Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 1)
As the reconnaissance ship entered the temporal rift, Aaron's senses were completely inverted. The concepts of time and space blurred, and everything around him became a maelstrom of light and color. He couldn't feel gravity or hear any sound; there was only a colossal, invisible force propelling his ship forward. This was no ordinary hyperspace jump, but an "infraspace navigation" synchronized with the cosmos's pulse. He looked at the navigation system, which no longer displayed star maps but a series of constantly changing "ripple frequencies." He realized his father's "whispers of the cosmos" were these very frequencies. He wasn't teleporting; he was "listening" to the universe and following its rhythm.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 2)
In this strange space, Aaron witnessed some truly shocking sights. He saw the afterimages of past transmissions—the "ripple imprints" left behind by countless Stargate transfers. These imprints were like fragmented memories, recording the trajectory of every journey. He even saw several Stargate transport ships trapped in hyperspace, their energy long since depleted, like a fleet of drifting coffins. These were the victims of the Stargate Corporation's "Ripple Conspiracy," forever trapped here. Aaron's heart grew heavy; he knew everything he had done was to prevent more tragedies like this from happening.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 3)
In the depths of hyperspace, Aaron saw his final destination—a massive "ripple convergence point." The ripple energy here was more intense than anything he had ever felt, all converging into a colossal, glowing sphere of light. Just then, his navigation system blared an alarm. His reconnaissance ship was being pulled by a powerful gravitational force, but it wasn't from the supernova; it was from the center of the sphere. Aaron's heart sank as he remembered Cullen's warning: "The ripples are a key, not a door. Beware the resonance." He realized this sphere of light wasn't a door; it was a trap.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 4)
As Aaron tried to escape the gravitational pull, a faint but incredibly familiar voice echoed from the sphere's center. "Aaron..." The voice pierced through hyperspace, ringing directly in his mind. It was his father, Jason Smith. Aaron's heart instantly seized; he couldn't believe his ears. His father's voice sounded weak, but he was indeed alive. Aaron no longer hesitated; he gave up trying to escape and piloted his reconnaissance ship toward the sphere's core. He knew that whether it was a trap or the truth, he had to go.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 5)
The reconnaissance ship finally entered the sphere. Aaron discovered that it was not a physical space but a world made of pure energy and consciousness. In front of him, a phantom of light and shadow was floating—it was his father. Jason Smith's consciousness was trapped here, merged with the sphere's energy. He explained everything to Aaron. He told Aaron he had discovered the ultimate secret of the "ripples": they weren't the breath of the cosmos but the "memory" of the cosmos. Every transmission, every movement of matter, left an imprint on the cosmic "ripple field," and this sphere of light was the convergence point of all those imprints.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 6)
"Aaron, I was wrong," his father's voice was full of remorse. "I thought the ripples could be controlled and guided. But I discovered that they are a living 'consciousness.' The Stargate Corporation's 'New Dawn' project was like a malignant tumor; it tried to destroy this 'consciousness' to achieve its goals. I tried to stop it, but my power was too weak. I was ultimately trapped here, becoming a part of this 'consciousness.'" Aaron was shocked; he had never imagined that the technology he studied could be so vast and dangerous.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 7)
"You must go back, Aaron," his father's voice grew urgent. "This 'Ripple Consciousness' is being angered by the Stargate Corporation's actions, and it is about to launch a 'counterattack.' If humanity continues to blindly use the Stargates, it will completely erase all traces of transmission, trapping us forever in the solar system. You must tell everyone that we must learn to coexist with the ripples, not control them." His father's voice began to fade as a part of his consciousness slowly dissipated.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 8)
Just then, Aaron suddenly felt a powerful resonance between his consciousness and his father's. It was the power of his unique spatial sense. He knew he could use this resonance to free his father's consciousness from the sphere. But he also knew it would be a huge risk; he might lose the last bit of his spatial sense. But he didn't hesitate. He focused all his strength, connecting his consciousness to his father's.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 9)
With Aaron's help, a part of Jason Smith's consciousness successfully detached from the sphere and entered Aaron's reconnaissance ship. Although his father's consciousness was no longer whole, he could still transfer his knowledge and memories to Aaron. Aaron, in turn, told his father everything he had experienced, from Cullen's betrayal to Lilith's help. His father looked at Aaron, his eyes filled with pride. He knew his son had grown into a true Navigator, one who could resonate with the cosmos rather than trying to control it.
Chapter 10: The Edge of the Cosmos (Part 10)
The reconnaissance ship exited the temporal rift and returned to the solar system. Aaron knew he had to tell everyone this secret. He transmitted his father's consciousness, along with all the knowledge he had received about "ripples being the memory of the cosmos," to Lilith and Evelyn. He told them that humanity could no longer rely on the Stargate Corporation's technology; they had to find a new, more harmonious way to teleport. Aaron looked out the window. The cosmos was still vast, but now he knew he was no longer alone. His journey had just begun, and he would carry his father's legacy to find a future in harmony with the cosmos.