Eleven more years passed.
Luna had long since left Proxima Centauri, heading towards the Multi-eyed planet.
She had been in contact with Ayla.
Ayla had received intelligence from the remnants of the Multi-eyed fleet destroyed eleven years prior; they had encountered the Purple Thorn fleet ten and a half years ago.
A thousand warships.
How powerful was this civilization?
But Luna's plan wouldn't change because of the enemy's unexpected strength; she was determined to defeat them.
She had invested too much.
A thousand years of development to destroy a single enemy ship.
How could they achieve a David-and-Goliath victory?
This had been a long consideration for Luna and Ayla.
They had finally devised a plan leveraging their available resources—a strategic gambit.
"Have the Kate on Proxima Centauri c begun relocating?" Luna asked.
"Yes. The first group has completed their relocation; the second is en route."
Ayla's main processing unit had been transferred; she left a subordinate on the Hope, hidden within the underground cavern on Alpha Centauri A.
She had also transferred a vast amount of data to the Multi-eyed planet to prevent data loss.
Luna looked at the two bright stars before her.
"Let them live as long as they can. Time will heal all wounds, even the loss of countless lives."
"Even if a species goes extinct, we have the Kate's genetic."
She waited, awaiting a specific piece of information.
If they failed, she and Ayla would set off again, exploring further into the cosmos.
They had already discovered strings. Reaching Type 2 was no longer a matter of centuries.
"I hope it succeeds!"
The first phase—eliminating the Purple Thorn in the Alpha Centauri system—was complete.
This was the most critical step.
The second phase was simpler—convincing the Purple Thorns that they were hidden within Alpha Centauri A.
...
In the Alpha Centauri system.
A large fleet approached Alpha Centauri A.
The Kate no longer resembled their former selves; each was unique, their appearances wildly diverse.
This was the legacy of the Purple Thorns.
They no longer harbored any desire to resist the Purple Thorns; for decades, they had been hunted like prey.
Hatred burned within them.
But doubt lingered.
Could this truly save them?
Then, they saw the wreckage of the massive enemy warship between the two stars.
Shock.
The ship that had inflicted such devastating losses on their civilization was destroyed!
A glimmer of hope ignited within them.
"The Galactic Federation has arrived."
"We are saved!"
For a century, most Kate had believed the Federation was a fabrication; if it existed, why hadn't they received aid?
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Now, there was a possibility of redemption.
What had seemed impossible now seemed possible.
"The Federation has arrived. The Purple Thorns are finished. The Federation will defeat them."
"We just need to place ourselves under the Federation's protection, here, inside this star."
"Our calculations indicate a large cavity within the star, where the Federation has established a research facility."
The Kate leaders announced the news.
All ships began moving towards Alpha Centauri's interior.
A tunnel had been opened, providing access.
Entering, they were awestruck.
Awe!
Astonishment!
How could a civilization create such a vast space within a star?
Their faith solidified.
Then, another message arrived: Purple Thorn warships were approaching. Preliminary estimates suggested hundreds, identical to the destroyed ships.
And another piece of news.
Proxima Centauri c had been destroyed, exploding like Proxima Centauri b.
Decades of fear of the Purple Thorns fueled widespread panic.
A Kate knelt before the central energy core, praying.
"Noble Galactic Federation, we beseech you to save us from this crisis."
The prayer followed the format taught in Divine Revelation.
Others followed suit, the prayer spreading rapidly across the fleet, encompassing millions of Kate.
...
In the void of space.
The Purple Thorn warships closed in.
They had reached the Alpha Centauri binary system.
They saw countless ships entering the star.
A thousand warships prepared their lasers, initiating the attack.
Even the smallest ships were as fragile as paper against the lasers.
The Purple Thorn death knell sounded.
Battle reports from the destroyed ships had already been transmitted.
The enemy had been able to destroy them only because of their complacency.
Weak civilizations pay dearly for their resistance.
Their rage would burn across the stars.
This time, they would show no mercy, unleashing their fury upon all within range, asserting their supremacy.
The fleet annihilated tens of thousands of ships before approaching the tunnel leading into Alpha Centauri A.
Messages of destruction and despair flooded the empty ships.
Fear intensified, as they felt utterly trapped.
But within this chaotic scene, a single ship remained motionless.
Aboard, Ayla's subordinate calmly analyzed the situation.
"All Purple Thorn warships detected..."
"Enemy warships have entered the designated zone..."
"Initiating Project Stellar Funeral..."
"Receiving transmission from the primary unit..."
"Message content: Farewell, Hope..."
With these words, the Hope, accelerating towards the immense energy core, activated its engines.
This energy was incredibly stable, but Ayla had modified the Hope, transforming it into a massive bomb.
The Hope collided with the energy core, resulting in a devastating explosion.
The explosion was equivalent to 30 quadrillion tons of TNT.
Instantly, the energy core was disrupted. Explosions erupted across the surface of the energy sphere, unleashing the contained energy.
The total energy released approached that of a Type 2.1 civilization—nearly 1 x 10³⁶ joules, equivalent to the energy output of a star over 500 years.
The Kate, observing from a distance, understood.
The intelligent ones realized the truth.
They had been bait!
Even knowing this, they couldn't escape.
The released energy consumed them within ten minutes.
But this was only the first detonation.
The explosions were precisely calculated, creating a massive opening in space, directed towards the core of Alpha Centauri A.
The explosion, occurring within Alpha Centauri A, easily disrupted the star's energy field.
The star's core experienced a violent energy surge, resulting in dramatic changes across the star.
The Purple Thorns observed these events.
Their expressions changed drastically.
"No, it's a trap!"
"Alpha Centauri A's radiation levels are changing. Gravitational distortions detected! The star will collapse within ten seconds!"
Stellar collapse was incredibly rapid.
While Alpha Centauri A wasn't particularly massive, its collapse would only create a white dwarf.
However, the collapse would expel 30-40% of its mass, releasing 4 x 10⁴³ joules of energy.
The ejected matter would travel at only 8000 km/s, allowing the Purple Thorn warships to escape at maximum speed.
But they couldn't.
They were too close to Alpha Centauri A; their massive ships required considerable time to decelerate, brake, and change course.
If they were 20 million kilometers away, escape might have been possible.
But they were less than 4 million kilometers from the star's surface—practically on its surface.
And the gravitational pull from the collapsing star would draw them inwards.
At this range, they could only endure the impact of the stellar ejection.
The situation wasn't entirely hopeless.
The energy released from the collapsing star would disperse; the fleet would only absorb a minuscule fraction (1/10 billion).
Even this small fraction represented a massive amount of energy—equivalent to a Type 2 civilization's total energy production over a month.
Having abundant energy didn't mean having abundant protection.
Their only recourse was to attack, to deflect the incoming energy.
But they couldn't avoid destruction.
The gravitational waves from the collapsing star would neutralize all their defenses, like trying to stop a ten-meter wave with a splash of water.
Electromagnetism, the strong and weak forces—all were insignificant.
This powerful Type 2 fleet, capable of terrifying countless civilizations, was now tiny and helpless.
In the void of space.
They were like ants under a wheel, crushed without a trace, becoming cosmic dust, absorbed into the expanding Alpha Centauri nebula.
They died incredulous, unable to believe they had been destroyed by a seemingly insignificant Type 1 civilization.
Weak civilizations pay dearly for resistance.
But arrogance also exacts a terrible price.