Three months passed. It wasn’t a particularly long time, but it felt like it flew by in the blink of an eye.
The Deep Space had reached three times the speed of light before beginning its rapid deceleration down to sub-light speeds.
Everything was proceeding perfectly according to plan, and nothing major had gone wrong.
By the way, a new frigate manufacturing plan had recently been added to the schedule!
Faced with this new project, the engineering teams were eager to get started. They happened to have a lot of free time on their hands anyway, and building a few escort frigates wouldn’t pose much of a technical challenge.
The initial blueprints were quickly drafted. Given the Precursors’ technological prowess and the Federation’s upgraded industrial standards, a working prototype could be built in just a few months.
On that particular day, Jason was working his usual shift in his office. After finishing a video conference, he habitually clicked his mouse to open the next document on his monitor.
He suddenly realized the screen was completely blank.
"Huh... are there no more files?"
He refreshed the system a few times before realizing that every single document was marked "processed" and his inbox was completely empty.
He had actually finished all of his work!
Jason scratched his head, feeling a bit out of sorts. Relaxing so suddenly made every muscle in his body ache.
I’m so exhausted. When was the last time my desk was actually clear?
It felt like it had been an eternity since he last took a proper break.
Humanity’s first long-distance interstellar voyage seemed to be running smoothly. With his immediate workload entirely cleared, his constantly frayed nerves finally began to relax. He finally had a chance to catch his breath!
Just thinking about it made him feel incredibly drowsy. Fatigue washed over him like a tidal wave.
It made sense; the entire Deep Space initiative operated on a 160-year cycle, and he had been working non-stop to keep it on track.
As the leader of the Federation, he had to make decisions regarding domestic affairs, population allocation, and resource distribution. One moment his presence was required on the surface of Nyx, and the next he had to fly back to the main ship. He was even swamped with work during the major holidays.
Sometimes, the sudden breakthrough of a crucial new technology would keep him tied to his desk for weeks on end.
Because of his brutal schedule, he and Lily rarely saw each other. They didn’t spend much time together, let alone have time to think about starting a family.
Of course, the issue of having children wasn’t entirely due to their busy schedules; there were other potential biological factors at play.
Jason sometimes wondered if Superhumans were genetically incapable of reproducing.
It was certainly a possibility!
According to animal trials, the success rate of the Perfect Element genetic modification could reach 80% to 90% when combined with Neural Chips in certain canines. This had provided the Federation with about a dozen genetically enhanced dogs possessing exceptional physical abilities.
However, none of those enhanced dogs were ever able to reproduce, including the very first test subject, "Max."
Because the survival rate of the procedure couldn’t be guaranteed at 100%, the Perfect Element had not yet been rolled out to the general public.
The Federation government refused to let 10% to 20% of the population die in clinical trials. Citizens were only permitted to undergo the procedure when they reached the absolute end of their natural lifespan and had no other medical options. Perhaps as Neural Chips continued to improve, the survival rate of future modifications would increase.
The science division had been researching Jason’s genetics for quite some time but hadn’t produced any promising results.
"Theoretically, Superhumans do not experience reproductive isolation from standard humans," the researchers had noted. "But strangely... the fertilized eggs seem to lose their totipotency, making them unable to divide or differentiate."
"The seeds of genetically enhanced plants exhibit a similar issue. Their reproductive viability is incredibly low, and most fail to germinate... though a very small percentage do succeed."
"Therefore, we theorize that the reproductive capability of a super-individual mating with a standard human is extremely low. This is a significant biological drawback."
Perhaps out of a desire for a child, or simply because she wanted the cognitive enhancements, Lily had finally mustered the courage to undergo the Perfect Element procedure herself.
Even though Jason had tried to talk her out of it, she refused to change her mind.
Fortunately, the procedure was a success. An 80% survival rate wasn’t exactly low, and she had safely transitioned into a Superhuman.
Yet, even with both of them enhanced, they still couldn’t conceive.
Jason sighed, pushing those thoughts aside.
If Superhumans truly possessed such low fertility, rolling out the modification to the general public would create a massive demographic crisis. The current timeline certainly didn’t allow for it.
The government planned to authorize a mass rollout only once the population reached five million and the medical technology became far more stable.
After all, they only had enough Perfect Element reserves for six million people. If the population grew too large, distributing it fairly would become an administrative nightmare.
Jason shook his head, refusing to stress over demographic issues on his first free day.
At their current birth rate, it would be decades before the population hit five million anyway.
He wondered if he should just take a few days off to catch up on his sleep.
He wasn’t the only one feeling the shift; the collective anxiety of the entire crew was slowly beginning to fade.
This was especially true for the first generation of veterans. They had fought for so long just to survive and take this monumental step into the stars. Living long enough to see this massive colony ship take flight was a deeply fulfilling experience.
After all, their society had been pushed forward and forged into something stronger through their own blood, sweat, and tears!
The Deep Space was a physical monument to their wisdom and perseverance.
During this long voyage, the remnants of humanity were finally experiencing a true sense of peace and joy for the very first time.
Jason rubbed his aching temples and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
Over the past century, there had been a profound shift in societal ethics and class structures. An era of true personal freedom was gradually dawning.
