Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
The A31 launch platform's tarmac is packed with people. The Siberian cold is making people tightly grip their thick coats and scarves, but the windless icy air isn't dampening anyone's enthusiasm and curiosity.
We are now looking at the core command module of the "Dawn-III" deep spaceship. It is the pioneer of "Project Orient", which is jointly conducted by the World Astronomical Study Assembly and the Science Council...
Frost is clinging to the reporter's mustache. He tries his best to describe the scene to viewers behind the screen with his freezing lips.
This core command module is carried by the Quark carrier rocket, powered by the Ratlan-XV cold reactor, and propelled within the atmosphere by the Inertial Confinement Ignition device. The Quark carrier rocket is the most advanced ground-to-space transport solution currently available...
After reaching the International Space Station and WAXA's orbital port, the core module will complete its final assembly with the "Dawn-III" ship currently in synchronous orbit... And today, the A38 launch platform, this pointer to the stars, will also retire.
This most advanced launch platform in the world was funded by the Kowloong Chamber of Commerce. Over the decades, it has carried out 16 "Project Orient" missions. Only one of them failed...
The reporter points to the towering structure behind him with a bit of struggle.
He isn't alone. Dozens of cameras around him are also broadcasting this historical moment to the world, each with a reporter in front.
Behind the journalists, further out on the empty land and on the river, is a sea of cars and heated tents stretching for kilometers.
Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have flocked into this desolate wilderness. They all speak different languages and have different skin colors. There are working-class families and billionaires who arrive on helicopters waiting to witness the spectacle.
In the cold December wind, everyone has their necks tilted back, waiting for the moment.
Hey!
Not far away, a figure in a heavy winter coat is weaving toward a flag planted by the Science Council.
Valentina!
What's going on?
Shouldn't you be in the control center right now? I thought you'd come here after the launch.
I've done what I needed to do. I've left the rest to my students.
Valentina takes off her wool hat. Her golden hair is shining brightly in the winter sun and snow.
Wouldn't it be better for you to be there at such an important moment?
I'm not that type of person.
Valentina looks around and notices that someone is missing.
Where is Dr. Kalon?
He should be on standby at the port of the International Space Station right now.
If that's the case...
Schwartz hesitates. Her glasses are covered in frost, hiding her face.
Is your daughter up there too?
Everyone's immediately turns to look at Valentina, who is silently staring at the launch platform.
You really know how to hit the sore spot.
It's okay.
It is her choice. I've done all I can for her.
And... I want to watch the whole process from down here, as a mother.
Landau's broad, gentle hand rests on Valentina's slightly trembling shoulder.
Her father would have been proud of her.
I know that Kalon will take care of everything for her.
He will.
You should have pressed that launch button yourself.
Everyone should be responsible for their creations up until the final moment.
"Each one of us is made of stardust"...
Everyone on that ship is a child of humanity. Each carries with them the cause of humanity.
We originate from the stars and, one day, we shall return to them.
Alright, alright!
Schwartz pulls out an antique camera from her backpack.
Let's take a photo!
Is that a film camera?
I spent a lot to get this. They say the quality is better.
This kind of camera... Its sharpness will be worse than even the cheapest terminal you can get today.
Huh? I thought you Kowloong folks like vintage stuff.
I'm not a junk collector...
When it comes to spoiling the fun, you never disappoint.
...
Alright! Let's take a photo before the launch.
Hmm... Should we do a pose or something?
Stand over there. We can get the launch pad in the background. Isn't that why we're here?
That makes sense!
Ready? I'll set a ten-second delay...
20 minutes until launch.
"Dawn-III" command module test data normal.
Full crew physiological readings normal. Commander status normal.
Tsiolkovsky Launch Center status normal. Switching to Orient Mission Control Center.
...This is the Orient Mission Control Center.
Handing communication over to flight mission director Buzz Liszt of Mission Operation Control—
This is Buzz Liszt of Mission Operation Control, reporting status—
Ignition system propulsion control... normal.
ICF parameter 1B1210, trouble code 1B1210.
Launch center, have you confirmed?
Affirmative... Stage 3 ignition system 57F laser unit hohlraum test, launch time delayed. I repeat, launch time delayed.
"Dawn-III", repair technician is en route. Estimated test and repair time is 10 minutes.
Commander copy.
Continue with the mission operations control report—
Fast neutron signal monitoring... normal.
Thermal conversion control... normal.
Fusion energy gain parameter monitoring... normal.
Guidance control... normal.
Medical monitoring... normal.
Telemetry signal... normal...
10 minutes until launch.
This is Buzz Liszt of Orient Mission Operation Control, technical support control, report—
Space tracking network signal normal. Ready for launch.
Science Council technical support status normal. "Spitzer" surveying and mapping data functions normal. Ready for launch.
WAXA Arctic Route Union array signal normal. Ready for launch.
WAXA Kowloong array signal normal. Ready for launch...
Five minutes until launch.
Alpha, this is Buzz Liszt of Orient Mission Operation Control, in-orbit support control, report—
Orient Mission Control Center, this is Commander Alpha, Huihan.
