Chapter 455: The God Of Command Comes Online
Lisa Carter opened her mouth wide, trying to make a sound starting with W, but held back and didn’t say the question-filled What out loud.
Internally, she was ranting wildly: What? This can be a good thing too?
Immediately after, she thought, could it be that her own boss has been hanging around with Natarajan for too long and has been brainwashed by the Ganges water, making everything a good thing.
After Bezos left the room, Natarajan immediately saw the doubt in Lisa Carter’s heart. He explained, “Of course this can be a good thing.”
Facing this billionaire, Lisa Carter wouldn’t be polite. In her view, their failure this time was entirely caused by the Tata Group’s incompetence. She would never work in India in her lifetime, so she couldn’t generate any respect for Natarajan.
Lisa Carter asked, “Why?”
Natarajan explained softly, “General can cooperate with China, NASA can cooperate with China, why can’t we cooperate with China?
Just because of that damn face?
Bezos has always been unable to get over this hurdle in his heart. Why do we have to cooperate with China, cooperate with that company called Apollo Technology? Clearly, that young man named Randolph came to me when he was still in America, hoping to get investment from me.
Now, I have to turn around and beg him.
Jeff has always wanted to prove something in his heart, prove that he can do it too, so we poached people from General Aerospace, spent five years to replicate Saturn V, instead of directly buying technology from Apollo Technology like General Aerospace.
We spent more time, more resources. Saturn V can only take us to the Moon, but there’s no way to take us to the Moon consistently. This is an inefficient technical route. Why don’t we find Apollo Technology to save time and resources?
All of this in the past came from Jeff. Now, he’s willing to solve it himself, that’s the best.”
Lisa had no other thoughts. She was shocked by the past events Natarajan mentioned: “What? Randolph sought out Mr. Bezos?”
Natarajan nodded and said, “Of course, that outstanding young man once hoped Jeff would provide help to him. Do you know what bold words that penniless young man made back then? With just 100 million US Dollars, he could take people to the Moon.
My God, who could have thought this was real? The wildest imagination probably wouldn’t believe it’s real, let alone that he wasn’t some famous rocket expert, not even an aerospace major student. He was a PhD in artificial intelligence.
Of course Jeff wouldn’t agree. He would only think, is this guy crazy?
But reality is far crazier than Jeff imagined, which reminds me of a saying: Movies need logic, reality doesn’t.
It was just such a young man who once sought out Jeff, who really only spent 100 million US Dollars to send people to the Moon, founded a super aerospace giant valued at over 500 billion US Dollars in just six short years.
The beginning of all this legendary story started with Jeff’s casual ‘no’.
Now, this legendary story needs Jeff to personally continue writing it. He needs to face Randolph, communicate with Randolph, and gain Randolph’s support.
Similarly, our project will also be the greatest space rescue of this century, a model of international cooperation. As for the protagonist being a Chinese person, that doesn’t matter.”
Lisa felt mixed feelings inside. She murmured, “The protagonist of The Martian in reality is a Chinese person? American audiences won’t accept such a script. I need to go back to my work.”
Natarajan grinned and said to Lisa before she left, “Madam Carter, from the moment Xiaomi’s LOGO appeared on NASA’s lunar rover, America is no longer the America of the golden age. We need to accept this world with China.”
Lisa seemed to hear the subtext of Natarajan: America is now just a big India.
Actually, Natarajan’s subtext was another one: NASA’s moon landing this time also had parts cooperating with China, which the high-level officials all know.
NASA can do it, why can’t we?
Bezos sat at the desk. He took off his jacket, revealing the wrinkled white shirt inside.
He didn’t look at the data anymore, because he knew Lisa’s judgment was accurate. From a rescue perspective, China’s technical strength is the most robust.
The Moon is like a backyard to Chinese people. Going there won’t be harder than launching a satellite.
But this time it’s space rescue.
The time window is only a short 72 hours.
Bezos was also uncertain.
But do what one can and leave the rest to fate.
