In a star system less than 100 light-years from the Orion Nebula, some devices were operating independently.
This location was controlled by a Boundary God. Its computing power wasn't as high as the Federation's Boundary Gods, but it was sufficient.
Its daily task was simple:
Production!
Producing robots, and then letting the robots produce weapons, tirelessly, for over 10,000 years.
It controlled a far larger area than this star system, but it didn't dare to wait too long in those distant locations; it only sent ships to collect resources.
This star system had three planets and a thick asteroid belt. Within the asteroid belt were 13 planetoids. These planetoids were only covered by a layer of rock on the surface; their interiors were warships.
13 dreadnoughts?
No, this location didn't reach the Federation's industrial standards. To compensate for this, the Federation specially designed "modular warships."
These warships could be assembled into a perfect sphere or dispersed to function as independent warships.
Each warship was approximately 150,000 meters in size, not particularly large but not small either.
There were 1430 modular warships here, as well as some smaller warships, generally under 100,000 meters in size. They were disguised as asteroids, and there were many more of them—5028.
A total of less than 6500 warships. This number might seem small, but as a special force, it was sufficient.
These warships weren't even suitable for combat; their weapon systems were too weak. Instead, they had bulky propulsion systems that provided them with immense kinetic energy, allowing them to reach speeds exceeding 38,000 km/s.
This was the limit of the Federation's current technology.
"The time has come. All units cease production. Check the warships' safety. In 10 days, all warships will activate and leave the star system."
The Boundary God's order was transmitted to each robot. The robots stopped working and began entering the warships.
Ten days later, the warships activated.
At these warships' speed, it would take only 3 years to travel from the center of the star system to the edge and enter deep space.
If there were a star chart, it would show that their location wasn't between the Federation and the Orion Nebula. Instead, their position was behind the Orion Nebula.
Or perhaps behind the angle formed by the Federation and Tilted Station.
This area was extremely empty, a secluded corner.
Their journey to the Orion Nebula would take only about 800 years. This time is short in the mid-stage development of any advanced Civilization, but relatively long now because of the war between the Filament civilization and the Federation.
Could the Federation's border hold for 800 years?
Unknown!
Luna could predict all this. She could sacrifice many things to win this battle.
The source of victory wasn't the terrifying number of over 6000 warships, but the technology used by those warships—technology Luna had obtained from the Light-based civilization on the Multi-Eyed planet.
Different technology, an unexpected approach.
What were these?
The emergence of a third Type 2 Civilization.
For the Filament civilization, this was a truly terrifying sign.
Across the vast expanse of deep space spanning thousands of light-years, there were four Type 2 Civilizations. Three of them chose to attack the Filament civilization within almost the same millennium, creating a three-pronged attack, terrifying them.
And this terror was precisely what Luna wanted.
Therefore, she dispatched envoys to persuade Chu to launch another super-gravitational weapon attack on the Filament civilization.
With the Federation's development, Luna also continued to study the super-gravitational weapons possessed by the Olive Branch Civilization.
Knowing that gravitational waves have a limited speed of propagation, how did the Olive Branch Civilization achieve faster-than-light gravitational wave propagation? This had been a puzzle for Luna in Tilted Station.
But with the development of Federation technology, she gradually understood. The Olive Branch Civilization's super-gravitational weapons utilized wormhole effects in higher dimensions to instantly traverse hundreds of thousands of light-years.
The previous large cannon wasn't a wormhole cannon; it was an auxiliary positioning device. The actual attack came from a secret location nearby, completed within a stable Planck-mass black hole created by the Olive Branch Civilization.
Super-gravitational weapons essentially borrow the universe's most intractable force—black holes.
By analyzing data from previous super-gravitational weapon deployments, Luna concluded that the Olive Branch Civilization's super-gravitational weapons used auxiliary devices to establish super-long-range black hole connections. Using higher dimensions, wormholes connect two points in space, transmitting Tilted Station's immense gravitational pull. What would happen if a gravitational well of equal mass suddenly appeared near or even within a star?
Collapse!
This is the essence of super-gravitational weapons.
