Age of Cosmic Exploration, 3

by Zhttty

  "Freaking alien race! Here I come bearing gifts, a space fireworks show. I guarantee you’ll love it!"

  The young soldier drew a cross on his chest and kissed the cross dangling from his neck. Then the shuttle started flying at full speed towards the battleship. At the same time, he entered the missile codes. He was going to fire the minute he got close enough!

  Unknown to him, the robot that was pushing the shuttle suddenly had the light wreathing its body changed. It stopped and returned to the Hope… like it had started thinking on its own!

  Inside the shuttle, the young soldier wore a calm mask of acceptance. He sat steadily looking out the shuttle’s back window… looking at his home, the Hope.

  "Goodbye, Hope. Goodbye, fellow friends. Goodbye, Mary… I wish you the best of luck."

  When the robot was about 20 kilometers away from the shuttle, the young soldier pressed the launch button without much ceremony. Small, metallic bits shot through the shuttle, piercing through the young man in the process. The next second, a blinding light emerged, a flash strong enough to rival that of a sun. It was followed by record-breaking heat and devastation… 1 minute and 27 seconds after the explosion, the web of unknown particles covering the Hope disappeared, and following that, the Hope was suddenly bathed in light.

  Then the anti-gravitational and life-support systems kicked in. After that, it was the resuscitation of the central mainframe… The glow around the robots that had been rampaging through the Hope capturing isolated targets and killing the rest shimmered and suddenly, all of them stopped moving… They had won… Mankind had won!

  -------

  Please visit www.webnovel.com to read advanced chapters!

  Chapter131 Pain

  "Fire! Bow! Salute!"

  Following the firing of blank ammunition, about 200 coffins were released into space. Among the crowd, some were openly weeping while others bowed their heads in grief. The soldiers present remained in a solemn salute.

  Of the 301 space troopers that left, only 33 returned!

  And, just like how Yao Yuan predicted, every single one of them returned a hero!

  According to the Academy’s aftermath analysis, even though the battleship fragment near the Hope exploded, the robots would tear through the Hope from within.

  Thankfully, Yao Yuan managed to defeat the AI in the nick of time. With their overseer fallen, the robots lost their activity. In reality, they were still fully functional, patiently awaiting another set of orders.

  Today was the 7th day after the infiltration. According to Chinese customs, this special date was also known as Tou Qi [1].

  It was why all the surviving troopers, the Hope’s military, the families of the deceased, reporters, members from House of Representatives, and 2,000 selected civilians were gathered at the ship’s hangar for the Hope’s third celestial burial.

  "Ceremony over!"

  All of the soldiers went at ease, but none of them moved nor chatted. They stood firmly, staring at the host of coffins that slowly drifted out of view. A mixture of pride and sadness mingled in their eyes… Hardened by war, the remaining troopers stood transfixed and emotionless. Only when they were in the company of their families would they let their guard down and show emotion.

  This time Yao Yuan didn’t slumber for 13 days like before. On the night of the 6th, as if someone was pulling him awake, he woke up to participate in the special burial.

  All through the ceremony, other than the host, none of the leading figures moved to the podium. The burial was conducted with extreme solemnity. At the end, other than the families, the rest dispersed in respectful silence.

  "Giving a speech to praise them would be an insult to their sacrifice!"

  On the way back, Yao Yuan told Barbie.

  No one knew the scope of their sacrifice if they weren’t part of the troop. They fought, they struggled, and eventually they died, apart from and for their families on the Hope, whose fate was an unknown… Having a gaudy celebration would only sully the memory of their heroic deeds!

  "Following the protocol, the records of their names, deeds, and combat videos will be saved into the central mainframe’s history folder. Also, don’t leave out that nameless hero. They’ll be given the Hope’s greatest honor, the hero badge. Actually, let me correct myself. Make sure to use the name 'Arnold Vett' instead of 'the nameless hero.' We must make sure humanity’s future citizens know that they are alive because of these selfless people!"

