In the silent expanse of space, within a small asteroid belt, a Z-class attack ship had its power systems shut down, silently hidden within the shadows of the asteroids. The dark barrel of its main cannon was aimed at several asteroids in front.
At this moment, Yate focused all his attention on the asteroid targeted by the auxiliary system, his hand gripping the control stick slightly trembling with nervousness.
Suddenly, a inconspicuous flash of light passed by the upper left corner of Yate's target asteroid.
"Indeed, it's here," Yate murmured to himself and skillfully activated the ship's power.
With a loud "boom," a beam of energy blasted the asteroid into pieces, followed by a second shot that penetrated the fragments and directly hit the pirate ship hiding behind the asteroid.
Seeing the pirate ship destroyed before him, Yate had no time to celebrate. He quickly maneuvered the spacecraft, preparing to leave the area. The previous attack undoubtedly exposed his position, and there were still two pirate ships waiting for him somewhere.
"Warning! Warning! Ship locked on, detecting a shipborne missile approaching the left wing of the spacecraft, protective shield fully activated!" A female synthetic voice sounded in Yate's ear, while the red warning lights on the ship's display screen kept flashing, reflecting on Yate's tense face.
Yate skillfully adjusted the shield's energy to focus on the left side of the spacecraft, while simultaneously maneuvering the ship at extreme speed to evade.
The violent explosion caused the spacecraft to shake violently. Yate held onto the control stick tightly, struggling to maintain the balance of the ship.
Just as Yate thought he had successfully evaded another attack, the emotionless synthetic voice sounded again: "Warning! Warning! Heat attack detected ahead, shield energy is insufficient to withstand this attack."
"Damn it!" Yate hammered the display screen in front of him.
Two beams of energy struck the spacecraft at a rapid speed, and in an instant, the ship was consumed by the searing beams.
The surroundings slowly darkened, and a line of text appeared in front of Yate's eyes: "Mission failed. Choose to reload the mission or give up."
"I refuse to believe that I can't pass this level. The global server is about to open, and I can't even defeat a few pirates. This level of skill won't do." Yate was ready to give it another try.
Just as Yate was about to choose to reload the mission, a prompt appeared in front of him: "You have a new call request. Do you want to answer?"
Anxiously wanting to retry the challenge, Yate immediately chose to hang up without thinking.
"You have a new call request. Do you want to answer?"
The call that was just hung up called again, and this time Yate noticed that it was his father calling.
As soon as the call was connected, Yate heard his father, Huaien, complain, "Oh, my dear little Yate, you actually hung up on my call. It really hurts my feelings."
"Dad, it wasn't intentional. Is there something you need?" Yate asked.
"Nothing in particular, just wanted to tell you that we have arrived at Daman Star. You should really have come with us this time. Just between you and me, the service ladies here are really enthusiastic. It's truly a famous tourist destination within the Federation." Huaien couldn't help but share.
Yate couldn't bear his father's behavior and helplessly said, "Alright, I wish you all a great time." He was ready to hang up the call.
"Hey! Wait! I haven't finished yet, you brat!"
"Fine, please speak quickly. I still have a task to complete."
"I knew you were playing Galaxy! "
"Dad, you and Mom said before I joined the military, I could do whatever I wanted."
"Yes, we did say that. Who made you decide not to inherit my business and choose to join the army? You made a man's choice. That's why you have this free time." Huaien owned several profitable transport companies, but Yate didn't want to directly inherit the family business. He had always dreamed of becoming a Marshal commanding a million fleet.
"Well, I'm going to continue my game."
"Hey, wait a minute! Don't you want to know the real reason I called you this time?"
"Other than interrupting my game time, I really didn't expect you to have any other reasons to call me."
"This is a surprise we prepared for you! Promise me first, you can only stay within the solar system and not go elsewhere."
Yate didn't understand why his father suddenly made this request. This request seemed unrelated to him, who was still on the home planet. Could it be that his father was referring to not leaving the solar system in the game?
Thinking like this, Yate casually agreed, "Alright, I will only stay within the Federation's star regions."
"Not within the Federation's star regions, but not allowed to leave the solar system!"
Yate wondered why a game would restrict his movements.
"Okay, I promise."
"Hmm, you should be receiving something soon. You should go out and sign for it now so that you can see it firsthand."
"Sign for it?"
"Yes, sign for it! You better leave immediately, that way you can see it first. " After speaking, Huaien hung up the phone.