And the "super" in super-gravitational weapons; Luna had initially thought it referred to super-symmetry, but later research showed it might refer to superspace, higher dimensions.
Super-gravitational weapons also have other disadvantages. Gravity is reciprocal. To resist the immense gravitational pull from the opposite star, Tilted Station needs to consume massive amounts of energy to keep the entire Star City enveloped in a dark energy field to repel the opposing star's gravity.
Of course, there are also things Luna doesn't know.
Such as how to create super-long-range black hole connections?
Even if you can connect two black holes, how do you create a black hole in another location?
These unknowns prevent the Federation from following the Olive Branch Civilization's path of developing gravity manipulation and higher-dimensional physics.
No Civilization can be a perfect barrel; there are always strengths and weaknesses. Clearly, super-gravitational weapons were the Olive Branch Civilization's greatest strength.
Luna was deeply wary.
This request to the Olive Branch Civilization wasn't solely to intimidate the Filament civilization; Luna also needed to gather more information about the super-gravitational weapon.
Everything was based on speculation, as the available data was limited. This time, the nature of the Olive Branch Civilization's super-gravitational weapon would be determined.
Study it, prepare for it.
Even after reaching an agreement with Chu, the Federation couldn't ignore the Olive Branch Civilization. There are no permanent allies between Civilizations; only control and conquest.
While Luna was at the front lines, Ayla focused her attention on the Olive Branch Civilization.
Shortly after the deployment of the 6000 warships, Luna faced the threat of 300,000 Filament civilization warships. This was a decisive battle, determining the outcome of the war and whether the Federation could hold out for the remaining "short" 800 years.
Even before reaching the battlefield aboard the warship, Luna received information about the war.
...
Several decades were enough to repair the slight damage to the dreadnoughts caused by super-antimatter displacement.
After the previous transmission incident, over the next 1800 years, Luna ordered an increase in the diameter of all super-antimatter displacement devices on the Federation's border, allowing for the perfect displacement of dreadnoughts.
This time, not only was her fleet heading to the battlefield, but Lulian's fleet was also returning.
They would engage the Filament civilization with an overwhelming advantage.
"This battle has support from other fronts. The Filament civilization can no longer retreat. They also want to stop us. Fortunately, we've achieved success on other fronts."
"That makes things easier."
Luna began formulating tactics.
From the perspective of the overall battlefield, the defending side—the Federation—having more warships was undoubtedly an advantage, but if the Filament civilization's fleet were likened to cavalry, this advantage was significantly diminished.
There were many historical instances of small cavalry forces conquering cities.
The advantage of mobility, whether on land or in space, significantly impacts the outcome of a battle.
Therefore, Luna considered herself a city lord and how to defeat invading cavalry.
Going out to meet them negates their mobility advantage.
Defending the city would only lead to being besieged.
This was an age-old dilemma. Luna felt that the first step was to set an ambush.
"The Filament civilization currently has an absolute advantage, so they might become arrogant. This probability is low, but even a 1% lapse in vigilance can be exploited."
"The vastness of deep space makes it hard to spot anything. Who would suspect a fleet hiding here?"
"The [Barrier] technology has become increasingly powerful over time, capable of even masking gravity. This is our chance."
Luna decided to set an ambush.
The activation and maneuvering of warships aren't instantaneous, even if they often appear to be. This is because the vastness of space blurs the concept of time.
In reality, for a Galactic Federation dreadnought, activating its weapon systems takes 10 days.
That's how long it takes.
Therefore, Luna devised a bold plan.
The moment this idea came to her, Luna felt a tremor.
"How about deploying the warships here? Ayla!"
Ayla's holographic projection wore an exquisite Gothic dress. Her face was pale, like those nobles of the medieval West.
This attire, combined with her inherent demeanor, resembled a vampire maiden.
Ayla's original sub-unit was on Kunlun; now, this Ayla was a sub-sub-unit.
"Here?"
"Forgive my bluntness, Luna, but if we deploy the warships here, the probability of them being detected and destroyed will be as high as 87%."
Too close.
This location was more than just close.
It was directly in the path of the Filament civilization's fleet.
"Calculate this. There's an asteroid here; its diameter is approximately 100km."
