Seeds Across the Galaxies

An unknown entity has bestowed upon humanity two revolutionary technologies: a dark energy absorption sphere providing limitless power, and an adjustment chamber granting indefinite lifespans. Human strategists quickly deduced a grim reality—what was given to humanity could easily be granted to countless other civilizations, making an interstellar war inevitable. To prevent total extinction, human leadership enacted a desperate strategy: alongside expanding their core territory, they scattered thousands of seed fleets across the cosmos to ensure the survival of the species. Cross-galactic travel is no longer mere exploration; it is a vital act of propagation for survival. Among these expeditions, an elderly widower and an aged widow are randomly paired to command one such seed fleet, guided by an AI overseer on a voyage to the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). Departing from the Solar System toward a destination three million light-years away, they embark on a journey with no guaranteed return. Their sole mission is to preserve the spark of human civilization in the deep universe, accepting that if they ever see their homeland again, millennia or even eons may have passed.