Chapter 159: Opening of the Space Age
There are currently three extraterrestrial bases of the United Human Federation.
The Moonlight base on the moon, which mines helium-3 and unoptium and receives tourists.
The Mars base, which hides in the Mariner Valley and mines mithril and receives relics from the Prophet and builds spaceships.
And finally, the huge plant located in space between Earth and the sun.
The only one known to the public was the moon base, and the Mars base was known to exist, but only a few people, including the president of the United States, knew how big it was.
And no one knew about the space plant except Yu Ji-ha and Arma.
This was because it was initiated when Settler returned to space after being repaired.
The mining ship, which was one, increased to seven and formed a fleet that mined resources in the asteroid belt.
The resources were sent to the space plant by mass driver and stored in piles.
The plant was huge because black metal corrosion also took place in this process.
Probably no city made by humans was smaller than this plant.
The function of this space plant was simple.
Resource distribution and simple production.
There was a smart factory, but it only produced small and simple things like drones and androids, and most of the functions were specialized in withdrawing and managing resources.
It was huge, but it was hidden in the black area of space where human interest did not reach, so it had not been exposed yet.
Anyway, this plant was busy sending resources to Mars base recently.
The launch of Seoul-class battle cruiser, which was built for the first time, was nearing completion.
This class was named sequentially from the cities of the United Human Federation, and Seoul was the first one.
When the plant sent the engine mounted on the module, Mars base received it with mass capture soon after.
「Nuclear fusion reactor arrived. Transporting with walker.」
「Crane in position. Starting loading from heat converter.」
Yu Ji-ha watched the process of loading the engine on Seoul-class battle cruiser at the Blue House office.
The sub-engine was an ion thruster and the main engine was an impulse thruster that connected a heat converter to a nuclear fusion reactor.
This thruster used heat and electricity produced by nuclear fusion reactor and heat converter to ionize ions and spew them out through nozzles, accelerating a 100,000-ton battle cruiser to 100 km per second.
Considering the efficiency of nuclear fusion reactor and ion thruster, the maximum speed was almost 1.5 times that.
This battle cruiser could round-trip between Mars and Earth in about 30 days depending on the distance, but it was the fastest platform until a reaction engine using antimatter was loaded.
Aether fusion reactor was an object called God’s heart, so it was excluded from this story.
Anyway, Yu Ji-ha confirmed that the engine was adjusted.
「Nuclear fusion temperature confirmed, normal.」
「Heat converter problem-free.」
「Plasma thruster testing… normal.」
More than 100 tests were completed and all received normal judgments.
However, since humans such as combat officers had to be boarded, interior work would take quite a long time.
There were many parts that needed attention to send humans into space, and that was the same with 22nd century human technology.
Gravity was solved by using ether field, but everything else had to be thoroughly prepared.
Yu Ji-ha was watching the workers who were busily moving around the corridor with materials and asked.
“Why are there two dining rooms? Why are there two types of materials?”
「They are divided into command and officer sections.」
“Do we need to make two for such a small ship? Just combine them and make the rest a lounge.”
「Yes.」
“And how many Caliber drones do we need? How far have we progressed?”
「We are currently producing space wing packs. We plan to load them in three days.」
The real battle cruiser would have assault armors, but this was an experimental ship, so they planned to load Caliber drones that were modified for space instead.
They would probably be called Excaliburs, and the quantity would be greatly reduced.
They didn’t need much power.
Even with that, they could overthrow any country, and even the US was no exception.
According to Arma’s calculation, the US had to pour half of its power to attack this battle cruiser.
And even then, it was uncertain whether they could shoot it down, because the US was not familiar with high-altitude combat.
They had high-altitude anti-air missiles and nuclear warheads, but they were scarce and had blind spots in radar detection.
In summary, the US military was not ready for a full-scale space war, let alone the upper atmosphere.
Recently, NASA’s budget had increased significantly and a formal space force was to be established, but it would take at least 10 years to have a proper power.
Yu Ji-ha turned his chair and looked at the garden outside the window, lost in thought.
