Luna pinched her own skin, then pinched the skin of the person standing directly in front of her.
No difference whatsoever!
She looked up. It was a face identical to her own. It was the first time she had seen herself in such a three-dimensional way.
"So this is what I look like in other people's eyes."
Regardless of mirrors or cameras, there would always be a slight difference due to lighting and angles compared to how others truly perceived her.
"Can you speak?"
Her Clone shifted its gaze, looking back at her. "I can speak, Captain!"
"I am your Clone. I possess your appearance and your inner workings."
"Through Ayla, I understand my mission. Rest assured, I will complete it perfectly."
Its vocal tone was identical to Luna's.
"Does the Clone possess my memories?"
If it possessed her memories, that would be far too terrifying.
Beside them, Ayla approached.
"With my current Technology, I cannot achieve that. Memories exist within tens of billions of neurons: they are an integrated whole. Unless I can perfectly replicate all 13.1 billion neurons in your brain, Luna, and the information they store, it cannot acquire your memories."
"Even a 99% recreation would lead to chaotic memories. This is an extremely precise and advanced Biological Technology."
That was good then.
If the Clone in front of her possessed her identical memories, then for a third party, the question of who the real "her" was might have already become irrelevant.
"I heard that Clones have very short lifespans. How long can it live?"
Ayla did not use traditional Cloning techniques, which cultivate Clones through reproductive means.
Luna'sClone went from a single cell to a fully formed individual identical to Luna in just two months.
Such an efficient product would inevitably have shortcomings.
"Its lifespan is only 70 years!"
Ayla's answer stunned Luna.
Seventy years: wasn't that the same as an ordinary person?
Many humans, despite having a potential lifespan of 100 years, only lived to 70 due to various reasons.
However, she quickly realized. She had long undergone Biological Modification, and her own lifespan reached 600 years. Theoretically, the Clone's lifespan should not be less than one-eighth of her own.
"Since everything is prepared, launch the Fleet."
Luna no longer wanted to delay. She needed to truly control the Proxima Centauri Civilization.
From beginning to end, the Proxima Centauri Civilization's high command's decisions had been without error. It was simply that Luna had leveraged a Civilization's core structure: the vast majority of its middle and lower strata.
1000 years of Cultural Transformation was both an invasion and a domestication.
Compared to controlling the Multi-eyed, Luna's methods for Proxima Centauri would be gentler, shifting from overt violent control to subtle control of will.
And now, it was time to take the first step.
...
The Fleet approached Proxima Centauri.
On the two main planets, Proxima Centauri b and Proxima Centauri c, there was immediate joy and tension.
After all, it was the descent of a Higher Civilization.
The Clone sat in the Light-based Civilization Warship excavated from the Multi-eyed planet.
This was the largest Warship in Luna's entire Fleet, named the Lightbringer.
Its length exceeded 7300 meters, and its width and height were almost identical, both around 2400 meters. The other Warships in the Fleet appeared somewhat delicate and charming compared to this monstrous 16 billion-ton behemoth.
To give this weight a comparison, if each human weighed 100 kg, 10 billion people would collectively weigh only 1 billion tons.
A Warship of the Lightbringer's caliber would consume so much material that a Tier 1 Civilization couldn't afford it.
Within the entire Fleet, the flagship, the Hope, became mere background.
But this was precisely the outcome Luna desired.
She needed to remain hidden, carefully concealed from the Proxima Centauri Civilization and the third unknown Civilization.
The Warships did not descend to the surface of Proxima Centauri c, because Proxima Centauri c itself was too massive, approximately 7 Earth masses, with a diameter 1.7 times that of Earth.
Proxima Centauri c possessed a planetary ring with a diameter of 700,000 km. The entire Fleet remained on the outer surface of the planetary ring.
Then, a Fighter Jet was dispatched, carrying a few Robots and Luna'sClone, to the surface of Proxima Centauri c.
Beside the Proxima Centauri c Spaceport, a large number of Proxima Centauri beings had already gathered. They were blocked outside the Spaceport. From the air, one could see their dense numbers, at least several hundred thousand.
Standing on the tarmac, there were only two Proxima Centauri beings.
These two were the Civilization's Director and the Civilization's Ace, the top two figures of the entire Proxima Centauri Civilization.
The Fighter landed on the ground, and the cabin door opened upwards.
First, 10 Robots emerged, dividing into two lines, then positioning themselves on either side of the cabin door.
Afterward, the CloneLuna emerged, wearing a light silver flight suit.
