Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars

by Matthew Opdyke

  Typically, the large jump gate terminals were located on the first, fifth, tenth, and the second to top floors. If so desired, a person could rent any of the cold-fusion exotic vehicles for a minimal cost, typically reimbursed by Eliza, where these cars and trucks could be parked for free. A driver would park there after making some sort of morale-inducing drive using preferred and ultra clean exotics from tech city to tech city.

  The night went by, their dreams faded to their professional briefings, training, updates, upgrades, downloads, experiential physiological-neurological integration, and then quiet and peaceful slumber.

  Morning came, and Eliza and Yesha woke up to the birds singing and the soothing trickle of the waterfall cycling oxidized water into their coy fish pond, they went inside, ate some sourdough toast with clean butter, drank some ‘Broke Instant Coffee, courtesy of Bobbi Gahan, showered, wore holo-travel attire, and then teleported to the nearest parking garage, in Cambridge, at the T.O., and climbed into a sporty white Lamborghini Huracán together to race to DC.

  While hyperloops, jump gates, and teleportation options were always available, it was still nice to get out and experience the freedom of driving at or near supersonic speeds and listening to favorite music, from city to city, while on large and very wide highways where each lane was designed with ultimate aesthetics and safety in mind. Within any particular lane, there was a safety enclosure of seemingly invisible walls that provided a beautiful view of historic, fantasy, and actual scenes of the terrain, as well as sunset, night-time, and sunrise beauty views, all as personally adjusted. Lights from any window, pathway, terrain, or highway were such that observers could see an accented night-time sky, all of this while providing drivers a safe setting for driving at near-supersonic speeds. Each of these highways was also well above access to any wild or sentient creature, or walkway, protecting them or anyone from any traffic harm.

  Yesha was behind the wheel, they played Erin Carter’s favorite music and the latest playlist of Female Vocal Trance, the arpeggios were soothing and moved resplendently with the bass and angelic lyrics and vocals, and Eliza was taking it all in. She linked with Yesha, neurologically, and shared some loose thoughts.

  “With all of the new technologies that allow families and friends more time to bond on vacations, they’ve grown their circles of inclusion and have acquired solid educations, swam together, worked-out together, honed their sports and arts skills, enhanced their science expertise, and shared their experiences in the Virtual Universe, and you know? This is what I would call a Golden Age. This is a very harmonious era where critics and writers have worked together for the very first time in the history of humanity to bridge skills and inspire minds to resolve issues rather than create them. Challenges will be had along the way, no doubt, but much more can be done if each person’s wealth of genius is shared with another’s in the pursuit of overcoming any challenges potentially conceived.”

  Yesha listened to Eliza, and she was right, there was a sense of humanity about how each individual had come together to build a legacy worthy of preserving. There was always another challenge or push for creativity that would surface and bring more substance, meaning, and joy to life. As each month had gone by, since her first UAS State of the Union, people rotated from location to location and spheroid to spheroid, allowing their nanos, neurons, and cells to become familiarized with a wide variety of environmental conditions to prepare for those that might exist throughout the Universe. So many people volunteered and prepared quickly that it was not long before the crews for each IMC spacecraft filled just as fast. All was calm with a sense of unity because it was known that there would be so much more to do. More challenges would naturally come along, with excitement for life and all of its wonders, including those of the Universe, filling the air.

  Before arriving in DC, they began to share more loose thoughts. This time Yesha was on an open channel with Eliza.

  “As current leader of Pathway and as IMC Vice Commander, Erin’s inventions have been among the many that have allowed soon-to-be deep space travelers the ability to add new auto-navigation package installations to their own spacecraft, and because of her efforts the IMC added these features as well for safe travel and training throughout the solar system. I’ve seen the science behind how Pathway Auto-Navigation Packages can theoretically allow anyone to navigate around black holes or other space dangers, while providing scientists an opportunity to understand Universal phenomena more fully, so as to preserve life, and I will say that the details are pretty solid. All of these new features and much more have now been added to both the IMC and all UAS infrastructure throughout the solar system. I’ve certainly got to hand it to her. I’m so glad you sent Amber to visit with her and save her life all those years ago.

  “Thinking about it, Eliza, after many people from the US had begun to return from their sabbaticals before the end of our first year, their eagerness to get involved went full-throttle on many inventions, business ideas, and innovations to keep the economy of creativity, well-being, and purpose booming, and much of the same is going on throughout the rest of World. You’ve done so much, and it’s been quite the honor riding this train with you. Just as you have done for the US, Eliza, you have likewise paid the debts of every nation and every individual throughout the World, while giving them an endless supply of wealth, contingent upon agreement to live according to the laws of Universal Ethics and you should be proud, but I admire your humility notwithstanding it all. Doing all that you have done and inspiring so many to become and to create even more leaders for good, now, that is brilliance on your part, young lady. It’s amazing how each person in every nation has worked together in the Virtual Universe and how their appreciation for each other’s uniqueness has grown, as did diplomacy and solar-system-wide unity. Together, everyone has presented their plans to each other, to me, and our cabinet members, have found many similarities in governance and have requested to finally submit a unified a plan to present to the UAS Government. They would like to send at least two highly skilled and very capable Envoys on each JSC, or UAS Command Spacecraft, unique to each existing sovereign nation, to work together on Observation Posts prior to setting up entire planets in each galaxy for colonization. What is your take on that, Eliza?”

