The successful summoning profoundly shocked Steve, but his brilliant, computer-like mind did not allow him to soak in optimism, even for a moment. Heroic Spirits were a variable, a powerful tactical weapon, but at the strategic level, they could not fundamentally reverse his disadvantage. As long as he remained on this chessboard called the "Solar System," he would constantly be overshadowed by threats like ORT and the wandering predatory planets. All his actions merely delayed the coming of the end.
Now, with a new trump card in hand, he decided to play the coldest and most ruthless move yet. Steve, accompanied by Sion and the ever-shadowing Watcher, left the summoning chamber and returned to the highest strategic bridge of "Avalon"—high enough to overlook the stars themselves.
Here, he summoned the entire Federal Supreme Military Council—all the generals who had bet everything on this gambit, and Klaus, the "MythosOps" advisor.
Just as everyone expected him to announce an all-out offensive plan based on their new combat power, he instead pulled up a file marked "Top Secret"—[Tinder Project].
"Everyone," Steve's voice sounded eerily calm through the bridge's amplifiers. "I hereby formally announce the launch of the [Tinder Project]."
The entire bridge was instantly plunged into dead silence. The generals exchanged looks of shock and confusion. All of them were familiar with this plan—defined as a "civilization continuity project only to be executed in the event of total defeat and destruction of the Federation."
Start it now?
In their view, this was equivalent to admitting defeat.
General Harold Goodrian, the one-eyed veteran and famed commander of the First Fleet, was the first to stand. His thick, mechanical prosthetic slammed into the conference table with a dull thud.
"Commander! Please reconsider! We've just gained the aid of a 'god'—morale at the front lines is at its peak!"
"To initiate the 'Tinder Project' now is tantamount to announcing our intention to retreat—to our entire army, and to our enemies! This would devastate our morale! Our soldiers would believe their Supreme Commander is preparing to abandon them!"
His words were quickly echoed by the other generals. Even Klaus, who had just witnessed a miracle, wore a worried expression. While not an expert in military matters, he understood too well the importance of morale in war.
Steve listened to the doubts in silence, then slowly raised his hand to halt the commotion. His gaze swept over everyone; the calm and depth in his eyes unconsciously steadied the agitated generals.
"General Harold, your concerns are fully understood."
"But all of you here have misunderstood the true essence of the [Tinder Project]."
He walked toward the massive observation window, the blue and distant planet—Earth—framed behind him.
"Is this merely an escape, a tool for defeatism?"
"But on the contrary—"
He turned, and though his voice was not loud, his words carried clearly.
"This is the final line of retreat we must cut away to win."
"As long as this plan is not activated, deep inside, there will always lurk the thought: 'what if we fail?'"
"Unconsciously, we hoard strength, hesitate, and miss our chance out of fear of loss."
"And now," he spread his arms as if to embrace the whole starry sky, "let us send away this 'just in case'—let us utterly cast it away in this moment."
"I am entrusting the future of our civilization, the hope of future generations, and all our knowledge and heritage to those ten ships that will now sail away from the Solar System forever."
"From this moment on, there is no longer any retreat for those who remain!"
"You do not need to worry about the survival of civilization anymore, because 'survival' has already been entrusted to them."
"And for us who remain, the only mission left is to fight! To win!"
"Our duty is to plant the ideals and the banner of the Human Federation upon every corner of that blue planet—at any cost!"
"Now we fight with our backs to the water, but our civilization is already invincible!"
His words exploded across the hearts of the generals like thunder. Doubts and confusion in their eyes gradually gave way to a fanatic, unparalleled conviction.
Exactly! It was not about retreat—it was about enabling them to fight without remorse! This was the highest-level strategy, 'kill to live'!
At that moment, the Watcher, who had been standing statue-still behind Steve, turned his smooth silver mask slightly towards the center of the discussion. For the first time in a military meeting, his synthetic, utterly emotionless voice rang out:
"Phenomenon analysis: [Civilization Seeding]."
"This action increases the probability of survival for the concept of 'humanity' under the current crisis from 51.3% to 99.1%."
"Judgment: Optimal solution."
This cold, objective pronouncement—the voice of the world itself—was the final straw. All doubt vanished.
The generals stood up in unison, saluting him with the highest standard of military respect, their eyes burning with unprecedented fighting spirit.
"At your command, Supreme Commander! We pledge our lives to fulfill the mission!"
Steve nodded and issued his orders.
"Connect the communications of the secret dock's 'Cradle' to L5, and issue the final order to the Tinder Fleet—set sail."
On the bridge's main screen, the feed changed. Ten bizarrely-shaped starships hung in the void of the Lagrange point, silent, facing the direction of five o'clock. These were not battleships, nor were they armed. Instead, they were gargantuan, honeycomb-like habitats, and each had at its stern a complicated "nuclear fusion fluid jet drive" emitting a faint blue glow.
These were the "Ark Class" emigrant ships—the very last Noah's Arks of human civilization.
At his command, the ten arks' engines ignited at once. There was no fiery blast—just a deep, quiet phenomenon.
The space behind them visibly warped, turning into total darkness as if erased by an invisible hand. The colossal ships accelerated at breathtaking speed toward the outer edge of the Solar System—and not a trace of visible propulsive force could be seen.
On the bridge of the Ark called "Natural Selection," the grizzled Admiral Fang Yuan and the young scholar candidate officer Xiao Yan led the crew, taking a last look at their home, dotted with stars.
The screen displayed farewells from countless settlers—tears and blessings mingled as they said goodbye.
…
Back on the "Avalon" bridge, Steve quietly gazed at the ten points of light on the screen as they gradually disappeared. He did not speak, but his heart was heavy beyond anyone's comprehension.
He had exiled ten thousand of his fellows forever, rendering their return impossible, exiling them for centuries. They would spend their lives inside frozen starships, with their children and children's children born, growing, and aging within them. They might never find a proper home, or they might vanish forever into endless emptiness.
This was the price he had to pay for the ultimate goal, "survival"—and it was also unspeakably cold.
Sion approached him quietly. She didn't say a word, just reached out to hold his hand tightly. Her palm was soft and warm, as if she were shouldering some of that crushing responsibility together with him.
Finally, on the screen, the ten points of light flared silently and disappeared completely in a single burst—they had completed their final cosmic jump, entered the true sea of stars, and would never look back.
A solemn atmosphere lingered on the bridge. Steve released Sion's hand, slowly turned, and faced the generals once more. The main screen still showed the enemy—the blue planet—looming ahead.
His eyes were stripped of all warmth and hesitation; only cold steel and a razor edge remained.
His voice was firm.
"The last insurance policy is now active."
"Now let us discuss—how to win this war."
…