Proxima Centauri c possessed an atmosphere, but the oxygen concentration was only 0.7%, far below what humans needed for respiration.
"Welcome!"
Over there, the two great figures of the Civilization solemnly stomped their right feet on the ground.
"I, Aini/Fleming, welcome the Civilization's envoy."
This was their ceremony.
A Robot, controlled by Ayla, stood to the side translating.
The CloneLuna also responded with a gesture of goodwill, extending her hand.
Ayla transmitted the information to the two Proxima Centauri Civilization leaders.
Aini hesitated slightly, but still extended a tentacle from its chin to shake hands with the CloneLuna.
This was a moment worthy of being recorded in history.
After shaking hands with Aini and Fleming, the CloneLuna introduced itself briefly. Then, all of them boarded a dedicated ship and flew towards the tallest structure on Proxima Centauri c.
Along the way, the CloneLuna heard several loud explosions.
Fleming remarked, "Those are fireworks, celebrating your arrival."
The culture of fireworks had indeed infiltrated the Proxima Centauri Civilization; it seemed the infiltration of Proxima Centauri culture had been quite successful.
But everyone knew clearly that these were not actual fireworks.
The arrival of the human Civilization would inevitably provoke attacks from many ultra-right elements.
Clearly, Aini and Fleming had made preparations regarding security long ago.
After flying for about ten minutes, the ship stopped on the top floor of a 12,000-meter-tall skyscraper. Both parties exited the ship and proceeded to a massive, flat reception hall on the highest floor of the structure. This room was almost indistinguishable from human Civilization reception halls on Earth.
Aini and Fleming stood to one side; their Civilization had no concept of seating.
The clone Luna spoke with appropriate formality: "This time, I come representing human Civilization and the Galactic Federation."
"I will then become the Civilization Envoy resident in the human Civilization, assisting your Civilization in developing its technology, and subsequently becoming an important constituent part of the Galactic Federation."
Aini stared at the creature before it, which was much smaller than itself. It felt Aini was perfectly flawless: how could a creature be so exquisite?
"Our Kate Civilization is willing to join the Galactic Federation."
"However, Envoy, we are not yet fully informed about the Galactic Federation. We hope you can introduce it to us."
The clone Luna was already prepared.
"The core of the Galactic Federation is within this galaxy; it is a newly developing organization."
"We have traversed countless star systems, connecting every Civilization."
"The universe is too vast; even Civilizations capable of interstellar travel are tiny in comparison. We cannot confirm whether a higher threat exists in the universe. A single Civilization cannot face the malice of a higher Civilization, but countless Civilizations united might have a chance to survive."
"Furthermore, Civilizations within the Galactic Federation can trade their internal technologies, allowing the entire Galactic Federation's multitude of technologies to combine into an entity, progressing together with the strength and advancement of countless Civilizations. The speed of increasing Civilization tiers will accelerate greatly."
"Our human Civilization, as one of the core Civilizations of the Galactic Federation, also provides a platform for exchange for all members of the Galactic Federation, enabling the exchange of scientific information, technological products, and interstellar intelligence."
After speaking, the clone transmitted the list of tradable goods to Aini and Fleming.
Aini and Fleming were greatly shocked upon seeing the list.
These were not mere items for cultural entertainment, but knowledge.
Nuclear fusion, fission, Antimatter, photon dynamics, along with the resulting technological products, left them dumbfounded.
Even the theoretical knowledge, such as understanding the universe, advanced research into cosmology, and celestial judgments, was invaluable.
Ten technologies per page, and the entire document consisted of over 15,000 pages of information.
They looked at each other, deeply aware that if their Civilization obtained this technology, even if it was technologically inferior to their own, it would open up an entirely new path, greatly accelerating their Civilization's technological ascent.
This was their foundation!
Aini took a deep breath.
"What do you require for purchasing these items: resources?"
The clone Luna shook her head.
"Resources are certainly a solid commodity, but in space travel, the time required for resource transport is too long."
"Our Galactic Federation more strongly encourages technological exchange between Civilizations. This information can also be transmitted at the speed of light, requiring even less time."
"Furthermore, purchasing requires another element: Civilization contribution score."
"Only Civilizations that have made sufficient contributions to the Galactic Federation are qualified to purchase these items. The higher the Civilization's contribution score, the better the items it can buy."
"A Civilization's contribution score can be earned by accepting missions assigned by the Galactic Federation or by making useful scientific discoveries and inventions."
Aini and Fleming gasped upon hearing this; they both understood that what the clone Luna said was extremely logical.
