Countless fragments drifted temporarily in Orange Star's orbit. Most were solid debris containing iron and other minerals, ranging from smaller than pellets to larger than buildings.
Most moved at extremely high speeds, the fastest reaching thousands of kilometers per second. Those tremendous speeds gave them immense kinetic energy, and once captured by Orange Star's gravity, they remained in low orbit at blistering speeds.
Although they would eventually fall into the atmosphere, Orange Star's gravity could not clear them all out in a mere few months.
Satellites did not fall because they had their own engines, preventing the planet's gravity from dragging them down as they orbited.
The Tianhe 1 continued approaching its orbit according to its existing calculations. Its excellent radar scanned the orbit several hundred kilometers ahead and detected vast quantities of meteorite debris. The computer was preparing to change course-
But it had already approached Orange Star, and a silver satellite was traveling along its flight path. The force emitted by that tiny satellite blocked the Tianhe 1's radar.
The meteorite fragments hurtling toward it carried immense kinetic energy, giving the Tianhe 1 its first taste of just how hard a ship's life could be.
The largest, the size of a basketball, pierced the engine's protective armor first at nearly a thousand kilometers per second.
The pristine protective panel, several meters across, shattered like glass. Its edges curled sharply upward as its center caved inward-
The main reaction booster chamber directly above the ship's disc was penetrated, and its jet of ion flame abruptly died.
The entire protruding reverse-thrust engine shuddered as though an invisible hand had yanked it, bending it like a drinking straw!
A shower of metal fragments shot into space at high speed, tumbling and reflecting the light of the cosmos.
The computer silently calculated the damage and produced a final damage model. The enormous hull could not possibly perform agile evasive maneuvers.
Restricted by the Space Development Regulations signed by the White Dove Alliance, the ship carried no weapons either. All it could do was hope its hull could withstand the impacts!
But small meteorites struck the cargo containers one after another, while others slammed into the habitation cabin.
The ship's interior shook violently, its steel emitting terrifying creaks. Alarms blared in every section.
Had these little meteorites been in Water Blue Star's orbit, they would either have been drawn down by the moon or captured by the planet's gravity and burned up in the atmosphere, displaying none of their destructive power.
But this was outer space.
"Warning! Air pressure leak! Fuel leak! Engine damage! Damage to the hull's main structure—all personnel must return to their Stasis Pods immediately! Initiating lockdown."
The crew had already felt the powerful impacts. They scrambled toward the Stasis Pods in a panic, and fear drove Lin He to tuck the screaming Wang Xiaofei under his arm and drag her along.
The two clung tightly together, floating in midair with nothing to push against! Simulated gravity had been shut down in an emergency!
Holding Wang Xiaofei under his left arm, Lin He flailed like a drowning man. He could only watch as He Xuan calmly used her hands and feet to disappear down a corridor flashing with red lights.
Meanwhile, the older man grabbed the screaming Huang Qi beside him and tossed her toward the end of the corridor like a bag of trash. His expression remained steady as the reaction force sent him backward, quickly bringing him against a window-
The instant his feet touched it, he bent his legs and pushed off, shooting forward like an arrow. Along the way, he grabbed the panicking Lin He and Wang Xiaofei, charging straight toward the distant corridor as though wearing an invisible jetpack.
"Quick, quick! Crawl!" the older man shouted.
Sprawled on the floor like a dead dog, Qi Siyu gripped the bulges in the highly elastic wall with both hands. Watching the older man leave, he hurriedly steadied himself and worked up his courage.
"Fuck it, here goes!" Qi Siyu roared, kicking off with both legs and launching himself forward.
But he failed to control his direction, struck the soft wall, and tumbled toward the corridor, letting out all manner of startled cries.
"Grab the wall and crawl inside!" the older man shouted, leading by example before disappearing into the corridor.
The others struck the soft beige walls one after another, using their hands and feet to grip the bulges and steady themselves.
Watching the older man scurry along the ceiling like a gecko, they instinctively followed him in their panic, passing through the recreation room into the hibernation room.
