"I think there's a flaw in our plan,"
Domonditho said, looking at the scientists.
The scientists were bewildered. What are you doing? You should stick to military matters.
Moses D was gradually becoming accustomed to Domonditho's sudden insights.
"What flaw?"
Domonditho said, "Don't misunderstand; this isn't your fault, but that of higher-ups."
"They expect these alien civilizations to become like star nations, but haven't considered that the star nation model isn't suitable here."
"What is the Federation's relationship with star nations? The star nations provide resources, or new technologies, in exchange for the Federation's advanced technology."
"But the Federation can do all that itself. Why rely on these alien civilizations?"
"For us, these alien civilizations are like rapidly growing vegetables. We need to harvest them—not just their resources or innovations, but a completely different path from the Federation's own."
"Just like supplying them with resources, our cooperation with alien civilizations… the real way to exploit them is to provide them with the most fundamental thing. What do you think that is?"
Silence fell.
Domonditho smiled and offered his answer: "I think it's computing power!"
Indeed, computing power wouldn't contaminate alien civilizations with Federation technology; it would allow the Federation to gain more.
More than a year later.
Luna received the request.
"A sound judgment. We were once technologically weak, using the Galactic Federation as a buffer to gain time to study Kate civilization's technology and develop our own."
"Now, however, our technological needs are unique. Domonditho's plan is indeed more suitable for colonizing these civilizations."
"Perhaps we should rename this conquest plan: the Computing Power Colonization."
Luna approved the plan.
More than a year later, the message reached the Kbinia. Moses D said to Domonditho, "This is your achievement. In fact, I think you'd be a better captain for this warship."
She wanted to step down; Domonditho was demonstrably more intelligent, surpassing her in strategic thinking and understanding of the Federation's interests.
Domonditho turned to Moses D: "No need. If you admire me so much, why not prepare your bed and wait for me?"
Seeing Domonditho's usual roguish behavior, Moses D fumed.
"Then you better check if your cabin window works. Otherwise, you'll be freezing tonight!"
She intended to open the window and eject him into the vacuum of space, where the absolute zero temperature would instantly freeze him.
"Hahaha!"
The others around them laughed.
This display of high spirits would only further depress the three factions of the Wairuisi Civilization.
No attack worked. How could they deal with this "god"?
They waited. The Kbinia didn't attack; both sides were waiting. The Wairuisi Civilization waited for technological advancement; the Kbinia waited for a new class to emerge.
In a functioning civilization, the emergence of classes is almost inevitable; only classes can motivate beings.
Consider a society where effort and idleness yield the same reward. Why bother working? Who would choose to work?
Some beings might, but they would be few, and even if such individuals existed, changing a civilization would take a very long time.
Therefore, classes are a natural outcome.
Two hundred years is enough for class divisions to emerge. Once the new classes emerge, the wealthy forget their initial intentions, but the poor won't. They won't claim they want to save their civilization because their civilization oppresses and marginalizes them.
This conflict is exactly what the Federation wants to see.
Once this conflict arises, the Federation intervenes, assisting those impoverished beings.
Equipment descends from the sky, usable only by the impoverished. They can use it to access computing power far exceeding that of the entire civilization, and the Federation's technological blockade of the Wairuisi Civilization is lifted for these impoverished beings.
Soon, these impoverished beings rose up, becoming the fourth force, overthrowing the original three.
At this point, the Wairuisi Civilization finally underwent a complete transformation.
They began unaware of the Federation's existence, then became aware, accepted its existence, and finally accepted its control.
All previous plans could be categorized into these four short stages.
And the Federation's ultimate goal was simple.
"Make these beings believe their race is human. We don't need to fabricate a history; let the glory of being human suffice."
"This is a long process. I'll wait here until it's over."
Moses D looked at Domonditho: "And you?"
Domonditho shook his head.
"It seems we're not destined to be together. This isn't my end; I'm just a passerby here."
"Perhaps we'll meet again. After all, your lifespan here is practically eternal."
Domonditho didn't stay long. He boarded a small drone and returned to the Federation.
This could serve as a model.