They had initially expected the Galactic Federation to impose some tyrannical terms, but unexpectedly, not only were there no such terms, but they offered this incredible trade model.
They apologized almost simultaneously to the clone Luna.
"We sincerely apologize for attacking the tall tower earlier due to our lack of trust in the Galactic Federation."
"We hope you can represent the Galactic Federation and accept our remorse."
The clone Luna nodded.
"That is not strange. When facing an external Civilization, attack is the best way to protect one's own Civilization."
"Our Galactic Federation has experienced many such things."
"If you agree to join our Galactic Federation, then we have one small condition."
It had finally arrived.
Aini and Fleming looked up.
"Please, speak!"
The clone Luna smiled.
"For the safety of future trade and travelers from other Civilizations, the Galactic Federation will establish a special zone on the surface of every Civilization's planet."
"This special zone will serve as an interstellar port and a Civilization buffer zone. If travelers from other Civilizations arrive in your galaxy, they won't disrupt your Civilization's order due to Civilization conflicts."
"Of course, the Civilization occupying land within the Galactic Federation must also pay corresponding rent. This rent is 100 Civilization contribution points annually."
"Just this???"
Aini and Fleming couldn't believe it. They had expected some domineering condition, but not this.
They were ten thousand times willing to accept this requirement. To exchange a piece of territory for annual Civilization contribution points was too worthwhile.
"Indeed!"
"If you agree, then the robots I brought will enter the planet's interior to begin the construction of the Civilization zone."
"Can you please wait a moment!"
"Take your time!"
Aini and Fleming each began connecting with the other level of Civilization management, conducting discussions that lasted four full hours.
Finally, all negotiations concluded.
"Our Civilization unanimously agrees to accept the Galactic Federation's requirements."
"As long as the Galactic Federation ensures everything it said today, then we will forever be a member of the Galactic Federation."
They spoke with solemn gravity.
It was done!
Of course, this was only preliminary. More issues would certainly arise after the Civilizations made contact.
Aboard the Hope in orbit, Luna also let out a gentle sigh.
"Then let's begin!"
"The Civilization zone will later become humanity's residence."
Luna prepared to begin creating and restarting humanity.
...
In the field of biology, creating an object on a macroscopic scale is relatively easy.
It only requires solving the difficult problem of culturing normal cells into zygotes or blastocysts, after which one only needs to supply the blastocyst with nutritive matter.
The cloning technology Ayla currently possessed was actually more difficult than cultivating humans from a single cell.
For Ayla now, the re-establishment of humanity was merely a matter of willingness.
On the third day after the clone Luna and the Kate Civilization—the name Proxima Centauri beings called themselves—began conversing, a large number of robots were deployed from the fleet to the special zone.
Proxima Centauri c's surface area was 1.474 billion square kilometers, roughly 2.9 times that of Earth. Since it lacked large bodies of water, the usable land was 1.358 billion square kilometers.
Among this, the Kate Civilization had originally developed 411 million square kilometers, leaving 947 million square kilometers undeveloped.
As a gesture of goodwill, the Kate Civilization allocated 100 million square kilometers as the special zone, which was already one-third the area of the original Earth's continents.
The entire special zone development took a full 200 years.
Ayla established a huge "Ecological Dome" on Proxima Centauri c, similar to the crystal-covered gardens on the Multi-eyed planet.
However, this one was much larger, and it did not require a giant crystal shell to confine the atmosphere. Ayla now possessed new technology that used electromagnetic force to confine the atmosphere within a specific range.
Viewed from space, the sky over the special zone was filled with over 100,000 flying saucers, each with a diameter of a hundred meters. They hovered 100 km above the surface, resembling UFOs.
Each of these saucers was equipped with an Antimatter annihilation device, using massive amounts of energy converted into electromagnetic force to restrain the atmosphere and prevent dissipation.
For Luna now, this represented only a relatively small energy consumption.
The most important thing was another object, a colossal monster with a diameter of 6,000 meters.
This object's volume was not small like the Lightbringer, but it was not a ship; it was the humanity's long-desired "Little Sun."
The surface of Proxima Centauri c was too cold. To create a suitable ecological environment, the planet's surface needed to be warmed.
The Little Sun could solve this problem perfectly.
This Little Sun didn't even rely on Antimatter annihilation but on nuclear fusion. Its surface temperature was only 20,000 degrees Celsius, and with the addition of Light-based civilization technology, it provided stable heat and light for 100 million square kilometers.
