While Luna continued her work, the dimensional gateway data reached the Solar System.
The Solar System was far more developed than when Luna and Ayla had last visited.
While there weren't many additional machines or equipment, the constant traffic of starships made it bustling, especially on Terra.
The once-dominant forests now featured numerous cities, small—covering tens or hundreds of square kilometers—but tall, consisting of high-rise buildings with extremely robust underground structures.
Everything served science; each city was a massive research facility.
Dubinski Black Hole Research Facility
As the name suggests, their primary focus was black holes—specifically, the primordial black hole on the lunar satellite.
Dubinski wasn't the name of the facility's director or founder; it was the name of a prominent figure in Federation history who had made significant contributions to black hole research. He had long since passed away; that was during the Old Federation era.
The Old Federation, over tens of thousands of years, had produced many luminaries. Luna's invention of super-antimatter displacement technology made her a Luminary, yet even that is but a fleeting moment in Federation history, like a shooting star.
The number of individuals achieving Luminary status increased over time; some periods even saw several Luminaries at once.
However, the impact of the technologies developed by these Luminaries wasn't always widespread; some were subtle. For example, increasing a starship's speed from 20,000 km/s to 30,000 km/s is significant, but most people wouldn't research the Luminary behind this but simply marvel at a starship company's powerful new product.
But in reality, such breakthroughs come from specific research labs. They aren't products themselves; citizens only care about the final product.
This led to many Luminaries in the Federation remaining relatively unknown. Their names resonated among scholars but not the general public.
Dubinski was one such figure. His research on black holes was theoretical; he calculated the relationship between black holes and gravitons, explaining how gravitons could escape black holes.
He further elucidated the unique properties of gravitons and emphasized that the Federation would eventually use gravitational forces extensively for energy.
That was a forward-looking calculation at the time.
Unfortunately, such research was only theoretical then, as the Federation lacked black holes within reach.
Now, the Federation could study black holes.
The head of the Dubinski Black Hole Research Facility was a Zuim named Anka 87—a rather unique name because Zuim reproduce like crystalline plants, using "seeds."
Anka 87 was the eighty-seventh seed to sprout from the parent plant.
After receiving Ayla's data, he carefully reviewed it and then distributed it to everyone in the facility, which, despite its size, housed only a few thousand people.
He called a meeting to discuss the information and its implications.
The meeting was held in a virtual world.
Participants were invisible; only the speaker would appear to everyone.
Anka 87 began, "This data is invaluable. This is our first contact with the dimensional plane. To our predecessors, the dimensional plane was insurmountable."
"But in the current Federation, we finally possess some dimensional information. We know that black holes can help us traverse the dimensional plane."
"Advanced civilizations can open wormholes, allowing beings to travel between higher and lower dimensional planes."
"Our collaborative creation of the dimensional reflection membrane proved effective. Next, we need to physically reach another universe, and this is our first step."
His words ignited excitement.
These Federation scholars were indifferent to almost anything; even trillions of Energy Credits wouldn't faze them. But the mystery of the dimensional plane rekindled their youthful enthusiasm.
Someone spoke, "Dimensional increase can be seen as a complete dimensional increase. Consider two-dimensional and three-dimensional space; the increase from two to three dimensions isn't simply adding a plane."
"Consider zero to one dimension: countless points form a line. Similarly, countless two-dimensional worlds form a three-dimensional world."
"So, can we understand the fourth dimension as countless three-dimensional worlds forming a four-dimensional world? This information includes analyses from high-ranking Federation scholars. The dimensional revolving door is a good illustration, but they seem to have missed the most important point."
"The constant rotation of this revolving door is what truly constitutes the fourth dimension. When it stops, it's three-dimensional. The revolving door, constantly rotating, leaves a three-dimensional space at points A, B, C, D, E, F, etc. Therefore, we need to determine whether the fourth dimension is a rotating three-dimensional space, a static three-dimensional space, or something else entirely."
This was a question, not an answer.
All the scholars fell silent, contemplating the profound nature of the question.
A rotating space and a static space are fundamentally different; this is crucial. One is finite; the other is infinite.
