Another New Start
It’s Friday Fictioneers time again, the only Friday fiction challenge on a Wednesday! Thanks as always to Rochelle for hosting and choosing the photo, which this week comes from Marie Gail Stratford.
Click on the blue froggy to see this week’s other contributions.
Copyright Marie Gail Stratford
Darius looked at the silo through the tint of his RadSuit’s visor. His grandfather had tilled the soil when they had housed grain. His father had worked on their conversion to missile launch bays. Sighing, he dragged his find – a compact atomic power unit – back towards the shuttle.
As he walked, he looked up at the moon. Home to the human race since the devastating “oil wars” of the late twenty-first Century, it was already 80% irradiated by the ongoing resources war between surviving factions. They’d need this power unit to aid the evacuation to Mars – yet another New Start.
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draliman on life 
As a species, we do not seem to learn quickly. And after Mars, I recommend Betelgeuse.
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Yes, I hear Betelgeuse is lovely this time of year. I’m guessing we’ll make short work of Mars.
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We should just figure out a way to get to Neptune without aging or freezing to death. It would take a few years to ruin that planet, I think.
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Neptune’s so big it’ll take years, maybe even centuries for us to muck it up!
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I wouldn’t mind visiting Venus. 🙂
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Yeah, I bet it’s real hot and sunny on Venus 🙂
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I like new beginnings! Good luck to’em!
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They’re going to need it!
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This captures humanity so well – trash and run. Great take.
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I like that phrase – “trash and run”. Just about sums it up, from the beach or picnic spot all the way up to the planet.
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I love your imagination!
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Thanks 🙂
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Didn’t we escape Mars by moving to earth? That’s one theory anyway.. 🙂
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Oh, great. When they arrive on Mars it’ll be “pre-trashed” then 🙂
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Hey, we can become the first creatures in the universe to lay waste to an entire solar system! Let’s do this!!!!
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Let’s spend the next few months debating whether we need to do Pluto for the full set, or if it no longer counts…
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There’s no debate as far as I’m concerned! Pluto was a planet when I was in school, so it will always be a planet until I’m no longer around to say so…
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That’s what I think. Pluto got a bum rap. Who are we to say what’s a planet and what isn’t? I bet the Plutonians think they’re living on a planet.
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after mars, where will they go next? i guess there’s no planet big enough for humans to live in harmony.
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I think you’re right.
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We’re all sitting on the same lump of rock, falling through space at six hundred thousand miles per hour (depending upon your frame of reference). You’d think that cooperation would be our watchword. Alas, we’ve embraced greed instead.
I like your writing but I’m disappointed that you’re peddling the idea that there’s somewhere else we could go. There isn’t. When we’ve destroyed the earth, it’s all over.
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Nowhere else to go… yet!
In my story I was anticipating only a couple of thousand surviving, the other 7 billion died on the Earth. In 100 years there will likely be people living on the Moon and Mars, but not many. Not enough to save the race as a whole.
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I think you’re wrong but I’m not going to argue.
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Equal servings of pessimism and optimism, all served in a 100-word eye-opener. 🙂
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Over-optimism maybe, though 🙂
I’m glad you liked it!
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And then someone will write a book.Perhap it’ll be entitled, THE TRASHING OF THE UNIVERSE.
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That sounds about right!
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I’m more hopeful for earth than humanity… A bleak future, though I think reality might be worse.
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I fear you may be right.
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Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
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For sure. And again, and again…
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The moon is too small. We’ll just get on each others’ nerves again, like squabbling siblings. And Mars? I feel the need to apologize to Mars in advance….
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Maybe we’ll get there and there’ll be a big sign up saying “Closed”. With all the Martians hiding behind their sofas hoping we’ll think they’re out and go away.
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people can be sooooo stupid and also very smart.<3
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They’re very smart at being stupid 🙂
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There’s bound to be at least one planet that will satisfy everyone….I can dream can’t I?
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I’m thinking a really big planet with plenty of resources 🙂
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I can imagine this someday happening – humanity as a species never does seem to learn. Good story. 🙂
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We’re good at forgetting things when they get in our way.
Glad you liked it!
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Alas, Mars is only a stepping stone. Then, more planets will follow, more solar systems, until we leave a trail of destroyed planets. By then, we won’t have to worry, the slow collapse inward will begin, and the Big Bang will happen again.
Sorry to be so blue!
Loved your story, as always!
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Wow, it’s all downhill from here then! Maybe we need a good Big Bang to reset things all nice again.
I’m glad you liked my story!
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If this crowd were in charge, I feel like we could make changes to save the world but alas, we are but pawns with only pen and ipads as weapons. Keep writing about it Ali.
Tracey
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I think so too, Tracey! I will keep writing about it 🙂
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With the end of oil it seems civilization will fall, and yet we all know it won’t last forever. On to the red planet. That isn’t going to be easy! Your language is very believable, Ali. Nicely done!
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I don’t imagine many will make it all the way to Mars and fewer still will survive. At least we’re slowly finding alternatives to oil.
I’m glad you liked my story!
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I heard a team will be going to Mars in about ten years from now, Ali…and they’re not coming back! The sacrifices for science. I heard about it on NPR.
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Yes, I read that – it was actually the idea behind my story last month, “Pioneers”. They’re actually getting volunteers! It’s not for me. I heard their internet connection will be rubbish 🙂
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Yep, I reckon if we manage to get off this planet, we’ll just keep making the same mistakes over and over. Somehow, we refuse to learn… Good story, though 🙂
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It’s easier to ignore the mistakes of the past when they’re inconvenient today. I’m glad you liked my story 🙂
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Such a sad story, and a glimpse into a bleak and possible future. Well portrayed.
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Thanks! I do see this as one possible future which could actually happen.
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We seem to share a similar view on how the future might unfold under certain circumstances. Unluckily (or maybe luckily?) we’ll have wrecked our own planet faster than we can get settled somewhere else. Great story.
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There is certainly a good chance Earth will be uninhabitable before we can get gone. We’re very much at the turning point…
I’m glad you liked it!
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It is so sad to think this could be our future – running from our mistakes and repeating them. When will we ever learn?
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I don’t think we’ll ever learn. We just have to hope we’re lucky.
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Yes, that’s true.
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Dear Ali,
All of my comments seem to have been taken. Trash and run? Yep, that pretty much describes the human race. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
That’s us all over, whether it be a picnic area, the beach or the planet.
I’m glad you liked my story!
Ali
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Wonderfully bleak, I can feel the weight of the world on Darius’ shoulders. Great story.
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It’s a lot of responsibility, tracking down the units required to save the human race. I’m glad you liked it!
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I hope it never comes to this!
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Me too 😦
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Yikes! Trashing our way out of a universe 😦 I’m hopeful though.
Ellespeth
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I’m hopeful too but not optimistic!
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Very imaginative story. I enjoyed it. l
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Thanks, glad you liked it!
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A good message there, Ali. Will our species ever learn?
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Thanks. I fear we will not :-(.
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