THE END OF THE
UNIVERSE
The dead whiteness of
space was around them. Humans had long since begun to colonize the
solar system. And already they were transferring to other star
systems and clusters. It was a hellish age of hungry leadership that
no one understood. The idea popped into someone's head that the
ever-so-famous Helium-3 would be best used to fuel humans in the
future. There was so much heated debate. And even whole wars! Such as
the Helium Wars in East Africa, the Helium Wars in Europe, the Helium
Wars in South America.
Oil and coal had run
out. But people had no idea what other source of energy to use to
meet their enormous needs. So this was the only option.
A brave expedition was
formed, led by the followers of Werner von Braun, who was a famous
physicist of the past.
The punishment for
disobedience was perverse and brutal - castration and complete
removal of the sexual organs. Quite a few had squealed at this - but
only brutal annihilation was the appropriate way to deal with the
countless human population. The neutered retained their place in
society, but they would never again have the chance to become star
astronauts.
The consensus was
reached. And the Earth Council gave the first order. A full and
wide-ranging plan to appropriate Universal goods. An hour sooner!
All well-trained
astronauts would be placed under special conditions that would allow
them to survive there as long as possible. They had nothing to do
with the previous preparation programs. The first daredevils died
from too high G in the test capsule, others from malnutrition. Some
went mad, torn from their families. Some castrated themselves!
Completely insane, they separated their testicles from their body
with a barber's knife! They didn't want to take part in the
compulsory selection procedures of the conquering pilots again!
The
moon had been used in the past to mine Helium-3, but it wasn't
exactly industrial, but rather used to repel the invasions of the
many aliens that came all the way from some planet near the star
Omicron. It was a pulsating star from the constellation kit.
It was too far away.
The Omicrons had been
defeated. They packed up their hatred and got the hell out of that
part of the galaxy. Forever!
But humanity had no
idea how to get sufficient quantities of HELIUM-3, as most stellar
bodies were too distant to transport it. Yes - building a human
colony in the potential deposits was possible, but again, mining it
was ungodly expensive!
The whole kerfuffle
led to the relocation of a huge portion of the population to other
distant planets. "I don't want to be locked up and castrated
like a pig! I want to breed!" That was the slogan.
Where science was
making brutal mischief, common sense intervened. Deep down I knew I
was doing the right thing. I was going to be a conquering aviator. I
was going to plant my seed in wombs that came from alien worlds and
mine Helium-3 at will, but the bureaucracy was overwhelming. I passed
the tests, nearly starving to death during the mandatory fasts to
fortify my system and get used to space food - quite different from
normal.
I turned my back "Is
this inhospitable and hostile place my home?" And I never went
back. I was enthusiastic - as, by the way, was any fool in my
position! My biceps were inflated, and the testosterone was clearly
coming on in spades.
I could feel my
scrotum tightening into open space. I wanted to scream. Was I going
to be a man anymore? No, I hadn't been castrated! I was free. I was
out to infinity!
When the shuttle
Aurelius BD 604 picked us up, I knew it was just a prelude to the
next step. But there was no way it could be otherwise. There was work
to be done. And I set about my duties hard and conscientiously.
Somewhere deep inside, I felt an emptiness. And a terrible
loneliness.
Attaching to the main
transport ship, the Asenaut, was difficult, but by no means
impossible. But somewhere deep down I felt even unhooked. I might
never have returned. I might never meet the woman of my dreams again.
We were lied to there that we would make it. But there was nothing
like it. And I knew it. Damn it! I knew it!
The Omicrons' aerial
victory was just like a game. They didn't have any fresh additions
and they weren't fighting on their turf. This here was different.
For anyone who cares,
I would tell them that being a jerk and not knowing anything is fine,
but only up to a point. After that you have no excuse. After that you
have to survive in real life!
The crew of the ship
welcomed me warmly. They were big sweethearts.
The ship's tachyon
engines were an impressive achievement of quantum mechanics. We
blasted off at full speed for the nearest pulsar in search of new
unexplored worlds.
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