Tsiolkovsky Launch Center data has been received. Ready for launch.
"Dawn-III", all systems ready. Space station ready.
This is Alpha. Your beds and meals are ready. We are waiting for you to come home.
Three minutes until launch.
Orient Mission Operation Control and Mission Control Center ready for launch.
Tsiolkovsky Launch Center ready for launch.
Science Council ready for launch.
International Space Station ready for launch.
"Dawn-III", this is Flight Director Edward White.
"Dawn-III" Commander, "Nemo", copy.
The whole team is ready for launch. Godspeed.
Thank you.
Now! Less than a minute until the "Dawn-III" command module lifts off.
As you can see, from our current position to... the launch site... This 20km is filled with spectators from all over the world.
You could say that the eyes of the world are all on this pioneer spaceship that's about to set off on its journey!
Once the "Dawn-III" mission succeeds, "Project Orient"—which unites all of humanity's efforts to explore the stars and the universe—will be officially approved by the World Government. It will be our first steps toward—
A loud broadcast echoing through the valley drowns out the journalist's voice.
55 seconds to launch. Power transmission complete...
45 seconds to launch. Full-stage ignition device pressure vessel pressurization complete...
30 seconds to launch. "Dawn-III" command module parameters are normal...
20 seconds to launch. Plasma restrictor removed...
15 seconds to launch. Aerospace navigation initiating...
10 seconds to launch. ICF ignition sequence initiating—
The giant roars and shakes off the thin layer of frost that covered it. This is the only similarity between the Quark Carrier Rocket and its predecessors.
Do you see this, Korolev?
Schwartz and Valentina did not disappoint you.
This is our first step out of the cradle.
From the conical nozzle, plasma that's a mix of orange, purple, and blue spray out. The colors draw a trail of human rationality and science across the diamond-clear, cold, and stiff sky.
From the first time humans peeked out of caves to gaze at the starlit sky until New Horizon left the Kuiper Belt, humanity's dream has not changed.
Safe travels, my child.
The universe is small enough. We... will meet again.
"Dawn-III" will complete its final assembly at the International Space Station 28 hours later. 42 crew members will carry humanity's hopes as they leave their home port.
In another three hours by the moon, "Dawn-III" will begin its gradual acceleration toward Alpha Centauri at one ten-thousandth the speed of light. It will cross the Kuiper Belt in three years and gradually accelerate to one-hundredth of the speed of light before passing through the Oort Cloud.
Since the first Caravel sailed onto the Atlantic in the 15th century, 500 years have passed and humanity has conquered this blue planet by crossing the oceans.
This five-hundred-year journey through the sea of stars is but the very first step of a great adventure.
Science Council, "Time Record Unauthorized," Section 3, "Gestalt HAI Experimental Room".
Only a few night lights are left in the once brightly lit hall. The rows of tall data stacks with constantly flashing indicator lights now look more like people's imagination of the starry sky.
In this flowing starry sea, a light that doesn't belong to this sky stands out.
Are we going to continue?
Yes.
Landau has one hand on his temple and the other on the keyboard.
You haven't slept for two days?
I guess.
This plan has already been proven correct over a broad range.
Yeah, I know.
They both stare at the blood-red numerical formula on the screen in silence.
Eight years ago, when Landau, Villier, Leibowitz, and Luwei initiated the first HAI test in this room, the number on this screen changed from 0 to 1.
Now, the Mason number indicator used to count key nodes on this screen has increased to an impossibly large value. It can only be written out in scientific notation.
The last digit of the exponent changed from 5 to 6.
This means the IV-type experimental machine completed an astronomical number of experiments again. If one experiment is equivalent to a human lifetime, going from 5 to 6 will encompass enough lifetimes to witness the birth and death of a universe.
Have you heard of an ancient story?
How would I know if you didn't tell me the story?
Landau grins, but Villier doesn't notice how much energy and courage went into that smile.
In an unknown little place, one day, a meteorite fell. It destroyed many houses and made the area uninhabitable.
It was a simple meteorite disaster, but soon after, the authorities sealed off the area, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
Later, people learned that the area had many anomalies that defied common sense and science. Gravity, time, and even the speed of light were different there.
Yet another legend emerged. It was said that deep inside the area, there was a magical house that could grant you your deepest wishes once you entered it.
As more people learned of this legend, more came to seek it. Demand produced a market, leading to the rise of guides specializing in helping visitors avoid guards and hidden dangers.
One day, a scientist and a writer arrived, asking a guide to take them to the magical house.
The journey was arduous and filled with obstacles. When they finally reached the house, the scientist took out a small nuclear bomb.
A nuclear bomb?
He came with the intention to die here. He couldn't allow something that could grant any wish, but has no morality, to exist. He doesn't even know if he's going to fall prey to an evil wish if he steps into that room.
Such is humanity... Humph.
So did he blow up the room in the end?
Landau shakes his head with a bitter smile.
No.
...
Have you ever thought about what would happen if there really was a room that could grant any wish hidden in the depths of someone's heart?
