Chapter 13
The Aliens Have Arrived
“Chief Engineer Yang, this is just an experimental spacecraft. Are you really going to launch it?” The manager of a space agency said in disbelief.
“It’s not up to me to decide,” Chief Engineer Yang shook his head. “Let’s not dwell on that. Let’s focus on the task at hand.”
The spacecraft was still operational. Even if it disappeared on the moon, he wouldn’t feel any heartache since it had already completed its mission. As White Rabbit Nine was built on the foundation of this experimental spacecraft.
However, Chief Engineer Yang was concerned about the other two astronauts who would be accompanying Colonel Chu on this mission. Only his skilled pilots were capable of operating a spacecraft, but who should be sent on this one-way trip?
No matter who it was, he felt uneasy.
He didn’t need to worry too much about the experimental spacecraft as there were plenty of people who would modify it.
He went alone to the aerospace training base and asked the Chief Instructor for a list of names and family information of all the official and reserve astronauts members. Sitting in his office, he looked at the documents, wondering who to send.
Three hours later, Chief Engineer Yang selected four people from the many astronauts.
Just as he was about to call them over, there was a knock on the office door.
“Please come in,” Chief Engineer Yang said.
A group of people barged in.
“Chief Engineer Yang, I heard that the prototype spacecraft is going to the moon again. I want to go!”
“Wang Dong Dong is a good friend of mine, and I want to go up and find him!”
To his surprise, all the people who entered were astronauts.
Chief Engineer Yang frowned, “Who told you that the prototype spacecraft is going to launch?”
“It was Assistant Xiao Wang. She said they are selecting two people to go up.”
“That rascal Xiao Wang!” Chief Engineer Yang thought. He was frustrated but helpless to have heard this.
Looking at the group of people in front of him, he said in a serious tone, “This mission is different from before. It’s extremely dangerous.”
The astronauts exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
“Chief Engineer Yang, we became astronauts to dedicate ourselves to this cause a long time ago!”
“I’ve been training here for 18 years and haven’t gone to space once. You have to pick me this time!”
“Come on, Old Wang, your son is getting married soon. Let me go!”
“Xiao Liu, your wife just got pregnant. The child needs a father. Let me go. I don’t have anyone waiting for me.”
“Brother Sun, forget it. You’re the only child in your family. If something happens to you, your parents will be devastated. Let me go. I’m an orphan…”
Chief Engineer Yang watched as the astronauts argued over who should go to space. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit emotional.
The four people he had picked included an orphan named Ye Fan. Although he felt sorry for him, but Ye fan had the fewest ties on Earth.
“If I didn’t have a son, and didn’t have Zhang Tao, Liu Ning, and Wang Dong Dong’s family to take care of, I will volunteered to go myself,” he thought to himself.
The team was finally chosen, including a child from a single-parent family and an orphan.
Little did they know that just half a day after they began their training, they received news that the moon mission had been canceled!
In the headquarters of the Great Xia Space Agency, Chief Engineer Yang and Colonel Chu sat across from each other in an office.
“Why was the mission canceled?” Chief Engineer Yang asked. Needless to say, he was relieved that they no longer had to send two young men to the Moon.
Colonel Chu appeared dejected. He took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled four or five clouds of smoke before responding, “They denied my request to go up.”
“Experts analyzed the situation and concluded that sending me up was not a wise decision,” Colonel Chu added.
Chief Engineer Yang was curious and quickly asked for the reasons, while also thinking of a way to comfort Colonel Chu.
Colonel Chu shook his head and slowly began to explain, “According to our analysis, there are two possible scenarios for aliens appearing on the moon. The first is that they have been on the moon for a long time, observing the lives and habits of humans on Earth. The second possibility is that they have just arrived on the moon!”
“If it’s the first case, they have no reason to catch the White Rabbit Nine as it would expose themselves! Even if they wanted to communicate with humans, they would go directly to the capital city or, at the very least, communicate through the three astronauts of White Rabbit Nine.”
“However, we have not received any messages from the aliens yet, and neither have other countries. In addition, the three astronauts have not reappeared. According to our colleagues’ analysis, it is likely that the aliens on the moon have just arrived and are not familiar with Earth!”
There were many more in-depth analysis reports that Colonel Chu did not mention. For example, the aliens on the moon might have arrived on a search spaceship. It is also possible that their spacecraft has lost its exploration capabilities.
Chief Engineer Yang furrowed his brow and asked, “So you’re suggesting that they have just arrived on the moon? Are Zhang Tao and the other two astronauts still alive?”
“It’s unlikely that they’re dead. The aliens are aware that they have trespassed into another civilisation’s territory, and they are probably interrogating them right now.”
“It’s been three days, and they haven’t shown themselves, which means there are two possibilities.”
“The first possibility is that the aliens believe that Earth’s civilisation is outdated and not worth their attention. Once their spacecraft is repaired, they may leave on their own.”
“The second possibility is that the aliens are not much more powerful than us and believe that we don’t know their true identity. They may have hidden the three astronauts, attempting to delay the time before they are exposed. At worst, they can use the three astronauts as hostages.”
Chief Engineer Yang scratched his head and asked, “Colonel Chu, based on your analysis, which possibility gives them a better chance of survival?”
“The second possibility!”
Colonel Chu continued, “If it is the first possibility, the aliens believe in their own strength and are not afraid of our retaliation. They would not waste their resources on three Earthlings.”
Chief Engineer Yang was convinced by Colonel Chu’s analysis. However, Colonel Chu seemed unhappy about the cancellation of the moon landing program.
Colonel Chu sighed and said, “My original plan was for our government to make contact with the aliens. If there were risks, we would take them on ourselves, and if there were benefits, we would keep them to ourselves and not share them with other countries.”
“But after weighing the pros and cons, the decision was made to notify the international organisation and all Earthlings to respond to this event together.”
Chief Engineer Yang understood Colonel Chu’s point of view after hearing this.
He comforted him, saying, “It’s normal for the higher-ups to make such decisions. After all, analysis is just analysis. If the aliens are very powerful and we provoke them, no one can bear the consequences.”
“The higher-ups are still too cautious,” Colonel Chu said. If it was up to him, he would’ve continued on with the Moon landing plan anyways. He had hoped to make a name for himself in history if he could meet the aliens on the moon this time, whether he lived, died, succeeded or failed.
Unfortunately, he missed this opportunity, and he could only join others to contact the aliens under the name of a certain group.
“I came here not only to inform you of the cancellation of the Moon landing program but also to tell you something else,” Colonel Chu said.
Chief Engineer Yang had some guesses, “Why are you telling me so much about these aliens? Is it because you want me to join you?”
Colonel Chu smiled slightly and said, “You guessed it. You and I will represent Great Xia and take full responsibility for matters related to the aliens.”
“Now, the first thing we need to do is to inform other countries…”
“The aliens have arrived!”