spaceflight manual

Chapter 118 The Limit of Humanity

Back in time a little bit.

Andrei Romanov is one of the few employees of Soviet origin in Maga.After the last World War, most of the former Soviet or Russian descendants chose to return home and embrace a new life in a more promising world.

Romanov's father had escaped from the Gulag, so the whole family was afraid to go back.Since the disintegration of the Western world, my father has been drinking heavily every day, and when he gets drunk, he starts to play up the horror of "that side" to them.

Romanov himself thought it was okay. Maybe the Soviet Union was really that scary, but Huaguo would not be that scary no matter how you looked at it.

After all, it was a country that chose the path of "seeking common ground while reserving differences" against all opinions when it had its own overall advantage.

Because of his birth, Romanov has read the "End of War Speech" many times, and can even recite some passages of it - in Chinese.

For example: "We know that if we continue we can achieve total and complete victory and establish an order like ours throughout the world.

"However, we believe that the people of the world have the right to choose the path they want to take. We have completely removed the criminals who started the war, disarmed them, dismantled the ruling institutions, and the rest will Get the justice you deserve.

"Then it is time for the people of the world to carry out 'national self-determination'. We do not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor do we intend to colonize the economy, which will only make us another evil dragon.

"The advantage of our system is that all wealth is created with our own hands, not from the exploitation of others. The prosperity of a country should never be based on the poverty and backwardness of other countries and peoples.

"Of course, we have to admit the general law of economics, when the cake is only this big, then there must be some people who are rich and some people who are poor.

"Our solution is also very simple, which is to make the cake bigger, through technological progress, through expanding the human life circle, through other methods, until everyone is prosperous together.

"Next, we will focus all our energy on the development of the universe. The earth is just the cradle of mankind. Now that mankind has grown up, it's time to go to the stars and the sea."

When Romanov recited this passage, tears would always fill his eyes. How could such a country be like what his father described?
However, Romanov obeyed his father.In his childhood, he saw defeated countries rise from the ashes and saw "those people" make a comeback.

On the Lone Star Kingdom’s network, there are many influential big Vs who are promoting, saying that Huaguo stopped the allies because they were not sure that their own line is the final answer, so they must “retain diversity in the sociological sense.” ", and then advocated that "our set also has unique advantages."

Romanov didn't know if that was right, because he hadn't lived "on that side."

All he knew was that none of his friends who went home came back. As for why they didn't come back, he didn't know.

Now, he is a P2 employee of Maga Company, working as an ordinary electrician on the research base of the 20371 asteroid.

He has been in this base for almost ten years, because of living in a low-gravity state for a long time, his bones are already very fragile, and his muscles have degenerated badly, and recently he has become more and more neurotic.

Maga Company will not deploy psychologists universally. Psychologists are very expensive. Chatting with them is charged by time. Even P5 employees can’t pay for regular consultations. They can only feel the signs of depression. After that, I was anxious to find someone for treatment.

Romanov had to deal with the insanity caused by being in space for a long time.

Fortunately, the base of star 20371 is completely inside the star, without portholes, otherwise Romanov might be in a worse situation. Now, he just has some insomnia and nightmares, not unbearable.

Now, while thinking wildly, Romanov completed the maintenance task and put the cover of the maintenance port on.

Then he picked up the tablet and ticked off the work order displayed on it.

"Next..." He murmured, looking at the next task.

Most of the tasks of P2 employees are mechanical and boring, which makes people feel unmotivated, so Romanov is very tired.

At this moment, he suddenly heard a "creak".

It should be the sound of some hatch that hasn't been oiled for a long time.

Romanov turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

Empty, nothing.Moreover, in order to save electricity, the base has turned off the lights in most of the corridors that are not commonly used.

In the dark and empty corridor, it looked like the mouth of a giant beast devouring humans.

Romanov was a little apprehensive. He picked up the searchlight floating next to him, and turned to illuminate the dark passage.