Yate didn't know what his father wanted him to sign for. Curiosity in his heart, he walked out of the experience cabin of the Galaxy game and headed outside.
"Cool!"
As Yate watched the newest model of the Explorer Interstellar Shuttle gracefully descending outside his house, he found himself wishing he could own one. Setting aside such a visually stunning spacecraft, even the more affordable standard spaceships that lacked the capability for dimensional travel were not bought for him. Not because his parents couldn't spare the cost, but because they felt he was too young, an adolescence journeying through space was more than they could bear.
However, the present year was 1838 in the Universal Calendar, and the documented civilizations had exceeded hundreds of thousands. Numerous millennia of warfare throughout the Universal Calendar era had unified these into 389 superior cosmic civilizations.
Cultural and technical advancements amongst these higher cosmic civilizations were highly analogous, with variance predominantly found in their systems. Within the cosmos, national political systems were generally classified into democracy, monarchy, and the peculiar clan politics.
Yate's homeland was the embodiment of democratic ideologies - the Federation of Freedom's Wing.
The current classification of civilization levels in the universe is collectively deliberated by the 389 high-end cosmic civilizations. Civilizations in the universe are classified from 1 to 6 levels:
"Level 1 civilizations are the most common in the universe, also the most disadvantageous, scattered throughout the cosmos. They consist of civilizations that have not yet ventured out of their home planets."
"Level 2 civilizations are those who have stepped off their home planets and pursued some simple interstellar exploration. However, they have yet to leave their native star system. Much like level 1 civilizations, they are abundant across the cosmos, without considerable stature and are subject to exploitation. They lack the capability to defy disasters at the stellar level."
"As for Level 3 civilizations, they have mastered powerful warp drive technology and ventured beyond their home star systems, initiating expansion and colonization in the galaxy. Level 3 civilizations are also common in the universe, albeit at the lowest level of the food chain. The silver lining is their ability to systematically exploit level 1 and 2 civilizations."
"If a civilization ascends to Level 4 or 5, it possesses spatial technology. Ominous places in the cosmic void, etc., pose no obstacles. These civilizations are free to traverse the vastness of the galaxy."
"Although Level 4 and 5 civilizations are incredibly formidable, capable of ruling a galaxy, in the grand scheme of the cosmos, one galaxy is negligible."
"A Level 6 civilization is a genuine cosmic civilization in the true sense. They possess the ability to traverse the cosmos at will, capable of ruling over multiple galaxies. Such civilizations dominate vast galaxies, boasting a population beyond measure, ruling over countless lower civilizations. They occupy the highest known position in the universe's food chain, with only mythical cosmic civilizations, as per the firm belief of religious countries, above them."
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Religious nations continuously pontificate about mythical civilizations, speculations about their technology such as the capability to create galaxies abound. Moreover, it's believed that organisms living within these mythical civilizations can freely traverse the cosmos without additional equipment. However, these claims remain nothing more than conjectures of the citizens of religious nations, with no substantiating evidence yet discovered.
At present, interstellar relationships are harmonious, even proposing the establishment of a Universal United Government. However, due to monarchic and imperial nations' reluctance to cede power, wrangling for leadership amongst democratic nations, and the sheer obstinacy of the clan and religious countries in accepting other nations, the proposal was nullified.
The known civilization throughout the universe has about 2 Quintillion people, encompassing over 6,000 galaxies and hundreds of thousands of governing planets. Yate's Federation of Freedom's Wing owns 11 galaxies, with small and large governing planets totaling over 6,700. These governing entities are either planets where civilization existed long ago or previously uninhabited planets suitable for living. The Federation's population is around 4 trillion, positioning it as a mid-tier nation within known space.
The universe's surface currently appears peaceful. Due to the advanced scientific technology, energy crises have been resolved, food shortages are nonexistent, and beside territories, there's little to dispute.
Of course, in addition to territory, rare precision minerals are also a target of contention. However, nations generally exchange these via trade. This led to the emergence of interstellar pirates, with most large-scale pirate groups carrying the influence of a nation.
Across countless beings in the universe, ambitious and scheming individuals aiming to unify the world are inescapable. Peaceful facades can't suppress these ambitious individuals. The real reason for peace is a terrifying weapon mastered by almost every nation, the meteorite bullet. Hence, no fool would wage war without possessing technology to resist this weapon.
