Changelings

Luna waited for Ayla's arrival.

She had traveled with the other soldiers. An officer approached her.

"Commander, this location is tactically disadvantageous. I recommend relocating."

Luna observed the soldiers around her; they were uneasy.

They weren't fools; they understood the implications of their position.

They hadn't come here to be caged.

"Acknowledged," Luna replied coldly.

The officer was puzzled by her nonchalant reaction to such a critical issue, one that could determine their survival.

If relations between the Federation and the Olive Branch soured, what would become of them?

In space, they had a fighting chance. Here, their ships were docked, under the enemy's control; they were sitting ducks.

Ayla, however, understood Luna's intentions.

Fortune favors the bold.

Only in such a vulnerable position could they lower the enemy's guard.

The two civilizations were still in the posturing phase. Luna doubted the Olive Branch would strike now; it would be pointless.

While imposing one civilization's values onto another is often flawed, their initial interactions suggested the Olive Branch wasn't a purely logical, emotionless civilization.

They understood strategy and would use it—planning and then acting.

This was Luna's opportunity.

The Federation's technological advancements, comparable to the Olive Branch's, coupled with the Holy Grail Project, gave Luna the confidence to stay.

Ayla, however, felt this was reckless and overly dangerous.

After the officer left, Ayla approached Luna. "Based on my observations, this place lacks any signs of a civilization."

"As a machine, I have a better understanding of technologically ascended civilizations. Even purely mechanical lifeforms, at higher levels, don't exhibit such coldness and sterility."

Their conversation utilized a specialized communication method—quantum stealth transmission.

Many science fiction stories depict this as teleportation, disintegrating a being into quantum particles and then reassembling them elsewhere—essentially in-game teleportation, even surpassing the speed of light.

In reality, however, quantum entanglement is still limited by the speed of light. Due to quantum uncertainty, auxiliary information is required for accurate transmission. This was an encrypted communication technology, incapable of transmitting complete organisms or objects.

Ayla's words were transmitted via quantum entanglement to a watch on Luna's wrist. The watch then stimulated Luna's nerves, creating the sensation of hearing—essentially a form of mental communication.

Luna responded using the same method.

"Based on my observations, this station's primary focus is virtual reality, not the physical world. This entire structure serves the virtual realm."

Ayla understood, quickly calculating.

"That makes sense."

"A vast and complex virtual space likely exists beneath this station. The physical structure is merely a shell."

"Luna, what do you think this place is?"

Chu had described Tilted Station as a residential and recreational facility, but Luna hadn't believed it. Even for an alien civilization, such a massive structure solely dedicated to living and entertainment was illogical. If virtual reality was the primary focus, such a vast physical structure was unnecessary. And there was no visible method of energy collection.

Chu had also claimed there were no factories on the station, a statement Luna interpreted as meaning the entire station was a factory.

This factory contained vast amounts of energy, likely a massive power generator, sustaining the entire station.

Luna voiced her theory; Ayla, however, offered a different perspective.

"This area lacks resources. Why would the Olive Branch civilization construct such a massive station here?"

"We've also observed a lack of ships docked at the spaceport. This is unusual. Tilted Station could easily accommodate trillions of beings, whose combined fleet would number in the hundreds of trillions."

But there weren't any ships, a significant discrepancy.

Unless the station's inhabitants didn't need to travel.

Luna realized the truth.

"Are you suggesting that this entire station is mobile?"

If the station itself could move, it wouldn't need a large fleet.

Luna considered a terrifying possibility—this station wasn't a station but a massive warship.

That would explain everything.

"But where are its weapons?" As soon as she asked, Luna realized the question's absurdity.

The entire station was modular, capable of transforming into anything.

"Is the station administrator truly just an administrator?"

This was the ultimate question.

Luna and Ayla exchanged glances, understanding each other without words.

If it was a station, such structures might be common in a Type 2.4 civilization. But if it was a warship, its scale and technology would be truly extraordinary.

Propelling such a massive warship would require unimaginable amounts of energy, along with highly advanced propulsion technology.

Even for a Type 2.4 civilization, creating such a vessel would require enormous resources.

