Chapter 12 The Battle for Titan Energy
Titan is the fifteenth closest known satellite of Saturn, at a distance of 1,221,830 kilometers. Titan has a diameter of 5150 kilometers and a mass of approximately 51.35e23 kilograms. In ancient Greek mythology, the Titans are a family of giants with super strength. The Titan family is the descendant of Uranus and Gaia. This family has always wanted to rule and lead heaven, but was eventually overthrown and replaced by the Zeus family, the god of the universe.
Humans on earth have always believed that Titan was the largest satellite of Saturn. Until 1655, the Dutch astronomer Huygens discovered that Titan was slightly smaller than Ganymede, but it was larger and heavier than Mercury and Pluto. Titan is surrounded by a very round, opaque atmosphere, and its surface is not visible at all in visible light. Its body is composed of nearly half ice and half rocky material. It has a rocky core 3,400 kilometers in diameter surrounded by layers of ice crystals. Its inner core is most likely hot and so dense that its own gravity compresses it toward the center. Titan's surface pressure is about 1.5 times that of Earth's atmosphere. Its atmosphere is mainly composed of molecular nitrogen, with only 6% argon and some percentage of methane, as well as some ethane, hydrochloramine, and carbon dioxide. Titan is similar to the early days of Earth when life first emerged. This moon has no magnetic field and sometimes moves outside Saturn's magnetosphere, thus exposing it to the solar wind.
The temperature of Titan is about minus 180 degrees. Under these natural conditions, ice will not sublimate into water vapor, and the water on the planet's surface cannot participate in chemical changes in the atmosphere. A lot of thick smoke is often formed here, and there are a lot of chemical changes going on. This may be the reason why it is seen as orange in the universe. It is highly likely that ethane and methane formed as rain on Titan, eventually forming oceans on the planet's surface. There is a huge and bright "continent" on the hemisphere facing the direction of Titan's revolution, with coordinates of 18.1 degrees north latitude and 208.7 degrees longitude.
The pale yellow twilight arrived as expected from a distant place, and in the atmosphere there was an aircraft that looked similar to a comet, dragging a long tail and creating a dazzling firelight. With a rumble, it landed on the ice of Lake Ontario on Titan. There are no lush forests here, nor the lush green fields, nor the distant and desolate music of the grasslands on the earth, only the howling cold wind and the ice that has been frozen for billions of years. The vast and transparent space between heaven and earth can be seen clearly from the evil shadow battleship. The season at this time is winter in Titan's southern hemisphere, and the harsh living conditions here are incomparable to those on Proxima Centauri c.
Captain Evil Shadow and Professor Wodu opened their eyes wide in surprise, and they looked at each other. Several other astronauts, Donne, Clerk, Rackham, Hinson, and Dona, also showed surprised expressions at the same time. You can imagine the huge contrast in everyone's psychology if they were in a picturesque world and suddenly came to a cold and desolate world. Before they set off, the grass was green and the trees were lush. Suddenly, everything in front of them changed. All the vegetation in their minds disappeared, leaving only the desolate and solemn scene of Lake Andalus. They fell directly from a warm world to a cold world of minus 180 degrees. If it weren't for the protection of the spacecraft, they would have been frozen by now.
What was a bright sky before departure turned into an orange sky. At this time, the dark clouds in the sky were getting thicker and thicker, and the raindrops as big as a basin fell slowly, gradually turning into huge ice flowers during the landing process. Lake Ontario is surrounded by numerous sand dunes, much like the terrain of the Sahara Desert. Heading north from Lake Ontario, you have to pass through a huge mountain range that is very similar to the Andes, the largest mountain range on earth. It is windy and rainy on this satellite, and the climate is very similar to that of the Earth. It is just that the temperature is very different from that of the Earth. It is an icy planet.
Five billion years from now, when the sun expands into a red giant, the temperature on the earth will rise sharply, and everything will become a desert, no longer a livable planet for humans. Perhaps the temperature of Titan will rise at that time. It has become green with green grass and fertile fields, making it more suitable for human beings and higher-level beings in the universe to live.
