The legend of Tiga

boom!
boom!
boom!
Three rows of gunfire, the deafening sound of gunfire quickly faded away in the smoke, echoing in this beautiful place with mountains and rivers.

Several rows of people dressed in black stood solemnly. Many people in the front row were sobbing and looking at the three newly erected tombstones with sorrow. The photos on them were of the three crew members of the Lomus III.

Around them, there are more monuments. Each one is young, each one has a smile on his face, and each one was an astronaut when he was alive.

The dates of death range from manned space flight in the last century to planetary exploration at the beginning of the century, and Dr. Jiang Qi of Jeptah-3 is also among them.

Rows and pieces by pieces silently tell us how much sacrifice and effort are behind mankind's brilliant achievements in space.

On behalf of TPC, the Director of the Office of Outer Space Affairs, Osamu Nanase, read out a eulogy for the three astronauts who unfortunately died in space:
“.Since the beginning of this century, mankind has created many miracles, including building a lunar base, a Delta Space Station, a Martian city in the Mariner Valley, interstellar bases in the asteroid belt and on Ganymede, and space stations on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Success has become taken for granted and miracles have become commonplace, but in fact, it has only been fifty-six years since humans first entered space on April 1961, 4.

We still know very little about the universe, and human aerospace activities are still in their infancy. Many astronauts, including myself, are the pioneering generation in space exploration, facing danger and exploring the unknown.

Every astronaut who steps into space is the most fearless hero. They know that space exploration involves huge risks, but they still accept the mission and embark on the road of exploring the future for mankind.

To the families of the three heroes, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. While we mourn the loss of our heroes, our thoughts are also with you.

You are the heroes behind the scenes, and you deserve half of the medal of honor.

The people you love are very brave. They have unparalleled courage and fearlessness. They are worthy of humanity and the title of heroes. They die for the ideals of humanity and for the future of humanity. They sacrifice their lives on the 'journey of discovery'.

Today we gather together to mourn them. Tomorrow, a new spacecraft will carry their last wishes and head further afield. The cause of space exploration will not be stopped by this tragedy. Setbacks will allow us to move forward with greater courage. We are still full of hope and we are indomitable.

Ten years ago, after reaching Jupiter's orbit for the first time, the GPT III was attacked by an unidentified luminous object and three astronauts were killed. Today, the Romulus III reached the third region of the Kuiper Belt for the first time and three more astronauts met with misfortune. Ten years later, humans will reach even farther places.

Many of us will fall along the way, as it was in the past, it is so today, and it will be so in the future. Tragedy is an inevitable part of the process of exploration and knowledge seeking. Human adventures in opening up frontiers are always accompanied by sacrifices, but sacrifices will not stop us in fear, but will only make us move forward with more and greater courage.

"

Makoto Nanase, who was the first person in charge of the Delta Space Station, the first permanent space station of mankind, spoke passionately about the sacrifices made and the achievements made in mankind's space activities. His commemoration was filled with sadness, but also with encouragement.

Finally, Nanase Makoto, who had long since stepped down as director of the Delta Space Station and was currently continuing to shine as director of the Office of Outer Space Affairs, ended his condolences with a final statement.

Although not many people attended, it was broadcast worldwide.

Everyone lined up and walked forward in an orderly manner to lay flowers on the cenotaphs of the three astronauts.

Yes, it is a cenotaph.

The huge explosion of the asteroid destroyed everything.

Only some items left on Earth by the three astronauts were placed in the tomb.

After laying down flowers, people left one after another by car. Even the family members cried in grief for a while, then left after looking back several times under the comfort of their loved ones.

The entire memorial service lasted three hours.

After the excitement comes desolation.

The wind coming from afar blows the bright flowers on the ground, bringing fragrance to the nose, but how long can flowers without roots last?
Xincheng stood there motionless. The crowd had dispersed, but he was still there, watching from afar.

According to regulations, he should not appear, let alone contact family members without permission and without accompaniment.

Outrageous regulations are always due to even more outrageous things happening.

After all, when people are sad or angry, they always want to find a point to vent, and when they don't know who to find or can't find or dare not find the perpetrator, they will unconsciously vent their anger.

If it weren't for you, it wouldn't have happened.
Reason and logic don't make sense at this time.

That is why this regulation came into being.

But Xincheng came anyway, but he did not make things difficult for the people sent by the TPC Security Committee to "protect" him. He just watched from afar, silently grieving.

From the beginning to the end, no one noticed that there was a sad person standing on the hillside in the northeast corner of this cemetery dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for human space flight.

Director Nanase's car stopped on the side of the road, and then Nanase Makoto got out of the car and walked over alone. Looking at the sad-looking Shinjo, he sighed silently, parked a few meters away from Shinjo, and said, "In 1994, the International Space Development Agency formulated a strategic policy of Mars first and then Jupiter. The first step was to build an interstellar base on the moon and a space station on the back of the moon. At that time, in order to seize the best position and the best orbit, various countries launched their own launch vehicles: the Saturn of the Bald Eagle, the Soyuz of the Polar Bear, the Ariane of Europa, and the Shenzhou of East Asia.
Countries disassembled huge space stations into parts, transported them into outer space separately, and then reassembled them into space stations. At that time, every second counted, just to be faster than others and occupy the orbit on the back of the moon earlier.

The result of pursuing speed is frequent failures.

The Bald Eagle lost four launch vehicles and more than twenty astronauts; the Polar Bear lost six launch vehicles and more than forty astronauts.

, Europa
By the time the countries finally realized that continuing the competition would only lead to greater losses, nearly two hundred astronauts had already shed their blood in the sky, including my mentor and two senior brothers. The second stage of the Yuyi-9 rocket they were riding on failed to separate and exploded in the thermosphere. They were supposed to go to Artemis Base, which is now the Caro Base.
At that time, the new space station was selecting a person in charge, and I was not the first choice, but that accident made me the only choice. "

Shinjo stood there without moving. He had no idea what Director Nanase was trying to say.

