In the dark universe, one hundred fourth-generation "Xuanwu" ships quickly entered a state of sublight speed flight. Like a stream of light, they continued to fly away from the gravitational influence of the star at a speed of 230,000 kilometers per second, and began to enter a state of curvature flight.
Generally, the gravitational diameter of a star system is tens of billions of kilometers, and the distance to the next star system is hundreds or thousands of light years.
Due to the uncertainty of the existence of the "wormhole", the "Xuanwu" fleet was unable to take advantage of this shortcut. Therefore, it developed another path, using the gravitational field to develop a super curvature engine and embarked on the direction of curvature flight.
Navigating by using the gravitational field to bend the curvature of space-time line of sight is not a very profound aviation technology, but it requires a huge amount of energy to change the structure of the gravitational field.
A single gravitational field is like a celestial gravitational field. The curvature rate of space-time is the same in all aspects and angles. This kind of space-time is like the water surface in front of a lake falling, and the water surface behind it also falling simultaneously. In the end, it is equivalent to the relative unchanged. , and cannot push the boat to move.
The curvature engine creates a large-area gravitational field collapse effect. After multiple gravitational fields interfere with each other and are superimposed, the multiple gravitational fields eventually form an irregular gravitational field that can directionally change the curvature of space and time in a certain direction... Through the change of the curvature field, it is achieved Change the path forward of the spacecraft, and eventually, the spacecraft breaks through the space limit of the speed of light and enters another level of space navigation. On the surface, it is flying at the speed of light. In fact, it is essentially flying in space, not True faster-than-light flight.
The "Xuanwu" fleet that entered the curvature sailing twisted the space and moved forward at an extremely fast speed. Although the speed was far from being comparable to the convenience of traveling through the wormhole, it was still sailing in space, and the speed was far faster than that of light traveling through static space by tens of thousands. times the speed.
The stars flew by, time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
The Xuanwu fleet suddenly broke free from the curvature navigation state, and the alarm sounded loudly in the Xuanwu flagship command room.
"Alert, we have arrived in the near area of the star cluster. Abnormal energy fluctuations are found ahead. Terminate the curvature navigation immediately and wake up the commander!"
"Alert, we have arrived in the near area of the star cluster. Abnormal energy fluctuations are found ahead. Terminate the curvature navigation immediately and wake up the commander!"
…
Zhou Xiaozhi's sharp voice echoed in the flagship command room. Not long after, there was a "chichi" sound in the dormant room, and the thick dormant hatch covers opened, emitting waves of thick mist.
Zhou Yu opened his eyes and woke up from his sleep. He was quickly helped out of the dormant cabin by two service robots standing by.
"What happened? Have we arrived at our destination?" Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Xiaozhi standing in front of it in confusion and asked weakly.
"Commander, the fleet has not yet reached its destination. However, abnormal energy fluctuations have been detected ahead. If it continues to sail in curvature, it may be affected and the entire army will be destroyed." Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yuhui and reported.
After speaking, Zhou Xiaozhi released a holographic screen in front of Zhou Yu. On the screen, a vast starry sky emerged. The star cluster directly in front was the brightest and dazzling. It was the collision of dense interstellar dust particles in the nebula, which caused a magical phenomenon.
Under the high-speed impact of particles, a large number of X-rays are emitted. Along with the X-rays, there is also light in the visible light band. This light shows a faint pink color and dyes the starry sky in front of it into red clouds. At the same time, unusually powerful light explosions occur from time to time. However, the field of vision is blocked by the pink "nebula layer", making it difficult to see what is happening in the depths.
The sight in front of him immediately attracted Zhou Yu's attention. He supported the two service robots, stood up straight, and ordered: "Stop moving forward immediately."
"Yes, Commander!" Zhou Xiaozhi complied. Immediately, the Xuanwu Fleet turned off its engine thrusters and slowly slowed down its flight speed.
"Have you confirmed the cause of the abnormal energy fluctuation? Is there some change within the UC22 star cluster?" Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Xiaozhi and asked.
"Lack of effective observational data, the cause cannot be determined for the time being. There is a 75% chance that it is caused by violent activity in the star system within the cluster!" Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yu and replied.
"Is it unknown?" Zhou Yu frowned and muttered to himself, with a serious expression on his face.
