The communication module was physically dismantled. The hijackers didn't seem to have any intention of talking from the beginning. Even the backup communication system was unplugged. And the remote control module and autopilot system … Damn it! "
Squatting in front of the control panel was a man of average height and wearing glasses.
His name was Fan Cheng, an engineer at a Pan-Asian aerospace company.
About a week ago, he went to Tiangong City to participate in an academic report, but he didn't expect to encounter such a thing on his way home.
Fortunately, he was here. Otherwise, the robot sent by Xiao Ai to pick him up would have been scrapped in the previous battle. Lu Zhou really didn't know what to do.
Looking at Fan Cheng, who was sweating profusely, Lu Zhou frowned and asked.
"Can it be repaired?"
"It's impossible to repair it. They didn't even consider installing these things in this violent demolition method." A bitter smile appeared on Fan Cheng's face. He raised his arm and wiped the sweat on his forehead. "But fortunately, they don't know enough about this transport ship. I changed the settings of the messaging device on the facility maintenance system and switched to developer mode. Although the channel is a bit narrow, it should be fine if it's just an audio call. "
Lu Zhou immediately said, "Can it be used now?"
"It's ready … I received an unfamiliar communication request. It should be the Pan-Asian Fleet who noticed the abnormality on our side."
Lu Zhou: "Connect them immediately!"
Fan Cheng nodded quickly. His ten fingers quickly tapped on the holographic panel a few times.
"Okay … Done!"
The light and shadow on the holographic panel changed, and a video call window quickly appeared in front of Lu Zhou and Fan Cheng.
Although the position of the video window was white, and the person standing on the other end of the video could not be seen, the repeated voice coming from there could be clearly heard.
"This is the Pan-Asian First Fleet, flight N-177, can you hear me?"
"If you can hear me, we hope to start a dialogue with you. No matter what you ask for, the door of dialogue and peace is always open …"
Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhou said.
"This is flight N-177 … I am a passenger on the flight. We have regained control of the flight from the hijackers."
The other side was silent for a while, as if surprised by this news.
Lu Zhou waited quietly for two seconds before a response came from the other end of the communication channel.
Navigator: "Can we slow down?"
"Yes … We have turned off the main engine, but the automatic navigation module has been removed by the hijackers, and the two captains have been executed by the hijackers." Lu Zhou looked at the route data displayed on the navigator and said with a headache, "You'd better send someone to help us … Those hijackers can board this transport ship, you should have a way, right?"
This time, the other end of the communication channel was silent for a long time.
Navigator: "… Flight N-177, I hope you can remain calm when you hear this news."
From that heavy tone, Lu Zhou had already vaguely guessed something, and his mood couldn't help but sink to the bottom.
He glanced at Fan Cheng next to him and was silent for a while before he spoke.
"Go ahead."
Navigator: "37 minutes ago, you have missed the final deceleration window."
Lu Zhou: "In other words, we can't come back anymore?"
Navigator: "Yes …"
Lu Zhou didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Fan Cheng next to him.
"Is that so?"
Fan Cheng's face was pale. His lips trembled as he nodded gently.
"… There is such a saying. But it shouldn't be that bad, right? It should still be salvageable! What about your landing craft? At least send us some supplies … "
"The Dolphin 230 transport ship has 12 pairs of K-15 electric thruster main engines. In terms of longitudinal acceleration, even if the Pan-Asian First Fleet's sentry class patrol ship sets off from the nearest spaceport with a working load, it will be difficult to reach the same speed as you within 72 hours. The rescue window is only 11 hours. Once you pass by the Earth-Moon system, it will take at least two weeks for our mothership to complete the docking with your flight 37 million kilometers away from the Earth-Moon system. "
Lu Zhou looked at Fan Cheng and continued to ask, "Is what he said true?"
Fan Cheng nodded with a pale face.
"At the beginning of the design of the Dolphin-type civil transport ship, it was designed to facilitate passengers to quickly travel between the Earth-Moon system and the Mars system, so 12 pairs of main engines were installed at the rear … If it was just a race, the military transport ship carrying ammunition and endurance supplies might not be able to catch up.
"In order to ambush us, I'm afraid those space pirates have been preparing since a week ago …"
Just as Fan Cheng was explaining the reason to Lu Zhou, in the headquarters of the Pan-Asian First Fleet, Yang Wu looked at the white video window. He walked forward and patted the navigator on the shoulder.