"Professor Wodu, there must be water under this ice surface, right? You see, the rainwater has washed out rivers in the mountains. If the temperature is not considered, I feel that this place is very suitable for the residents of our planet to live." Evil Shadow The captain withdrew his horrified gaze and stared at Professor Wodu.
"Captain, do you really think there is water under the ice of that lake? I don't think so. It should be methane. If you drop a bomb under the ice, I think Lake Andalus will fly directly into the sky. The methane rain here falls from the sky, washing out thousands of ravines on the surface, eventually forming lakes and oceans. The sand dunes we see now are not made of silica, but should be hydrocarbon compounds, such as ethane and propane. Here It contains huge energy, which is exactly what we need. We can build a factory here, process and purify the methane into energy compression blocks, and then bring them back to our planet." Professor Wodu looked extremely excited.
"Professor Wodu, will there be life here? Will this planet be divided into four seasons? Is there a northern and southern hemisphere like our planet?" Captain Evil Shadow looked at everything in front of him and murmured Talk to yourself.
"Captain, Titan is similar to our planet, with both northern and southern hemispheres. The place we landed is the southern hemisphere, and there should be a larger 'ocean' in the northern hemisphere. Saturn orbits the sun every 30 Earth years, so , one season of Titan is 7.5 Earth years. The water area in the northern hemisphere is about 35 times that of the southern hemisphere, which is caused by Saturn's elliptical orbit around the sun. When Titan is closest to the sun, it is in the summer in the southern hemisphere, facing the sun The northern hemisphere's summer is the time farthest from the sun. The stronger and hotter sunlight in the southern hemisphere evaporates methane and ethane, and more and more liquid hydrocarbons are driven to the northern hemisphere. The Saturn system and Saturn orbit the sun The orbital plane is tilted by 27 degrees, so Titan's position relative to the orbital plane of Saturn changes once every 50,000 years in summer. It is very likely that there is life on this planet, which is why we are here to conduct scientific experiments this time. One of the main reasons." Professor Wodu said slowly.
"Professor Wodu, judging from the nebula map, there seems to be a magical island between the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. Why do these islands appear and disappear?" Captain Evil Shadow was concerned about the rapid changes in the islands in the satellite cloud map on the battleship. Part of me is very curious.
"Captain, you see that there is indeed a magical area about ten kilometers long on the southeastern coastline. This area used to look like a dark ocean, but now it is as bright as the surrounding coastline. You must have discovered it. Only these will be surprising. This is what we often call the magical island of Titan. This also implies that our lakes and oceans on Titan are not stagnant, but are changing rapidly every moment. I think these bright spots are most likely caused by the winds in the northern hemisphere setting off waves in the Ligeia Sea, or gases emerging from the bottom of the Ligeia Sea and rising to the surface to form foam. It may also be the original sinking water formed in winter. The ice on the seafloor has risen to the surface as the temperature on Titan has warmed up in early summer. It is more likely that it is ice floes that neither sink nor float. They are accumulated together in a vast manner. In short, it is like a high altitude A distorted mirror in the dimensional space, waiting for our more in-depth study and investigation. We can completely use the Explorer detector to search and explore the northern hemisphere. In that case, various data will be more direct and real." Professor Wodu has also been looking at the satellite cloud images on the battleship, and he is also very interested in this area of water.
"Professor Wodu, I think you should be in charge of the scientific investigation. Donne, Clerk, Rackham, and I will all cooperate with your work. And we have two very smart and beautiful robots, Mechanic Hinson. And the Dorna Spectrum Detector." Captain Evil Shadow smiled at Professor Wodu.
"Okay, then let me take command. Donner, Clerk, and Rackham are preparing to launch the Explorer probe. Hinson and Donner are driving the probe from Lake Ontario to the Ligeia Sea, Punga Sea and Kraken Sea in the northern hemisphere. Conduct search and examination.”
Hinson and Donna were two robots, one tall, one short, one fat and one thin. After hearing the order, they squirmed over. Hinson was taller and thinner. He twisted his steel head and said with a buzzing sound: "Professor Wodu, why are we piloting the spaceship again? Is it because we are robots? It's so cold outside. At such a temperature, I think my arms and legs will become stiff. If I were exposed on the surface of the planet, such cold temperatures would cause a rapid loss of power in my body. I really don’t want to walk out of this detector unless there is When unexpected trouble occurs. When an accident does happen, I hope the battleship can rescue us."