Furthermore, the scholar's question implied another.
The fourth dimension might unfold countless three-dimensional spaces. Therefore, the Swarm's form in the fourth dimension wouldn't simply be a mirror image above; it would also have a mirror image below, creating an incredibly complex world, each mirror reflecting a three-dimensional space.
Destroying a fourth-dimensional being would require destroying everything within countless three-dimensional spaces.
Since the dimensional issue arose, everyone had pondered how two-dimensional beings would perceive three-dimensional beings.
A common answer is that, to two-dimensional beings, three-dimensional beings would be "gods," possessing supernatural abilities.
Similarly, three-dimensional beings might perceive fourth-dimensional beings as gods, possessing mysterious abilities, including immortality.
This returns to the question of rotation versus stasis.
A rotating, finite space implies that fourth-dimensional beings can be killed. A static, infinite space implies that fourth-dimensional beings are indestructible in three-dimensional space, unless incredibly powerful energy is used.
The core of this question is: how do we create countless three-dimensional worlds?
If this is possible, then traveling between three and four dimensions, or four and five, would be solved; they would master the mystery of dimensional planes.
Let's set that aside for now.
This question is currently unanswerable; it's filed for future research. All scholars recorded the question in their auxiliary brains for later exploration.
Compared to theoretical issues, practical applications were more appealing; these were readily achievable.
"Since we've confirmed the dimensional gateway is a black hole, and based on our data, the gateway's creation didn't require significant energy to generate the black hole."
"Previous theories suggested that this black hole might converge more dimensional energy; seemingly a single star, it's actually the combined destruction of many stars, piercing the dimensional barrier."
"I've been conducting an interesting experiment: studying the black hole's inherent energy. We know it's very stable, but if another dimension is involved, will it remain stable?"
"Our primordial black hole exhibits these characteristics, so I sent one million photons into the black hole and observed some interesting phenomena."
"The photons weren't absorbed as expected; there was a slight discrepancy between the absorption process and our calculations."
"Initially, I thought this might be due to unobserved black hole properties, but after seeing the dimensional data, I noticed something."
The data presented by the speaker appeared before all the scholars.
The data included additional observational records showing hundreds of photon trajectories. Everyone had auxiliary brains, easily simulating these photon movements.
At a certain point, they suddenly dispersed, then regrouped.
"This is… a schooling effect?"
Fish schools disperse and regroup when encountering predators, seemingly acting in concert, exhibiting collective consciousness.
But this is not the case. Fish movement is based on observing surrounding fish; if a fish on the left suddenly moves, others will mimic the action. Even if some fish are unaware of the danger, the entire school will avoid it.
These photons weren't behaving like that; they were likely being disturbed by space or gravity, mimicking the schooling effect.
Just as everyone thought this, the scholar who presented the data said, "Don't doubt yourselves. What you see is indeed a schooling effect."
"An object entered the photon stream, causing the photons to disperse. In this process, the second-order photons sense the first-order photons' movement and react accordingly; they aren't being displaced."
"Strictly speaking, space is indeed having an effect, but not as we understand it. This space comes from the fourth dimension."
"That area of space has entered a four-dimensional state. In the fourth dimension, the photons have an additional dimension, and this dimension causes photon A to exert pressure on photon B."
"We know that in our world, photons are essentially waves. But in the fourth dimension, are they still waves? A three-dimensional wave would gain volume in the fourth dimension; this volume would repel surrounding matter."
This is what truly resembles the schooling effect.
It differed drastically from the scholars' previous hypotheses.
It wasn't entirely new; this theoretical possibility had existed before, but it was drowned in the vast sea of dimensional research. Only upon re-examination, with some scholars explicitly stating they had observed this phenomenon, did the discovery gain true recognition.
Therefore, in the fourth dimension, any substance, including light, can be a material.
There's a difference between material and energy.
"Wait, if that's the case, then based on human history, humanity originated in the Solar System, which was destroyed by a gamma-ray burst."
"If I'm not mistaken, we can't find the massive star that generated this gamma-ray burst."
At this point, everyone immediately considered a possibility.
