Turmoil in the Laboratory Star Map Draftsman II: Fate of the Galaxy

Morale in the laboratory was low. After seeing the footage and information Dawn Lucius had brought back, finding the migration destination in a short time had become an impossible task. Hamilton stepped forward to encourage everyone. He had already stepped up antimatter production, enough for Dawn Lucius to go to more distant galaxies to gather information. If Dawn Lucius asked enough times, he would surely have a better chance of running into people who knew the migration destination. As things stood, it was the only way.

The people in the laboratory suggested that Dawn Lucius go back and rest first. He returned to his room alone, sat on the bed, and stared at a picture on the opposite wall—to be precise, a photo of a tree taken with his old camera. Because the camera was poor and couldn’t capture a clear image, the photo actually looked like an old oil painting from Earth’s earlier days. Even though Dawn Lucius had explained, some people still thought it was an oil painting. He remembered a teacher once saying that art was the goal; what paint or material you used wasn’t the point. Dawn Lucius suddenly stood up. He seemed to have thought of something, but he wasn’t sure, so he paced back and forth in the room. When he grew tired of pacing, he pressed his head against the wall. He knew there was no time now for trial and error.

Dawn Lucius thought carefully about what he had heard in Ponlehai. That the Shepherds hadn’t told the life on this spiral arm that the migration was beginning simply because the Orion Arm had no Star Map Draftsman—that didn’t sound reasonable no matter how you looked at it. Another possibility was that someone had known the Great Migration was going to happen but hadn’t told the truth. The most suspicious in that case was Madam Winifred. Hamilton, too, was holding something back. Even though they were now deeply bound together as partners, everything Hamilton had done made Dawn Lucius feel that, when the time came, he would shake off everyone else and migrate on his own. Thinking back to the super Star Bridge: if Hamilton hadn’t been forced to, he would never have considered letting anyone else know about it. But what if Hamilton had known about the Great Migration all along and just wasn’t saying? That didn’t seem to make sense either. If Hamilton really knew, why would he waste time painstakingly running the laboratory? He would surely have set out long ago, as the Ponlehai Civilization had, and might already have reached the DeFi Passage. Besides that, the most suspicious were the two princes of the Strath Federation. They must have known about the migration; otherwise, why would they launch such a huge war just to get the Ashton Federation’s ships? Jonathan was suspicious too. Thinking of that, Jonathan’s mother was even more suspicious. She knew antimatter existed and could even use it to live near a black hole; her technology was far ahead of the other civilizations in the Orion Arm. She couldn’t possibly not know. But if she really knew, why would she choose to stand by and leave the civilizations of the Orion Arm to fend for themselves? And Sakya? He must know something; there was no reason he wouldn’t. Dawn Lucius knocked his head against the wall. He couldn’t figure out who was hiding the whole thing. Just as Dawn Lucius was about to think about who else there might be, he felt intermittent vibrations coming through the wall, and then he heard explosions, a dense barrage like endless holiday fireworks.

“Dawn, come out, quick!” Sandra rushed into the room and dragged Dawn Lucius outside.

“What’s happening?” Dawn Lucius asked, looking at the crowds in chaos throughout the laboratory.

“Someone’s attacking.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

The explosions grew louder and louder. Dawn Lucius saw the laboratory roof begin to crack. As they ran past the door of Hamilton’s laboratory, Dawn Lucius saw he was still in there, so he pulled Sandra along toward Sakya’s laboratory. The old man said he didn’t want his work destroyed just like that; perhaps with just a little more time he could find something useful. Dawn Lucius urged him to save his life first—only then would he have a chance to find the answer. If the data was lost, he could call other scientists together again to work on it; with Mr. Sakya’s current influence, there would be no shortage of people wanting to join his team. Sandra also urged them to leave at once; the front rooms of the laboratory had already begun to collapse. Sakya shook his head and told Dawn Lucius he no longer had the chance to start over, and told them to go quickly. Yes—isn’t life just like this: when you face choices large and small, do you have the courage to go all in? Either a great success or a great failure; there’s no such thing as starting over next time. Dawn Lucius had no time to start over either. If the laboratory was finished, the buildings were a small matter, but these scientists were the most outstanding people in the entire Orion Arm. If their final resting place was beneath these ruins, instead of at their desks helping the life of the Orion Arm take part in the Great Migration, what chance would there be to start over? Stacean Lucius would have even less of a chance.