He Xuan's Stasis Pod was already closed and locked.
The older man dove forward, grabbed the lid of his own Stasis Pod, slipped inside, and lay down. The lid closed automatically, all in one seamless motion!
Lin He and the others also unleashed a considerable will to survive, scrambling into their own Stasis Pods.
They had, in fact, trained for this. Once they calmed down, none of them had any major trouble.
"Clack- hiss-"
Every Stasis Pod closed! The hibernation room's door locked down, along with every door and window outside!
Dividing the disc into quarters gave sections 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In section No. 1, a meteorite thirteen centimeters in diameter pierced two layers of cargo containers above the central area.
It then plunged into the fuel layer and emerged on the other side. After punching through another layer of cargo containers, the terrifyingly hard meteorite slowed considerably but still escaped.
Large quantities of liquid fuel scattered into space as droplets and splashes. The upper breach measured a full meter across, while the lower hole was half a meter wide!
The entire Tianhe-1 had suffered a devastating blow.
The terrifying vibrations and alarms were driving Lin He mad. He pounded on the lid that had only just closed. "Let me out! Let me out!"
"Mechanic Lin He, I must ensure your safety. Your individual movements have therefore been temporarily restricted. Please wait-"
Mom's voice came from every direction, speaking calmly amid the rumbling.
The alarms and explosions outside remained clearly audible.
[Warning! Severe hull damage! Section 3 and section 4 modules lost] [Warning! All propulsion modules offline.] [Unable to balance hull- severe loss of control!!] [Warning! Fuel compartment explosion in hull section 2] [Remaining fuel: 17%] [Continuing to decrease] [Cargo containers lost: 87%] [Warning! Tianhe 1 severely damaged. Crewed transport mission can no longer be sustained] [Recalculating and analyzing] [Survival rate if personnel remain aboard: 0%] [Initiating emergency personnel evacuation] [Destination: Orange Star. Survival rate: 16%]
Machinery operated at high speed inside the hibernation room.
The six Stasis Pods stood facing one another, and the face opposite Lin He gave him a fright!
It was He Xuan!
Under the flashing dark-red lights, her features behind the tiny window were contorted like a hideous ghost's.
The six Stasis Pods dropped instantly into the Escape Pod and locked into place.
The fiercely burning Tianhe 1 tumbled through space.
Jets of compressed oxygen provided a medium for combustion.
As the ship rolled, the artificial intelligence seized a fleeting opportunity to initiate ejection. Pop! Pressurized gas burst out.
A cylindrical Escape Ship shot away, reflecting the firelight of the Tianhe 1's explosions in the darkness.
It headed toward Orange Star, closely followed by the section 2 Escape Pod!
They were 760,000 kilometers from Orange Star!
[Project directive-1]
Prioritize the survival of high-quality human successors, with the continuation and development of human civilization as the primary objective. Do not harm any human by any means- Celestial River Collective
[Tianhe 1 final transmission] [Transport mission failed-] [Crewed Escape Pod launched. Destination: Orange Star] [Good luck] [Transmitting mission log...]
Amid the silent flames.
The Tianhe 1's ring-shaped habitation cabin disintegrated in the terrible explosions.
The entire transport vessel vanished in the blaze, like a twinkling star...
Orange Star Base.
The satellite dish visible on the surveillance camera shifted its angle. It had suddenly received a message from outer space.
"Huh..." Through the astronomical telescope, Stendhal saw a sudden string of twinkling stars against the cosmic backdrop.
"Has celestial activity increased?" Stendhal asked.
Luo Qi connected to his personal protective suit. "A crewed space transport has suffered an accident. The base received an encrypted mission log and an unencrypted broadcast."
As though confirming it, Luo Qi added, "It's the Tianhe 1."
"The Tianhe 1?" Stendhal cried out, his eyes widening as he used the telescope to track the site of the explosions.
"Why did it have to be that ship? Why is it gone?!"
Stendhal had waited so desperately, and his rescue had finally arrived!
"How could it... how could it just explode?!"
