IX
"History is often described as an accumulation of numerous coincidences and chance events. It's shaped by the collective actions of humanity, and heroes or great achievers are just those who happen to be at the pivotal turning points of history. I believe, however, that the people of the Kaos Star System might view this differently."
— "Lagrange Exploration Chronicles: Lone Island Reconnection" First Issue, Mercury Legacy Administration Collection
Upon reaching the Garden Planet, they proceeded to the City of Antontas, following directions from the Antonios fleets that had been awaiting them outside the Stargate. There, a liaison officer from the Antonios Explorer Support Department, known as Li, boarded the ship with a medical crew. The medical crew immediately conducted a comprehensive physical examination to make an initial diagnosis of Oliver.
With Dr. Lu's help, they quickly found a diagnosis. After a brief discussion, Liaison Officer Li and the medical crew members spoke to Elly. "Ma'am, you must be Oliver's granddaughter. I'll cut to the chase. Things are not looking good. Oliver is in a deep coma, and his condition could worsen at any time. Oddly enough, his brainwaves are very active; in other words, he seems to be in a constant dream state. Everything is set up at the Antontas Medical Center, and we must move him there right away."
Elly nodded. "Is there a chance he might wake up?"
"Experts will need to look into that."
"Thank you. I appreciate your help." Elly's eyelids drooped, and she turned to look at Oliver in his slumber, her face filled with concern. "Grandpa always wished to see the stars himself. He's always been in poor health, and almost nobody believed he'd live to see the Stargate's completion, but he did. But why, now that we've made it to the Explorers System surrounded by stars, he..."
Elly trailed off as she began to weep.
There was a brief silence before Li, seeming unsure of what to say, said in consolation, "Ma'am, your grandfather will definitely wake up. You should have faith in the doctors at the Antontas Medical Center."
Elly affirmed with a nod. Her attention was caught by something in the City of Antontas: a cluster of lights streaming out of the city, creating a luminous trail connecting the City of Antontas and the Explorer's Stargate. No, those weren't stars; they were too close. Those were...
"Those are detection beacons," Li said, noticing and explaining to Elly. "Oh, it's the Beacon Festival today. Do you know about it?"
Elly nodded and then shook her head, admitting somewhat embarrassingly, "I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it."
"Originating from the Solar System, the Beacon Festival began when humans first explored the Lagrange Spatial Anomaly. In one of the initial matter deployment tests, more than 2 million detection beacons were sent out, creating a magnificent spectacle that resembled a mini-galaxy within the Solar System," Li explained to Elly. "The tradition carried on to commemorate that day. Here in the City of Antontas, people release beacons during each Beacon Festival. These beacons journey through the Explorer's Stargate to uncharted star systems using randomized warp parameters."
"It's breathtaking," Elly murmured, admiring the man-made river of stars.
"Oh, that reminds me," Li said. "It was during a Beacon Festival when the detection beacons sent back the signal from the Kaos Star System."
"What?" Elly exclaimed. "So, they actually work?"
"Of course, each detection beacon initiates a basic environmental assessment of the star system upon arrival and transmits the data back to the Explorers System," Li explained. "About a century ago, a beacon launched from the Beacon Festival accidentally reached the Kaos Star System. Soon after, we received a message, which, astonishingly, came from the star system's native inhabitants. This message immediately caught the attention of the Consortium and was escalated to the Arbiter Committee. With the direct intervention of the Arbiter Committee Explorer Development Division Headquarters, thousands of Explorers were quickly gathered and deployed to the Kaos Star System. The rest, as you know, is history: the Kaos Star System was no longer a lone island in the void. Welcome, Elly."
"That message... that message..." Elly gasped in surprise, having never before heard the details of how the Explorers discovered the Kaos Star System. With sudden realization, she cried out, "God bless Lagrange! That message was sent by my grandpa!"