"Let me communicate with them."
The navigator glanced at the commander, who nodded, so he gave up his position.
Yang Wu sat in front of the console. He stared at the snow-white holographic video window and spoke in a serious and calm voice.
"This is the headquarters of the Pan-Asian First Fleet. I am Yang Wu, military operations consultant.
"Although I am sorry to inform you of this news, the possibility of your safe return is very small. Even under the best conditions, it will take two weeks for our rescue personnel to arrive. Therefore, we need you to take some necessary self-help measures to avoid the worst from happening.
"… If you can control this flight, I hope you can turn on the left turn engine, change the current course, and avoid a direct collision with the Tianzhou space station."
Lu Zhou: "How many degrees to the left?"
Yang Wu: "If you are not sure, keep the left turn engine running at full power for more than 720 seconds."
720 seconds …
Turning at full power for 720 seconds was equivalent to directly avoiding Earth and plunging into deep space.
Lu Zhou: "Do you mean we should give up?"
Yang Wu said in a serious tone, "We have never given up on you, and we absolutely have no intention of asking you to give up. Just for the safety of the tens of thousands of residents on the space station, I hope you can keep a safe distance from it. We will do our best to rescue you, but I also hope you can think of the overall situation. "
"What is your name?"
"Yang Wu."
"Comrade Yang Wu." Lu Zhou's tone gradually sank as he stared at the white screen in the holographic window. He said, "There are more than two hundred passengers on the ship. Most of them are my compatriots, but there are also people from other countries and organizations around the world. I agree with your point of view, but things are far from that point. As long as I am here and I am still alive, I will not allow them to die for no reason. "
Yang Wu: "Do you know how to pilot a transport ship? What do you want to do? "
Lu Zhou smiled faintly.
"The principle is actually the same, the difference is that the operation has become a bit more cumbersome. The essence of aerospace is a mathematical problem, and as long as it is a mathematical problem, there is a solution. "
Yang Wu narrowed his eyes, stared at the snow-white holographic screen, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am, I just need you to cooperate with me."
The communication was interrupted.
Flight N-177 seemed to have made up its mind to gamble with the fate of the Tianzhou and continued to move forward along the established route.
The command room of the Pan-Asian First Fleet was surrounded by tension.
Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit as they stared at the flashing green dot on the radar.
"The route has not changed, flight N-177 is heading for the Tianzhou!"
"It is expected to collide in 11 hours!"
"Aim at them, we can't let the tens of thousands of residents on the Tianzhou take risks!"
"They have no chance of surviving at all … Even if there is a 1% chance —"
"It's not completely impossible." The aerospace technology consultant, who had not spoken, suddenly said, "Although the possibility is probably smaller than 1% …"
The commander immediately looked at him and said, "What do you mean?"
"The slingshot effect." The aerospace technology consultant looked at the commander and continued, "Although according to the current route, their remaining fuel can no longer return by normal means, if we use the slingshot effect, it is not impossible."
The army consultant frowned and asked.
"Slingshot effect? I remember that's not used to accelerate unmanned probes? "
"It doesn't have to be acceleration. When the planet moves to the right on the horizontal plane, if the spacecraft flies over the planet from the left at the right angle, it will receive an impulse from the planet to the right. In theory, if they fly over the Earth from a synchronous orbit, as long as the angle of entry is right, they can use the slingshot effect to extend the rescue window. "
Commander: "How long can it extend?"
"I don't know, shouldn't you ask the computer about this kind of thing?"
The commander immediately looked at the staff at the control desk and ordered.
"Start the AI battlefield analysis system. I need to know the success rate of the plan and the possible risks."
The progress bar on the holographic screen flickered slightly.
Soon, the results of the assessment appeared in front of everyone.
This result also made the expressions on everyone's faces freeze.
"The success rate is 2% … The probability of flying over the synchronous orbit and colliding with the Tianzhou space station is 75% … Damn, this is assuming that there is an experienced pilot on flight N-177!"
"It's too difficult! Too many variables are difficult to control! To put it bluntly, the slingshot effect cannot accurately control the speed and direction of travel. Even an experienced pilot will not regard it as a conventional acceleration and deceleration method! "
"This is simply nonsense!"
"They've gone crazy!"
The commander's face was expressionless. He clenched his fists, as if he was struggling with something.
Standing next to him, Yang Wu silently looked at him and only asked one question.