"I even saw it at the Moon Base before I left!"
"How can it just be gone?!"
"Entering deep space without an energy shield protecting the hull is like leaving your fate to a coin toss," Luo Qi said.
He suddenly took an interest in the Escape Pods ejected by the Tianhe 1. The survivors occupied two Escape Pods, with six people in each. Not everyone was lucky.
Orange Star's Experimental Satellite Station happened to be in use and facing that direction, which was the only reason it had received the message.
Otherwise, it really would have been a fireworks display that blind Orange Star could never see.
Luo Qi calculated his next plans. He wanted to capture these humans, even if they would not be much use.
Still, something told him he ought to capture them. Humans were so rare. Orange Star had everything except many people.
Besides, Orange Star now had sufficient production capacity.
Having formed a plan, Luo Qi inspected the base in the Second World.
With controllable nuclear fusion in use, the research centers had drawn on that powerful energy source to reach [intermediate electromagnetic force].
Precise control of magnetic fields was under research, offering hope of developing the Magnetic-Field Distortion Shield.
The intelligent automation upgrades to factory production were complete, bringing the overall technological level up to roughly that of 2030.
Luo Qi first assigned the research centers a task: ten craft capable of spaceflight and combat.
They needed weapons and the ability to perform simple towing operations. Conveniently, satellite signal stations were under construction and could coordinate with the craft on their missions.
Launching another 240 satellites would provide near-global coverage. The human Escape Ship carried signal transmitters for positioning, which would help.
"Dad, is there..." Stendhal began.
Luo Qi interrupted him. "The rescue operation will be added to the schedule immediately."
That single sentence silenced Stendhal. He lowered his head to the eyepiece, trying to locate the Escape Pod through the astronomical telescope.
Unfortunately, the view was indistinct. All he could see were flashes in the darkness.
Numerous research centers in the Second World assigned some of their researcher replicas to the project.
Some designed rockets, some studied engines, and others researched electromagnetic weapons...
Under Luo Qi's calculations, vast quantities of steel resources and fuel began to be allocated to the outer-space search-and-rescue project.
The replicas launched into heated arguments.
"The craft has to be big! At least fifty meters long."
"Exactly! If it's big, we can mount 220-millimeter electromagnetic cannons!"
"And a more powerful energy supply!"
"Don't worry. With enough thrust, even a brick can fly!"
"We also need to ensure sufficient range!"
The replicas soon produced the rescue craft's blueprints, then fed its proposed model into the computing system to simulate flight.
It measured 46 meters long, with a wingspan of 32 meters and a height of 11 meters, and weighed 104 tonnes.
Its armament was pared down to six 75-millimeter electromagnetic cannon turrets and eight 35-millimeter electromagnetic cannon turrets.
It carried an array of 8 nm chips and as many as 150 sensors.
A new propellant and new engines were brought out. The craft had two high-powered radars and more than thirty large and small thruster nozzles across its body.
The airframe would clearly consume large quantities of rare metals, but Orange Star still had plenty. Preparations began to build three aircraft assembly lines.
Luo Qi also approved the use of metal zero. This counted as the formal deployment of a low-orbit space force, advancing toward a militarized Orange Star.
In the Second World.
The sprawling Orange Star Base lay a thousand meters below his feet, while new replicas surrounded Luo Qi.
"The Tianhe 1's explosion occurred here, approximately 800,000 kilometers from Orange Star."
"Space velocity: 27,000 kilometers per hour. According to the message received by the satellite station, the Escape Pod's approximate heading is..."
"They can be captured by Orange Star's gravity, but there's a margin of error in the orbital range."
"A cone spreading across tens of thousands of kilometers. The longer it takes, the wider and longer the spread becomes..."
Before the replicas, the positions of Orange Star and Tianhe 1 were displayed at a virtual cosmic scale. Streams of changing data generated the possible directions in which the Escape Pod had departed.
Against the vast scale of the cosmos, even the tiniest deviation, multiplied by time and speed, would become an unreachable distance. And the large-scale satellite network would not officially enter service for another four days.
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