  “I like the idea, Yesha, and I will present it today, along with some other policy-related items. Reaching out to the minds of all of our citizens, I believe we’ll be able to get a unanimous vote if we suggest that each planet, its moons, and geographically regional spheroids can be grouped into ten countries and be considered sovereign states of the UAS. Today, our entire solar system will be united. Pathway will be able to divest itself of governance, and as a result, be more available to industrial forays. When we journey out, we’ll be one governing body, abiding by the laws of Universal Ethics. There are about 190 sovereign nations on Earth, all of whom are a part of the UAS, so adding the solar system regions as ten sovereign states will give the solar system a total of 200 United Allied States and will mean 400 Envoys per UAS Command Spacecraft. We’ve got this.”

  Both Yesha and Eliza donned their official attire for the State of the UAS, got out of their Lamborghini, and teleported to their private office in the House of Representatives. “Are you ready for this, Eliza?”

  “I am. You look stunning, by the way,” said Eliza. Together, they walked up to the arrangement of chairs behind the podium and sat down.

  During the second year of the UAS, established Friday, July 4th of 2025, with a State of the UAS on Thursday, July 24th of 2025, President Eliza Williams put up for a vote an additional amendment wherein it could be agreed upon by all citizens worldwide to nominate, vote on, and employ two UAS envoys representing each sovereign country to be on board each IMC Command Spacecraft for each zone, so they could further unite the solar system while respecting uniqueness.

  “It is an honor to speak to a solar-system-wide and unified population today. It has been twenty days since we formed the UAS, and I sub
mit before you a request for a truly democratic vote by each of you, today, which is an idea I am impressed with and am extraordinarily pleased to say came from many honorable citizens from all over the globe. This idea, I have the strongest confidence, will bring fairness as we comb the Cosmos. There will be time enough for proper observations and discussions prior to settling future planets. To assist with that, there will be room and positions enough available for two highly skilled and diplomatically-oriented crewmembers from each country on board each UAS Intergalactic Mission Contingency Command Spacecraft. For brevity, feel free to refer to UAS IMC Command Spacecraft as command spacecraft. These unique crewmembers will be integrated within and work alongside the crew, representing every one of the countries in an honorable manner. They will serve and be known as UAS envoys. Also, for fairness, there will be one woman and one man composing each two-person envoy team from each country. These envoys will meet regularly within the Virtual Universe to go over plans and introduce them to the command spacecraft leadership prior to implementation.

  “Although there will be a rank structure onboard that is military-like, it will be to facilitate discipline throughout these important journeys and missions, and to reduce unnecessary drama.

  “As our IMC moves forward on its journeys to each of twelve zones of countless galaxies, to establish observation posts and zonal headquarters, and to each region and sector identified for colonization, these locations will be populated based on votes from each of us, at least if there are any objections to actions already taken. Leadership and the envoys will work together to set up equitable population colonies in a quick and expeditious manner. For each solar system dedicated to a particular sovereign nation, there will be a planet set up for UAS colonies and affairs. No matter where we go, we have all agreed to start life correctly this time, with benevolence, preservation of life and a lifespan of quality, with consideration for the well-being of others as well as ourselves, and with the facilitation of clarity of mind in understanding others, the sciences, the arts, being understood, and ultimately understanding how each one of us will help to advance civilization in a healthy, beautiful, kind, and loving way. These are the standards we’ve agreed upon in the laws of Universal Ethics. We will be considerate of ecosystems and intelligent life, as much as is reasonably possible, no matter where we travel.

  “We have sensory scanners that can embrace the full scope of every living being and every object down to the smallest particle within one radial parsec, with potential to scan likewise out through to one-hundred-thousand radial kiloparsecs, and all within less than one second, due to the nature and unlimited processing power and capabilities of our sensors and transceivers. With this information, we will be best informed to make decisions as to whether or not to change an environment to adapt to Earth-style needs, or not. We’ll begin by inhabiting the uninhabitable. We will bring beauty where there is none. We will bring life where none can be had. We will preserve Suns, rather than watch them expand and waste away into oblivion, destroying every ecosystem and bit of history within its reach that it can.

  “We do not want to wipe away civilizations, rather instead we want to preserve life and bridge diplomacy wherever possible. Ultimately, we want to preserve the life and longevity of the Universe itself, and we will continue to evolve beyond our own demise and bring promise to our Universe along with it.

  “Our responsibilities on each command spacecraft are to preserve the lives of those we meet, and to most importantly preserve the lives of each living being we travel with. We will find that we can be most successful in doing this as we forge bridges of enriching communication for diplomatic measures and for purposes of mutual understanding and enriching enjoyment of our shared Universe. With our shared respect for life and communication, we will overcome even greater challenges ahead, together.

