The ancient space gate was a marvel of phase whale technology. Even though Ves and the other researchers failed to learn anything solid by examining the construct, it was already beneficial for them to open their eyes to the wonders of the cosmos.
"Humans rarely come in touch with alien technology nowadays." A Lifer biotech expert said as he glanced admiringly at the impressive gate. "I think that is a shame, because we have much to learn from races that have developed their tech in radically different directions than our own. Many aliens don't think like us. I won't say anything about how much of a danger they pose to humanity, but if we can sit down in the same room and conduct a technological exchange with each other, I bet that we can push our mastery of biotechnology to the same heights as conventional technology!"
That was a controversial argument to make. Plenty of people looked askance at the bioresearcher.