VII
For a lie to be believed, it requires a multitude of other lies to cover it.
— Ancient Terran Sphere Proverb
"What?" Oliver said, shocked upon hearing Mr. Kaos' words, eyes widening as he looked at the old man.
Mr. Kaos heaved a sigh. "You're an adult now, Oliver. Maybe it's time for you to learn the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes, the truth. The truth is that the Carr Mining Group has no intention whatsoever of rebuilding the Stargate," asserted Mr. Kaos.
Oliver's jaw dropped.
"Consider this: Generation after generation of your families have mined Trojite Crystals. The Carr Mining Group has claimed that it's been for the construction of the Stargate, which no one has ever questioned. Now you're aware that the sole purpose of Trojite Crystals is to function as fuel for warp drives when combined with Element 688. It contributes nothing to the construction of the Stargate. If they were really aiming to build a Stargate, you would be mining metals, crystals, deuterium — anything actually useful for building a Stargate. Yet, the Carr Mining Group has been primarily focused on gathering Trojite Crystals. Have you ever wondered why?"
Before Oliver could respond, Mr. Kaos went on: "Sure, nobody suspected anything, since the Carr Mining Group's higher-ups were always busy executing different plans to deceive the general public. They obliterated all scientific knowledge, expelled scientists and engineers, banned basic scientific education, and transformed everyone into miners. The new generation was left in the dark about humanity's grand achievements, as well as fundamental scientific concepts. Indeed, the Carr Mining Group told people that everything they were doing was for the construction of the Stargate, but it was a complete lie. They never really explored the Lagrange Points or sent anyone to the Stargate ruins to check for usable parts — because it was all a lie, everyone was driven by this single lie, and they needed a multitude of other lies to cover it up."
"But, Mr. Kaos, if what you say is true, then what is the Carr Mining Group's real intention? Don't they want to construct a Stargate and leave the Kaos Star System? Besides, though you make some good points, why mine so many Trojite Crystals if we can't even get out of here, then? It doesn't make any sense. Plus, the Carr Mining Group has been actively trying to reestablish communication with other space cities in order to reach a consensus, uniting everyone to rebuild the Stargate. It's just that the other space cities haven't been very cooperative..."
"That's exactly what the Carr Mining Group would claim. And if I'm not mistaken, they've also told you that there's an alliance led by Auz Space City among numerous others, which opposes the rebuilding of the Stargate, haven't they?"
Oliver nodded.
"It's all lies. They had to set up an imaginary external enemy to foster hatred and make it easier to fool everyone," Mr. Kaos said, waving his hand. "We need to start from the beginning. Oliver, you have always been told that the Sacrum Chu Imperium was the one that ultimately destroyed the Stargate in the war. Then, this barbaric empire army plundered every space city in the Kaos Star System. Later, led by the Carr Mining Group, the local rebels in the Kaos Star System fought a grueling battle and finally ousted the remnants of the Sacrum Chu Imperium, liberating the Kaos Star System once more. But is that really what happened?"
Mr. Kaos gave Oliver a meaningful look, and Oliver felt a bone-chilling sensation creep along him. The gloomy look on this old man's face made Oliver shiver. "Could it be... Could it be..."
"The truth is: The remnants of the empire did ravage the entire star system, wiping out any factions that resisted. There never was a Carr Mining Group or any division of factions. The Kaos Star System was always under the control of one single entity — the Sacrum Chu Imperium. This so-called Carr Mining Group is nothing but a disguise created for their ruse. The empire obliterated all records of that particular war, rewriting the history of the Kaos Star System."
"It was never the goal of the remaining empire to actually rebuild the Stargate. I even suspected that they destroyed the Stargate on purpose. Back then, the empire army arrived at the Kaos Star System before anyone else, where they strategically positioned themselves around the Stargate. As soon as the rebels started entering the Stargate, the empire army launched their attacks, destroying the Stargate."
"But why? Why would they do that? Destroying the Stargate would forever trap them in the Kaos Star System! What's the point?"
"I also couldn't make sense of it at first," Mr. Kaos said, shaking his head. "When the empire army and the rebels were fighting over the Kaos Stargate, the empire was already on the brink of collapse. Even though the Kaos Star System was known for its Trojite Crystal mines, humans had already found many other star systems with similar mines, and the Kaos Star System wasn't strategically significant within the Lagrange Network. Why would the empire exert such great military effort on such a relatively trivial star system? Things didn't add up, and the truth of history was obscured in a veil of fog. Eventually, I considered the possibility that this so-called empire army might not have been the real one, or perhaps they were once loyal to the Sacrum Chu Imperium but later chose to become a separate, self-governing military faction. After seizing control of the Kaos Star System, they reinvented themselves, emerging as what is known as the Carr Mining Group.
"But this still didn't explain why the Carr Mining Group wouldn't rebuild the Stargate. If we couldn't answer this, then all these speculations would be untenable. Later, it started making sense to me, and I was able to connect all the dots."
Oliver couldn't help but hold his breath.
"Oliver, did you ever wonder where all the Trojite Crystals that have been extracted and refined in this star system over the years have ended up?"
Oliver shook his head, "I have no clue." His heart thundered at the realization that a mystery that had lingered for hundreds of years was gradually being revealed.
"When every possibility turns into an impossibility, then the remaining one, no matter how inconceivable, must be the truth," said Mr. Kaos. "Oliver, behold the only truth — The Kaos Star System was never a Lone Island Star System."
Oliver abruptly rose to his feet, backing off as if the entire world was collapsing.
"No," Oliver said.
