Awaiting the Endeavorent
25 Aug 2020Zamen Kensata
The name, like everything else, was a tool for the advancement of a cause. The most consistent cause since mankind's inception; survival. However many millions of years that have transpired from the primordial, volcanic soups on Earth to the repurposed colony ships from the fourth moon of Gensea that landed on Ardua. Now, this branch of humanity's time on the planet was at an end. Its future entrusted to one man; Prime Minister Ryan Ford.Standing tall, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, surrounded by holo-drones hovering around him, broadcasting his domineeringly wide frame to a massive population of nearly eight billion Mercian citizens. His mind hearkened back two years when the politicians who occupied the high council finally accepted the harsh reality of what needed to be done. A mass exodus from a world that had been their home for over two centuries. Ford remembered the fearful and defeated emotions emanating from their faces. It was quite comical. Years prior to the unanimous decision they all squabbled amongst themselves; playing to the whims of their political parties and the base of civilians that supported each.
They had all given riveting speeches to their constituents about how they would find the truth and fight the powers that be. Even those who had agreed with Ford who knew that humanity's time on Ardua had come and gone still managed veiled lip service to their detractors in order to maintain their positions of power.
Ford held back a smirk. Couldn't betray the message he needed to convey with an expression that contrasted the seriousness of his words. Back then, in that moment they all came to him, begging in the most professional and dignified way they knew how. Right before granting him emergency dictatorial powers. Now the decisions would be his to make and the first would have to be a name for the exodus operation. Ford knew it would have to inspire hope for the future just as much as it would have to instill the much needed sense of urgency that every Arduan would need to leave the only place that most of them have known as home. An acronym, Ford thought. Something catchy to satisfy the adventurers but also sophisticated, so that the brains of the population wouldn't lose their delusions of self-importance. The name came quickly for Ford. An advantage of being an advent fan of fiction novels.
"Advanced Colonial Endeavors." Ford had said to them and they clapped in approval.
Now, as he stood facing a population in turmoil, plagued by natural and unnatural catastrophes, he was ready to address their fears with words of optimism. The planet had rejected humans. Radiation, volcanic and oceanic disasters had ravaged the populace. It seemed almost comical; humanity spread out amongst the stars for fears of being trapped on Earth with its plethora of natural cataclysms. All of humanity may have been snubbed out, like previously extinct species by a meteor or toxic cloud from super volcanic eruptions. Yet with almost every new world conquered, as human technology ripped through the crust with rapid speed, each planet was abandoned within the first millennium. Though that did not stop homo-sapiens from multiplying; settling each new world with a larger quantity than the last. The irony had given a more common iteration of the A.C.E moniker that circulated amongst the citizenry; Alt-Control-Elite. Ford played on that sentimental tradition when christening the name for his exodus expedition. Yet, it was still incomplete, and with the speech he now stood ready to present, he knew what final word was needed in order to solidify the new direction his people would take.
The news broadcasters scurried to their positions and the lead photographer held up three fingers, then two, then pointed to Ford with one.
"My fellow Arduans.
The decay of time has reached our shores. It scrapes at the back of our heels and drags us one by one down into the depths of death and despair. There are those of you, millions who are suffering from the last gasps of a planet that is dying. A world that can no longer sustain human life. So now we must leave. I know that you are scared in your uncertainty. That your trust in those you have voted to lead you has all but waned.
And now I stand before you; selected by those same leaders. I cannot promise you anything. Nor would I, even if I was certain in my ability to succeed with this monumental task set before me. Set before us all. We come from the ancient empires of Earth. Our history is shrouded in myth but the traditions we hold dear share their foundation from those long lost empires. We may have forgotten the day to day life of a Roman citizen but we have not forgotten that their nation lasted for over five centuries. In times of turmoil our ancestors understood that indecision would lead to their downfall, which is why they would place their trust in a singular leader that they believed would ensure the survival of their way of life.
That unimaginable responsibility has now fallen to me.
I will not take lightly that responsibility. I am not your father. Nor am I your savior. I am simply a government official, a Prime Minister voted into office by you and given emergency dictatorial powers by unanimous vote from every political faction.
My one and only purpose; my one and only goal is to ensure the survival of our way of life. In that regard I have commissioned the immediate construction of a third Ark.
We will find our new home. It is out there, waiting for us amongst the stars just as Ardua was and Gensea before her.
The time has come for us, my fellows, to leave this world.
Our past generations have exploited this world beyond its limits and made it uninhabitable for future generations.
Now we have to find a new and better life, so we can continue to prosper.
What purpose is there in calling ourselves explorers if we don’t explore? If we won’t reach out for the stars afar?
