Chapter 77. Endless exploitation of colonies
"How can you say that?" Celia finally asked. "Your race has been wiped out. Apart from Lieutenant Nilf and you, there are no other Vulcans left in the entire universe."
"I realize that," Jeffrey replied calmly. "But it is a logical consequence that we must face. The probability of being able to prevent such a distant catastrophe is less than one in five. Especially since we do not yet know the cause of the catastrophe. It is entirely possible that my race is destroyed Our own planet. Such complex causal relationships are difficult to influence and change. Therefore, it is logical to start establishing contact with other races here. Despite our advanced technology, we will not be able to survive for a long time. However, If we intervene, maybe we can help the universe. But to do that, we have to accept that we can't get out of here."
"No way," Noah said firmly. "We will find a way, even if it takes us a lifetime."
Everyone present nodded in agreement. Jeffrey didn't argue, perhaps thinking that their views might change over time, especially if there was no hope of success.
Noah stood up. "Please come up with ideas and plans to see how we can recoup our losses. I want to hear everyone's opinions, no matter how bizarre." With that, he left the room. Others followed suit, looking suspicious.
These results are ignited like oil in rumor-mongering. Speculation abounded as to whether the Sindi were involved in Vulcan's destruction, or if something else had caused it.
The sun has not yet risen very high, and the residents of the city are slowly starting their day's work. The day's work was filled with physical labor. The colony was founded on the planet decades ago but continues to grow. Its development has not stopped. New immigrants are constantly arriving on Earth. They see no future on Earth and hope to start a new and better life in distant colonies. In a distant place, I hope that troubles will not catch up later. As a result, the colony continued to grow. The edges of the city continued to expand outward to accommodate the constant influx of new immigrants.
This planet is simply ideal for human settlement. It does not contain any advanced creatures that might pose a threat to the immigrants. Even naturally occurring bacteria pose no challenge to the human immune system. In the worst-case scenario, newcomers may need to take medication for several weeks under a doctor's supervision to adjust to the new environment.
Climatic conditions are similar to temperate regions of the Earth. Due to the right angle to the Sun's orbit, there are no seasons. The climate is consistent, so crops can be grown year-round. This is critical to meeting the food needs of all immigrants.
The planet's sun was called Citi Alpha before scientists first went into space. It is a very stable sun. It radiates light evenly without much fluctuation. This is an important prerequisite, since fluctuations in energy can have an impact on closer planets, often causing disasters.
In this timeline, the colony known as Terraseti is a paradise, especially compared to the overcrowded Earth. At that time, there were more than 18 billion people on the earth. Most people live in poverty and never-ending hunger. This has led to tensions with constant skirmishes breaking out in certain areas of the planet. However, due to the intervention of world powers such as China, India and the North American Alliance, a full-scale war did not break out on Earth. They are too worried that a war on earth will make aliens think that the earth is weak and ununited, thus triggering an alien invasion.
Overpopulation of the planet ultimately leads to an ever-increasing climate burden. Scientists had warned of this before the millennium, but World War III put climate change on hold. Humanity once stood on the edge of the abyss and can no longer drive climate change any further. However, like bugs, humans bounced back from the devastation faster than anyone expected. In just a few generations, the many war dead had been completely replenished, and over the next two hundred years, the human population rapidly grew to an incredible eighteen billion. In addition to the Moon and Mars, there are four other colonies scattered across the universe.
However, melting polar ice and the destruction of nearly all forested areas have had catastrophic effects. Oxygen levels on Earth are declining. Entire ecosystems are also at risk. Important biological species that once maintained ecological balance have become extinct, leaving gaps in the ecosystem.
Scientists are warning again, as they have been doing almost continuously since the turn of the millennium. But this time it’s not about any of the consequences of climate change, because they are almost all already here. This time, the problem is that the planet may soon be unable to support any living things. Over the past two hundred years, average temperatures have generally increased by twelve degrees Celsius. Due to this high temperature and environmental pollution, life in the ocean has almost completely collapsed. Fish is so expensive that it is actually banned. But as usual, such a ban is nearly impossible to enforce. The black market thrives, and it can be expected that people will continue to eat fish until there are literally no more fish left.