“Baby, stay here.” Dawn Lucius clenched his fists. He was already full of rage with nowhere to vent it, and now every muscle in his body tightened like steel fresh from quenching. The Star Source began to heat up, filling his whole body with purple energy. He let his will trace a flight path, and just like that, he charged onto the battlefield.

Over Planet Gorov, disorganized ships were flying in a chaotic swarm. The small attack craft fired at the laboratory at random, while the bigger ones circled in fixed positions, watching. Dawn Lucius noticed Duncan’s troops trying to drive off the attack craft, with little effect. Duncan’s family had plenty of influence and regular troops, but facing a disorderly pack of stragglers and deserters who vastly outnumbered them, they were clearly struggling. While he was distracted, a shell flew at him. That was no problem for him; the purple energy shield could easily neutralize everything. What mattered now was protecting the laboratory. So Dawn Lucius flew above the laboratory and, in his mind, frantically drew in dark matter. Then, with both hands, he shaped the dark matter into a gradually spreading shield that ran from the top of the laboratory down to the ground until the entire laboratory was enclosed. The attack craft began firing at high frequency, but they could never break through Dawn Lucius’s energy wall. Some of the guns changed direction and fired at Dawn Lucius as they flew. When they saw their attacks had no effect, they fired at random on the ground around the laboratory, and many buildings were reduced to ashes in the flames. While the attack craft were distracted, Duncan’s troops seized the chance to strike and knocked out some of the small attack craft. Those that saw things turning against them gathered toward the large attack ships, and only when they had formed a new attack did the shelling stop.

Having used so much dark matter for the first time, Dawn Lucius’s body began to go limp. He felt as if he were back in gym class as a boy, when the teacher required every boy to finish ten pull-ups or not come down. Every time, from the third one on, Dawn Lucius had to use all his strength to haul himself up. First his chest muscles gave out, then his abdomen and hips, and finally even the legs he kicked with to help push himself up lost their strength. Back then he had made it to seven and had no strength left to pull himself up again. All he could do was hang there until the last bit of strength was gone, and then he dropped limply to the ground. He hated that feeling of helplessness, and now that familiar helplessness was spreading through him again, as if dragging him into a pool of cold water. He began to be unable to breathe, and then his eyelids lost their strength too. Just like in gym class as a child, Dawn Lucius began to fall from the sky. The wind flowed between his fingers. He felt terribly sleepy, as if he could fall asleep at any moment. The ground rushing closer was like a soft bed made up for him long ago. Then just go to sleep—Dawn Lucius thought that, and closed his eyes.

Once the laboratory was secure, Sandra had flown her ship up into the sky. Worried about distracting Dawn Lucius, she hovered far away. Dawn Lucius losing consciousness was something she hadn’t expected. When she noticed Dawn Lucius starting to fall, she dove toward him and caught him before he hit the ground. “Dawn…” Sandra held Dawn Lucius tight in her arms and softly called his name, as though she were afraid of waking him. The ships that had just regrouped began flying in clusters over the laboratory, facing off against Duncan’s troops. The two sides were badly mismatched in numbers. Sandra looked anxiously at her brother’s troops, then bent her face down again to call to Dawn Lucius. Panicked crowds ran past her, mixed with wails and terrified prayers. Then another group of new visitors arrived at Planet Gorov. Their ships were bigger and more numerous. Sandra noticed them hover briefly in low orbit, then circle around behind the ships that had just attacked the laboratory. It looked as though Duncan and his people wouldn’t be able to leave today. But the situation changed too fast: those attack craft quickly climbed, opened a Star Bridge, and jumped in, as if they had never been there.

“Well, well, diplomat, long time no see.” Two people came down from the big ship. The skinny one who spoke was as obnoxious as ever.

“Prince Burt, do you have a new target again? Planet Gorov isn’t worth starting a war over, surely.” The two were the two princes of the Strath Federation, Burt and Carlson. The skinny one who spoke was the warlike Burt, known for his ferocity, as could be seen in the great battle of Visadio Planet. Carlson, on the other hand, had something of Sandra’s brother about him: beneath a rugged exterior, he hid a soft heart.