So from this day on, let us go on a journey, a journey to benefit the well being of you, of me, all of our people.
Let’s seek out the unknown and settle in the distant.
Out into the black, off to new worlds.
Let history write our name amongst the stars.
For we are, A.C.E. Exploration."
The immense crowd of over fifty thousand of Ardua's politicians and elite; the wealthiest of the citizenry erupted into a vast sea of cheering, clapping, shouting, and waving. Even as the less fortunate of their society suffered through severe illness and poverty, Ford knew that even they, at least most of them would have their frantic fear satiated for a brief period. Long enough, Ford gambled, for reports from the second Ark to reach his desk. The first Ark, the Translucent had been lost to the Thargoids, as reported by scouts from the second Ark, the Endeavorent, which was on a somewhat desperate trudge towards the third inhabitable prospect seven-hundred-twenty-four light years from Ardua. Preliminary scout reports from the Endeavorent warned of alien activity further along the route towards the planet. Though Ford had ordered each exodus ship to push forward no matter the cost, it would be up to the Ark's captain to decide whether or not continuing towards the world was worth the risk.
Would she turn back? Ford wondered. No. Even if they faced an alien armada surrounding the habitable planet, turning back would only be delaying the inevitable. While not suicidal, she was hot headed and adventurous. That is specifically why Ford had chosen her to captain the Endeavorent. Instead of sailing back to certain doom on Ardua she would instead most likely send out what reserve Anaconda exploration vessels remained under her command to scout for another habitable world. An insane decision considering the limited fuel supply each Ark carried. Ford took that into consideration when choosing each candidate for captain. Disobedient; some with disruptive and even borderline mutinous backgrounds yet still respected amongst their peers. Not with awards of distinction but with trust and admiration. Those decorated with medals were the ones who spoke up for these officers during their court-marshals. That is what was needed for these expeditions; the true pioneers. The rank and file could take over once the hard work and difficult choices were done.
Ford exhaled and exited the auditorium. A few hours later he found himself at his desk within the Prime Minister's palace. Amongst the thousands of messages following his speech that his secrataries would need to sift through, Ford noticed two that were three days old and marked as high priority by said secrataries. More complaints and requests, Ford was sure. That's why he had let them sit. But now seemed as good a time as any to see what aother set of officials wanted to bitch about.
--
Dear Prime Minister,
We have to start to build the Arks and get more funding for them. Our scientists' predictions are at 15 years, not more.
15 years until our planet decays completely.
We have to get our people off this planet as soon as we can. Our system consists of 3 planets, 2 ammonia worlds, Ance and Niard, which are not suitable at all. And of course Ardua, our world. The 2 moons, Inde and Tise, which orbit Ardua are mined beyond their limits. I wonder how long it will take until their surfaces will collapse with all of the mining tunnels bored into them.
Our exploration ships seem to have found 3 prospect worlds, 120, 482 and 724 light years away.
Yet they are not 100% sure if the first two are inhabitable for us. Before we can colonize these two planets we might have to eradicate those Insectoids living there. And these planets were just the ones discovered until now. There might be more populated planets by them. As you know, Prime Minister, we've lost 2 scout ships to their flower shaped crafts just for attempting to land on the first planet. Our weapons showed no effect.
The one farthest away looks most promising but hasn't been mapped and researched to a full extent yet. Seems like there are a lot of predatory lifeforms based on the first findings.
Getting a population of 8.4 billion to move on a world without any infrastructure 724 light years away is not something we can accomplish in 3 months.
So please make the bill for the ark funding the high council's priority, or use an executive order if necessary. Since some members of the council don't want to see the reality of Ardua's demise.
In highest regards,
Admiral Eric Idle
--
Dear Prime Minister,
As you are probably aware of the dire situation we're in, I urge you, just as Admiral Idle, to rush the funding and building of the Arks.
I know we've predicted 15 years, but I am not sure how many of our population will be able to survive the next 15 years.
With all the radiation emitting from the ground, the constant shortage of water purifiers and the dense air pollution, people get sicker and sicker all the time. And the radiation helps to mutate all the illnesses on a rapid pace that sometimes, if we even find a cure for a disease, it will be ineffective against that very same disease.
Besides, birth defects have risen in the past 2 decades to 46.7 %. And rise each year. So given we'll make it in 10 or 15 years to a new world, we might not even have the workforce to build the new infrastructure needed to settle there. Because of the disabilities people already have and future generations will have.
We probably can't wait that long anymore. We need to act very fast.
I am not saying I am not confident in the Arduan people to overcome this, it is just that the scientific data shows little chance.
