The Voyager spacecraft is now billions of kilometers away from Sedna, and it is impossible to send supplies from here. It is also impossible to obtain any supplies from the outside world.
It is impossible to get even a stone.
It is impossible for the Voyager spacecraft to stop and return at this moment.
Not to mention that the return trip will take a long time, and the fuel reserve alone is completely insufficient.
Even though ion propulsion is already the most efficient means of propulsion at the current technological level, the fuel it carries is only enough for one acceleration and deceleration process.
It accelerates when leaving Sedna, slows down when it reaches the Jupiter system, and finally settles into the orbit of Jupiter or one of its satellites.
It simply had no fuel for the return trip.
In this case, there is only one way to deal with it.
Synthetic starch. Relying on starch to overcome the food gap that lasted for half a year.
Just like what Zhao Changxing did back then.
In this regard, Zhao Changxing only gave one instruction.
"Make sure it's fair."
Voyager spacecraft. Looking at the instructions from leader Zhao Changxing billions of kilometers away, Cheng Xuanjia took a deep breath.
Fair, fair, fair.
"Compatriots, because of the previous disaster, our food reserves have been in short supply for about half a year. But please rest assured, the synthetic starch factory has been put into emergency operation, and we are fully capable of producing enough starch to fill these gaps.
Based on leader Zhao Changxing's instruction to "make sure fairness is ensured," and after discussion with the crew of the spacecraft, I decided that from now on, everyone in the spacecraft will implement a graded dining system. Catering standards will be divided into three levels: special grade, first grade and second grade. "
People who had just been freed from the previous shocking accident and were still a little uneasy and worried received a broadcast from Cheng Xuanjia at this time.
"The special standard means that the current dietary standards remain unchanged and there is an adequate supply of meat, eggs and milk. Those who can enjoy the special standard are all minors, pregnant and lactating women, and disabled people certified by the hospital as needing nutritional supplements. Patient personnel, meritorious personnel, special staff, etc.
The first-level standard is a 30% reduction from the current dietary standards and requires a portion of artificial starch to replace grain. Personnel subject to the first-level standard include spacecraft maintenance personnel, medical personnel, faculty and staff, etc.
The second level standard is a 50% reduction from the current dietary standards. Except for those who enjoy special and first-level meals, everyone else is subject to the second-level dietary standards. It should be particularly pointed out that among all government administrative personnel, floor supervisors and above, including spacecraft captains, deputy captains, mechanical supervisors, material supervisors and other spacecraft leadership, all apply to the second level standard.
My compatriots, in the face of disaster, we need to work together. Material shortages are only temporary. I believe the situation will change when we reach our destination. "
Setting an example and ensuring that all administrative staff enjoy the lowest catering standards is the greatest degree of fairness that Cheng Xuanjia can achieve.
When this policy was first implemented, the situation within the Voyager spacecraft was generally stable. After almost a month of implementation, when the Voyager spacecraft once again sailed 150 million kilometers, people truly realized that How wonderful life was in the past.
Every day, it is a starch paste with a bland taste, and some vegetarian dishes with not much oil and water are added. Even if you want to eat a piece of meat, it is a luxury. Recalling that in the past, they even ate only lean meat and secretly threw away the fat meat, people stomped their feet in regret.
The lowering of dietary standards seems to have taken away people's vitality. There are fewer people hanging out on the streets, squares, and parks.
But emergency drills every three days are indispensable.
Whenever people are practicing, they look at their companions and see that they are as weak and disheveled as themselves, and a wry smile appears on their faces.
After the drill, a stocky man looked in pain, screamed, and limped into the hospital.
"Doctor, come and take a look at me. I have a headache. Oops, it hurts me so much. Help..."
Facing this patient, both doctors and nurses became a little nervous.
Headache is not a minor ailment. In severe cases, it may even result in death.
But after a series of examinations, the doctor found nothing wrong.
Looking at the patient who was still screaming, the young doctor began to become a little anxious. Cold sweat gradually broke out on his forehead, but he still had to risk being scolded and invited the department director over.
The director of the department is an old doctor with gray hair. He came over and checked the various test sheets in detail, and he had some concerns in his mind.
He led the young doctor, who was full of anxiety, to the patient who was still screaming.
After asking the patient for some information as if he were talking to a family, the old doctor smiled and said: "Young man, don't worry, your disease is not a big deal. I just treated someone with a disease similar to yours last time. This is the treatment for this disease. The medicine has some side effects and affects the cerebral cortex. You know the cerebral cortex, right? That’s where people’s consciousness is controlled.”