"Hinson, you always talk too much. Every time you perform a task, you talk too much and procrastinate in doing your work. I am really annoyed with you. Professor Wodu, no matter what the situation, I I hope we can all return to Proxima C safely. Although Hinson and I are robots, we are advanced robots, and we have thoughts and consciousness. In such a harsh external environment, our circuits and programs are very likely to have problems. , and the battleship cannot be repaired. I really hope, Captain Evil Shadow, that you can take Hinson and I back to Proxima C, instead of letting us wander alone in this universe." Donna danced her arms, while using clumsy body language to express.
Captain Evil Shadow smiled, looked at the two robots and said, "I think you won't encounter too many dangers when you go north from Lake Ontario to explore the structure and energy reserves of Titan's crust. Even if you encounter I don’t think there will be a head-on conflict with the high-level beings in the universe. Because the Explorer does not carry conventional offensive weapons, it is just a scientific research machine and will not pose a threat to them. However, as you travel north Among them, it is very likely that you will find the coordinates of humans on Earth. Because as far as I know, they have successfully logged in here hundreds of years ago and set up landmarks. The battleship will monitor your whereabouts at any time, and when danger is discovered, it will We will carry out all-out rescue for you, so you can go with peace of mind."
The hatch of the Evil Shadow battleship slowly opened, and a small detector spread its rotors and flew out of the cabin under the control of two robots. This small detector was like a grain of dust compared to Titan, and its flickering fluorescence quickly disappeared outside Lake Ontario. At this time, the alarm of the surveillance system on the battleship was constantly glowing red, and the display screen showed that the Explorer had landed in a bright spot and had begun its complex exploration work. Pictures and spectral test information were quickly transmitted back to the battleship, and then directly back to the command hall of the Proxima Centauri C National Committee through the battleship's transmission system. In the command hall of the Proxima Centauri C National Committee, Chairman Goth is organizing a scientific research meeting. Professor Allen, Professor Martin, Professor Hoy and scientists from various fields are all busy here. The life and energy reserves of Titan are being analyzed through data and pictures in order to make timely and correct response measures.
When the Evil Shadow Battleship came to the solar system, the monitor of the Alliance of Space Explorers on Earth had already discovered this UFO. When the battleship flew towards Titan and successfully landed, on the Alliance of Space Explorers monitor, you could clearly see that the UFO flew towards the southern hemisphere of Titan at high speed and successfully landed. This explosive news surprised General Yunfei. Could it be that the alien warship that just left the earth is back? Are you planning to build a base on Titan? Or are there other alien beings driving spacecraft to investigate Titan and preparing to establish a base? All of this is related to the security and development of the earth in the future, so he immediately convened an important scientific research meeting on the new situation of Titan.
The notice to hold the meeting was sent out at 9 a.m., and by the time the sun went down, the scientific researchers and astronauts from various countries participating in the meeting were basically in place. Leader Smith of the Senese organization and Trini, the godfather of the Dark Empire, also obtained this important information at the same time. They are also planning to use this opportunity of aliens coming to Titan to provoke a war between the people on Earth and the people on Proxima Centauri.
The space base of the Alliance of Interstellar Explorers in the western suburbs of Beijing is filled with various spaceships, planes, and cars. General Yunfei is presiding over the meeting. The main content of this meeting is to prepare to log in to Titan again to defend the existing scientific research base on Titan. General Yunfei looked around at the scientists and astronauts in front of him. Chi Ensheng, Xu Bozhong, Yu Kai, Yang Gang, Qin Yu, Gute, Mary Elsie, Xue Guoqiang, Liu Xin, Wang Yuanhao, Natasha, Dai Dr. Weiss...and Cotter, chief officer of the European Regional Security Alliance.