‘With 200 combat officers, 10 command staff, and 30 support staff, it can be operated.’
He planned to leave the core parts such as engine and ship maneuvering, as well as balance and maintenance, to workers and androids.
But it was not enough when they went into action.
‘We need at least 300 combat officers. That way we can amplify the psy-field and pinpoint the location of the Plague.’
Even that was based on the skilled personnel of the former United Human Federation, so it seemed far from enough in reality.
They needed hundreds of such ships for a frontal war with the Plague.
They had to optimize it somehow, but there were many difficulties in the current situation.
‘It’s impossible to fill it with artificial psychics, so it’s better to use beta-level or lower.’
There wouldn’t be many people who wanted to be soldiers who had to live a hard life, but they could persuade or threaten them moderately.
Once they got used to the mega city, no one would want to leave.
Yu Ji-ha imagined the integrated space force in 20 or 30 years in his head.
‘If we go like this, we can stop the Plague…’
That was assuming that the psychic development plan went well and the Plague came in honestly.
It was only one, but it appeared 70 years earlier than expected, so he didn’t know what would happen in the future.
‘Especially the Plague Swarm is a problem…’
The Plague Swarm was a special strain that the United Human Federation didn’t encounter much.
When billions of tiny Plagues were launched in a special cocoon, an emergency was declared throughout the mega city.
When the swarm spread, all metals except black metal crumbled like sand grains.
This was also called wire disease, and it was a more headache situation than a frontal war in some ways.
Human civilization was a civilization of iron, and there were hardly any places that were not affected by the swarm.
‘I don’t know how much trouble I had because of that cocoon.’
It was hard to respond because it was very fast with bio-ion thrusters attached all over it.
That was partly why Yu Ji-ha built the mega city with black metal.
The first reason was that he could procure materials easily and quickly.
While Yu Ji-ha was worrying about this, the final construction of the battle cruiser continued.
***
In March 2033, Seoul-class battle cruiser finally launched.
However, they had to get helium-3 and other materials from the moon and Earth, so fighting was out of the question.
Still, they could move, so the battle cruiser left the dock on its own power.
「Engine output fixed at 70%. We will get helium-3 from Moonlight base and arrive on Earth in three hours.」
“Good. Contact the secretariat and have them prepare in advance.”
The secretariat was in chaos when they received the call.
“They say a spaceship has left Mars base! It will be here in three weeks!”
“What? Where is here?”
“Seoul!”
Bae Seong-min, the chief of the secretariat, ran around and barely managed to fill out the checklist of materials that Arma had given him.
It seemed that they were going to fill the interior with materials produced in Korea.
When the spaceship arrived, they planned to load materials and supplies while floating in the air using ether field.
‘Is this a movie or reality?’
He had been serving Yu Ji-ha for a long time, but he couldn’t help but feel excited.
The United Human Federation was finally entering space in earnest.
They didn’t just go back and forth between Earth and the moon, but expanded their territory to Mars and became capable of fighting.
There was no country that could do this except the United Human Federation.
‘The opening of the space age… They all made a fuss over one ship.’
They would all realize that it was not a joke when the ship came to Earth.
There would be a spaceship as big as a US aircraft carrier floating in the sky.
Earth Fleet was there, but it was different in size.
Anyway, the battle cruiser left Mars with 70% output and arrived at Moonlight base in 20 days.
The Starfield staff who were staying there knew it beforehand, but the tourists didn’t know anything, so they buzzed around the reinforced glass.
“What is that spaceship?”
“It’s huge… almost like an aircraft carrier.”
“It’s a surprise CG. They usually do this and that for tourists here.”
“Then what is that shadow?”
“I don’t know…”
People were startled to see a huge shadow cast on the barren plain of the Sea of Tranquility.
That was definitely not CG.
There was weak gravity on the moon, but the spaceship maintained a precarious altitude without touching the ground.
Some workers who were waiting nearby ran over and lifted helium-3 capsules with cranes.
After doing that a few times, the spaceship left and the workers waved their arms.
The tourists witnessed this spectacle and turned around with their mouths open.
“Oh my God.”