“Big brother,” Burt said, turning to glance at Carlson with a smile, “it seems the Ashton Federation still misunderstands us.” With that, the two of them came up to Sandra.

“The Star Map Draftsman—what happened to him?” Carlson asked, looking at the unconscious Dawn Lucius.

“Nothing. He got tired and fell asleep—is that not allowed?” Sandra said irritably. Just then, Duncan and his party came down to the ground too, and together with Hamilton’s group, everyone gathered around.

“You had a hand in this too, didn’t you?” Hamilton turned and pointed at the bombed laboratory, demanding an answer from Burt and Carlson.

“I’m afraid only these two war princes would do something like this,” Duncan chimed in.

“What nonsense…” Carlson pointed loudly at the people opposite him and was about to step forward when Burt caught his hand.

“Hey, big brother, don’t get worked up, or else it really will look like we did it. They don’t even use their own heads to think about why. Where did the Star Map Draftsman go, what information did he bring back—and someone wants to keep it all to himself. Think about it: these are all people waiting to flee for their lives. When they hear the people who got the information talking like that, how could they not fight to the death? Hamilton, tell me, am I right?” Burt looked at Hamilton mockingly as he spoke.

“Stop talking nonsense. The Star Map Draftsman didn’t bring back any information.” Hamilton stepped around in front of Burt as he said this.

“Whether it’s nonsense or not, we’ll know once we ask the Star Map Draftsman.” As he spoke, Burt reached out to pull at Dawn Lucius. Just as he was about to touch Dawn Lucius’s arm, Sandra pushed his hand away.

“Don’t touch him,” Sandra shouted sharply.

“All right, all right, I won’t touch him.” Burt drew his hand back, clasped his hands behind him, tilted his head halfway back, and went on, “But today we need to get the information about the destination. Otherwise, no one leaves.”

“Oh, so it’s about that again. I’m telling you responsibly: we don’t have information about the destination,” Sandra said, staring at Burt.

“If we did, what would we still be doing here?” Duncan said, walking up behind his sister.

“What you’re doing here has nothing to do with me. We just want you to generously share the destination information with us, and we’ll leave. Maybe I could even give you some advice.”

“I told you, there’s no information,” Duncan said sharply.

“Oh, General Duncan, that’s not a cooperative attitude. Maybe our advice would be enough to save your lives. Besides, the situation is so dangerous now—danger! lurks! everywhere! you! look!” As Burt said this, his hand jabbed the air in time with his words.

“Why should we cooperate with you? Madam Winifred may forgive you for attacking the Ashton Federation, but I never had any intention of forgiving you.” As he spoke, Duncan put his hand on his weapon.

“Oh, General, if it really comes to a fight, you have no chance of winning.” Burt looked coldly at Duncan, then turned and walked over near Hamilton and went on, “We came all this way, and we don’t intend to fight anyone. It’s not worth it, especially at this critical moment.”

“See for yourself.” Hamilton handed Burt the footage and information Dawn Lucius had brought back.

“What’s this?” Burt eyed the device in Hamilton’s hand sidelong.

“This is the information the Star Map Draftsman brought back from the Sagittarius Arm. The place where he landed is called the Ponlehai Civilization, far, far more advanced than we are.” Hamilton didn’t pull his hand back; he kept holding it out to Burt.

“Second brother, let’s take a look first. They wouldn’t dare try any tricks.” Carlson stepped up and took the thing from Hamilton’s hand. He really didn’t want any conflict. First, he didn’t like violence; second, there truly was no time to waste.

“All right, big brother.” With that, Burt and Carlson took the device and walked toward their ship.

Like two children who had just received a New Year’s gift box, they squeezed together shoulder to shoulder, staring at what they held, which carried the accumulated hopes of wishes that had gone unfulfilled for many years. On the one hand, they hoped their wishes were inside; on the other, they feared being buried by crushing disappointment if they received a false blessing that ran the opposite way. They exchanged a few glances and now and then looked back at the people behind them, the way children look at grown-ups who say there’s nothing they can do while secretly playing a prank. Then they went into their own world and closed the door of the ship, and the guard soldiers quickly gathered in front of it, forming a defensive stance.

