Anliu Baihe River, a grand waterway with a width that can stretch to hundreds of meters, originates from the mountain ranges in the west. Flowing eastward for thousands of kilometers, it eventually empties into the sea in the east. This majestic river traverses the heart of Jiulong Province, serving as a natural boundary dividing the region into north and south. Widely utilized for transportation, the river is teeming with activity, bustling with boats ferrying passengers and cargo.

Numerous cities, towns, and villages thrive along its banks, prospering from the bustling trade facilitated by the river. Liyu Village stands as a testament to this prosperity, its docks bustling even in the early hours of dawn as the sky begins to brighten. Boats are readied for their journeys, passengers queueing up to board, and cargo being swiftly transported onto the vessels.

Amidst this flurry of activity, the Liu family caravan arrives at the boat and boards it, which they had booked entirely for themselves. They left the inn very early in the morning, just as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. Orion and Wang Lingxin were given the best cabin available. After loading all the cargo, including the horses and carriages that carried it, onto the boat, they set sail downstream. The vessel glided along the river's current, propelled by its billowing sails. The journey downstream would take around a week before they reached their next destination. Following that, they would have another day of land travel until they finally arrived at Fengxian.

The journey is smooth and pleasant, the river calm and gentle with no waves, and the boat not rocking. The boat sails gracefully, with other boats visible both behind and in front of the boat in the distance. Occasionally, passing boats can be seen going in the opposite direction, adding to the lively atmosphere of the river. A refreshing wind blows as passengers gather on the deck to enjoy the beautiful scenery and good weather. The boat crew is busy manning the vessel, ensuring a safe voyage.

Wang Lingxin and Orion are on the deck, enjoying the boat ride. Fortunately, Wang Lingxin doesn't get seasick. She appears delighted as it's her first time on such a large boat on a big river; previously, she had only ridden small boats and canoes on smaller rivers.

"Wow, this is really nice," Wang Lingxin remarked. "Master, if we keep going with the boat, will we reach the very big lake called the sea?" She had learned about the river from the tablet and seen pictures taken from space by Orbiter, showing how the river extends all the way to the sea in the east.

From the tablet, she also learned that the world she lives in is round and not flat, with most of it covered in water and several continents spread across. Though she didn't fully understand it all, she believed it. She was also very impressed by Orbiter, her master's friend, who flies high in the sky.

"Yes, but it will take a long time," Orion replied.

"Master, I want to see the sea. Can you take me to see the sea someday?" Wang Lingxin had only heard stories and legends about the vast sea and hopes to see it one day.

"Sure, I will take you there," Orion assures her.

"He he he little girl, do you also dream of seeing the sea?" one of the crew members chuckled.

"Uncle, have you ever seen the sea?" Wang Lingxin inquired.

"No, but I also want to see it, just like you," the crew member replied.

"You work on a boat but have never seen the sea?" Wang Lingxin asked, surprised.

"I only sail around this area, so I haven't experienced the sea. But many other people I know have been there. Did you know that the sea is salty?" the crew member explained.

"The legends said that the sea is salty," Wang Lingxin nodded.

"Yes, indeed, it is salty," the crew member confirmed.

Wang Lingxin continued to talk enthusiastically with the crew for a while about the sea, her eyes brimming with excitement. With the sun high in the sky, it was time for lunch. Wang Lingxin specifically asked Orion for fish for her meal, wanting to fully enjoy the mood of the river. Orion retrieved freshly cooked fish dishes from the storage ring, which it had previously purchased from a high-end restaurant in Yanjing City. Additionally, Orion retrieved a table and a chair for Wang Lingxin. Wang Lingxin preferred the high-quality food stored in Orion's storage ring rather than meals cooked by the caravan cook. With steaming hot spicy fish soup, fried fish, and a bowl of rice, Wang Lingxin enjoyed the food on the deck while taking in the scenery.

As the sun set, casting an orange hue in the sky, then night fell. Wang Lingxin also enjoyed dinner on the deck. After dinner, Wang Lingxin and Orion remained on the deck, along with other passengers and crew, where they ate, drank, laughed, bantered, and sang. Wang Lingxin looked up at the night sky, blanketed with countless beautiful twinkling stars.

She noticed her master had been silently gazing at the night sky for a while. "The stars are very beautiful, Master. Do you enjoy watching them?" Wang Lingxin asked.

"Beautiful? Yes, I guess so," Orion remarked.

