July 15th, a very special day.
Jason got up anxiously before six o’clock. Even at this moment, as composed as he usually was, he felt a little uneasy.
He wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping; many scholars, technicians, and engineers were in the same boat. Everyone aboard the Noah held great hopes for the future. Today marked the launch of the Deep Space, the first step humanity was officially taking into the interstellar void!
"Alright, Captain, relax... everything will be fine."
Lily smiled and spoke softly. She carefully buttoned his uniform, then patted his collar to smooth out the wrinkles. Afterward, she changed into a crisp set of work clothes, glanced at herself in the mirror, and smoothed her hair.
The two walked out of the room one after the other. Jason held her hand, his mind still preoccupied with his duties. He asked, "Has the cleanup work with the Lizardmen Natives been completed? Has anything gone wrong?"
Truth be told, Jason could be a bit of a saint sometimes. These Lizardmen had been relatively obedient and had worked steadily for humanity for a long time, even spanning several of their generations. They had contributed immensely to the Deep Space project, making them feel like "one of us." Now that humanity was leaving, who knew what kind of trouble might arise among the indigenous population.
Lily replied calmly, "You’ve asked about this a dozen times. All the land reforms have been completed. Some of our remaining factories have been handed over, and the Lizardmen currency has been recovered and exchanged for supplies. We’ve done everything we were supposed to do. We can’t predict what will happen next.
"The rest, their social evolution over the next hundreds and thousands of years, will ultimately depend on them. Whether they can break through to become an Interstellar Civilization, or whether they will perish, is entirely in their hands. We can’t hold their hands forever, can we? Are we supposed to build a spaceship for them and help them bypass the Great Filter?"
"That’s true!" Jason smiled, sighing slightly before finally putting the matter to rest in his mind.
Humanity had only extracted 20% of the easily exploitable methane hydrate on planet Nyx, leaving the remaining 80% for the Saurians. Whether this would be enough for them to join the ranks of Interstellar Civilizations remained to be seen.
"...The probability is very low." Jason shook his head. He knew all too well how terrifying the Great Filter truly was.
7:30 A.M.
Throughout the massive spacecraft, thousands of scientists, scholars, technicians, and engineers were already stationed at their respective posts, ready to go. Jason and the key project leaders gathered in the forward captain’s cabin to issue the final launch orders.
The remaining hundreds of thousands of citizens were required to stay within the Noah’s residential sectors and were restricted from moving around freely. Fortunately, the viewing facilities inside were state-of-the-art, allowing everyone a clear view of the spacecraft’s entire takeoff sequence.
Over the past 160 years, the population of the Federation had increased to 730,000. It had to be said, this number was far below initial projections. The primary reason was the continuous leap in life expectancy.
The development of advanced biological technologies had vastly increased the human lifespan, which directly caused plummeting birth rates. In the past, it took 25 to 30 years to yield a new generation; now, it generally took sixty. With longer lives, people simply preferred not to marry or have children too early. Some didn’t even consider starting a family until they were a hundred years old and yes, a hundred years old was still considered young.
When it came to personal liberties, the government kept a hands-off approach. Even if they offered incentives, it was largely useless; you couldn’t force people to settle down and have children.
Fortunately, the invention of the Brain Chip over a century ago had fundamentally revolutionized human intelligence and the structure of their industries. Even with a smaller population, as long as the quality and capability of the populace were high enough, labor shortages wouldn’t be an issue. The benefits of the Brain Chips were simply too numerous to list.
Thump, thump, thump!
A series of synchronized footsteps echoed down the corridor. Soldiers clad in heavy power armor were deploying throughout the spaceship to secure all vital sectors.
As the clock ticked down, a wave of collective nervousness washed over the crew. This was humanity’s first time attempting a voyage of this magnitude, even if they had spent decades making thorough preparations.
At exactly eight o’clock in the morning, Jason decisively announced, "I command the Deep Space to activate flight mode!"
"Captain’s order: Deep Space, activate flight mode!" the bridge echoed.
The massive machinery operated flawlessly. Soon, all the external moorings and attachments around the hull were retracted, bringing the spacecraft into its final flight configuration. Because this sequence had been rigorously tested multiple times, it proceeded without a single error.
"I command, activate the main engine systems. Ten-second countdown."
"Captain’s order: Activate the main engine systems. Ten-second countdown!"
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
As the final second ticked by, all the primary reactors inside the colossal ship roared to life, violently sputtering out high-temperature plasma. Part of this plasma was siphoned off to generate electricity via magnetohydrodynamic generators and drive the steam turbines, while the rest was blasted out of the rear thrusters to propel the ship forward.
Due to the spacecraft’s staggering size and mass, the acceleration would be strictly maintained below 0.5 meters per second squared, making the initial takeoff process incredibly long. A vessel of this magnitude could no longer rely on being as simple, crude, and blocky as the old Noah. However, the Deep Space first needed to accelerate hard enough to break free from Nyx’s gravity well. This was the newborn dreadnought’s first real test.
Jason shouted, "Activate the secondary thrusters! Increase our escape velocity from Nyx! Push the main engines to maximum safe output!"
"Captain’s order: Activating auxiliary thrusters and simultaneously increasing main engine thrust!"
Outside, a brilliant, artificial sun ignited above Nyx, its blinding jets of light piercing straight through the planet’s thick atmospheric volcanic ash. Half of the dark world was instantly bathed in this radiant light, creating an unprecedented dawn. Down on the surface, the Lizardmen Natives cheered enthusiastically, their voices carrying through the harsh winds as they witnessed this divine ascension with their own eyes.
"Captain, total power output has increased by 537%! Nuclear reactors are operating nominally! Main engines nominal! Secondary thrusters nominal!"
Looking at the cascade of green data flooding his command screen, Jason knew the voyage was a success.
As the massive ship slowly accelerated, it completed one and a half orbits around Nyx before finally shattering the planet’s gravitational hold, drifting steadily into the cosmic dark.
Everyone stared silently at the main observatory screens. Shrinking in the rear-view monitors was Nyx, the barren, sunless rock in the dark universe that had given humanity shelter when they had nothing. It was dull, lackluster, and utterly unremarkable.
Humanity was leaving, and no one knew if they would ever return.
A collective wave of melancholy swept through the ship. Even the stoic elders of the first generation, like Marcus and Austin, couldn’t help but secretly wipe away their tears. Every first-generation survivor remembered the dark era of drifting aimlessly through space. It was a time when humanity lacked resources, lived in perpetual terror, and feared they would fly endlessly into the abyss until they went extinct.
It was the grim but beautiful Nyx that had caught them when they fell, offering her resources to help humanity take its next evolutionary step. Humans had once despised the planet for its darkness and bitter cold, but the planet had never despised them.
With the mighty nuclear reactors now powering their Spaceship, humanity had successfully bypassed their Great Filter. They no longer lacked energy and could easily have survived on Nyx indefinitely.
But a fledgling bird must eventually leave the nest, and an eagle must eventually spread its wings to claim the sky. It was time to say goodbye. People always had to look forward.
Nyx, we’ll see you again someday!
Goodbye, Lizardmen!
We’re going to find our next home...
A place with a blue sky and white clouds!