"The Filament civilization fleet won't collide with it. They will evade it. Calculate their evasion distance; we can determine how many warships we can hide."
For a 100km asteroid, the evasion distance would be at least 10,000km. This asteroid has a certain gravitational pull that will affect the warships.
Ayla calculated that it could actually accommodate all of the Federation's warships.
"Good. Deploy all warships there."
Luna's decision was astonishing, even Ayla was stunned.
However, seeing Luna's firm gaze, she knew she couldn't change her mind. Moreover, this plan wasn't entirely without a chance of success. Deploying all warships there could also avoid the fleet being directly destroyed during a frontal engagement.
Ayla's sub-sub-unit transmitted information to Ayla's sub-unit.
Though not using Tachyon transmission, the distance between them was only about 5 light-years. Normal information transmission would take about 5 years.
Five years later, Ayla's sub-unit, following Luna's orders, deployed the [Barrier], concealing all warships near the target asteroid.
The contact between the two sides occurred approximately 29 years later.
They reached the asteroid 12 years before the contact, or 1.5 light-years away.
The Filament civilization warships wouldn't stop here unless they had an overwhelming advantage. Normal battles wouldn't extend over 1 light-year, and even 0.5 light-years was rare.
Then came 17 years of waiting.
At this point, the Filament civilization warships were still 2.4 light-years away, traveling at over 42,000 km/s.
Ten years later.
The Federation vaguely sensed a deceleration in the Filament civilization warships. They didn't know if the Filament civilization had detected them.
If they had, the Filament civilization would likely be preparing for a decisive strike to destroy them.
Even with 7 years remaining, all the soldiers and officers on the warships held their breath. No one dared to enter the virtual worlds; even the most basic biological desires had vanished.
Immense pressure weighed on every lifeform.
Especially now, the commanders of the two fleets weren't present because they couldn't be displaced via super-antimatter displacement.
The actual control of the fleet was in the hands of Ayla's sub-unit.
It showed no expression as it measured the distance and countdown.
Seven years later.
The Filament civilization warships were within striking distance.
All soldiers and officers barely breathed. All Federation warships, except for those maintaining the [Barrier], were in a shutdown state to prevent any radioactive emissions.
Another month passed.
The first Filament civilization warship flew past the asteroid.
Then more followed.
At this moment, Ayla gave the order, "General readiness!"
She had already armed all warships. After arming, the pre-charged weapons instantly unleashed terrifying energy.
"Boom!!!!"
Sound doesn't travel in the vacuum of space. The Galactic Federation soldiers and officers couldn't hear the warships exploding, but they knew the Filament civilization lifeforms could.
The exploding warships briefly blazed with fire due to the combustion of gases within the ships.
This was the first shot of this war, announcing the success of the ambush.
More firepower rained down on other Filament civilization warships.
A massive fleet suddenly appeared in the center, instantly shattering the entire Filament civilization fleet. They quickly retreated, but even at speeds of tens of thousands of kilometers per second, it was too late.
This was a resounding victory.
Born from Luna's bold plan.
...
Under the Federation's ambush, in just 72 hours, the Filament civilization lost over 80,000 warships.
The remaining warships scattered in all directions. The Federation warships in the center began firing more powerful super-long-range weapons: gravitational weapons and geometric weapons.
This was a release of energy, a release of emotion.
The Federation had suffered many casualties.
The Federation not only needed this victory on the real battlefield but also desperately needed this victory spiritually.
The subsequent attacks destroyed over 100,000 more Filament civilization warships, further disrupting the Filament civilization fleet's attempts to regroup.
After confirming the loss of more than half of their warships, the Filament civilization forces scattered without reservation.
They lost another 30,000-40,000 warships under subsequent attacks. The Federation's victory was announced as the destruction of 210,000 Filament civilization warships, with almost zero casualties on their side.
After receiving this news, Luna immediately ordered her fleet and Lulian's fleet to return to their original positions.
She herself turned back from the battlefield.
Luna heard some soldiers on the bio-engineered warships complaining about why they hadn't stayed in place from the beginning.
This was a classic case of "too little, too late".
After all, this tactic hadn't been initially envisioned, and its success had been unexpected.
