II
Oliver had heard a lot of explanations about the absence of stars in the Kaos Star System. Some were laughably absurd, such as the one suggesting that the destruction of the Stargate had somehow ejected the entire star system from the universe.
"Those are nonsense," said the old man. "Humans first arrived in this star system over a thousand years ago, during what was known as the Second Gold Rush Madness by the Terran Sphere. Explorers arrived in this star system through the one-way Lagrange points. Even then, they knew this was one of the most extraordinary star systems humanity had ever encountered, with just the White Dwarf and several asteroid belts circling it. This star system has never developed any major planets. It is one of the oldest star systems, with the White Dwarf possibly belonging to the first generation of stars ever existing in the universe. According to the cosmologists of the time, the star system might be over ten billion years old, having emerged from a dense nebula. During the formation of its accretion disk, a rare incident occurred: another developing star system crashed into the disk. The collision of the two accretion disks resulted in this star system's peculiar structure. The merging of the Oort Clouds from these two star systems led to an even denser Oort Cloud. Furthermore, the intense gravitational pull of both star systems drew in all the surrounding nebulae and space dust, accumulating them at the outskirts. This formed a dense, curtain-like barrier around the star system, which is how this structure came to be."
Even though Oliver couldn't quite grasp the technical terms, he was captivated by a strange sense of awe. Was this the essence of science? He looked around the small room again; the equipment that had initially appeared tedious and cumbersome now seemed to come alive. He couldn't help but ask, "What... what are these things?"
"These," Sesom smiled, "are treasures that can bring back the stars."
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Really?"
"Absolutely." The old man nodded in affirmation and asked, "Oliver, do you want to see a real star?"
"Of course!"
Pleased, the old man nodded again, then winked, "But, you must keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone about this place or about me. Can you do that?"
"I promise! Show me the star now!"
"Not yet, not right now." The old man shook his head.
"Aha! You're lying!"
"I'm not." The old man walked over to Oliver and squatted down beside him with a mysterious look. Oliver noticed the old man's sunken eyes, still so lively and alert. "Let me ask you, do you often sneak around the space city?"
Oliver felt slightly guilty, but refused to admit it. "That's not true. I never do that!"
"You're different from other kids," the old man said, patting Oliver's curly hair. "Oliver, you still possess the most precious things a kid can have: curiosity and the urge to explore. I believe our encounter was not a coincidence. I need your help."
Oliver appeared slightly at a loss and pursed his lips. "Me? How can I help you?"
The old man gave a sheepish grin. "I need certain things, but I am not the right person to get them, since I must not reveal myself. However, you should have no problems doing this. Therefore, I need your help."
"Why? Did... did you do something bad?" Oliver started to feel a trace of fear.
"Bad?" the old man smiled, "No, not at all. I'm not a bad guy, kid. I won't harm you."
He handed the roughly-made telescope to Oliver. "In ancient Earth culture, it's customary to give a gift when someone visits your home for the first time. This telescope, which I made myself, is my gift to you."
Oliver accepted the telescope with a hint of unease, noting how the cold surface still retained a hint of warmth.
Sesom crouched, holding Oliver by the shoulders. The old man's eyes locked onto Oliver's, and Oliver couldn't help but feel that they contained a glint amid the soft glow. "Kid, this telescope allows you to see the only star in our world. But that's just the beginning. To see more stars, we have to do more."
"What... What exactly do you want me to do?" Oliver said, a part of him wanting to remind this mysterious old man that he was just a 10-year-old kid...
Sesom smiled with a wink. "Don't worry, it's a simple task."
...
"A simple task?"
A flood of memories rose from the depths of Oliver's mind as Mr. Kaos' face started to become hazy. Oliver suddenly felt his eyelids grow heavy. He tried desperately to open his eyes but couldn't.
"This could be more complicated than we thought," the girl's worried voice echoed. "I'm not sure if Grandpa can handle the trip to Antontas. Dr. Lu, you see it: His consciousness is fading."
Elly, this is Elly, his granddaughter, Oliver realized. But wait, what year was it? Since when did he have a granddaughter?
"Yes, this appears to be the case. He's now having trouble differentiating between reality and memory," came Dr. Lu's voice. "Elly, we're doing our best to keep him going. His injuries from that accident years ago were severe, and his body has been slowly deteriorating from the damage. If not for these medical devices we borrowed from the City of Antontas, Oliver probably wouldn't have seen the opening of the Stargate. At any rate, going to the City of Antontas has always been his dream. Which reminds me, Elly, I'm curious why Oliver insists on going to the City of Antontas. Ah... you don't have to answer this if it's a personal matter."
"That's not a secret," Elly smiled. "Grandpa has always wanted to go to the City of Antontas, and everyone knows that. When I was small, Grandpa once told me that he wanted to see the stars with his own eyes."
"Hmm... technically, stars can be seen from anywhere once you're beyond the Stargate. Why the City of Antontas?"
"I don't know the specifics," Elly replied as she shuffled over to Oliver. She bent down to examine the old man's face. Oliver's eyes were half-closed, his breaths slow and steady as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Elly gently held his wrinkled hand. "He's always had this dream of going to the City of Antontas. I used to sit on his lap as a child as he told me stories about it as if he had truly been there."
"Strange. Records indicate he couldn't have been to the City of Antontas," Dr. Lu wondered with furrowed brows. "The Stargate was destroyed way before he was born."
Elly shook her head again. "I don't have an answer for that. Perhaps—"
Her attention shifted back to the old man, who was peacefully breathing with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in a deep dream.
She let go of her grandpa's hand and stood up. "Perhaps he's the only one who knows."