Sandra turned and gave Duncan a look, and he crouched down and picked Dawn Lucius up. The group went back into the laboratory, which hadn’t completely collapsed yet, and laid Dawn Lucius on a small cot used for short rests. Sandra kept watch beside him. Sakya was still searching desperately through his data, trying to find a medicine that could save the situation—even witchcraft beyond science would do. He was muttering things no one could understand, like a little boy whose block house had been smashed, struggling to piece his house back together any which way while mumbling words even he couldn’t understand.

Hamilton looked at the laboratory he had been so proud of. The shattered dome showed, in broken fragments, those galaxies that were known but never visited, as if these galaxies had become old photographs whose owners had long since gone elsewhere and would at most occasionally remember there had once been such a place. Hamilton was afraid too. What if all of them were like the Ponlehai Civilization—what if they had all begun migrating long ago and those galaxies were empty now? What would the Orion Arm do then? Even when he had squeezed his wrist until it hurt, he couldn’t come up with the slightest idea.

Burt and Carlson came in, heads hanging and dispirited, just like two children whose toys had been snatched away. They set the device Hamilton had given them on the table and stood silently beside it.

“Dawn, you’re awake.” Dawn Lucius opened his eyes. Seeing Sandra’s tear-blurred face, he felt a wave of warmth in his heart, followed close behind by a wave of heartache.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Dawn Lucius brushed her hair back for her.

“Keep resting. I’m here.” Sandra stroked Dawn Lucius’s chin as she said this.

“Mm, I’ve rested enough.” With that, Dawn Lucius pushed himself up to sit. He lowered his head for a moment to recover, then walked over beside Sakya, steadied himself on the desk, crouched down, and said, “Sir, what if we first fly to the vicinity of that gap you found and take a gamble? If that’s the DeFi Passage, we could take everyone through. Do you think there’s a chance that way?”

“Take a gamble?” Sakya’s eyes, long since drained of color, had lost their focus. He seemed to be looking at Dawn Lucius, and yet seemed to be looking at the space behind him.

“Yes, take a gamble. Do you think the location you marked is right?” Dawn Lucius squeezed Sakya’s arm and went on, “Are you sure of it?”

“No, no, the theory is wrong.” Sakya shook his head violently, as forcefully as if he were denying his whole life.

“But sir, the universe does have a boundary. You were right about that.”

“I was right?”

“Yes, you were right!”

“Oh, then here…” Sakya pointed at the model he had revised—a trumpet-shaped universe bubble—and at the gap near its top, and went on, “This is the DeFi Passage.”

“Yes, I believe this is it.” Dawn Lucius stood up smiling. He took a deep breath, walked to the middle of the room, looked up at the ceiling, and said, “Tell everyone to build ships from the Sane ship’s data as fast as they can. We don’t have much time.”

“No, no, no. That’s far too uncertain. Even if you reach the DeFi Passage, you have to have the destination’s coordinates. It’s like this: the new universe bubble has a Milky Way too, and you have to have the coordinates of that Milky Way to get through. Otherwise you’ll only get lost in the DeFi Passage. This is insane.” Burt shook his head as he said this and began pacing all over the room.

“How do you know that?” Dawn Lucius pressed.

“Our father told us. Long ago he learned about the Great Migration, and that’s why we went after the ships. But we don’t know the coordinates,” Carlson said, getting in first.

“Is it reliable?”

“Definitely. He was of the same era as the old Star Map Draftsman. The secrets they knew are beyond our imagination.” Carlson nodded.

“What else?” Dawn Lucius asked, walking over near Carlson.

“You can’t take White Crystals. You absolutely must not take them. If you take them, you can’t enter the DeFi Passage. Whatever you do, don’t take them,” Burt said loudly and anxiously from the other side of the wall.

“Why?” Most of the people in the room asked at once. It looked as though most of them had taken White Crystals.

“Seeds. The new universe needs healthy seeds, not inferior ones. People who take White Crystals are inferior seeds.” Burt laughed rather manically, and as he laughed, he pointed at everyone in the room one by one.

“Then why are they still handing out White Crystals?” a scientist demanded indignantly, and a crowd of people followed up, “Yes, why?”

For people to get along, there is another important rule: don’t burst the things others believe in, even if what they pursue is like a philosophical creed a third-rate comedian scribbled out on the spot.