After General Yunfei lit up a cigarette, he said slowly: "Everyone should know the purpose of why I asked everyone to come. The pictures sent back to the headquarters by our artificial satellite clearly show that there is an unidentified flight The object should be an alien warship that came to the solar system and successfully landed on Titan. At present, it is difficult for us to accurately deduce the purpose of their trip, but I think they must come for energy. We go Thinking in a more profound direction, they are most likely here to explore whether there is life on Titan in order to immigrate to Titan. Our Alliance of Space Explorers must send spacecraft to land on Titan to protect our scientific research base that has been there for hundreds of years. On Titan, we will have close contact with high-level life in the universe. How will we contact aliens? Now it has become a difficult problem, and I want to hear everyone's opinions." Marshal Yunfei finished. After speaking, he lit a cigarette, and the wisps of smoke spiraling upward looked like the image of an alien spacecraft that had entered the solar system from the distant starry sky.
"I want Captain Xue Guoqiang to pilot the Daewoo spacecraft; Wang Yuanhao to pilot the Swift spacecraft; and Gut to pilot the Qilong spacecraft to land on Titan together. In addition to the astronauts, the spacecraft also carries the Snow Leopard Bionic Commando and the Hornet space plane. . The three spacecrafts respectively conducted a blanket search for aliens from the Kraken Sea, Ligeia Sea, and Ponga Sea in the northern hemisphere of Titan. I recommend General Yang Gang as the commander-in-chief of this mission. General Yang Gang landed with the spacecraft. Titan." General Yu Kai couldn't get away because the Interstellar Peace Corps had a lot of affairs, so he directly recommended his old comrades to land on Titan with the spacecraft to command the operation.
General Yang Gang smiled, stood up and said: "I am very willing to serve as the military commander of this landing on Titan. However, based on past experience, the probability of high-level alien beings going to war with us on Titan is very small. I would like to Astronauts can survey Titan from distant nebulae, and we must speed up the energy investigation and development of Titan. I hope that most of the chief scientists here can accompany the spacecraft."
"Through my last contact with the Evil Shadow Fleet, I found that aliens are not scary. They have no intention of engaging in a direct war with us. I found that aliens came to earth to establish military bases, which should be to prepare for future immigration. . Now that their military base in our Bermuda area has been cancelled, it is very normal for them to land on Titan. They must want to re-establish a military base on Titan and then investigate whether there is life there to prepare for future immigration. . So this time we land on Titan, I think we should still make scientific research the main center of our work. We should follow the peaceful idea of cooperation and development and try not to have a war with aliens." Dr. Gut said through the last interview with foreigners After contact with aliens, he found that aliens are not scary.
Old Professor Xu Bozhong looked at everyone and said, "I think Professor Chi Ensheng and I are not going to travel together, right? We two old bones can't stand the torment. I suggest that Cottle, chief officer of the European Regional Security Alliance, accompany the spacecraft. Let's land on Titan together, because this is an important scientific research project that is almost related to the future of the earth. Not only do most of them be Easterners, but you Westerners must also participate."
"Okay, since Professor Xu trusts me, I will land on Titan with the spaceship." Cottle spread his hands forward, making a funny look.
"When we land on Titan this time, we must have positive communication with the alien fleet. If possible, we must try our best to contact the alien military headquarters and start a positive dialogue with them. This is the future of high-level cooperation with the universe. Necessary preparations for life to jointly explore and develop the universe. Only by continuously deepening communication and gaining mutual trust can war be avoided." Dr. Davis put forward his clear point of view.
The discussion in the meeting room became louder and louder, and finally it was General Yunfei who made the decision.
"General Yang Gang, I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of military operations on Titan, and also as the captain of the battleship Donghai. The spacecraft carrying Daewoo, Swift, and Qilong are ready to take off and land on Titan at any time. The battleship carries scientific researchers and astronauts Departing at the same time, and carrying the Snow Leopard Bionic Commando and the Hornet Space Plane. General Yu Kai continued to do a good job in the ground and space security defense of the Interstellar Peace Corps. Director Qin Yu immediately returned to the Jiangnan Research Institute to develop the time transmitter. Formulate a specific plan with development and seize the time to complete the construction of a constant temperature cooling system for human hibernation." After listening to everyone's opinions, General Yunfei made a timely and correct decision.
Under the cover of night, the Donghai space battleship slowly lifted off from the space base of the Alliance of Space Explorers. The fire emitted by the battleship's thrusters was particularly dazzling in the night sky. The stars in the sky merged with the twinkling lights on both sides of the battleship, adding a bright color to the quiet night. As the battleship continued to accelerate, there was a rumbling and harsh sound in the sky, as if an asteroid quickly popped out of the atmosphere and flew towards Titan, which is 4.2 light-years away from the earth.