“Nobody would believe me if I told them what I saw today…”
“I’m glad I came to see the moon.”
But the real sightseeing was yet to come.
A few hours later, the battle cruiser attempted to enter the atmosphere when it arrived on Earth.
Thanks to the ether field, the temperature was normal and it was just slowly falling.
This scene was filmed by Caliber drones and broadcast live, so the citizens of the United Human Federation could watch the battle cruiser descend on their TVs or smartphones.
“This is unbelievable…”
“That ship came from Mars? Does that mean it was built there?”
“Ships are not made, they are constructed.”
“They are crazy, really crazy.”
Everyone took out their phones and snapped pictures of the battle cruiser coming down from the sky.
When the video was uploaded to sites like YouTube, people from all over the world flocked in and insisted that it was impossible, that it was CG.
But when the broadcasters filmed and sent it out, they had no choice but to believe it.
The battle cruiser landed slowly without affecting Seoul at all and finally settled in the air above the Blue House.
It was so big and high that it became a spectacle for the entire Seoul citizens.
Some even made a fuss that aliens had invaded and became a laughingstock.
Even the Blue House staff who had been contacted in advance came out to the garden and watched.
Yu Ji-ha was connected to President Bernstein through the hotline.
“You said there would be a lot of surprises, and you were right. How long are you going to bond with your son?”
“Ah… It’s almost over. You can come now.”
“I’ll be there in a week. Just in case, the spaceship won’t leave, right?”
“It will be in Seoul for a while because there are some minor repairs. I’ll have to change the location because of the sunlight.”
It was so big that it shadowed the entire Blue House.
After that, the battle cruiser moved its position near Bukhansan Mountain and various trucks came in and loaded materials through drones.
The broadcasters were busy talking about the specifications and combat power of the battle cruiser every day.
Among them, there were ridiculous rumors that it could go faster than light, which made military maniacs laugh.
―What is faster than light? According to the government’s announcement, it’s only about tens of kilometers per second.
―That’s not even the maximum speed, right? It seems like it would be much faster if you activate the ion thruster.
―Wow, I’m riding that thing… I can’t believe it.
―Did you apply for combat officer? Did you pass?
―I passed and I’m in Mega City now.
―Lucia must be next to you. Lucky…
―But I don’t know what exactly a combat officer does. Isn’t Earth Fleet unmanned?
―There must be something that artificial intelligence can’t do. It seems related to Aether since I can feel it after receiving the treatment.
―How would it feel to fly in space with that thing? Oh, I really want to ride it…
―But don’t you think they are making too much fuss? Earth Fleet also flew in the sky.
―That’s completely different. If you look at the pictures of Earth Fleet, you’ll see that they are just ships with sails. But this one is designed as a spaceship from the start.
―And it’s huge. Isn’t it over 400 meters long?
―Earth Fleet was hardly publicized except for France, but this one is showing off. People must be surprised that combat officers are actually boarding it.
―Yeah, yeah, it’s called Seoul-class, Seoul-class.
―Wow, I’m so proud. Korea, no, United Human Federation forever!
Anyway, the Seoul-class battle cruiser attracted a lot of attention as much as its size.
And exactly a week later, President Bernstein of the US visited Korea with bureaucrats and generals on Air Force One.
There was no formal ceremony, but he had no reason to be bitter.
“I can see the ship from here. It was true that it was as big as an aircraft carrier.”
“…”
Even the aides and generals who followed him felt suffocated by the sight of the battle cruiser floating near Bukhansan Mountain and loosened their ties.
They were seriously reviewing the possibility of war inside, but what were they supposed to do when they showed them something like that?
It seemed like a protest in some ways.
The United Human Federation had this much power, so let’s cooperate within a reasonable range.
“Did they schedule this to match our visit? What do you think?”
The security adviser whispered in his ear.
“President Yu Ji-ha has his schedule planned by the minute. It’s very likely.”
“Let’s talk first.”
The US side had countless agendas to bring up this time.
But after seeing that ship, he didn’t think Yu Ji-ha would compromise.
He couldn’t announce a high-intensity conflict either.
