"Launch sequence initiated" said the artificial voice calmly, while meteors continued impacting just a few hundred miles away. Any of them could strike this facility at any moment. The largest of the group on impact trajectory with Eretz would have a blast equivalent of an hundred trillion tons of plastic explosive. "Ten minutes to liftoff." Ten minutes to get ready to leave this blood soaked world, ten minutes to leave the only home I've ever known, ten minutes in which I hope my wife will finally show up before time is up. Ten minutes more for any of those rocks to impact nearby and destroy everything.
Overlooking the eastern sea on the southeast of the supercontinent, hidden research facility was spawled out upon. The holographic projectors that made made the complex appear to be impassible terrain were now offline. They wouldn't be necessary anyway, since all the nomadic raiders would be focusing on their own survival during this cataclysmic event. The waters which looked so calm suddenly were struck and soon a harbor wave would impact.
"Reroute power to coastal force fields!" Mikael ordered the computer.
"Power rerouted" said the computer.
"Yacoba, where are you?!" Mikael broadcasted.
"Vehicle approaching" said the computer.
"I'm on my way, my love! This land vehicle wouldn't start" replied Yacoba over the radio.
"Computer, send an automated transport aircraft out to Yacoba's location. Bring her here as fast as safely possible!"
"Command confirmed."
As the transport drone undocked from the massive nuclear thermal space lauch vehicle, the coastal force field was struck by a massive harbor wave. The wave ascended thousands of feet into the air and the water appeared far more blue than normal through the atmospheric effects of the force field. Slowly the water settled back down.
"Five minutes until blastoff. Lauch sequence now irreversable."
Mikael awaited as patiently as he could and Yacoba's transport now docked. As soon as the doors opened and Yacoba stepped out, they hugged and kissed each other.
"You have no idea how much I missed you!" said Mikael.
"I missed you too. Sorry I left you for so long" said Yacoba.
"It's okay, we're back together now. The past is behind us, the future before us" said Mikael. "Let's get ready to launch though, this ship accelerates quickly."
Getting ready, the ground shook beneath them.
"Computer, status?"
"Meteor impact twenty miles distant. Approximate yield, 35 kilotons. Thirty seconds to launch."
Mikael and Yacoba sat by each other in highly cushioned seats, holographic projections displayed various readouts and the vista about them. Another harbor wave began to strike the coastal force field, this time though the field emitter started to smoke and then burst suddenly in a bright flash of blue light and a small billowing of ozone laced smoke before it was covered in water.
"5... 4... 3..." the water almost made its way to the ship. "2... 1...!"
The acceleration was absurd. This must be what "surface" gravity for a large gas giant would feel like! Mikael and Yacoba continued holding hands though. Mikael hoped everyone else was alright too. A few minutes later, acceleration ceased and the ship was at zero gravity - in orbit of Eretz. Seeing ones homeworld be bombarded from space was something he never wanted to see. He just wanted to leave this violent world and live in peace on a new frontier. Now there was now homeworld and no frontier nearby either - the nearby world in the solar system was also uninhabitable now too, also being struck by the same interstellar storm of hail. Watching the holographic display of the planet below, the mega asteroid impacted off to the west of the supercontinent. The relatively thin crust of land rippled like water. Volcanoes errupted everywhere and soon the land and sea were invisible from orbit. For now the colonists aboard Hope Of Peace were safe, but with nowhere to land, that might only last for so long.
15 Jan 2016, 12:18 am
