Chapter 1687 Atomic Clock
After hearing the emperor's decision, Tita was the first to stand up. The aircraft carrier battle group where this sky aircraft carrier is located has several automated missile cruisers from the Mars dock. The main purpose of these cruisers that only require a small number of personnel to work is to provide firepower for the sky aircraft carrier. After the Praetorian Order obtained the coordinates, Tita's decision was to launch several void missiles towards that coordinate. However, the Emperor decided to send several missile cruisers to completely destroy the alien space station at the coordinates. This decision to reduce its own defense force was unanimously opposed by the Sisters. Unexpectedly, Tita did not see any objections from the Praetorian Order. Instead, the Praetorian Commander began to study the plan of using cruisers to destroy alien space stations. whether.
Her expression showed her anxiety. No detector can penetrate the fog on the ecliptic plane of Neptune. In addition to knowing that the Event Horizon spacecraft equipped with a hyperspace engine is behind the fog, and any detector must pass through the psychic fog to get close to the Event Horizon spacecraft, that is. It was as if the spacecraft had an extraordinary gravitational pull. The detector cannot observe the situation behind the fog, and Tita is very worried that there will be an enemy there that the firepower of a sky aircraft carrier cannot deal with. "My Lord, is this decision wise? We are about to enter the fog of Neptune, and it is very necessary to maintain sufficient denial of firepower." Tita said, "I have stated my concerns in the report."
"It's okay, Tita, my messenger has found out what's behind the fog."
The Emperor pointed to the bridge porthole. Immediately afterwards, a faint firelight lit up in the dark void, burning in the void like the condensation clouds left by the aircraft in the atmosphere, and then rushed towards the porthole at a high speed visible to the naked eye in the void. Finally, there was a white-hot silent explosion outside the hull, and a large golden-red bird emerged from the air on the bridge, bringing light and heat.
"Phoenix." The emperor raised his arm, giving the mythical creature a place to rest.
The Sisters and the Adeptus Praetorians have both seen Phoenix, but no one else on the bridge has seen this mythical and beautiful creature, but no one's reaction is as exaggerated as that of the Martian Technosage - Professor Martian's subject is also Including biology, but Phoenix is not an animal in nature at first glance. It is not so much an animal as it is a materialized projection of an outer dimension. The subject of exploring extra-dimensional spirits is tabooed by both Mars and the Emperor. Any Martian scholar who studies extra-dimensions must study carefully to avoid red lines. Even so, witnessing the projection of an extradimensional entity onto the physical plane for the first time is a rare experience. The biological theory of nature is completely unable to explain the supernatural phenomena that appear with the same type of creatures - the Martian technology sage secretly adjusted the eyepiece and tried to analyze the energy spectrum emanating from Phoenix's body.
"Tell me what lies beyond the fog. Please don't use poetry to express it. What I need is a detailed report."
"I understand. Now I need you to return to Earth, go to the witches, and tell them my decision." The emperor suddenly changed his tone. "Be careful. Witches have bad tempers. They will definitely be angry because of my plan." Tita found that except for the androids and the guards, no one else had any reaction to the emperor's next words, "They They don’t like me leaving them behind, but it’s too dangerous, and they still have tasks to complete. I’ve explained it to them, but I don’t think they can accept my suggestion happily.”
The emperor knew that compared to maintaining the safety of the earth, the witches preferred bloody battles and hot baths to wash away the smell of blood after the battle. He gave some of Karma Taj's responsibilities to the witches, but those responsibilities were completely incomparable to the trials he was about to undergo. In response, Tita heard several sweet chirps, and then the golden-red phoenix disappeared with bright firelight.
"What did it say, my lord?"
Tita raised her head and found that the guards were as eager for answers as she was. Obviously, all of the emperor's decisions broke through the most basic security procedures. The Order of the Praetorian Guard could not tolerate the emperor who had previously stayed on Earth without the protection of the Praetorian Guard (the Sisters were not aware of the existence of the Kama Taj Dungeon). Tita also couldn't stand the idea of the Emperor sending important fire support like battlecruisers away to attack an alien space station that might exist at a certain coordinate.
She didn't think that space station deserved the emperor's attention. The emperor could make an attack plan after the mission was over. She suddenly had an idea that the emperor was in a hurry to do something. This idea was headed towards Her thoughts were deeply rooted, and Tita felt that she needed to talk to Constantine in private. She saw Dinah standing behind the emperor again, her head lowered and silent. Perhaps this respected first artificial lady, who is fully responsible for the emperor's daily life, can know something. If the emperor has any secrets, I am afraid that only Constantine and Dinah can understand it.
