Garden at the End of the Universe
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"We're coming up on turn-about," Michael announced. The Clarity Space had been accelerating towards the Constellation ever since we left the Endurance. If we were to easily rendezvous with the Constellation, we needed to decelerate at the same rate for the other half of the journey. So, Michael needed to turn off our engines and the inertial suppressors, rotate the ship all the way around and restart the drives, so that the thrust slowed the ship. We would be in free-fall for a few minutes; instinctively, we all checked our seatbelts. The engine roar ceased, followed by the intermittent hiss of the thrusters pushing the ship in a half-circle. I was obscurely relieved when the main engines and artificial gravity restarted smoothly. "I think we need to compare notes, very carefully, with Alan Chun," Captain Tam said thoughtfully, "Question every assumption, check every timeline." "Agreed, Captain," I replied smartly, adding, "A question, if I may." "Go ahead." "Is the Constellation the only other ship here?" I asked. "Hah! No, not at all. There are thirteen other ships in this system, according to Chun." "Hmm. Only a small fraction of those which left Earth all those years ago," I mused, "I wonder what happened to all the rest?" "I can only hope," Adele interjected, "That there are there are other systems designated as reservations, if that is the word, elsewhere. We deliberately sent ships in every direction, spreading out as much as we could." "There might be yet more ships inbound here," I argued, "The Endurance wasn't the first to arrive here. It might not be the last." "True enough," Tam agreed, "Although there were no engine-signature lights in the sky when we arrived." "So there might be a human presence in dozens of systems," Adele suggested, "Assuming the Gods chose not to peremptorily destroy ships." "Or ship failures were more common than I'd like to think about," I said gloomily, "Although that's a statement from Waldo I'd like to re-examine." There was silence in the cabin of the Clarity Space for the rest of the trip, each of us apparently immersed in our own thoughts. For my part, I attempted to recall everything Waldo had told me, and speculate on the implications if his statements were, in fact, untrue, ambiguous or misleading. The rendezvous with the Constellation was entirely uneventful; we were met at the inner airlock door by Captain Chun and a couple of his officers. Alan recognised me immediately; we embraced as old friends while Michael, Adele and Captain Tam got warm handshakes. "Let me formally welcome you all to the Sonne system," Chun said, adding in an amused tone, "Some of us have been here so long that we have managed to create a 'Welcome to Garten' manual. It's a thousand pages long, more or less. It's probably worth studying." "Why would we need a manual?" I demanded, unable to help myself from interjecting. "Because most people are assuming we will be here forever," Alan answered reasonably. I must admit I was a little shocked. "Trapped in a zoo?" I huffed. Alan smiled indulgently. He explained that, after the stress of ship failures and emotional encounters with the Gods - I made a mental note to discover more about those encounters - it seemed that most people appeared content to settle down, build new homes, bring up children and generally act as settlers. This was, of course, the original plan when we left Earth all those years, and centuries, ago. "For most, then," he concluded, "The fact that we are trapped in a single system actually changes very little. We are a hundred thousand people, more or less, with an entire planet, an entire stellar system, to explore, to enjoy. It might be a hundred years, a thousand years, before we are established everywhere in this system." I nodded sagely, but said nothing. Privately, I considered that this was an option I personally did not want to consider, although I could imagine that many of the crew of the Endurance would find the possibility attractive. Even though it did not completely align with the full Expansionist vision, when we were restlessly exploring the single solar system we knew - the one containing Earth - there were plenty of people who simply wanted to build a habitat, or colonise an asteroid, and live out their lives in peace. Of course the Consolidationist faction decided we could not be left alone and needed to be brought under their control, hence the urgent drive to leave the Sol system. Alan seemed keen to give us the guided tour of the Constellation, with the captain's understandable pride in his own ship. Captain Tam seemed happy to oblige. I was surprised how different the internals of the Constellation were, given the same basic starting-point. I could make out the purpose of most of the machinery visible, although the fusion reactors and main drives and the inertial suppressors were of course out of bounds and hidden by much heavy shielding. Still, there were some places where equipment appeared to have been removed; I asked Alan about them. "The Constellation is the only ship still in working order," he explained, "It was the last to arrive, before you. Which is why we are here to meet you." "And the missing machines?" I pressed. "They've been moved," he replied immediately, "To habitats further in the system, where the sunlight is much stronger and iceballs cannot go, or to in-system spacecraft, or actual settlements on Garten itself. The other interstellar ships have been completely cannibalised for parts, for habitats in the inner system, or rebuilt as dedicated factories for smaller spacecraft." Alan paused, then added, "The Gods intended this system to be the last resting place of the human race. It's a good deal. We intend to take advantage of it."
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Part 3