Everything was moving in the right direction.
Soon, the transport shuttle completed its burn, and the engines cut out. The craft began drifting toward the Moon on inertia alone. Upon reaching the predetermined distance, it would flip its orientation and fire the engines to decelerate before docking at the Queqiao Relay Station in lunar orbit.
There, Yue Yuan would change vehicles once again.
It was a tedious process, but necessary. Given current technological limits, while a shuttle could land directly on the lunar surface, the radiation risks from nuclear fission were too high. Such engines were strictly reserved for the void of space.
Through a series of wonders that science had pulled from the pages of myth—the Shenzhou spaceplane, the Tiangong station, the Queqiao relay, and the Yutu landing craft—Yue Yuan finally touched down on the surface of the Moon.
Guanghan Palace was not a literal palace, but the name of a sprawling cluster of structures integrated into the lunar landscape. Officially, it was the Guanghan Base, but most people simply called it the Palace—perhaps as a testament to humanity’s enduring romantic vision of the Moon.
After enduring a rigorous security protocol and a thorough sterilization cycle, Yue Yuan’s party of four boarded a lunar rover and headed straight for their target.
The rover was electric, equipped with solar panels and high-capacity charging ports. It was larger than a standard car, and the four of them fit inside with room to spare. Thanks to the constant traffic between the landing pads and the base, a smooth, well-trodden road had formed. The rover soon reached a fork in the road; to the right lay the Artemis Base, but their vehicle banked left.
Though the bases were separate, they shared the same landing facility.
Before long, the Guanghan architecture came into view. The entire base sat within a massive lunar crater. From a distance, one could see ring-shaped arrays of solar panels lining the perimeter, with a series of interconnected dome structures clustered in the center. Interspersed between the buildings and the panels were various satellite dishes and radar arrays, tilted toward the stars.
The rover entered the base through a U-shaped opening in the solar array. Instead of stopping outside, it drove directly into a protruding building—the rover garage.
Yue Yuan watched as the external hatch slid shut behind them. A series of voice prompts echoed through the cabin as the airlock doors sealed. He was intimately familiar with the process: the garage would be pressurized to match the base’s atmosphere, and only then could they step out of the vehicle and through the final airlock into the main facility.
It was essentially the same "exit" procedure used by 20th-century astronauts, except the EVA suit had been replaced by a pressurized garage.
It happened to be the end of the work shift. After navigating the winding corridors of the base, Yue Yuan finally located the man he was looking for.
Dr. Yi Kai. A dual doctorate in biogenetics and cellular dynamics, a member of the Academy of Sciences, and the current head of the Lunar Genetic Recombination Research Group.
When Yue Yuan found him, the doctor had just stepped out of his lab.
"Dr. Yi, I’ve finally caught up with you." Yue Yuan approached with a smile, greeting the silver-haired scientist.
"And you are... Major Gen—"
Confusion flickered across Yi Kai’s face, followed by a widening of the eyes and a look of sudden realization.
Before the doctor could shout his rank, Yue Yuan pressed a finger to his lips. "Dr. Yi, let’s find a more private place to talk."
"Of course, of course." Yi Kai adjusted his glasses and nodded, gesturing for them to follow. He had clearly received notice from Beijing, but he hadn't expected Yue Yuan to show up in person.
Once they reached a private briefing room, Yi Kai let out a hearty chuckle. "I didn't expect a Major General to come for me personally. I’m flattered, truly. I was actually planning to leave for Callisto tomorrow."
Flattered? Yue Yuan rolled his eyes internally. He looked at the doctor—who was nearly seventy but still looked robust—and said, "Save the flattery. I’ve heard you aren't exactly the type to kiss up to people."
"Hahaha!" Yi Kai laughed, pulling out a chair and slowly lowering himself into it. He raised an eyebrow at Yue Yuan. "That depends on the person. A man as young as you managing to run the Callisto Base so successfully is a rare feat in this new era. You've earned a few kind words from this old man."
Yue Yuan had heard that Yi Kai was a "relic" from the previous century. The doctor had gone into cryostasis twice for reasons that remained classified—which was intriguing, as hibernation was strictly regulated. Even more impressive was that every time he woke up, his intellect remained sharp enough to stay at the cutting edge of science. He was a man who had literally "reinforced the future."
Yue Yuan estimated that Yi Kai was likely an original "Gen Z" or "Gen Alpha," given that hibernation tech only matured in the late 21st century. Under the law, time spent in stasis didn't count toward a person's legal age.
"You’re a straight shooter, Doctor. But I should be clear: once we head to Callisto, there’s no telling when you’ll see Earth again," Yue Yuan warned.
He knew that people from the old century often had a deep, almost spiritual connection to "home"—the kind of people who insisted their ashes be returned to Earth. He wanted to make sure Yi Kai was prepared for the possibility that he might spend the rest of his life in the outer solar system.
Wait, Yue Yuan thought, I’m an 'old century' person too. Why am I trying to talk him out of it?
"Bruh..." Yi Kai let out a bit of slang from his youth, showing zero "old man" decorum. He caught himself quickly. "I mean... I go where the country needs me. Besides, Callisto is the front line of cosmic exploration. It’s exactly where I want to be."
"Glad to hear it. But before we finalize this, I need you to look at these." Yue Yuan pulled out a high-security internal device, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to Yi Kai.
Yi Kai assumed it was just another standard Non-Disclosure Agreement. He had signed dozens in his career. However, as he scanned the text, his expression turned grave.
His beard twitched as he finished the document. He looked up at Yue Yuan, who had walked to the window to stare out at the lunar landscape.
"Is this for real? This level of secrecy?" Yi Kai whispered.
The project wasn't just "Classified." It was a "Life-Long" mandate. The secrecy didn't expire after twenty years; it lasted until death.
Yue Yuan, his hearing enhanced by his condition, turned back with a smile. "No exaggeration. Just standard operating procedure for this project."
"And the project itself...?"
"The details are on Callisto. So, are you in or out?"
"I’m in. Absolutely—no, hell yeah—I’m in!"
"Pack your bags. We depart tonight at 19:30 sharp."
Yue Yuan liked the doctor's decisiveness. Normally, he wouldn't have come down to the Moon personally for a recruitment; he would have just waited on Callisto for the appointee to arrive.
But this project was different. It concerned him personally. He wanted to look the man in charge of his genetics in the eye. He felt a lot better knowing the man who would be studying his blood was a "character" with some spirit, rather than a cold bureaucrat.
Having already been briefed on the transfer, Yi Kai handled his final affairs with efficient speed. Within hours, he was standing beside Yue Yuan, ready to begin the long journey to the edge of the system.
Comments
Post a Comment