The gamma-ray burst that destroyed Earth might not have originated in three-dimensional space; it might have come from a higher dimension.
It wasn't a single gamma-ray burst that struck the Solar System, causing the hidden primordial black hole and Earth to collide, tearing Earth apart.
The gamma-ray burst itself was emitted by the primordial black hole…
"No, according to Multi-eyed Civilization records, they observed the scattered light from the gamma-ray burst before the Solar System's collapse."
This raises a question of sequence.
Therefore, this hypothesis is baseless.
"But what if there wasn't just one primordial black hole?"
"The original primordial black hole could have been destroyed after emitting the gamma-ray burst; that's possible. Forcing a black hole to release matter is essentially killing it."
"The black hole could have existed outside the Solar System."
"According to available data from the 21st-century human era, there seems to have been evidence of primordial black holes outside the Solar System. The orbits of some Kuiper Belt objects could provide proof."
Information about 21st-century humanity isn't classified within the Federation.
Luna hadn't hidden this information; after establishing the Federation, she had Ayla incorporate human history into the civilization archives.
With minor alterations: Luna and Ayla's existence was omitted; the story was that a few thousand humans escaped on a single ship.
This wasn't part of Federation education; Luna stated long ago that history shouldn't be a subject of study but rather entertainment and research material.
After arriving in the Solar System, these scholars had researched human history regarding black holes and learned a great deal.
"It's a hypothesis, but if true, what does it mean? A fourth-dimensional attack on three-dimensional space?"
Advanced civilizations in the Milky Way had mastered dimensional travel long ago, millions or tens of millions of years before humans, the Federation, or even human civilization.
They would certainly use black holes to study dimensional travel. Therefore, this wasn't unusual.
A fourth-dimensional civilization's dimensional research resulting in the destruction of human civilization on Earth would explain the immense energy of the gamma-ray burst that disrupted the Solar System.
The issues were complex, and everyone realized the discussion's focus was shifting.
But this offered a new possibility.
Three-dimensional objects becoming materials in the fourth dimension: what would happen if a super-range weapon were fired at the dimensional gateway?
As this thought arose, Ayla received a message.
The message came from the Connecter.
'Do not attempt to destroy the dimensional gateway; it is a passage to a higher civilization.'
A concise message.
After hearing this from Ayla, Luna pondered.
"This is a warning, but we have no such intention. Why would it issue such a warning?"
"Perhaps someone in the Federation has such an intention. They're monitoring us; they can see everything we do."
Luna could only speculate; otherwise, the Connecter's sudden message was inexplicable.
Ayla thought of the Solar System.
"I'm going to retrieve some data from the Solar System to see if anyone has considered destroying the dimensional gateway."
Their faces reflected concern.
Being monitored by anyone wouldn't be pleasant, especially by a superior civilization. Their every action, their technological advancements—Luna realized she should have considered this long ago.
Being chosen implies approval of their strength, and this approval would place them on a list of some higher civilization.
Therefore, would this civilization eliminate the Federation as an enemy at some point?
Ayla knew Luna's thoughts.
They looked at each other, each understanding the other's apprehension.
This was unavoidable; the only escape might be through dimensional travel.
The situation was urgent.
"Accelerate dimensional research. We can't rely on the enemy's inability to use the Swarm to reach three-dimensional space forever."
Progress was rapid, but not fast enough.
"Report on the situation at Black Hole Zero."
Black Hole Zero was the original Betelgeuse black hole; the primordial black hole was designated Black Hole One; Federation ships had reached Gaia BH1, now designated Black Hole Three.
Black Hole Three's development was in its early stages; even the Gravitational energy device hadn't been constructed.
Ayla sent Luna a complete report on Black Hole Zero. The main gravitational energy device was complete and operational, producing 28% of the Federation's total energy.
Previous considerations about building a city near Black Hole Zero had been rejected.
Black Hole Zero would be entirely dedicated to energy production and advanced weapons manufacturing.
"Phase two has begun; completion is projected in 2600 years, stabilizing energy production at approximately 63% of the Federation's total energy. Phases three and four are underway and expected to be completed in 8100 years."