Luna planned to expand it to two other civilizations.
Of course, the specifics would still be determined by those on the warship, each fleet equipped with equally excellent soldiers from the Mortality Selection plan.
Luna wanted to know the stories of the other two fleets, but unfortunately, before they arrived, she had to focus on the Flyer Civilization situation.
Bill brought good news: the first trade deal with the Flyer Civilization had been reached.
This should have been incredibly difficult.
The Flyer Civilization had gone to great lengths to prevent the Federation from understanding them, but Bill had broken through their defenses.
Luna carefully reviewed the report. Bill was undoubtedly a genius.
"Trade is driven by need. By understanding the needs of the Flyer Civilization, they would actively seek him out to complete the transaction."
"That's a clever way of turning a passive situation into an active one."
Bill's method was simple: pheromones.
Through a combination of pheromones, there was bound to be one suitable for a Flyer Civilization being. Once a Flyer being reacted to a specific pheromone, Bill could use this to study the Flyer beings.
...
The Federation had always focused on life research, discovering that the underlying structure of life across its dozen species was remarkably similar.
The reason is simple.
First, most life forms—perhaps 99.99%—are carbon-based. Carbon offers the most complex and varied combination possibilities, along with its utilization and compatibility with other materials, making it superior to all other elements.
For example, silicon-based life, often discussed, fears oxygen; it easily oxidizes in oxygen to form silica (sand) and is vulnerable to water, easily decomposing in it.
They cannot withstand the most common substances in the universe. Even if such life were to arise, it would be difficult to evolve over millions or tens of millions of years, especially considering that silicon-based life evolves far slower than carbon-based life.
Perhaps very low-level life forms might exist based on silicon or other elements, but in higher life forms, particularly those with complex ecosystems, silicon-based life is impossible. Advanced civilizations won't encounter naturally occurring life forms other than carbon-based ones.
Furthermore, even in advanced civilizations, most life forms retain carbon-based characteristics because carbon remains the optimal choice for creating life; no other element is more suitable.
Knowing that the only potential challenge to carbon-based life comes from Type 2 civilizations' creation of artificial elements, the Federation had begun researching artificial elements to replace carbon. But again, why replace it?
Carbon can do everything. The enormous cost of replacing it with another element is pointless.
Bill told his researchers, "We have this premise; everything else becomes easier."
"Carbon-based life offers diverse combinations, but successful pathways are few."
"This is like a person in society facing numerous choices, but only able to choose one path to achieve their peak. Anything less leads to elimination. This results in the vast similarity of life in the universe."
"Humans are essentially nucleated organisms, while the Kate are acellular. Kate cells are rhomboid, with a hard outer shell and an interior of fluids and filamentous, mycelium-like structures. This is similar; they can both be called cells, just with different cellular structures. The underlying logic is the same. This is like looking at a cat and a mouse. They appear different; their internal structures may differ, but their functions are ultimately similar."
"And the Flyer Civilization? It isn't unlike other organisms we know; it still exhibits clear carbon-based characteristics. Could it be different? Of course, maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't matter."
"What we need to do is experiment. Experimentation is the best approach; without it, we'll never get a definitive answer."
"We assume the Flyer Civilization is carbon-based. Let me emphasize that this is an assumption, but let's assume they are carbon-based. How do we lure a carbon-based lifeform?"
"It's simple. We understand this. Carbon-based life is a greedy beast. Every gene segment, every nucleotide, every nitrogenous base, every pentose sugar, every phosphoric acid radical craves energy. This is unavoidable. We can satisfy it, but we can't eliminate this craving."
"And how do we find this energy? Through information—food information."
"Every species in the Federation has different tastes, but our reactions to palatable and unpalatable things are the same: pleasure for palatable things and pain for unpalatable things. Evolution has trained us to differentiate between these two tastes."
"Take humans, for example. Humans find high-energy foods like candy sweet. Humans find the taste of chuoce (a new species) bitter because it contains toxins. Many medications are similar; these toxins make humans experience intense bitterness when taking medicine. Why? Because most medicines stimulate the body, activating the immune system to fight disease, rather than directly repairing the damaged areas."
