This radio wave bore clear hallmarks of an intelligent civilization. Specifically, it featured three short wave clusters repeated three times, five short wave clusters repeated twice, and these repeated clusters seemed to share a logical connection.
Though pinpointing the signal's exact origin was impossible, Xiao Wu could deduce from the available data that it wasn't too far from him.
Xiao Wu felt a surge of urgency. This could very well be humanity's first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligent civilization. Detecting radio waves in space like this proved that this alien civilization had at least achieved spacefaring capability.
"Not this unlucky, am I?" Xiao Wu muttered to himself.
He didn't believe other alien civilizations would mirror his approach, embarking on interstellar travel with technology only just capable of space movement. In other words, this civilization likely had attained speeds of 5% the speed of light. Such a technological gap was insurmountable. Against such science, Xiao Wu was like a lamb awaiting slaughter, powerless to resist.
Xiao Wu ordered all eight hundred-plus remaining ships into radio silence, shutting off all visible lights and running detection equipment at full capacity.
In the boundless black of space, Xiao Wu stealthily advanced.
He began urgently decoding, striving to translate the radio signal into a language he could comprehend. Simultaneously, he discreetly readied all laser cannons, high-velocity autocannons, and hydrogen bombs, prepared to fight at a moment's notice.
In this situation, fleeing wasn't an option. The other civilization likely hadn't detected him yet. Escaping would require activating the thermonuclear engines, which would emit strong radiation upon startup, almost certainly exposing him to the enemy and turning him into a target.
Xiao Wu could only maintain his current speed, coasting forward on inertia.
Ten full days passed. During this time, everything remained as quiet as usual. Xiao Wu waited silently, preparing.
Then, he received a second transmission. This one also displayed clear logical traits. The two messages together finally allowed Xiao Wu to roughly pinpoint the signal's source.
The transmission originated about eight hundred thousand kilometers ahead of Xiao Wu, approaching at four kilometers per second.
Xiao Wu was closing in on Epsilon Eridani at 550 km/s, meaning the signal's source was also near Epsilon Eridani but moving slower, at 546 km/s. At this rate, contact would occur in about half a day.
"Is it fleeing?" Xiao Wu wondered.
"First, let's analyze the messages," he calculated. "With two samples to compare, decoding their meaning should take about three hours. After that, I'll decide whether to escape."
Xiao Wu harnessed his immense computational power to analyze the two samples. After three hours, he deciphered them:
"Patrol Satellite No. 7 is nearly out of fuel, speed 13.5 km/s, probe module shut down, awaiting further instructions."
"Patrol Satellite No. 7 has successfully escaped orbit, communication module shutting down, please confirm."
Xiao Wu fell into deep thought as he read these messages.
Literally, they were communications between a device called "Patrol Satellite No. 7" and a control station. Of course, the original text didn't use "Patrol Satellite No. 7" but referred to some orbital-capable device labeled No. 7. Xiao Wu translated it into Earth terms as "Patrol Satellite No. 7."
The messages were ten days apart. Logically, it seemed that after the first message, the control station took ten days to guide the satellite out of its initial orbit and shut down its communication module.
This held a wealth of information.
Xiao Wu needed to extract critical details from these brief messages, such as the enemy's technological level, societal structure, and, most crucially, whether this civilization was benevolent or hostile.
It was a daunting task with scant data and much to analyze. But with no alternative, Xiao Wu sighed and began constructing models.
He built various societal models, discarding those inconsistent with known data while refining the compatible ones. Eventually, he derived insights.
First, it appeared this satellite would be discarded once its fuel ran out. This suggested that, to this civilization, recovering it cost more than its worth. This realization unsettled Xiao Wu.
Space travel demanded vast fuel reserves. For typical transport devices, retrieving and reusing parts was vital. For example, when a Village-class ship broke down, Xiao Wu expended fuel to tow it back, salvaging usable components rather than abandoning it entirely.
"It seems this civilization's fleet is facing an energy crisis. That's the only explanation," Xiao Wu thought, his heart sinking.
If this civilization lacked energy, Xiao Wu was in danger. They might resort to plundering him.
Another puzzling detail was "speed 13.5 km/s."
"13.5 km/s?" Xiao Wu mused. "If speed is specified, there must be a reference point. So, relative to what? It can only be moving relative to the control station. But that raises a contradiction: normally, a device running out of fuel would take at least a year to coast. In that time, it could travel 400 million kilometers. Yet, based on the signal strength I received, it couldn't have come from 400 million kilometers away."
This was a paradox. Xiao Wu pondered carefully and proposed an explanation:
"To resolve this, it must be orbiting the control station in a circular path." Using his vast computational power, he quickly tested hypotheses. "But that introduces another contradiction: under what circumstances would a fleet need a satellite moving at 13.5 km/s to constantly orbit it?"
He calculated that only a body 1.6 times Earth's mass could sustain such an orbital speed.
This was a staggering conclusion.
"Could their fleet's total mass reach 1.6 times Earth's? Is that why they need a dedicated device to monitor it constantly? No, that's impossible. Fleets have internal communication systems—why a satellite? Besides, a fleet that massive wouldn't lack fuel for one satellite."
Xiao Wu's mind reeled, unable to reconcile these conflicting clues.
The messages also contained a key phrase: "probe module."
Clearly, a probe module was used for unclear situations. So, when would a fleet need an external device to probe its own structure?
This was yet another inconsistency.
"I can't figure it out. Let's set this aside and consider their civilization's level first," Xiao Wu calculated silently.
First, they likely didn't possess superluminal communication. In quantum theory terms, they didn't know much more than humanity. Second, regarding energy, the initial message indicated fuel depletion, yet the device operated ten more days before shutting down its communication module. This allowed speculation about fuel efficiency.
Assuming it moved in a circular orbit, relying mostly on inertia, and given it was discarded, its mass couldn't be too great—otherwise, abandoning it would be impractical. Estimating its mass at ten tons with 0.1% fuel remaining, Xiao Wu analyzed further.
They still used thermonuclear fusion energy.
Xiao Wu reached this conclusion.
But a new contradiction emerged. How could a civilization reliant on thermonuclear fusion build such a colossal fleet?
A flurry of questions swirled in Xiao Wu's mind.
"If this satellite's been abandoned, maybe I can capture it." A bold idea flashed through his head.
After some deliberation, Xiao Wu clenched his teeth and resolved himself.
"Damn it! What's there to fear? I can't escape anyway, so I might as well verify their civilization's level. Even if I die, I'll go down spectacularly!"
With his decision made, Xiao Wu tuned the optical detectors to maximum precision. Finally, using faint starlight reflections, he located the device about 500 kilometers from the estimated position.
It was an odd object, shaped like a bizarre starfish, roughly ten square meters in size.
Gazing at the object before him, Xiao Wu felt a rush of excitement. This was his first encounter with an extraterrestrial civilization!
He maneuvered a Village-class ship toward the satellite at minimal power. At the lowest output, the ship's thermonuclear engine emitted only faint radiation, likely undetectable by the alien civilization. Upon approach, Xiao Wu used a robotic arm to pull the satellite into the ship's bay.
Then, he transferred it to the largest, most equipped District-class ship for analysis.