If this ambush had only destroyed around 100,000 Filament civilization warships, she wouldn't have been able to withdraw. Destroying 210,000 warships meant that this Filament civilization fleet no longer posed a significant threat, and they would naturally return to counterattack other locations and disrupt the Filament civilization's fleet.
This counterattack wouldn't end quickly.
It might be long and painful.
Luna would witness the death and destruction of star systems, the suffering and despair of soldiers.
The specific time wouldn't be known until the warships from the Orion Nebula reached the Orion Nebula.
That is, 800 years!
During these 800 years, the Federation and the Filament civilization would engage in defensive and offensive battles. Luna would remain cautious, but would take more aggressive actions on each independent battlefield.
Knowing that many star systems would likely be lost, Luna ordered the Boundary Gods to launch counterattacks against the Filament civilization without regard for cost.
And to counter the Filament civilization's attacks on star systems, Luna had deployed numerous defensive installations against star-level weapons in the star systems over the past 1800 years.
The largest of these installations was called [Antimatter Dispersion].
The device is aptly named.
Most star-level weapons were laser weapons because laser weapons are relatively inexpensive and can destroy stars over long distances. These laser weapons could carry other particles.
These particles could cause a star's nuclear fusion reaction to temporarily halt. This halt not only disrupts the nuclear fusion reaction but also causes many of the star's atoms to escape, causing the star to lose some mass in a short period, affecting its gravitational pull, triggering a chain reaction, and prematurely pushing the star towards its end stages.
This approach is relatively inexpensive.
It might even cost less than a single warship.
Although stars are colossal, destroying them on a macroscopic level is extremely difficult, but it's different on a microscopic level. Once the relationship between atoms and electrons is disrupted, it's enough to affect the entire star's gravitational balance.
In short, weapons against stars are like a tiny weight tipping a giant scale, created by gravity and destroyed by gravity.
Knowing that the enemy would likely use laser weapons, or perhaps electromagnetic weapons, antimatter would be a good counter.
[Antimatter Dispersion] uses antiphotons, as most lasers use photons as their primary energy source. Antiphotons were discovered by the Federation after it entered the antimatter era.
The properties of antiphotons are the same as photons, or perhaps they are photons themselves.
These particles are also called Majorana fermions or Majorana bosons. Photons are bosons, so it's the latter.
Photons and antiphotons, that is, photons and antiphotons, annihilate each other.
However, this phenomenon is difficult to observe with low-energy photons. Only with sufficiently high-energy photons does mutual annihilation frequently occur, and it is still rarely observed.
Because the annihilation of photons still results in photons.
Photons are themselves energy carriers generated by the annihilation of many particle-antiparticle pairs. This is different from the annihilation of photons with other particles.
So you could say photons can annihilate, but photons also cannot annihilate.
The former is the annihilation process; the latter means that the result remains unchanged.
That's why this defensive weapon is called [Antimatter Dispersion], not antimatter blocking or something else.
The two characters "Dispersion" actually refer to scattering and displacement, causing the photons produced by the annihilation of photons and antiphotons to travel in different directions.
And what is the macroscopic result?
You can see a laser beam striking a shield, and then, like light reflecting off a mirror, half of the light is deflected in another direction.
The [Antimatter Dispersion] devices prevented the Filament civilization from destroying star systems at minimal cost. They could use more powerful weapons, but using nuclear weapons or gravitational weapons would require a much higher cost to destroy a star.
It might not be 1 warship, but 1000, 10,000, or even 100,000.
For example, Tilted Station's gravitational weapon. According to Ayla's calculations, Tilted Station's total energy could only sustain 28-30 super-gravitational weapon deployments. This weapon's effectiveness against warships is minimal; it can only target stars themselves. While powerful, it's also limited.
If a Civilization doesn't rely on star systems, Tilted Station's super-gravitational weapon is useless.
After all, no matter how strong the gravitational pull is, unless it's a neutron star or higher, it's difficult to destroy a warship.
The Filament civilization had to consider the costs.
Their subsequent choice was to conduct close-range attacks, entering the star systems.
