Civilisation

Algerian Prime was a unique planet. With three suns, there were only a few hours each day when it was dark. This was one of Aldon’s favourite times of the day and he would try to take a shuttle out to a remote place and look back at the city. It was difficult at first to find somewhere, but when he did, he always used that place to sit and reflect on all they had achieved.

This vantage point allowed him to look back and marvel at his home—raised platforms as far as they eye could see, each one lit up like a small town that never sleeps. He had met Zolin in one of the shuttle bays and had flown out here, knowing that they would not be overheard by anyone.

“What is this about?” asked Zolin.

“You heard the decision from the Council, but do you know who was waiting for me in my apartment?”

“No, I have been waiting for you to tell me who it was. I bet it was one of those philosophers from the Academy that believe we will all be saved by some miracle?”

“It was Kruff.”

Zolin gasped, he could not believe that Kruff would be so cruel as to want to deliver the result himself. He was head of the Council, so that task should not have been for him to do. “I cannot believe that Kruff delivered the message himself.”

“That’s what we need to talk about,” replied Aldon. “It’s not as simple as it sounds. He delivered the result himself, because he had another message to give me. Apparently, there are some in the Council that are willing to help our cause, that believe in what we are doing. Kruff being one of them.”

“Are you sure he is being truthful?” asked Zolin, astonished that Kruff would want to help. “He has always been against us, telling us that we are wasting our time. Could this be some sort of trick to help discredit what we are doing? To finally put an end to us?”

“I don’t think that, Zolin. The only thing that I do know is that if we are to save as many people as we can, then we’re going to need help. We cannot do this on our own. Kruff is arranging a meeting between me and someone who speaks for those in the Council that want to help us.”

“You’re not going alone,” shouted Zolin.

“I have to. If this is a trap, then you will need to continue the work without me. If Kruff is telling the truth, then the person I’m going to meet will be nervous and will be expecting me to be alone. I’ll be fine, just remember that you will need to continue with our task if anything should happen to me.”

“I cannot believe that you are thinking of trusting Kruff,” said Zolin, in a resigned voice.

“If we are going to do this and save everyone, then we need to trust in others. Trust that they understand we are doing the right thing.”

“I don’t agree with this, you should not be going alone.”

“I’ll be fine. There is no reason to think that Kruff would want to cause me any harm. I will go to the meeting and then hopefully we will have some support.”

***

After they had spent hours discussing the meeting and all possible outcomes, Aldon and Zolin finally returned back to the platform on which they had their laboratory and their homes.  It was late when the shuttle landed, and after saying good evening to each other, they retired for the night.

When Aldon got to his home, he opened the door and half expected someone to be sitting waiting for him, but the room was empty. The tension in his shoulders eased, and he realised that he had been on edge for the past few weeks.

Moving towards the bedroom, he noticed that the light on his computer was flashing. Walking over to it, he pressed the button below it to replay the message that was saved. The screen flickered on and Kruff appeared.

“Aldon, as promised I have made arrangements. I know you like to sit and think in the Council chambers when it goes dark, so I have asked our mutual friend to meet you there tomorrow evening. You know this person so do not be alarmed when you see them.

“Please remember, this is a sensitive situation, but there are people that want to help you. I know I do not have to say this but delete this message after you have listened to it and remember, if you are not alone, then our mutual friend will walk away. Good luck.”

Aldon deleted the message and then the screen flicked off. He sat down in the chair in front of the computer, his heart racing, he did not think he would be getting any sleep this night.

***

The next day went agonizingly slow. When he had arrived at the laboratory that morning, Aldon had briefly mentioned that the meeting would be later that evening. Zolin had been both nervous and excited, still wanting to go in case it was a trap. Aldon had refused as before. If this was going to work, then they needed to trust Kruff and his contact.

Slowly the day drew to an end. Lunch had come and gone, but nothing helped with the anxiety, and the tension in the laboratory was taut.

“I need to go and prepare for the meeting,” Aldon said finally. “I will be careful, and I’ll let you know as soon as I have spoken with Kruff’s contact.”