Upon completion of all phases, 92% of the Federation's energy would come from Black Hole Zero, signifying the Federation's entry into the black hole era.
Luna noticed that most of the current black hole energy was allocated to planet-class warship production. She considered this.
"Divert 20% of the energy to dimensional research."
"We need to find the most efficient and cost-effective method for traversing the fourth dimension."
This would require massive energy expenditure.
Theoretical understanding wasn't enough; further research was needed. Luna's words implied increasing negative energy development, creating more negative energy devices to send through the dimensional gateway.
They needed to know more precisely.
...
A.D. 182,948.
Denal stared into the empty void of space, feeling a bit mad.
Previously, they'd sent insects; there were countless insects. Now, they were sending beings like him; this was madness.
The dimensional gateway's nature wasn't a secret.
The Federation adhered to the resource theory of imagination, widely disseminating information to encourage problem-solving.
This created anxiety; everyone knew of stronger civilizations, and that dimensional warfare was imminent.
But the Federation had always done this; tolerance for such information was high; most people didn't panic.
Calm individuals were increasing.
But for Denal, facing this situation was different.
He was a brain-worms; he could control insect swarms.
The Federation was trying to disrupt fourth-dimensional civilizations using organisms; they needed to determine if the plan would succeed. Swarm units lacked intelligence; they needed something with strong judgment, survival skills, and the ability to make on-the-spot decisions.
Thus, the brain-worms were selected.
Denal was one of them, and unfortunately, among the first.
"There's always a first time, right? You should be glad to be in the first group," said a fat brain-worm beside him.
Denal looked at him, thinking he was joking.
The other brain-worm continued, "Only the first will be remembered forever; any subsequent attempts will fade into obscurity."
"Indeed, reaching the fourth dimension means permanent death. Even the Federation can't retrieve us, but so what? Everyone dies once."
"The Federation's advancement allows us easy access to all information and knowledge, even predicting some aspects of the future."
"I think even if I lived ten thousand years, the Federation in ten thousand years wouldn't be drastically different from now. The only change will come from the dimensional gateway. Why not see it for myself?"
Denal thought this being was hopeless; his only value in life seemed to be the exploration of the unknown.
But Denal was different; he felt he had a long road ahead, experiencing different things and gaining different knowledge each day.
Death, once distant, was now imminent.
"You weren't a volunteer?" the other asked.
Denal didn't answer. The Federation didn't force anyone, but he came from another side of the Federation—the dark side.
He had experienced many worlds, feeling he could always survive, but this time, it was hopeless.
Even if he passed through the gateway, he'd face civilizations far more terrifying than the Federation; civilizations that understood the fourth dimension better, being fourth-dimensional themselves.
Going there would be like a non-swimmer diving into the ocean, surrounded by hungry great white sharks.
Could anything be more terrifying?
Denal looked at the void of space and cursed again.
"They're insane!"
...
"Woooom."
The sound of the electromagnetic launcher.
Denal knew it had begun; the first unlucky soul had been sent into the dimensional gateway.
The chances of a fragile body traversing the gateway were extremely low. They needed negative energy protection; they were all in small spherical capsules.
After a long time, Denal heard the woom again.
He'd never been so nervous; his heart was pounding—assuming brain-worms even had hearts.
"Ugh, what am I even thinking? Making light of this…"
Denal couldn't stand himself.
But this was all he could do to distract himself.
Before he could think further, his capsule vibrated, then slid onto the launch track. Before he could react, the acceleration pressed him down.
Fortunately, an opposing counter-gravity force neutralized the acceleration. This was common in high-speed launches. The capsule's speed was at least 50,000 km/s.
He couldn't see outside; he could only pray for survival.
Suddenly, he felt no acceleration. Even with counter-gravity systems, a small amount of acceleration was maintained to indicate the ship's status to the crew.
Yet Denal felt nothing.
"Have I entered the dimensional gateway? Has my body changed?"
Denal examined himself, finding no differences.
Entering the dimensional gateway meant entering a black hole; the negative energy should be protecting him and the capsule from being torn apart by the immense gravity.
According to Federation scholars, they wouldn't actually enter the black hole; the gateway would create a wormhole at the black hole's event horizon, with lower gravitational pull than the wormhole itself.
