Chapter 134: Stellar Civilization

The Human Coalition (HCC) and the Negentropy Research Institute made no effort to hide the Azure One’s navigation test from the Stuo Civilization, whose fleet was currently parked near the Kuiper Belt’s outer edge.

Having spent at least several decades—possibly even a century—in their journey to approach Human Civilization after altering their migration course, the Stuo likely understood Humanity’s overall condition quite well.

Human Civilization couldn’t pretend it had possessed such interstellar speed long ago.

It was better to be open, without disguise, letting them know Humanity now had achieved a major leap in travel technology.

For two unfamiliar civilizations meeting in space, maintaining mutual deterrence and caution proved beneficial.

It fostered a peaceful exchange not won through interstellar war.

Following the Azure One’s test,

the Stuo near the Kuiper Belt quickly sent Humanity a message:

“Friends of Human Civilization, we observed your test of a suspected travel technology.”

“…The Stuo Civilization is once more amazed by your advancement speed. How, in such a brief period, has Human Civilization made another massive breakthrough in travel technology?”

“Did Human Civilization’s rapid growth begin only after changing your traditional social structure?”

“Friends of Human Civilization, we must admit your development pace makes us nervous.”

“If we weren’t migrating and lacked long-term plans for this star system, we might feel forced to halt Human Civilization’s growth.”

The first part of this message was fairly straightforward.

From the Stuo’s perspective,

Humanity’s progress was truly alarming. Merely within the decade their fleet took to travel from establishing contact to reaching the Kuiper Belt near the Heliosphere’s inner ring,

Humanity had leapt forward in travel tech. During the first contact,

Humanity’s top speed was only one percent of light speed—far behind their own capability.

In this aspect, they held absolute advantage.

Yet in barely any time, Humanity had nearly caught up.

As a group civilization, they might grasp the pressure and motivation they exerted on Humanity.

But their current reaction showed they couldn’t truly comprehend what Humanity achieved under that pressure.

To the Stuo, Humanity’s transformation seemed like a cosmic horror tale.

However,

the latter part of the Stuo’s message caught the Negentropy Research Institute’s Social Philosophy Department’s sharp attention.

The Stuo’s phrase about wanting to “halt Human Civilization’s development” was translated from their language,

yet the original meaning contained the same ‘might feel forced’ implication.

“Esteemed Stuo Civilization, compared to you, who have journeyed through space for so long, Human Civilization remains relatively young and weak.”

“Furthermore, could you clarify the specific meaning behind the final part of your previous message?”

The Social Philosophy Department already had its suspicions while drafting a reply.

The Stuo’s subsequent response confirmed them:

“…During our migration, we discovered an unusual asteroid. We followed its trail.”

The Stuo’s reply was simple and clear.

This represented the single most crucial piece of information Humanity had received from the Stuo

throughout their extensive exchange.

Given Humanity’s history, only one object fit the Stuo’s description of that asteroid:

The very source of Humanity’s Doomsday Crisis – Asteroid 2801.

The Stuo’s arrival was no accident.

They had first detected Asteroid 2801, then traced it back to Humanity.

Simultaneously,

the Stuo’s information revealed something else –

this civilization, slightly more advanced than Humanity’s,

also believed the asteroid that struck Humanity

was likely not a natural occurrence.

“We thank the Stuo Civilization for this information. Can you determine the asteroid’s precise origin?”

“Friends of Human Civilization, we cannot pinpoint its exact origin point. When we observed the unusual asteroid’s trail, we could only roughly trace it to a vague direction approximately ten light-years beyond your location. We can share this directional range with you. Pinpointing the exact location will require Human Civilization’s own efforts.”

Along with their reply, the Stuo transmitted directional data relative to the Sun, with the Inner Solar System as the coordinate center.

“We thank the Stuo again for this vital information. Reciprocating this exchange, is there specific knowledge the Stuo seeks? We shall endeavor to provide it.”

“If possible, we wish to learn more about Human Civilization’s past history, and the concrete workings of your current social structure…”

It was evident the Stuo harboured deep curiosity about Humanity’s present social form and operations—a fascination even outweighing their interest in technological exchange.

…

Year 58, Human United Era (HUE),

the Stuo Civilization’s Interstellar Fleet had remained parked near the Kuiper Belt for one year.

Perhaps spurred by the ripple effects of Humanity’s breakthrough in travel technology,

or maybe due to other factors,

progress in the basic information exchanges aimed at establishing fundamental trust between Human Civilization and the Stuo Civilization sped up during this year.

Efficiency noticeably increased.

Meaningless filler talk decreased significantly during dialogues.

Within the HCC and Human Civilization, the Stuo’s collective structure and individual characteristics became much clearer.

Firstly,

according to the Stuo themselves, within their culture,

they categorized civilizations, much like Humanity does.

The Stuo classified their own civilization and others they’d encountered

into four levels: Planetary Civilization, Star System Civilization, Stellar Civilization, and Galactic Civilization.

A Planetary Civilization has yet to leave its home planet and hasn’t developed it to a sufficient degree.

Human Civilization, until the dawn of the Intelligent Era, likely fit this stage.

A Star System Civilization can utilize the entire resources of its home planet and its moons to develop and sustain itself.

Humanity entered this stage after establishing its initial presence on the Moon.

Now,

the Stuo placed both their own civilization and Humanity

in the Stellar Civilization category.

A Stellar Civilization possesses the capability to dominate its home star system and undertake limited interstellar travel beyond it.

Humanity stepped precisely into this tier following its breakthrough in travel technology.

As for a Galactic Civilization, it roughly equates to wielding dominance over the entire Milky Way Galaxy, possessing free movement throughout it, and the ability to journey to nearby galaxies.

Naturally, this is the Stuo’s own classification system.

It’s similar to Humanity’s Type I and Type II civilization scales.

The clear technological disparity still evident between Humanity and the Stuo

demonstrates how broad and imprecise such classifications can be.

Consider the Planetary Civilization tier alone—it spans from primitive tribes to advanced technological societies—an immense range within one category.