Michael

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Michael (迈克尔)
Alias(es)	Michael Max; Michael Maxwell
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Acebe Space Technology Company; Plan T
Occupation/Role	Founder and CEO of Acebe Space Technology Company; engineer, technology entrepreneur, and Brain-Computer Fusion researcher 2 4 30
First Appearance	Chapter 2: Prologue

Background / History

Brain-Computer Fusion research

Michael established a laboratory in 2018 and recruited biology and computational-science specialists to develop Brain-Computer Fusion. Its first prototype, completed in 2019, used non-contact magnetic-field sensors to connect with brainwaves and improve memory retrieval, mind mapping, pathfinding, and thinking efficiency. 2

He named his external-brain system VESSEL after a landmark building whose ascending steel framework he admired. His guiding belief is that computers should assist the human brain—the most complete and energy-efficient neural network—rather than replace it. 2

By the time he meets Daphne Braun in 2028, VESSEL can search for common ground between people; its assessment that Daphne is likely his girlfriend makes Michael unusually direct on their first date. 4 He later develops the system to upload some of his own memories and experiential scenes to a supercomputer, though complete consciousness replication remains beyond his reach at that stage. 34

Space industry and the Mars plan

As founder and CEO of Acebe Space Technology Company, Michael becomes the world's richest man and a major partner of the Liang Nation Space Administration. Acebe's Hunter-5 rocket launches the Lingguang probe in 2023, while Michael's later analysis through VESSEL identifies Lingshen Star's emissions as electromagnetic waves resembling human brainwaves. 2

Michael's two defining goals are “freedom of the body” through interstellar migration and “freedom of consciousness” through Brain-Computer Fusion and consciousness uploading. Mars becomes his primary candidate for a human backup world, initially through enclosed underground capsules and later through a far more ambitious terraforming plan. 6 44 48

Under Plan T, he intends to use Nikola Tesla's Superluminal Wave Theory to build a Superlight Wave Power Station on Mars. By heating Mars's metallic core, he hopes to restore its magnetic field, release water and atmospheric gases, and eventually make the surface habitable. 30 44

The project faces persistent opposition over its possible effect on Mars and Earth. Michael pauses a related Enceladus experiment after concerns that it could damage Saturn's rings, and he accepts a ternary-computer upgrade for VESSEL as a way to obtain a more reliable risk assessment. 26 36 52

After connecting a ternary-upgraded VESSEL with Vito, Michael learns that Mars's core leaks energy through holes in the mantle. The discovery means the planet is unlikely to explode, but also cannot retain enough heat to generate the magnetic field his plan requires. 54

Venus and Planet X

Rather than abandon the search for a backup world, Michael shifts to Venus. With Dr. James, he proposes using the asteroid Psyche as a sunshade: a Superlight Wave Power Station and space tugs would alter Psyche's speed, increase Venus's rotation, and place the asteroid near Venus's L1 point to reflect sunlight. 56

Following renewed signals from Lingguang and evidence of a distant high-energy source, Michael expands his ambitions to Planet X. He commissions a VESSEL spacecraft for the edge of the Solar System, intending for humanoid robots and an onboard computing matrix to locate and develop Planet X without real-time direction from Earth. 60 64

Michael successfully uploads most of his consciousness into a more advanced intelligence called VESSEL II. He proposes combining his and Daphne's consciousnesses aboard the spacecraft, allowing them to share an 18,000-year journey while the vessel searches for Planet X. 64

On December 21, 2037, the VESSEL Great Ship launches carrying humanity's second calling card: a crystal Maya-pyramid-shaped hard drive containing information about human civilization and selected music broadcasts. 66

Appearance

Michael is powerfully built, broad-backed, and moves with a quick, wind-carried stride. 4

• Dark brown hair and hazel eyes. 4
• Straight nose and well-formed mouth. 4
• Reddish facial and neck complexion associated with his inherited ancestry. 4
• Often uses a sensor helmet and specialized reclining chair when connecting to VESSEL. 2 12

Personality

Michael combines an adventurer's imagination with a pragmatist's drive to turn ideals into engineering projects. He pursues ideas others consider impossible, from reusable heavy rockets and planetary terraforming to consciousness uploading and millennia-long robotic missions. 6 52 64

He is intensely persistent and impatient, treating obstacles as problems to break through rather than reasons to stop. His attachment to the idea of “Now” drives him to manufacture ternary-computing prototypes himself instead of waiting for better facilities or future opportunities. 52 54

Despite his confidence, Michael is not wholly dismissive of risk. He agrees that assessment is necessary for Plan T, pauses the Enceladus experiment after the Saturn-ring controversy, and is visibly shaken when VESSEL returns “uncertain” about Mars. 26 38 48

In private, he is affectionate and attentive toward Daphne and Vito. He returns home to support Daphne during pregnancy, names his son after his father, and personally uses VESSEL to investigate Vito's seizure-like episode. 34 38 40

