"May the sacred stars shine upon our eternal path, leading us ever onwards."
— Sacrum Chu Imperium Proverb
"Fear the dark not for its terror but for the absence of light within it."
— Sesom Kaos
Prologue
The Kaos Star System.
In year 5203 of the Human Standard Calendar, 5 Sexagenary Cycles had passed since the signing of the Dawn Accord.
A Carilion Recon Frigate lay silently in wait against the dark backdrop of space. Before it, an enormous man-made structure spanning over 100 kilometers in length and width glinted in the light. Looming from behind, a formidable space fleet formation, arrayed in order.
In every space city of the Kaos Star System, from the searing orbits near the stars to the nebulous region of the Oort Cloud, people gathered before the giant screen with bated breath for the sacred moment. All eyes in the star system were fixed on this event.
A journey spanning six decades had finally come to an end, marking the day a new star would be kindled.
Inside each spacecraft, a cascade of voices echoed through the broadcast system.
...
"Activating the diagnostic protocol for the Energy Reaction System."
...
"Diagnostic protocol for the Energy Reaction System is complete!"
...
"Space Oscillator is now fully charged!"
...
"Diagnostics for the Bhor - Interlink System are complete!"
...
"Warp Parameter Cluster calibration complete!"
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"Diagnostics for the Warp Maintenance System are complete!"
...
"Standby Energy System checked and ready to go!"
...
"Spear of Poseidon - Cooldown System inspected!"
...
Next, the commander's voice boomed, "Prepare to install the Space Oscillator."
Four enormous X-20 Utility Ships towing the massive Space Oscillator—commonly known as the Space Seed—gradually approached the heart of the Stargate. From the porthole of the command ship, the Space Seed appeared to drift slowly, a deceptive impression given its gargantuan size. The X-20 Utility Ship, the largest ever made by humankind, stretched over 800 meters and was equipped with heavy-duty engineering UAV and massive cargo warehouses capable of mining hundreds of thousands of tons of ore in one go. These ships were also carrying both the Generic Vector Engine and Generic Warp Drive and possessed a moderate amount of defensive abilities.
Under the strong magnetic force of the four X-20 ships, the fully-charged Space Seed inched towards the heart of the Stargate. Space Seed: a name that perfectly described the Space Oscillator. Its design resembled a six-petaled metallic bloom. The overall silver-white appearance of the Space Seed had a three-dimensional geometric form. These petals, designed to open and close, featured a geometric structure that transformed the silver-white at the top to alternating yellow and black. Once installed into the Stargate, these six petals would curve outwards, firmly fixing the Space Oscillator to the Stargate.
Lost in thought, Oliver watched the Space Seed move slowly and solemnly toward the Stargate. The spectacle before him appeared so ethereal, yet tinged with a hint of unease. Should the Stargate fail to activate, he wouldn't get another chance.
Like everyone else from the Kaos Star System, Oliver had never seen a star-filled sky.
Just then, a soft and warm hand tapped his arm. It was Elly, who seemed to sense his anxiety. "Don't worry, Grandpa. We'll make it."
Oliver nodded, well aware that he wasn't the only nervous one in the room.
Watched by every pair of eyes in the star system, the utility ship began to veer off, making its exit. The Space Oscillator, now on its designated path, continued its journey toward the center of the Stargate. Shortly after, the Stargate's precise magnetic control system began to operate. Approaching the core, the Space Seed started to decelerate, and upon reaching the core, seamlessly slowed to a stop. Then, the six petals opened, each of them locked into the custom-made grooves to fix the Space Seed in place.
"Space Oscillator installation complete! Commencing comprehensive system diagnostics."
A few minutes of suffocating silence passed before the voice sounded again: "System diagnostics complete. The energy density index is normal. Coupling checked. The energy output module is operational. Ready for ignition."
In this moment, Oliver, along with everyone else, held their breaths.
Everyone would remember this moment differently: some believed the commander's order came right away, while others argued it took over ten seconds. But all were certain on the imminent order—
"Ignite!"
There is no sound in the vacuum of space, yet many later recounted in media interviews that they heard something. As the commander gave the ignition command, they insisted they'd heard a deep, thunderous noise surging from the Stargate's innermost reaches. That sound was a disturbance from the fourth dimension, a shudder of the universe's deepest, unknown structures, a harmonic oscillation of cosmic strings...
All of a sudden, Oliver's vision went dark. The porthole's self-sensing smart glass instantly adjusted its transmittance. It took a while before everything returned to normal. The Space Seed was gone. No, not exactly: To be precise, the core of the Stargate had turned into a vast expanse of light. The moment the Space Oscillator activated, an immense amount of energy tore through space, releasing a burst of energy that surpassed the central star within a few microseconds, making the Stargate the brightest nova in the star system.
The raging waves of light spewed from the Stargate, making it disappear in plain sight. The waves surged in all directions, not only brightening the space cities and the orderly fleets in the vicinity but also momentarily illuminating the dark side of the Auf Planet situated ten light-minutes away.
In an instant, humanity had lit up a star itself, transforming the Stargate into the brightest celestial body in the star system.
Shortly after, the star's luminosity quickly faded, revealing the Stargate's massive structure as it reappeared from within the light. Ultimately, the glow contracted, solidifying into a single dot.
Oliver blinked. It wasn't just a dot, it was—
The spectacle was unshakable to all who witnessed it, a scene that would be replayed and extolled about in the years to come, never to be forgotten.
A vortex emerged where the Space Seed had once been, as though the seed had grown into a dazzling blossom in a mere second. This was a portal that appeared to lead to another dimension, a tear in space made with technology beyond human imagination—a path to the starry expanse.
"Wow! It's beautiful!" came the voice of a child.
"Did we... make it?" another voice wondered.
"We made it, we really did..."
"Hey, am I the only one seeing this?" asked a miner, still carefully cutting Trojite Crystals, to his fellow worker on the comm. "Is there an extra star out there?"
"You idiot. It's the Stargate. Today's the day we fire it up!"
At first, there were only cautious, uncertain whispers. Then, the whispers joined to form a tidal wave of jubilation, turning the entire star system into an ocean of joy.
"The Stargate is live!"
"We did it!"
"We made it!"
"God bless Lagrange!"
"Long Live the Dawn Accord!"
"Eternal glory to Antonios!"
"Hail NOMA!"
...
As the tidal wave of joy hit the ship, everyone onboard broke into exuberant jubilation. The air was filled with shrieks and cheers as tears ran down their faces; people hugged each other, whether they were strangers or friends. Even the sturdy metal floor of the bridge seemed to quiver with the intensity of their celebration.
Tears welled in Oliver's weathered eyes. Through his blurred vision, the vortex, reminiscent of a nebula, shivered and distorted, like a dream from afar, an elusive dream.
Did all this truly happen, or was it simply a dream?
Lost in a trance, Oliver fell into a dreamlike state. He drifted from the jubilant crowd around him, a soul-like thread soaring from the bridge, through the solid hull of the ship, into the enigmatic dark void of space.
No, something was wrong. Oliver's eyes snapped open to sheer darkness. A hard and cold hull pressed into his back. Where was he?
Memories from long ago began to seep into his mind. This was April Space City, the place of his upbringing. This—Oliver sprang from the floor, remembering—this was the maintenance tunnel from the Third Zone to the Port District, the tunnel he had uncovered during his last adventure.
By now, Oliver started acclimating to the darkness in this tunnel. He looked to his right and noticed a subtle glint of light at the far end of this tunnel. It was faint, yet it was all he needed. Oliver was certain that even in complete darkness, he could find his way out by memory alone.