"So, what I'm saying is that information is crucial to carbon-based life. Why don't we simulate this information? Anything will do; finding information the Flyer Civilization can't resist is sufficient."
"Then we'll focus on selling these things. They can resemble their existing technology, but you must remember that a being's desire to explore the unknown is insatiable. If we do this, we're bound to get a response."
His extensive explanation made him seem like a scholar.
And Bill was indeed a biologist, albeit a mid-level one, but his understanding of fundamental concepts allowed him to make these judgments.
It wasn't actually a complex problem; even a child might grasp it, but no one had applied it to warfare, nor had anyone undertaken this mission with such high stakes.
Bill, as the commander, could make these decisions, even if it seemed like a simple kindergarten plan.
Sometimes, simplicity is effective.
Like the intricate and elaborate plans in movies and novels; in reality, they rarely exist. With age and deeper understanding, most beings realize their world is quite simple.
A massive plan might be concocted by a superior or a boss in ten minutes, and its success or failure mostly depends on luck and subsequent adjustments.
Bill didn't even need to simulate the plan in a virtual world, because simulations only offer guidance, not definitive results.
The plan could be implemented.
But the process of obtaining results was lengthy. Information has countless combinations; even a tiny difference could transform positive information into negative information.
Especially since they couldn't see their target, they could only guess their preferences. Therefore, this plan required repeated experimentation, a back-and-forth process of repeated lures.
Bill waited nearly 3000 years before finally obtaining what he wanted.
Bill received his first "trade."
It came from the Lord of the planet, the Flyer Civilization being Bill had initially contacted.
Innate curiosity drove the being to see what Bill was doing.
"Welcome, my friend. It's been a long time."
Bill was exceedingly friendly, though he didn't know the being's name, nor did the being offer it; perhaps the name itself contained information in the Flyer language.
"Indeed, Officer Bill. Forgive my tardiness."
Bill looked at the being, then asked, "Am I imagining things, or do you seem very old? Does your civilization, like the Federation, not allow for exceptionally long lifespans?"
Seeing no reaction, he added,
"Or perhaps your bodies can't maintain themselves as long as carbon-based ones?"
At that moment, the Flyer being's wings momentarily paused for a millisecond. Bill felt no joy; instead, he cursed inwardly; the being was clearly playing coy.
Such a question shouldn't affect a Type 2 being. They surely had technology to eliminate the sensation of pausing, maintaining an appearance of composure.
But the pause made Bill wonder if the beings had abandoned carbon-based life or if the pause was entirely intentional.
Bill couldn't find the answer.
But he didn't need it.
"I am indeed quite old. Perhaps my successor will be the one to meet you next time."
"This may be our last meeting."
"So I came to see what you're trading, to ensure it's compliant. If not, I'll order its destruction."
Bill knew, upon hearing this, that the being intended to deceive him.
This action itself would provide information, but the being's actions and language would make it impossible for Bill to distinguish between true and false information.
A shrewd being.
Bill then took the being on a tour of the trading center, and the being did select a few items.
After the being left, Bill had the items displayed.
The being didn't return, probably because it couldn't distinguish between the items.
Beings aren't capable of discerning all scents, and many similar scents mixed together are difficult to precisely identify. Machines could do it, but the being likely didn't care.
This suggested the being had chosen items randomly.
"But it doesn't matter!"
Bill never focused on this; as he'd said, it was irrelevant.
His true objective had already been achieved.
The being had come.
This contact itself was a key—from nothing to something.
Suspicion is a powerful force. The fact that the being came means others would try to guess what it took; they might use language to criticize the trade station, but rebellion always lurks beneath the surface.
If no other beings came after a long wait, Bill could make accurate judgments about the Flyer Civilization's social structure: a highly regulated civilization. Their high level of regulation would become the next target.
Every outcome corresponds to an answer.
Bill would continue to wait because that was his mission; he didn't need to do anything else.
...
Luna also awaited this information, but the wait yielded no definitive answers.
"It seems we've hit another roadblock."