He first made a phone call to Li Xiaoman, saying there was a 100,000 urgent matter to meet Lin Ran, hoping to connect via remote video conference in ten minutes.
At the last online fundraising dinner, Li Xiaoman was there too, so Bezos knew this young Asian woman.
After the video direct line connected, Lin Ran appeared in the image.
Bezos, with a face full of helplessness, said, “Randolph, we are in trouble.”
Lin Ran was a bit dazed. Similar words, he had heard in the 60 spacetime too.
But the difference was, back then he was at the control center in Cape Canaveral, and now he was in the office in Shanghai.
Lin Ran immediately reacted: “The spaceship has malfunctioned? Is it a components problem causing the spaceship to lock up?”
Bezos was somewhat surprised: “You guessed very accurately.”
Lin Ran said directly, “When I was reading the global space industry briefing, I saw you cooperating with India’s Tata Group, so I guessed it. This link is the most prone to problems.
India’s industry has had too short a time for standardized development. They lack unified standards. Putting the lunar module manufacturing in India means you must bear the corresponding risk.”
Bezos said in a low voice, “Yes, this was a gamble, and we only succeeded halfway.”
The success halfway here refers to them successfully replicating Saturn V in five years.
But the moon landing failed at the last moment.
“Our Odyssey spaceship, carrying three astronauts, is on an irreversible deep space drift orbit. The astronauts need your help.”
Lin Ran said, “That’s not the point. The point is your emergency plan and the spaceship’s remaining capacity. I need to evaluate it; it’s not certain we can save them.”
Bezos was much more professional than Tata’s Natarajan.
“Okay, we’ve confirmed that Odyssey’s main propulsion system is scrapped.
The spaceship will enter an irreversible deep space orbit. T+6 hours will be the last window for orbit change.
Our proposal is: During this window, the astronauts will detonate the main cabin, using the tiny attitude control thrusters on the Shiva’s Wing escape pod for a minimal emergency separation ignition.
The goal is to use the Moon’s gravity to push the escape pod into a high-eccentricity free return trajectory.
We must avoid entering deep space.”
Lin Ran’s gaze was fixed on the data screen shared in the video conference. His mind was calculating at high speed.
Lin Ran raised a question: “The RCS thrusters’ thrust is too small. How much velocity increment can they provide? Your escape pod has a very high dry mass ratio, but how long can the attitude control fuel support continuous firing? What about precision?”
At this time, the technical expert sitting next to Bezos appeared in the lens after getting Bezos’s signal, and said:
“According to our calculations, the RCS thrust can provide about 1215 meters per second velocity increment.
We’ve narrowed the error to within 1 meter per second.
But after this operation, the escape pod will have almost exhausted all fuel and will be in passive drift state, unable to make any corrections.
Life support can only sustain 72 hours.”
Lin Ran nodded: “15 meters per second, extremely narrow window, extremely high risk, but indeed the only way to survive.”
Lin Ran: “Now talking about my plan. 72 hours is too short. Launching from Earth might not make it in time. We need to consider redundancy for emergencies.
If your escape pod successfully enters the free return trajectory, we will launch a spaceship from the Moon to wait in lunar orbit.
It carries a new type of Hall Thruster that can immediately perform emergency orbit change.
I need to precisely know your final free return trajectory orbital parameters.
Our Hall Thruster has high efficiency and ultra-high precision, but low thrust.
To complete capture before your life support runs out, our spaceship must perform an ultra-long-distance interception and deceleration in space.
This tests our long-duration attitude control and navigation system.
Moreover, the final capture will largely depend on the astronauts’ operations. Without people, the spaceship will extend a rope, requiring the astronaut to leave the escape pod and grab the rope themselves during space drift to enter our spaceship.
Additionally, I need to emphasize, not three astronauts together, but one astronaut per spaceship.
Our spaceship on the Moon is a small spaceship. It cannot support rescuing three people at once. This completely relies on the astronauts themselves.
But this is also the only rescue force that can arrive within the time window.”
Hope flashed in Bezos’s eyes: “Randolph, what do you think is the technical feasibility of this rescue plan?”