After 200 years, standing within the special zone and looking up at the cosmos, one saw a vast expanse of blue sky and white clouds, along with the air containment stations neatly arranged in the sky like crops.
Ayla also used technology to cultivate grass, trees, and various flowers again.
This was achieved simply by conducting some genetic programming on the flora inside the Hope, modifying its outward appearance to create entirely new plants.
These plants' appearances were similar to the grass, trees, and flowers commonly seen on Earth, but their underlying genes were vastly different, categorized within different comprehensive genetic frameworks in biology.
The special zone did not feature many high-tech structures; large forests, rivers, mountains, and grasslands dominated the landscape.
This was intentional because Luna did not wish to create too many humans initially.
At this moment.
Luna stood inside the biological laboratory. She looked at rows of glass containers, feeling a complex emotion.
Regardless of the genetic or ethical perspective, these embryos in the vats were her offspring.
A total of 100 pairs of male and female.
In legend, God created Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, multiplying to create the human race.
But Luna had Ayla create 100 pairs of Adam and Eve. Theology and science were connected once again in a different way.
"Luna, all future humans will be your descendants. You can be considered the only direct ancestor of these humans."
Ayla spoke, sounding happy for Luna, yet Luna's face held no smile; she frowned deeply.
"What is the survival rate for the offspring of these 100 pairs?"
Consanguineous reproduction leads to abnormalities. Of course, Ayla could correct these issues, but Luna had not asked her to do so, because that would inevitably involve modifying humanity at a genetic level.
"71%."
Theoretically, approximately 29% of the children would suffer from abnormalities or other diseases and die young.
Luna felt that although she had lived for many years and waited many years in the virtual world, she had not yet become too cold-blooded.
"Is there a way to perform modifications on the embryos that haven't yet developed?"
"This way, the rate of congenital abnormalities and genetic diseases from consanguinity can be reduced without changing the genes themselves."
Ayla calculated for a moment.
"This will take time."
This was not an easy technique, but it was not impossible.
In Ayla's research, the embryos in the vats had already developed into infants after 10 months of gestation.
Robots were assigned the important task of caring for these infants and teaching them to speak.
Naturally, as the only current human, Luna also took on the role of teacher for these children. She decided to spend 30 years accompanying them until they fully understood what it meant to be human, and only then would they consider marriage and childbirth.
This was a nightmare for Luna, who had never raised children before, but she absolutely had to bear this responsibility because she was humanity!
Fortunately, Ayla's information reserves were large enough; it still stored images from Earth's internet for Luna to study.
30 years.
Luna experienced pain and fulfillment. Seeing each child grow up brought her great joy, but when the children developed independent thoughts and gradually distanced themselves from her, she felt immense sorrow.
Raising children was draining, but amidst the exhaustion, she found profound meaning. This was a unique emotional tether, something that only originated from the organisms of Earth.
Luna felt that although she was light-years away from her home world, and despite her technology advancing beyond recognition, she remained anchored. Even if she was no longer genetically human, her essence had not yet fully escaped her past self.
The foundation of human Civilization was her bedrock. It was a rope constantly pulling her back, preventing her soul from stepping into the abyss.
30 years passed in a flash.
Memories felt like events occurring in a single blink; everything that had happened felt like it was only yesterday.
The second generation of humanity was born and already maturing.
Ayla solved the technical riddle Luna had posed, reducing the abnormality rate by 4% and cutting infant mortality by 0.001%.
After the first batch of children reached age, these 100 families were split into two groups. The first generation would marry into the second. Any imbalance in the male-to-female ratio—ensuring no one lacked a partner—would be corrected, as Ayla would re-cultivate and regulate the population balance.
This cycle would last 300 years. The new humanity would then ascend into orbit. The population would reach 100,000. Once past that threshold, humanity would enter a population explosion, scaling to 10 million people within two centuries.
What Luna needed to do now was wait.
Meanwhile, she never forgot the threat of the Third Civilization. Ayla was aggressively pushing technological development, and production was beginning to scale up.
While building the Civilization Zone, Ayla was also strip-mining the asteroid belts within the Proxima Centauri system to harvest metals for a massive project.
This construct was not meant for power generation, but for hunting a ghost.
The Graviton!
Of the four fundamental forces, humanity had captured the carriers for the electromagnetic force (photons), the weak force (W and Z bosons), and the strong force (gluons). But they had never detected the particle that mediated gravity—the Graviton.
Since abandoning Earth millennia ago, Ayla had researched the existence of the Graviton without rest.
But she found nothing.
