"4.3 million," he said.
"Yes. The number has fluctuated significantly across the galaxy's history. At peak, approximately 900 million civilizations existed simultaneously. The reduction is primarily attributable to the universal war and its aftermath, combined with standard civilizational collapse rates across a period of billions of years."
"How many have achieved spacefaring capability?"
"The array classifies spacefaring in tiers," Lucy said. "Tier one is local system travel — the ability to reach and operate within their own planetary system. 2.1 million civilizations meet that threshold. Tier two is interstellar travel — crossing between star systems within a reasonable operational timeframe. 380,000 meet that threshold. Tier three is full galactic range — the ability to traverse the galaxy freely. 47,000 meet that threshold."
"And beyond tier three?"
"That is the practical ceiling for civilizations native to this region of the universe," Lucy said.