The moment the light shines past, there is a sound like the sound of newspapers being rolled up and slapped on the table.Romanov was too familiar with this sound. After all, he was born in the Lone Star Country. It was the sound of guns with silencers firing.

He was about to shout when the bullet went through his head.

He immediately let go of the hand holding the lamp, and the lamp floated in the air, and the light emitted hit the figure wearing a combat exoskeleton.

The leader gestured to his subordinates to deal with the corpse.

At this moment, Romanov's walkie-talkie rang, and he turned on the hands-free mode to save trouble, and the sudden voice echoed in the secluded corridor: "Romanov, why did your heartbeat stop? Isn't your space suit malfunctioning?"

The person who floated over immediately took out the scanner and scanned Romanov's throat. The next moment, a voice synthesized by the computer based on the scanning results sounded: "It's broken, there's a short circuit, I'll fix it."

There was silence for a few seconds, and he replied, "Romanov, do you have a cold? This voice is wrong. Is this really you?"

But this voice was interrupted, and a more savage voice shouted: "Idiot! That's the voice synthesized after scanning the structure of the throat, I can hear it right away! Sound the battle alarm, someone is coming in! Let those nerds hurry up!" Delete the content on the storage!"

The next moment, the alarm was loud.

**
In the scientific research center of the 20371 base, the director of the center was looking at the ongoing experiments in the laboratory at the observation window, and suddenly the alarm went off.

A researcher yelled: "Director, the Security Section requires the implementation of the removal protocol and the destruction of all files."

"Crazy, it must be the head of the security department who is crazy again. Don't worry, that section chief is lower than me! Where are there so many attacks? Activate the backup power supply and life support system to prevent that crazy person from losing power and pumping air. Let's continue Experiment, this experiment is very critical, it is related to whether the project can continue to get funding, the directors are waiting."

Then he picked up the microphone on the table and said to the other side of the observation window: "Don't worry about the alarm, continue testing."

The two people wearing helmets glanced at the director through the observation window, and then returned to the device.

The researcher in charge of shooting the experimental record "reported": "The 513th experiment of the universal brain-computer interface control device test. Today, two new operators were replaced. The previous two operators had a mental breakdown due to serious side effects..."

"There is no need to record this." The deputy director in charge of the specific experimental work on the laboratory side said, "Just say what you have to say, erase it and record it again."

The chief scientist sneered: "Suddenly synchronizing human consciousness with the sensors of the entire big robot, it is normal to go crazy.

"Unless this person has been synchronized with the big robot since birth, his brain will adapt to the 'performance' of the flesh, otherwise, our brains will adapt to the poor function of the weak flesh.

"For example, a human being can walk at a speed of about five kilometers per hour, and the instantaneous burst speed is only about 10 meters per second, and the top level of continuous running is only in the early [-] kilometers per hour. You suddenly connect him with a flying speed of more than ten meters per second. It's no wonder it's not crazy for a [-]-kilometer thing.

"If you want me to say, we took great pains to make the battleship into a human shape, hoping that this would reduce the pilot's load and make this brain-computer interface practical in the field of spaceship driving. It's just a dream. I think the most suitable place for this system is It’s the only suitable place to do virtual reality games.”

Another scientist shrugged and said, "Isn't the company trying to test the feasibility of new humans? Many people in the board of directors believe that Gila Miller is the person closest to the standards of new humans."

The chief scientist sneered: "The people on the board of directors must have watched too many cartoons of the pre-space age. Besides, even if there are any new humans, we now connect two people through the brain-computer interface in order to reduce mental stress, and the new humans will also Are you confused?"

At this time, one of the two people on the test bench said: "Don't worry about it, I have long wanted to be together with my wife in a real sense."

His wife smiled sweetly.

Chief Scientist: "No, I think that doing so is the number one cause of serially induced mental breakdowns."

"However, since it was changed to a two-person series, the average support time of each group of experimental subjects has become longer. Science must pay attention to data." The second scientist said.

