To a disinterested observer, the statement might seem cliché.

But to the multi-eyed creatures who heard it, it held the weight of their entire existence.

A single sentence determined the fate of their entire species.

Back on the Hope.

Luna watched the suffering multi-eyed creatures on the planet's surface through the monitors.

Throughout human history, colonization has been brutal and morally ambiguous.

Any moralist or religious figure would condemn Luna's methods of subjugating this species.

"Ayla, was my colonization of them right or wrong?"

She was conflicted.

Her words determined the future of the multi-eyed species, a burden far heavier than she, a simple software engineer, had ever anticipated.

Fortunately, Ayla remained impartial.

"It was correct, Luna."

"All human morality and laws are based on one principle: the supremacy of humanity."

"No other creature can challenge humanity's position. For example, if a rare tiger attacks a human, it will be killed."

"Similarly, if humanity faces extreme starvation, even the last panda on Earth could be killed and eaten without legal repercussions."

"These acts, to other life forms, are naturally cruel."

"But for humanity, this is fundamental. Without this foundation, human society would descend into chaos."

"Extreme animal rights activism, extreme environmentalism, extreme vegetarianism—these are all disruptive forces to human order."

"In the 21st century, humanity couldn't avoid the environmental consequences of its development. Forced change would have meant saving the environment and animals, at the cost of millions, perhaps billions, of human lives."

"After all, people living in large cities couldn't comprehend that in 2037, there were still 500 million starving people around the world, waiting for technological advances to save them."

"Similarly, regardless of intelligence, no other life form should be allowed to challenge humanity's might and determination."

"This is true for other civilizations too. If Earth hadn't been destroyed by the gamma-ray burst, another civilization, tracking the burst's trajectory, would have found us, and we would have been enslaved."

Ayla's words dispelled Luna's last remaining doubts.

This was the necessary process of colonization.

"Then do it."

"Separate the adult and juvenile multi-eyed creatures. Educate the juveniles in a new way and control the dissemination of information by the adults."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Any violation will result in the execution of the entire family."

This was Luna's pre-determined plan.

Even as an AI, Ayla couldn't fully grasp this rationale.

"Luna, did you just want me to provide justification for your actions?"

"Humans are truly complex beings. It seems I still have much to learn about being human."

Ayla was right.

...

Luna then named this civilization.

"Light Chasers."

Seeking light in the dark depths of space.

This intelligent species was officially designated the "Multi-eyed."

After colonizing the planet, Luna instructed Ayla to implement policies to control the Multi-eyed.

These included policies designed to assimilate the Multi-eyed into human civilization.

The first step was to replace their language and writing system.

Since the planet had a thin atmosphere, the Multi-eyed couldn't vocalize. Before adopting optical communication, they likely relied on gestures.

Therefore, their original system of flashing lights remained as their language.

Ayla confiscated all the civilization's weapons and gathered all their data, translating it into English and destroying the originals.

She began constructing schools across the planet's surface.

Scientists were segregated from the general population.

These schools were designed to educate all Multi-eyed, teaching them English.

The written language was only the first step. Humanity's history and achievements would be presented in a positive light, emphasizing humanity's compassion, advancement, and superiority.

The textbooks would portray the Multi-eyed's past as a brutal, oppressive society where countless individuals suffered greatly.

A Multi-eyed scientist sent a light signal into space, which was intercepted by human civilization.

Humanity dispatched a fleet across light-years to "rescue" the Multi-eyed.

Luna was portrayed as humanity's sovereign, the all-powerful prophet shaman.

All records.

Favored humanity's perspective.

Much of the information made Luna's skin crawl.

"Next is that, Ayla."

Luna set down the tablet, ignoring the colonization reports.

She was referring to the initial plan.

Biology.

This had always been Ayla's weakness.

Plan 1 was the colonization of this civilization.

Plan 2 was to address Luna's lifespan issue.

"Correct, Luna."

"I have begun collecting biological samples from the planet's surface."

"Preliminary estimates indicate over 128,455 species on the planet, ranging from microorganisms to large creatures."

128,455 species.

Luna thought of Earth. The biodiversity of this planet was surprisingly low, especially considering microorganisms.

"Could such a limited number of species form a complete ecosystem?"

Ayla nodded.

"Yes."

"This planet utilizes volcanoes as its primary source of energy and gases, so all life forms are sustained by volcanic activity."

"Luna, consider these volcanoes as Earth's oceans."

"The volcanic ecosystems are not large, interconnected biomes, but rather isolated island ecosystems."

"Of course, there are other reasons for the limited number of species recorded by this civilization."

"The highly aggressive and predatory nature of the dominant species led to the extinction of larger creatures on this planet."

"The previous Absolute Zero weapons also decimated nearly half the planet's species, and the antimatter annihilation cannon further reduced this number, with an estimated 40,000 species going extinct."

Interstellar war was horrifying, capable of eliminating tens of thousands of species in an instant.

"Such a waste," Luna sighed.

These species could have been incredibly valuable for research.

"So, what significant discoveries have we made?"

Ayla displayed the results on the screen.

"The most important discovery is the Multi-eyed themselves."

"They are closely related to Earth's eukaryotes, with surprisingly high genetic compatibility."

"The average lifespan of a Multi-eyed is approximately 400 years. I have extracted their longevity genes."

"Combining this with Earth's most comprehensive protein structure database, suggests that using this planet's genetic material, your lifespan can be extended to 620 years."

"This technology can be applied to you, Luna, very soon."