The world died, and we could do nothing to stop it. 1
I still remember exactly where I was that day. Everyone does – everyone remembered where they were when the Challenger exploded, when JFK died, when the planes struck the Twin Towers, when the tsunami hit, when the bombs fell, when war was declared …2
But – we knew the Earth was going to die. None of the people in those above situations knew. 3
We knew the Earth was going to die and we had killed it.4
Nuclear winter had settled over the wastes that were once North America, Russia and much of Far East Asia. The first missiles fell in December of 2117 and then everything went to hell in one giant handbasket. Add to that the effects of losing the ozone layer, global warming, rising seas, ecosystem collapse … I was surprised a handbasket was even enough to go to hell to. 5
I had been sitting in my private offices – watching the holoscreens as they hovered across from me. Fifteen channels from all across the world (what was left of it) broadcasting the dire news.6
Radiation poisoning had taken over half the world and was working on the other half. People were dying. Painfully. The coastal areas had been overrun with the rising seas. The icecaps were melting. Tornadoes and hurricanes tore through the Midwest. Tsunamis struck the South East. Droughts ran rampant over Australia. 7
I cursed silently as I watched, taking it all in until I could bear no more. Dark days had befallen the planet – and unless we moved our collective asses fast – we were all going to get our goose cooked through and through.8
And I wasn’t going to let that happen, by god. 9
“Colonel Willson.”10
I pushed the intercom. “Yeah?”11
“They’re here.”12
“Good.” I smiled. “Send ‘em in.” 13
Three men entered the room, along with a woman. Dressed prim and proper even in the midst of all the shit that was going on – I knew the type of bureaucrat I was dealing with here. 14
“Well, well, well, Willson.” The first man spoke. He had a heavy Russian accent. “We know about the Ulysses.”15
I leaned back, waving a hand to mute the holoscreens, which complied and flew away against the tall windows to remain there, heads talking unobtrusively. “First of all, mate, it’s Colonel Willson.” I resented this jerk and all he stood for, but I had to do this, or I was no better than a criminal. “And, yes, I know you know about the Ulysses. Unsurprising, considering one of the techs is Russian.”16
He neither denied nor confirmed the fact, just skated over it. “We want a place in the program.”17
I looked at the other three. The woman was Asian, with proud and haughty features. The men were of Serbian or German descent, I couldn’t be sure.18
And now, these formerly powerful ambassadors, ministers – they were crawling to me – a humble US Air Force colonel. Well, a humble US Air Force colonel with a giant starship. 19
I steeled myself and we began to hammer out the details.20
****21
The first bomb to hit the US struck the Washington area, so there was no White House anymore. Or any other houses, for that matter. The Pentagon was similarly obliterated. 22
Therefore, the President now commanded his forces, what was left of them, from the Moon base. 23
A transparent dome covered an area of 2400 square km, and in this pressurized, oxygenated environ, the President struggled to keep his country from falling apart. 24
The man was doing his best, but right now, things had escalated far too much for any one man to make a difference. It was time to jump ship. Or, more accurately, jump planet.25
Interstellar ships had been NASA’s goal since 2010 – when ion drives, antimatter drives, solar sails and other possibilities were being sussed out and tested for use. NASA finally field tested the first sublight capable ion engines in 2045, and succeeded. Since then, ships had been sent as far as Pluto. 26
What the USAF did was, however, to construct spaceflight capable fighters. The XT- Types were what guaranteed American dominance in the wars. Do as we say or we launch a nuke from low Earth orbit. 27
But nuclear winter was nuclear winter. In a nuclear war, there could be no winners, and most people thought they knew this. 28
But drives that could carry a ship up to 10% lightspeed and possibly more were unheard of until 2110.29
Ulysses – a fitting name – began construction in mid 2111 and six years later, war broke out.30
And now (2120) we had only the Ulysses to deal with the aftermath. 31
I took two turbolifts down to the President’s underground bunker quarters. Two Secret Service men scanned me for weapons – I surrendered my service pistol – and ushered me inside.32
A USAF major stood by the Presidential desk, handing the Old Man forms to sign.33
Jack Fitxpatric looked up, saw me, and smiled. 34
Elected in 2118, President Fitxpatric was the one responsible for dealing with the crisis his predecessor put into motion. (Well, and the Russkies, but whatever.) I thought he’d done a great job of holding it together this long, but I could see the strain on his lined face. The man was only fifty, and he had lines on his face making him look seventy. 35
“Colonel! Come in, come in.” He greeted me warmly and shook hands. Settling behind his desk, he shooed away the major, who saluted and marched out. The salute, I wryly noticed was aimed somewhere between me and the President, as if he didn’t know who to acknowledge. 36
I smiled and faced Fitxpatric. “Ulysses is good to go. The launch stations haven’t been compromised yet – but we have other passengers demanding places.”37
He sighed. “Of course. Russians and the Chinese?”38
I nodded.39
“We have no choice, of course. It would be self centred and arrogant to only evacuate American people, you know that.”40