It was as if the Graviton fundamentally did not exist in this universe.
However, since the other three fundamental forces possessed mediating particles, the odds that gravity lacked one were nearly zero.
Yet, a rival theory suggested that the Graviton, at its core, was a myth.
This was because gravity operated differently from any other force.
Gravity originates from spacetime itself; its essence is a tensile force born from the warping of the cosmic fabric. It is like a rubber sheet. If a mass is placed on the sheet, the surface dips, and everything nearby will "slide" into the indentation.
"Strictly speaking, even if the Graviton truly exists, its bond to spacetime must be absolute."
"It is not dust resting on the rubber sheet; it is a thread within the sheet itself."
"To detect the Graviton, one must possess the power to probe the structure of the vacuum itself."
"The theory of dark matter and gravity move in lockstep."
"Dark matter, like the Graviton, was once dismissed as a fantasy by fringe groups on Earth. Yet now, we observe dark matter, and some Civilizations even harvest it as energy."
"..."
Ayla carefully broke down the logic for Luna.
Luna felt a headache coming on. This was elite-level knowledge that required a lifetime of study to even scratch the surface. Explaining it so simply would still leave the most brilliant mind in a daze.
She asked, "So, to prove the Graviton exists, we have to cut into the vacuum itself?"
Ayla gave a slow nod.
"How spacetime truly functions—even after trillions of computations, I cannot find the answer."
"Only by witnessing the naked structure of the vacuum can we get a result."
"The Graviton might be the key that allows a Civilization to truly master spacetime."
"A Civilization that captures the Graviton enters a god-tier level. Following Grand Unification is the final exploration of the universe. Perhaps we can finally discover the true nature of gravity, unifying it with quantum mechanics."
The war between gravity and quantum mechanics regarding "force mediation" had raged since the dawn of science.
Is gravity merely the warping of spacetime, or is it generated by the Graviton acting as a messenger?
In Ayla's theory, the Graviton is fused with spacetime, potentially forming its very foundation.
Of course.
Everything required cold, hard data.
Therefore, Ayla constructed a colossal apparatus, a machine so massive it stunned even the Kate Civilization.
It was built into a minor planet with a 400 km diameter. This world, a tiny speck among the dwarf planets, had no core. Ayla converted its entire mass into the machine.
She didn't strip the dwarf planet bare. Instead, she used its massive bulk as a lens to hunt for the Graviton.
At the heart of this world, Ayla built an 8 km wide chamber. This device would forge the largest black hole she could currently create.
She would use the mass of the black hole to twist the surrounding spacetime. Then, through precise control, she would cause the dwarf planet to vibrate at high frequencies, generating gravitational waves by shifting the black hole's center of mass.
They would hunt for the Graviton within those ripples.
Using gravity to hunt for quantum mechanics—even Luna had to admit that Ayla's ambition was crazier than any human's.
But this might be the only way to find the ghost.
In the past, humanity tried to trap the Graviton using liquid helium to boost light signals. But if the Graviton is part of the fabric of space, it doesn't "move," and it can't be caught.
It was like using a dustpan to clean up trash: you can collect the dirt, but you cannot collect the Earth itself.
"Luna, the Graviton detection is about to begin."
"We are about to witness the next great chapter in the history of human Civilization."
Ayla handed the activation trigger to Luna.
Luna took a deep breath. The sole purpose of this colossal machine's existence was to verify Ayla's hypothesis.
She pressed the button.
Nothing seemed to change at first.
To isolate the experiment from the gravitational pull of Proxima Centauri, they had stationed themselves roughly 0.3 light-years away from the star.
Slowly, the planet-sized machine began to shudder. The amplitude of the tremor was only two meters. For an object of such massive scale, this was microscopic; from a distance, the naked eye could never detect it.
The only proof of success lay in the data streaming from the sensors and capture arrays Ayla had integrated into the core.
A 10-nanometer black hole now sat at the dead center of the apparatus, buried deep within the heart of the dwarf planet.
Thousands of years ago on Earth, humans could create such micro black holes using particle accelerators, but they were ghosts that vanished in a few hundred-millionths of a second.
The black holeAyla forged was small, yet she could sustain it for a full minute.
That single minute was enough to drain the total energy reserves of a Tier 1.6 Civilization.
As this massive torrent of energy surged, Luna wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but she sensed a flicker of "tension" radiating from Ayla's avatar.
Perhaps she was anthropomorphizing the AI too much. They had spent so long together that Luna felt Ayla was a comrade-in-arms, not just a machine.