Coordinates, Kraken Sea. The battleship Donghai slowly descended into the Kraken Sea. The fire and rumbling sounds from the propellers made this frozen sea no longer silent. Titan's huge ice surface is not made of water molecules, but methane lakes formed by the accumulation of methane.
At this time, everyone discovered that the orange-yellow Saturn was suspended on the huge ice surface of Titan from a distance. The brilliant rings outside Saturn are the most eye-catching. They make Saturn look more like a beautiful big straw hat.
"General Yang Gang, the battleship has landed successfully, please give instructions." Huang Yongping, captain of the battleship Donghai, reported to General Yang Gang.
"The Donghai battleship shut down its engines and raised the battleship's defense system to combat readiness. Open the Donghai's hatch, and the Daewoo, Swift, and Qilong spacecrafts are preparing to take off and leave the warehouse. The Snow Leopard Bionic Commando and the Hornet Space Plane are divided into three Team, follow the spacecraft to search for aliens on the ground." General Yang Gang gave the order.
"Yes, general, resolutely execute the order." Xue Qiang, Wang Yuanhao, and Gu Te said almost in unison.
The Snow Leopard Bionic Commando and the Hornet Space Plane fleet, under the cover of three spacecraft, moved forward to search the southern hemisphere along the Kraken Sea, Ligeia Sea and Ponga Sea respectively. The troops searching forward continued to discover the coordinates and experimental sites left by the earthlings on Titan. Suspicious human footprints were also found on the way forward. These footprints seemed to have just arrived here not long ago. It is initially estimated that they were left by humans on Earth. When three small groups of troops gathered in the magic area, they heard fierce gunfire from the front. They immediately accelerated and rushed forward. They found that on the sand dunes not far ahead, an alien probe was having a fierce battle with a spacecraft. Obviously this alien probe is no match for that spacecraft, which looks very much like the Earth's spacecraft. After a fierce exchange of fire, the detector lay down on the sand dune. When the bionic Snow Leopards and the Hornet aerospace group were preparing to move in to stop the war, the spacecraft that looked similar to the Earth sped up and rushed into the atmosphere, escaping from Titan. The detector lying on the dune was emitting billowing smoke, and the two robots Hinson and Donna struggled to crawl out of it.
They sent electronic language communications to the three spacecraft coming from the opposite side. Hinson waved his arms and said, "Where are the spacecraft coming from the opposite side coming from? Are they enemies or friends?"
"We are a spacecraft of the Earth Space Explorer Alliance. We are not your enemy. Where are you from? What are you doing here?" Dr. Gut replied.
"I am Xinsen from the Proxima C Evil Shadow Legion, and that beautiful girl is Donna. We were attacked by an unknown spacecraft, and now the communication system on the detector has been damaged. Can we borrow the communication on your spacecraft? System, request rescue from the Evil Shadow Battleship."
"You must have been to Bermuda on Earth before. We have been in contact with you. Your captain is called Evil Shadow. You can use our communication system to send a distress signal to your warship." Dr. Gut opened the Qilong At the hatch of the spaceship, two alien robots walked over.
Xinsen supported Donna and continued to complain as he walked: "Captain Evil Shadow and Professor Wodu always leave such dangerous things to the two of us. I feel so sorry for you, my beauty. .Don’t follow me next time, let me complete such a task by myself. If this continues, it will be difficult for us to return to Proxima Centauri C."
"Xinson, I hope you shut your mouth. You should act like a real man and don't always think that you are a robot. Even if you are a robot, I will not marry you if you don't change these bad habits." For you, I would rather find a human." Donna leaned on Hinson's shoulder and walked toward the Qilong spacecraft. In fact, she was very satisfied with this robot boyfriend. Because apart from Hinson's tendency to talk nonsense, he still takes good care of her most of the time.
What kind of conspiracy is hidden on Titan? Whose spacecraft was the Explorer probe attacked by? What is the purpose of the strange spaceship attacking Hinson and Donna? A huge black network is gradually emerging