At this point, the Boundary Gods would execute suicidal attacks following Luna's orders, becoming the primary method of destroying Filament civilization warships over these 800 years.
Under this strategy, the Filament civilization lost over 200,000 warships.
However, despite these successful predictions and decisions, the Federation's border was completely breached in the 600th year. Nothing remained of the Federation's border.
The Federation also lost 8 dreadnoughts and over 150,000 bio-engineered warships, suffering massive losses.
Over the next 200 years, Luna ordered the fleet to engage in guerrilla warfare, hindering the Filament civilization fleet's advance.
Finally, after enduring another 200 years,
The 800th year arrived!
...
The Orion Nebula.
This is a very young nebula, containing not only many young stars with lifespans of less than a million years but also many stars still in the process of formation.
For the surrounding star region, this is a birthplace, full of vibrant life.
In other words, it possesses almost limitless resources.
These resources are readily available, not locked within stars.
Although the Orion Nebula is only 23 light-years in diameter, the usable resources outside the stars exceed 500 stars.
And this is the core of the Filament civilization's construction.
From the outside, it's impossible to detect any trace of civilization here, not only because of the nebula's density but also because of the Filament civilization's concealment.
This is why, after the Olive Branch Civilization revealed the star chart, the Federation understood the Filament civilization's existence.
The Olive Branch Civilization itself was also highly concealed. Their Civilization's extreme centralization made it difficult to determine whether it was multiple Type 1 Civilizations or a single, unified Type 2 Civilization.
If the Federation had discovered the Olive Branch Civilization first and attacked rashly, they would have been crushed like ants.
Through meticulous observation over tens of thousands of years,
The Federation discovered that the Filament civilization was almost entirely concentrated within the Orion Nebula. They were highly centralized, unlike the Federation's dispersed structure.
Careful analysis of the Federation would reveal that the number of stars within the Federation's territory far exceeded 300, possibly reaching over 1000.
However, the Federation only controlled 300-plus star systems because most other star systems were dominated by red dwarf stars, with low developmental value and a much lower return on investment than other star systems.
The Federation's return on investment for developing star systems was already low; anything lower was simply a waste of resources.
Therefore, the Federation kept those star systems for later distribution to conglomerates after internal reorganization.
The Federation only needed to control the high-mass stars.
In reality, the Federation's resource reserves were still less than the Filament civilization's.
At this point, the fleet had reached the outskirts of the Orion Nebula and had already destroyed a Filament civilization outpost.
The Filament civilization knew they were coming.
That's precisely what they wanted.
This fleet didn't need to hide. They came here for one reason: to deliver a message.
Theoretically, this Civilization didn't know that a high-level Civilization existed in Orion. It only perceived a relatively weak Civilization, and that's how it acted.
It charged forward and fired a symbol understandable by all Civilizations. This symbol was mocking and demanding surrender.
Extremely arrogant.
This naturally enraged the Filament civilization.
The Filament civilization quickly dispatched 10,000 warships to intercept.
The Filament civilization warships were terrifyingly powerful, but the Federation's defenses built over millennia were also formidable.
The Federation used a new weapon: the Optical Corridor.
The Optical Corridor wasn't meant to target the enemy but to enhance its own capabilities.
It created many geometric structures that acted like mirrors, reflecting the ships themselves, making their 6500 ships appear as numerous as 650,000.
Within these geometric structures, the warships moved freely, leaving numerous attack anchor points.
These anchor points and warships launched attacks simultaneously, creating a terrifying barrage of firepower.
An illusionary attack?
No, this was a genuine attack.
In reality, many warships had modularized and separated into smaller warships maneuvering throughout the Optical Corridor. Some warships approached the Filament civilization warships and detonated, transforming themselves into black hole weapons.
This novel tactic was a complete surprise.
The Filament civilization didn't have time to analyze this; they didn't understand the Federation's methods, and the Federation's precise targeting of the Filament civilization's vulnerabilities led to massive casualties for the Filament civilization.
Ultimately, the Federation fleet was completely destroyed, but the Filament civilization also lost over 5000 warships. Theoretically, the casualty ratio was almost 1:1.
No Civilization would underestimate such an opponent.