“I still don’t like this, but you are right. If we are going to succeed, we need to trust people and take any help we can get.”

***

He needed to clear his head before this clandestine meeting with a mysterious stranger, so Aldon decided to go for a walk, hoping the air would clear his mind and allow him to focus. He didn’t know how this meeting would go, or whom he was meeting for that matter, but what he did know is that his mind needed to be clear and focused. If he was to be the hero everyone wanted, then he would need to show confidence. These people would be looking up to him to help them—to save them.

He had always known that they needed someone to take charge of the situation and decide what needed to be done and who would do it, but he had hoped that the Council would take the responsibility. He knew that there would be a chance they would deny his claims, but he had not thought about what would come after that decision. Now he knew what was expected, the thought of it was overwhelming and not for the first time since he spoke to Kruff, he thought about taking Zolin and anyone else who believed him and leaving. Zolin was right though, even if people did not believe them, he had a duty to do all he could to save them.

Thinking like this was not helping. Aldon needed to speak with someone that would give him an unbiased opinion. The Council had passed their vote, so he saw no harm in speaking to one of the members about this.

Changing direction, he made his way opposite his own home to Oluania’s. Oluania had been a member on the Council for some years now, and while she had a fondness for Aldon, she was still not convinced by his claims. They had grown up together and while they did not exactly share the same political views, they had never let it jeopardise their friendship and she had always encouraged him to do what he felt was right in his heart. This is what he needed now.

After a few minutes, he reached her door. Looking at it, he had never given the doors on Algerian Prime much though, but now when faced with the total destruction of the planet, he started noticing little things. Like the fact that all the doors were the same grey steel colour. Why did we never consider changing the colour? He smiled to himself.

Pushing the thought aside for more important matters, he raised his hand and pressed the button at the side of the door to let Oluania know that he was there. After a brief pause the door slid open and there she was standing facing him with a look of surprise and shock on her face.

“What are you doing here, Aldon?” she asked, her smooth skin quickly masking her emotions.

“I just needed to talk with you for a few moments. Don’t worry, I am not going to ask how you voted, I know what you think of my work and well… what’s done is done.”

“I understand Aldon. You are disappointed with the result and I guess you are feeling lost, wondering what you should do next. Am I right?” she asked. She always seemed to know, like a sixth sense, what he was thinking and how he was feeling.

“Yes, I’ve thought about it so much that my head is hurting. Many times I have thought about taking those close to me and leaving.”

“You know that you cannot do that don’t you?” asked Oluania, frowning at him.

“Yes. I know.”

“There is more to it than you probably realise. Let’s say for arguments sake that you are right,” she began, holding up her hand to stop Aldon from saying anything. “Could you leave everyone here to die knowing that you still had time to try and change people’s minds? You wouldn’t just be leaving those behind that do not believe in what you say, you will also be leaving behind lots that do believe you. How could you start afresh on another planet knowing that you left everyone here to die?”

Aldon hung his head low. “You are right of course, but what do I do?”

“Why are you asking me? You’re the scientist, the one who is supposed to have all the answers and save us. The only thing I can tell you is, fight for what you believe in. If you wholeheartedly believe that we only have a century left, then you have almost a century to convince us. The Council has decided not to help you, but you are free to continue your research and bring it before the Council again if things change.”

She was right and he knew she was. No matter how frustrated or scared he got, he could never live with himself if he left his people here to die. Listening to what Oluania had to say, he decided what he must do. He was going to continue his fight and try to convince people that they needed to start making plans to evacuate. If they still refused to believe him, then it would be his failure. He would ensure the people closest to him were saved and he would remain here with those he had failed.

“Thank you,” he said making his way to the door. “As always, you have steered me in the right direction, I know what I must to do, even if it means staying here to die with my people.”

“Stop being so melodramatic,” said Oluania, slapping him on the back as he left.

He made his way home with a renewed sense of purpose and feeling more alive than ever. First things first, he needed to get ready for his meeting.