Pale Blue Dot
"That's my point, Andre. You must side with me," Yue Wenfeng looked him straight in the eye. "We need to be united for these negotiations to have any shot at success. If there's any gap between the Terran Sphere and Antonios, NOMA Shipping Group will jump right in."
"I've heard Augustine is quite a sharp businessman," Andre mused. "Chairman Yue, you shouldn't be overly pessimistic. We've already made the first move, and there's no turning back."
"Frankly," Yue Wenfeng chuckled, "I'd choose a savvy politician over a cunning businessman any day. At least for politicians, it's not all about money."
"Perhaps that's exactly what Augustine intends," Andre shook his head slightly. "Either way, we must make it worth his while. He likely doesn't mind if the war continues. For a businessman, chaos is where they profit the most."
"Indeed," Yue Wenfeng nodded. Just then, a beep sounded in his ear. He adjusted his posture and signaled to Andre. "Augustine has arrived."
As he finished speaking, another figure appeared in the empty chair. It was Augustine Don, the CEO of NOMA Shipping Group.
Augustine's face gave away no age—seemingly young and smooth. But his eyes were another matter—deep, intense, with flashes of sharpness. Definitely not the eyes of a youth. The Intelligence Department suggests he's about sixty years old.
Andre and Yue Wenfeng knew as little as anyone else about Augustine—just that he's the CEO of NOMA Shipping Group and led the group's merger. Beyond that, nothing.
"Glad you're here, Mr. Don," Yue Wenfeng nodded. "It's great to have you with us."
Augustine glanced at Yue Wenfeng, not looking too friendly. With a cold voice, he said, "Let's get down to business."
"Very well," Yue Wenfeng said. "Let's dive in, gentlemen. Since the Empire's civil war began, the conflict has been ongoing. Right this moment, while we're talking, Privateers are still battling each other in distant star systems. Our Lagrange Network is being torn apart. As the three biggest political and military forces—the Arbiter Committee, Antonios Consortium, and NOMA Shipping Group—we occupy over 60% of the remaining network. Therefore, we have the duty and the obligation to stop this war and put an end to this dark age. The importance of this negotiation goes without saying. However, it's all about whether we can see eye to eye. If we can align on the main direction, then we can move forward."
Yue Wenfeng paused briefly before saying, "Andre and Augustine, let's work together to create a new order for the galaxy."
"An order under the Arbiter Committee's control?" Augustine remarked coldly.
"No, Augustine, not at all," Yue Wenfeng replied, shaking his head. "We will draft a new agreement, co-led by the three major factions, with the clauses equally binding for everyone involved."
Shaking his head, Augustine said, "Chairman Yue, no offense, but I'm not at all interested in the Return Ideology your Arbiter Committee promotes. Should your government want to build a new empire, I suggest you find another way."
"No, you've misunderstood me, Augustine," Yue Wenfeng said patiently. "The Terran Sphere Government has never wished to be a leader, nor does it intend to create a new empire. Since the Gold Rush era, the Terran Sphere Government has always supported humanity's exploration of the cosmos. Even when other human civilizations were still vulnerable, we never used our strength to oppress or pursue supremacy. As the Sacrum Chu Imperium emerged and chaos spread through space, we, the Terran Sphere Government, remained neutral and stayed out of it. Frankly, as war swept across the galaxy, we received many requests to ally, even from the Empire. But we declined. The Terran Sphere Government has never had ambitions to seize other star systems, even though we had the chance. Mr. Don, you are right about one thing: there is indeed a movement of return ideology in the galaxy. Whether we like it or not, Earth is the cradle of humanity. I believe the Arbiter Committee does have a responsibility to end the conflicts, even if it means taking the blame."
"In any case, I appreciate your presence here," Yue Wenfeng said, shifting his eyes to Andre. "Thank you both for attending. I hope we can issue a joint statement inviting all forces to the City of Dawn for formal negotiations. Like I said before, I wish for us to sign a new agreement."
Augustine replied coldly, "The point is, what do we get out of it?"
"Peace," Yue Wenfeng said gently, "Mr. Don, if we reach an agreement, we'll finally have peace again."
"We?" Augustine raised an eyebrow, casually glancing at Andre and tapping the table with his knuckles. "So, who exactly is 'we'?"
Andre chimed in, "Humans—the ones in the Solar System, those spread across the stars—the whole of human civilization will get the long-lost peace."
Turning his gaze to Andre, a hint of sarcasm flashed across Augustine's face. "Human civilization?"
Yue Wenfeng's gaze stayed fixed on Augustine. "I know what's on your mind, Mr. Augustine. I believe honesty is the foundation of negotiation. Before we proceed, I have to clear the air with you. I'm aware of the rumors that the Terran Sphere has made a secret agreement with Antonios Consortium."