“Yes, sir. Future of humanity and all that. But the Russians? Self-centred is too mild for them.” I tugged at my collars.41
“All the same.” He sat down. “So – what exactly are they asking?”42
“They know about the Ulysses and its specs – know that it can seat an excess of 150,000 people, so want a contingent of their people to be on board, as well a leader to advocate on their behalf and have a say in the running of the ship.” I sat down and gazed out at the holo image of Washington. Good times. 43
Fitxpatric nodded. “Sure. Go ahead, and inform me when y’all are ready, so I can join you. Oh, and you are overall military commander, all right?”44
I smiled. “If a Russkie has a military suggestion to make -?”45
“Take it under advisement.” 46
I grinned and exited, making my way back to my shuttle, mind already filing crew lists, passengers, ration loading, fuel, and so forth. 47
Yeah – fighter jocks – or former fighter jocks in my case – can think.48
****49
The Russian envoy was pleased. Not only that – the man was obviously tremendously relieved. I bet he and his compadres had been shitting themselves waiting for my reply – fearing for their people’s demise in a catastrophe they had started. Or maybe just for themselves. (Yes, when they handed over passenger lists, their names were at the top of the list. Prigs.)50
I spent the remainder of the day in my offices; preparing, mentally organizing stuff, shuffling crew, making launch dates, and shuttle pickups, supply rationing. 51
At 1600 I had a meeting with the Ulysses’s handpicked crew. They had all survived the war, as they all had been rushed underground as soon as the bombs fell – the USAF needed them to fly the giant ship.52
I looked at the crew – seated in a large gym-like area, numbering about 7000 – and these were just the officers and crew chiefs. The other grunts, sailors, airmen and the like were already on board, fixing things, checking and testing. Even so – I foresaw that we would need to recruit far more people from the populace of the Ulysses to properly staff the ship.53
“I’ve never been one for speeches, so I’ll keep this short.” I looked around, taking in everyone. “The world, our Earth, is dying. We can’t live here anymore – not without reverting back to the Stone Age. But, we have Ulysses. And we have you, dedicated to the survival of the human race.”54
Heads were nodding.55
“Ulysses launches on the 4th of this month. The president will join us mid flight, as we near the Moon base. A contingent of Russian, Chinese and European people will be also – ”56
Groans and mutters emanated from the crowd. “People! Humanity. We are saving humanity, not America. Learn to live with them.”57
“I will be overall military commander,” I said, and got a smattering of applause. Smiling, I continued. “The President and the other nation reps will be a sort of government, until such time as we reach one of the habitable planets we have in our databases.58
“Thank you for your time. Now, get to work!”59
With a quick salute, I left the podium, and made my way back to my desks, in the Upper Complex - where I began to clean out my things. 60
I looked at the calendar – and tore out the 2nd, revealing the 3rd of September. I looked around at my offices, the scattered files, marked with red “Top Secret” tape, the old Air Force shirt thrown over a chair, a stack of photos from my flying days, a model of the F-22 Raptor and the MK-VI Shadowking, planes I had loved as a kid. 61
I threw them all into boxes, the remnants of my life, and then looked out the bulletproof windows. A wildfire burned in the distance – no one was particularly fucked about fighting it. A bunch of people looted a church in the distance. A couple of gunshots went off somewhere. Army tanks rolled to the left of where I stood, and a XT-Fighter whistled past overhead. The Army encampment to the east looked out of place juxtaposed next to the old farmhouse.62
Otherwise, if you closed your left eye and tilted your head, it kinda looked like home.63
****64
Author notes
A Pocket Full Of Rye
In a list
A contest entry
- Golden Tickets (Invite Only) by IrishYndina.
350 points, ended October 18, 2008, 17 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Your best speculative fiction! by Minorchar.
900 points, ended October 24, 2008, 18 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Quick Sci-Fi by WritersEffigy.
120 points, ended December 15, 2008, 10 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Armageddon: Hellfire & Destruction by Oblivion Kitty God.
500 points, ended December 16, 2008, 4 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Give me feedback!! I might not kill you. :]
Comments
1 - 20 of 20
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I haven't read it yet, but just a quick reminder to check the contest out again for anything you may have missed! ^.~
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Wilson would be Commander-in-Chief, surely?
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This started off reminscient of the introduction to the Battlestar Galactica TV series, in the 'matter of fact' way that the demise of the earth is stated. This brevity and the almost 'report-style' writing did serve to bolster the appeal of the story. There isn't much more you can expand on for an end of the world scenario - especially if you plan to spend the rest of the story in a spacecraft and the dramas that unfold in relation to that.
Overall, an entertaining read.
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Interesting. You did very well with this story, and it kept my interest the entire time. Great imagery, great descriptions, and good details.
