When the transport ship of the Space and Time Administration appeared in the outer space of the earth, all countries on the earth with space observation capabilities were shocked by this uninvited guest.
In particular, the Arcadia super transport ship did not rely on the planet's gravity to slow down, but dived directly towards a certain area of the earth.
This makes the earth unable to react at all. You must know that it takes nine hours for the return capsule of the low-Earth orbit space station to detach from the space station and return to the earth. And it takes more than 40 minutes to land from the time the return capsule begins to detach to decelerating and completing the landing.
However, in the observation of the earth, this unique-looking spacecraft sailed directly into the earth's atmosphere. Like a comet, it traced a dazzling trajectory in the outer atmosphere and fell towards the ground.
At this moment, NASA's Johnson Space Center, also known as Houston in the usual sense, has become completely nervous.
As the head of NASA, Teddy Sanders forced himself to calm down and asked the data analyst on the side: "Where is the expected location of the crash site?"
Based on the data model, the data analyst looked at the answer given by the computer and said in disbelief: "Coordinates -95.09201, 29.56071."
Teddy held the phone in his hand and asked loudly: "Speak clearly! I need a place name that ordinary people can understand!"
"This is it, Houston!"
The data analyst slumped in his chair. Teddy grabbed his swivel chair and leaned in front of the computer to confirm his position.
"Could it really be Mark?"
Mitch Henderson was stunned for a moment, looked back at the camera behind him that had started, and motioned for Mark to continue.
At the beginning of this tense contact, the side hatch airlock of the Arcadia transport ship slowly opened, and a human stood on the gangway, looking awkwardly at the fellow Earthlings in front of him.
Teddy looked at the panic of the people around him, and after briefly hearing the discussion, he quickly made a choice.
As the Johnson Space Center, there must be military defenses surrounding it.
The first step is decided by Mark, and then it is the earth as a whole.
"Who asked you to provoke them in the past? Now that they have grown up, you are no longer your opponent. Yeah, yeah, Prince Slime is not your opponent, he is still your little brother!"
Mark's departure had no impact on Rorschach and others inside the ship. Little Shark stood around Rorschach aggrievedly, as if accusing him of something.
When the Arcadia transport ship had just stopped, the first wave of operators approached the transport ship from underground bunkers in various vehicles.
Satellites and ground observation equipment were turned around, staring intently at this spacecraft that did not belong to the Earth.
Zhang Peng left many details unclear in his training, and Mark also understood that this was due to the need for confidentiality.
Mark's shout appeared in the control room of the space center, and everyone looked at each other in shock.
But now that he has been brought back from Mars, the existence of the Space-Time Management Bureau will definitely be informed to the earth through his mouth.
The moment he saw his old boss, Mark said first, "Listen to me first. What I say is very important!"
Mark was taken to a secret location underground. There was no process at all. Doctors, geneticists and biologists each extracted his tissues and body fluids to check Mark's identity.
Mark told everything he saw without a trace of subjective bias. The more impartial his explanation, the more beneficial the contact between the two parties would be.
The fourth plan launched was a plan to deal with contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. The originally planned anti-aircraft missiles were locked, and only ground forces were responsible for close contact.
Standing out from the crowd, Teddy shouted loudly: "Now, we may really have a third kind of contact! So, I hope everyone can stay here. No one can leave the space center until everything is clear, including me!"
Guards! Seize everyone’s private communication equipment! Implement wartime control!”
"On the night of the 134th day on Mars, my culture chamber exploded due to loss of pressure. Just when I was most desperate, I heard a knock on the door outside the cabin..."
The Arcadia super transport ship has entered the deceleration stage, the engine adjusted its direction, the bow slowly raised, and it stopped steadily on the grass next to the Johnson Space Center.
Rorschach comforted the aggrieved little shark, and his pitiful appearance aroused laughter from everyone. Only Casper, after laughing, occasionally looked around and thought about the subsequent negotiations.
As Teddy finished speaking, a group of guards rushed in from the outside, occupied all important positions, and began to seize the equipment.
At this moment, Mark could only raise his hands to show that he was not a threat, and shouted outside: "I am Mark Watney, the astronaut of the Ares 3 flight program, and now I request to meet with Teddy Sanders, the director of the space center.
Teddy, it’s me, it’s really me, I’m back from Mars!”
After saying this, Teddy threw down his phone, waved everything on the table away, and stood on the table.
"How did he come back? There is now 1.35 AU between Earth and Mars, and Hermes has 261 days to come back!"
Mark, with his hands raised, slowly approached the cordon and was then taken away by two combatants wearing full-coverage chemical protective suits.
But Zhang Peng told him one thing clearly: whether the earth can join the Space-Time Management Bureau will affect the future destiny of the earth.
Someone among them was holding a light sign, and the flashing light sign was the most basic light signal, trying to establish contact with the transport ship. Some people started biochemical radiation detection, and a large spectrometer began to detect spacecraft materials.
Of course there will be people who won't cooperate, but these guards won't care about your previous identity and status. When the butt of the gun is smashed down, the pain will make the stab head cooperate obediently.
Mark was tied to the seat, and opposite him was his old boss, Mitch Henderson.
Without any hesitation, Teddy immediately dialed a number on his mobile phone and shouted to the other side: "I am Teddy Sanders, the director of the Johnson Space Center. My personal code is 12HR243. Now start the fourth plan!"
Mark looked at all this with embarrassment. Originally, he might have died on Mars, or he might have returned to Earth with the full assistance of Earth, which would have made him a hero.
But more of them are soldiers holding weapons. After all, no one knows the intentions of the comers before communicating.
"Bring him back! Then find doctors, geneticists and biologists. I want to make sure he is still a human on Earth!"
"So, I don't know their specific intentions, but my reason is telling me that the earth needs this opportunity..."
After Mark finished his final explanation, Mitch slowly stood up and packed up the camera behind him.
Looking back at Mark, Mitch said: "Mark, have a good rest. I will report what you said. I can only do this. Do you need anything else?"
"No need, returning to Earth is my only wish. By the way, remember not to have potatoes in tomorrow's breakfast. I feel uncomfortable when I see potatoes!"