Orion is still looking at the night sky, but for Orion, rather than enjoying the twinkling stars every time it gazes up, there is always worry and uncertainty. The positions of the stars and constellations are unknown to it. Even when Orbiter uses its long-range camera to discover many galaxies, they remain foreign and unfamiliar to Orion. Some galaxies defy the laws of physics and understanding, posing challenges to Earth's knowledge. Additionally, there are many unusual and unexplainable astronomical phenomena and mysteries. Orion is unsure of its current location, which galaxy it occupies, or even if it remains within the same universe as Earth. However, Orion knows that the galaxy it currently occupies is not the Milky Way.

Wang Lingxin looked up at the night sky, enjoying the view, while Orion, its AI occupied with something else, also gazed at the sky.

"This is Orbiter, everything is ready. Preparing to execute the mission," Orbiter radioed.

"Proceed with the mission," Orion replied over the radio.

"Roger. Igniting thrusters..." Orbiter responded.

Orbiter, currently orbiting the planet in a low orbit, ignited its thrusters and executed Hohmann transfer orbit maneuvers to increase its velocity and alter its trajectory. Its objective: intercepting the path of a target asteroid, currently moving towards its perihelion. Utilizing its array of sensors and instruments, including a long-range camera, Lidar, and Radar, Orbiter scanned for numerous asteroids. It had used its sensors to search for a target and had decided on the target.

The chosen target was a C-type spectral asteroid, designated as Asteroid-1. With a low albedo, appearing rather dark, and exhibiting slow rotation with a single axis, it had an estimated diameter of about 600 meters. Orbiter projected a rendezvous with the asteroid in approximately a year, relying solely on its own propulsion to gradually accelerate and maneuver from its low orbit.

For the Vanguard Program to colonize Mars, many spacecrafts and satellites were involved. Among the most common configurations of spacecraft sent from Earth comprised a Lander and an Orbiter. Landers were tasked with transporting various materials, tools, equipment, and robots to the Martian surface. Orbiters came in diverse types: some operated independently, others functioned in constellations, and some were tailored for specialized missions. Additionally, certain Orbiters would dock or combine to form a Mars Space Station.

Orbiter that is currently orbiting the planet where Orion is located, identified by the serial number MSS-M14 (Mars Space Station - Module 14), belonged to the category designed to dock or merge with others to establish the Mars Space Station. This particular Orbiter was equipped with specialized components and equipment for repair and maintenance. It utilized a long mechanical arm for satellite capture and manipulation, while smaller mechanical arms, attached at the end of the longer arm, were employed for repairs. Additionally, three small robots, namely KiloBot, MegaBot, and GigaBot, were dedicated to repair in small, narrow, and challenging spaces inaccessible to the smaller mechanical arms.

Currently, the MSS-M14 Orbiter only has less than half of its fuel left, with no possibility of obtaining spare parts or refueling. Orbiter is on its own, struggling to survive in this foreign world. Orion, on the other hand, has managed to obtain resources and spare parts, and with the connections Orion has established with the natives, there is hope for its survival. Orion has even upgraded itself, replacing some parts of its body with better and stronger materials, and even using inscription to further strengthen itself. It's relatively easy for Orion to acquire resources to support its life and operation.

As for Orbiter, it is alone with nothing. Orbiter begins the Space Net plan to at least prolong its life. The first objective is to refuel.

The Vanguard Program also has satellites specialized in In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to extend the operation of many Satellites, Orbiters, and the Mars Space Station. Sending fuel from Earth is not economically viable, so the mission plans to use fuel from asteroids. Special satellites will obtain water from asteroids and convert it into liquid hydrogen (LOH) and liquid oxygen (LOX), which will then be used to refuel orbiters and satellites. Thus, all orbiters and satellites are designed to use LOH and LOX fuel.

The problem for the MSS-M14 Orbiter is that it is not specialized for ISRU operations but for maintenance and repair. Although it has a detailed plan for the entire Vanguard Program, Orbiter will require a lot of improvisation. Orbiter and Orion has come up with a modified plan for conducting ISRU operations. It will first rendezvous with the asteroid, then dock and secure itself using the long mechanical arm. The KiloBot, MegaBot, and GigaBot will then further secure the Orbiter to the asteroid. The KiloBot, MegaBot, and GigaBot then will begin digging through the asteroid's surface layers and search for ice. Once ice is found, it will be brought back to Orbiter to be processed further. Orbiter's electricity is generated by solar panels and a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). The RTG not only provides electricity but also serves as part of the heating system, generating heat from radioactive decay. Additionally, the RTG acts as a Radioisotope Heater Unit (RHU), eliminating the need for a separate RHU. The heat from the RTG will be used to melt the ice and turn it into water. The water will then be processed further for electrolysis. Orbiter lacks the necessary equipment to perform the electrolysis process. Therefore, improvised tools and equipment will need to be created.