There is no room for sloppiness and recklessness in interstellar navigation. Once something goes wrong, the ship and fleet will be damaged at least, or the ship will be destroyed and people will be killed. In the entire strange galaxy, there will no longer be any possibility of escape.
"Xiaozhi, how about bypassing the UC22 star cluster? How much time is expected to take?" Zhou Yu thought for a long time and looked at Zhou Xiaozhi and asked.
"It is possible to bypass the star cluster, but the area covered by the star cluster in front is too wide. If we take a detour, the fleet will have to travel at least 5-7 times longer to reach its destination." Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yuhui's report.
Hearing this, Zhou Yu's face darkened slightly. In order to avoid causing trouble to the "Fire" Wenxing, he specially selected a galaxy more than 400 light years away. This curvature voyage would already take a long time. Add another 5- 7 times the time, that’s okay!
"Commander, otherwise, we can change other directions, such as the TN232 galaxy, or here, the XYB111 galaxy..." Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yu and suggested.
Zhou Yu frowned, a little dissatisfied. The two galaxies pointed out by Zhou Xiaozhi were not ideal targets. One was too far away, and the other had few planets: "There are no suitable optional targets?"
"Commander, the other nearby galaxies are all single stars. The suitable star system is too far away from us. The nearest galaxy is 2-3 times the original target." Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yu and replied.
Zhou Yu looked at the holographic screen and frowned: "Xiao Zhi, can we pass through this star cluster? Is it risky?"
"Commander, this cluster has 12 stars. They are very close to each other, forming a complex traction structure. The largest star is this one. I call it an A-class star. Through this star map, the most So we can pass through the edge of star A." Zhou Xiaozhi explained in detail the structure diagram inside the star map of the wandering warrior.
Zhou Yu frowned, and when he was about to say something, he was interrupted by Zhou Xiaozhi: "Commander, from the particle structure analysis, the nebula energy particles covered by this layer of star clusters are not violent, and the spacecraft protective shield is enough to resist their invasion. However, I call the star inside the cluster B star. Its color is yellow-white. This color indicates that its surface temperature is higher. Correspondingly, its mass is relatively large, with a diameter of about 127.9 million kilometers. Often There is a sudden explosion of solar wind. The internal planetary system has 11 planets orbiting it, but the orbit is now unstable... The planetary system of this galaxy is bad and there should be no intelligent civilization. Therefore, as long as you pay attention to the changes in the state of the stars, nothing else should happen. Danger."
According to different surface temperatures, stars will show different colors, from low to high, red, yellow, white, and blue. Generally speaking, stars with higher surface temperatures have greater mass, but this is not always the case. For example, a red giant star is also red in color, but it can be many times larger than a red dwarf star. It appears red because it reaches the end of its life, expands in size, and drops in temperature.
The B star in the cluster is a star that appears yellow-white in color. Generally speaking, the orbits of planets orbiting stars are predictable. For example, the distance between the Earth and the sun at a certain time of the year is It is fixed, even if there is an error, it can be ignored, which results in the earth's orbit being stable. But not the planets in this galaxy. At a certain point in time during one revolution around the star, there are often big changes between the previous week and this week. This means its orbit is extremely unstable. Apparently this instability is caused by gravitational disturbances from the remaining stars.
"Are you sure there is no intelligent life? What's going on with those abnormal energy lasings? Why do I feel something is wrong." Zhou Yu frowned and examined the star map displayed on the holographic screen, expressing serious doubts.
"Commander, that is the occasional burst of material transfer between stars. Most of them are from other stars to the central star. If this star cluster continues to operate in this state, hundreds of millions of years later, they may eventually produce a supernova explosion. Condensed into a giant star!" Zhou Xiaozhi deduced the result and reported to Zhou Yuhui.
After Zhou Xiaozhi’s introduction, Zhou Yu’s eyes were widened and he couldn’t help but exclaimed: “What a magical celestial phenomenon!”
It seemed that it was right to leave the tribe and go on an interstellar voyage. Otherwise, how would it be possible to observe this magical astronomical imagination at close range? For a moment, Zhou Yu felt relaxed and happy, and became extremely passionate. This was the life he dreamed of!