With great respect,
Dr. Tukka Rask
--
While both officials were expressing the same sentiment, it was the second letter from Dr. Rask that had pulled a sigh of annoyance from Ford's lungs. These bleeding hearts who chose to put themselves into the center of disease and poverty stricken sectors of the population never seemed to understand the true realities of any given situation beyond what was in front of their own faces. What benefit would the Arduan people have if all of their resources were rushed into production and spat out into the black before a proper destination was discovered?
Admiral Idle would need only another standby order and that would be that. Regardless of how much disagreement he harbored towards that order, it would be followed. Rask on the other hand, while she tried to remain formal in her correspondence, Ford knew her type all too well and could read between the lines of her plea; do something or I will do it for you. Fix this situation or I will rile up the segment of the populace that you care nothing for and lead them against you.
So naïve, so stupid.
He could give the order, like the dictator these so called champions of the people always beg for when things get tough. The council did grant him dictatorial powers after all. His authority was nearly absolute. But what none of them could understand is that sacrifices would have to be made. Unwilling sacrifices and more often than not those sacrifices will be made by those who have not risen to the upper echelons of society. It wasn't their fault in many cases but that was irrelevant. The universe is cruel and government bodies did not exist to shield people from the harshness of it. If that were at all possible then the evacuation would not be necessary. But that didn't matter. Ford was the one in charge and the one at the top whom everyone else on the ground could glare up at and blame for all of their problems. That is how all dictators fall whether they be benevolent or malevonent. There will always be those less foruntate than others and they will always demand those who have more be forced to give up what they have earned.
So now with the Arduan race on the brink of extinction, Rask would have him greenlight the construction of the coming mass exodus before they were ready. Typical bleeding heart fool, he thought while articulating his reply. He knew what the good doctor's impression would be upon reading his response but no matter, Ford concluded. If a villain was what was necessary to ensure the survival of his people, then so be it.
--
To Dr. Tukka Rask
CC: Ardua Med Committee (A.M.C.)
It is very troubling to read of the increasing spread of radiation sickness affecting certain construction and development sectors. Their contributions to the creation of the first two Arks were invaluable and will be remembered by future generations for centuries to come once this crisis is behind us. However, in order for that future to be realized, the execution of the exodus project must be taken in precise steps. Escalation must be measured and resources have to be maintained until proper direction is certain. The Thargoid threat cannot be ignored and until reports from the Endeavorent are received I will not authorize the allocation of any more resources towards future Arks. Not until I know whether we need to branch out in a different direction or initiate a war of extermination so that the furthest prospect on the Endeavorent's route can be colonized.
Your letter speaks of this radiation sickness as if our entire population is currently threatened yet we both know it is only the poverty stricken that are taking the brunt of this disaster. We must be calculated in our decision making in these dire times, doctor, and step forward at the behest of our minds, not our hearts, lest we doom everyone to the same sickly demise these people are currently enduring. Because if we rush to build colony ships now that cannot rip through a potential wall of hostile aliens then we will all die floating in space. Because once those resource are gone, we will not be able to build any warships specialized in combating the Thargoid threat. We have a fifteen year time table for a reason that you yourself helped theorize. Don't go back on your own calculations now simply because you chose to insert yourself into the lives of those who are suffering.
I have read your petition to the council requesting we begin construction on seven additional Arks. As you are well aware, we have already begun building a third and laid the groundwork to begin building a fourth once the Endeavorent sends an update. Therefore your request is denied. While this response may frustrate you, I urge you to channel your emotions into helping those that you can. Let go of those that you cannot. We are merely humans, not Gods. We cannot save all of those we wish to be saved. Cease with these constant demands. Your job as director is to maintain the health of the populace to the best of your ability. Not instruct me on how to deal with our off-world projects. Do your job, Dr. Rask. Or I will find someone else who can.
With regards,
Prime Minister (P.M.) Ryan Ford
--
To Admiral Eric Idle
Good evening, Admiral. The council is still awaiting communications from the Endeavorent. Standby for further instruction.
With regards,
Prime Minister (P.M.) Ryan Ford
--
Ford studied the subtle lines of stress across his face reflecting from his monitor after the bright screen went black. He knew Rask had gained the support of Admiral Idle. What he didn't know is how much. Now he would see. Rumors of this underground faction; The Shield of Justice could no longer be viewed as a nuisance. Ford knew they were going to make a play for the third Ark. This, Mar Ris was beginning to rise in popularity amongst the sick and the dying. Was Rask involved? Had she roped the Admiral in to help? Or were her pleas just that of a naïve do gooder and the Admiral a smitten white knight seeking romantic favor? Time would tell. It always did.