Of course, even a reduced gravitational pull would be terrifying for a being or machine and required neutralizing energy.
Denal was in darkness; time seemed nonexistent.
This wasn't a true absence of time.
His memory was affected; he counted, randomly switching between 293 and 190,023, then back to 62, suggesting he was in a chaotic spacetime.
While negative energy could counteract the black hole's gravitational effects, it couldn't completely resist spacetime distortion and fragmentation.
To Denal, spacetime was fragmented.
It broke apart and repaired, repeatedly plunging him into shattered spacetime; his consciousness might even be discontinuous.
If a third observer, unaffected by spacetime, were present, they would see Denal appearing and disappearing because he didn't exist in certain moments.
This was strange, yet Denal felt largely unaffected by this chaos.
Why?
Denal attributed it partly to negative energy and partly to the universe's self-repair mechanisms.
This hypothesis might be wrong; Denal wasn't an expert; he only relied on his knowledge and experience.
The spacetime chaos prevented him from gauging the passage of time.
It could have been a day, a second, ten thousand years, or a billion years.
He felt that one of these moments might be himself a billion years later, but he couldn't recall each iteration; he couldn't even sense their existence after their appearance and disappearance.
Only a third party could observe this.
He felt hunger and thirst, realizing no one had provided food; theoretically, no one expected his survival.
A bunch of damn fools.
The Quark robot could recycle his body's matter; feeling hungry confirmed he had been in the capsule for at least a year.
Dimensional distances can be short or long.
Space is elastic and can be stretched. In a black hole, space is likely stretched; it would take a considerable time to traverse it.
He didn't know his current speed; if it were only 1 m/s, Denal thought he should kill himself rather than starve to death.
After a short while.
He sensed something unusual: his hand could pass through his body; he touched no organs, as if passing through.
His body must have been rearranged somehow; this sensation was because he was at the interface of the fourth and third dimensions.
Denal focused; he carefully observed the changes.
He hadn't forgotten his mission: collecting any available fourth-dimensional data.
"1, 2, 3…"
He continued counting, without the previous chaos. He must have passed the most turbulent region; there, he could overlap with his past or future selves.
That was insane!
He tried touching his claws together; he could feel himself.
But something was wrong.
The sensation of touching himself wasn't quite right.
This gave him chills.
He confirmed he was touching himself, but the sensations from his left and right claws differed; it felt like his fingers were intertwined, forcing him to consciously think, this is my left claw, this is my right claw, before trying again, still experiencing the same strange feeling.
Denal knew this sensory distortion wasn't due to brain damage.
His senses were being distorted.
"The fourth dimension has one more dimension than the third. What would be different if I existed in the fourth dimension?" Denal had once asked a scholar.
The scholar replied, "There might be no difference at all. Once you're in the fourth dimension, you're a fourth-dimensional being; everything around you would seem normal."
"Living beings can't perceive such changes; careful observation with fourth-dimensional tools, from the macro to the micro, is necessary to understand these changes."
Denal felt he might have reached the fourth dimension.
He hesitated but finally opened the capsule's hatch and looked outside.
The universe!
He saw the profound universe.
The fourth dimension appeared identical to the third, at least to Denal.
But as he moved, he felt a difference.
His senses had an added dimension.
Besides length, width, and height, he felt an inside-outside dimension; he could move forward and backward, up and down, left and right, and also inwards and outwards.
This was indescribable, like entering another world.
This resembled the simulated real and hidden worlds in some games, but with a crucial difference: this wasn't just two layers; there were countless layers.
He remembered the scholars' previous hypotheses: a revolving door or a static world. Based on his current sensations, their hypotheses were partially correct, but not entirely.
The fourth dimension was discrete, not continuous.
If it were a continuous space, then entering would be the same as exiting, and vice-versa. This dimension should be equivalent to the length, width, and height of three-dimensional space.
But it wasn't!
"But that's wrong. Theoretically, space shouldn't have such drastic discontinuities. This would require immense energy!"
"If this is true, our calculations regarding dimensional space need to be completely revised."
