38 Go home

Upon arrival at the fugitive fleet, the Nightingale quickly transferred the crew of the Minerva to the ship's flagship, the Gaia, which was also the ship used by Earth's decision-makers.

Like the Watcher, the Gaia has artificial gravity and does not have to use rotation to generate centrifugal gravity like the Minerva. This allowed the crew of the Minerva, which had been out of gravity for more than half a year, to walk safely again.

After a routine greeting, the 20 members of the space station were taken to the infirmary for a medical examination, and then taken to each of the 20 single rooms for rest and accommodation. Of course, anyone with a discerning eye can see that such a distribution is to create favorable conditions for subsequent interrogation.

Miller had expected the interrogation to be intense and serious, but since the Minerva had fallen into a wormhole and all of the members' medical exams showed no N-particles, this situation somewhat disappointed some decision-makers - but not in real terms. Eventually, the one-on-one interrogation turned into a one-on-one chat, and since most of the members had the same understanding of what was happening on the Minerva, and Gao Jie, Ryan, and Shilka had been prepared to deal with it beforehand, there was little valuable information from them. However, even if the loopholes in the testimony were discovered, it would not be possible to recover the N particles that had been lost, so this pointless "interrogation" ended after only one session.

Now that the final outcome is clear, policymakers are beginning to converge and internal divisions are quietly fading. As the decision-makers on the fugitive fleet reunited, the voices of the sub-decision-makers on Earth and the separatists on Peace-2 suddenly waned and soon disappeared.

As Miller put it, they succeeded in maintaining this "false peace."

……

In November, the former Minerva crew finally enjoyed a long-awaited treat: Ryan finally got the Coca-Cola he had been dreaming of, Gao Jie and his companions from Asia were given a full Peking duck set, and the vodka and cigars that Miller had cherished so much could even be served here...... The abundance of dishes and drinks served on board the Gaia created a great contrast for the members who were accustomed to compressed supplies, and they felt indescribably uncomfortable while enjoying the food.

Before the Minerva crew arrived at the fugitive fleet, the crew of the Mir-2 Mars orbital space station completed the personnel rotation, and they boarded Gaia one step earlier, and the Mir-2 crew and Minerva crew have not met each other due to the different areas of activity they have been assigned to. Rumors have it that someone on Mir-2 contacted Miller to start a rebellion using N-particles, but it was also confirmed that the communication records were false, and of course there was no other evidence due to Minerva's fall into a wormhole.

The sub-leaders who are still on Earth have been working diligently to maintain the normal operation of social order after the decision-makers boarded the fugitive fleet, and it has to be said that their results are still satisfactory, using propaganda, entertainment, and social welfare to calm the restless public mood, and also using stand-ins to bring decision-makers who have not been seen for a long time back into the public eye to dispel all kinds of rumors...... With their proper handling, people's lives have continued as before, and there have been no more public crises.

On November 4, the fugitive fleet reversed course and officially began its journey back to Earth. Most of Gaia's passengers, including decision-makers and members of the two space stations, and other crews, entered the hibernation module to survive the next three months.

——

From receiving a signal from a distant planet to the appearance of a wormhole;

From the self-help of mankind in the "era of great reconciliation" to the mysterious agreement of "Meet me at the gate";

From the secret execution of the "Mule Project" to the completion of the Minerva space station;

From the arrival of the N-star consciousness as promised, to the formulation of the "Star Plan", to the invasion of the Nt fleet, it is gradually approaching......

From the Watcher's passage through the wormhole to the transmission of the first control command;

From the departure of the fugitive fleet, to the rebellion on the Minerva;

From the self-destruction of the Watcher, to the miraculous message received by the Minerva;

From the Earth Observatory, the Fugitive Fleet, the Mir-2, the Minerva debris impacted...... By Slingshot 0, humanity is ready to face the apocalypse;

Once those despairs of absolute power, impossible interceptions, unbreakable armadas......

