บท 1: Chapter 1: H'el's Awakening
In the boundless, lifeless, cold and desolate void, in the vast and eternal darkness of space,
The sparkling stars in the night sky are nothing but insignificant embellishments in this vast universe.
In this dark and frigid cosmos, amid the studded starry sky, a space exploration vessel marked with the colors of the Krypton Star Technology Institute, measuring one hundred and sixty meters in length, fifty meters in height, and ninety meters in width, with a pitted and damaged surface, drifts through the lonely expanse of space.
Inside the vessel,
Life Nutrient Chamber.
In the dark and cold Life Nutrient Chamber, the wall lights suddenly illuminate silently, brightening the entire room as if it were daytime.
The entire Life Nutrient Chamber contains only one cryogenic chamber.
"Shh..."
The cryogenic chamber makes a sound as its lid automatically opens, and a burst of cold mist and air escapes from it, filling the entire Life Nutrient Chamber.
Within the mist-filled Life Nutrient Chamber, a projection beam shoots out from a crack in the wall, revealing the image of a middle-aged man with wise eyes and a calm demeanor.
"The ship has passed through the asteroid belt and consumed too much crystal energy. Has it reached the point of awakening life to decide the vessel's final journey?"
The middle-aged man's wise gaze is filled with complexity.
No intelligent system on any spaceship can replace the life inside when it comes to making the final decision about the ship's course.
Sometimes, a sudden spark of life can find a way to survive that is beyond the reach of an AI system.
At the last moment, whether to live or die, the Kryptonians have the right to decide their final fate. This is the ultimate decision-making authority guaranteed by the Kryptonian Life Council for those onboard the ship.
Within the icy white mist,
H'el, lying in the cryogenic chamber, suddenly opens his eyes. Even though the cryogenic chamber has already warmed up, he still feels the icy touch on his skin, a chilling sensation that seeps through every pore, bringing a cold shiver. His heart beats strongly, pumping blood throughout his body, providing warmth to the muscles beneath his skin.
He moves his fingers slightly, and his eyes, now alert, focus. He takes a deep breath of the cold air, and the chilly sensation travels down his throat, through his windpipe, stimulating his lungs. It makes him aware of his own existence, and the strength within him gathers from the depths of his bones and bloodstream, revitalizing his muscles.
H'el uses his strong hands to prop himself up and sits up.
"It worked."
With a handsome face, a warm and composed expression, black hair flowing down to his shoulders, and deep, confident, and serene black-hole-like pupils, he gazes at the projected figure beyond the icy white mist.
"Father, is that you?"
H'el emerged from the cryogenic chamber, a tall and imposing figure stepping out of the icy white mist. His body was tall and robust, with his skin tightly hugging the contours of his muscular frame, portraying a perfect embodiment of male charisma.
With a look of both joy and curiosity, he inquired, "Father, by waking me up now, have we succeeded?"
Jor-El, whose gaze was originally complex, became even more so upon seeing H'el emerge from the mist. His expression carried a hint of indescribable melancholy as he forced a smile and said, "H'el, perhaps you should go to the control room."
"Hmm?"
H'el only displayed a mild curiosity on the surface, but deep down, he knew that this was probably the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.
However, H'el felt no disappointment because leaving Krypton was already the beginning of an extraordinary journey for him.
Ignoring Jor-El's projection, with a slight chill on his skin, he pushed aside the white mist and headed straight for the control room. Along this short journey, H'el kept chatting with Jor-El, reminiscing about their time on Krypton, where Jor had been his mentor, and the various research they had conducted together.
He cherished memories of the peculiar landscapes of Krypton, the bruises from sparring with Zod, the heartfelt smile when Kara was caught speeding in her hovercar, and the delicious dishes prepared by his foster mother, Lara.
The time on the surface of Krypton had been a fulfilling experience that he had never had in his previous life.
Jor-El's projection appeared with H'el's footsteps, and he fell silent every time he heard H'el reminisce about the time they had spent together on Krypton.
The control room was actually quite rudimentary, consisting of only the main control console and some steel seats not far away, surrounded by an open space designed for projecting a 360-degree view of the starry sky outside the spaceship.
The presence of an AI system only required the commander to issue commands, and everything could be done automatically.
However, inside this space exploration vessel, there was only H'el and his foster father, Jor-El, who had implanted some of his consciousness during the ship's launch.
As he entered the control room and saw the projected 365-degree starry sky environment, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.
He had been in cryostasis for some time, and at the beginning of the freezing process, he had given orders to set a course for a star system with a yellow sun while ensuring safety.
H'el's gaze scanned the starry universe projected in the control room, and it was evident that the ship, the Dawn, had not found the yellow sun as expected. It had deviated from its intended course to the point where locating Earth would be a challenge.
"Dawn, report on the ship's current status."
He then issued the command.
Rows of projection data and dynamic projections indicating damaged parts of the spaceship appeared before him.
The Dawn's AI system provided timely explanations.
"Crystal core engine energy remaining at 3%..."
"Energy protective shield malfunction..."
"Internal radiation shielding barrier starting up..."
"Outer hull damage rate reached 64%, engineering machinery is currently being used to remove damaged outer layers and reinforce the inner layers."
"Estimated drift progress can last for 18 years..."
"Please set the drift course location..."
Drifting aimlessly...
H'el felt a sense of despair in his heart. Is this really how my good father has dealt with me?
"Open the navigation logs."
As expected, the navigation logs were empty.
H'el sat silently in an iron seat, his face expressionless. His elbows rested on the cold armrest, fingers interlocked on his nose, and his deep and resolute eyes were exposed.
In this dazzling starry sky, he sat in the iron seat in silence.
If he could, he really didn't want to come to this moment.
The projection light shone in the control room, and the figure of Jor-El was projected. He looked at H'el, who was sitting in the steel seat, with a guilty and reluctant expression.
"H'el..."
"Father, why did you do this? In just two years, you've depleted the crystal core engine energy to 3%, changed the originally set course, and allowed the ship to drift aimlessly, resulting in Dawn's calculation that there is no hope for awakening me."
H'el's tone no longer carried the joy of seeing his father.
Since they had come to this moment, he was willing to attribute any slight pain to Jor-El.
"That's enough, H'el. There's no need to question, and there's no need to pretend. It makes me feel guilty and uneasy about this part of my consciousness. When I initially duplicated this part of my consciousness to the ship, it was indeed a difficult decision, and I found it hard to believe that you would turn out to be this person. But since this part of my consciousness is here, it means that no matter how the consciousness and emotions fluctuate, it cannot change the determination I made at the beginning."
Jor-El's expression of guilt and reluctance paused.
Abandoning his son in the vast, lifeless, lonely, and cold deep space was not something he felt good about.
"I don't understand. Aren't our goals the same? Isn't it our duty to save Krypton?"
H'el's tone was firm and resolute.
Before they boarded this ship, Jor-El and H'el's had always been a model father-son pair on Krypton.
Jor-El, the most respected scientist on Krypton, and his son, H'el-El, who possessed excellent qualities such as a love for Krypton, amiability, kindness, cheerfulness, stability, intelligence, honesty, justice, fairness, generosity, positivity, handsomeness, strength, honesty, sincerity, warmth, and perseverance.
They had always been praised as the most outstanding pair in the Kryptonian Science Academy.
All scientists believed that the bright future of Krypton was in the hands of this father and son.
Now... my father has betrayed me!
He has exiled me to drift in the depths of space.
A faint trace of regret flashed through H'el's heart.
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