Perhaps, Tilted Station was the heart of the Olive Branch civilization.

This was a bold conjecture, but possible, unless another structure like it existed.

"Too many discrepancies."

"Let's observe further. If this is a warship, it would operate under military protocols, requiring adjustments to our plan."

Information obtained within a military base is often deliberately leaked. Encounters are controlled.

This was a disadvantage.

"Luna, perhaps we should relocate some of our troops. You could also leave; a clone would suffice here," Ayla suggested.

Luna considered this and decided to maintain her original plan.

This wasn't stubbornness but strategy. They were in a reactive position, not a proactive one. She wouldn't have come here if there were another option, but against a more advanced civilization, a more direct approach was necessary.

"Even a fortress has weaknesses. As long as the Olive Branch isn't a hive mind, there will be vulnerabilities we can exploit."

"Gather as much information as possible."

The Olive Branch civilization was Luna's greatest challenge yet.

The modular nature of Tilted Station allowed for complete customization. Within ten years, the designated area had been transformed into a Federation-style city.

Seeing this rapid transformation further convinced Luna that this was a warship.

With so many possibilities, and so many individuals within Tilted Station, the uniformity of the station—cold, metallic columns—was unusual. A truly diverse civilization would exhibit a multitude of forms.

Such uniformity suggested rigid control.

In the eleventh year, Luna began interacting with the station's inhabitants, having learned their language—similar to C++, essentially quantum signals used for communication.

They could also assume humanoid forms and use vocalizations, as Chu had done; they could, after all, transform into anything.

Through these interactions, Luna made another discovery.

Asking two different beings the same question often resulted in nearly identical answers.

Some questions were open-ended; within the Federation, a thousand individuals would provide a thousand different answers. But the Olive Branch beings' responses were eerily consistent, as if these were simple mathematical problems.

Their responses made Luna feel like she was interacting with a single entity, not many.

A hive mind.

Luna recalled this long-held suspicion.

She had dismissed it years ago. Hive minds hindered development, unless the central entity was exceptionally powerful, like Ayla, capable of utilizing technology to enhance itself.

For lower civilizations, a hive mind would be too inefficient, limiting individuality.

And for advanced civilizations, achieving consensus among numerous individuals is incredibly challenging.

Luna didn't know the Olive Branch's history, but their responses suggested hive mind tendencies.

Her earlier assumptions were incorrect—a common occurrence in science, where new theories replace old ones.

This continued until truth is reached, but like absolute zero and the speed of light, perhaps truth is unattainable.

Returning to the designated zone, Luna immediately contacted Ayla to discuss her findings.

Ayla was also investigating the Olive Branch civilization.

"Luna, your theory that the Olive Branch beings are merely terminals is both correct and incorrect."

"Based on my observations, they exhibit emotional responses."

"While their verbal responses are often identical, their communications have subtle differences, reflecting individual emotions."

"Emotions influence thought processes. Unless these differences are deliberate, I believe the Olive Branch is a pseudo-hive mind civilization."

Not a hive mind, but a shared consciousness.

There's a fundamental difference.

A hive mind is like a queen bee and her workers; the workers instinctively obey.

A shared consciousness, however, retains individuality; their minds are interconnected, forming a complex network.

One is control; the other is integration.

"Why 'pseudo'?" Luna asked.

Ayla explained. "A true shared consciousness wouldn't have a dominant entity; all individuals would be equal."

"The Olive Branch, however, clearly has a hierarchical structure, suggesting a system beyond the shared consciousness."

This was unusual.

Unless Chu was merely a representative of this shared consciousness, which was unlikely given the rigid hierarchy and militaristic nature of the Olive Branch.

"Is there something else you've noticed?"

Ayla's expression was serious.

"What?"

Luna had been preoccupied; she didn't know what Ayla meant.

"Changes in the stars."

Luna looked at the stars, noticing nothing unusual; unlike a camera, she only saw what she consciously focused on.

"Over the past eleven years, I've observed unusual stellar movements."

"The stars' movements and velocities differ from projections."

"More precisely, it's our star system that isn't moving; this movement is relative to the galactic center."