"This contact is far more difficult than the Olive Branch Civilization contact. The Olive Branch Civilization had clear goals; the Flyer Civilization doesn't."
Both sides were slowly probing each other.
Both knew a quick resolution was impossible; only time would reveal the ultimate victor.
While waiting, the dimensional reflection membrane had been completed and was being deployed to the dimensional gateway.
Luna and Ayla awaited information.
The first data arrived quickly. Seeing the signal, resembling a cardioid pattern, Luna's face grew serious.
"This signal is similar to black hole signals."
"It seems your hypothesis was correct, Ayla!"
Ayla had previously suggested that the dimensional gateway was a type of black hole; this signal confirmed it.
This information might be meaningless; there was too little information relating to the fourth dimension, all hidden, impossible to analyze.
"Injecting negative energy might yield results," Ayla suggested.
She wasn't by Luna's side; she was focused on analyzing the data, constantly extracting disparate information, trying to find patterns but finding none.
This was just a jumble of code.
The failure of the plan was anticipated, so Ayla quickly proposed a second experiment.
This experiment required a new dimensional reflection membrane, one capable of reflecting negative energy.
Or perhaps it was itself made of negative energy; when negative energy struck it, it would repel, thus reflecting some information.
Simple to explain, but difficult to achieve. Negative energy is very difficult to obtain and extremely costly.
The Federation couldn't conduct many experiments; each one required thorough preparation.
The negative energy reflection membrane entered the dimensional gateway. All involved held their breath—literally, figuratively, and perhaps in some other way—waiting.
The return was quick—mere minutes. The saying "a minute on stage, ten years off" applied, except this was ten thousand years off.
The first information was transmitted to a specialized ship near the dimensional gateway; this ship contained advanced signal receivers. Then, the information was quantum-encoded and sent to Ayla's mainframe.
This took over a hundred years.
Only then could Ayla receive the information. They didn't use tachyon communication because it would lose data—unacceptable for this mission.
After receiving the data, Ayla appeared before Luna, smiling. "Luna, we may have succeeded!"
...
Why use negative energy in the second attempt?
Besides the cost, negative energy is difficult to analyze. It requires complete mastery of this energy, thoroughly analyzing every wave.
The Federation hasn't reached that stage yet. If expressed as a percentage, the Federation's understanding of negative energy might be 50% or 60%.
But to traverse a black hole, negative energy is essential.
Even if this black hole is unique, allowing some normal matter to pass, this matter wouldn't guarantee stability.
Luna now estimates that the survival rate of the previous Swarm deployment was only in the millions, perhaps even less than one in a hundred million.
While this was enough to send tens of thousands of Swarm units into the fourth dimension and potentially prevent fourth-dimensional civilizations from sending advanced equipment through the dimensional gateway, previous optimism needed revision.
On the other side of the dimensional gateway, there might be a massive protective net. The received information could be flawed, altered by a fourth-dimensional civilization.
They couldn't overlook any suspicious detail.
"What information did we get?" Luna needed to understand.
She examined the strange signals, requiring complex decryption and conjecture to extract the information.
Ayla's analysis was rapid. Using the Potato chip mainframe, it took her approximately 28 days to decipher the data, filtering out the irrelevant noise, eventually isolating a few hundred short waves from a long sequence of information.
She subjected these signals to complex mathematical calculations and compared them to three-dimensional signals.
"This might be a characteristic of the fourth dimension; our test with negative energy was successful."
"You can compare these two signals; they're identical, originating from the same signal."
Ayla explained as much as possible about what happened to the negative energy upon entering and returning from the fourth dimension.
"Mathematically, this phenomenon has been anticipated. A three-dimensional object, after entering and returning from the fourth dimension, undergoes a reflectional symmetry."
"Negative energy operates at the micro level. This reflection isn't perfectly symmetrical at the quantum level. Therefore, we can identify two seemingly identical waves with subtle differences in the returned negative energy."
"Thus, we can understand what happened to the negative energy in the fourth dimension. It may have become two entangled, parallel waves. At the particle level, each molecule splits into two identical particles. These identical particles exist independently but are tightly linked; they rarely separate, and the energy required to separate them is enormous."
