Chapter 6, The Civilization of Aquarius

This is not a futile effort, Ji Hua knows that these speculations are very important, as they will relate to the strategies that human civilization will adopt in facing the unknown extraterrestrial life forms that are about to arrive

This duration is not considered long. In fact, it is somewhat unexpectedly short. Although the participants have accepted the reality of the impending arrival of extraterrestrial civilization, no one anticipated that the response time left for human civilization would be so limited, and that the Aquarian civilization would arrive so quickly

The meeting will be presided over by the head of state. After seeing that everyone has arrived, the head of state said: "The meeting now begins. Everyone is already aware of the agenda for this meeting, so I will not repeat it. Let us start the discussion; I would like to invite the relevant scientists to speak first."

Minister Horton paused slightly, then emphasized, "In other words, we have only between seven months to a year left for our preparation time"

The celestial coordinates of the second signal are ... ... This coordinate is identical to that of the first signal. We believe that the Aquarian civilization—since both the first and second signals originated from the Aquarian EZ star system—should be referred to as the Aquarian civilization. I suggest that everyone adopt this designation in order to avoid any inconvenience in future communications. During the more than twenty-two years that elapsed between the two signals, this civilization did not move. This civilization remained in the Aquarian EZ star system for over twenty-two years, and what they did there remains unknown to us. This civilization remained in the Aquarian EZ star system for over twenty-two years, and what they did there remains unknown to us.

Beneath the building, the security personnel wore serious expressions, and the attendees all appeared solemn, creating an inexplicably oppressive atmosphere in this place

Or more precisely, they believe that the act of coming to the solar system is beneficial for their survival, or at least potentially advantageous. They have their own motives for coming to the solar system, and their intentions are not as pure as they claim.

Minister Hooton's speech left Ji Hua slightly disappointed. The absence of signals signifies a lack of new intelligence sources, which means Ji Hua's conjectures cannot proceed any further

So... to expend a considerable amount of one's lifespan merely to make a trip to the solar system to assist a civilization one has never encountered before? This is unreasonable. Ji Hua does not believe that the universe is so benevolent. Perhaps due to differing cultural and moral philosophies, various civilizations make different choices; however, regardless of the circumstances, it should not reach the point of giving away four percent of one's lifespan without expecting anything in return.

In silence, after passing through security, Ji Hua and others were led by the staff into a spacious conference room within the building. People took their seats in silence, and once all participants were seated, the door to the conference room was closed. Ji Hua scanned the venue and noticed that all the service personnel had left; there was no one else in the conference room apart from the relevant personnel.

Ji Hua's words attracted the attention of many people in the venue, and numerous gazes were immediately directed towards Ji Hua, even the leader glanced over here. However, Ji Hua remained completely unaware of this. Ji Hua only felt a stiffness throughout her body, and a huge voice in her mind kept roaring: "How can it be so close! How can it be so close!"

The celestial coordinates of the third signal and the fourth signal are respectively - figure - book ... . ... The distances from these two signal sources to us are 3.2 light-years and 0.4 light-years. We assume that this civilization began to advance towards the solar system immediately after the second signal was sent, and that it did not stop during its journey. Therefore, based on the different distances of the several signal sources and the time intervals, we can calculate that the civilization's speed of advance is 0.4 times the speed of light, which is approximately 120,000 kilometers per second. According to this speed, the current distance between the Aquila civilization and us is ... 0.24 light-years. Considering the civilization's speed of advance and accounting for deceleration time, we estimate that this civilization will reach Earth in a maximum of seven months and a minimum of one year.

The celestial coordinates at the time of sending the first message are ... ...

I wonder how long this prosperity can last..." Ji Hua sighed quietly to herself

However, Ji Hua's mood was particularly heavy

Certainly, one thousand years is merely a rough boundary. Even when calculated based on a lifespan of one thousand years, forty years still accounts for four percent of that lifespan. When considering the average lifespan of human civilization as eighty years, four percent of that lifespan equates to three point two years, which is still not an insignificant amount of time

Ji Hua's heart quietly sank to the bottom, and her mind was filled with bitterness. This was because Ji Hua discovered that among the two possibilities she had deduced, one could likely be ruled out.

