Take the Stars
Tess stood in at attention alongside the five thousand newly graduated ensigns of her class. It had been 5 years of hell, tears and blood, but she'd made it. After today she would be among the elites, travelling the stars. She wondered what the people who she'd grown up with as a starving dungeon rat would say if they could see her.
She tried not to fidget, but her nerves were getting to her. Everyone she had asked knew where they were going weeks ago, what ship, base or colony they would be working on, who their commanding officer would be, even their berth number. All she had was a letter informing her that she would be given instructions after the graduation ceremony. She had never heard of that happening before.
The President of Humanity Reborn walked up to the podium and all eyes focused on him. The blank wall behind him lit up revealing the Dead Earth. It was covered in ice and darkness. Only five points of light could be seen, the space ports of Endurance, Fortitude, Defiance, Hope, and Rebirth. They formed the link between the teeming masses of Earth, who huddled under the rock and ice, and the stars which were their future.
“Today is a proud day,” the President said, “the newest class of humanities best and brightest are ready to reach out and take what is ours. I know it has been a long, hard road to this day, and many of your friends didn't make it. But you must remember, you are the light, the sword, and the shield of humanity in a dark and uncaring universe.”
The image changed, showing the sun 943 years ago. Tess had seen this before, they all had, it was shown everyday on the community holo's. Still she didn't turn away.
The sun flared as space around it distorted. “We know what awaits us, we know we must be strong, because they already tried to kill us in our cradle.”
They watched as the sun dimmed. Alien ships that didn't communicate and couldn't be touched by 21st century weapons built a framework over the yellow star. Patches of it turned to black as the life giving rays were covered up. The video was sped up, showing a years worth of time in a single minute. When it ended the sun was hidden by a Dyson sphere that covered it like a second skin.
“They almost succeeded. Humanity froze with the Earth. All hope seemed lost, as we fought amongst ourselves, fell into despair, rage, and hedonism, while famine spread across the land.”
Again the image changed. Countries attacked their neighbours, seeking food and resources, or just wanting to settle old grudges in the final days. Cities covered in snow and ice burned to the ground as people killed each other over a loaf of bread, a few pieces of wood, a blanket, a promise of salvation. Holy places filled with pitifully thin corpses, frozen in prayer. Tens of thousands of people on an icy shore in a frenzy of dancing, drinking, fucking, and more. It went on and on.
“But a few of us, the strong, the wise, the ones who refused to surrender, fought for life.”
Now there were images of mines around the world being filled with supplies. Hydroponics and aeroponics being created deep underground. People working to exhaustion expanding tunnels, creating living spaces, setting up geothermal power plants, creating airlocks. Herds of livestock being moved through snow and slaughtered, their meat and corpses freezing in snowbanks alongside mountains of vegetables, as a last desperate stockpile.”
“Humanity went from over 8 billion to a few million in less than a year. And we lost even more during the years of hell,” the President said. “Despite that, we survived. We burrowed through the earth like rats, taking its riches for our own, recovering our strength, learning how to survive. Once we were strong enough, we reached for the stars.”
A rocket appeared on screen. It wasn't much, little better than the rockets of the 20th century, but it was a sign that humanity had survived, that it still had a future. That was 300 years ago.
“And now, we can be found throughout the solar system. We are mining the asteroid belt, setting up colonies around Neptune, and exploring the Kuiper Belt. We were tested, pushed to our very limits, and we survived, we prospered, we have taken back our solar system.”
A new image appeared. It was a spaceship, but it didn't look like any that Tess had seen before. It looked like it had wings almost and there were large bulky protrusions all along the hull.
“Soon we will take the stars. This is 'The Torch', our first FTL ship. Ten of you will be joining it for a trial run. If you do well, you will be on it as it goes to Alpha Centauri next year,” the President said.
Tess didn't hear the ending of the speech. She barely managed to applaud with everyone else. Her heart raced at the thought of being one of the first people to visit Alpha Centauri.