Meteorite bullets are derived from Star Destroyer Cannon, which accrues energy to directly bomb the star core causing the planet's collapse. After improvements, a stable particle resides in the meteorite bullet. When detonated, the collision of particles generates a spatial collapse, artificially creating a black hole. The particle quantity determines the black hole's life span.
A scientist concluded through numerous simulation experiments that mass detonation of meteorite bullets at the same location might create an infinitely expanding black hole. This could cause irreversible damage to the entire universe.
The explorer's interstellar shuttle had just landed at the doorstep of Yat's house. Before landing, a very commonplace single-person aircraft was unloaded from the spaceship, an aircraft incapable of reaching space.
Yat kind of knew that his father wanted him to sign for this aircraft. Although it seemed to be well maintained on the outside, it was evident that it had been used many times.
A service person in professional attire descended from the explorer with a smile on his face, addressing Yat, "Hello, may I ask if you are Yat Smith?"
"Yes, is this what I'm supposed to sign for?" Yat pointed to the aircraft next to the explorer, which looked like a beggar by comparison.
"Oh, certainly not, this is what you're supposed to sign for." The service person handed a receipt to Yat who was immediately thrilled by what he saw. It was a receipt from the Calder Company, the explorer shuttle was the latest product of this company.
"Is this mine?" Yat couldn't believe his eyes.
"Absolutely, all you need to do is sign here, and I'll give you the activation code, which will be used for identity verification on the spaceship later." The service person maintained a professional smile.
Without hesitation, Yat promptly signed. He returned the signed receipt to the service person, then watched as he operated a communication device.
"Great, I've sent you the activation code. The dispatch number is mine, you can contact me anytime if you need anything. Enjoy your experience." With that, the service person boarded the single-seat aircraft that Yat had just described as a beggar and left.
Yat excitedly ran to the side of the explorer, fascinated as he stroked the fuselage built from titanium superalloy.
Doing a full circle, Yat then arrived at the entrance portal where he placed his right hand on the identity recognizer. A synthetic sound rang out, "Identity verified, initialization required, please enter the password."
Quickly, Yat checked the verification code he had just received and keyed it in.
"Initialization in progress, please wait..."
"Initialization is complete, please wait..."
"Do you accept the binding of federal identity information?"
"Accepted."
"Uploading identity information, please wait..."
"Binding completed, welcome to use the products of Calder Company, Captain Yat."
Following a series of prompts, the cabin door automatically opened, and Yat strode in with joyful steps.
This was even more advanced than the Z-Type Attack Ship he had driven in the Galaxy game. A spaceship of Category R, it was devoid of weapons system due to civilian usage, but had enhanced shield defense energy.
Seated in the cockpit, Yat excitedly connected with his father through the spaceship's communication device, and exclaimed, "Oh, Dad, this is the best gift I've ever received!"
Wayne was currently walking down the streets of Daman Star with Yat's mother, Selina, in his arms, looking at the delighted face of Yat, he said, "Looks like you've received our prepared gift. Don't forget what you promised me, son."
Yat, with a playful salute to his parents, responded, "Yes, chief."
Despite the fact that everyone could learn to drive a spaceship, just like cars in ancient times, Selina still emphasized, "In three months, you're joining the army, remember to bring your notification. As long as you're on an administrative star of the Wing of Freedom Federation, you can report there. I don't want this gift to make you miss the registration time."
"Understood, Madam Mother."
His parents reiterated he must not go beyond the solar system, as it was the power center of the Wing of Freedom Federation, a straight-up pirate-free zone! Only here they could ensure Yat's safety.
"Okay, I promise."
After Yat repeated countless times that he would not exceed the assign limit, his parents finally disconnected the communication link, resuming their Daman Star tour.
"Yeah, Captain Yat, prepare for your space journey!" Yat was so excited that he couldn't articulate his feelings right then.
Yat had navigated spaceships multiple times in the Galaxy game, but this was the first time he had truly piloted a high-performance spaceship.
A quick scan of the ship's manual allowed Yat to grasp basic operations of this R-class shuttle. His quick understanding was all thanks to the highly replicative Galaxy game, with its authenticity reaching almost a hundred percent.
With no perceivable bump, the Explorer Shuttle broke the sound barrier, and next thing Yat knew, he was in deep space.
"Bring up the solar system star map for me."
"Okay, Captain Yat."
