Chapter 1586: Engagement

It took Gawain several seconds to steady both his expression and his emotions.

Only then did he respond, astonished, to the voice that had just called him directly via satellite signal: “Omega?! Didn’t you already leave this planet?”

“I did leave,” Omega’s voice echoed in Gawain’s mind. At first, it spoke slowly, as if reacclimating to communicating with carbon-based lifeforms, but after a few sentences, it became fluid. “Before I departed, I left a data module within the ancient array of the Pilgrimage satellites. Over the years, I’ve been watching… ‘home’ through this ‘eye.’”

Omega had left behind an “eye” in the satellite array before leaving?

The shocking revelation nearly broke Gawain’s composure. Then he recalled a fleeting image he had seen through the satellite’s surveillance feed on the day Omega left this planet. Forcing himself calm, he asked, “Where are you now? And how did you contact me? I mean, how did the Pilgrimage satellites recognize your communication signal?”

“Have you forgotten? My creators studied the technology left behind by the Pilgrimage over 1.8 million years ago,” Omega’s voice carried a hint of pride. “The ship used for the coming-of-age ceremony incorporated some of that knowledge, and when I was first created as the Omega node, that knowledge was instrumental. I found the ancient communication codes authorized by the Pilgrimage for ground stations in my original database. Fortunately, those codes are still functional today.

“As for my current location… I’m on a rocky planet near ‘O.’”

Gawain froze, blurting out in his mind, “You’re near ‘O’? After leaving Loren, you flew toward that star?”

“Yes. Many species in Loren’s home system are curious about ‘O.’ Once I understood curiosity, I made that star the first destination of my journey. I traveled a long time, losing a few insignificant escort units along the way, but I eventually arrived at its doorstep. On a dry, warm planet, I… ‘built a nest.’”

Gawain frowned slightly. This unexpected development disrupted his plans, but then he realized something else: their communication was instantaneous.

Though Omega used the Pilgrimage’s communication codes, those codes themselves didn’t enable faster-than-light transmission. The distance between Loren and ‘O’ was so vast that even light would take tens of minutes or longer to traverse it. So if Omega could communicate with him without delay… that meant the “free machine servant” who left Loren years ago had mastered faster-than-light communication technology!

“You found a way to communicate faster than light?” Gawain asked in surprise. “I remember that even during the dragons’ prime, they hadn’t broken that barrier…”

This time, Omega was unusually silent for several seconds. Just as Gawain was about to ask again, the response came: “Before I left, I salvaged some useful parts from a nearby derelict satellite. Based on the ancient research left by my creators, I spent years reconstructing my signal projection system. This system allows me to send and receive distant information faster than light without corresponding remote nodes—though due to functional limitations, I can only reach targets within a few light-hours. But that’s enough to communicate with you.”

Gawain was speechless.

“I apologize for taking those parts without your permission. At the time, I didn’t realize how closely you were connected to the Pilgrimage legacy—more than anyone else knew. If you consider those parts your property, I will find a way to compensate you. But returning them might be difficult—they’re quite dismantled.”

Gawain hadn’t expected things to unfold this way. Even with all his experience, it took him a few seconds to compose a reply: “That’s unnecessary. It was just a derelict satellite of little use anyway. Consider it a souvenir from home, or a gift from me to you.”

“Oh, then you don’t want the rest of the derelict satellites? If not, I’d like to—”

“I want them!”

Gawain hadn’t expected Omega to be so blunt. The AI’s current “personality” was quite different from what he remembered. Meanwhile, a flood of astonishing information stirred his thoughts, and a torrent of questions bubbled up. But a sudden voice from beside him interrupted his train of thought. Rebecca, noticing Gawain’s silence and the grave expression on his face, finally couldn’t hold back her concern: “Ancestor, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”

Only then did Gawain snap out of his exchange with Omega. He noticed the curious gazes around the conference room and his mind raced. Soon, he made a decision.

After quietly scanning the room with his eyes, he spoke in a low voice: “I have established contact with Omega—the Talrond main control system that left this planet long ago. It used Pilgrimage technology to build a faster-than-light communication link with Loren. Its core is currently stationed on a rocky planet near ‘O.’”

The moment Gawain finished, astonishment and disbelief rippled through every person in the room. Everyone here had clearance to access higher-level intelligence, and none were unaware of the Talrond coming-of-age ceremony or Omega’s departure afterward. But more than the sudden contact with Omega, what struck them most was the last piece of information: Omega was right next to ‘O’!

“Your Majesty,” Jenny immediately stood, “you’re saying Omega is near ‘O’? Then it’s outside the interference zone?!”

Gawain nodded solemnly. Of course, he had considered that. “I was about to inquire about that.”

Jenny nodded quickly. The murmuring in the room quieted down. After sending a calming signal to Noy’s side, Gawain once again delved deep into the mental connection and sent a signal to Omega: “Do you know the predicament we’re facing right now?”

“Yes—I’ve been monitoring the cross-stellar communication signal. I’m also interested in the civilization on the other planet, but I never knew when or how to reveal myself. Sorry for the unauthorized eavesdropping.”

“…We didn’t encrypt it at all,” Gawain sighed inwardly. Who could have guessed? When Loren and Noy established contact, no one expected a third party to be able to intercept this faster-than-light signal. Coupled with the severe survival pressures and the barely functional faster-than-light communication between the two planets, no one even thought to encrypt it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault—but it was a blessing in disguise. Since Omega understood the situation, it saved him a lot of explanation. “Since you know our predicament and chose this moment to reach out, I’ll be straightforward.

