As speed and altitude gradually decreased, the San Jacinto transitioned entirely to plasma thrusters for deceleration and gravity management. She descended along Mars' equator, her sights fixed on the planet's scar—Mariner Valley. Half its parched cliffs glowed in feeble sunlight, the other half shrouded in its own shadow.
Standing on the bridge, Lübeck watched the visual feedback of the mothership's altitude and velocity changes. He yearned to pilot the ship himself—he loved flying anything, aircraft or spacecraft alike—but he also needed to give his crew the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their respective stations.
The ship glided smoothly along its preprogrammed trajectory. As Lübeck cycled between data screens and visual feeds, his mind drifted. After lunch today, he'd pointed out the medical station where Brittany could best witness the entire descent. He wondered if she and her friends had followed his advice. Gazing at the Sunset Canyon before him—a wilderness of crimson cliffs weathered by time—Lübeck truly wished to share this moment with his one and only companion, Brittany.
Ahead along the descent trajectory lay Hermes Base, situated in Coprates Canyon east of Sailor Canyon. There, a massive gateway built into the canyon's sheer cliffs awaited the San Jacinto, which would dock there to await formal deployment.
Little light penetrated the canyon now. The colossal airship's hull had already sunk below the surface, yet even at a kilometer-deep canyon, it seemed somewhat small and lonely—like a child returning home, having seen the outside world, only to recall memories of home and the path back.
Hermes Base was entirely embedded within the canyon's sheer rock walls. It was precisely by leveraging the basalt cliffs that the spatial structure of the portal had been constructed, while other supporting base facilities served auxiliary functions corresponding to the primary objective.
As the hovering San Jacinto gradually approached the rock face, she employed a strategy of increasing output from her antigravity engines while reducing plasma thruster jets to solely maintain attitude control. The colossal vessel slowly approached the docking bay for the portal on the cliff face. Base lights illuminated her metallic bow. Fortunately, she didn't need to dock in a specific orientation—after all, there was no front or back in the universe she was being transported into.
Amid the roar of plasma thrusters and the low-frequency hum of the antigravity field, the San Jacinto entered the portal docking bay in near-hovering precision.
When the space carrier finally settled into its berth, cheers erupted from both ship and base personnel. Yet the reunion was brief—crew members, having endured too long in confinement, eagerly streamed into the base facilities, their feet finally touching solid ground.
Soon, the descent corridors and halls transformed from emptiness to a surging tide of people. Brittany and her unit followed the passageway down, their heavy equipment straining behind them, luggage swaying before them. The narrow, jostling corridor made her slender frame stagger slightly as she was carried along by the flow.
The surging crowd before her, the swaying backs in her field of vision—yet as her gaze pierced through the gaps in the throng, Brittany instantly recognized that familiar figure standing against the backdrop of humanity. His navy blue woolen coat and white peaked cap made him seem like a rock standing firm amidst the surging tide, unmoving, as if waiting through the inevitable passage of time.
“Lübeck!” Brittany called his name, stepping forward.
“I was waiting for you,” Lübeck said, taking her backpack.
“Oh, look! Buri got home first!” Before the newly reunited pair could react, their medical station colleagues teased them.
“Buri, how did you find your sugar daddy?”
“Hahaha!” Everyone laughed.
Brittany, cradled in Lübeck's arms, turned back to watch her colleagues walk by with a playful smile. Lübeck nodded and smiled back at them.
“What did they say?” Lübeck whispered softly in Brittany's ear.
She turned back to face him.
“I told them you reversed your age once.”
"Oh, do you guys talk about me often?"
Brittany swayed against Lübeck's back, clinging to him.
“Why do you care about them? You should only think about me.”
“Mm, okay.” Lübeck slung Brittany's backpack over one shoulder, wrapped his arm around her waist, and led the way back to their quarters. Then they could finally relax and enjoy themselves at the base.
Hermes Base was the only Mars outpost equipped with a portal serving the aerospace mothership, providing fleet-level military assets with the capability for trans-temporal deployment. Consequently, its supporting facilities and services were the most luxurious and comprehensive, designed to meet the needs of space crews before their deployments. Due to construction cost considerations, however, all living quarters were situated on the surface, requiring elevator access to reach them.
While still within close proximity to Mars, the ship's day-night cycle remained synchronized with the base's time. It was now evening, perfectly timed for dinner, as Lübeck and Brittany arrived at the dining district within the base's commercial zone.
Along a small block of streets, buildings of diverse architectural styles stood side by side—Nordic, British, Mediterranean, and more.
As they strolled, Lübeck murmured,
“What should we eat?”
“I don't know. You choose.”
“Then let me first treat you to a taste of my homeland.” With that, Lübeck led her into a restaurant displaying complimentary beer samples at its entrance.
With so many specialty eateries nearby, each establishment had sparse crowds. Upon entering, they faced a bar counter flanked by simple wooden tables and chairs. Long tables were draped with red-and-blue checkered tablecloths. They chose a window seat, Lübecke guiding Brittany to the window while he settled beside her along the aisle.
As they browsed the menu together, Lübeck was delighted to find his hometown specialty—fish burgers—listed. He chose one to share with her. Somewhere along the way, Lübeck had begun wanting to tell Brittany everything about himself, including his past experiences.
After ordering, he looked at Brittany. The pale green patterned glass of the window blurred the street scene outside, reducing passersby to shifting patches of color drifting past the pane. Against this hazy backdrop, Brittany's delicate features stood out even more.
“What's wrong?” Brittany asked with a smile as she looked over. Though she knew the answer, she still wanted to hear Lübeck say it himself.
Lübeck didn't reply. Instead, he gently cupped her chin, turned her face toward him, and kissed her lips.
Brittany smiled, saying nothing more. Their eyes met, filled with tenderness and sweetness.
Outside the restaurant, passersby walked the street, unaware of the two figures at the window—sometimes close, sometimes apart, sometimes speaking, sometimes listening. They fed each other with joy, clinked glasses in intimacy.
Stepping out the front door, Lübeck carried a bag of beer—Brittany had wanted to drink with him, but she didn't want to get drunk outside. What a good girl.
As a high-ranking official, Lübeck's room was on the upper level of the ground floor, equipped with a panoramic skylight—though, of course, it couldn't be opened. Seated in recliners, they sipped German beer while gazing at Mars' starry sky. In that moment, the celestial river before their eyes seemed to harmonize perfectly with the aroma on their tongues. The life-giving light from the stars had nurtured crops on Earth, which, through time's accumulation, had matured into fine wine. Now, that same wine stirred the hearts of both men.
When the spacecraft landed and they returned to life on the ground, with a sense of security restored, people gravitated toward ordinary existence.
“Eri, our beer is gone,” Brittany paused their stargazing chat, setting her glass aside as she murmured softly.
Lübeck noticed she could hold her liquor even better than he could. Under the faint starlight, he could see her flushed cheeks. Reaching out to touch them, he felt their warmth, which reminded him of the rosy glow of a nebula.
“Like the Rosette Nebula,” he murmured softly.
“What?” Brittany asked, puzzled.
“I mean, your cheeks are flushed like the pink hues of the Rosette Nebula.”
Brittany smiled. Being praised by her lover was always delightful, no matter the compliment.
“So, am I your rose?”
" Yes, my pink rose." With that, Lübeck kissed her lips. Her cheeks grew warm.
Brittany said nothing, simply responding to his kisses and caresses, savoring the moment of being praised and cherished by her lover.
When Lübeck lifted her body, it felt like the scorching heat of a galaxy, awaiting the return of a ship that had journeyed far to find its way home.
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