“How should I know? They just don’t want people who take White Crystals entering the DeFi Passage, that’s all. Or maybe it’s a prank. Who knows?” When Burt finished, he began to laugh loudly. He laughed so hard that he started coughing, and then his body began to shake, but he kept laughing in fits and starts.

“Prince Carlson, do you know why?” Dawn Lucius asked, walking over beside Carlson.

Carlson shook his head.

The people who had taken White Crystals began to stir. Some muttered that it couldn’t be true; some contacted others to confirm whether the news was real. Dawn Lucius particularly noticed a young scientist, a temporary assistant Sakya rather liked—clever and ambitious. He came from a branch civilization in the Moreth Federation’s core star region. When he first used a Star Bridge as a child, he felt he had another, greater mission: to make the Orion Arm’s Star Bridges connect to the entire universe. For that, he took White Crystals regularly to make sure he had enough time. Now his face was deathly pale. He held his communicator and checked it again and again, but never dared to call anyone. A cold smile flickered across the corner of his mouth and turned to frost by the time it reached his brows. His spirit was like the thin ice of a midwinter dawn, ready to shatter at a touch. When Dawn Lucius tried to go over and comfort him, he noticed and began waving his hands and backing away over and over, and finally he ran out of the laboratory in tears.

“Prince Carlson, I want to be sure. Is what you said true?” Dawn Lucius grabbed Carlson’s arm as he asked.

“It’s true. Our father never allowed us to take White Crystals, and he had us keep it a secret.”

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t let us ask, and he didn’t explain. He just said it would save my life.” Carlson looked around at the scene in the laboratory; only now did he understand what his father had intended.

“Then did he ever hint at the destination to you?”

Carlson shook his head.

“Dawn,” Sakya said, coming over and patting Dawn Lucius on the shoulder, “the new universe bubble isn’t born until the Great Migration. So even if someone knew the Great Migration would happen, no one could know the destination.”

“Oh, right,” Carlson said, suddenly thinking of something. He was about to say it, then shook his head.

“What were you going to say?” Dawn Lucius pressed.

“I think Jonathan must know about this too. Otherwise, given how stable and strong the Moreth Federation is, he would surely have taken White Crystals to extend his life, and someday he would have gained full control of the whole Federation. Besides, his ambition…” Carlson raised a hand and swept it through the air, then let it fall back to the side of his thigh. Everyone understood he meant Jonathan’s long-held ambition to rule the Milky Way.

“Yes, he must know. And the place where his mother lives works on a principle much like the current super Star Bridge.” As Dawn Lucius said this, he glanced at Sakya.

“Even if she knows, she won’t say,” Sakya said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. “When the Datheon gave us technology, Jonathan’s mother, the old Star Map Draftsman, and Madam Winifred must have agreed to certain conditions. Even if they perish along with the Orion Arm, they won’t reveal half a word.”

“What about Jonathan?” Sandra spoke up behind Dawn Lucius.

“Jonathan most likely knows. His information…” As Dawn Lucius was saying this to Sandra, Hamilton pushed through the crowd of frantic scientists, came up to them, and cut him off.

“He doesn’t know.”

“Why?” Sandra went on.

“Right now he’s serving as a bodyguard for the Shepherds in Kukra City. He also wants to get the destination information from there.”

“What? Hamilton, just how many more things are you hiding from us?” Sakya asked, looking at Hamilton in disbelief.

“Ah, I had no choice.”

“What do you mean, you had no choice?” Sakya spread his hands, baffled.

“At first, when I guessed at the Great Migration, I always thought the coordinates were hidden in the Star Source.” Hamilton pointed at Dawn Lucius’s arm and went on, “So we got the scan data of the Star Source, and I also planned to make a copy of the Star Source. Who knew, it might come in handy.”

“You copied the Star Source too? You were…”

“Mr. Sakya, please let him finish.” Dawn Lucius raised a hand to cut Sakya off.

“I made a Star Source. The principle is similar, but the level of science certainly isn’t the same—it isn’t like the real Star Source. There’s no coordinate information in it. But I think—I think I’ve figured out why dark matter is being lost.”

“Why?” Dawn Lucius asked eagerly.