Abilities & Skills

Brain-Computer Fusion

Michael is the principal designer and most successful user of VESSEL, a non-contact external-brain system tailored to his own neural patterns. 12 34

• Uses VESSEL to analyze complex data, including Lingshen Star's brainwave-like electromagnetic emissions. 2
• Can upload portions of his memories and experiential scenes to a supercomputer. 34
• Upgrades VESSEL through ternary architecture and a hybrid-radix computer, substantially increasing their combined thinking power. 54
• Develops VESSEL II after uploading most of his consciousness into a computer. 64
• Uses VESSEL's intelligent medical-assistance function to identify Vito's suspected epilepsy. 40
• VESSEL is initially designed specifically for Michael; Daphne experiences dizziness and cannot successfully connect to it. 12

Space engineering and industrial development

Michael leads projects across rockets, satellites, electric vehicles, humanoid robots, power generation, and space infrastructure. 48

• Acebe's Hunter-5 successfully launches Lingguang and later supports the successful launch of Lingguang II. 2 26
• Develops reusable large-thrust rockets, Mars probes, sandstorm-resistant electric vehicles, and specialized Mars robots. 10 44
• Plans Superlight Wave Power Stations using carbon-fiber or carbon-nanotube structures extending up to 180,000 kilometers. 32 56
• Recognizes the logistical need to source major construction materials locally, leading Dr. James to investigate Martian clay and Maya soft-pottery techniques for support structures. 32 38
• Develops ultra-long-term, high-capacity hard drives for humanity's second interstellar calling card. 60 67

Strategic vision

Michael links seemingly separate businesses under a single objective: securing humanity's long-term survival beyond Earth. 48

• Uses the proposed Enceladus “Ice Lantern” experiment to demonstrate Superluminal Wave energy to potential Mars investors. 18 26
• Seeks Prince Harufa's investment for Mars terraforming despite its enormous cost and delayed returns. 18 28
• Adapts quickly after the Mars setback, shifting first to Venus and then to Planet X as alternative backup worlds. 54 56 64
• Proposes temporary consciousness-based robot avatars for tourists in Prince Harufa's planned desert smart cities. 36

Equipment / Projects

• VESSEL — Michael's non-contact external brain, operated through a helmet and customized chair; later upgraded with ternary computing. 2 12 54
• VESSEL II — A more powerful Brain-Computer Fusion intelligence formed after Michael uploads most of his consciousness. 64
• Hybrid-radix ternary computer — A ternary system designed to interface with binary applications through a conversion protocol. 54
• Hunter-5 Rocket — Acebe's reusable rocket system used for Lingguang-related launches. 2 10 26
• VESSEL Great Ship — A spacecraft launched in 2037 to carry humanity's second calling card and search for Planet X. 64 66
• Crystal VESSEL hard drive — A Maya-pyramid-shaped storage device containing human civilization's information for the Great Ship's mission. 66 67

Relationships

• Daphne Braun — Partner, later wife, scientific collaborator, and the mother of his son. Their relationship begins with an awkward first date, develops through shared Mars research and repeated disagreements over Plan T's risks, and culminates in their agreement to merge consciousnesses for the VESSEL mission. 4 52 64 66
• Vito — His son, named after Michael's father. Vito is exceptionally compatible with VESSEL and joins Michael in the ternary-assisted Mars assessment. 38 40 54
• Professor Braun — Daphne's father, astrophysicist, collaborator, and prospective father-in-law. They discuss Tesla's gravity theory, lunar experiments, and space-power infrastructure. 6 10 20
• Dr. James — Michael's assistant and a core technical collaborator on Mars and Venus Superlight Wave Power Station plans. 14 32 56
• Prince Harufa — Potential investor in the Mars project and fellow visionary interested in technological transformation of the Sand Oil Nation. 18 28 36
• Irene Petkova — Research collaborator who introduces biological research relevant to VESSEL, helps facilitate Bharat's donation, and connects Michael to Prince Harufa. 18 34 38
• Mr. E — Plan T authority and adviser who withholds government funding, imposes confidentiality requirements, and ultimately supports the ternary VESSEL upgrade for improved assessment. 8 30 52
• Martha — Investigative journalist who probes Michael's secret Enceladus project and warns of its possible danger to Saturn's rings. 20 26

Notable Quotes

“Freedom of the body for humans, and freedom of consciousness for humans.” 44

“On the great clock of time, there is but one word – Now.” 54

“Even in the face of the worst outcome that Artificial Intelligence might bring, namely the annihilation of humanity, I would choose to face it rather than escape.” 44

Trivia

• Despite being the world's richest man, Michael lives in a prefabricated house of less than 100 square meters. 2 12
• He names both his external brain and his Great Ship VESSEL, a word associated in the story with a large ship, a vascular structure, and a container. 2 40 64
• Michael personally names his son Vito after his own father. 38