Chapter 132: Hard to Imagine

“…Friends from Human Civilization, perhaps you have noticed our delayed response this time.”

“But do not misunderstand, there exists no unresolvable conflict between us.”

“However, from your previous transmission, our ‘Decider’ determined that certain information about your societal structure might cause some ‘information pollution’ within Stuo Civilization. Thus, we had to proceed with greater caution.”

The “information pollution” mentioned by Stuo Civilization wasn’t the kind that mutates organisms like in horror stories,

but primarily ideological influence—

such as the clash between pantheism and monotheism,

or the conflict between frugalism and consumerism.

Yet, due to information gaps, Human Civilization didn’t know exactly what Stuo Civilization referred to.

At the end of Stuo Civilization’s message,

they posed another question regarding Human Civilization’s prior reply:

“Friends from Human Civilization, we have observed your rapid development in recent times.”

“We wish to understand how, under your described social structure, you prevent societal stagnation and rigid hierarchies.”

“How do you ensure the most capable individuals lead your civilization’s decisions?”

Responding to this,

given the earlier context,

the Negentropy Research Institute’s Social Philosophy Department answered with extra care.

Based on this query and Stuo Civilization’s earlier hints about their own society,

the department inferred Stuo Civilization had a highly unique social structure.

It was this uniqueness that sparked their curiosity about Human Civilization’s ways.

Finally, after consulting Academician Qin Yu,

the Negentropy Research Institute gave a direct response:

“You may already know about our original family-based structure.”

“In our current society, we have abandoned family units. None of us have parents after birth, nor do we bear children.”

“We use a reproductive technology to increase population as planned, preventing stagnation caused by inheritance.”

Upon receiving this,

Stuo Civilization’s follow-up reply was brief:

“Hard to imagine how Human Civilization achieved this.”

Afterward,

Stuo Civilization noticeably avoided further discussion on the topic,

and inter-civilization exchanges returned to their previous course.

…

HUE Year 55,

during another communication with Stuo Civilization,

HCC made a request: Stuo Civilization’s Interstellar Fleet was now under 0.05 light-years from Earth.

HCC asked them to halt beyond the Kuiper Belt—50 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Solar System’s center.

“We believe Stuo Civilization approaches with goodwill. Our past exchanges have fostered mutual understanding.”

“But please forgive the caution a weaker civilization must retain in such matters.”

“…”

Stuo Civilization did not refuse the request to stop beyond the Kuiper Belt.

For both civilizations, maintaining distance as a buffer was wise before full trust developed.

At this range, any sudden attack would allow reaction time—

even laser weapons traveling at lightspeed

would take over 400 minutes to reach the target.

This gave Human Civilization time to retaliate, ensuring they could “tear away a chunk” even if defeated.

After Stuo Civilization agreed,

the Outlook Observation Array detected their Interstellar Fleet decelerating for the first time.

This slowdown—occurring in their “Planetary Fortress”-class vessels—revealed more about their technology.

Though not confirmed, their fleet’s maximum speed appeared to be around 5% lightspeed, possibly slightly higher but not significantly.

Human Civilization’s own similar electric-propulsion technology

helped confirm Stuo Civilization’s fleet indeed used Electric Propulsion Systems.

Logically, too,

there was no reason for Stuo Civilization to slow down earlier when first spotted,

as that would only prolong their approach to the Inner Solar System.

Now,

observing the fleet’s deceleration,

the researchers breathed slightly easier.

Stuo Civilization’s willingness to slow early reduced the likelihood of Interstellar War.

…

Time advanced from HUE Year 55 to mid-Year 57.

After a lengthy deceleration phase,

Stuo Civilization’s Interstellar Fleet settled beyond the Kuiper Belt,

venturing no closer toward the Inner Solar System.

By now,

electromagnetic signal exchanges took under ten hours roundtrip—

still slow for internal communications,

but far quicker than the initial eleven-month delays.

It was then,

after prolonged dialogue, that Stuo Civilization made its first request,

or rather, proposed its first collaboration:

Since their fleet relied on Electric Propulsion Engines,

it required constant propellant (“reaction mass”).

Stuo Civilization sought Human Civilization’s help to gather resupplies within the Solar System.

They could collect it alone but acknowledged human assistance would expedite the process.

In return,

Stuo Civilization offered compensation.

For Human Civilization’s production capabilities, this was trivial.

Both sides understood

this was minor yet symbolic—a test of cooperative trust.

Human Civilization naturally agreed.

…

Yet that same year,

while the public focused on Stuo Civilization’s parked fleet,

researchers at the Negentropy Research Institute—especially from the Energy and Power Research Institute—fixated on another matter.

Racing against time under immense pressure,

and led by Academician Qin Yu,

the Materials Research Institute achieved a breakthrough:

Using theory-guided experiments, they developed CD055,

a revolutionary material with superior performance.

Building on this,

the Energy and Power Research Institute and other teams,

under Academician Qin Yu’s direction,

completed the DT04 Electric Propulsion System design.

For Human Civilization now,

once designed and with materials secured, construction would be straightforward.