scene where their former teammates were gnawed in front of them until only their spacesuits remained …
The atmosphere of despair permeated the space of more than 30 square meters.
Five days ago, the communication module was destroyed, and the Ares had completely lost contact with the relay satellite. It was like a traveler lost in the desert. They could only stare blankly at the endless yellow sand and count down their lives.
Fortunately, the supplies they brought were quite sufficient, and it would not be a problem for them to last for a year. The only trouble was that if they didn't deploy the solar panels as soon as possible, they might have to face the problem of electricity shortage.
And this was also the most serious problem.
Without electricity, there was no water and no air.
Every day, a few people drank themselves into oblivion and treated tomorrow as the end of the world.
"How is the negotiation between the headquarters and Celestial Trade going?"
"I don't know … no one has shown up until now. I'm afraid they didn't reach an agreement."
"Dammit, did we get abandoned?"
"God bless, Amen …"
Brace leaned against the corner of the cockpit and listened to the desperate voices of his teammates. He grinned and put the whiskey bottle into his mouth.
There was nothing he could do.
That was probably the only word that could describe his feelings.
In the first week, he still hoped that Celestial Trade would send someone to rescue them from hell, but now a week had passed, and they didn't even see the rescue team.
It was about time for him to give up on that unrealistic idea.
He walked over and sat down next to him. The drunk Jewish astronaut walked over and sat down opposite him. He burped and said something in his sleep.
"How much electricity do we have left?"
"I should be able to make it until next Wednesday."
"Hell …" The man cursed and shook his head. "Do you know what I'm thinking now?"
"What are you thinking?" Brace grinned.
"I'm thinking." Burping, the Jew raised an index finger and said drunkenly, "Ask, if we die of suffocation, is it suicide or homicide?"
"… Is there a difference?"
"In my belief, suicide will not bring you to heaven." Looking at Braith, the Jew grinned and raised his glass in a toast. "My dear captain, I only ask one thing of you. Put more sleeping pills in tonight's dinner … "
"And then I'll fulfill your wish, so that I can bring my sinful subordinates to hell?" Braith supported himself with his hands on the floor and stood up shakily. He cursed, "Don't even think about it …"
"Where are you going?"
"Put up the solar panels."
"You're crazy." The Jew grinned. "It's all over the place."
"I'm serious."
Under the astonished and sluggish gazes of his teammates, Braith threw the bottle into the trash can, held his dizzy head, and walked in the direction of the stairs.
He couldn't wait any longer.
If he was going to die anyway, he would rather die with dignity.
Although the bloody scene made him tremble just thinking about it, when he thought that death was only a moment of pain, he felt relieved.
"Don't do this, you're courting death!"
The man sitting in the corner reached out and grabbed Braith's arm.
Braith shook off his teammate's hand, entered the password on the hatch without a word, and then stepped into the buffer cabin.
A sandstorm had begun to blow outside.
He didn't know if the sandstorm would reduce the perception of Devil Worms, but now was undoubtedly the best time.
As long as he was careful not to be blown away …
After checking the airtightness of the spacesuit, Braith put his hand on the suitcase-sized toolbox.
The buffer cabin opened, and the whistling yellow sand swept in. Braith took a deep breath and was about to jump into the desert where death might be buried, but he suddenly saw a black shadow on the dim horizon.
He was stunned.
He reached out and wiped the sand on his helmet.
This time he saw it a little more clearly.
At the same time, his pupils gradually dilated, magnifying a glimmer of hope.
"… God."
It's reinforcements!
It's Celestial Trade's fleet!
He almost gave up!
At the same time, the astronauts on the Ares also discovered the situation about one kilometer away.
"What is that!"
"It's Celestial Trade's fleet!"
"It's reinforcements! Hahahaha! They must be here to save us! We don't have to wait for death! "
Cheers resounded throughout the Ares.
Although it didn't seem appropriate to cheer for competitors, they who were waiting for death saw the hope of life again. Who would care so much?
The outer door of the buffer cabin closed, and the inner door opened.
Dragging their drunken bodies, the Americans scrambled to put on their spacesuits.
Outside Ares.
An Earth-penetrating Bomb blasted into the desert.