"The Lewis and Clark spacecraft has not yet reached the orbit of Neptune. Phoenix has entered the psychic fog and has been tracking them." The Emperor commanded the holographic projection table to display the model of the Event Horizon spacecraft, "We are getting closer, and soon, we will We can see the spaceship that travels through hyperspace."
"This result is consistent with the results of psychic divination." Constantine pointed at Master Wang and said, "Master Wang's Lewis and Clark spacecraft is trapped."
After Master Wang entered the bridge, he tried every means to get away. During the long discussion, he either dozed off or was in a daze. It was not until the commander of the guards mentioned him that he stood up unsteadily and reluctantly. His former colleague became his superior, and he was a little embarrassed no matter what.
"The membrane of reality near the psychic fog is very weak. It was the wound opened by the Event Horizon's hyperspace engine in the material world." Master Wang lazily elaborated on the answer that the other party already knew. Neither the telescopes in Earth orbit nor the detectors launched by the Retribution can accurately measure the scope of the psychic fog, because it is a wound in the real plane, and there are no physical quantities such as width and length. Now that the Emperor has arrived on the Punishment, his work responsibilities can naturally be transferred. After all, this colleague's ability is far more powerful than his own. "It's not surprising that the Lewis and Clark spacecraft encountered this kind of thing. No one knows how the physical laws in the non-material realm will change. Maybe the Lewis and Clark spacecraft will have to fly another solar system distance. Maybe they will fly in the next second. Can reach Neptune.
"We have reached the psychic fog so that the Lewis and Clark can escape from the sea of unreality. This is a trap, a trap for me. The existence behind the curtain knows that only in this way can I go to the Event Horizon to find out. If we If I give up this decision, there will soon be news about the disappearance of the Lewis and Clark spacecraft on the earth, and more people will know about this confidential project. This is also the result that the beings behind the curtain are happy to see. They put me aside Got on the trolley problem." The emperor looked at Master Wang, whose serious look made the latter very embarrassed, "Master Hamil, your father has done divination many times, and he believes that this is a temptation from the outer dimension after the death of the Supreme Master. I I hope that after I lead the commandos and Praetorian Guards aboard the Event Horizon, you can maintain contact with Kamal Taj, and at least let Kamal Taj know that there is no problem with me. Constantine, order all forbidden personnel on this ship Guardsmen prepare, I will need all Praetorian Guards to board the Event Horizon with me. Tita..."
The chief commander of the sisterhood lowered his head, unwilling to look at the emperor.
"This is a trial for me, but I don't know how long this trial will last, so I must arrange the next task. I order you to lead us immediately after sending us to the Event Horizon The aircraft carrier Retribution and other battlecruisers attack the alien space station located in the Kuiper Belt. This mission must be completed before Ragnarok, so that we can shrink our strength in time to deal with Thanos' invasion."
Tita closed her eyes in pain. She seemed to have missed the opportunity to walk on the same battlefield with the emperor again.
"I understand." She asked, "So how do I know that your mission on the Event Horizon is completed? Our personal communicator does not have that much power to allow me to greet you in time?"
"The king will know," the emperor said. "When I complete the trial, I will tell him."
——————
Captain Miller came to the bridge worriedly. Also looking worried was the driver, Lieutenant Smith, who took over from Lieutenant Smith for the next eight hours of duty. Ever since all the crew members decided to plunge into the fog, they have been driving in this invisible fog for several standard days - according to previous calculations, they should have arrived at the location of the Event Horizon spacecraft by this time, but they are still there Navigating without hitting anything or being pulled down by Neptune's gravity meant that they had not yet reached their destination. In order to deal with emergencies, Captain Miller had to ask the pilot, Lieutenant Smith, to teach the simplest driving methods to everyone except Every crew member except the engine crew is protected, and a shift system and a rationing system are implemented to prevent the spacecraft from being unable to respond in the event of an emergency.
"Are you in trouble?" Dr. Weir in the passenger seat raised his head and glanced.
"There's something wrong with the atomic clock." Captain Miller sighed. The long journey consumes everyone's patience, and this kind of voyage with no destination in sight can also make people nervous. Captain Miller also made sure that every crew member on the ship had the most basic food under rationing, because NASA added a small amount of medication to stabilize the mind. If not, These drug crew members have a hard time calming down and thinking seriously. "The problem occurred two hours ago, or maybe it was two hours ago." Captain Miller shrugged. Time is arguably the least important issue right now. "Now we can't determine the time. I've sent Lieutenant Kubo (search and rescue officer) and Dr. Peters to check the computer, and they both think there is a problem with the atomic clock."
"Tell me about it." Dr. Will put away the book and looked very interested.