However, due to human arrogance, most people still do not realize that they are depriving themselves of the basic survival conditions of life. As a result, most people continue to live the same way they have for generations: wasteful, destructive, and without regard for the consequences. For something nearly a hundred years later, these consequences simply no longer matter. Humanity has successfully reached the stars. New planets can be colonized. Suddenly, seemingly infinite amounts of land were available. But few people realize that not all possible planets are habitable. Most planets are either too hot or too cold. Or it has been occupied by more advanced creatures. And these creatures are not necessarily intelligent and civilized. As long as a planet has a large number of large predators, it will be uninhabitable, because no colonist will want to live on a planet that must be constantly vigilant to avoid being eaten. Thousands of years ago, people had a strong instinct for survival in the wild, but this instinct no longer exists. Humans have become comfortable and know too much about life to willingly take such risks.
If all conditions seem suitable, the composition of bacteria and viruses still needs to be analyzed. Here lies an invisible danger that is difficult to counteract even with the most advanced technology.
Eventually, only a handful of planets were left suitable for colonization. And these planets are still extreme for humans. However, these planets usually have more resources that are worth exploiting. Therefore, many immigrants are willing to endure these inconveniences and work hard under the hot sun on alien planets to share in the extraction and sale of these resources. However, most people's dreams are in vain. Because these jobs don’t bring in much money besides hard work and a lot of pain. For those who want to set off again in search of new opportunities, few can afford it. Nearly everyone who leaves Earth has used up all their savings and is still heavily in debt, keeping them in the hands of ruthless exploiters.
As the first colonies were established and operating stably, more and more people decided to leave Earth. Every day, they leave their homes on immigrant ships to find happiness in foreign lands. However, not everyone achieves their goals. Some ships were in poor technical condition and were never seen again, likely to explode in space or become death traps for their passengers due to power failure.
Still, there was an influx of refugees into the colonies, and this frenzied growth was a real challenge for the city planners tasked with building supply lines. Everything must be organized to ensure that each new arrival finds a place to live as quickly as possible, while at least generally observing all safety regulations. And construction had to be fast. Group homes designed to house immigrants are already full. You could almost say that for every person who left the camp, two new residents took their place.
In Terasit, over 130,000 people now live, spread over five large settlements. And there are more of them every day. Although the final outcome is not yet certain, if scientists' predictions come true, all inhabitants of the Earth will have to leave their homes in the next few decades because the Earth will become completely uninhabitable.
For Olert, however, there is still time until then. He opened the curtains and looked at the city through the window just now. He always felt proud whenever he stood in his office above the Senate and looked at the city. For forty years he influenced the destiny of the colony as a senator, twenty of them as president of the Senate. They have achieved a lot. The colony is growing rapidly, with a sharp upward growth curve. It's not always easy, but somehow they always manage. It is relatively stable now, but he is convinced that if the number of immigrants on the planet continues to increase, the problem will be even greater.
Fifty-five years old, his forehead was lined with worry lines as he turned to the table again. Deep dark circles under his closed eyes made him look much older than he was. The hair on the top of the head recedes far away, leaving a circle of gray-white braids.
Olet, who was thinking a lot, sat tiredly on his chair. The upcoming market upset him. Due to the influx of new settlers, access roads were severely congested, making it more difficult to reach the market's main square. He knew that not all businessmen would like this situation. So he had been thinking about it for hours but still couldn't find a solution to the problem. However, he must find a solution. The market was too important to the colony to suffer due to fewer visitors. Once every six months, merchants from neighboring systems gather here to trade goods with each other or purchase new trade goods. Various races will meet here. This not only brought opportunities for the colonies to come into contact with other races, but also the opportunity to participate in trade. And they can also share the profits of merchants. It started, many years ago, when Olert was worried about taxes. But then he heard that businessmen were willing to pay the price. Although there were some complaints, overall there weren't many. This business is so profitable. Because there is no similar market in nearby galaxies. This is partly because the respective social systems simply do not understand this activity, or because it is not allowed on religious grounds. And people often treat outside traders with suspicion, out of fear or prejudice against strangers, and are relieved if they come one after another. The market in Terassite therefore became something special, a unique opportunity for merchants to trade with each other and directly compare goods. They can also supervise each other. Word spread quickly and the market grew. Now, the merchants are from a race that humans have never seen before. For example, last time there was a businessman in the market who called his home planet Cardassia, but no one knew what kind of place it was.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open violently, and Bostin, who was breathing rapidly, burst in. He panted and stood in front of the table, sucking in air as hard as he could. Olert could understand him. Although his office was just above the Senate, because the ceiling of the Senate was much higher than that of an ordinary room, based on ordinary buildings, Olert's office was equivalent to being on the fourth floor, and there was no elevator.
