Chapter 2 - Uninhabited

Chapter 2

            The alarms began to blast through the station again, as it does the fifth of every third month, signaling for us to go to our predetermined quarters. We were practicing our emergency drill in case anything were ever to go wrong, such as a hull breach, debris, gravitational pull, and anything else that could affect the integrity of not only the ship’s hull, but our lives. It was necessary but I won’t lie and say it was a day I ever looked forward to.

            Personally I would just rather be doing my job like any other day. Each person on the ship is assigned a job with very little say. You can fight your job of course, that’s your right, but the chance of winning is slim to none. Only a handful of people have ever actually fought and won the right in the entire history of the station. It was a dictatorship almost, some days more than others, and whenever someone fought back the same reason was given. “We are doing this for the safety of the vessel and everyone on board.” Once they said that no one seemed to argue anymore.

            Although it isn't a completely flawed system, it’s actually quite effective in the long run. The station we live on, which houses roughly four thousand people now, is a self-sustaining ecosystem within itself. We have people for everything really. Serving or growing food, security, janitors, engineering, and of course taking care of the artificial ecosystems are all roles needed to be fulfilled, some more important than others but none unnecessary, and all had to be filled.

            I always wanted to be a Reveal, ever since I was young. The entire center of the station, from which all sections were connected, is a large glass dome. Within the dome you will find every ecosystem recreated artificially and housing nearly every plant and animal known to man (at the time of its death of course). We also had sections of the station, running from Section A, being the highest in our society (such as government officials or scientists) going down to F, being the lowest (such as janitors), all connecting back to the center.

            Before my ancestors left Earth, now commonly known as Terra, they biologically altered each plant and mammal, so not only could they survive in the station but thrive in their artificial environments. However since they were made to thrive we had to be careful not to let them over populate, plants and animals both. We can’t let one plant get so abundant it makes others rare, and same with mammals; one species cannot be dominant over the other and wipe out the lesser. It is the role of the Reveal to make sure that doesn’t happen, to keep the ecosystem stable and balanced, and if it isn't… well they take care of it.

            The same goes for us though, for humans. Before Terra began to collapse upon itself (around the 27^th century), we were everywhere, running rampant. There were over ten billion humans living there and we had drained it of all resources. The planet could no longer remain stable; it was becoming unfit for human life. Places were hit at random by disasters; no one knew where the next would strike. Over the first two weeks of Terra’s death more than three fourths of our population was already dead… nine billion people in two weeks.

They knew this would happen though and many of Terra’s leaders began preparing for it. A large space station was built, our remaining resources were saved, and our most valuable members of society were given a ticket… the ones still living anyway. Unfortunately they didn’t have enough time to make the station large enough to support a lot of people. Two thousand people were selected and given a pass based on their respective field. If you were not in that group of two thousand, you went down with the planet, and that was a lot to leave behind...

Due to the limits of space, people given the boarding pass were not allowed to bring anyone along with them. If they were married and their spouse did not possess a pass, then regrettably they were left behind; this included most of the children as well. Many of the two thousand refused to leave their family behind and died on Terra with everyone else, usually dying with their ticket or selling it to the highest bidder. In retrospect, the wealthiest among us were able to purchase tickets for their loved ones, at least a few, as even they were limited. Everyone lost someone that day, everyone lost their home.

Generations have passed since then, leaving no one who was on Terra alive today. Throughout the years however, our population again started to rise. Our leaders took steps to help reduce the rate in which we grow. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are both encouraged, as male/female couples help our population stay stable and steadily increase, while our same-sex couples don’t have children so we don’t overpopulate. Every now and then people do die; whether it was from sickness, old age, or a hull breach. Gay couples or couples unable to have children biologically are given those who are orphaned so no child is without a parent, no one left behind again.

Through all the governments regulations we have managed to stay at a decent population size, starting at roughly two thousand and nearing the four thousands now. Accommodations are being added on constantly to provide living quarters for our growing population, but you can only build so fast. Lately one of our issues has become the dwindling of resources. Obviously materials to add more to the station isn't accessible anymore, what we have in our reserves is it; however the public know nothing specific, probably to avoid mass panic. Food is rationed but our portions get smaller every few months. I often wonder what it would be like to live on Terra when that was never a problem, at least not until the end of Terra’s life.

My biological father believed that we shouldn’t forget what Terra was like, just because it is no longer there doesn’t mean it isn't were we originated from. Often he would sneak a book about Terra’s history home and read it to me before I went to sleep. It was my favorite part of the day, hearing about everyday life on Terra, for every species. We did learn about what Terra was like in school when we are younger, but they tell us very little. Anything else would be locked away in the archives, not allowed access by the public. We read about what forests and cities used to be like, the type of business’ or operations that were run and needed on a daily basis. And of course, how to not repeat the actions our ancestors did when we arrive at our new home. The rest, such as wars or some of Terra’s… darker history, has been hidden from the eyes of the public, most of it anyway. Rumors cropped up here and there but with no proof you couldn’t believe everything. Rumors of constant war were a hot topic, but I can’t see how whole civilization would let themselves perish because they couldn’t stop fighting amongst one another.

Very little was actually known about Terra though. Besides the very top of our hierarchy the only ones who knew about Terra are the Reveals. They were able to access information when needed as they had to know how to keep our ecosystem running smoothly. After many years it has become almost perfect and accessing the archives was almost never needed. All that knowledge locked away because of fear.

We all lined up next to each other in our designated spots while officials walked around us making sure everything was in its place, in case an actual emergency we were all taught safety precautions and basic things such as quick repairs, putting out fires, or hull breaches. There have been a few cases here and there but most of the time there were very little casualties. After standing for what seemed like hours they released us and we all returned to our daily routine. 

Reviews

[Shannon]

Hey, I believe that you have a formatting issue here!

[ChasingTheDark]

Fixed, thank you, as always :)

[Shannon]

Great, now I can reread and comment on actual content.☺️
You're welcome.

[Shannon]

First off, I like your character.. He (do I have a reason to think he is male? Or just my own conjecture? Anyway...) is honest and friendly and has some unusual experiences for his world it seems.

I have pulled a few nit picky sentences out to work on.

Although it isn't a completely flawed system, it’s actually quite effective in the long run.

a self-sustaining ecosystem within itself.

and housing near every plant and animal known to man

many of Terra’s leaders began preparing for it (change to past tense)

You have a trustworthy character and a nice complete setting.. Where are we going next?