The Last Hail M.A.R.Y.

Warning.

Solar event horizon breached.

Mercury has detonated in the solar heliosphere.

Containment is no longer possible.

Updating solar variant models.

Recalculating orbital decay.

All right, back to your stations, everyone.

- Yes, commander. - Yes, ma'am.

Mercury is gone...

we knew this was coming.

Now, Space Force paid big money

to give us a front seat to this catastrophe.

Let's give them all the science we've got.

Before Venus...

or Earth suffers the same fate.

Or Mars, for that matter.

What?

I can't be the only one thinking this.

Seven months after we end the war with Mars,

and now this?

Yeah.

Now the Sun's trying to kill us both.

That'll do, McCulloch.

I want scans of the aftermath for Mercury ASAP.

Start debris analysis for temperature readings.

Build forecast models.

Let's get to work.

...reached at 44 hours, 18 minutes.

Elliptical deviation...

...61 hours, 57 minutes.

Complete loss of the planet Mercury.

Took 93 hours.

Four days...

for Mercury to be consumed by the Sun.

Contact IceCube Observatory for their readings.

Compare them with NASA sat data.

This is ISS calling.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory, over.

This is Interplanetary Space Station,

calling IceCube Neutrino Observatory, over.

Increased radiation is interfering with broadband.

Hold for beamforming response to augment signal.

The majority of the debris is vaporized.

The superheating phase boiled Mercury's iron core.

I'll recreate a 3D sample for further analysis.

You okay? What's going on?

Yes, I'm nervous.

You won't say anything to Carter, will you?

Must stay focused, at all times.

For the good of the missions.

No distractions. No other--

You don't have to explain.

We just witnessed something that no one could have imagined

happening in our lifetimes.

We're all feeling it, Hinata.

I'll populate the...

orbital history simulation models

with temperature analysis from this sample.

That should tell us

how quickly the orbital decay is happening.

Like rings in a tree telling how old it is.

Okay.

Solange Beck, report to Cupola Module.

Running a secondary diagnostic.

Am I coming through okay?

- Solange? - Yes, Erik, I'm reading you.

I just wish I had better news, but our remote data

of the Sun's surface expansion has

spiked erratically since Mercury's been wiped out.

Far worse than was predicted.

Yeah, you should see the fragment sample

we were able to collect and scan.

Wait, you're saying you have-- you have a fragment sample?

I thought everything would have been burnt up.

- We got lucky. - Huh.

I'll generate a status package

on solar surface structure readings

and send it up to you and the team.

How are you holding up?

I haven't had the time to really let it sink in yet.

Everybody here is a bit on edge.

I know what you mean.

Sending that data package now.

I miss you.

Been thinking about you all the time.

I miss you. I can't wait to see you again.

I realize that might be a while.

Yeah.

Talk soon, okay?

Talk soon. I love you.

I love you.

IceCube data package received.

Distributing on all department channels.

Those figures are looking crazy.

Hinata, the threshold when Mercury reached

full stage disintegration, where was it?

Approximately 0.21 astronomical units.

Why?

- Solange, what is it? - Collect your data.

Meet me in the Cupola in two minutes.

The fragment that we got from Mercury post-dispersal

has shown that its orbit experienced

extreme destabilization.

The fragment shows cracking and scarring

consistent with tidal heating

as Mercury continued its inward spiral into the Sun.

Friction levels destabilized Mercury?

Temperature at surface confirms that.

Just so that I understand correctly,

so its orbit slowed

as it approached the solar death-zone?

Early readings show that the Sun's

death perimeter is expanding.

Okay, and if the death-zone continues expanding,

how does that affect Venus and Earth?

Kiryu and I have built

a hypothetical model of the orbital decay for Venus

to calculate the approach to the death-zone.

Running orbital decay projection simulation.

Trajectory retardation matches Mercury 98%.

The orbital trajectories are near identical.

Correct. That would mean

that Venus has already begun to decay.

Venus is larger than Mercury.

The planet might resist decay longer.

Not if the Sun's death-zone keeps expanding.

We need to know how fast that's happening.

Earth and Venus, they're sister planets

in size, mass,

composition, density, and proximity.

Venus has to survive, at all costs.

Solange, contact Erik.

Tell him we need his team on alert.

Solange, do you have more data?

The Sun's atmosphere is expanding,

which caused Mercury to vaporize

when its core got destabilized.

And Venus is showing the same orbital decay.

We need to know how fast the Sun is expanding

to protect Venus and Earth.

Core surveys would tell us that. We need to know, Erik.

You want the serious hardware.

Now, the window of opportunity is closing

if our solar velocity estimates hold.

The radiation levels after the loss of Mercury

are still extremely high.

Now, I can start prepping solar survey drones.

But the launch window

will be extremely tight

for a successful go launch.

Erik, get the drones prepped, ASAP.

The probes on those drones only survive

six seconds past the chromosphere.

But they're the best in the biz.

You helped design those things?

First job out of college. Nivens V&V Team.

Were you still there when the war started?

No, sir. Delta Nine,

8th Squadron, tip of the spear.

Martians didn't expect us to fight back so quick.

Hoo-ah.

My Brother Rory was 3rd Infantry.

Gave 'em hell, too.

I miss him every day.

ISS, this is NASA MMOC.

Three rockets on approach

with solar survey drones on board.

Once the rockets reach orbit, we'll deploy the drones

and transfer control to the ISS.

Good luck.

MMOC, this is ISS, reading you loud and clear.

Awaiting CP4 imaging. Drone navigation control.

Standing by.

NASA MMOC to ISS, releasing drones now.

Ready to transfer control, on your mark.

MMOC control, ISS assuming

CP4 navigation access, on my mark.

Three, two, one.

Mark.

Solar survey imaging drone

did not deploy from rocket three.

Check for interference.

No signal, I can't access for deployment.

MMOC Control, third stick unresponsive.

Failed deployment.

Repeat, third stick unresponsive.

- Failed deployment. - Eh, radiation's

interfering with the antenna.

It needs manual calibration, or else we won't be able

to maneuver the drones once they're online.

Stay here. Diomid can handle it.

Commander, I'd prefer to go, all right?

I can realign it quicker.

He's not familiar with our interface.

Understood, but I need you here

to execute the core survey.

Diomid, perform manual antenna calibration.

We're still experiencing signal interference.

Warning, thruster error, code 67.

Rocket three has suffered electrical arc failure.