"So, we can hypothesize that the fourth dimension also has a dual-particle structure. No particle can exist independently; their relationship is unique. Observing both particles is necessary to determine their properties. Observing a single particle alone doesn't allow for accurate determination of the substance."
"This might sound repetitive, but it's true. It's something a three-dimensional being cannot fully comprehend, so I've created a diagram."
Only images can visualize certain things.
Ayla's diagram showed a Swarm unit after passing through the dimensional gateway into the fourth dimension. After gaining a dimension, a mirror image of itself appeared above it, like a creature flying over water, with the water above it.
It was divided in two.
"These two Swarm units are a single entity. Observing or attacking only one doesn't reveal the whole picture; it could be like this…"
A beam of light struck one half of the Swarm; it was pierced, but quickly recovered.
Then, two parallel beams struck both halves; the damaged areas remained permanently damaged.
Then two more beams, but not parallel, struck completely different areas on each half. If the damaged areas didn't overlap, the Swarm fully recovered. If they did overlap, that area was permanently lost.
"The fourth dimension unfolds three-dimensional matter, but not in the way we perceive. I believe it's more like this…"
The image changed; the two mirror-image Swarm units merged back into one. As the image played, Luna noticed something else.
The Swarm continuously enlarged, its outer shell becoming transparent, revealing a smaller Swarm inside. The smaller Swarm then enlarged, becoming transparent, revealing yet another smaller Swarm inside—the third Swarm was actually the first.
Simply put, A contains B, and B contains A.
Spatially, these are overlapping, not separate reflections.
Ayla presented a more relatable concept: a revolving door. The axis is in the center; one half is Swarm A, the other Swarm B. The door rotates rapidly, creating the illusion of two reflections, appearing as two regardless of viewing angle.
If one half is obscured, it appears as one, but it's still two.
If I shoot a bullet and destroy one half, I still see a complete Swarm on the rotating door because the other half compensates for the destroyed part.
"Very visual!"
Luna vaguely understood the form of fourth-dimensional life.
"But this is only our first observation. We can conduct more observations, even live experiments, sending Swarm units into and out of the fourth dimension."
Luna proposed this, emphasizing the need for swift action.
They couldn't give fourth-dimensional civilizations time to react. They now knew that few Swarm units had reached the fourth dimension, so they could adjust their research to increase the Swarm's passage through the gateway.
After all, these were the Federation's cheapest weapons—readily available in unlimited quantities.
"The new model has been sent to the Solar System. It may aid research into the four-dimensional structures within primordial black holes."
"We don't yet know the extent of this assistance, but this is certainly our first step toward the fourth dimension."
Ayla was also excited; discovering something new is always exhilarating.
Of course, as previously hypothesized, this information could be false. They had to be cautious; following a false lead could slow down the entire civilization, leading to swift elimination in future dimensional warfare.
The true goal was advancement—achieving tangible results.
But the Federation was still far from that point.
...
410 years had passed since the dimensional gateway incident, and Luna hadn't delved into it further.
The entire process was tedious and boring—extensive calculations, numerous conjectures—and she lacked the necessary knowledge. Acquiring this knowledge would require not only time but exceptional talent.
In Luna's estimation, she would need at least 500 years of dedicated study before even qualifying as an assistant in the dimensional gateway research facility.
But her responsibilities extended far beyond the dimensional gateway; she had to understand everything, providing overall direction to the Federation—the task of a true civilization leader.
It seemed like she spent her days researching biology, but most of her time was spent monitoring all aspects of the Federation.
If she were truly engrossed in biological research, after more than ten thousand years, her biological expertise wouldn't be limited to mid-level status.
As the saying goes, even a pig, given ten thousand years to study one thing, would achieve something.
Luna had many responsibilities.
Initial investigations into the crime involving consciousness were supposed to be resolved in a day, but the process proved difficult, requiring Luna to invest more effort.
The crime involved trapping consciousness in dreamscapes and hypnotizing those consciousnesses. Forcible awakening resulted in immediate death, even if entering their minds to awaken them.