I would like to see more emotion in the story, however, and maybe a few more vivid details about events and people. All-in-all though, it's very good.
Thanks for entering the contest, and good luck., -
Very good story. I know this comment has no content but i just liked the story.
beginning: 5, language: 4, plot: 5, ending: 4, dialog: 2, characters: 2.
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An interesting enough story. A fun idea, if a very old one, and you captured the military flavor very well. I felt the writing waffled between mediocre and very good--your last three paragraphs are highly effective. If you made it longer and threw some more ideas in there, it could be an excellent story. As it is, good job.
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I'm not really into this kind of writing, but I still think you wrote it quite well. I like how you ended it, hehe. It was well done, and I'd like to read more!!
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lol and same here plz read sumthing of mine and it caught my attentuion..sorry i can't spell
i liked it and loook forward to seeing more(my spelling is better in stories)
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Hey
this was awesome
i really enjoyed it
it was highly detailed
and descriptive
it had alot of imaginative elements
love to read more
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Ha Ha lol this quiet funny how it all ended. I really enjoyed this story, good job!
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I don't usually read things like this, but I'll admit, this was written well, and had a nice flow to it. I didn't see anything wrong, so good job.
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Good work.
Intriguing story with good details.
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Good, But Not Stand-out
Space exodus has been a standby of sci-fi since the first space operas rolled out, and this doesn't really offer anything special as far as it all goes.
I do like how you've written it, minus a few turns of phrase that make me groan every time I read them, but I feel like there could have been more to this - something to make it more unique.
Also, the third of September is totally my birthday. I better get to be on the damned ship. >.>
beginning: 4, language: 4, plot: 3, ending: 2, dialog: 4, characters: 3.
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Turns of phrase? Please elaborate, mate.
*signs you up for Ulysses* Haha -- that'll be the day.
Thanks for reading. And commenting.
RJ -
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A turn of phrase is a common idea or cliche put into the form of a sentence.
In your story: "hell in one giant handbasket" is a turn of phrase. They can grate nerves because people have used them ad nausea. -
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Ah, I see. Well, what can I say - I might change it to "hell in a soda-bottle" - the effect's the same.
Thanks for pointing it out though - something for me to watch in my later writings.
Cheers,
RJ
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Heh, I like alternate future stories. This one was pretty cool. I especially liked the laundry list of things that had gone terribly wrong with the planet, the melting and flooding and all. I was also amused at how relatively outdated national prejudices were still very much in effect.
Also, you never specifically said, but I assumed this was all taking place on the moon, since the President's bunker was there, and he was on the moon, right? Anyway, I was assuming that, and then there were stray gunshots outside at the end of the story, and I was cracking up thinking people were shooting em up in the streets under a giant space dome, and they were gonna crack it before the Ulysses could take off. HA!
Here's some stuff I found caught in my fine-toothed comb when I got to the end:
P26 sublight-capable, or are they just sublight engines and capable engines separately?
P33, how are you pronouncing USAF there? I was going with Yoo-ess-ay-eff, myself, and the "An" doesn't fit with the Y sound there
P37 italicize Ulysses like the other places you refer to it
P44 alright = all right
P56 mid-flight
P58 overall military commander sounds kinda, hmm, non-military in origin. Maybe something more military-y, like Military Force Commander or somesuch?
P62 a XT = an XT, the ex-tee starting with a vowel sound and all
This was very creative and I enjoyed it immensely. Sci fi is okay, but good sci fi rocks. So, this rocks!
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Thanks for reading and commenting! You made my day - again.
Colonel Willson's offices are underground in Nevada - where Area 7 used to be. That's revealed in the next part, which I still have to post Only the President is on the Moon Base.
The last paragraph - he looks out on the surface for one last time there -- its like part of the complex is above ground, and he's packing up stuff from his offices and transferring it all to the Ulysses.
Ulysses was built underground in the same area, in Nevada, just to clear that up.
Sublight capable - both. Engines capable of travelling sublight speeds.
Whoops, sorry about the "An USAF .. " will get on it.
Yes, yes, italics. Darn. My bad.
I'll keep alright -- its how Aussies say it? I dunno ..
Overally Military Commander is the President's informal title -- Willson's real title would be Commander Willson of the Ulysses. That effectively puts him in charge of ... basically all miltary personnel.
Thanks for your fine tooth comb! Great comment.
RJ
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Another end of the world story? Well its one of the best I've ever read and by far the best I've read on this site. Nothing all that Cliche to this. I held a contest awhile back looking for something just like this and here be it several months later I found it! If you write more I will read it. May go look at more of your stuff. Wonderful.
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I noticed a few grammatical errors, but nothing major. Though, in 150,000 you left out a zero.
Overall, this is one of the best science fiction short stories I have ever read. I actually do not even like science fiction, so it is amazing that I read this and enjoyed it so much.
The apocalyptic world you have created is interesting and I would not mind reading more of this. Good job. =]
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