The chief scientist just shrugged and made a gesture to order the experiment to begin.

So the assistant who pinched the watch began to count down.

After the timer reset to zero, the male test subject exclaimed: "My God, I am Gundam!"

And the female test subject let out a scream.

The chief scientist glanced at the humanoid robot standing up in the test field on the screen, and said: "Try to use the robot to use the 'mass autonomous movement method', the mass distribution of the body has been adjusted, it should be close to that of a human, and there are computers to assist you. "

The next moment, the robot on the screen moved and stumbled. It could be seen that it was trying to turn over in the air, but it behaved like a patient whose semicircular canal was severely damaged and completely lost his sense of balance.

On the side of the experimental subject, the female experimental subject let out a painful cry, and then retched a small lump of yellow liquid.

The deputy director of the center: "Let the computer restore the posture of the body. Prepare to cut off the connection between the two, and let No. 51301 try it alone. Hurry up and treat No. 51302."

"Ready."

"You can start on the first."

No. [-]'s body twitched, probably because it moved when controlling the robot.

Yet the robot was still a mess.

Chief Scientist: "Isn't there progress? At least one-third of the 180-degree turn has been completed, and there is also an irregular deviation to the left. Used in combat, this is the Brownian motion maneuver. Who can fight it?" Such a mobile machine? No! Fuck no!"

The primary purpose of this project is that if the mass autonomous movement method is used to rotate the body, then the attitude control engine may not be installed, or the attitude control engine may be installed less, which can save a lot of weight and working fluid

Of course, the skeleton and electronic muscles used to perform actions also have weight. Whether the attitude control engine is heavier or these are heavier is a question that will be considered later.

The second point is that the attitude control engine is basically exposed on the outer shell of the spacecraft, which is one of the easiest targets to destroy during laser roll call.Removing the engine can greatly improve the survivability in the face of laser irradiation. After all, the bones and electronic muscles are inside the armor.

But the price is that the humanoid machine may become very vulnerable when facing live ammunition.

What is the last thing to bet on the possibility of new humans.

Of course, the board of directors' investment is mainly a gamble on the possibility of new humans. It has to be said that this is also a kind of black humor.

Just when everyone in the laboratory was at a loss for the results of the experiment, the voice of the director of the center on the other side of the observation window came from the loudspeaker: "Stop for now, let the computer control the body according to Gila Miller's combat records .”

The order was carried out immediately.

Then the humanoid machine on the display completed the turn perfectly, and it turned over.

The chief scientist held his chin: "I've read the combat records of Gila Miller carefully, and he never turned around. Why? He manually controls the rotation of each joint in the cockpit. "

The second seat teased, "Don't worry about the new human beings."

It was too late and then fast, and the sound of a huge explosion penetrated into everyone's ears.The whole asteroid shook.

Immediately afterwards, the pressure loss alarm sounded rapidly.

In the next moment, the door of the laboratory was blasted open. The impact of the explosion first squeezed the air inward, and then the airless universe sucked the air out again.

The breach is like a huge vortex, sucking everyone in.

The drastic decompression left blood streaming from everyone's ears.

The depressurization process was over immediately, and only the dead remained in the huge laboratory.

A burly man wearing a combat exoskeleton rushed in, with a black identification belt wrapped around his arm.

The mouth in the big man's helmet is squirming, but the laboratory that has entered a vacuum state does not have a medium for sound transmission.

And in the radio, the big man said this: "Damn, isn't the space station decompressed as a whole? Why is there still air here, why are they not wearing spacesuits? Now the tongue is gone!"

Then he pointed his gun at the other side of the observation window and shouted: "Don't go! Don't delete the data, we are gangsters, if you dare to delete us, you dare to kill us!"

After speaking, he remembered that there was no air, and the other party might not have radio equipment, so he ordered the computer to start playing Morse code with the tactical light on the exoskeleton.

(End of this chapter)