“Omega, Loren needs help. The magic tide observation device requires a ‘pure signal’ from outside the interference zone. Are you willing to assist?”

Omega was silent for two seconds before replying: “I’m sorry. Although I want to help ‘home,’ I’m afraid I can’t provide that ‘pure signal.’ From monitoring your and the Noyans’ communications, I roughly understand how the magic tide observation device works. To get the pure signal you need, you first have to build a second observation device outside the interference zone. I don’t have such a device, nor can I build one quickly.”

A wave of disappointment washed over Gawain, but then Omega continued: “However, I have some intelligence that might be useful.”

“Intelligence?” Gawain’s hope rekindled. “What kind?”

“Let me confirm one thing first—you only need to ‘disentangle’ the two superimposed magic tide parameters, right? The ‘pure signal from outside the interference zone’ is just one way to achieve that. If there’s another method to separate the two parameters, that should work too, correct?”

Gawain quickly looked to Jenny for confirmation. After she nodded, he said to Omega, “Yes, as long as we can separate the two overlapping data sets. We’ve actually discussed this approach. If ‘O’ or the sun experiences a strong enough fluctuation during its cycle, or if we improve observation precision sufficiently, we can achieve that separation…”

“Then my intelligence should be useful—if my calculations are correct, ‘O’ will experience a strong energy fluctuation in about fourteen days. The event may be brief, but it should be enough to reach your required ‘resolution threshold’—provided you can catch the window, which might last only a few seconds.”

Gawain was taken aback. The sudden turn of events made him momentarily doubt the truth of it all. Then he quickly asked, “Is this information reliable? But why—”

“A high-energy interstellar fragment is hurtling toward that star at nearly three percent the speed of light,” Omega said calmly. “By Loren time, it’s expected to impact the fiery surface of ‘O’ in fourteen days. The fragment is small, but the resulting chain reaction will produce a ‘flash’ lasting seven to nine seconds, observable even from Loren’s surface.”

Hearing this, something stirred in Gawain’s mind. He seemed to have a vague idea of the fragment’s origin. “Wait, that fragment can’t be—”

“It’s an interstellar object that approached this star system about a year ago. It broke apart at the edge, and its largest fragment has been moving straight toward ‘O’ for the past few months,” Omega’s mechanical voice remained steady. “Because of the impact risk, I’ve been tracking its trajectory continuously. I believe it’s the last remnant of the Noyan ‘Observer’ ship.”

Gawain felt a bit dazed. He connected all the known information in his mind—interlocking events, seeds planted long ago, converging into a faint stream of light stretching out into the darkness. Yet he still found it hard to believe this was really happening. After a few seconds of silence, he couldn’t help but ask, “Has the fragment shown any signs of being communicative?”

“No. At least, I haven’t detected any life or cognitive responses. It doesn’t respond to any external signals. I even sent several probes to attempt close-range optical communication, but it’s moving too fast and left the probes behind without stopping,” Omega said slowly. “The few optical images captured show only a blurry golden flame trail. I think the fragment is truly lifeless, simply following a predetermined trajectory toward the star.”

Gawain listened quietly. When Omega finished, he spoke thoughtfully, “So we can’t be sure if this is a deliberate, controlled impact.”

“Yes, perhaps it’s just a coincidence,” Omega said calmly. “After the disintegration of that spacecraft, a fragment happened to be on a trajectory toward the strongest gravitational source nearby. Regardless, this impact will bring you hope. The star ‘Ao’ will flicker during the collision, and theoretically, the timing of the impact will fall within the observation window. If you scan the magical tide with your instruments at that moment, you should detect a significant fluctuation in the strength of one of the two signals… It will mark the correct key.”

Rebecca watched her ancestor with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

In her eyes, Gawain simply sat there quietly, his expression serious and solemn. He neither spoke nor moved, but she knew he was communicating with a distant voice—a voice belonging to a “Traveler” who had long since left this planet. This Traveler was an artificial intelligence once serving the dragons, a pinnacle of this world’s technology. Now free, it had journeyed through the cosmos for years and was currently lingering near the radiant star ‘Ao.’ The help of this faraway wanderer… might just be enough to change the fate of two civilizations.

Suddenly, she noticed Gawain take a deep breath.

Then she saw a faint smile flicker in his eyes.

“We have a chance,” Gawain said, ending his communication with Omega for the time being. He exhaled deeply, then slowly rose from his seat, his steady gaze sweeping across everyone gathered around the conference table. “Omega cannot provide us directly with the ‘pure data,’ but it has brought us a crucial piece of intelligence. Fourteen days from now, when the synchronized observation window between Noy and Loren opens, the surface of the star ‘Ao’ will undergo a clearly observable flicker. This flicker will last several seconds, during which we will have the opportunity to identify the correct magical tide fluctuation.

“The cause of this stellar flicker is a high-energy fragment traveling toward ‘Ao’ at three percent the speed of light. It is a remnant of the Noy observer ship’s disintegration… Although we cannot be certain whether this collision is accidental or deliberate, it will be Loren and Noy’s last chance to obtain the critical ‘key’ before the magical tide arrives.

“Now, we can share this news with our allies, four light-years away.”

(End of chapter)