  “I also bring before you a vote to allow for the development of shared-nation planets in all of their varieties, UAS planets, and individual-nation planets, all of which will be dispersed onto equitable terrain throughout every solar system of every galaxy. With our abilities for cold-fusion, there is much more equity with consideration for mass, rather than from any quantity of any particular type of element or particle.

  “Therefore, in any given solar system, any solar system-related issue or any human or other sentient being’s rights or matters issues, as far as fair representation is concerned, thirty-three percent of voting power will come from shared nation planets, thirty-three percent will come from UAS planets, and thirty-four percent will come from sovereign nation planets within any given solar system, Universe-wide.

  “This is intended to be a system of checks and balances, if and when that is needed, while providing more decentralized power and autonomy to the various sovereign nation planets, once agreed upon through UAS votes. While we’ve each promised to abide by the laws of Universal Ethics, sovereign nation planets will maintain autonomy in all affairs that are not interplanetary, yet the UAS and any planet shall and will provide allowances within the scope of Universal Ethics to visitors from different planets, as well as appeals for human rights violations. The UAS will only intervene in the event of human rights violations. That said, a large variety of governmental systems may well be necessary. Sharing responsibilities in this way will allow for the emergence of thinking, with a variety of cultures that will in-turn allow for a variety of different angles to approach the different challenges we may inevitably find ourselves dealing with while augmenting the preservation of our Universe, increasing our quality of life, and maximizing our clarity of mind.

  “Finally, along with the IMC, and you heard me mention this earlier, I will say now that we have commissioned Dr. James Cooper and Dr. Vesha Celeste to build a UAS Presidential Command Spacecraft, or simply put, presidential spacecraft, which will be very similar to each existing command spacecraft in every way. Our new presidential spacecraft will, likewise, be designed to explore, observe, prepare, and colonize the Milky Way Galaxy. The method of the journey will be simple; we will travel, explore, plot planets with UAS Envoys from each nation, and then equitably distribute these planets, based on what I have explained before.

  “At first, all thirteen command spacecraft, or simply IMC, as a whole, will travel together, alongside the presidential spacecraft. Then the presidential spacecraft will be left behind to conduct further missions throughout the Milky Way with equitable crews of UAS envoys. During that time the IMC will go forward, and one by one, each command spacecraft will be left behind, following the establishment of proper readiness on the part of each intergalactic zone as associated with each newly deputized and numbered UAS IMC Command. At which point, the appointed command spacecraft crews will be on their missions to explore their own assigned zones and constellation regions, observe them, after setting up environmentally-protected observation posts, and then the process of building tech cities, moving volunteers to them via jump gates will begin the process of colonization. Each of these new colonies will have the ability to travel to and from one location to another, as previously coordinated, and to inform the populations throughout Sol the state of affairs in that region of the Cosmos and will be able to keep everyone apprised of needed additional colonists, who can begin transferring and building up further strongholds throughout each galaxy in the known Universe, relative to Earth.

  “To make it easy for nighttime viewing from Earth and for standardization at this time, the various intergalactic zones will be further divided into constellation regions. To further explain, each general will be in charge of between seven to nine of these regions of space within their perspective zones, based on the areas that people can see in each constellation with the naked eye and on out to the Cosmic Microwave Background with optimized vision, relative to Earth.”

  As she spoke, three-dimensional imagery played out behind her showing the twelve zones of space, relative to Earth and the Milky Way’s galactic disc, and the faces of the associated generals along with a brief vi
sual history of everything they had done that had truly won them the honor of these positions.

  “To be clear, what I am asking you to vote on today are the integration of UAS envoys into the various intergalactic mission crews, and other items I will now describe. They will work with the crews and leadership and will be intimately involved in the observation and exploration of many regions of our Universe, and then colonization in an equitable manner. We will vote for equitably-dispersed colonies of UAS planets, shared-nation planets, and sovereign nation planets throughout each solar system Universe-wide. Finally, our nomenclature will be organized of zones, regions, sectors, and planetary systems.

  “The elected UAS President and Vice President will oversee the operations of the UAS Space Force and the UAS Intergalactic Mission Contingency. The UAS Space Force will be responsible for protecting life in all zones, regions, and sectors of space that have been identified as stabilized by the UAS Intergalactic Mission Contingency, or IMC. For this to occur, the IMC will travel to each of the twelve regions of space, relative to Earth, and will be called UAS Zones 01 – 12. IMC Command Spacecraft in charge of stabilizing these zones will be called Command Spacecraft, Zone 01 – 12. However, it is most likely that the spacecraft itself will choose their own name, from their favorite constellation within their zone. For example, Command Spacecraft Zone-01 has already chosen to be named the UAS Andromeda. Given their sophisticated AI network, or their brain, each spacecraft is currently sentient and as such is hereto and forthwith granted UAS citizenship, as they work with humanity and our friends to preserve life and all other tenets of Universal Ethics. Each command spacecraft will work according to requests made by leadership.