Just as the Filament civilization was wondering where these warships came from, 5 star systems were suddenly destroyed. This was an attack from Tilted Station.
Super-gravitational weapons leave traces due to the need for positioning.
Therefore, the Filament civilization immediately realized it was Tilted Station attacking.
Immediately, chaos erupted within the Filament civilization.
Because they were facing three Civilizations almost equal to them in strength—none were weak, entry-level Type 2 Civilizations; they were all Type 2.2 or higher. This was a cautious estimate; it was possible they were facing Civilizations of Type 2.3 or higher.
They had dispatched most of their warships to fight the Federation, leaving insufficient warships to fight the other two Civilizations.
The anxiety of being attacked by multiple Civilizations simultaneously.
And on the Federation's border, Luna didn't know how the Filament civilization would judge the situation.
After all, her predictions were based on her own understanding.
Human beings often have unpredictable thoughts; what more between Civilizations?
This would determine the direction of the war.
And Luna couldn't predict this in advance; even the Filament civilization wouldn't know.
They didn't have Tachyon communication technology. The distance between the two sides was about 1300 light-years; information transmission to the Filament civilization fleet on the front line would take 1300 years.
Theoretically, Luna had secured the first 800 years but still needed to hold out for 1300 years.
Painful!
Torturous!
This could be described as reaping what they had sown.
But did Luna regret it?
No!
Without the Holy Grail plan, the Galactic Federation would have long been swallowed by Tilted Station, and Chu wouldn't be so cooperative now.
The reason Chu hasn't attacked the Galactic Federation is at least 50% due to the Holy Grail plan.
And the confrontation with the Filament civilization is a crucial part of the Holy Grail plan.
The more fiercely the two Civilizations fight, the weaker the Federation appears, making the Holy Grail plan more believable.
After all, without the Holy Grail plan, why would a relatively weak Civilization dare to provoke one stronger than itself?
Therefore, Luna experienced both suffering and joy.
The suffering stemmed from the Federation's undeniable weakness, unable to catch up with the Filament civilization despite years of development.
The joy came from stabilizing the Olive Branch Civilization and buying precious time for herself and the Federation.
She wasn't worried about the Filament civilization.
Because the Federation's main forces were already in the Alpha Eridani region. The Tau Ceti region wasn't very developed. Even if the Filament civilization suddenly launched an overwhelming attack in the next 1000 years, it would only destroy the Tau Ceti region.
The reason Luna remained here was that abandoning Tau Ceti was a last resort; if there was a chance to resist, they would resist.
Therefore, Luna was giving her all.
To hold out for those 1300 years, Luna began preparing a new plan.
This plan was brutal but highly effective.
...
There aren't enough warships.
What if a large number of civilian ships were converted into warships?
How many civilian ships did the Federation have?
The statistics showed 37 trillion.
The Federation currently defines civilian ships as being between 2000 and 10,000 meters in size. Any one of them could easily surpass the old Hope spacecraft.
In any Type 1 Civilization, converting these civilian ships into warships would be quite formidable.
But against the Filament civilization, the effectiveness of these ships was significantly reduced.
However, their sheer number still provided a significant advantage.
Therefore, Luna decided to mobilize all civilian ships within the Federation...
Why was this plan so brutal?
Because mobilizing civilian ships meant cutting off the escape routes for many Galactic Federation citizens. They would be passively left in the star system to wait for death. Despair would envelop them, and information blockades would make them increasingly violent.
Luna could imagine the riots erupting in the Star Cities within the star system.
At that point, the star system would likely become a Cyberpunk world, devoid of order.
The Boundary Gods and a large number of robots could enforce control, but they would inevitably face resistance. Large-scale conflicts would erupt in the Star Cities, and a significant number of citizens would die in the chaos.
"Decide!"
"Should we do this?"
Luna put the question to the other Commanders. These Commanders were among the Federation's top officers and had the authority to participate in this decision.
The Commanders were deeply troubled.
They didn't even want to participate in this discussion; it would be better if Luna could decide herself.
The mental pressure of making this decision was enormous.
But was there a better plan?
"The total number of civilian ships we can currently utilize is around 11 trillion. Think about that—how terrifying that number is."