He then asked, "Is it worth it?"
A city of people risking their lives for a ship of people.
Is it really worth it?
…
To be honest, Lu Zhou didn't spend too much time thinking about whether it was worth it or not.
As a scholar, there was only one problem he was considering now, which was the optimal solution in the current situation.
Precise parameters were stacked vertically like building blocks. No matter which parameter was adjusted, the slightest carelessness could lead to an extremely serious navigational accident.
If everything went well, they would fly over the geosynchronous orbit in 11 hours, and there was a high possibility that they would collide with the Tianzhou space station.
To be honest, the window period was very short, not to mention the most complicated manual piloting.
His calculations must be accurate, not even a slight error.
If he wanted to survive, he must carefully use every working medium reserve, ignite the side engine at the critical moment, and use the slingshot effect to complete the final deceleration.
The engineer named Fan Cheng, who was standing next to Lu Zhou, suddenly spoke with despair.
"I bet we're being targeted."
"Targeted?"
"We're like a missile, crashing straight into the Tianzhou space station." Fan Cheng's face was full of bitterness. He said, "This must be what they think, and the orbital defense weapons will definitely respond. If I were them, I would definitely not allow this to happen. "
"I don't rule out this possibility, but I believe it will not happen." Lu Zhou looked at Fan Cheng and went silent for a while. He then reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Go rest in the cabin for a while, I want to be alone for a while."
Fan Cheng: "Can you tell me what you're planning to do?"
Lu Zhou: "The slingshot effect."
Fan Cheng opened his mouth, and after a while, he squeezed a sentence out of his throat.
"This is crazy …"
After leaving the cockpit, Fan Cheng, who returned to the cabin, tried to make his expression not look too heavy. He walked back to his seat silently and sat down.
Professor Leonard sighed and looked at the starry sky outside the cockpit with some sadness. "Are we dead? Can anyone explain this to me? "
Fan Cheng: "It's not that desperate, but it's not much better."
Eleven hours of waiting felt like a long time.
The whole world's attention was drawn to the flight that had flown from deep space and had already lost control.
The orbital residents, who had no time to evacuate, spontaneously came to the floor-to-ceiling windows, praying for the approaching spacecraft and for their own fate.
In their pupils, they only saw a black shadow getting closer and closer, blocking their view of the Moon.
Suddenly, a miracle happened.
Even though the spacecraft was infinitely close in astronomical distance, the huge hull did not collide in the end. Instead, it passed by the Tianzhou space station.
Lu Zhou, who was sitting in the cockpit, slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He sat in the pilot's seat.
In the cabin, Professor Leonard, who was tense, stared at the towering fortress outside the window.
During this astronomical voyage, he could even clearly see the orbital residents standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows looking at them.
On the other side, they could also see him and them.
This was probably the greatest moment in human history.
At least one of them!
A person from 100 years ago saved a flight out of control and all the people on the flight.
Even at the last moment, people still did not give up hope and chose to believe in each other.
"In our era, we usually prepared for the worst, even though I am not a pessimist myself …"
Yang Wu took off the hat on his head and put it in his arms. He looked at the commander and said solemnly, "It was your courage that saved more than 200 passengers."
"We also prepared for the worst, Comrade Yang from 2050 …" After taking a deep breath of cold air, the commander's tense shoulders finally relaxed. He responded with a slightly relaxed smile, "It's just that in contrast, so many people still believe in us.
"For the sake of those who trust us, I don't want to let them down."
This disaster will make the people of Pan-Asia more united.
Although, he didn't want something similar to happen again …
On flight N-177.
Cheers and applause sounded once again.
The spacecraft flying past the geosynchronous orbit was slowly sailing from the dark side of the earth to the sunrise.
It was like looking down at the sunrise. The light of the morning light lit up the blue horizon. Under the mottled brilliance, the planet was so beautiful.
The child in front of the window looked at the shocking scene outside the window. His little hands clenched tightly, as if he had grasped his dream.
He didn't know that he had just experienced the most dangerous moment in his life.
All he knew was that he, who was born and raised on Mars, saw the most spectacular sunrise in his life at this moment.
Turning his head excitedly, he looked at his mother.
"Mom, is that Earth?"
The childish voice was full of yearning for beautiful things.
His mother, who was sitting next to him, smiled slightly and spoke softly.
"Yes.
"That's where Mom was born …"
(End of this chapter)
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