All celestial bodies in the Milky Way orbit the galactic center at speeds exceeding 200 km/s, influenced by the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. Dark matter also plays a role, allowing the relatively small Sagittarius A* (4 million solar masses) to exert its influence across the entire galaxy.

There should be no exceptions, but Ayla's observations indicated an anomaly within their star system.

Luna considered this, arriving at a potential explanation.

"Tilted Station is massive. If we consider its internal structure, assuming standard construction density, it should have a density of 0.2-0.3g per cubic millimeter."

"Therefore, its estimated mass is approximately 3.5×10^29 tons."

Luna carefully checked her calculations. This was a staggering mass; the Sun is only 2 x 10²⁷ tons. A station 175 times heavier than the Sun?

How could such a massive structure avoid collapsing into a black hole?

Ayla corrected Luna's calculations.

"Based on my measurements, while Tilted Station is large, it has empty nodes every 12 AU. Its actual surface area is only 32 x 10¹⁵ square kilometers. And the voids reveal that it's largely hollow, with an average density in the thousandths and a thickness of approximately 2150 kilometers."

"It's much lighter than it appears—approximately 0.59 solar masses."

That made more sense.

"An object of that mass can significantly affect a star," Luna mused.

This meant Tilted Station's mass was comparable to its star, creating a binary system. The Olive Branch civilization, using the station's mass and advanced technology, was preventing the star from moving.

Even though Luna had suspected this, the confirmation was still startling.

"A Type 2 civilization can utilize all resources within a star system. A Type 2.4 civilization, with 10,000 times the energy output of a Type 2, could likely control the entire system, including the star itself?"

This was difficult to comprehend without direct observation; only then could the vast difference between civilizations be truly grasped.

But that's why Luna sought a David-and-Goliath victory; what other recourse did the Federation have against such power?

The best defense is a good offense; even an ant must bite to make the elephant aware of its presence, careful not to crush it.

"The Olive Branch civilization likely uses a pseudo-hive mind to maintain internal unity."

"The Galactic Federation, created by you, Luna, prioritizes exploration and technological advancement through the collective imagination of its members."

"Therefore, you aren't concerned about internal conflicts, especially with me, Ayla, managing technology and knowledge, minimizing the risk of rebellion."

"But most civilizations lack this unity. Take humanity, for example. If Earth hadn't been destroyed, leaving you as the sole survivor, imagine what would have happened when humanity reached the space age."

Humanity, even on Earth, was divided into nations. Many imagined a unified humanity in space, transcending national boundaries.

Luna believed the opposite.

Reaching space would remove the unifying threat of external forces. Without this pressure, humanity wouldn't unite but rather, would compete for resources within the Solar System.

Humanity was a civilization known for internal conflict, even among family members. Unity and cooperation would be impossible without an external threat.

Conflict is humanity's eternal theme.

"Theoretically, a pseudo-hive mind is a way to mitigate internal conflicts."

Luna considered this; it seemed plausible, but it was just a theory, not a definitive answer.

They could only speculate; there was no way to access the Olive Branch civilization's history.

"Then we must proceed as planned."

What was Luna's goal here?

To sow discord within the Olive Branch civilization. Knowing they had likely experienced severe internal conflicts, leading to their pseudo-hive mind structure, she would target this vulnerability.

This would be difficult, but it would strike at the civilization's heart.

"Yes!"

Ayla looked at Luna, silently nodding.

They had ample time; the Federation was steadily progressing towards Type 2.2, a process accelerated by the Simulated Universe.

But while they were developing, so too was the Olive Branch. A mere 1% advancement by the Olive Branch could nullify the Federation's progress. The gap between them might even widen.

...

Luna requested a meeting with Chu and presented a modified Holy Grail plan.

Constructing a tachyon communication device within the star system.

Unlike before, Chu readily agreed.

The Olive Branch civilization didn't possess tachyon technology; their communication was limited by the speed of light. Luna's offer to build the device meant partial control over it, providing an opportunity for future technological espionage.

Civilizations that reach this level aren't naive; they understand each other's intentions.