Augustine scoffed. "That's no rumor; it's a well-known fact," he said bluntly. He shifted his gaze to Andre, his tone turning even more sternly. "NOMA Shipping Group also received the message from the X-Star System. This shows that the broadcast was intended for the whole galaxy. Whatever is in there belongs to all humanity. Neither Antonios Consortium nor the Terran Sphere Government has any right to claim the X-Star System for themselves!"
"Yes, of course, Augustine," Yue Wenfeng replied calmly. "On that matter, Andre and I have reached a consensus. I assume you've seen the joint declaration from Antonios Consortium and the Terran Sphere Government stating that the X-Star System is a treasure for all humanity, and no power should seize it for their own gains." He held up a finger. "I know NOMA Shipping Group has some misunderstandings about this, but here and now, in the presence of the Antonios Consortium President, I assure you as the current Chairman of the Terran Sphere Government that our joint declaration is still valid. Our joint fleet has found a relay beacon in the Wasteland Star System and is working on the data analysis right now. The thing is, the data is incredibly complicated—heavily encrypted and hard to crack. On the bright side, the encryption technology is from the Empire. We've gathered top-notch cryptographers from the Terran Sphere and Antonios, so we should have the precise coordinates of the X-Star System before long. Also, according to our strategy experts, this star system might've been a key research hub of the Empire, filled with tons of lost technologies and data. Of course, these coordinates can only be accessed via the Stargate in the Wasteland Star System. We could figure out the X-Star System's real coordinates any time now, but the joint fleet won't go in unless—"
At this point, Yue Wenfeng abruptly stopped. Sure enough, Augustine took the bait, frowned, and couldn't help but ask, "Unless what?"
At the same time, Andre saw that Augustine's finger stopped tapping on the tabletop.
Smiling, Yue Wenfeng shot Andre a look, then fixed his gaze on Augustine. "Unless the NOMA fleet joins us—we'll only enter the X-Star System together. That's the rule Andre and I have set."
"That's right," Andre nodded. "I've already ordered General Derrick, commander of our frontline fleet, to forbid any unauthorized access to the X-Star System until the next command."
"What do you mean?" Frowning, Augustine glanced at Andre, then back at Yue Wenfeng, skepticism in his eyes. "You both have every ability to enter the X-Star System. Terran Sphere is the origin of human civilization, which shut down its Stargate during the Galactic War, untouched by conflict. Then there's Antonios, who established themselves by crushing the Empire's elite fleet in the Garden Campaign, a battle that shook the entire galaxy to its core. Ha, you two have all it takes to split the X-Star System, don't you?"
"You're right," Yue Wenfeng nodded. "But we're not going to."
"That's right," Andre chimed in. "We won't do that. As you mentioned, whatever the X-Star System holds belongs to all humankind. No one has the right to claim it all."
"Maybe this is a trap," Augustine said. "Antonios Consortium and Terran Sphere jointly sealed off the X-Star System, then suddenly announced a peace proposal—it's pretty suspicious. If you haven't struck a secret deal, why would you do this? Perhaps you've secretly agreed and even explored the X-Star System. You two are set to destroy NOMA's capital ships, and then no one can stop you from splitting the whole galaxy between yourselves."
Exchanging a glance with Andre, Yue Wenfeng shook his head, "You know we wouldn't. The Terran Sphere isn't keen on acquiring new territories."
"We, Antonios Consortium, have no interest in sparking another war," Andre said casually. "We're a business entity; war's not our thing. It would ruin the Lagrange Network and our business climate."
"Then what if I choose not to deploy my fleet?" Augustine countered.
"In that case, we'll pull back our fleet," Andre met Augustine's gaze. "At least that's what Antonios Consortium will do."
"The Terran Sphere Government will do the same. Without NOMA Shipping Group's involvement, we'll completely seal off the X-Star System—no one gets in." Yue Wenfeng added.
Augustine didn't respond; the atmosphere grew a bit tense and quiet.
Breaking the quiet, Yue Wenfeng said, "Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'd like to share an image with you both."
Not waiting for a response, Yue Wenfeng made a gesture, summoning a full-view hologram. The image showed an endless dark void with stripes of varying widths. In one small area, something like a pale blue dot was highlighted with a red circle. Yue Wenfeng pointed at it, "Andre and Augustine, look here."
"What's this?" Andre was somewhat confused.
Augustine looked over, teasing, "I hope your weapon tech is as outdated as your photography."
Not bothered by Augustine's comment, Yue Wenfeng replied calmly, "This picture dates back to 1990 AD, three millennia ago. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers from Earth when NASA, at the request of renowned astronomer Carl Sagan, turned its camera around to capture this shot of the Solar System. Oh, and Voyager 1 was the first probe from our early space days to exit the Solar System. Nowadays, its speed of about 17 km/s seems like crawling, but back then, it was the fastest craft in human history for a long time."
