Authors Note: This chapter will be a little information heavy for some readers hence I'd like to note that you can still enjoy the story even if you skip it.
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"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
As one of the pioneers of rocketery and astronautics once said, the eventual time had come for humanity to leave the cradle and explore beyond. Since the dawn of modern science, humanity's yearning to venture beyond our tiny blue planet and traverse the vast expanse of the universe on a planetary and galactic scale had been one of our greatest desires.
Over a millennium ago, humanity achieved the monumental feat of setting foot on the moon for the first time. A century later, Mars became the first other planet, and the second celestial body, humans had visited, marking an extraordinary achievement.
However, mere exploration was never the ultimate goal. Civilizing the explored planets was the true objective, though it proved to be much easier said than done. Terraforming, the process of transforming a planet or moon to support life suitable for humans and ecosystems, was absolutely essential for long-term habitation.
This required two critical elements: time and resources, both posing a formidable challenge for mankind. Transportation of the necessary resources across vast distances that stretched millions of miles in cold empty space was a daunting task, and the inherent limitations of the universe itself made interplanetary travel time-consuming.
It wasn't until 700 years ago, in the 24th century, that the moon could finally support its first stable colony of residents, though they were primarily comprised of researchers and scientists. Establishing a civilization on the moon was still deemed impossible due to the inefficiency and resource limitations. Transporting a large population would have been too ambitious for the emerging civilization at the time.
The decision to colonize the moon became feasible only after humanity gained the ability to harness the power of nuclear fusion, providing a much-needed impetus. Soon after, humanity established the first Martian base, just 50 years after the moon base. However, the harsh climate of Mars at the time meant that robots and automated factories had to take over the tasks of research and monitoring.
As the colonies on the Moon and Mars took their time to slowly develop with the resources available, Earth shifted its focus towards terraforming Venus, the last viable planet in the solar system that can reasonably sustain life. However, the extreme conditions and the lengthy time frame required for terraforming, compared to a human lifespan, rendered the project seemingly beyond the current scope of human technology.
However this stalemate in expansion didn't persist for long. A research lab stumbled upon a groundbreaking discovery that changed everything - the ability to harness an energy that was so fundamentally different from anything found in our universe before. With properties so unexplainable and magical, the science community decided to coin the name "Mana".
Wormholes, a subject of extensive research by humanity for interstellar travel, had been created centuries ago but since remained untraversable due to their instability. Although they could connect two points in space, the turbulence and chaos inside the wormholes made them lethal, disintegrating anything that entered and obliterating it, transforming it into a burst of pure energy.
Stabilizing wormholes was thought to be impossible. However all that changed with the discovery of "Mana". The interaction between Mana and regular energy in the universe allowed humanity to finally stabilize an open wormhole, unlocking the potential to become a spacefaring civilization.
This formation of the first wormhole almost 500 years ago, in the 26th century, opened up new possibilities. Earth became an interplanetary hub, connected not only to the moon and Mars but also to other planets used for resource mining. Even the terraforming of Venus became viable, and the first colonies took shape. The human race had finally gained the ability to populate the solar system.
The Federation launched an ambitious volunteer project, offering families the opportunity to relocate from Earth to the newly habitable planets. Over the course of 50 years, nearly half of the population had eagerly embraced this opportunity. However, strict conditions were imposed, with travel permitted only for valid reasons, to ensure orderly adaptation and prevent unregulated migration from spiraling into chaos.
The inhabitants gradually acclimated to the unique conditions on the new planets, distinct from Earth, and subsequent generations began exhibiting subtle differences resulting from the altered gravity and other environmental factors. However, as the developing colonies' energy consumption surged, nuclear fusion, the primary source of power, was reaching its limits. Efforts to utilize Mana though as a source of power, proved futile as it seemingly operated on fundamentally distinct plane of existence, impeding its effectiveness in meeting the colonies' energy needs.
As humanity's energy demands grew to match the pace of their rapid development, they turned their focus to the construction of a Dyson sphere. While a complete sphere still remained beyond their current capabilities, a simpler Dyson ring offered a feasible solution to harness the vast energy of the sun. With the aid of wormholes, humanity was able to rapidly progress and achieve unprecedented growth, the likes of which had not even been predicted by people of the past.
As time went on, the three colonies that went on to form their own civilizations, and Earth had established a unified governing system under the leadership of the Federation. Although there were occasional instances of internal conflict and rivalry between the civilizations, most disagreements were resolved through peaceful means, such as scientific discoveries and competitions held by competing academic institutes. As a result, humanity was able to focus on working towards their shared goals and aspirations, rather than resorting to violence and war.
With interplanetary travel becoming a reality, humanity set its sights on an even greater goal: becoming an intergalactic species and taking its first steps beyond the boundaries of the solar system. The discovery of wormholes seemed to bring that goal tantalizingly close, yet the dream remained out of reach as humanity struggled to open a wormhole that could transport them beyond the limits of their home star system.
However, everything changed 31 years ago. Two brilliant scientists succeeded in creating a wormhole that could transport humans beyond the confines of the solar system. While it was unknown where it lead to, they were able to confirm the destination was a planet that was certain to be beyond our solar system. Just this took the world by storm despite the lacking clarity of what was on the other side. The possibilities of being a gateway to uncharted territory, a new frontier waiting to be explored. People were filled with excitement, and soon voyages of discovery commenced under the leadership of the Federation.
However, the initial enthusiasm quickly faded, as those who ventured through the wormhole never returned, and their whereabouts remained unknown. The mystery and uncertainty surrounding the other side of the wormhole cast a pall of unease over the once-thrilling prospect of interstellar travel. Humanity, had run into an iron wall.