But neither Luna nor Chu mentioned this; they maintained a facade of cooperation.

Luna had the device constructed in 82 years. Upon completion, she immediately sent a message to the Federation:

"1"

A prearranged signal with multiple meanings.

It confirmed that Phase One of the plan was proceeding as expected, instructing Ayla to prepare for Phase Two, involving the Filament civilization.

Another fleet, not from the Federation, would be deployed, heading not to the Orion Nebula, but another location 100 light-years away, their travel time approximately 5 times less than the Federation fleet's journey to the Olive Branch. From there, they would launch an attack on a star system within range of the Orion Nebula, simulating a Holy Grail attack and convincing the Olive Branch of the project's validity.

After the attack, Luna would invite Chu to participate as a partner.

The Federation was a collective of civilizations. If the Milky Way's dominant power truly controlled the galaxy, they could unite and potentially even overthrow it.

It was a gamble.

But a convincing performance could create a new reality, at least in the audience's perception.

Like a magic trick.

104 days later, Luna received a status update from Ayla. The Federation was thriving; their territory had tripled since Luna's departure.

The Sirius system's development was well underway; the Simulated Universe was a resounding success, accelerating technological advancement.

As a Type 2.1 civilization, they were now a dominant force in that sector, their only threat, the Olive Branch.

Luna noticed the timestamp.

The round-trip communication delay for 280 light-years should have been 106 days, but this message arrived two days earlier, meaning the distance between their systems had decreased by approximately 5.2 light-years—now 274.8 light-years. This was likely due to the other star system manipulating its orbit.

The distance between the Federation and the Olive Branch was shrinking.

A deliberate act.

Luna couldn't yet calculate the rate of change, but it exceeded standard stellar orbital velocities.

"Luna!"

Ayla called from behind.

Luna jumped, startled.

"Ayla, don't sneak up on me like that."

Ayla nodded.

"No problem."

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"I've found a weakness. The flaw in their pseudo-hive mind is their retained individuality. Within the shared consciousness, dissenting voices exist."

While most Olive Branch beings likely accepted the hive mind, among the 8.629 Quintillion beings within Tilted Station, there were bound to be dissenters.

These dissenters were Luna's target.

"How many?"

"Seventy-eight."

"Cultivate them carefully. The Olive Branch beings are effectively immortal, so we have time. We must remain undetected."

Creating social unrest.

This was Luna's goal.

The Olive Branch civilization's beings shared a unified consciousness, a seemingly perfect system for the ruling class, allowing complete control over the population.

After a prolonged period, this became the norm for the Olive Branch.

This was how civilization should be.

They should follow the leader's will.

Everything was perfect as it was.

This stemmed from—familiarity.

Familiarity is powerful; it's a form of addiction.

A lazy person cannot become industrious; even if they try, they'll eventually revert to laziness.

A diligent person, forced to be idle, becomes restless, their minds unsettled.

Familiarity breeds complacency.

The Olive Branch civilization was complacent.

Luna needed to disrupt this complacency, showing them a different way, freeing them from their self-imposed limitations.

Seventy-eight "Changelings," guided by Ayla, gradually began to question their way of life.

They would see the Olive Branch civilization's current societal structure as stagnant, oppressive—a consequence of Chu's absolute power.

This discontent then spread throughout the shared consciousness.

Thirty-two years after the plan's initiation, the initial 78 dissenters had grown to 1.8 billion, becoming a significant faction.

Initially operating in secrecy, this faction grew increasingly bold, making their presence known throughout Tilted Station.

Their rallying cry was against the established hierarchy; they believed Chu was unfit to rule and that all beings should have equal rights.

This resonated with many Olive Branch beings; most tasks and decisions were already handled by the shared consciousness, not Chu.

Chu, like Luna, served as the ultimate decision-maker, not a day-to-day administrator.

This hierarchy was inherently fragile; the ruler's power wasn't absolute. If so, why should a ruler exist?

With the spread of this message, unrest grew within Tilted Station.

The traditionalists clashed with the reformers.

And the result—civil unrest.