After numerous attempts, costing tens of thousands of lives, they finally found a suitable method: stimulating the external nervous system and internal consciousness simultaneously to reconnect body and mind, resolving the incident.
Besides major issues, Luna also oversaw numerous minor ones, such as the Federation's economy.
She monitored the economic viability of each Star City and star system, identifying and addressing problems. She adjusted controls and formulated policies. While the Federation's management would ultimately implement these policies, Luna had to provide options, understanding these issues to avoid being caught unaware of serious problems.
Procrastinating and addressing issues only when they become critical is the worst option.
Luna needed to prepare. Her records alone exceeded a petabyte—text-based information totaling 1,125.9 trillion byte—not something easily processed.
Biology was Luna's leisure activity, her relaxation.
In a private space, Luna processed new information. Documents were printed for her to read; this helped her focus; staring at a screen always made her feel lazy.
Ayla was beside her. After Luna reviewed a document, Ayla helped bind them into books, storing them in Luna's archive room.
Luna disliked the Potato chip for this very reason: it was too small; there was nowhere to put the documents.
A century's worth of information could fill a library of thousands of square meters. The Potato chip's storage capacity was insufficient; Luna had to read electronic documents, which she found unsatisfactory. Even with virtual reality, her mind would wander, distracting her.
This was simply a habit, ingrained over tens of thousands of years.
One document in the latest batch caught Luna's attention.
"Osvedi Corporation, the Federation's Largest Company, Declares Independence"
This was news.
"What does Osvedi Corporation do?" Luna asked.
Ayla quickly responded: "Established approximately 11,000 years ago, initially focused on food production. It then expanded into Star City development and real estate investment, earning enough to enter starship manufacturing and sponsor explorers."
"Now, it's the Federation's largest starship manufacturer, employing over one hundred billion individuals and sponsoring over twenty billion explorers. Its market value reached 4.983 quadrillion Energy Credits a century ago."
Over one hundred trillion is substantial capital; this was approaching fifty quadrillion. Osvedi Corporation was the largest capital entity in the Federation.
The second-largest had only 3.102 quadrillion, far behind Osvedi.
This scale was sufficient to support a massive star nation.
Luna had previously encouraged the creation of star nations, but after many years, she had paid little attention to events outside the Federation.
"How many star nations are there now bordering the Federation?"
Ayla had this information readily available.
"Approximately 2237. Given the distances, information lags slightly; the margin of error is probably within five."
"Star nations generally have populations exceeding one hundred million. Those with smaller populations are numerous; they're small factions declaring independence, often just large exploration organizations."
"However, significant star nations will likely emerge following Osvedi Corporation's independence."
Ayla was right.
Over the following years, Luna received numerous reports of super-corporations declaring independence. These corporations likely received insider information indicating the Federation wouldn't intervene. Luna ordered an internal investigation and punishment for the leakers.
However, this marked the beginning of the Federation's true disintegration—or rather, its fragmentation.
Vast amounts of financial and human resources flowed out, forming star nations.
Each of these star nations had its own laws, mostly lax, lacking any significant restrictions.
"This could become a source of chaos. We need to offer certain benefits, control the outflow of large corporations, and add some regulations."
As surrounding powers proliferated, especially those who had previously operated within the Federation, they became more adept at manipulating it and disrupting its social structures.
The Federation would experience upheaval; that was certain.
And that's what Luna wanted.
Long ago, she had delegated authority. Now, her task was to empower ordinary Federation citizens. External and internal pressures would motivate the previously complacent citizens.
Furthermore, the broader, more diverse human society would become more appealing to ordinary Federation citizens.
"We need more powerful entities similar to the Federation and the eternally democratic star nations. Let them develop; give them the coordinates of discovered civilizations. I look forward to seeing them make different decisions from the Federation."
Luna didn't meticulously plan this; it wasn't her job, and Ayla wouldn't do it either. A team within the Federation would handle this; detailed planning was unnecessary; it would unfold organically.
Luna was even eager to see some star nations surpass the Federation.
Luna glanced at the document, set it aside, and continued reviewing the next one…