Until the three explosive orbs of light declared the invincible Nt fleet completely wiped out, humanity was victorious in this extraterrestrial crisis that lasted for more than half a century......

However, there is still a worrying part - that is, the more mysterious N-star civilization. Where the hell are they? Does it still exist? Is their real purpose in helping humanity really what they say it is? …… So far, these questions have not been answered. Humanity should indeed be highly vigilant against this alien civilization that knows the location of the Earth, but we also believe that the destruction of the Nt fleet is also a good reminder to them-

Human beings still have infinite possibilities.

……

On February 16, 2105 AD, the hibernating aboard the Gaia woke up to their delight with the news that the Gaia would arrive on Earth in three days. In fact, the Earth was already in Gaia's field of vision, a very bright star in the dark curtain.

After more than seven years away from their home planet, the members of the Minerva have gone through many hardships and dangers to finally return to their hometown and reunite with their families after a long absence. But there are five members who will never be able to come back, which has also become an eternal regret in the hearts of Miller, Gao Jie and others.

The Gaia was full of people excitedly discussing what to do when they returned home. At the same time, in the spacecraft, there is a team of clerks in suits and leather shoes who look like senior secretaries, who are staff members of the United Nations Space Command.

The staff found Gao Jie, who was chatting with Shilka and Ryan.

"Is there anything you want me to do?" Gao Jie asked after seeing the business card shown by the other party.

The staff was friendly: "Yes, you are required to sign a document...... Oh, and the two friends over there, who also need you to sign. The staff told Ryan and Shilka while handing each of them a document titled "Non-Disclosure Agreement." I hope that you will sign it and fulfill your obligations. ”

The three of them took a quick look at the "Non-Disclosure Agreement", and its general content was to require the signatories to keep everything that happened on the Minerva confidential, including the N-star people and their technology (including N particles), the invasion of the Nt fleet, the Stellar Project, the Earth Defense Plan, the Fugitive Fleet, etc., and the contents must not be leaked, otherwise the leaker will be responsible for the adverse consequences.

In fact, everyone understands that this non-disclosure agreement ultimately protects the decision-makers who have abandoned the people and fled the battle, so it is certainly impossible not to sign it. Gao Jie signed it without the slightest hesitation, she had suffered from the threat to the lives of her husband and children, so naturally there was no need to put them in danger again. Under Gao Jie's lead, Ryan and Shilka also signed without complaint.

The staff was satisfied with the recovery of the three agreements, and specifically instructed them to strictly abide by the contents of the agreements after arriving on Earth, because public opinion and propaganda media would definitely not be on their side.

"One more thing," the staff continued, "tomorrow at 3 p.m., this commendation ceremony against the Nt fleet will be held in the conference room in this area, which will be attended by many leaders...... Oh, and this event is not subject to the agreement. ”

"Medals, right?" Shilka asked.

"Yes, the medal will be awarded to the representatives of the highest honor in astronautics. But ......"

"But because the action is to be kept secret, the medal has to be withdrawn after it has been issued." Ryan took over and spoke.

The staff nodded.

Yes, the world is still that world, and we are still familiar with it.

"Oh yes! Please also ask the two face-to-face to sign on it. The staff member smiled and sent the autograph book to Ryan for autographs, who signed in a dashing manner — a job he was used to, after all.

"Thank you!" The staff took the autograph book and handed it to Gao Jie, "And you, Ms. Gao." ”

This made Gao Jie a little flattered: "Am I also a celebrity?" ”

"Of course!" The staff made no secret of their admiration, "If it weren't for the confidentiality agreement, the Stars program you proposed would be the most ambitious space development project in human history, and it would have saved human civilization, and Ms. Gao's name would have gone down in history!" ”

"You've won a prize." Hearing such praise, Gao Jie was also a little embarrassed. After signing, the staff took back the signed book with satisfaction.