The young man who was lying on the hospital bed and screaming was startled when he heard this.
"Doctor, what impact does this have?"
"That may have some impact on people's spirits. Tsk tsk, the patient last time was cured, but he became mentally ill and was taken away by the mental hospital right after he was discharged."
"me……"
"Young man, don't worry. Even if the probability is very low, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are unlucky, right? You still have to cooperate with the doctor's treatment. Besides, what is mental illness compared to life? The worst is to be locked up in a mental hospital every day. Take... about this big handful of medicine, and you'll get better slowly, and you'll always be alive, right?"
The old doctor made a gesture, and the young man's eyes straightened.
"Here, I'll give you some medicine. Xiao Li, bring the syringe first."
"I, I...doctor, I suddenly feel okay. I can't cure it. I can't cure it. I'm leaving first."
"Hey, young man, stop it. The worst thing is to hide a disease and avoid treatment, do you understand? You have a fatal disease... Don't go, stop! Stop him!"
The young man fled.
The young doctor was full of doubts and asked: "Director, what disease does he have? Have you never heard of this kind of brain disease?"
"Hmph. He's not sick. He just wants to pretend to be a seriously ill person so he can get some special meals."
"You're a bastard?" The young doctor's eyes were filled with contempt.
"Young man, learn from it."
"Yes Yes Yes."
Looking at the old doctor's back, the young doctor was convinced.
In the canteen on the fifth floor of the 36th circle, Wang Xiaolong took out his meal from the meal window with melancholy.
This is a special meal.
The special meal includes an egg, a large bowl of egg drop soup, two steamed buns plus a small stir-fried pork, and a chicken drumstick.
Today is Wang Xiaolong’s 18th birthday.
This day was originally a beautiful day. But thinking that once today passes and he becomes an adult, he will no longer be able to eat special meals, but can only eat second-class meals with clear soup and little water, mainly starch, Wang Xiaolong's heart is filled with sadness.
"Chicken legs, chicken legs, this is the last time I eat you, you must stay in my stomach for a while longer..."
After murmuring for a long time, Wang Xiaolong made up his mind and took a hard bite. He chewed it for a long time and was reluctant to swallow it.
In the end, he couldn't bear to finish the chicken legs. He still kept half of it, planning to wait until tomorrow to eat it.
Sure enough, the next day, his treatment was automatically reduced to a second-class meal. Looking at the starchy vegetables in front of him and the green vegetables without much oil and water, he was filled with pain.
I carefully took out the leftover chicken legs from yesterday and smelled them for a long time, but I was reluctant to eat them. But in front of him, his friend who played basketball with him suddenly appeared. Then his eyes lit up and he walked quickly towards him.
This guy turned 18 a month ago and started eating second-class food!
Damn it!
He grabbed the chicken drumstick and stuffed it into his mouth. But I saw that guy almost started running, shouting as he ran: "Xiaolong! Leave some for me! Leave some!"
Wang Xiaolong chewed faster again. When the buddy rushed over, only the bones of the chicken leg happened to be left.
The brother was about to cry but Wang Xiaolong looked at him contemptuously and snorted coldly.
"No one in this world can steal my chicken legs!"
…
Sitting at the table next to them seemed to be a young couple. My husband seems to have a special job and gets special meals. The wife had only a second-class meal.
The husband gave all the fragrant braised pork to his wife, but his wife gave the husband the pieces of meat. The husband whispered something in his wife's ear, and then she saw her giving him a few gentle blows full of coquettishness.
Then, the wife picked up the meat and put it into her husband's mouth piece by piece. The husband also picked up a piece of meat and put it into his wife's mouth.
Wang Xiaolong's ears felt hot when he saw it, but a wonderful idea came to his mind.
"Maybe I should find a girlfriend who can eat special meals..."
After more than a year of implementing the hierarchical diet system, people with empty stomachs are waiting for good news.
At this moment, the distance to Jupiter is only about 1 billion kilometers, and it's time for the spacecraft to slow down!
After another year of deceleration, the spacecraft can enter the Jupiter system and obtain supplies!
The long second-class meal made Cheng Xuanjia lose weight again, but his whole body was still as tall and tall as a pine tree.
In the main control room, he gave instructions for posture adjustment.
In the vast void of space, the 7-kilometer-long Voyager spacecraft finally completed the attitude adjustment and aligned the stern of the ship with attitude adjustment engines installed throughout the hull. The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter.
"Start reverse thrust!"
"yes!"
Bright blue light once again shot out from 49 giant ion thrusters.
From now on, every second that passes, the speed of the Voyager spacecraft will decrease by 2 millimeters.
