Dead on Mars

Translator: CKtalon  Editor: CKtalon

Dismantle!

Kick!

Smash!

Smack!

Tomcat’s methods were always that straightforward, one that reached straight to the heart.

The first line in the Kunlun Station Earthquake Mitigation and Disaster Preparation Guide in Tang Yue’s hand was surprisingly about dismantling Kunlun Station.

“None of Kunlun Station will survive the earthquake. We have no way of ensuring the airtight seal of the Hab. Once any ripping happens, fixing it will be very troublesome.” Tomcat pointed at the ceiling above them. “If Kunlun Station were to lose its seal, it’s hard to tell how much longer we would survive.”

“I think Kunlun Station wouldn’t only be the one being ripped apart. We would as well.”

Tang Yue found an earthquake that measured 17 on the Richter scale inconceivable. He had never heard of an earthquake reaching 17. If such a powerful earthquake were to happen on Earth, it might directly rip apart the Eurasian continental plate. Even the Arabian Peninsula would sink into the sea.

Every difference in magnitude of 2.0 is equivalent to a factor of 1000 in the energy released. The strongest Earthquake in human history was the Great Chilean Earthquake in 1960 which had a magnitude of 9.5. This disaster led to two million homeless, and the strong quake resulted in three volcanoes erupting. The quake passed through the entire Pacific Ocean and caused a massive tsunami on the west coast of Japan and the Philippines.

Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I’s collision with Mars would result in an earthquake that exceeded 17 on the Richter scale. The energy released was almost 1,000,000,000,000 times higher.

Tang Yue even wondered if he could survive such a rapturous disaster. He was just too shocked by the fact that it would be a magnitude 17.

“Why are you dazing?” Tomcat looked at the dazed Tang Yue as it waved its paw in front of him. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I’m trying to imagine what it means to be a magnitude 17 earthquake… If it happened on Earth, would it blast and sink the Eurasian plate?”

“It wouldn’t be that ridiculous. Magnitude 17 is just a rough estimate. The actual earthquake will definitely be smaller. This is because the energy from the earthquake is external, and not from the crust,” Tomcat said. “When the comet hits the surface, it will be ripped apart by Mars’s gravity. There’s a high probability that it won’t be complete, and might shatter into many pieces. When its internal gravity isn’t able to withstand the tidal forces, the comet will crack.

“When the impact happens, the energy brought by the comet will be released in all kinds of ways. A part of it will be in the form of high temperature. It will melt the desert spanning hundreds of kilometers into glass. A portion of energy will be used to throw objects high into the sky or even send them to orbit. After this collision, Mars will have a ring. The rest will spread outwards along with the crust and powerful quakes,” Tomcat then continued. “I estimate that the actual quake’s magnitude will be roughly between 15 and 17 on the Richter scale.”

“The difference between magnitudes 15 and 17 is just 1,000 times.” Tang Yue asked. “Can’t you be more precise?”

“Sorry, there’s no way to make an accurate prediction.” Tomcat threw up its paws. “We don’t even know where it will land to date. Different land conditions will result in different outcomes. Certain places have hard and dense basalt, while other places are soft and loose. The pain that results from kicking a steel plate and a sponge is different.

“Strictly speaking, this is completely unpredictable. This is because the ground beneath our feet isn’t uniform. Kunlun Station’s computer doesn’t have the ability to simulate such matters. I could give it a try if you were to bring me a computer the size of the Pentagon… But based on my present observations, if it lands in the Terra Sabaea, I expect the quake to be a 16. If it lands in the Arabia Terra, the quake will likely be a 15.5. If it lands in the Syrtis Major Planum… then there’s no need to do the prediction.”

“Why?”

“Because we will be dead.”

The Syrtis Major Planum was a neighbor of Isidis Planitia. If the comet were to land there, the entire Isidis Planitia would be wiped away from the Martian map by the malignant star.

Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I was mainly made of ice and carbon dioxide, so it would quickly evaporate after the collision, leaving behind a massive crater.

This would be the biggest crater left on Mars this century.

“You don’t have to bother about the magnitude of the quake. After all, we don’t have any high-rise buildings. No matter how big it is, as long as it doesn’t directly uplift the crust, we don’t have to be afraid of it.” Tomcat suddenly took on the vibe that: he who down needs fear no fall. “We will just lie in the ground like it’s a bouncing bed. If it is strong, let it be, we are the cool breeze that brushes against the hill; if it is domineering, let it be, we are the bright moon that illuminates the great river.”

Tang Yue began to imagine the scene. One man and cat on the ground facing the sky with their limbs spread out, moving up and down amidst the intense quake.

It did sound quite perverted.

“What about Kunlun Station? What about it?”

“Store it away.” Tomcat got up and circled the Hab. It reached out its paw to touch the inner wall. “Before the collision happens, we should break it down to its elements. How we originally put it together will be how we dismantle it now… After dismantling it into a pile of frames and cloth, what can the quake do to us?”

Tang Yue looked up and surveyed the area.

Kunlun Station’s ceiling was more than two meters tall. Its interior was made of white composite material, and the curved panels joined together to form the inner wall of the Hab.

The inner lining was fastened to the light skeleton with screws. The half-metallic and half-carbon fiber frame was the foundation of Kunlun Station, and in between that was heat-insulation foam.

“The installation of Kunlun Station happened during the seventh or eighth landing mission. I heard they took quite a while back then.”

“That’s because I wasn’t around.” Tomcat shrugged.”I can dismantle this house into a pile of junk in sixteen hours… Don’t look at me like that. You can do it as well. Kunlun Station itself is a simple modular design. Back then, the engineers on Earth were just short of designing a one-button installation and uninstallation feature to reduce your workload. The two of us, no—three can easily completely dismantle Kunlun Station within eight hours.”

Tang Yue understood what Tomcat was getting at.

“We will reinstall it after the quake is over.”

“That’s the only thing we can do.” Tomcat nodded. “Otherwise, how are you going to withstand an earthquake that measures 16 or 17 on the Richter scale? Use our heads?”

“From the moment we dismantle Kunlun Station, I will have to stay inside an EVA suit, right?”

“Yes.” Tomcat nodded. “You will have to don the EVA suit until Kunlun Station is rebuilt. The power charging, water supplies, and compressed air tanks will need to be worn by you when the time comes.”

Tang Yue suddenly thought of something, “What about food?”

Without Kunlun Station, how was he to eat? There was no way he was opening the visor to eat, right?

“Will you starve to death if you skip a day’s meal?” Tomcat twitched its ears. “Water can be replenished, but you can forget about food. Eat your fill before the work starts.”

Tang Yue’s heart skipped a beat. The tone Tomcat had used was as though it was telling him to have a good last meal before his death.

The subsequent content in the Kunlun Station Earthquake Mitigation and Disaster Preparation Guide was about personal mitigation and preparation measures.

Tomcat had written:

“When the collision happens, get shielded. Crouch down on hands and knees facing an obstruction or, if possible, drop flat on the floor. Bury face in arms to protect eyes.”

Tang Yue found the description somewhat familiar as though he had seen it somewhere before.

“Tomcat.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how you should protect yourself when near a nuclear explosion?”

“When a nuclear blast happens, get shielded. Crouch down on hands and knees facing an obstruction or, if possible, drop flat on the floor. Bury face in arms to protect eyes,” Tomcat said without any thought.

Tang Yue slammed on the guide in his hands in front of Tomcat.

“You actually copied the National Primary and Secondary School Students Safety Education Handbook?”

Tomcat cast its gaze aside …I know nothing. I’m just a poor and weak broken record who knows nothing.