  Barbie jotted everything down efficiently. Suddenly, Yao Yuan started coughing. The fit was so intense that some blood escaped into the air. Barbie quickly passed him a handkerchief and asked worriedly, "What’s wrong, Captain? Are you OK?"

  Yao Yuan shook his head as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the handkerchief. "Don’t worry. I injured my lungs during combat, but I’m sure it’ll be fine after a good rest… Then again, who has the time? The paperwork is already piling up in the captain’s room."

  Barbie looked at Yao Yuan concernedly but kept her thoughts to herself.

  The week after the infiltration was spent in mourning. The robots had killed 1471 people. Because of the power outage, the number of babies who died from low temperature and lack of oxygen was 362.

  Combined with the casualty from the space troopers, the entirety of the Hope lost about 2,000 people!

  That was an astronomical number that would cause great effect for any non-warring city on Earth, much less one in space!

  For the Hope, the 2,000 loss was an unmitigated catastrophe! The Hope only had 120,000 people to begin with, so losing that many able-bodied adults in one go was, to say the least, worrying. The ratio of loss scope-wise was akin to the Earth being swallowed by a giant tsunami!

  After Yao Yuan came back from the funeral, he threw himself into the business of the citizens’ death gratuity. Even though he had aid from Hall of Communications, there were still plenty of things that needed him to personally oversee.

  Other than civil business, there were other things to take care of as well… "What do you mean none of the robots can be used? Are you kidding me? You’re telling me all these robots' resources can’t be recycled?! Do you know how many lives have been lost to gather them!?" Yao Yuan fired with a voice no less than a roar.

  Sitting before him was Bo Li. The girl was barely there, tired as she was from a whole sleepless week going through upwards of 10,000 robots.

  "That’s right. When you crushed the AI, the internal information processor for the robots was fried. These processors are like hearts for these robots. Without them, they can’t possibly function," Bo Li said as she leaned forward lightly to take the cup of tea off the table and started sipping.

  Yao Yuan sat back down. Frustrated, he said, "But… Damn it. So many robots with Gaussian guns and particle accelerators; we’re talking about 10,000 of them on this ship alone! There has to be more in the junkyard, and now they’re all useless. Damn it!"

  Bo Li’s mouth curled up in a smile, but it was covered by the cup and quickly disappeared. "We can still salvage the parts. The Gaussian technology can be used to improve and perfect our Gaussian gun, while the particle accelerator could be used in the combat suit’s propellers to increase its flight time and power. Even the robots' shells are usable… if we melt them down. They’re made from a metal that is much more advanced than our current metallurgy technology, so I suggest we melt them down into blocks to be kept for future use."

  Yao Yuan sighed. "Understood, we’ll follow what you suggest."

  Bo Li nodded slightly and set the cup down. Without another word, she made to leave the room. Suddenly, Yao Yuan called her name.

  Bo Li turned around to hear Yao Yuan say, in a heartfelt manner, "I want you know that your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, so… thank you."

  A minute frown crossed Bo Li’s brow. She stared at Yao Yuan seriously. After a long pause, she turned around and said, rather uncomfortably, "You… are welcome. It’s what
I want to do. I love the Hope. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing even after you’re dead."

  "Is that so?" Yao Yuan smiled in spite of himself. He stood up and moved to pat Bo Li on her head. "Either way, I do mean it when I say I appreciate your hard work… Now, please go take a well-deserved sleep. It’s going to be a long battle ahead."

  Bo Li slapped his hand away and harrumphed. "I’ll sleep when I want to. For the record, I hate it when people touch my head, so this is the only time I’ll allow it. Never again!" And she stormed out.

  Yao Yuan laughed, shaking his head. He returned to his table to greet the mountain of paperwork that awaited him. His heart was as heavy as the stack of files and reports that filled his table. Going through them, he couldn’t help but harbor a dream in his heart… Mankind, please get stronger!