Postin was a short, slightly plump young man who had been Olert's assistant for several weeks. He was a family friend who lost his parents in an accident two years ago. Since then, he has lived with his adoptive parents. With the help of a psychologist, he gradually recovered from the shock of the accident. Now, he should gradually take on tasks for which he is competent. Olert suggested that he gain some experience here first. But sometimes he regrets his kindness. Although Postin is a good boy, he is somewhat clumsy. And seems to have a hard time following the rules and often doing what he thinks is right. Although he will be eighteen in a few weeks, his intelligence is not fully developed yet.
His hair was cut short, and a pair of delicate spectacles sat on his nose, revealing small, restless eyes behind them. His face turned red and small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Ollert watched him from behind the desk, waiting for him to regain his breath. When he thought he had waited long enough, he finally spoke to the intruder. "Bostin, what is so important that you behave like this?"
"I...ah...I...Earth," Sting stammered, panting like a stag beetle.
"Please speak to me in complete sentences," Olet cautioned slowly. He was getting a little tired of it. When will Postin learn to either exercise more or simply walk slower? Hasn't he realized that his physical condition is not optimistic?
"The Earth contacted us," Postin finally said. Although he was still gasping for air, his condition had improved significantly. "They gave us an order." He waved a piece of paper in his hand.
Olet briefly followed the movement of the paper with his eyes, then looked at Postin again. "I'm sure you've read it. So what does it say?"
Postin looked at least slightly embarrassed, which was an art form considering his reddened head. Because in reality, orders from Earth are always communicated to the Senate President before they are communicated to anyone else in the colony. "It's about the market that's coming," he finally said, trying to sound innocent. "The Earth government ordered us to either cancel the market or at least close it to alien visitors."
"What?" Olet said angrily. He lost his self-control for a moment, his eyes filled with anger. He calmed down when he saw Postin cowering in fear. If he loses his temper, no one will benefit. So his next question came out again calmly. "Is there any explanation for this bottomless disrespect?"
"It says here that they suspect aliens may be collecting information here and then use it to harm the Earth," he said.
Olet snorted disdainfully. Paranoia is growing on Earth. Decades ago, when people first encountered extraterrestrial life, they were shocked beyond words. The Klingons demonstrated their superiority by mercilessly destroying Earth's ships while leaving themselves unscathed. Since then, no peaceful extraterrestrial contact has been able to erase this trauma. The current government's actions are unprecedented. The fear of outsiders is simply taken to an extreme. Almost everything is blamed on aliens. The atmosphere on Earth is becoming increasingly xenophobic. Although officially diplomatic relations are still maintained, in reality the Earth has no real contact with other races. The only ones considered equal partners are the Andorians. They are the only allies recognized. This may just be because the earth does not have the confidence to be hostile to the two superpowers, the Klingon Empire and the Sindi Alliance, otherwise the earth may already be at a disadvantage. Therefore, the alliance between Earth and Andoria creates a check and balance, and therefore brings a certain sense of security. Clearly, Earth does not want to risk upsetting this balance of power.
"What do they want on earth?" Olert asked loudly, but he didn't actually ask Postin. "The market is our only chance to make money. It is our most important source of income. Without it, we can barely keep the colony alive. We cannot give in to this directive."
"It was also mentioned in Earth's instructions that if we let aliens enter this planet, they would send Earth's military," Postin added, in a low voice. He didn't want to remind people of the events that took place in the Earth colony Terra Nova ten years ago, but those events were still alive in the memory of every colonist.
Olet angrily walked past Postin and snatched the document from his hand. He turned his head again before leaving the room. "Call a Senate meeting without delay! At once!" Then he left the room.