"Then what are you waiting for? Since the risk is not great, start immediately and pass through this star cluster as quickly as possible." Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Xiaozhi and ordered.
"Understood, Commander, but I have something to report to you in advance. Because the star explosion state of this cluster is too complicated, we cannot conduct curvature navigation. Otherwise, we will not be able to escape if something unexpected happens. Therefore, we can only maintain sub-light speed navigation." Zhou Xiaozhi Watch Zhou Yuhui's report.
Hearing this, Zhou Yu's expression changed and he quickly asked: "Then how long will it take us to pass this star map?"
"About 3-5 months. If other unexpected changes occur, this period may be extended." Zhou Xiaozhi looked at Zhou Yu and reported uncertainly.
Zhou Yu was silent for a moment, but finally could not resist the temptation to explore this star cluster, and ordered Zhou Xiaozhi: "Go forward! Pay attention to recording the data of all stars in this star cluster."
"Understood, Commander!" Zhou Xiaozhi accepted the order. Immediately, the flight speed of the Xuanwu Fleet suddenly increased, and it continued to approach the star cluster.
Since there is no diffuse reflection in the universe, when the material in the universe, whether it is a planet or a spacecraft, is close to a star, the side facing the star is day, and the side facing away from the star is night. But behind this star cluster, there is no such thing as night. Regardless of whether the Xuanwu Fleet is facing forward or backward, in front or behind, on the left or right, it is all illuminated by these stars.
As time goes by, the Xuanwu Fleet gradually flies into the star cluster and visits this mysterious world.
Soon, a giant planet orbiting an A-class star came into Zhou Yu's sight.
Sensing Zhou Yu's attention, Zhou Xiaozhi immediately presented the structure, parameters, and shape of the entire planet on the command screen.
Zhou Yu's eyes widened as he saw the structure of the planet clearly and had to marvel at the magic of the universe again.
The surface of this planet presents a black crystalline smooth ground, with almost no big undulations, no mountains, no valleys, and the overall surface is extremely smooth, just like a black glass ball, shining with a dark luster.
"What's going on? How did this planet become like this?" Zhou Yu looked straight at the planet in front of him and asked Zhou Xiaozhi in confusion.
"Commander, those black surfaces are all molten rock. In the past time, they have been close to the star countless times, and then were burned by the star's huge heat, causing the rocky surface to melt away. Then when they were far away from the star, It cooled and condensed again, and continued to be melted until the next time it was close to the star... In the process of repeated condensation, melting, condensation, and melting, all the geological details on its surface were erased, so it finally became this A look."
"This planet does not have any atmosphere. Even if it had an atmosphere when it was first formed, it would have been stripped away by the star. Just like now, it is about 70 million away from star A, which is less than half the distance between the earth and the sun. Plus Star A is very active. At such a short distance, even the Earth's atmosphere, which is more than 1oop kilometers thick, will be completely stripped away within tens of thousands of years." Zhou Xiaozhi deduced the orbit of the planet and explained to Zhou Yu .
Under the illumination of star A, the temperature of its surface reaches about 400 degrees Celsius, and the rocky surface exudes a dim red light, like a terrifying lava hell, shining with a dark luster that preys on people.
"With such a harsh environment, this planet should not be able to form intelligent life." Zhou Yu showed a look of surprise, sighed, and continued to tell Zhou Xiaozhi: "Look at the conditions of other planets."
"Yes, Commander!" Zhou Xiaozhi obeyed, and soon, other planets appeared on the command screen one after another.
The shapes of these planets are similar. They have been ravaged by the stars in this cluster, making their surface colors tend to be heavy. They are either shiny red, scary black, or even like bright silver planets, which are time-consuming. It was polished into a metal sphere, reflecting a dazzling silver luster.
Just when Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes and was intoxicated, a silver light suddenly flashed in the command screen, and a silver beam of light shot towards them from the silver planet at a rapid speed.
"Encountered an unknown enemy attack, encountered an unknown enemy attack!..." Zhou Xiaozhi reminded loudly.
"The fleet immediately takes evasive action and is in defensive mode. The energy defense shield has maximum power output. Xiaozhi, find the enemy quickly!" Zhou Yu calmly ordered in the face of danger.
"Yes, Commander!" Zhou Xiaozhi immediately followed the order.