Civilisation

Aldon knew the Council would be waiting for him to begin, but still he stood and gazed out at the landscape before him. The ground had already started splitting and opening up. As a result, some of the mining platforms had collapsed and fallen into the molten core of the planet. Many had lost their lives and now the Council had decided it was time to listen to what he had to say.

Many years before, Aldon had monitored the mining operations for terilium, the planet’s most valuable resource with applications in interstellar travel. Unfortunately, his findings proved what he had feared all those years ago. The mineral played an important role in keeping the melting point of the planet's core low enough so that it could stay in a perpetual state of liquid. Not everyone agreed with Aldon, but the worst part for him was the fact that his people were more interested in making a profit from the mineral than saving the planet.

While he could not deny the benefits of finding the mineral, was interstellar travel worth the lives of everyone on the planet? What use would interstellar travel be if there was no one to use it? These thoughts came back to him, haunting him as he stood there staring at the destruction the latest fissure had caused.

Algerian Prime was mainly an industrial planet in the Andromeda galaxy, so the advantages of being able to travel to the furthest reaches of the known universe helped to increase trade and had brought a new type of prosperity to the planet. The landscape was almost uninhabitable—the whole planet made up entirely of mountain ranges. However, it had always been their home. They had adapted early and built large platforms that would keep them just above the mountain peaks. The entire surface was one large city, elevated above the mountains. The smaller shuttles that were designed for atmospheric travelling were used to transport civilians and goods around the planet.

It seemed that after a millennium, everything they had built was about to come crashing down on them. The mountain quakes were becoming more frequent, but they were still unpredictable. As such, the Corporation would not evacuate the mining operations that were planetwide.

“Sir, I think we really should go to the chambers. They’re all present and are just waiting for you,” said Zolin, Aldon’s chief advisor.

“Look out at the destruction that we have brought down on ourselves Zolin. How can we live with ourselves while the planet is dying? Sometimes I think I should just take everyone that is with me and leave the rest of them to their fate.”

“With all due respect sir, if you were going to do that, you would have done it already.”

“Of course, you’re always right,” Aldon said with a smile. “I wish the council would order the Corporation to cease mining; at least then I’d be able to prove beyond a doubt that what we’re doing is destroying the planet. If I’m right, and I know I am, the frequency of the mountain quakes would stabilise and wouldn’t get any worse, lives would be saved.”

“You cannot convince them out here, sir, so I suggest you go in and tell them that what you know is the truth and that you would not jeopardise the trade links we have established if it were not absolutely necessary.”

“Let us go then, Zolin.” Aldon turned and started towards the council chambers with Zolin not far behind him.

The Council Chamber was in the centre of the largest structure on the planet, and the supports had recently been reinforced to help protect from the ever-increasing mountain quakes. The chamber itself was circular with seating all around and a platform in the centre for the elders. The roof was domed with the top quarter being made from a high tensile glass that could withstand the weather conditions of Algerian Prime while allowing the room to be lit naturally. The evenings were always peaceful in here with the stars and nebulae visible through the glass above. Aldon would often find himself sitting late at night, staring at the universe while he contemplated the fate of his people.

As they entered, the audience fell quiet and Zolin walked over to the seats closest to the platform where the other advisors sat. Aldon made his way towards the platform—a circular disk that hovered just above the floor of the chamber. He stopped in front of it and suddenly the ground around him rose to meet the platform where the other members of the Council were waiting for him.

As he stepped up onto the dais, Kruff came forward to address everyone in the chamber. While Aldon and Kruff had opposite political views, he had to concede that Kruff was a born leader and had led them through prosperity. However, now was a time of crisis, and the council needed a leader that could help them avert the disaster that Aldon foresaw.

“We are gathered here today to hear the reports from Master Aldon. He believes that by mining terilium, we are doing irreparable damage to the planet. He believes that the mineral we have come to value so much is now being depleted and that is causing instability in the planets core,” Kruff said, motioning for Aldon to take the stand and address the Council.

“As you all know, beneath the surface of our planet there are different elementals that are in continual movement. These elementals are what all matter is derived from. The terilium that we mine is a by-product of this reaction that occurs just below the asthenosphere. When the terilium is created, it sinks further into the planet’s core and is ignited generating energy and heat. This is what keeps the core in a molten state and essentially, us alive. If the core solidified, there would be no internal heat and the planet would begin to cool from the inside.

“What we have been doing here is mining the terilium quicker than the planet can produce it, and as such, the core is beginning to cool.”

There was a nervous murmur around the chamber as everyone digested what Aldon had just said.

“How long do we have?” shouted one of the council members.

Aldon took a deep breath before responding, “The model I have created shows that the planet has approximately one hundred years left. Once we get to one hundred years, the core will begin freezing and that will be the beginning of the end. My research and the results of the applied model can be viewed outside on the main console.”

“How do we know the results are genuine and this isn’t some form of intimidation?” cried another council member.

Aldon looked around, trying to identify the voice, but as always, it was too dark in the chamber to make out individual faces. “Everyone here knows me; they know that I only work to protect us and Algerian Prime. You can trust the results and the model, and I implore you to listen to what I have to say.” Nerves were getting to him and Aldon wiped his hands on his jacket. “We have been mining here for hundreds of generations. We know that the planet is older than us, and this meant we had what appeared to be a limitless supply of terilium in the beginning. There was a surplus because no one was mining it, but since we have been here, we have used up all that excess to the point where the planet cannot produce enough to keep up with our demand and keep the core in a molten state.”

“The council will need to discuss this and allow each member to cast their own vote without any form of peer pressure,” said one of the elders, clear for all to hear. “Do you agree to this, Aldon?”

“I do, sir. The model I have created, and the results, are also available for anyone to review.”

“That settles it then. Aldon, please leave us. We will discuss this matter now, and as each of us leaves the chamber, we will cast our vote. You will then be notified of the result.”

Bowing, Aldon took a deep breath and left the chamber with Zolin walking closely behind him. They headed to the laboratory to discuss the meeting and await the results of the vote. They both knew it was going to be a long wait, and they may not get the result they wanted. Aldon wanted to know the reaction of the other advisors sitting alongside Zolin, since they would provide an indication of what others might feel.

“Are we doing the right thing?” asked Aldon for the hundredth time.

“I believe in what we are doing as much as you do. The fact of the matter is, we are killing the planet. We have killed the planet; the damage we have done is irreparable and people need to know that,” replied Zolin. “I think that we are predestined to destroy everything. It is in our nature to take what we want without thought for the consequences. I heard something a while ago that describes us perfectly, ‘The sun, the moon, and the stars would have long ago disappeared if they had been within the reach of man.’ You see, we take what we want. That is why you are going to struggle convincing others.

“As a race, we do not want to believe that we could be capable of destroying a planet, let alone our home world, but here we are. This planet is going to die, and it’s because of our own pride—and that pride is going to kill us along with the planet. No matter what decision the council reaches Aldon, you have to do something about it and save us.”

“But why me? Why does this fall on me?” asked Aldon, already knowing the answer.

“Because people will listen to you. I’ll be by your side every step of the way, but you are the one with the power to save us all, even if most of us don’t want to be saved.”