"The time shown by the atomic clock is very chaotic. Sometimes the atomic clock shows us to go back a few days ago, sometimes it shows us to go a hundred years later. But most of the time, the atomic clock thinks that our time has stopped." Captain Miller sighed again Taking a breath, he thought that he might need additional psychiatric drugs or psychological treatment. "Dr. Peters believes that if we cannot penetrate this fog, then the problem of the atomic clock is completely irrelevant. In addition, there is the problem of the turbine group. We have shut down the engine, and the remaining fuel must last until we return Earth. There are a lot of questions beyond that that you’re not necessarily interested in understanding.”
"I can go take a look. You know, I'm probably the only person on this ship who understands the mechanical structure of the atomic clock."
NASA's standards for selecting astronauts are relatively loose. It does not require astronauts to be pilots. They only need to receive relevant training. Otherwise, Dr. Peters and Dr. Weir would not come aboard the ship. Of course, this also puts more pressure on Captain Miller. After all, short-term training is difficult for a person to have the so-called astronaut's mind. Behaviors that are common in a gravity environment often make jokes in a zero-gravity environment.
"After the shift is over, if you still have energy," Captain Miller said, "we can't leave the ship unmanned."
"Of course." Dr. Will nodded, "I'm bored looking at this unchanging scenery every day. Ask, I know you still have questions. After all, Lieutenant Smith's duty is not over yet."
"Can you explain the situation we encountered?" Captain Miller pointed to the silvery white fog outside the window.
"I can't do it." Dr. Will put away the data pad. Captain Miller glanced at it and found that it was a photo of Dr. Will and a woman. "We should have reached the orbit of Neptune. But we have not hit Neptune's atmosphere, which only means that we have not reached our destination. The universe is very mysterious, and there are phenomena in this world that we humans cannot explain for the time being. Dr. Wendy Lawson once told I have demonstrated many technologies that are beyond human common sense. If it hadn’t been for the... accident that killed her, perhaps human beings’ technological level would have enabled alien colonization.”
"You always mention Dr. Lawson, but I hardly ever hear the name."
"Dr. Lawson has not taught in any school, nor has she published any papers. She has been serving SHIELD, and only scholars in related fields can know her name." Dr. Will hesitated, "Hide the information at this moment It's a stupid act, but I can only provide my guess, because other public information may not be accurate, and no one knows why Dr. Lawson provides services to SHIELD. But I think that Dr. Wendy Lawson may be related to There are connections with certain alien civilizations, otherwise it is completely impossible to explain how she created that engine that exceeds the limits of currently applied physics—in fact, it took us more than ten years to even power that hyperspace engine, and Lawson The Doctor's achievements in the Pegasus Project are not limited to this - however, after Dr. Lawson's death, many researches came to a standstill. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. is relatively independent, otherwise Congress would cut off all research funding."
The plan to repair the atomic clock was very slow. Dr. Weir spent six shifts checking the atomic clock in the time-frequency cabinet. This thing that looked like a large freezer had complex cables and equipment that used atomic oscillation frequencies. to determine the time. For Dr. Weir, inspecting and repairing this equipment was a rare leisure time on the ship. He had enough questions to fill his brain and squeeze out the thoughts of his deceased wife. Whenever he thinks about a problem, he always feels lighter.
He closed his laptop and stroked his beard, which he hadn't cleaned for a long time. Because of Captain Miller's concerns about recycling water, they had to save unnecessary waste, including shaving. Dr. Peters happened to come over at this time, just in time to finish the work at hand. "I have repeatedly checked the equipment that can be repaired here, and no problems have been found. If you want to conduct an in-depth inspection, you can only disassemble the core equipment and make internal adjustments. I guess it may be the magnetic shielding layer on the outer layer of the atomic furnace or microwave cavity. Something is wrong. Who knows if our external environment is allowing many particles that we have not discovered yet to penetrate the shielding."
"Captain Miller asked me to inform you." Dr. Peters automatically filtered the long list of professional knowledge. "He wants to have another meeting to discuss the next actions. He thinks we should let some people go into hibernation first."
"His anxiety is a little too severe, isn't it?"
"He shouldn't be anxious." Dr. Peters sighed. "The psychotropic drugs I prescribed for him have no effect at all. What about you, have you taken the drugs as prescribed by my doctor?"
"I'm in good shape."
"If you could hold a mirror, you'd see that's a lie." Dr. Peters waved the datapad in disgust. She will report on the crew's nutritional intake, exercise capacity and other physical conditions at the meeting. These data will be used as a basis to determine whether Captain Miller's decision is correct. "Let's go quickly, and tell Miller your good news by the way. The anxiety disorder will probably make him lie down directly in the hibernation chamber."