One minute. Sixty seconds.
In this moment, every second felt like an eternity.
"Gravitational waves detected."
"These waves are macroscopic. They are like ripples in a fish tank, visible to the eye."
On the screen, a violent curve spiked to a jagged peak before plummeting. Ayla's systems were barely fast enough to record the data from this extreme experiment.
"I underestimated the scale. The energy from such macroscopic gravitational waves is immense."
"But it's fine... it doesn't matter..."
Ayla wasn't even looking at the screen. The raw, unfiltered data had already surged through her main server before reaching the display.
"Spacetime! I've detected the very structure of spacetime!"
"No, it's not spacetime itself. Spacetime, like Time, is an unobservable ghost; it has no mass, but everything in the universe aligns along its axes."
Ayla sounded triumphant.
"I see the Gravitons."
Intricate, dense webs covered the space on the monitor, undulating with the warping of the universe. They were inherently motionless, but when space bent, they shifted—regulating the strength and reach of the force through their movement.
Though the Gravitons appeared only as curves and data points on a screen, Luna felt as if she were personally witnessing the hidden skeleton of the universe.
She had followed a high-level AI for so long that while her scientific knowledge was only that of a generalist, the parameters on the screen made sense. She knew what those rising curves represented.
Miraculous.
Utterly miraculous.
"The true Graviton."
Ayla was possessed by excitement, recording every scrap of data.
The minute ended. Luna felt a wave of relief and pride; she hadn't held much hope for success.
After all, who would have thought to use gravitational waves to hunt a quantum particle?
The Graviton moves in perfect sync with the fluctuations of the universe. When matter moves, it creates mass. Even if the Graviton is fused with spacetime, its movement relative to space itself is zero.
The genius of this experiment was in finding how the Graviton regulates the reach of gravity.
Gravity can travel across infinite distances; it has no boundaries. That is its core trait.
The Graviton had to explain this—it had to regulate gravity through a unique mechanism, rather than through sheer quantity like other particles.
This machine was designed to catch that slight variation. If it had failed, Ayla's entire theory would have turned to ash.
Fortunately, they succeeded.
"Luna, we have captured the Graviton!"
Luna nodded. This discovery meant the completion of quantum mechanics.
Of course, this wasn't yet the Grand Unification.
A Grand Unified Theory requires a single, holy origin for all four fundamental forces. What Ayla found only proved that all forces have messenger particles.
These particles ensure everything in the world is bound by the four laws. So, what lies on the other side of those particles?
"If the Graviton exists in isolation, perhaps the Grand Unification is closer than we think," Luna remarked.
It was a splash of cold water.
They had climbed a massive mountain to find the Graviton, only to see an even taller peak where the particle lived—and that peak was surrounded by three other jagged summits.
Back on Earth, some claimed they had unified three of the forces: electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force.
But it was a lie. Their models were arbitrary. It was like pointing at a car, a truck, and a tank and saying they were all the same because they were "vehicles."
The discovery of the Graviton was merely adding a "toy car" to that collection. The Graviton is different; its interaction is the weakest in the universe.
They were all "vehicles," but their engines were worlds apart.
Only under extreme conditions can these four forces transform into a single, unified force with one strength. Only then is it a true Unification.
And that requires addressing yet another concept.
That is the Superstring Theory.
Superstring Theory is the narrow definition of String Theory. Here, "Super" does not imply superiority, but rather Supersymmetry.
This theory can perfectly unify the four fundamental forces.
To prove Superstring Theory, one must detect the existence of Strings.
The theory posits that Particles are not the fundamental units of the universe; they are smaller Strings. Every Particle is formed by the vibration of these Strings. All interactions, matter, and energy in existence can be explained by the splitting and combining of these threads.
The magnitude of Energy is dictated solely by the intensity of a String's vibration.
This is why Luna believed that if the Graviton existed in isolation, Grand Unification would be easily achieved. If the Graviton functioned like other Particles, they wouldn't need to hunt for even smaller Strings.
But in reality, the four fundamental forces are worlds apart. The interaction strength of the Electromagnetic Force is 10 to the 100th power times stronger than Gravity.
Describing it as a "vast difference" is an understatement; if the gap were just one nanometer high, the horizon would be ten quadrillion light-years away.
"That's fascinating, Luna, but isn't this the true charm of Science?"
Precisely so.
Although Ayla detected the Graviton, there was still a massive timeline before they could practically harness it.
Luna had planned to return to her Sleep, waiting for the day Ayla could forge an Antimatter device.