Citizens could pursue the careers they actually wanted, no longer constrained by the desperate need just to "survive."
Work habits and cultural values that had been cultivated over the last hundred years were now ingrained in their society as undeniable facts of life.
For the younger generations raised away from Earth, their education was entirely different. To them, meaningful work and pursuing their "ideal goals" were essential pillars of a fulfilling life.
"Science" had essentially become the highest calling for many. People found genuine joy in their research. Especially during this current golden age of rapid technological growth, it was actually harder not to make a breakthrough.
Because of this, the government had to strictly enforce maximum working hours and mandate curfews. There were simply too many workaholics.
Furthermore, thanks to the continuous upgrades to the Neural Chips, everyone’s baseline intelligence had skyrocketed. Over 70% of the population now worked in research, engineering, or applied sciences.
The remaining population filled roles as doctors, teachers, and military personnel, perfectly reflecting the Federation’s cultural atmosphere.
"To celebrate the smooth operation of the Deep Space, I propose a mandatory three-day weekend for the entire crew. Thoughts?"
Jason threw the suggestion out during an audio call with his cabinet, but no one immediately responded.
Finally, Secretary of Defense Austin cut to the chase.
Austin laughed over the line. "Jason, if you want a vacation, just take one. Everyone knows you’ve been working yourself to the bone. But the rest of us don’t need a break! We already get the weekends off!"
"Yeah, hurry up and have a kid already! Your wife has been dying to start a family!"
Amidst the roaring laughter of his cabinet, Jason quickly ended the call, looking a bit embarrassed. In retaliation, he temporarily dumped all of his administrative duties onto Austin’s desk.
"Alright, just one day off then. Three days is probably pushing it."
Jason finally made up his mind and called Lily directly. "I have tomorrow off. Want to go out and do something fun?"
"Huh? What did you say? We’re testing... the ion accelerator... running a test..." Lily’s voice crackled through the speaker. The signal was spotty, likely due to electromagnetic interference from her lab equipment.
In the background, Jason could faintly hear the distinct, sharp hum of high-voltage currents arcing. He could perfectly picture the chaotic scene in her lab.
"Alright, you guys keep at it... just be careful."
He shook his head, hung up, and sent her a text message instead.
A few minutes later, she replied: "Are you serious? You actually have tomorrow off?"
"I do. Let’s go out."
Her next reply came instantly, containing only one word: "Okay!"
Despite the brief response, he could practically feel her excitement and surprise through the screen.
It was true; they hadn’t gone on a proper date since they got married. There was never any time. A honeymoon had been completely out of the question.
Thinking about it made Jason feel a pang of guilt.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, at exactly 7:00 AM, Jason instinctively opened his eyes. He started to sit up to get dressed, but the woman next to him groggily pulled him back down against the mattress.
He smiled, remembering that he was officially off the clock. He decided to actually let himself enjoy his day off.
I’m still not used to sleeping in.
"Are we really just going to lay in bed all day?" Jason asked.
"What’s wrong with sleeping?" Lily mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "It’s so rare to actually sleep in... I haven’t done this in forever."
She lazily rolled over, habitually using his arm as a pillow, desperately trying to hold onto sleep for a few more minutes.
"Is sleeping really better than running lab experiments?" Jason teased.
"It’s a different kind of satisfaction."
"You never know what an experiment is going to do," she murmured. "If the data matches your hypothesis, it’s a success, and that feels great. But if it doesn’t match... it usually means you’ve stumbled onto a brand new discovery, and that feels even better!"
As they talked, the last remnants of sleep faded, and they both found themselves fully awake.
"...Well, I’m wide awake now. Honestly, ever since I got the Neural Chip installed, my body doesn’t even want to sleep in anymore."
"It definitely changed our biological rhythms," Lily smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.
With every generational upgrade to the Neural Chips, their functions had become increasingly advanced, actively repairing inherent biological flaws in the human brain.
Neurological conditions like epilepsy and chronic insomnia were completely eradicated.
Simultaneously, baseline human intelligence was massively enhanced. People became more rational, gained absolute control over their emotional regulation, and were able to slip into deep REM sleep instantly to maximize their rest.
"Laying here is getting boring. Let’s go out and actually do something," Jason suggested.
"Alright, where to? It’s not like we can go to a theme park," Lily laughed. She was in an incredibly good mood—this was a first for them.
"How about a barbecue in the arboretum?"
"A barbecue for just the two of us? That sounds a bit sad."
She was right. Those kinds of things were only fun with a big group of people. Grilling for two was a lot more work than just going to a nice restaurant.
Jason frowned, suddenly remembering something he had heard a few days prior. "I heard a few of the engineering teams did some landscaping work down by the Gold Coast sector. Let’s go check it out."
"That dead artificial sea? I’ve seen it before; it’s pretty depressing..."
"Yeah, but I heard they completely revamped it. It’s supposed to be beautiful now."
"Okay, let’s go lay on the beach, then."
Having made their decision, the two of them got up and started getting ready.
Lily spent half an hour digging through her closet before finally settling on a crisp white blouse. She took her time doing her hair, looking absolutely stunning. Of course, thanks to their genetic enhancements, people in this era retained their youthful beauty regardless of their actual age.