Nanase Makoto didn't care about Shinjo's lack of response, but continued to talk to himself: "Before that, I didn't think about going to that new space station, because it meant staying in the universe for a long time. After all, at that time, the cost of a round trip between heaven and earth was still very high, and countries were in fierce competition. The limited resources and space were all used to transport and build space stations and interstellar bases.

But their departure left me with no choice but to move on. I had to move on.”

Nanase Makoto said this with a sigh. Maybe he couldn't understand what Shinjo said before, but now he deeply understood Nanase Makoto's choice back then.

Friends and mentors are gone, and I am the only one left. I must follow their wishes and carry out their expectations to complete the unfinished business.

Just like myself now, I will continue to travel into the universe and go further, so as not to let down the sacrifice of the three crew members of the Lomus III, even if it costs a huge price.

Just like Nanase Makoto.

Because of taking on the mission of the Delta Space Station, the relationship between Nanase Makoto and his wife broke down and they inevitably divorced. He has been alone ever since, and his dearest daughter has been a stranger for 10 to 20 years. Even though Lina, who grew up, forgave her father later, the lost family affection can never be regained, and the absence of his daughter's growth process can never be regained.

“Flying into space is the dream of many people, but turning dreams into reality requires enduring great pain and even making huge sacrifices, which could be you or me.

It’s inevitable! That’s probably it.”

The last words became barely audible.

But Xincheng was not in the mood to be curious and was still immersed in sadness.

Four people left and one returned.

The dead are gone, but the living have to bear the burden and carry the sorrow.

Nanase Makoto stood with Shinjo for a long time, until all the people attending the memorial service had left, then he turned and left.

The surroundings became extremely quiet, and Xincheng began to move his legs, which were a little stiff from standing for so long, and staggered forward. The distance was not long, but it seemed to him like a long time.

Looking at the three people in the photo, their voices, smiles and faces are still in my mind. Every moment we spent together seems like it was just yesterday, but we are now separated by Yin and Yang and separated forever.

I stood there for a long time and looked for a long time.

Until it was getting dark, Xincheng leaned over, gently placed a flower in his hand on the tombstone, and whispered: "I will continue to fly, taking your share with me, to a farther place.

Go look at the edge of the solar system, go look for the ninth planet, go to Proxima Centauri, go to the triple system.
As long as I can fly, I will keep flying."

He muttered to himself, talking about his dreams, the places he wanted to go, and the wonders of the universe he wanted to see.

Even though most of them may never be seen in this lifetime, it doesn't stop Xincheng from thinking about it.

What technology cannot achieve, the mind may be able to achieve.

After a long time, Xincheng turned around, raised his head, spread his legs, and strode in the direction he came from. He gradually walked away, leaving the three astronauts who were still standing there and the more astronauts around them far behind.

They stayed where they were, with smiles on their faces, watching the new city go further and further away until it was no longer visible. Although they were left behind, the smiles on their faces did not diminish at all, but instead became even brighter.

Because there are people who are moving forward and going further than them.

—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—

"Captain Xincheng, your results are normal. You can be discharged from the hospital after three more days of observation."

In the medical department, Xincheng's attending physician held the test results and told Xincheng the good news with a smile on his face.

Although Xincheng was rescued, the matter was not over.

He needs to undergo rigorous medical and psychological examinations to determine whether he has been physically and mentally affected by the accident.

This is not targeting, this is science.

Even without an accident, astronauts undergo routine physical and psychological examinations to ensure that they are able to continue to perform their current jobs.

After all, most astronauts have to work in outer space. Not only is the environment cramped, but it is also constantly dark, not as colorful as the Earth. They have to endure several times the pressure every minute and every second, especially the psychological changes, which are silent and even imperceptible to the astronauts themselves, but will suddenly erupt at some point, and bring unpredictable consequences.

"Thank you!"

Shinjo smiled back and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

I'm glad to be alright.

In this way, he can return to space as soon as possible, continue to explore the unknown, and go to further places.

After the attending physician left, Mayumi hurried in. Seeing a smile on her brother's face, no longer as depressed as before, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"elder brother!"

"Mayumi, you're here."

Xincheng asked his sister to sit down and asked about her recent situation as if chatting.

How is your work and life? Is there someone you like? You are so old now, it’s time to think about it.

Mayumi rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "Brother, you should think about yourself first. You are so old and you still don't have a girlfriend.

Dr. Horii, now has a son and a daughter. "

When talking about this winner in life, Xin Cheng curled his lips and said, "What's wrong with that?"

"This means that even when I get old and my smart brain can no longer work, there will be people who can inherit my excellent genes and keep moving forward." Horii's voice sounded outside the door, and then a fat body appeared at the door.

"You're still like this, you should lose some weight."

"You haven't changed, you're still the same person."

The two people who had not seen each other for a long time mocked each other, hugged each other with open arms, and kept slapping each other's backs, and they were getting harder and harder until the pain was unbearable. Then they let go of each other, looked at each other, and then laughed together.

"Long time no see, Shinjo!"

"Hello again, Horii!"

Mayumi, who was standing by, held her forehead and sighed. She really couldn't understand the friendship between men, but she didn't bother them. She got up and went to the door to help Xincheng go through some procedures so that he could be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible. Anyway, this guy didn't want to stay in the hospital for even a minute longer. Although he had to stay for three more days, Xincheng definitely couldn't wait even a second longer.

Without a sister-in-law, she is the only one who can help. She is really a worrying brother. (End of this chapter)