Learning that Xi P was once a research ship pilot responsible for exploring the universe, Min can't help but feel a deep sense of respect. Judging by their technological level, starships equipped with faster-than-light engines have probably not seen widespread use yet. Individuals assigned to deep-space research should also be exceedingly rare, yet Xi P was one of them. Possessing knowledge commensurate with such a position, it might even rank among the most brilliant minds in their entire civilisation. And now, Min can converse and laugh with this alien scientist. Truly fortunate.
The ship's research instruments are genuinely high-tech and hold immense value, and the data collected in deep space is utterly unprecedented for humanity. However, most of these instruments were either not stowed in the cargo hold or were destroyed by the landing impact. Yet even what little remains holds undeniable worth. Proper utilisation of this technology would undoubtedly result in significant advancements for humanity.
'The question is whether it intends to share this data with us. It probably will, right?'
***
For Xi P, the issue isn't whether to share the data, but how. Regardless of his feelings towards Earth, Xi P is genuinely eager to return to Lierus as soon as possible. The pace of scientific research here is crucial to his progress, and every fraction of a second saved will bring him closer to home. The potential impact of these discoveries should not be underestimated, even when the most critical data is excluded – the FTL engine and spacecraft designs.
Unfortunately, Xi P is not a physicist and can't directly contribute to this alien civilisation's FTL research. Even most physicists struggle to grasp the detailed principles behind such technology. All that Xi P knows is:
"Compressing forward space and expanding rearward space using exotic matter." And that is it.
Setting technology aside for now, the most crucial items recovered for him aren't his phone or computer. After all, they can't connect to the internet. Earth's networks are useless to them. And Xi P isn't a software engineer — how can he possibly understand network protocols he's never encountered before and write software to deal with them?
The personal items aren't essential either. For now, most have close substitutes on Earth. Xi P is fairly easygoing, so these aren't pressing needs.
The most crucial items are probably the food supplies.
After taking an inventory, there are still over twenty bags of space rations left, minus what has already been consumed. At two meals a day, these would last about ten days. Min discusses plans with him to begin , in a few days, testing which foods Xi P can consume. They are both optimistic given how similar the two planets' biospheres are...
***
Now that the supplies have been organised, Xi P finally has time to do what he has truly longed to do: research!
Since joining the Central Academy of Sciences, he has dreamed of discovering never-before-encountered life forms in deep space. Despite rarely having the opportunity to conduct such research due to practical demands, he never abandoned this dream. So, naturally, when recruitment began for the interstellar exploration mission, he joined without hesitation.
Due to the extreme dangers associated with this kind of mission, only around 200 people signed up for this massive national project. Considering the tens of thousands of candidates who met the basic qualifications, this figure was astonishingly low. Of these volunteers, only a handful were considered exceptionally suitable — Xi P was one of them. After undergoing rigorous additional training in aerospace engineering, he finally earned his piloting credentials for the Incasus spacecraft, securing the potentially historic opportunity to make first contact with extraterrestrial life.
Thus, crash-landing on Earth — a planet teeming with extraterrestrial life — filled him with both exhilaration and regret. The excitement stemmed from the prospect of genuine interaction with alien intelligence, while the regret arose from how strikingly similar Earth's environment and life forms proves to be compared to his expectations.
That said, had the similarity been too low, he simply wouldn't have survived.
Upon discovering that some of the scientific instruments he brought with him were still functional, he immediately decided to conduct a scientific analysis of Earth's biosphere. Aside from the disposable test tubes and culture media that had been opened and contaminated, all other consumables are in good condition. Power isn't an issue either; the portable radioactive isotope decay thermoelectric reactor can power the research equipment directly without the need for transformers to adjust Earth's electricity.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
While he has many questions about the physiology of the local intelligent lifeforms, for now Min doesn't need to become Xi P's lab rat. He can wait until he understands their language and simply searches their internet. However, as for the local atmosphere and flora, he cannot wait to dive into studying them!
***
'Sure enough, oxygen and nitrogen dominate the composition. The oxygen content is slightly elevated, but imperceptible without instrumentation...'
'...They're all so similar... How can this possibly make sense?'
Xi P's mouth hangs slightly open, tongue flickers lightly as he stares at the monitor with feverish intensity. To Min, the sight is hard not to associate with a certain animal.
