— Eden, Our Destination
"Ding!" A gentle sound of glass touching echoed through the room. It was a toast, yet everyone was in their own compartments separated by electronic screens.
"Hey, Commander, you think we'll be the first ones to make it back to Earth?"
"We've pretty much nailed our mission objectives, and extended our exploration coverage by 7 AU... You've all done a bang-up job."
, the Commander and "Navigator" of the Stargazer Fleet, took a sip of her rum-flavored nutrient water. She refrained from revealing any of her thoughts regarding the crew's desire to return to Earth, at least until new orders came in.
In the year 2223, the rapid depletion of Earth's resources, worsening environmental conditions, and the infeasibility of relocating to any of the eight major planets presented a harsh reality: to avoid being confined within the solar system, humanity had to venture into the vast cosmos in search of habitable planets. The enigmatic "WOW!" signal first received by Earth in 1977 had given humanity its first interstellar destination.
Hence, Operation Stargazer was set into motion, sending numerous fleets of spaceships out into the unknown.
Each fleet received the same directive: to chart a course to the origin point of the "WOW!" signal. In light of past failures from which no ships had returned, 's Stargazer Fleet, which had not only completed, but exceeded its mission objectives, was the first to be presented with the possibility of returning to Earth.
"... After taking a good look at the Stargazer Fleet's supplies and crews, we've decided to press on with our explorative efforts and expand our horizons... for all of humanity."
But with the issuance of these new orders, the possibility of returning to Earth was temporarily postponed. For the sake of humanity, the Stargazer Fleet had to press deeper into space.
lowered her head to cross-check the course layout with the original data. She flipped through several pages until she stopped at a familiar signature. It was a set of starship coordinates from the Voyager.
"For all of humanity..." She had spoken those words too.
"... For all of humanity, and for..."
tried to block out the words. She had heard this sentiment countless times before. However, her elder sister leaned closer to the tub, squatting down beside it, and continued, "Besides, the universe is so beautiful, I want you to see it with me one day. I'll be back before you know it!"
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled, brighter than any star. looked up at the lights her sister had arranged above the bathtub to mimic the night sky. She tried to immerse herself in the narrow confines of her hydrotherapy, re-envisioning it in her mind as a space adventure amongst a sea of celestial clouds.
That was the last time saw her sister, her only family. She never returned after saying goodbye. A childhood accident left paralyzed from the neck down, and during her most challenging moments, her sister, who was the Navigator of the Voyager, only had time to hastily arrange a room that was an ersatz facsimile of the cosmos.
, however, did not find it beautiful, not in the slightest. With the lights at their brightest, each shimmering glow only made her feel bitter and ill at ease.
For all of humanity? didn't care about that either. What she valued most were the people on the other side of the display screen. Each of them had been with her for all these years on this journey across the stars.
She had led them on this journey, and she wanted to bring them back home.
The new orders to continue forward posed even greater challenges and dangers for the fleet, which had ventured deep into the Dark Nebula.
This Dark Nebula lay right in the middle of their charted route and could not be unavoided. The nebula was rife with unpredictable and time-distorting storms, but even more concerning was the Dark Fleet, driven by resentment, hatred, and an unrelenting desire to eradicate everything in their path.
When the fleet's course coordinates were adjusted to 23 AU beyond the last mission directive, all the alarms blared shrilly. Warning lights blinked incessantly, revealing numerous unidentified ships spread out before them. Strange particles surrounded the fleet, interfering with radio signals and concealing the ghostly presence of their adversaries.
The battle was imminent.
The fleet's ability to perform as one disciplined unit shone at this moment. , positioned on the flagship's fore, unleashed the energy cannons and railguns, while barrage after barrage of suppressive fire came from the other ships, creating a perfectly coordinated attack.
Under the relentless barrage, the Dark Fleet revealed what was previously unknown to humanity — the fleet was made up of countless derelict ships cobbled together from wreckages of ships from across the universe. Then came a second realization. Their full-on assault had only taken out a tiny fraction of the vast armada that lay before them. The Dark Fleet remained unphased as it began its relentless offensive.
It became hopelessly evident that the Stargazer Fleet would need a thousand more ships to even make a dent in the enemy ranks. Realizing this, issued the command to withdraw. Their remaining resources were incapable of dealing with an enemy of this magnitude.
She checked the fleet status screen. Amidst the pitched battle, the once orderly formation had been completely shattered, and one by one, the signal lights flickered and went out, like stars burning out in the sky.
Yet, everyone stood their ground.
As the flagship withdrew, the auxiliary ships on the flanks moved forward to unleash another volley to hold back the Dark Fleet's advance.
"Did you all hear me? I ordered a full withdrawal! Retreat!!!"
frantically repeated her orders. After what felt like an eternity, someone finally responded.
"Commander! There's another option... the last resort."
The last resort...
Countless missing fleets had paid a bloody price in order to leave humanity with the ultimate weapon —the Valkyrie suit. This specialized suit, designed to handle the most extreme situations, could drain the energy from every Dark Fleet ship within a 1 AU radius if activated at full power. The only catch was that nothing else would be able to escape.
Once the Valkyrie suit reached full power, everything within this range would cease to exist.
"We've all prepared for this moment. Do it, Commander! For all of humanity!"
For all of humanity. Again, this damnable sentence!
couldn't comprehend or make sense of its significance, and yet her dearest comrades, those she cared for and wanted to protect, were all willing to sacrifice themselves for it.
First her sister, and now her crew.
"Why...?"
Just when began to think this question might have no answer, she heard familiar voices coming through her comms.
"Well, saying it's for all of humanity is a bit pretentious. Actually, I'm doing it for my son. I want him to live on, to have a future."
"... My wife is still in the hospital, recovering."
"I can't disappoint my students. I promised I would find a new home for them. For all of us."
Tears streamed down 's cheeks before she could realize it. So that was it. She finally understood what her sister meant by "all of humanity"...
It wasn't some abstract and intangible concept, but simply the people you loved. Just like her sister
On the far side of that pale blue dot, there was always someone worth protecting at any cost, whether it was her sister, her crew members, or just someone trying to survive.
In the vast expanse of the nebula, a brilliant explosion of dark matter radiated outwards with a resplendent light. At full power, the Valkyrie suit roared to life, tracing a magnificent and colossal arc through space, like a butterfly darting into the flames.
After everything had fallen silent, defied the odds and transmitted the course coordinates to Earth which highlighted the path leading to the long-sought destination — the place known as "Eden." After all the sacrifices, she finally beheld the salvation that humanity had yearned for.
"Look, Sis... It's beautiful..."
The emergency life support system within the Valkyrie suit automatically initiated, and found herself adrift in the vast expanse of the dark cosmos, much like in her past hydrotherapy sessions, gazing at the flickering ceiling lights.
"For all of humanity, and..."
"For you."