Lin Ran was silent for less than two seconds. This was him calculating all the risks, all the errors, all possible technical failures.
Lin Ran answered, “If your astronauts can successfully complete that 15 meters per second ultra-precise separation ignition and send the escape pod into the predetermined free return trajectory, and your astronauts can smoothly grab the rope.
Then, our rescue has over 90% technical feasibility.”
Hearing this number, Bezos’s tense shoulders finally relaxed a bit.
He knew Lin Ran’s 90% was more substantial than anyone’s 100%.
Lin Ran: “Now, let’s talk about the deal.”
Bezos nodded and said, “Of course. According to our estimate, the actual cost of your company’s single space rescue should be around 100 million US Dollars per person. We are willing to pay 1 billion US Dollars per person, a total of 3 billion US Dollars.”
Ten times premium.
Lin Ran handed the lens to Li Xiaoman: “Jeff, the specific price will be fully negotiated by my negotiator Madam Li with you.”
Li Xiaoman reached out her hand, her voice devoid of any emotional factors: “5 billion per person. We are saving Blue Origin’s prestige, saving this company.”
“A total of 50 billion.” Bezos didn’t hesitate either. “Rescue costs aren’t that high.”
“Rescue costs are of course not high.
But this is strategic cost.
We invested hundreds of billions in funds to develop technology for precise interception in near-Moon orbit, not to earn that bit of fuel fee.
This price reflects our technology monopoly and strategic value.
5 billion per person.
This is not a simple rescue; it’s a buyout of the risks for your entire project.
This price saves not the spaceship, but Blue Origin and your present and future in the commercial aerospace field.”
Bezos’s eyebrows suddenly raised.
150 billion US Dollars! This number was three times his acceptable upper limit.
He felt anger, but the anger was quickly replaced by the cruelty of reality.
Because the escape pod’s life support time was only over 60 hours left.
Bezos’s tone was heavy, rapidly calculating mentally: “Madam Li, 5 billion per person? That’s too high.
We don’t have time to bargain.
My final quotation is a total of 9 billion US Dollars, at 3 billion per person.
This price is thirty times your rescue cost.
At the same time, I am willing to sign a ten-year technology sharing and procurement agreement. We will procure technology and equipment from Apollo Technology, at least 2 billion US Dollars per year.”
Bezos locked the quotation at a total of 9 billion US Dollars, while adding long-term strategic chips, equivalent to using long-term orders totaling at least 20 billion US Dollars to reduce the single expenditure.
Li Xiaoman’s eyes flickered. She looked outside the screen, in the direction where Lin Ran was faintly visible, and received an imperceptible nod of confirmation.
Li Xiaoman said decisively and straightforwardly: “Deal.
9 billion US Dollars, plus the long-term procurement agreement you mentioned.
Please immediately transfer the first payment to the designated account, and also immediately provide us with the data.
We will immediately start the rescue.”
Before the negotiation ended, Bezos added, “I have one more question: can Randolph do the orbit change command for us?
I am willing to add another 1 billion US Dollars.”
Li Xiaoman asked, “You mean the escape pod’s emergency separation ignition?”
Bezos nodded and said, “Exactly. We will share all data and interface with you, and have you complete this escape command, just like how Randolph remotely commanded NASA’s moon landing last time.”
In this spacetime, the 21st century NASA moon landing was also commanded by Lin Ran.
Li Xiaoman didn’t answer, because Lin Ran had already reappeared in the lens.
“Good, Jeff. This is the most correct decision you’ve made.”
The god of command came online, Lin Ran thought.
Li Xiaoman was thinking, at most one hour for 1 billion US Dollars. What industry’s consultation fee could compare?
After Lin Ran finished speaking, he didn’t give Bezos any chance to speak again and directly hung up the phone.
The cooperation began.
In Florida, Bezos helplessly shook his head.
He lost 10 billion US Dollars, but bought back three lives.
This negotiation lasted less than three minutes.
“This money must be paid by those Indian guys!” Bezos thought.
