Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

Inside the maintenance bay of the Pallas Ecological Hub, the Starship-1 is undergoing its most thorough upgrade since its construction. The silver-white fuselage has been largely disassembled, revealing a complex network of pipes and equipment. Components of the Red Star-130H, a new generation of geologically adaptive agricultural machinery, are neatly arranged to the side, their outer shells gleaming with the unique cold light of the Chaos Bead modified alloy.

"The new generation nuclear fusion reactor has been installed, with a 50% increase in output power, unlimited range, and the ability to start up quickly at extremely low temperatures." Yan Jiecheng held the test report, his tone excited. "The prototype symbiotic ecological cabin has been successfully docked. Its volume is 30% smaller than the original cabin, but by utilizing a 'plant-microbe symbiotic system,' it achieves an oxygen self-sufficiency rate of 70% and a water resource recycling rate exceeding 98%, fully meeting the needs of long-distance space travel."

Lin Xiangyang was debugging the control system of the symbiotic ecological chamber. Inside, lower plants from Pallas grew along the chamber walls, the mucus on their leaves shimmering under the lights, their roots intertwined with the microbial community of the subglacial lake, forming a dense ecological network. "The Lighthouse V5.0 has completed its linkage with the symbiotic ecological chamber, and can monitor plant photosynthetic efficiency, microbial activity, and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in real time. Once fluctuations occur, it will automatically adjust the light, temperature, and nutrient solution supply immediately."

Just when everyone thought the upgrade was going smoothly, the alarm in the symbiotic ecosystem chamber suddenly sounded: "Oxygen concentration has dropped abnormally! Plant leaves are showing signs of wilting!"

The data stream on the screen showed that the oxygen concentration inside the chamber plummeted from 21% to 15%, and the edges of the lower plant leaves began to yellow and curl, with microbial activity also declining simultaneously. He Yushui immediately rushed to the scene and carefully observed the plants' condition: "The wilting leaves aren't due to a lack of water or nutrients; it seems like some kind of toxin has inhibited their growth. Could it be that the symbiotic relationship between the plants and microorganisms has become unbalanced?"

Lin Xiangyang quickly retrieved the logs: "In the previous simulation test, the ratio of plants to microorganisms was 1:10. In this actual integration, in order to increase oxygen production, the ratio of plants was increased to 1:5, which may have led to an excessive amount of metabolic products secreted by microorganisms, inhibiting plant growth."

"Immediately activate the 'Ecological Balance Regulation' program!" Lin Dong ordered. "Reduce the light intensity on the plants, decrease the supply of nutrient solution, and at the same time increase the oxygen supply to the microorganisms to promote the decomposition of their metabolic products; the Lighthouse system should call the Chaos Pearl's ecological simulation model to recalculate the optimal symbiotic ratio."

With the computing power of Lighthouse V5.0 fully utilized, countless data flowed rapidly on the screen, ultimately yielding the optimal solution: adjusting the ratio of plants to microorganisms to 1:8, while adding natural minerals from the subglacial lake of Pallas to the cabin to neutralize the excessive metabolic products of microorganisms.

The technical team immediately implemented adjustments, and the parameters of the symbiotic ecosystem gradually stabilized. Two hours later, the oxygen concentration rose to 20%, the wilting of the plant leaves ceased, and microbial activity returned to normal. Lin Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief: "The environment of the distant planet is more extreme than that of Pallas, and the stability of the symbiotic ecosystem still needs further verification. We must complete at least 10 full-process simulation tests before departure to ensure everything goes smoothly."

The minor setback in the symbiotic ecosystem module has brought the internal disputes over the far-space exploration plan back to the forefront.

During the Alliance Council's video conference, representatives from some small and medium-sized countries expressed their concerns: "Vesta is 2.3 million kilometers away from Pallas, and the journey will take 60 days. During the journey, it may encounter unknown risks such as solar storms, micrometeorite showers, and gravitational anomalies. Moreover, the environment of Vesta is more severe than that of Pallas. There is almost no ice layer signal on its surface, and the resource situation is unknown. Rashly exploring it may be more trouble than it's worth."

"We recommend suspending the distant star exploration program and prioritizing the consolidation of supply chains to Pallas, Asteroid, and Mars," a representative added. "Currently, the revenue from interstellar agriculture is sufficient to meet the Alliance's needs, and there is no need to take huge risks to explore unknown celestial bodies."