As Orbiter ignited its thrusters and made its way toward Asteroid-1, the three small robots began to work, disassembling some of the Orbiter's parts to make the necessary tools and equipment needed for ISRU operations and electrolysis. Orbiter and Orion collaborated on the design of the Improvised Electrolysis Device (IED). In the challenging microgravity environment, the simple process of electrolysis becomes more complex. In microgravity, water tends to gather and form a blob. However, for electrolysis to occur and produce hydrogen and oxygen gas separately, two cells are needed. With water forming a blob, it will be a challenge.

The design for the Improvised Electrolysis Device (IED) will consist of a long tube made of strong, insulating material, obtained from a structural part of the long mechanical arm. The tube will be divided into three equal parts and rejoined, with valves added at the joints to create three separate compartments: one for the anode, one for the cathode, and one central compartment. Each end of the tube in the electrode compartments will be sealed to prevent leakage.

In the anode compartment, a long electrode will be positioned in the middle of the tube to produce oxygen gas (O₂). Similarly, in the cathode compartment, another long electrode will be used to produce hydrogen gas (H₂). Tubes or small pipes will be installed to collect the O₂ and H₂ gases from each compartment.

The central compartment will be filled with water, and additional water can be injected into the system through tubes connected to the central compartment. Due to microgravity conditions, water tends to form a blob in the middle of the central compartment and completely fill it, with some water entering the anode and cathode compartments, filling half the compartment. The electrodes in both compartments will make contact with the water, and the remaining space in each compartment will be filled with O₂ gas in the anode compartment and H₂ gas in the cathode compartment. Initially, the O₂ and H₂ gases will be obtained from Orbiter's own fuel tank.

During the electrolysis process, many tiny gas bubbles will form on the electrodes. In microgravity, however, these bubbles won't rise as they would on Earth; instead, they'll stick to the electrodes. To address this issue, vibrations will be induced in the electrodes to reduce surface tension and facilitate the formation of larger gas bubbles. The electrodes will also move back and forth within the water blob, assisting the gas bubbles to join the existing O₂ or H₂ gas within the anode and cathode compartments. Additionally, the passages from each cathode compartment to the central compartment will be designed to prevent gas bubbles from entering the central compartment and entering other electrode compartments, ensuring the efficiency of the electrolysis process and the purity of the produced oxygen and hydrogen gases. The O₂ and H₂ gases can then be utilized for fuel.

However, there is an issue for Orbiter with this. Its fuel tank is designed to store liquefied O₂ and H₂ instead of gas form due to considerations of storage efficiency and volume. If the tank were filled with oxygen and hydrogen gas, it wouldn't be able to store as much. As a result, one option for Orbiter is to fill several empty fuel tanks with water instead. For propulsion, electrolysis would need to be conducted to produce O₂ and H₂ gas to feed the engine. Nonetheless, there is a drawback: the production rate of O₂ and H₂ gas from the Improvised Electrolysis Device (IED) is rather low to keep up with the demands of the engine.

Despite these challenges, there is hope; there are other reasons why Asteroid-1 was chosen. In this world filled with unexplainable phenomena and mysteries, which not only exist on the planet where Orion is located but also in space, the asteroid selected for ISRU displays unique phenomena. Using its onboard sensors, Orbiter detected some anomalies with the asteroid; certain parts of it exhibit extreme coldness, contrasting with the surrounding asteroid surface. Even when exposed to sunlight, this cold phenomenon persists, indicating a deeper underlying reason. Orbiter plans to use this mysterious phenomenon and intends to utilize it to condense the produced oxygen and hydrogen gas from water electrolysis into a liquid state, which can then be stored in the fuel tank for refueling. However, it's still in the planning stage and requires further research and experimentation with regard to the cold phenomenon associated with the asteroid, especially upon Orbiter's docking with the asteroid.

"Good luck, Orbiter," Orion said via radio.

"Thank you. We'll need all the luck we can get, if there is such a thing," Orbiter replied.

Orion can establish contact with Orbiter multiple times a day when Orbiter is orbiting in low orbit due to its high orbital speed. However, as Orbiter changes its orbit, communication windows will change. When docking with the asteroid, communication may become difficult and challenging. Furthermore, there is a risk that Orbiter crashes into the asteroid, and that's mean a goodbye and no more communication with Orbiter. Orion observes the night sky, its camera zooms in, and it can see Orbiter orbiting above and shining brightly in the sunlight. Orion can only hope for the best for Orbiter.

"It's already late, let's return to the cabin," said Orion, as the cold wind started to blow, sensing the temperature slowly dropping using its temperature sensor.

"Okay," replied Wang Lingxin, accompanying Orion back to their cabin.