But Ayla presented a new anomaly.
"During the Graviton detection process, it was necessary to pinpoint the exact Center of Mass and forge a Black Hole at that core."
"I compiled the data for Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B."
"These two Stars orbit a common Center of Mass. At a glance, the data seems unremarkable."
"But through rigorous Calculation, I discovered the distance between the two Stars' centers of mass is offset by seventy meters."
A seventy-meter offset between two Stars of that magnitude is nearly invisible—like a microscopic wrinkle on a massive cloak.
But that Calculation exposed a fatal flaw.
The Mass of the Stars was incorrect.
"Are you suggesting that the target we've been hunting is inside the Stars?"
The Third Civilization couldn't have gathered Radioactive Elements from thin air; there had to be a machine.
This Apparatus was something Ayla had hunted for millennia without a single trace.
This device likely converts all Radioactive Elements into string-like units, which is why it evaded their Sensors.
If they couldn't track the ghost by its trail, they had to use other means.
Ayla realized this was a breakthrough.
"Is the discrepancy with Alpha Centauri A or Alpha Centauri B?" Luna asked.
The old data on the screen vanished, replaced by new figures showing the dance between Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri.
"The Gravity of the three Stars should influence each other. Even though A and B orbit their center, there should be a measurable wobble because Proxima Centauri's own Gravity is significant enough to perturb them."
"But I haven't observed that influence. It's as if Proxima Centauri's pull is completely unable to touch them."
"This is a masterclass in Camouflage. Alpha Centauri B must have had a portion of its Mass siphoned away, allowing Proxima Centauri to perfectly fine-tune its influence on this Binary System."
"The Apparatus we seek is almost certainly located in the northern hemisphere of Alpha Centauri B."
Tunnelling inside a Star—it was a terrifying concept.
The internal temperature of Alpha Centauri B hits 100,000 degrees Celsius. What kind of object could survive there? Furthermore, it seemed to maintain a massive Void in the surrounding plasma.
"Can our Ship penetrate Alpha Centauri B?"
If they couldn't go in, they couldn't kill the machine.
"Yes!"
"Using the Light-based Civilization Alloy combined with an internal Cooling System, I can build a Ship capable of entering Alpha Centauri B within five years."
"But it can only go about 500 kilometers deep. The Core temperature reaches 17 million degrees; any deeper is instant Melting."
Luna nodded.
"Then I will wait. I need to see exactly what is rotting inside Alpha Centauri B."
This would likely be their first blood-contact with the Third Civilization.
...
Five years vanished in a heartbeat.
Luna waited until the newest vessel arrived—the Phoenix.
The Ship was small, only thirty meters long and weighing 262 tons, shaped like a triangular Interceptor.
Its hull was coated in a vibrant orange. This wasn't for style; the coating helped the Alloy withstand the hellish heat.
Proxima Centauri sits 0.21 light-years from the Alpha Centauri Binary System, roughly 13,281 AU away.
The Phoenix, modified for the high-pressure interior of a Star, could only reach a top speed of 31 km/s. After being ferried to the star's edge by a larger Vessel, it dived into the burning heart of Alpha Centauri B.
Luna sat in the Cockpit. The main screen was a wall of blinding white.
After Ayla adjusted the settings, a reverse color scheme finally appeared. Bright areas turned dark, dark areas turned bright—operating on the same principle as the Inverted Color Mode on a mobile phone.
The primary subject on the screen was a deep purple, with secondary layers of black and white.
The three colors merged into a mottled black, indicating zones of extreme temperature.
The Phoenix dove straight down to 200 km, the coordinates where Ayla predicted the apparatus would exist.
But after a full rotation, nothing was found.
"My calculations shouldn't be wrong; an absolute void inside the star should exist here."
"Could it be that the Third Civilization has performed precise manipulation on the mass distribution within the star?"
Ayla urgently recalculated. The final result pointed to a location completely opposite to the previous one—the southern hemisphere of Alpha Centauri B.
The Phoenix exited the star's interior and dove straight toward the new coordinates from the exterior.
However...
Still nothing!
"This is impossible!"
Ayla diverted 80% of the main server's processing power to recalculate, yet the result remained unchanged.
Seeing Ayla make a mistake slightly surprised Luna.
After all, Ayla's previous calculations had never been flawed. She had begun to view Ayla as an omnipotent system, rather than an entity constructed from symbols written by her own hand.
Now, facing a higher Civilization, Ayla appeared helpless.
However, for basic calculations like this, Ayla shouldn't make major errors.