  On the 9th day from the infiltration, the best friend trio of Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan met up at a park bench somewhere on the third level. Xiao Niao still had his arm in a cast because he had shattered his humerus. Doctors said he had to keep it in an arm sling for at least 4 months for it to fully recover. Then again, in the whole, Xiao Niao had to consider himself lucky because at least he was still alive… "Bro, you must have lost your mind when you rushed in to face the robot. You have to be more careful out there." Qiu Qiu sighed, slapping his friend on his shoulder.

  Xiao Niao smiled rather bashfully before saying, "The man died for me, then there was blood everywhere… I can’t really explain it. It’s a heat of the moment thing. Then again, didn’t your unit face something similar? I heard Dan Dan almost bit the dust!"

  Dan Dan stared quietly at the passing crowd. The bag of snacks that usually could be found in his hand was missing. After a while he said, "I’m thinking… It’s not so bad being a soldier. At least that way we can protect them from the pain that’s written on their faces. Let us work hard to become good soldiers that can safeguard them against sadness. "

  There was a heavy solemnity among the passerbys, a reminder that for many, the pain in their hearts was still healing. Xiao Niao suddenly suggested, "How about the 3 of us form a special unit on our own? Needless to say, it’s unofficial, but since the 3 of us are Homo Evolutis and have been best pals for so long, we should be able to work seamlessly with one another!"

  His friends agreed instantly. Then they started discussing the unit’s name.

  "How about Kurosan Ren-sei [2]?"

  -------

  Please visit www.webnovel.com to read advanced chapters!

  Chapter132 Language

  "Attention, area number 2. Operation unit 6 is returning soon, please prepare the hangar for landing!"

  The time was now 1 and a half years after the historic infiltration… Most if not all of the Hope’s citizens had walked out of the miasma of grief. Life always moves on, and it was no different for life in space. As the saying goes, time heals everything, and its performance was nothing short of a miracle when smoothing over the pain that stemmed from the infiltration.

  Death gratuity was handled within a month of the burial. The families that lost their breadwinners were scripted into simple paying jobs and supplemented by monthly welfare. Similar to before, the education and living arrangements of their children and spouses were taken care for by the government.

  Sadly, the policy couldn’t satisfy everyone, but at least these people had a place to voice their concerns and get heard. Unlike many of Earth's governments, the Hope’s government adopted a transparent administrative policy, and under Yao Yuan’s watchful eye, there were no cases of authoritarian suppression. Part of the reason any misconduct could easily be detected was also because the Hope was such a small entity.

  Therefore, even though the infiltration greatly pained the people, they knew the fault wasn’t to be aimed at their government. After all, their captain himself had led the space troopers to deal with the AI. They didn’t come back unharmed either. Everyone had suffered losses. Thus, after receiving the compensation, everyone collectively decided to bury the hatchet and move on.

  As the Hope breathed this sigh of relief, the 3 bodies started to mobilize, their main affair being a complete exploration of this junkyard and the absorption of its technology into mankind’s own. They were desperate to usher in the 4th industrial revolution!

  Yao Yuan, though, had a new philosophy before sending in the space troopers to help with exploration.

  He realized that numbers ultimately played a less than significant role in space combat, especially when the technological level was drastically different. Reviewing his combat with the 2 humanoid robots, he concluded sadly that the robots still held the upper hand even though they were grossly outnumbered by the troopers.

  Instead, the 2 important factors in space combat were proficiency and weaponry. These 2 would decide the outcome of the battle!

  With this philosophy in mind, he introduced more hierarchy into the space troopers. Every 3 Homo Evolutis would be leading a space combat unit, with one of them as the leader, the other 2 sub-leaders. Each leader would lead 9 normal soldiers, and there would be 10 30-man units in total. Therefore, Yao Yuan needed 30 Homo Evolutis… He knew that was a tall order to fill, so he had to put virus X survivors as sub-leaders even though their powers were still latent. However, with their innate grasp of space combat, Yao Yuan was sure they would be proficient soldiers with some training.