11 trillion!
Even 11 trillion ants could form a mountain.
Especially 11 trillion civilian ships.
Even if these ships had weak combat capabilities, facing 1 million enemy warships, they would still have a terrifying numerical advantage of 10 million to 1.
In other words, even if these 10 million ships destroyed only one Filament civilization warship each, it would still be a victory.
It would gain a battlefield advantage, and economically speaking, it would be a tremendous gain.
Luna intended to fully utilize the Federation's excessive basic infrastructure.
These ships were part of the Federation's basic infrastructure.
Her words moved the Commanders.
It's true. Think about it. This is 11 trillion ships. What kind of advantage could they gain on the battlefield with this many ships?
Needless to say, even 11 trillion Swarms could destroy tens of thousands of Filament civilization warships, let alone 11 trillion civilian ships.
Their minds were filled with the number "11 trillion".
It was overwhelming!
"Vote."
"Remember, if you agree, some citizens will die. If you disagree, some citizens will still die..."
A difficult choice.
Luna made them vote anonymously.
21:9
"With an absolute majority, the proposal is passed!"
Luna asked Ayla to oversee the mobilization.
Seeing the Commanders' lack of relief, she said half-jokingly, "Let's call this plan the Civilian Ship General Mobilization."
"Maybe we can make a cartoon about it later."
The atmosphere didn't improve; it grew colder.
Luna took a sip of her weak tea and exited the simulated meeting.
"It should at least have some effect."
"The Federation previously invested too much energy in the lives of its citizens. Otherwise, even if we couldn't defeat the Filament civilization at our current level, the gap wouldn't be so large."
He found a wooden chair and lay down. A starfield appeared above him as he lay down.
"It's been a long time!"
"From wandering to building such a vast Galactic Federation."
"Almost 40,000 years."
"A number that inspires awe."
"In the 21st century, who could imagine living 40,000 years?"
"Back then, I probably would have felt suffocated just thinking about what I'd be like at 50."
"After building this for so long, I won't abandon it."
"Especially since Tau Ceti contains that place!"
In the starfield above him, a small light shone. It wasn't particularly bright compared to other stars.
But in Luna's eyes, it shone brightly, as if all other stars dimmed when she looked at it.
That was the Sun!
The origin of humanity.
That distant past, yet so memorable.
Earth, by now, likely no longer exists. Only memories remain.
Luna hadn't returned there.
The solar wind is insignificant to modern Federation warships; even ordinary ships could pass directly through the heliosphere.
But as she had thought before,
There's nothing left there. So why return?
Let it be a memory.
With the advancement of biotechnology, Luna had recovered her earliest memories, even those from before the age of three.
Luna looked at it and fell asleep.
Ayla began mobilizing the civilian ships.
All the spaceports in the Tau Ceti region were completely sealed off. Then, many citizens saw their civilian ships being modified in the spaceports.
These modified ships were equipped with massive weapons and energy reserves.
After the modifications, the ships left the spaceports and entered deep space.
"What's going on?"
"Why is my ship flying?"
"Was it hacked?"
"Impossible. What hacker could hack into a Boundary God's mainframe?"
"The government hasn't made any announcements. They must have done it. They don't have the authority to do this. They are violating the rights of Galactic Federation citizens and the Federation's constitution."
The chaos began on the first day.
The Planetary Governors tried to provide explanations.
But without experiencing it firsthand, many Galactic Federation citizens didn't care. The destruction of the Federation's border was none of their concern.
Some even thought that if the Filament civilization came, they could simply flee.
Citizens are not all the same.
Not every being would think of the entire Federation or make sacrifices for it.
Perhaps this was the majority. This is why those who sacrificed themselves were so admirable; even Luna found them incredibly strong.
These citizens couldn't change this, they could only riot, causing chaos in the Star Cities, with some even hoping to profit from the chaos.
The diverse spectrum of life revealed the multitude of human nature.
Luna didn't want to see this, so she slept for 50 years. When she awoke, most of the mobilization was complete. Those civilian ships were heading towards the Federation's border.
And what she needed to do now was retreat, yielding the Federation's border to the Filament civilization.