Lin Dong didn't rush to refute, but instead pulled up the resource model of Vesta derived from the Chaos Pearl and the long-term benefit curve of interstellar exploration: "Gentlemen, the value of Vesta lies not only in its resources, but also in its technological breakthroughs. According to the calculations, Vesta is rich in metal resources such as calcium and aluminum, which are core raw materials for manufacturing radiation-resistant and high-pressure-resistant aerospace materials; its unique geological environment may contain a more complex ecosystem, which can provide new technological directions for interstellar agriculture."

He paused, then continued, "We have fully assessed the risks of interstellar exploration. The upgrade and modification of Starship-1 is precisely to address these risks: a new generation of nuclear fusion reactor, geologically adaptive agricultural machinery, symbiotic ecological cabin, and Lighthouse V5.0 emergency system form a quadruple guarantee. Moreover, exploration itself is the core driving force for the development of interstellar agriculture. Without the exploration of the unknown, there would be no subglacial lake ecosystem on Pallas, no geologically adaptive agricultural machinery, and no symbiotic ecological cabin."

Yan Jiecheng added, "We have formulated a 'tiered exploration' plan: the Starship-1 will first arrive at Vesta's orbit and conduct a 10-day flyby mapping to assess resource and environmental risks; if the risks are controllable, then a landing exploration will be carried out; if the risks are too high, it will immediately return to Pallas, and we will never blindly advance."

He Yushui presented the latest test data of the symbiotic ecological cabin: "After 10 full-process simulation tests, the stability of the symbiotic ecological cabin reached 99.5%, which can withstand various environmental changes such as extreme temperature, radiation, and microgravity, and can fully support 60 days of space travel."

The data and solutions convinced everyone once again. The Alliance Council ultimately voted to pass a resolution: the Far Star Exploration Project would proceed as planned, while a "Far Star Risk Emergency Committee" would be established to monitor the navigation status in real time and immediately initiate the return procedure should any uncontrollable risks arise.

A week before departure, Lin Dong received a video call from the courtyard house. Inside the Interstellar Agriculture Museum, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui led a group of children around a simulation model of Vesta, with a banner on the wall that read "Exploring distant stars, may your journey be smooth sailing."

"Lin Dong, you're going to Vesta, please be careful." Yi Zhonghai's voice was full of concern. "The old and young men of the courtyard are all praying for you and waiting for your good news."

Liu Haizhong held up a calligraphy scroll he had just written, bearing four powerful characters: "Bravely Explore the Stars." "This calligraphy is for you," he said, "wishing you a resounding success and continued glory on Vesta!"

Yan Bugui said with a smile, "I have already put the model of the symbiotic ecological cabin in the museum. The children call it the 'space ecological house.' Many people come to visit every day and ask when they can live in such a house in space."

Lin Xiangyang leaned closer to the camera and said excitedly, "Grandpa Yi, Grandpa Liu, Uncle Yan, when we come back from Vesta, we'll bring back soil samples and rock specimens to enrich the museum's exhibits! Then, I'll tell the children the story of our Vesta exploration!"

After the video call ended, the final checks on the Starship-1 were completed. The maintenance bay door slowly opened, and the upgraded Starship-1 slowly drove out, its fuselage gleaming silver-white. Through the transparent observation window of the symbiotic ecosystem, lower plants flourished, like an emerald inlaid on the fuselage.

All personnel from the Pallas Ecological Hub came to the launch site to see off the Starship-1. Lin Dong, He Yushui, Lin Xiangyang, and Yan Jiecheng boarded the Starship, and the hatch slowly closed.

"Starship-1, Distant Star Exploration Project, 10-second countdown to launch!" "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—Ignition!"

The nuclear fusion reactor spewed pale blue flames, and Starship-1 slowly rose, leaving the surface of Pallas and heading towards Vesta. Outside the porthole, the crimson surface of Pallas gradually shrank, the light of the subglacial lake shone like a blue gem, and the lights of the ecological hub resembled a string of pearls, all eventually merging into the vast starry sky.

Standing by the porthole, Lin Dong gazed at Pallas, which was receding into the distance, his heart filled with anticipation and determination. He knew that the journey to Vesta was fraught with unknowns, but as long as the team remained united, the guiding light remained unbroken, and their original aspirations remained unchanged, they would surely overcome all difficulties and write a new legend in the vast sea of ​​stars.

Lin Xiangyang sat at the data desk, looking at the navigation parameters on the lighthouse system screen, and wrote a new log:

"The new starship sets sail, carrying hope; the distant stars and long journeys cannot deter our spirit of exploration. The mysteries of Vesta await our unveiling; humanity's footsteps will eventually reach even more distant parts of the universe. May the light of the Red Star illuminate every journey and warm every unknown land."