"Perhaps I'm wrong. The fourth dimension might be continuous for fourth-dimensional beings, but for beings transitioning from three to four dimensions, the forced increase in dimensions is incomplete. This leads three-dimensional beings to perceive the fourth dimension as composed of individual three-dimensional spaces."
"It seems I'm moving through inside and outside, but I'm actually still in the same space. My consciousness makes me feel like I'm entering another world, a parallel world."
Denal believed this was more plausible.
He didn't have superpowers; his consciousness couldn't process the dimensional change, creating a perceptual error.
This is like a video; some people can process 90Hz refresh rates, while others can only process 30Hz. Observing a 30Hz video, the latter would see it smoothly, while the former would see it as laggy, like a slide show.
While not perfect, this was the best analogy Denal could come up with.
He left the capsule, which had lost all power and was drifting aimlessly.
Staying there, Denal would die. He needed to find a way out.
Fortunately, his mech was undamaged; being liquid, most destructive forces were ineffective.
The mech enveloped him, drawing the capsule's atmosphere into its internal system, providing a considerable air supply.
After a short time.
He sensed something unusual, like his hand could pass through his body; he touched no organs, as if passing through.
His body must have been rearranged somehow; this sensation was because he was at the interface of the fourth and third dimensions.
Denal focused; he carefully observed the changes.
He hadn't forgotten his mission: collecting any available fourth-dimensional data.
He used some of the capsule's energy to accelerate to 260 km/s, then slowly increased his speed using his own energy, reaching 770 km/s after 17 days. This speed was incredibly slow for interstellar travel.
Fortunately, someone came to help.
Denal saw something small in the distance rapidly growing larger, becoming a ship hundreds of meters long. Its shape was bizarre, defying three-dimensional symmetry; one side was square, the other rhomboid—visually jarring.
Yet it was aesthetically pleasing, with a smooth, shiny surface, like a work of art.
Denal guessed it must be aerodynamically efficient in the fourth dimension, because during his previous movements, he'd noticed that moving as in three-dimensional space would cause deviations; his trajectory curved.
This curvature felt like moving along a gentle curve, but on a very small scale.
At high speeds and over vast distances, this curvature would have a significant impact.
Denal didn't know if his assessment was correct, or if the ship was simply unconventional.
He couldn't dwell on this; the ship clearly wasn't there to welcome him; a plane enveloped him.
A plane; it felt like a sheet of paper wrapping around him. But it wasn't paper; it was pure energy. It enveloped him from left and right, above and below, before and after, inside and outside.
It permeated everything, impossible to avoid.
As it approached, it condensed into a small point, smaller than his fingertip, yet encompassing everything.
Denal couldn't describe the feeling; death was imminent.
His instincts told him to flee, but where could he go? He couldn't escape!
Go deeper!
Denal thought this and remained motionless, but he was moving; he was moving in the fourth dimension.
As he moved, he evaded the envelopment. In the fourth dimension, the plane didn't seem so large.
During this process, Denal observed the approaching energy and realized it was a point, not a vast plane. Although he'd moved, the actual distance was only a meter, perhaps half a meter!
This was enough distance to evade the point.
He realized that only by moving through the fourth dimension could he truly see it; previously, he'd seen everything in three dimensions. Fourth-dimensional attacks, upon reaching three-dimensional space, appeared immense because of the extra dimension, expanding like a geometric projection.
As the energy neared, its magnification due to the dimensional difference diminished. The closer it got, the more clearly Denal saw its true nature.
This attack was clearly a probe, perhaps not even an attack at all, more like a targeting laser.
Its magnification made it appear prominent.
The targeting system was tracking him, but Denal was evading it in the fourth dimension. Due to his uncooperative consciousness, he appeared to others as intermittently stopping and moving, like a glitching bug, especially at his high speed.
The targeting system couldn't lock onto him, delaying the attack.
Denal suspected the ship used AI like some Federation ships. If it were a living being, it would have already attacked frantically.
Even so, Denal didn't believe he could truly escape; it was too difficult. He could only delay the inevitable—his death.
Just then, a giant creature emerged from the void of space: a colossal insect!