Ushuaia Port, as the port closest to the Antarctic continent on Earth, primarily handles the transshipment and resupply of vessels heading to Antarctica.
However, the port is not particularly large. It has one commercial pier and one fuel supply pier, with fewer than ten berths in total. During peak season, berths are often insufficient, and many ships have to anchor in nearby waters, with personnel ferried ashore by tender boats.
At this time, the port berths were also nearly fully occupied, mostly by research vessels flying flags of different countries. There were not only Nordic research vessels, but also those from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia docked here.
Because the Drake Passage had experienced high winds and waves in recent days, these research vessels were all waiting in Ushuaia for a departure window. It was said that many cruise ships and research vessels still at the Antarctic Peninsula, the mainland, and the islands, rushing to evacuate during the final window, were also waiting for a return window. Once the last batch of Antarctic tourists and summer research team members had been withdrawn to Ushuaia, this year’s Antarctic summer tourism season would officially come to an end.
After the recent peak evacuation period passed, Ushuaia Port would see almost no commercial cruise ships docking for the next six months. Only cargo ships and national research vessels would remain, and at that time, Ushuaia would truly enter its off-season.
Regarding Ushuaia Port, there is a small tip. Many trips to Antarctica need to be booked far in advance, and the prices are therefore extremely expensive, beyond what ordinary people can afford. However, if a ship still has leftover tickets just before departure, the prices are heavily discounted.
Therefore, many backpackers, in order to reach Antarctica in the most cost-effective way, do not book cruise ships in advance. Instead, they fly directly to Ushuaia during the Antarctic tourism season and wait there for ships with leftover tickets to head to Antarctica. At that time, there are many ships to choose from, and finding last-minute deals is relatively easy.
The minibus drove directly onto the pier and stopped only in front of the Nordic research vessel. Upon seeing the minibus return, several men immediately came down from the ship and greeted Charlie wade and the others enthusiastically.
They were somewhat surprised that all four meteorological experts were Asian, but their superiors had reminded them when issuing the notification that the identities of the four involved state secrets and they were not to inquire further. Thus, although surprised, they all displayed excellent professional conduct, and no one asked any questions.
One of them, a man around fifty years old, stepped forward and said to Charlie wade, “Mr Louis, hello. I am the captain of the Nordic research vessel Iliad, John Thoresen. You can call me John. Welcome aboard, you and the three ladies!”
Charlie wade was somewhat surprised. He had not expected that the only Nordic research vessel would be named the Iliad. That meant it was named after the royal family’s surname.
It seemed that Nordic respect for the royal family was indeed stronger than in other constitutional monarchies.
Immediately afterwards, Charlie wade politely shook his hand and said, “Hello, Captain Thoresen. We will trouble you for the next few days.”
John Thoresen was not entirely clear which Nordic department these “meteorological experts” belonged to. When his superiors synchronised the information, they had specifically instructed them not to ask questions, not to interfere, and to provide as much convenience as possible. Therefore, he even thought that Charlie wade and the others might be from the military, yet he vaguely felt that was not quite right. There were very few Asian immigrants in the military, after all. How could so many arrive at once?
Charlie wade noticed the doubt in his eyes and thought that once aboard, he would find an opportunity to give everyone on the ship a psychological suggestion, to eliminate any future troubles once and for all.
The Iliad was an icebreaking research vessel that had been in service for less than five years. It had a tonnage of 12,000 tonnes and level-three icebreaking capability, able to navigate freely through 1.5-metre-thick ice. It could operate year-round in ice-covered waters, whether in the Antarctic or the Arctic, without issue.
After boarding, the captain led the four of them on a tour of the ship’s facilities and layout. The ship was large. Apart from the engine room and cargo hold at the bottom, there were more than ten laboratories alone, and public facilities such as a restaurant, library, and gym were all well-equipped.
The four then followed the captain to the crew cabins. There were more than forty rooms of various types, in three configurations: single, double, and quadruple.
Research staff were standardly assigned double or single rooms. Apart from the captain and first mate, all other crew lived in quadruple rooms. This voyage to Antarctica was mainly to transport supplies and evacuate researchers from the station, so there were only about twenty people on board in total. Even with Charlie wade and the others added, there were fewer than thirty.
Charlie wade and Lin Wan’er each chose a single room. Grace Lowes and Song Rife were accustomed to living together, so they took a double room.
The rooms on a research vessel were naturally not as luxurious as those on commercial polar cruise ships, but they were absolutely clean and tidy. They had all the necessary facilities, including private bathrooms, 24-hour hot water, and showers, which were more than sufficient for the four of them.
After helping them settle in, the captain said, “The four of you rest for a while. In one hour it will be dinner time. We will broadcast a notification when dinner begins. When you hear it, just go straight to the restaurant.”
Charlie wade nodded lightly, then used a trace of spiritual energy to give him a psychological suggestion, instructing him, “At dinner, remember to have all the staff come to the restaurant. I would like to meet everyone.”
The captain subconsciously agreed readily and said with a smile, “No problem. Rest assured, I will call everyone over.”
Charlie wade nodded and said, “Then you go about your business. See you in the restaurant later.”
“Alright, see you in the restaurant.”
After the captain left, Charlie wade said to the three ladies, “After the long flight, everyone must be a bit weary. Let’s each return to our rooms to rest and unpack. After all, the ship won’t depart for another four or five days, and the voyage will take three more days, so it will be at least seven days before we disembark.”
Grace Lowes said, “Mr Wade, I noticed that the crew seemed surprised to see us. Perhaps four Asian faces are indeed quite unusual for them. Will this pose any risk? Rife and I don’t mind, but we are mainly worried about Miss Lin’s whereabouts being exposed. After all, there are surveillance cameras everywhere on this ship.”
Charlie wade smiled and said, “I sensed that too, but don’t worry. I have already instructed the captain to gather everyone for dinner. Then I will give them all a collective psychological suggestion, ensuring they do everything possible to accommodate us and do not reveal our whereabouts to anyone. As for the surveillance footage, it’s simple. I will have their technicians open an interface so our AI model can process all the stored recordings and erase any trace of our presence. That way, there will basically be nothing to worry about.”