“The most abundant thing in the universe is dark matter. Apart from the Star Map Draftsmen being able to use it as energy, we know nothing about it. But the Shepherds came, and I think they are the ones moving the dark matter away, so that galaxies can be born in the new universe bubble. Think about it: dark matter drives stardust to condense and drives gravity to form, and then nebulae grow, and stars and planets are born in the nebulae. And all our galaxies run by exactly the same laws: planets always orbit stars, and then circle around even larger star systems. Have you ever thought about it? All of this is the work of dark matter. So if the Shepherds want to create a new universe bubble, it’s like opening up a new paddy field—where does the water come from?”

“Then how much of our universe’s dark matter will the Shepherds have to draw off?” Sandra asked.

Hamilton shook his head.

“That means the new universe bubble can’t form in a short time, right?” Dawn Lucius came at it from another angle.

“Yes.” Hamilton nodded.

“What does that mean?” Sandra asked, looking at Dawn Lucius.

“Look—the Shepherds are drawing off dark matter right now. If Mr. Hamilton’s reasoning is right, no galaxies have taken shape in the new universe bubble yet, or only a few have. So where would the people who migrated early go? They must be waiting near the DeFi Passage. Then we hurry there, mix the people of the Orion Arm in with theirs, and when the time comes, we can get through.”

“That’s an idea.” Sakya nodded firmly.

“How can you be sure they’re still waiting outside the DeFi Passage?” Hamilton didn’t quite believe Dawn Lucius’s reasoning. He looked at Dawn Lucius coldly as he asked.

“I’m not sure. But compared with waiting here, it’s worth a try.”

“No one can bear the consequences of a try. Besides, with so many people, how can you be sure they’ll make it through the super Star Bridge?”

“Mr. Hamilton, no one can bear the consequences except oneself; each of us can only bear the consequences for our own life. As for how to get through the super Star Bridge, most civilizations in the Orion Arm are highly developed and capable of building ships as strong as the Sane ship. Then they set out in groups, with people from first- and second-tier civilizations leaving first. The Defenders’ Alliance has great influence; they can call on the people of other Level Zero civilizations to get ready, and we take them along in our ships and head for the DeFi Passage together. Finally, as I said, we blend into the other civilizations that have long been waiting there…”

“Those are all best-case assumptions.” Hamilton cut Dawn Lucius off irritably. Looking up at the broken star maps overhead, he went on, “The best plan is to find the destination coordinates as soon as possible. Jonathan is with the Shepherds; we need to concentrate on finding a breakthrough through him.”

“All right, I agree with Hamilton, although…” At some point Burt had come around to the back of the crowd. He had returned to his cold, fierce self. Walking up near Dawn Lucius, he went on, “Although this old man is full of bad intentions, his method is more workable.”

“I agree more with the Star Map Draftsman’s plan. I know Jonathan Moreth Steader’s style; I’m afraid it won’t go that smoothly in the end. If everyone thinks this plan is risky,” Sandra said, walking to stand opposite Dawn Lucius, “we can first have the Star Map Draftsman cross over to the outside of the DeFi Passage and see what the situation is there. If it really is as he guessed, then we can put it into action right away instead of waiting around like this. Some pain is better faced sooner.”

“Jonathan Moreth Steader isn’t that bad. After all, he is the Moreth Steader of the Moreth Federation; he won’t abandon the people of the Moreth Federation,” Sakya said irritably.

“Mr. Sakya, he’s your student, so of course you’d say that…” Sandra couldn’t help retorting.

“That’s enough. There’s no need for this argument. I endorse her plan.” Hamilton raised his voice as he said this, pointing at Dawn Lucius.

As everyone left the laboratory to make their own preparations, the two princes of the Strath Federation decided to stay behind and protect the laboratory. The group that had just attacked the laboratory would most likely come back. Surely they weren’t the only ones coveting the destination information. Even though the laboratory would make the information public to every civilization, desire always paves a red carpet at everyone’s feet, guiding them to start seizing things by force. With that, the pressure on Duncan was much lighter; he still had to hurry back to help his people build ships. Dawn Lucius got in touch with Stacean Lucius. He was nagging a man close to his own age to build the ships well and to watch out for anyone using the chance to sabotage them. He had a thousand things to say, just like back then, when he took him to kindergarten every day: in the end he would say he’d be back early from work, and he would say have fun at school. Yes—the truth of time is that in the end we lose each other. “The luckiest thing in my life is you.”

“Me too, Dad.”