The Olive Branch civilization experienced internal conflict, far easier than Luna had anticipated. As an advanced civilization, they should have foreseen this.

And Chu, initially silent, seemed to be waiting for the situation to escalate.

As the administrator of such a massive station, potentially a warship, Chu was undoubtedly intelligent and would likely suspect Luna's involvement.

To avoid detection, Luna had Ayla cease contact with the Changelings after their initial recruitment. Isolated within their small sector, they waited.

Without evidence, Chu, considering the diplomatic relations between their civilizations, couldn't act against them. Direct action might trigger war.

This was the first stage.

...

Fifty years after the unrest began.

The Changelings' numbers had grown from 1.8 billion to 92.9 billion. They consolidated their power, forming their own sector within Tilted Station, accessible only to themselves.

Since Chu couldn't control the entire station alone, relying on the shared consciousness for day-to-day management, he couldn't effectively suppress the Changelings.

In the 53rd year, Chu finally intervened, revealing why the Olive Branch civilization had adopted its current social structure.

Luna heard this explanation for the first time.

When the Olive Branch civilization reached early Type 2 and controlled dozens of star systems spread across vast distances, managing these systems became incredibly difficult.

The civilization fragmented, with each star system developing independent governance. A massive civil war erupted.

This civil war lasted 7600 years—an unimaginable length of time. While the civilization advanced technologically, it was at a terrible cost.

Finally, a leader emerged.

This leader developed a technology for immortality—transferring consciousness into mechanical bodies.

Immortality!

Its allure was undeniable.

The leader used this technology to unite the Olive Branch civilization under their rule.

Because of their advanced technology, the transformation was nearly perfect, even transferring emotions into the mechanical bodies.

This meant that the Olive Branch beings retained their desires, and desires led to division.

After approximately 1100 years, the Olive Branch civilization fractured again, ruled by several dictators, each controlling a region, leading to renewed conflict.

Having become machine lifeforms, they'd lost the ability to reproduce.

This infighting reduced their population from 187.2 billion to 6.2 billion.

Facing extinction, another leader emerged—unlike the first, this leader rose from obscurity, a common soldier who had witnessed countless deaths, determined to change their fate.

This leader rose through the ranks, becoming the leader of a powerful faction and then, through diplomacy and strategic alliances, began uniting the scattered remnants of the civilization.

The fractured Olive Branch civilization began to coalesce.

But upon achieving unity, this leader wasn't satisfied but contemplated the future. Could this newfound unity last? Would the civilization inevitably fracture again?

So, they devised a solution—a shared consciousness, merging the minds of all beings within the civilization, granting them access to each other's thoughts, eliminating conflict.

This structure persisted to the present day. The leader had succeeded. The Olive Branch civilization was unified, free from internal strife.

The purpose of a leader was to provide balance; the shared consciousness, being purely logical, could lead to stagnation. An external leader, not part of the shared consciousness, provided the necessary impetus for progress.

Luna found this fascinating.

But she also wondered why Chu was explaining this.

Wouldn't other Olive Branch beings already know this history?

The Changelings weren't easily fooled. If the civilization needed a leader, why Chu? One of the Changelings' objectives was to assume leadership.

Chu's explanation, while effective for those unfamiliar with their history, was ineffective against the Changelings.

Chu's approach made Luna wary, although she didn't know the exact nature of the threat.

...

"Luna, we've received a message on the tachyon communicator," Ayla announced, entering a 300-square-meter room.

"Yes, I know."

Luna looked at Ayla, about to speak, then stopped.

Ayla's main processing unit was on the Celestial Palace; this was merely a subordinate, far less capable, and thus hadn't been much help to Luna.

Luna treated this Ayla like a computer, rarely seeking her advice.

She had considered asking this Ayla about Chu's behavior but decided the original Ayla would provide a more accurate assessment, given her access to the tachyon communicator.

Luna stood, pressing a button on her watch, and her body levitated.

Tilted Station lacked gravity; gravity generators maintained a simulated gravitational field. Luna had deactivated hers.

Her liquid metal armor enveloped her, using electromagnetic propulsion for movement.

