A Future Unknown

Ad Astra

To the Stars

There they stood, ready to embark on a journey to the stars—a voyage to lands untouched. The Arca would take them all the way. Earth was in complete and utter chaos. Lawlessness ruled, and yet none of them knew about the colonists' mission. No journalists, no media exposure—everything was done in secrecy. Theo was so used to media exposure that he almost found the quietness unsettling.

"I hope this thing works," Theo said, as he looked up at the massive spaceship.

"Dr. Willmall, if I may." Morgan replied.

"Yes?" He chuckled. They were acting like two teenage kids. He found it fascinating.

"You are a complete asshole sometimes; you know that, right?" She slapped him on the shoulder, again for the fifth time that week. He managed to get a laugh out of her.

Their late-night escapades had evolved, and when she told Eric about her infidelity, a confession of his own infidelity had surfaced. Their marriage was a ship already on the rocks long before Theo walked up on the bridge. He have had no qualms of nudging it in the right direction or at least his version of what was right.

They would be the last human beings, exiled by mother-nature. Theo had watched all the oldies, of the cinematic era from the early 2000s, he had seen Armageddon, he had seen Deep Impact. There was always a hero that would come and save the day. But in reality that was not the case. In reality, when Mother Nature swung her branch of power, everything in its path was either destroyed or swept away.

They had to flee like cowards. It was a strange thought as he looked up into the sky. The day was stunning, with a few fleecy clouds passing by and rays of sunlight poking through, and gently touching his face, as he stood in quite reflection.

A day like this wouldn't come again for millions of years or maybe ever. How the massive changes in ones life made the little things feel important. He might never see a beautiful day like this ever again. During his short contemplation he realized that she had opened up a side of him he thought he had locked away forever. Old man, she called him sometimes. Which was true, he was almost 120 years older than her. Maybe it was the old spirit in him that looked back at life and pondered it's many peaks and valleys. Or maybe it was the love he felt for her that had changed him?

In a short while the whole planet would be covered in dark clouds killing everything under its dooming blanket of black dust. After the dust have settled. The following eons into the future, this solar system would never recover. Without the Sun's heat and light, temperatures on Earth and other planets would plummet. The Earth's surface would freeze, and the atmosphere would collapse. Perpetual winter would follow. This was the best case scenario. If the calculations are right, earth would be shattered into shards of rock hurtled into the universe.

As the ship climbed through the atmosphere, it pierced the clouds, leaving a clear blue sky in its wake. The sound of the engines shifted from a thunderous roar to a more distant hum as it soared into the vastness of space. The ground below shrank rapidly, transforming into a patchwork of greens and browns, and soon disappeared altogether.

He saw people crying as they stared at the blue planet—an emotion he hadn't felt in forever. His careless facade was real. A part of him, in the darkest, innermost sanctum of his thoughts, wanted to see the end of Earth, as others might long to see fireworks. It would almost be poetic justice. Humanity needed to change, and maybe this was its new chance. The power of Mother Nature would shatter his world—dark thoughts he would never share with anyone. Not now, when Dr. Tyler thought so highly of him. Did that make him evil? Maybe.

Five months in space.

The library was Theo's favorite place to visit. After many conversations with the head librarian, Anders Larsen—a Norwegian historian and full professor of human history—Theo had discovered fascinating things he hadn't known existed in the world of books. On his day off, Theo had visited the library; in fact, whenever he had free time, he would head straight there. Of course, they only allowed him to read the books on-site, as each was a unique copy.