This posture of intense focus while awaiting results is serious enough in itself and shouldn't spark other thoughts. However, when this posture appears on the head of a fox-like creature, most people find it hard to focus on the meaning that the posture is meant to convey. Not to mention, compared to a real fox's head, Xi P's is even more aligned with human aesthetic standards...
***
In Min's personal opinion, when people talk about something having a sci-fi feel, this sci-fi quality can generally be divided into two types: 1. Commercial Sci-Fi aesthetic 2. Practical Sci-Fi aesthetic.
Commercial sci-fi aesthetics typically feature one or more of the following characteristics: luminous lines (usually blue) on surfaces or edges; shapes that are radically different from common objects; and at least one component that appears sophisticated and incomprehensible at first glance. As the name suggests, this aesthetic is commonly used in commercial advertisements or sci-fi films.
Practical sci-fi aesthetics, however, pertain to things like the interior of the Large Hadron Collider. Such objects usually have intricate, metallic components, are often massive in scale and have a relatively plain form and colour palette. When viewed from the right angle, such objects can be no less striking than commercial sci-fi products. In most cases, however, an object with practical sci-fi elements carries far less sci-fi appeal than its commercial counterpart.
Blue-glowing lines invariably evoke a potent sci-fi aura, don't they?
Unfortunately, the instruments carried by Xi P naturally lack any necessity for blue-glowing lines, and their external appearance is not particularly conducive to revealing any sci-fi appeal. Consequently, at least at first glance, these objects don't particularly radiate a sci-fi or alien vibe.
That said, Min also finds it difficult to discern the instruments' functions solely from their appearance. Primarily because he cannot read the labels on them. Determining the function of most laboratory instruments that aren't overly large and have enclosures, purely from appearance — especially when they aren't operational — is extremely challenging.
However, Min does recognise the instrument that Xi P is currently using; it is most likely a mass spectrometer. He wouldn't mistake the exposed ion trap for anything else.
'And it's an orbitrap, no less. How similar technological development can be...'
The function of a mass spectrometer is to ionise components within a sample in an ioniser, generating positively charged ions with varying mass-to-charge ratios. These ions are then accelerated by an electric field to form an ion beam, which then enters the mass analyser. Within the mass analyser, electric or magnetic fields separate the ions according to their distinct mass-to-charge ratios and focus them onto a detector, producing a mass spectrum. This process enables the analysis of organic structures, elemental composition, and more. As for the sample it is currently analysing, to be fair, Min hadn't seen it inject any sample material — it seemed to have merely opened the sample inlet cover...
'It can't be analysing air, can it?'
'Looks like it... That pie chart definitely resembles atmospheric composition data. For such basic info, it could have just asked me... Oh well, it has its freedom. Let it be.'
While Xi P continues to tap at the screen to record data, Min takes the opportunity to briefly inspect its other research instruments. Closer inspection reveals numerous differences from Earth-manufactured instruments. While similar in size, the displays and materials showcase significant technological advancements. Min can discern from their astonishingly high resolution (though, strangely, viewing them causes a slight eye strain). One mysterious device features a display with pronounced depth effects, seemingly capable of projecting naked-eye 3D imagery. The casing and components exhibit remarkable toughness — ordinary instruments would not be able to survive such impacts. In these aspects, they do carry a hint of alien technological sophistication.
Reasonably, Min refrains from pressing any buttons on these instruments. Even if they won't suddenly transform into laser cannons or other killing machines, tampering with unknown functions risks damaging the precision equipment. Taking an example, running a centrifuge at maximum speed with an imbalanced load could easily cause explosive damage. Such issues are common with cheaper equipment, but Min still doesn't want to take any chances. If he breaks something, Xi P definitely won't be pleased.
'...'
Seeing that Xi P is still typing on the tablet, Min decides to find something else to do. Watching it type is rather tedious. After all, he can't decipher what it's writing, and staring at a fox's head all day isn't his idea of fun. He isn't some kind of furry enthusiast.
It's worth noting that Xi P doesn't type as Min expected — not by pressing the touchscreen directly, nor by using a hologram projected from the bottom of the computer. Instead, a transparent film is pulled out from the base, and glowing blue boxes appear on it. Xi P types directly on these blue boxes, and can even see key travel, just like on a physical keyboard. That is quite sci-fi indeed.
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