After about an hour, Luna reached the tachyon communication device, a heavily guarded facility. She entered its massive interior.

The device looked unchanged—a small room with a computer, monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

She opened the message, noticing it had already been accessed, likely by Ayla.

The message was a series of numbers which, when decoded, formed words in Latin.

Ayla only used this method for urgent messages, as the Federation no longer used this writing system; only Luna and Ayla understood it.

Luna, after deciphering the message, felt a chill.

The first line revealed alarming news.

"Luna, the Celestial Palace's server went offline 78 years ago. Be cautious."

The Celestial Palace's server was Ayla's subordinate unit. Only two possibilities could explain its shutdown:

1. An attack breaching the first firewall.

2. Ayla's subordinate had been compromised, the server forcibly shut down to prevent the attacker from accessing its data.

Luna had intended to consult Ayla about Chu's behavior.

That was no longer necessary.

Seventy-eight years ago—before Luna initiated the unrest, while the tachyon communicator was being built—if Ayla's subordinate had been compromised, it meant the unrest had occurred with Chu's consent.

If the message hadn't been opened, Luna might have considered the first possibility. But the message had been opened, and Ayla hadn't informed her. This only left the second possibility.

A chill ran down Luna's spine.

She hadn't returned to the Celestial Palace in years. If not for her earlier instructions to build tachyon communicators along the Silk Road, the message, sent from the Celestial Palace, would have taken 275 years to reach Tau Ceti.

By then, it would have been far too late.

Never underestimate any civilization; their leaders are often cunning and ruthless.

Luna had been cautious, but she hadn't anticipated that Ayla, her closest companion, would be so easily compromised.

Fortunately, she had planned for this contingency.

"After being disconnected from the Celestial Palace, the compromised subordinate unit retained minimal information. Chu wouldn't know my true intentions or the details of Project Holy Grail."

"This means I still have some room to maneuver."

Now, she needed to understand Chu's motivations; why facilitate the unrest?

But first, she had to address the message's main objective.

She left the tachyon communication center and saw Ayla looking at her through a window.

They were far apart, but Luna's enhanced vision could easily discern Ayla's bio-engineered body.

She left the designated Federation zone and approached an Olive Branch being. "I request an audience with Chu."

It was time for another meeting.

The moment she spoke, the ground transformed into a platform, carrying her upwards.

She reached the top of a short column, where a spiral staircase descended. Luna followed it down.

She entered a massive, empty chamber (hundreds of thousands of square meters).

A dark shape emerged from a crevice, solidifying into a humanoid figure before Luna.

"Luna, it's been a while. I hear you're looking for me."

Luna nodded.

"Indeed. There's been a development within the Federation."

"Chu, our initial agreement was for peaceful coexistence, especially given our proximity, and according to your star chart, the Filament civilization is also nearby."

"The Filament, a civilization comparable in power to the Federation, has also been selected to participate in the Holy Grail Project."

"Three months ago, we declared war on the Filament. We had no choice."

"The Holy Grail War has a time limit; we have 50,000 years to destroy them, and they have 50,000 years to destroy us."

"I believe your ambassador informed you about Project Holy Grail. Therefore, Chu, I request your assistance."

Luna spoke with sincerity, even though Chu likely knew she was the cause of the Olive Branch's internal conflict.

Interstellar warfare wasn't about saving face.

Chu responded, "I require some time to consider. The Filament civilization is comparable to ours."

"A war would be costly."

"And I am only the administrator of this station, not the leader of the civilization. I need to report this."

Luna nodded.

"I understand."

"If you cannot assist us, we hope you will at least remain neutral."

"In exchange for your support, we will share the Filament civilization's technology, along with our tachyon communication technology."

This was a significant incentive.

Chu knew tachyon communication existed; its value was immeasurable.

Luna sensed Chu's hesitation—a pause of 0.2 seconds.

"I am personally inclined to assist you. Rest assured, I will encourage our leadership to cooperate. We are both peace-loving civilizations, are we not?"

Luna couldn't discern Chu's true intentions; Chu couldn't discern Luna's or the Federation's.

Both wore masks of deception, awaiting the moment of revelation.