He felt like a robber who stood in front of a homeowner with a shotgun in his hand.
Richard Bernstein was a hardliner who advocated the beast theory, but he recently changed his mind completely.
‘They say the worst case scenario is annihilation if we go to war with the United Human Federation? That’s nonsense.’
War should never happen.
But he couldn’t stay like this either.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Suddenly he felt suffocated and coughed to relieve himself when the car arrived at the Blue House.
Most of the ceremonies were omitted, so there was no commemorative photo or guestbook signing.
He entered the office with the guidance of the chief of staff and saw President Yu Ji-ha waiting for him.
“Welcome, Mr. President, nice to meet you for the first time.”
“I wish peace and rest to your family. It’s a bit embarrassing to ask for a meeting when he’s so cute.”
“Don’t say that. It’s easier to work when he cries out of boredom.”
“Haha. Babies are like that.”
They laughed lightly and sat on the sofa facing each other across the table.
This summit was different from other formal meetings.
Real talks would take place and they didn’t allow any broadcasting.
The conversation they had here would have a great and deep impact on both countries.
Maybe even on the whole Earth.
President Bernstein thought again about how a young president who had just turned forty could face him so confidently.
A few years ago, he was nothing but a spoiled brat from a chaebol family.
‘Alien or time traveler… I don’t care who he is. I have to think about America’s interests now.’
He was determined to get to the point when it happened.
Yu Ji-ha took something out from under the table.
“You’ve probably never seen this before. There must be quite a few people who have seen it in mainland America though.”
It was a gold-plated disk about 30cm in diameter.
President Bernstein didn’t think much of it and said.
“Is that a record? I’m not very interested in music, so I didn’t know they still made albums these days.”
“It is a record, but you can’t listen to music. To be precise, there are some music on it. There are also thunder sounds and greetings from former President Jimmy Carter.”
President Bernstein’s expression changed at that moment.
“Jimmy Carter…? When was that…”
“You must know that he was the 39th president of the United States. And this is the golden record that was attached to Voyager 1, which left Earth during his term.”
He gasped for breath and gripped the sofa handle spasmodically.
“Wha, what are you talking about? Voyager 1 left the solar system a long time ago. How can you joke with me like this?”
“It’s not a joke. Look at this.”
He opened the cover with strange symbols and letters and a golden record appeared.
「THE SOUND OF EARTH」
Yu Ji-ha brought a turntable and played the record.
The greetings recorded in 55 languages at the time were heard.
President Bernstein shook his head as he heard former President Jimmy Carter’s voice.
“No, that can’t be. Who could have… brought back Voyager 1 from far away in space?”
As the rain sounded, Yu Ji-ha looked at him and said.
“I call him the Prophet. He gave us strength and I suspect he dropped the Aether core on Earth. He sent this to the moon.”
“The Prophet. Who is he?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know where he is or whether he is an individual or a group. The only thing certain is that the Prophet’s civilization surpasses ours by far. You can tell by analyzing the Aether core.”
President Bernstein stared at the golden record and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
“This is too sudden… Can I make a call for a moment? There must be someone at NASA who is related to Voyager 1.”
“Wouldn’t they have retired by now?”
“They must have kept in touch. Please, I beg you.”
“Of course.”
Yu Ji-ha moved away from the table and looked out the window.
Behind him, there was a commotion of taking pictures with phones and yelling at secretaries.
In fact, that golden record was a fake.
The original relic of the Prophet had sensitive information such as the date of the plague attack.
He made a new version with all that deleted.
He copied everything from the content to the minor scratches, so even the researchers at the time would mistake it for real.
‘Now it’s up to America.’
He had shown him the relic of the Prophet, so Yu Ji-ha’s patience was up to here.
He could embrace them as long as they acknowledged the existence of the Prophet and Yu Ji-ha’s role and cooperated with the United Human Federation.
But if America denied everything and wanted war, the end would be nothing but ruin.
‘I hope you make a wise choice.’
Yu Ji-ha listened to the music from the record.
He thought that he liked the old music better than the noisy music these days.
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