As the Minister of Science, Horton now stood as the representative of the scientists and was naturally the first to speak. He stood up, glanced at the documents in front of him, and spoke in a calm tone: "During this day, our department's relevant experts have confirmed several matters. The first matter is that, based on various observational data, we have determined that the destination of this extraterrestrial civilization is our solar system. The second matter is that among all the electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals we have received, apart from the four pieces of information that Ji Hua has deciphered, there are no other signals from outer space that exhibit characteristics of intelligent civilization." The first matter is that, based on various observational data, we have determined that the destination of this extraterrestrial civilization is our solar system. The second matter is that among all the electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals we have received, apart from the four pieces of information that Ji Hua has deciphered, there are no other signals from outer space that exhibit characteristics of intelligent civilization.

At this point, Ji Hua's speculation can no longer proceed, as the existing information is simply too scarce. If there were additional information to assist, Ji Hua might be able to confirm one of these two hypotheses and dismiss the other

Ji Hua quickly reviewed a series of celestial coordinates in his mind, and combined with the distance mentioned by Minister Horton, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, and a sentence slipped out: "That is the coordinate of Aquarius EZ"

Simple and straightforward, getting straight to the point without any pleasantries or irrelevant remarks, this is precisely the Führer's style

The voice of Minister Horton continues

Life prioritizes survival as its primary need. In other words, any action taken by life serves the purpose of its own or its community's survival. At the very least, the actions of life should not contradict the survival of itself or its community

The second explanation is that the lifespan of this civilization is not long enough, and its technology is not advanced enough. Forty years is a long time for them, but there are things or matters in this solar system that pique their interest. This leads them to believe that it is worth spending forty years of their lifespan to make a trip to this solar system

Ji Hua's life is relatively simple, with her social and professional circles revolving around her work. Therefore, the friends she knows are likely to be scientists and scholars. At this moment, with just a cursory glance, Ji Hua has identified at least five acquaintances related to her work.

After confirming her identity, Ji Hua took her seat in the vehicle. The car then started and drove forward along the wide and bustling street

Minister Horton also glanced at Jihua, then continued calmly, "Jihua is correct. That is indeed the coordinates of Aquarius EZ, which is located... 11.4 light-years away from us"

Among these emerging ideas, Ji Hua keenly captured the most critical point, which is the average lifespan of individual beings in this civilization

This message invigorated Ji Hua. As long as the position can be calculated, along with the time interval between signals, the speed at which this extraterrestrial civilization is advancing can be determined. This speed of travel is an important indicator of a civilization's technological strength

Time quietly slipped away in this contemplation. In the blink of an eye, it was already 7 o'clock. A knock was heard at the door, and Ji Hua came back to her senses, opened the door, and saw the person that Minister Horton had arranged to come and pick her up

If the lifespan of individuals in this civilization exceeds one thousand years, then spending forty years on an interstellar journey is still possible. However, if the lifespan of individuals in this civilization is less than one thousand years, then forty years is not considered a short duration for them.

It is evident that if the lifespan of the individual beings of this civilization is not sufficiently long, their act of spending forty years to reach the solar system to assist Earth civilization would contradict their own survival or that of their species, or at the very least, it would have adverse effects

In public places, it is impossible to discuss specific matters, and people clearly do not have the mood for casual conversation. Ji Hua did not engage in conversation with acquaintances; they merely nodded at each other, which sufficed as a greeting.

It is now evening, and the sun has already set below the horizon, yet the world has not yet plunged into darkness, and the streetlights along the roads have not yet been illuminated. However, the neon lights along the streets have long begun to flicker, as people emerge onto the streets after a busy day of work, with laughter and chatter that can be heard even through the car windows.

Minister Horton continued, "The third matter is that, through precise measurements and calculations, we have determined the celestial coordinates at the time these four signals were sent, and from this, we have calculated additional data"

After approximately twenty minutes of travel, the vehicle came to a stop in front of a building. Many cars were already parked here, and numerous uniformed security personnel were maintaining order. There were also many acquaintances of Jihua waiting for security checks.

Thus, there are two interpretations. The first interpretation is that the lifespan of this civilization is sufficiently long and its technology is advanced enough that a span of forty years is merely a fleeting moment for them. They do not mind using this fleeting moment to assist a weak and troubled existence

The constellation Aquarius EZ is a trinary star system, consisting of three member stars, all of which are red dwarfs, small and dim. Their mass is significantly smaller compared to that of the Sun; even when combined, the mass of the three stars is less than one-third that of the Sun

All partitions of the conference room, including the main door, walls, and windows, are made of special materials that prevent any sound or electromagnetic signals from escaping. Outside the conference room, there are hundreds of fully armed soldiers on guard, and no one is allowed to enter until the meeting concludes