"Correct. Everyone in the City of Antontas is aware of this," Li said, looking at the slumbering Oliver with reverence, "Before long, his tale will be known across the entire galaxy. Your grandfather is a real hero."
The "Hope" departed from April Space City, vanishing into the unending void like a tiny particle.
The distant cluster of light, with an ongoing stream of beacons crossing through the Lagrange Points into the Kaos Star System, was clearly visible to the naked eye. Oliver was puzzled. Why had so many beacons appeared?
In his confusion, the comm started beeping. Oliver answered.
He expected it to be Mr. Kaos, but instead, a cold voice came through: "This is the Carr Mining Group's First Space Patrol from April Space City. The spacecraft you are piloting is unregistered and illegal. Identify yourself and stop for inspection immediately, or we will resort to force!"
Shocked, Oliver turned on the radar, only to see that at least four frigates had just left the April Space City spaceport and were now hurtling toward him. These frigates were fitted with powerful M021 Vector Engines, and it was clear to Oliver they would quickly overtake the "Hope."
"Damn it!" he cursed, shutting off the comm and breaking into a cold sweat. He should have realized that the Carr Mining Group wouldn't allow anyone to meddle with the beacons unchallenged. Mr. Kaos had been right all along.
He was running out of time.
Instinctively, Oliver ramped up the engine's power, and the "Hope" emitted an even brighter tail flame and hurtled towards those "stars." This conspicuous action immediately provoked the wrath of his pursuers, with the four frigates also upping their engine power to go after Oliver.
The comm buzzed again, and after a brief hesitation, Oliver answered.
To his relief, it was Mr. Kaos' familiar, aged, and hoarse voice on the line. "Oliver, it's me. Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Mr. Kaos. I can hear you. Four frigates are coming after me. What should I do?"
"Don't panic. The 'Hope' is fitted with a warp drive. You can use it now to get out of there. Listen up now. There's not much time. The moment you activate the warp drive, communication will be cut off. You must set up the course precisely, as you need to disengage from the warp drive when you approach the beacon cluster, neither too close nor too far. Then, quickly capture a beacon and let the computer decode and send back the message. It takes a while, so you must stay away from April Space City until the Explorers get here. The 'Hope' carries enough supplies for a single person to last six standard months..."
"Huh?" Oliver was shocked. "Six standard months?! That's 180 standard days!"
"Yes, and you must remember that the warp drive's fuel is limited; you can't run the warp drive indefinitely. Therefore, once you have the beacon, you must head out toward the most densely packed areas of the asteroid belt and try to get close to the edge of the Oort Cloud. Those places are where you can hide safely. The 'Hope' can enter areas that those frigates cannot."
"Got it, Mr. Kaos. I will get this done."
There was a brief silence before Mr. Kaos spoke again. "I'm sorry, Oliver. If the Explorers don't arrive within six months, you could die out there."
"I'm aware, Mr. Kaos," Oliver spoke softly. "Mr. Kaos, thank you. Without you, I would have lived my life shrouded in lies and ignorance. It was you who offered me a choice. You're right; I would rather die with my eyes wide open than live a life blindfolded."
"Attaboy, Oliver."
Soon after, a series of heavy footsteps and harsh yelling came through the comm.
Oliver immediately tensed up, "Mr. Kaos, what are those sounds?"
"They are coming," Mr. Kaos responded calmly.
Taken aback, Oliver quickly realized that once the "Hope" had launched, the Carr Mining Group was able to pinpoint the location of the secret base and deploy their army to go after Mr. Kaos.
"Mr. Kaos!" Oliver yelled in a panic. "Run!"
"Go, Oliver, go! Meeting you was the greatest blessing in my life, my son."Click— the communicator was abruptly cut off.
Oliver raised his hand to wipe away the tears streaming down his face, and hit the button to initiate warp drive. A bubble appeared in a flash, emitting a brilliant glow. The "Hope," like a tiny firefly, zoomed toward the stars.