Pointing at the picture, he said, "This image is a composite of several photos. They wanted to capture a family portrait of all the Solar System's planets, but unfortunately, due to tech limitations, Mercury and Mars didn't show up. As for Earth—" he pointed once more at the pale blue dot in the red circle, "it's just 0.12 pixels. This was humanity's first view of our home from this perspective. They called this the 'Pale Blue Dot,' and it was once very well-known. Dr. Carl Sagan had some famous words about it. Essentially, it says—"
Yue Wenfeng's tone became solemn as he began, "If you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam."
Both Andre and Augustine seemed touched by this moment of solemnity, falling into silence.
Andre mulled over the passage, picturing how humanity, hardly at the doorstep of space exploration, had the boldness to send probes beyond the outer Solar System with their primitive technology. And Carl Sagan, a man who never even left Earth himself, how did he have such deep compassion and a grand vision? Andre felt a surge of reverence when he considered that.
"Back in Carl Sagan's time, humanity was stepping into an age of reason and science, though Earth was still full of war, hunger, and conflict. As an astronomer, he persuaded NASA to take that photo to show those still caught up in hate and war that this pale blue dot, floating in endless darkness, is all we have. He couldn't have guessed that 3,000 years later, we'd be all over the galaxy or that human society would still be full of hate and conflict." Yue Wenfeng waved away the pale blue dot, replacing it with the vast galaxy—where the Lagrange Network hides within this 100,000-light-year-wide galaxy with billions of stars. "Are we any different at our core from people back then? Did we actually make it into a time of logic and science? Unfortunately not, my friends," Yue Wenfeng said solemnly. "Our seemingly powerful Lagrange Network isn't indestructible. If we keep fighting, our fate will mirror those who never left the pale blue dot—lost in the vast galaxy, extinguishing one after another."
Andre nodded slowly. "It's plain as day, yet many refuse to acknowledge it. I've been wondering—was our leap from apes on savannah to commanding steel behemoths in space inevitable or sheer luck? After digging through historical records and essays, I believe our progress is built on heaps of coincidences; humanity hasn't gone extinct thanks to a stack of unlikely events. Seems crazy, but it's the truth. Life on Earth could've taken countless directions; creating advanced intelligent life like humans was just one possibility. It makes me think of the old anthropic principle: Why is the universe the way it is?" Because if it weren't, you wouldn't be around to ask. Seems like cheating, but really, if any cosmic parameter shifted slightly, life wouldn't be possible." With a bitter laugh, Andre said, "Sometimes I can't help but think—could those people who believe in a creator be correct? If it wasn't for a creator's design, how could humans have evolved to this point?"
"There are those who pray," Yue Wenfeng concurred. "Those ancient religions still have their faithful followers. On Earth, cities deemed holy for thousands of years still see pilgrims from the City of Dawn every year. I once saw a faithful follower touching his forehead to a wall, weeping. I asked him, 'Why, in an age when humans roam among the stars, do you still believe in ancient religions?' He replied, 'Well, you haven't met God out there, have you?'"
"Some say it's God who built the Lagrange Network," Augustine interjected, setting aside his arrogance. "In some star systems, there's indeed such a... religion or belief."
"Regardless, we're possibly at the most pivotal moment in human history," Yue Wenfeng remarked. "Gentlemen, we have a chance to make history here. I know it'll be a tough choice, with many hurdles and strong pushback, but we have to seize it."
He stood up and gestured again. The galaxy faded away, the viewpoint pulling back as huge galaxies became tiny points. Larger formations appeared, leading to the colossal cosmic web structure that spans across trillions of light years.
"This is the universe we live in, gentlemen. Even our galaxy is but a grain in the endless cosmos, another pale blue dot hanging in infinite space," Yue Wenfeng said. "Are we really going to stop here? Definitely not. Our journey doesn't stop here. Eventually, our descendants will delve deeper into the Lagrange Network's mysteries. They'll leave the galaxy for Andromeda, for superclusters, for places even farther. If we stand idle, we'll see the door shut on humanity, leaving us stuck on this small pale blue dot."
"Space is boundless, and time stretches on. In this vast expanse and infinite timeline, sharing this moment with you, gentlemen, is my honor—ours, really." Reaching out, Yue Wenfeng declared, "I, Yue Wenfeng, Chairman of the Terran Sphere Government, officially invite you to the City of Dawn."
"I accept your invitation," Andre stood up, shaking Yue Wenfeng's hand. "I'll come to the City of Dawn."
"I'll dispatch a fleet to the X-Star System," Augustine said, still sitting, his eyes scanning their faces. "But it's not out of trust; I still believe this is a trap."
"I believe you'll change your mind," Yue Wenfeng smiled. "Looking forward to seeing you in the City of Dawn. But if you're hesitant about the trip, I hope you'll at least endorse the joint statement under the name of NOMA Shipping Group..."
"You think I am a coward?" Smiling, Augustine said, "I'll make the trip. Well then, gentlemen, see you in the City of Dawn."
Augustine's image suddenly froze and then vanished; he had abruptly ended the call.
"Well played with the taunt," Andre shrugged, a smile spreading across his face.
With his hand under his chin, Yue Wenfeng said, "I didn't do anything."
