Chapter 194: Orbital Satellite
Chapter 194: Orbital Satellite
The most important objective of the Global Strategy was the development of nuclear weapons.
Caelum could indeed use the technology tree to force matter into a state of fission.
But before attempting nuclear fission by hand, he first needed to construct a sufficiently safe and controllable facility.
Otherwise, he would never dare try it.
The danger was simply too great.
One mistake could reduce him to ash in an instant.
A small amount of fissile material might not create an explosion large enough to kill him outright, but the particles released during fission could tear through every living thing nearby.
They could even shatter genetic chains.
Caelum had continued monitoring the war on the western continent, but he was not particularly concerned.
He knew it was a war the federation could not lose.
Most of his attention remained focused on the Global Strategy.
Nuclear fission was only one part of it.
The plan also included missiles, computers, satellites, and other strategic projects.
Limited by the current level of technology, the computers Caelum could manufacture were still extremely primitive.
They were enormous, and their processing power was far too weak.
Newhaven needed to establish more advanced transistor and semiconductor industries before computer performance could truly improve.
Research into nuclear fission, computers, and satellites was still underway.
The missile project, however, had been completed half a year earlier.
Finished weapons had already been produced.
Compared with the other projects, missile development was much easier.
Even the most important component, the guidance system, was not a serious obstacle.
A radar system was enough to solve the problem.
The missile base in Rovaryn had recently completed a test launch.
The missile accurately struck a target three hundred kilometers away.
If the target were airborne and large enough, Rovaryn’s missiles could achieve even greater precision.
Everything was advancing steadily.
Then, one day, during a meeting of the Newhaven Council, a scholar holding a council seat stepped forward with a grave expression.
"Leader, please look at this."
He handed Caelum a photograph.
The moment Caelum saw it, his brow tightened.
The image was extremely clear.
He recognized the object at once.
It was a satellite.
"I do not recall us ever launching one."
"Correct. This satellite does not belong to us."
The scholar nodded solemnly.
"We discovered it in low orbit, roughly five hundred kilometers above the surface. It has been hanging over our heads all this time."
Silence filled the council chamber.
Everyone understood what this meant.
A more advanced civilization was exploring, studying, or perhaps even monitoring them.
That was not good news.
It was like a sword suspended above their heads.
No one knew when it might fall.
And if it did, it could easily take their lives.
The feeling of being observed like laboratory animals was deeply unpleasant.
Caelum set down the photograph.
"What did the analysis reveal?"
The scholar produced a thick stack of documents.
"We observed every planet in this system. We can say with reasonable confidence that the surfaces of the other seven major planets currently show no signs of life."
He then placed another photograph on the table.
"With one exception."
The scholars had named the planet beneath their feet Aquora.
It was the only planet in the system that possessed vast quantities of water.
Aquora was the fourth of nine planets.
The other worlds were not important for the moment.
The sole exception was the ninth planet, the one farthest from the sun.
It had been named Farstar.
The outer atmosphere of Farstar was surrounded by enormous quantities of cosmic dust.
The dust prevented the scholars from observing conditions on the surface.
In theory, Farstar lay far too distant from the sun.
With cosmic dust blocking almost all sunlight, the planet should be bitterly cold.
Life seemed unlikely.
However, after every other planet had been ruled out, Farstar remained the only possible answer, no matter how improbable it appeared.
Caelum asked, "How far is Farstar from Aquora?"
"At their closest point, three billion kilometers."
Three billion kilometers.
That was an immense distance.
Caelum immediately issued an order.
"Notify the Rovaryn rocket launch facility. Bring that satellite down. I want to know how it reached us and how long it has been watching from above."
If the satellite truly came from Farstar, then learning how long it had traveled would allow them to estimate the technological level of the civilization that sent it.
"Yes, Leader."
With the order given, the newly completed rocket technology immediately found a purpose.
The Rovaryn launch facility began preparing an interception plan.
Their intention was to send a missile above the satellite and detonate it nearby.
The force of the explosion would then push the satellite out of orbit.
The most important condition was that the missile could not strike the satellite directly.
Even the distance of the detonation had to be controlled precisely.
If the satellite were destroyed by the blast, the mission would be considered a failure.
Seven days later, the Rovaryn launch facility sent a missile into low orbit.
It successfully reached the designated position and detonated.
The resulting shock wave pushed the satellite toward the surface.
From the ground, observers could clearly see the satellite falling through the atmosphere.
Friction set it ablaze, creating a brilliant streak of fire across the sky.
Before reaching the surface, the satellite burned apart in the air.
Fragments scattered toward different locations.
Recovery teams already waiting on the ground immediately moved out to collect the wreckage.
The breakup did not matter.
Returning the satellite intact had never been realistic.
Even fragments and debris could reveal a great deal of information.
Meanwhile, the scholars and council members felt immense relief simply from seeing the satellite successfully brought down.
At the very least, its technology remained within a range they could counter.
The expert teams soon completed their preliminary analysis.
The satellite was mainly constructed from steel, aluminum alloy, and titanium alloy.
All three metals existed in abundance on Aquora.
There was nothing unusual about them.
Space was not a perfect vacuum.
Hydrogen atoms, helium atoms, and other particles still existed there.
Metal exposed to cosmic radiation and sunlight would gradually develop signs of corrosion.
By examining the degree of that corrosion, researchers could estimate how long the satellite had remained in space.
There were many other methods of analysis as well.
Before long, Caelum received a highly detailed report.
The satellite had orbited Aquora for nearly three years.
Before arriving above Aquora, it had apparently traveled through space for around five years.
If it truly came from Farstar, three billion kilometers away, then it must have used nuclear power to complete the journey within five years.
Chemical fuel could not achieve that.
Neither could solar sails.
Only controlled nuclear fusion could satisfy those conditions.