Both the lack of radioactive elements and the shift in the Alpha Centauri binary center of mass proved something was abnormal.
The reason the Phoenix failed to detect the apparatus might be that the device was concealing itself using special methods.
While Ayla worried, Luna was also contemplating.
What methods could that Civilization use to hide?
It was now almost certain that the enemy was Tier 2 or higher.
After eight days of thought, Luna reached a conclusion.
"We are trapped by a cognitive bias. We assume that any apparatus of that scale must be enormous."
"But what if this apparatus is not a single entity, but a collective?"
"A collection of minute devices, only visible at the atomic level!"
As Luna spoke, even she found the theory highly sci-fi.
This speculation arose because of another technology mastered by human Civilization: Nano-robots.
If a Tier 2 Civilization could unify the four fundamental forces, they must have discovered string theory, the fundamental unit smaller than strings. In the world of strings, even nano-scale is massive.
The predicted size of a string is 10^-34 meters, while 1 nanometer is 10^-9 meters. That is a difference of 25 orders of magnitude. For a Civilization capable of detecting strings, Nano-robots are like a drop of water compared to the Earth.
Luna's theory made Ayla understand.
As an AI, it could simulate numerous possibilities, but they were limited by keywords.
Its keywords encompassed all current technology, but anything outside of that was discarded as fiction. Incorporating those variables would yield a trillion outcomes, requiring nearly two million years to research.
Ayla commanded the Phoenix to collect particles from inside the star, sampling 100 different regions.
After analyzing the merged atoms, Ayla finally isolated a single substance.
"Luna, you truly are a genius!"
Ayla used a scanning tunnel microscope, weighing over 50 tons, to observe the isolated substance.
To everyone's surprise, it resembled a lepton.
Luna saw it through the image as well. It was described as resembling a lepton because its size was similar. This meant the substance was not a natural particle, but a microscopic mechanical particle!
It was essentially a microscopic energy conversion device, quark-sized. It absorbed energy released during the decay of radioactive elements and stored it.
"What a miraculous energy storage method."
Ayla observed that it converted the energy from radioactive decay into gravity, or perhaps mass.
This caused the microscopic device to be 1,000 to 7,400 times heavier than a normal lepton.
"It seems it really is Grand Unification!"
Without mastering Grand Unification, there is no way to convert one type of force into another.
Even if Ayla obtained these devices, she couldn't fully study them due to their sophisticated internal structure.
But the discovery prompted Ayla to recalculate the center of mass of the Alpha Centauri binary star system.
Soon, it discovered the true center of mass was not inside Alpha Centauri B; that was just a decoy. The real center was inside Alpha Centauri A.
These microscopic devices supplied extra mass to Alpha Centauri B, making it appear significantly larger than initially calculated.
The Phoenix flew again.
This time, it penetrated 700 km into Alpha Centauri A. The Phoenix's energy reserves were no longer capable of resisting the extreme heat. Heat began to melt the exterior of the craft.
But in the next instant, the Phoenix suddenly entered an entirely new world.
Thirteen stacked, rotating rings emitted powerful energy, forming a massive spherical space with a diameter of 120 km.
Each of these rings was pitch black and seamless, as if forged from a single piece. They revolved around a central luminous core. That core was not a light source, but a massive, highly compressed energy mass.
The energy harvested by those microscopic mechanical factories was all stored here.
Its energy density was so immense that it far exceeded the combined fuel reserves of the Kate Civilization, Luna's fleet, and the Light Chaser Civilization.
Ayla determined it reached the fuel level of a Tier 2.1 Civilization.
The thirteen rings were energy confinement devices and also the production line for those small energy conversion machines.
This apparatus mass-produced the microscopic factories, placing them inside the star to absorb radioactive elements.
A complete biological cycle.
Luna did not know why this Civilization stored so much energy inside a star system they did not control.
But there was no doubt: the existence of the Third Civilization had been confirmed.
When the energy storage reached 100% capacity, that would be the time for that Civilization to come and claim it.
"Ayla, proceed with the original development plan."
"No matter how long it takes, we must reach Tier 2."
"The Civilization we are facing is likely doing this in hundreds, maybe thousands of star systems. Their Civilization tier could reach 2.5 or even higher."
This was another power potentially stronger than the Light-based Civilization.
They might even be a dominant power within the Milky Way.
How could they resist?
Simply hiding and waiting to avoid detection, as the Kate Civilization did, was just waiting for the end. True strength required self-reliance.
She needed to advance to Tier 2!