  This new battalion of space troopers would be led by Yao Yuan. They called themselves the Black Star Troopers and naturally adopted the Black Star Unit’s motto as its own: as Black Stars, for victory or for death!

  To facilitate a mass exploration, other than the battalion, the Hope needed transport. An increased productivity was thus induced, and the Workshop pushed out a new transport shuttle almost monthly during that 3 month period. These transport shuttles were simplified versions of themselves because their sole aim was to transport about 1,000 people to and from the junkyard. Since it still had to cross the null zone, there was no point installing anti-gravitational and life-support systems. Its passengers would rely on their own spacesuits for survival… After all, the construction of a shuttle each month was made possible only after all these features were dropped!

  On the 2nd month after the infiltration, the newly formed Black Star Troopers escorted their first transport shuttle into the junkyard. Even though the AI had been killed and radar showed that there was no longer any robotic activity in the junkyard, the Hope still held its breath in worry, waiting for this exploration and salvage crew to return.

  Just to be sure, the Black Star troopers conducted a blanket search across the junkyard and its many husks to make sure there was no longer any danger. 2 months later, the search was complete, and the junkyard was confirmed to be safe!

  Finally, the members of the Academy and Workshop could enter the junkyard and witness the glory of this advanced alien civilization for themselves. They had been begging for this opportunity because only a hands-on approach could truly bring about necessary breakthroughs. This was the fifth month after the infiltration.

  So far, the Hope had created 6 transport shuttles, and they were on a 24-hour transport schedule. Almost every scientist, researcher, engineer, and technician had been into the junkyard. They could feel that they were at the cusp of welcoming mankind’s 4th industrial revolution!

  "This is it! It is as I thought!"

  Now, we find ourselves in linguist Thompson Goby’s room, where every available surface was covered by tomes and papers. One would be hard-pressed to find a free spot to stand. In the middle of the room, a 60 something man was yelling at the top of his lungs, waving a piece of paper about.

  Some time later, the man finally calmed down. His face flushed from excitement, he grabbed hold of the corner of the table for a push to get up. Numb from hours of sitting, his legs gave out and he fell flat against the floor. Undeterred, he pushed himself up and rushed out, screaming, "I’ve solved it! The language in the music box! I’ve finally sol
ved it! The alien language, we can finally understand it!"

  Ever since the junkyard was open for exploration, the Academy had collected many more alien products, some blowing even the greatest scientists’ mind. For example, there was an alien battery the size of common battery, but it had several tens of thousands of times its voltage! If fully charged, the battery could supply electricity to a flashlight for as long as 30 years!

  Other than that, there was also a video-screening apparatus. In the 21st century, mankind was introduced to 3D movies, but the 3D images were mere light shows. Within the junkyard, they found an electromagnetic projector that could produce actual 3D effects, effects that were not limited to projection on a screen but through the arrangement of electromagnetic particles and light, creating 3D images that could be imprinted onto any room! The moment Wa Luo heard about this technology, he approached Yao Yuan, volunteering himself to test it out. He said he had plenty of "action" movies that would be perfect for testing out this new technology…

  However, technology was not the same as science!

  Technology could inspire advancement in science, but the process was not as straight-forward as one would hope it to be. The technologies needed to be broken down and thoroughly studied before mankind could say they had a total grasp over it.

  What the Academy needed were theorems and formulae, the building blocks that form the technology, and not the technology itself!

  Sadly, mankind didn’t understand the alien language. Even though they had salvaged plenty of reading material from the junkyard, they were all inaccessible due to the language barrier. Without the necessary translation, the books that sat in the Academy appeared to taunt the scientists day after day. They had a treasure trove of information, but they lacked the key to open it!

  The collective rage of the Academy was not one to be seen lightly.

  Therefore, a ton of pressure had been set on the group of linguists’ shoulders.

  Translation was not an easy task though. Translating one human language into another was hard enough. One had to refer to books and experts on both cultures to bridge the cultural gap and language barrier.