Earth: The Future is History Read Free

eager to finally get to the
top.

    I can see the peak, it’s almost within reach.
Time for the final push.

    The red and white rocks remind me of the
beach where I grew up. There were no rocks there, just an endless
blanket of reddish sand with a strange, white glow just before
sunset. I hated that place. There was nothing to see, just sand and
water. That’s one of the reasons I left: there had to be more to
the world than just sand and water; I wanted to see new things, new
places… And now I hate this place – there’s nothing to see, just
rocks and snow… But at least I’m somewhere new, a place no one else
can tell me about because no one else has ever been here. A strange
feeling takes root… A simple idea that I didn’t have time to allow
it to crawl into my mind before just now… I haven’t realized until
just now how effective my training is - so focused on my mission,
so focused on my next step, grip, breathing, rations, mapping; so
focused that I couldn’t think about anything else. And now I’m so
focused on this growing feeling that I can’t think about climbing…
“No one else has ever been here” … But what if the rumors are
true…? What would that mean? Everything would change. With a
painful final effort, I reach with my left hand up and grab the
ledge, pulling myself on the flat top of the peak.

    Every muscle in my body is aching. Time to
stop and catch my breath.

    I guess for someone chasing rumors for years,
it’s strange that I don’t put much faith in them. It is what it is,
a rumor is only a rumor until proven true or false. So why is this
one so different? Why do I care? Why am I so sure everything will
change if I find what I’m searching for? For the first time in a
very long time, I don’t understand myself and I don’t trust myself.
Maybe I don’t want to find anything? …That’s not even a
possibility.
    I get up and slowly start moving towards the
other side of the peak. As I walk, more and more of the valley in
front of me becomes visible. The wind seems to be getting stronger,
sometimes lifting the snow in powerful bursts and carrying it
everywhere, in the entire valley. I struggle to get a better look
in the distance, to make sense of the terrain through all the snow
and mist. Wait… something’s not right, something doesn’t fit. Right
there! Down in the valley, the snow looks different…
    Could this be…?

Thursday, April 15, 2320. 6:30 AM, UTC
    Secretary Nazari’s
hologram: “The President is ready for you, Admiral Sterrow. We’re
ready to begin.”
    The Admiral had been staring at the blank
console for an hour, slowly caressing his thick beard, lost in
thought, waiting for the War Council to gather back on Earth. The
recent developments are troubling, but ultimately of little
consequence; the course of action is clear – move the invasion
schedule forward. So why was the council assembled? Even the
President of the World Alliance was there, interrupting his busy
schedule to attend. No, this was about something else…
    Turning around and looking towards the
adjacent meeting room, he realizes for the first time just how big
the command area is. He’s not a young man anymore; his once pitch
black curly hair gave way to the scanty gray bobs barely visible
under his standard white and blue cap.
    For a brief moment he smiles, finding his
recent realization funny. Of course the command area is big, the
whole ship he commands is enormous – a first generation spaceship
aptly named Santa Maria, the first with the new Titan class
designation, currently orbiting Asha – designed to command, control
and transport an entire fleet of weapon systems, denial systems and
carrier systems; everything, from the small automated drones to the
huge transports are housed inside the Santa Maria. Of course the
command area is big; twenty-five officers responsible for all the
different systems, all assigned to their individual, complex
control units – large, transparent,