Villier's disdainful expression freezes.
A wish-granting machine—something like that is scientifically impossible.
You're denying it, so you must know what it implies.
If something like that existed... then science... empirical natural science...
Would cease to exist.
Exactly.
But there's no such thing as a room that can grant anyone's wishes!
Of course...
So the scientist in the story should never have believed in it from the start.
Scientific rationality should be used to verify the truth. Science moves toward the future because the unknown exists.
But he was determined to blow up the room, to destroy the unknown that challenged his scientific rationality.
How is that any different from the ignorant and backward religious inquisition that burned Bruno?
And if the room was destroyed to stop those with ill intentions from using it for evil purposes...
What right does he have to judge whether someone's deepest wish is evil or virtuous?
Is that... it?
That's it.
So, what's the ending?
I don't remember.
Landau shakes his head and continues to stare at the unmoving numbers on the big screen.
What a lousy story.
The story is supposed to be fascinating. Maybe I didn't tell it well.
Villier lets out a sigh.
I'm heading out.
I'll stay a bit longer.
Let me know if there's any progress.
Of course... Oh, by the way!
Hm?
Keep it all in your mind.
Landau taps his own head with his finger.
Our cause is dedicated to the distant future, where the truest honor... lies in the legacy we leave for generations to come.
When without humans or devoid of humanity, science loses its meaning.
He taps his head with his middle finger again as if emphasizing something.
Keep it all in your mind, Villier.
Humanity... is way past the point of being saved.
Whether it's now or in the future, the flaws in human nature are never going to change.
The strife among factions and delusions of immortality... Selfishness, arrogance, and ugliness...
Pathetic.
Villier falls silent and turns to leave. His figure slowly fades into the corridor of Science Council Section 3. The dim light at night envelops him, as faint as the final echo of an ending era.
Over these eight years, Villier never quite refers to Landau as his "teacher," and Landau never views him as a true "student."
They are merely stepping stones on humanity's path to the stars. Whether a student or a teacher, it's all the same for the future.
...It's fine.
Landau is once again the only one left in the lab.
On his desk sits a bouquet of white roseum flowers, blooming fervently in pristine silence.
Next to the bouquet are two old frames, each cradling a well-preserved photo—
One displays a man dressed in a tidy suit standing behind a young woman, his hand resting on her waist.
The woman is adorned in a white wedding gown, her face beaming with joy as she clutches a bouquet of white flowers.
He caresses the photo with the same tenderness as when they held each other's hands at their wedding over forty years ago.
And just like how they clung to each other's hands over thirty years ago when she and their three-year-old son fell into the icy waters of Ladoga Lake due to his carelessness.
Martha...
His voice trembles with guilt, yet with a resolute air, he flips the photo face down.
Beside this photo stands a group picture.
Four people stand on a thin blanket of snow, bathed in the crisp and pure winter sunlight. In the far background, a towering steel structure ascends, defiantly challenging the sky.
It's Schwartz, Valentina, "Dai", and Landau himself.
Leibowitz's brain, which had calculated tirelessly throughout his life, forever stopped three years ago. Landau still remembers how this luminary in the realm of quantum computing labored to navigate through the Gestalt algorithm specifications as if enacting a sacred ritual on his deathbed.
He also remembers that three years ago, Korolev fell ill due to prolonged fatigue and radiation exposure. Schwartz and Valentina, whom he had trained as successors, later assumed the weighty duties of Section 2.
Just as Korolev had envisioned, they were eventually addressed as "Ma'am" with reverence, their expertise and accomplishments aligning perfectly with their roles as section director and executive director.
But only today, he suddenly grasps why Valentina was reluctant to remain at the launch center to press the final button herself.
Her child was on that spaceship, that's all.
She could devote herself day after day, year after year, to the treacherous star charts and endless equations, and she knew every joint, every screw, and every program on that spaceship by heart.
Because she couldn't bear another risk—she couldn't jeopardize her daughter's life after losing her husband's.
Because she didn't want to face the fact that, many years later, both she and her child would be dead.
The fact that they were, in the end, still human beings no matter how brilliant and dazzling science and rationality might have been.
His gaze shifts from the photo to the nearby cold, colossal container.
I'm sorry...
Landau activates the communication channel on the lab terminal, which was initially the broadcasting system for the entire lab to announce experiment progress and start times.
But now in the entire lab, only he and his true "child" remain.
Commence... heuristic AI bionic consciousness key domain Gestalized simulation, code name... 04.
Sometimes, changing the world only requires the simplest love.
Three days later, the Science Council's security clearance office discovered this audio recording and video footage in Landau's estate, which had been gathered by Villier. It remained unknown whether Landau had recorded it himself or if it had been intentionally recorded by someone else.
At that time, people were taken aback by the expression on his face, which was nearly unrecognizable compared to the Landau they were familiar with—
It was an expression mixed with madness, devotion, a quest for answers, boundless joy, and infinite pain.
When we come to understand that the truth we have sought all our lives is now before us, each of us should feel this way.
Thus spoke Dominik.