"You may not know how famous you are, Ms. Gao." The staff said, "In the past, we even gave you an extremely domineering nickname to express our admiration for you." ”

"What's the nickname?" Gao Jie couldn't help but ask curiously, and the answer he got was - "Destroyer of civilization." ”

Gao Jie's consciousness instantly became in a trance, and the brain that she was most unwilling to hear and think about was flooded into her heart, impacting the nerves of her brain...... By the time she recovered, the staff were already shaking hands with her and saying goodbye.

"Destroyer of civilization? Hum...... It turns out that I am the destroyer of civilization......" Gao Jie's heart kept laughing at herself, her expression gradually stiffened, her eyes seemed to have lost something, and her lips were bloodless-

That's right, she is indeed the destroyer of civilization.

Shilka noticed Gao Jie's strange appearance and immediately stepped forward to reassure: "Gao, don't care what nickname he said, the Star Project has saved human civilization, and it's worth it!" ”

Almost instantly, Gao Jie returned to his original self and responded to Shilka's comfort: "Don't worry, I won't care, I won't regret what has happened." With that, she said goodbye to the two of them and went to her cabin.

"Hope she's okay." Shilka muttered to herself.

Ryan added: "It's impossible that she doesn't care, but don't worry, she still has time and family, and she'll dilute it." ”

……

Soon it was time for the next afternoon's commendation ceremony, in which the leaders of the countries were present in attendance, who not so long ago had been in opposition to the same party because of their different stance on N-particles, but now they were present together to show their unity.

Yes, the world is still that world, and it's hard not to be familiar with it.

The leaders awarded the highest medal of honor to the members of the former Minerva space station, and posthumously awarded medals and martyrdom titles to the five members who failed to return—whether it was the leak of Mei Toda or the defection of Lucien and others. This decision was somewhat comforting to the members, especially Miller.

Sure enough, the medal was awarded and then recovered, even though many people had not yet seen what the medal looked like. But they don't care, compared to the medal, the upcoming return to Earth, back to their families is what they really want.

"If we like applause, we'll just go to the circus." Miller had a rare sense of humor.

The ceremony ended quickly, and the leaders left one after another, leaving only 20 members of the original Minerva in the conference room, which was supposed to be their last reunion before arriving on Earth, and no one took the initiative to leave, saying goodbye to their companions who had been working side by side for nearly a decade, a difficult process.

Miller wanted to use the live microphone to give his final speech, but he felt that doing so would inevitably make the atmosphere too solemn, so he asked Ryan to take the microphone, hoping that he could use his singing voice to liven up the atmosphere. Ryan picked an old song that was very appropriate for the occasion: "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

……

Life there is old, older than the age of the tree,

It is younger than the mountains and grows slowly like a warm wind.

……

Everyone unconsciously hummed along, and even sang this popular song without a teacher.

Shilka, who was sitting in the back, looked at Gao Jie's back by the window in front of her, and her heart was also full of mixed feelings, she knew that the nickname of the so-called "civilization destroyer" stabbed Gao Jie's heart, but this is also an out-and-out fact: she created countless civilizations, and destroyed countless civilizations, her star plan was extremely cruel, but she saved human civilization at the last moment, and who can say clearly about the merits and demerits of this? To put it more bluntly, what she did was just to ensure the safety of her family!

Time will dilute everything, time will prove everything, and time will have its own judgment.

……

Country road, take me home,

To where I grew up,

West Virginia, Mother Mountain,

Country Road, take me home!

……

I don't know who shouted: "Earth! Look at the Earth! ”

Almost everyone flocked to the window, and on the pitch-black cosmic set, the colorful earth shimmered under the night sky, and the circular outline loomed, like a lighthouse guiding them back home.

The music continues, the singing continues, the earth is getting closer, and home is just around the corner.

Shilka looked at Gao Jie again, she just tilted her head slightly, looking out the window - this made Shilka wonder in her heart: what kind of mood did Gao Jie have to look for the lights on the earth?

……

Country road, take me home.

Country Road, take me home!