The Stars Do Not Ask of Those Who Journey
The starry sky doesn't ask about the traveler's journey.
The countless stars in the sky didn't ask who was passing by; they simply watched silently as the human fleet arrived, mined some minerals, and then left.
Yue Yuan had been awakened from hibernation for a month, and he was currently at the porthole of the Lyra, gazing at the starry sky outside.
The starry sky is dazzling.
The view of the cosmos from a spaceship is far less beautiful than the view from Earth.
If we were looking at the starry sky from a spaceship, the ancients probably wouldn't have been able to compose poems like "The candlelight is deep behind the mica screen, the long river gradually falls and the morning star sinks," or "Stars cling to the cloud-covered islet, dew drips from the bath, and orchids are cut on the precious steps."
Looking out of the spaceship's porthole, the starry sky appeared even brighter, but without the refracting effect of the atmosphere and water vapor, these stars didn't twinkle. Against the backdrop of deep darkness, they resembled captivating, ghostly lights.
The deep starry sky, against a dark backdrop, seems both close at hand and impossibly far away. Gazing at it for too long can evoke a sense of stars sinking into the abyss, a feeling of Deep Space Fear.
The immense contrast between the vastness of the universe and one's own insignificance can overwhelm the mind in this moment. Eternity and the fleeting nature of time can occupy one's entire life in this instant. Emptiness and loneliness can creep in, making all efforts seem utterly meaningless.
The ephemeral mushroom knows not the dawn or dusk, the cicada knows not the spring or autumn. Life is fleeting, like a bird born in the morning and dying in the evening; the summer cicada knows not the seasons. I lament the brevity of my life, and envy the endless flow of the Yangtze River.
All sorts of negative emotions about the extreme, the extreme, the fleeting, the eternal, and life and death will erupt at this moment.
It is Deep Space Claustrophobia, a test from the id, subconscious and cosmic cognition, a great terror, and also a breakthrough of the mind.
Yue Yuan is no longer affected by the confinement of deep space, but after reading a lot of human research on thought, the id, and the subconscious, he recalls the turmoil in his mind when he first gazed at the starry sky.
"It seems that avoiding densely populated star regions was the right decision. In another ten years, we will reach our destination." Looking at the slowly moving stars before him, Yue Yuan's thoughts were no longer on them.
According to observations, humans have long known that the destination is a Yellow Dwarf Star, where astronomers believe there is a high probability of abundant Rocky Planet resources.
Yellow Dwarf Star.
What a familiar name, not for any other reason than that the Sun is a Yellow Dwarf Star.
Since stellar evolution theory is a theory, it possesses a certain degree of universality across the universe; otherwise, it wouldn't be a theory. Therefore, astronomers have sufficient reason to believe that yellow Dwarf Galaxy are rich in resources.
Even before humans actually reached the interior of the Yellow Dwarf Star system, astronomers had already obtained some data on Yellow Dwarf Star from spectral analysis. During their journey, they also used several exoplanet detection methods and confirmed the existence of planets, and more than one at that.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, humanity will likely halt its development within the Target Star System and will not leave until it reaches Level 3 Civilization.
Because humans were born in Yellow Dwarf Star System, they have a deep understanding of Yellow Dwarf Star. Therefore, for safety reasons, several batches of unmanned probes had already set off to explore the Target Star System while the Great Fleet was still en route.
It's standard practice for unmanned Probe Spaceship to conduct initial exploration, but this time, humanity has significantly increased its probe capabilities. In fact, besides sending probes to the Target Star System, humanity has also dispatched several disposable probes to the nearest Star System in the vicinity.
Do whatever is safest.
A Wandering Civilization has staked all its assets on the entire fleet. If things aren't handled carefully, it could truly be doomed.
It's always good to be cautious. Because of this caution, the probes have been placed very far away. The fleet is still about three light-years away from its destination, but the probes are already more than one light-year ahead of the fleet.
If the detector finds something, it will receive a message and react within a year.
A reaction distance of 1 light-year is not short at all; it's enough for humanity to hold numerous meetings to discuss various issues.
Because communication is limited by the speed of light, and the travel speed of Low-level Civilization is also very slow, the various problems encountered during interstellar travel do not actually cause much tension.
The scenario depicted in novels, where a single shot can instantly annihilate the enemy, is nonexistent, at least not at the level of Low-level Civilization. Furthermore, the idea that every second counts, and even a single second's delay could lead to the annihilation of an entire fleet, is unlikely to occur during large-scale interstellar travel. Such scenarios only arise during actual combat.
Because of the vast distances in space and the limitations of light-speed communication and Sub-Light Speed travel, if two civilizations of similar level were to meet, they would most likely detect each other first.
If the two sides were to engage in battle, and one side were to run while the other was to chase, such a chase between two sides of the same level could potentially last for thousands of years. Of course, the difference in technological level is another matter.
Therefore, the fleet's high-ranking officers, including Yue Yuan, were quite content in this state. Apart from some routine matters, there was basically nothing that could make them anxious.
That's why Yue Yuan had time to go to the porthole to look at the starry sky.
As Yue Yuan was leisurely admiring the starry sky, he caught a glimpse of a graceful figure drifting closer from afar out of the corner of his eye.
"Commander Yue."
The voice arrived before the person.
The mature, older sister voice sounds familiar.
Yue Yuan didn't need to look directly at them to know who it was.
After waiting a while, until the newcomer floated to his side and activated his Magnetic Boots to stabilize himself, Yue Yuan turned to look at him. "Vice Commander Man, what brings you here? Is there some problem with the detector?"
The one that arrived was Man Yuemei. Since they would be at their destination soon, the high-ranking military and political leaders of the human race were gradually waking up from hibernation.
After so long, Man Yuemei was not only the Minister of the Armed Forces Department, but also the Deputy Minister of the Command Department, so Yue Yuan called her Vice Commander Man.
The Deputy Minister of the Command Department is different from the Minister of the Armed Forces Department. The Minister of the Armed Forces Department is elected every five hundred years, while the Deputy Minister of the Command Department is personally appointed by Yue Yuan. However, it is not a lifelong position, but an appointment for one term at a time, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
There are two deputy ministers, Man Yuemei is one of them.
"Everything is normal. I just woke up and was just wandering around when I saw you here, so I came over." Man Yuemei seemed to have just woken up after hibernation and then had a normal sleep, so she yawned while speaking.
"Oh, it's good that you're alright. Now that you've woken up, go back to the Second Fleet in a while. We're almost at our destination, and there are many things the fleet needs your arrangements." Yue Yuan looked at Man Yuemei's profile, then turned to look at the starry sky outside the porthole.
"It's not a big problem, but I just woke up. Let me adjust for a few days and get my body moving around a bit first," Man Yuemei said, straightening her chest and twisting her waist as she stretched her muscles and bones. At the same time, she gave Yue Yuan a reason that left him speechless.
Why would it take several days to become active after waking up? With the current physical capabilities of humans, they can fully recover in just a few hours after waking up from hibernation.
Thinking of this, Yue Yuan glanced at Man Yuemei, who was stretching beside him, trying to see what she was thinking.