Tag: a slow fall into madness

A Slow Fall Into Madness, Part 1 (Unfiltered)

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A Slow Fall Into Madness

Earth, 2046-2076

The departure of the Enrico Fermi in 2045 AD was the most watched event in human history. Possibly a full third of the population watched the feed directly as the prototype starship translated into FTL space, the best minds of Earth onboard. The details from the Pluto Monolith were spotty and incomplete, but the gist came through fairly well. Humanity would be free to join the Galactic Amalgamation, just as soon as they could travel to it under their own power. There would be no conquest, no forced assimilation. There would be plenty of room for Earth to expand, settle, and thrive, on its own terms. Humanity was permitted, it was welcome, it was anticipated.

Everyone knew that it would be years before the Enrico Fermi would return. It was hoped that the Amalgamation would send back word that the ship had made the journey successfully, but who knew? The rules were still opaque, and written in language that was archaic in 1800. As 2046 passed without word, world leaders moved to tamp down expectations. It might take a while to go through the Amalgamation’s checklist, the word went out. The ship will send a message back as soon as they possibly can. If not now, surely next year, or the year after that.

The reappearance of a battered and barely-functional Enrico Fermi in 2047 was thus both expected, and unexpected. Sensors had been trained on the re-emergence space, giving Earth time to prepare for her arrival. Particularly since ship’s captain Kylee Ramirez refused to transmit any electronic messages, insisting instead that she be allowed to speak in person to Earth’s most important leaders.

But there was no way to truly prepare for what Captain Ramirez revealed. She showed them footage of centuries-old shambles, scene after scene of ancient horror on a planet where the air was full of corpse-dust. All the planets were like this, she revealed. Every one they could find. What records that remained made it clear. There was no Galactic Amalgamation. Not anymore. There was just humanity, orphaned in a charnel galaxy. 

Worst of all? There was no clue as to why it happened, who did it, and why they did not do it to Earth, too. It was perhaps that last mystery that ended up driving the planet to enduring a brief, but deadly, time of madness.

It just took a little time.