The high-temperature fireball exploded five kilometers underground and filled all the holes drilled. At least five Devil Worms lurking in the holes were engulfed by the explosion, and the remaining ones fled away from the heat source.
With the suppressive effect of the incendiary bomb, two armored vehicles rushed to the door of Ares and retrieved the seven astronauts waiting in the cabin. Then, before the Devil Worms underground recovered, they quickly withdrew from the area.
Inside Celestial Trade's armored vehicle, Braith was dumbfounded and couldn't say a word.
Everything that happened ten minutes ago was like a dream.
Was this what they meant by the difficulty of rescue? Unable to help?
Although he should be happy at this moment because he was rescued, he couldn't smile.
He had a feeling that he had been cheated.
It was as if the despair and suffering they felt for more than a week were all fake …
However, he couldn't complain.
Celestial Trade saved them, and the people sitting in front of him were his saviors.
Is this true or not?!
…
Along the way, Braith didn't communicate with the Marines sitting across from him. First, he didn't have the energy, and second, the other party obviously didn't want to talk too much with him.
When the armored vehicle approached the Mars colony, Braith looked through the scope on the side of the cabin and admired the behemoth.
The cuboid fortress was like a foot of God, stepping on the gravel of Mars. Compared with it, the so-called Ares was as small as an ant, even smaller than the brine desalination pump outside the colony …
In addition to the shock, Braith's face also showed a hint of bitterness.
Perhaps from the very beginning, the Mars landing plan was a wrong choice.
Not to mention ten years, even if NASA was given another fifty years, it would be difficult to catch up with the gap between them and Celestial Trade. Not to mention the fact that the two sides were not on the same order of magnitude in terms of capital investment, the current technological gap was even greater.
Even Celestial Trade had begun to use aerospace technology to achieve profitability and built such a large bridgehead on Mars …
Maybe they were the hope of mankind?
Braith shook his head and drove this idea out of his head. He followed the Marines and entered the colonial hall.
A man with a Hua face stood in front of them.
Judging from his superior temperament, he should be the leader here.
Looking at these embarrassed people, Hong Zewei's mouth moved slightly, and he said in a deep voice.
"Who is your captain?"
"It's me." Braith stood up, hesitated for a moment, and sincerely thanked him, "Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome." Hong Zewei said emotionlessly, "Celestial Trade is a responsible enterprise, shouldering the future of mankind. Even if it is out of humanitarian considerations, we won't leave you in the lurch. I hope you don't complain that we came too late. After all, we need to develop a combat plan and analyze the depth of the Devil Worms' lurking depth … "
Braith was confused, but he still nodded blankly.
After the man who looked like the colonial governor finished, Braith hesitated for a moment and asked the question he was most concerned about.
"We … when can we return to Earth?"
"We may have to wait until the flights to and from Mars open next year. We can't restart the engine of Expedition just to send you back." Hong Zewei shrugged. "But you don't have to worry. We have plenty of food and fresh water here, and some things to relax. I'll arrange a room for you and register an ID card. Except for the fact that you don't have the power to update Twitter and have no job, you're the same as everyone else in the colony. "
Braith nodded. "Thank you …"
He was satisfied to be alive.
As for staying here for a year, it might not be a bad thing.
"You're welcome," Hong Zewei said softly, "That's all I need to say. For the rest, I suggest you take a shower first, change into clean clothes … and then take some sobriety medicine. If there is still a little time left, you can take a nap. But remember that dinner is in three hours, and there is an interview after that. "
"Interview?" Braith asked.
"Yes." Hong Zewei shrugged. "We have to let the outside world know that you have been rescued and didn't accidentally kill another black man. So, I hope you can cooperate, and I think you should also want your family to know your current situation as soon as possible. "
Braith nodded and didn't think much about it.
Regardless of whether the other party was sincere or not, they still saved them from the hands of the Grim Reaper.
Even if it was out of gratitude, he would fully cooperate with their interview.
But Braith would never have guessed that the sincere gratitude and tears he showed in the interview two hours later would become a political bargaining chip in the hands of a candidate.
And this bargaining chip would become the last gram of weight to tip the balance in the party primaries a few days later …
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