Marigold

In the year 2089 there was no more viable drinking water. The air was full of toxic metals and chemicals that were not safe for any form of life. Everything that was good was lost. The few people who found a way to survive no longer live on the land. They were forced to live on ships orbiting Earth, being powered by the sun. Humans saved what seeds they could to try and create a sustainable food sources in space, but everything else was gone.

Earth is a desert wasteland, where there isn't desert, there is bogs. Endless muddy pits of tar and ash. All animal species died out and there were no known surviving insects. The bees were the first sign of Earth's demise. As the hives died out so did all the plants and without a source of food and lack of easily accessible drinking water, wars broke out. Of course there were ways to create drinkable water, but when all the potential moisture sources became too polluted...not even the best inventions could filter all of the poisons out of the water. People died trying.

Those who were able to make it onto the ships now orbiting Earth were rich sycophants known as the Arcana, some scientists and engineers who formed an alliance called the Reactors and a few lucky enough to know one of them. There were of course a faction of pirates known as Leaches, but they call themselves "Wolves". Having managed to steal a ship leaving Earth, but once they left the surface their ability to pillage was prevented by lack of people to pillage. The Arcana were smart enough to weaponize their crafts in order to deter anyone stupid enough to attempt a raid. The Reactors invented ships that could be cloaked, avoiding the need to weaponize, although, if needed they had the means to defend themselves.

Then there is me, the last of my kind, hidden aboard a ship that wasn't supposed to even make it into space. A group of normal people with the will to survive were entrusted to protect me and save me from destruction. There was a time, when the world was young, that humans called us fae. They saw us as something other than human because of our fair appearance and ability to do incredible things they deemed "magical". The reality was that were created to protect the Earth, an extension of Earths spiritual energy. Meant to oversee and protect her, we formed an alliance with humans early on.

Unfortunately, as humankind evolved, they grew to envy and fear us. Eventually we were forced into hiding in order to prevent a war between us and so that we continue to protect the Earth, in secret. However, faekind was not prepared for the virus that the humans would become. Consuming everything in their path, including themselves and setting a course of destruction that endangered not just our lives, but in turn also the Earth herself. When the fae started to die we were forced out of hiding in order to try and reform an alliance with humanity to try and stop the potential demise of our beloved planet.

When the fae revealed themselves, humankind was not ready to accept us back into their lives. They had become to weak by their division and blamed faekind for what the planet has become. Humans felt that if we had not gone into hiding we would have prevented all of the destruction that they had brought upon us all. To them we had lived in silent watch and did not realize we had worked so hard to stop all that they were doing. Instead of taking responsibility for their own actions they saw the fae as the ultimate threat that needed to be eliminated, but before war broke out the last bee died. When that happened it set in motion a catastrophic chain of events that forced humans to leave the surface, we were too late.

Earth was dying and the only hope was for the remainder of the fae to channel what was left of Earth's spirit into me, Marigold. They found a group of humans they could trust to protect me and gave them a ship they created that could survive undetected by the remaining humans. For now we do not think they know that I exist, for if they did, it is likely they would not allow me to survive. My people hoped that someday, when the time is right that I would be able to return to Earth's surface and use the energy they gifted to me to restore Earth to her glory. This was foretold by the last shaman who saw that there would be a cosmic event that would allow the Earth to be tolerable enough for my return, but only with Earths energy could life return to the surface.

My name is Marigold, I am the last of the fae and someday I will return to Earth and restore her to what she once was. The humans looking out for me will be long gone by then. I don't even know that any human will live to see that day, but I am prepared to do this alone, if that is what I must do.