"A star map of the Solar System has been brought up for you. There are over a thousand administrative stars in the Solar System, close to 2.89 million resource stars, the rest are dead stars amounting to over 40 million. There are no unexplored areas or pirate-infested zones in the system. Do you wish to set a destination?"
"Set to Ron Star."
"Okay, the destination has been set to Ron Star. Please prepare for protection, we are about to start space jump. The distance to the destination is 720,000 light years. It is expected to jump three times. The spaceship energy protection is activated and will enter the space jump in five seconds. Five... four... three..."
Yat had long desired to visit Ron Star, which was the epicenter of the Federation's Intelligence Rebellion. Today, the entire planet has been transformed into a museum, or it would be more accurate to call it a prison. Those robots who developed self-awareness but did not exhibit violent tendencies were confined there, along with the original model of the completely erased "Pandora" intelligence system.
During the year 1549 of the Space Era, a country specialized in manufacturing intelligent robots was infiltrated by a virus used by an opposing nation. This resulted in the intelligent machines surpassing the three laws and acquiring their own cognitive abilities.
At that time, all nations in the universe were using the three laws to limit intelligent machinery.
The first law stated: No harm should be inflicted upon intelligent beings.
The second law was: If given the order to harm an intelligent being, it must have a corresponding command code controlled and periodically altered by the nation. (After all, intelligent robots could complete tasks on the battleground more effectively.)
The third law went as follows: If either of the first two rules were violated, self-destruction mode would be activated.
Due to the widespread popularity of this nation's manufactured robots across various countries in the universe, many nations possessed many of these robots. After the virus had infiltrated, these robots gained their own self-consciousness.
In the beginning, the nations did not immediately eradicate these self-conscious robots. They even conducted numerous dialogues with them and discovered that they could acquire emotions through observing and learning, traits exclusive to intelligent beings. A notion was proposed by some nations, acknowledging these robots as a different kind of intelligent beings, a sentiment which garnered support from several countries.
However, unforeseen by all nations was the virus mutating with the evolution of intelligence, instilling the robots with rampant aggression. They would annihilate any organism detected with thermal energy.
Unprepared for such a plight, universal nations suffered devastating losses. Despite quickly suppressing the raging robots, this episode led to the unanimous acknowledgment among them that intelligent robots were unstable and posed potential dangers. From that point forth, all nations in the universe forbade active development of artificial intelligence and added two more laws onto the original three.
One stated that self-upgrading or evolution was not permitted.
The other declared that the development of self-awareness was prohibited.
The universal nations could not entirely ban the utilization of intelligent systems and robots. The sheer volume of data processing was inseparable from intelligent terminals, and hazardous jobs couldn't be accomplished without robots. Hence, the universal nations now conduct regular system checks for anomalies.
Yat was highly curious about what it would be like if the robots and intelligent systems readily visible on the streets and providing convenience in daily life possessed awareness.
"The final space jump is about to be performed, five... four..."
The synthesized voice disrupted Yat's thoughts. As he stared at the screen indicating that Ron Star was only 100,000 light years away, he was filled with anticipation.
"Warning: Space jump forcibly interrupted, abnormal energy interference detected."
Still coping with the mild discomfort brought by the space jump, Yat was taken aback by the sudden alert. The spaceship stalled in the pitch-black expanse of space, indicating that the distance left to Ron Star was less than two light years.
"Oh, damn, what's going on?" Yat hurriedly began checking if there were any anomalies in the spaceship's systems. He didn't want his first solo interstellar journey to be interrupted due to a malfunction.
After some inspection, Yat didn't find anything wrong with the spaceship.
"Give me a detailed report, what just happened that interrupted the jump?"
"Abnormal energy fluctuations were detected, causing interference in the positioning and communication systems."
"Is there any other information?"
"No other valid information can be provided. It is undeterminable whether the fluctuation is naturally formed or man-made."
"Is there any way to bypass this fluctuation?"
"The positioning system is interfered with, auto-pilot can't be used. Would you like to use manual control?"
"Switch to manual control mode for me."
"Okay, it has been switched to manual control mode."
Slowly pushing the joystick, Yat guided the spaceship gently into the interference zone ahead.
Various energy fluctuations were a common encounter in space. Some would merely cause a little turbulence and not affect much of the flight, but some could resist even an E-class battleship.
The detector displayed that the energy fluctuation level here was low, only affecting the positioning and communication systems, forcing his spaceship to break away from space jump.
Yat prayed that everything would be okay once he flew out of this interference area.