The "Raid"
"So wait… you're telling me…they all ducked out their Caperones?!" The First Citizen said trying to slowly come to grips with the situation.
"Yep… I have no idea how they did that?" The Captain of one of the Ark ships said.
"Well find them…we can tolerate a lot…but this is just… blatant rebellion!" The First Citizen said as calmly as they could.
"Boss they are teenagers doing doing dumb shit." The Captain said.
"I knew we should have forced them to take hormone suppressants."
"That would already add strain to an already fragile developing body sir…we had to make sacrifices for their health."
"And what do you CALL THIS!" The First Citizen demanded.
"This sir…is what the old days called a YOLO moment." The Captain said.
"I only hope they don't MESS with anything on the bridge. It will be a pain in the ass to fix…" The First Citizen relented.
The First Citizen then sighed. "Why are you indulging them?"
"Because I can sir."
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First Officer Sergi Federov
Age 39
Ethnicity: Ukrainian
Nationality Prior to Arc: Galacian Republic (Ukrainian Puppet State)
Status: First Officer of the UR-AS Morning Glory
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"So that button is the Main heat vent button, it keeps us from boiling alive and we must press it every 72 hours to vent." The first officer said.
"Why every 72 hours." Desmond said as the group of children seemed to crowd around.
First Officer Federov more or less knew he had to keep them as entertained as possible for the duration of the raid so they didn't break anything. And that ment for the Captains sake, he had to go along with this.
The Captain already fell on his/her sword for this…so the best he can do is prevent a panic by taking them on less a joyride and more a guided tour of the bridge. Children these days…
Well thats what we get when shoving them in a freezer for months at a time…we should have expected this eventuality.
"Because any longer then 72 hours means it gets rather hot my boy…hotter then Pheonix in summer. Anyone remember that feeling?" You said.
Only two raised their hands. It was a sobering feeling to have so few remember the feeling of a city of nearly a hundred and sixty million.
Every question was answered, every button mentioned. You even got permission to pull a sail by salute with the New Hope and you assumed that pissed somone off.
The Day cycle turned to night as the raid quieted down and they asked you a question?
"Will we ever see Ground on our feet" and
"Will we ever have a home again?"
How to answer the question?
You lost your home in the Grain Wars when they battled for Ukraines Soil.
"Home…we've lost our home… but we each carry a part of that with us in every drop of blood and every tear, and every mind and every bit of bone.
Every Heartache…Every Sorrow and every triumph."
You continued in pain. "We have held onto our home the people we have carried with us, every artifact, every trinket, and every treasure. Each piece of the home now lost forever.
We are all that's left…all that remains of the Children of Earth, and you not only have the responsibility to hold onto and protect one another, but strike with the rigorous fury of God to defend them now and forever."
They listened. "Our home…Eden is lost and we wander the void trying in vain to find the path forward into the Heaven we were promised."
"Nearly 5,000 Years we have been searching for that…Heaven, the place where man will find where he truly belongs, free of the burden of despair and heartache so that we will reach your greatest potential…" You finished.
"You came here looking for cheap fun to stave your boredom, but you will find no greater resolve in realizing your all that is left and you have the responsibility to bear the weight of carrying on the legacy and hope of Man."
There was a sense of calm when you finished… as what was once a raid for a child's entertainment brought the weight of all that they were down to their level.
It was despair, hope, perseverance, anxiety, and more as you spoke to them in simple language.
They could stomach it…they were strong enough to blaze the path towards heaven and find it.
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"First Officer?" The Captain asked. "What happened? It was supposed to be a guided tour…to calm them down, and partly a prank on the boss…what did you do?"
"Opened their eyes to their own Potential…" You said. "It was always there…now they can see it and be the best of themselves ."
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To be the best of Humanity is to recognize that in the end… you are all that's left.
We've lost nearly everything and are struggling to hold on to what's left…each and every one of us has a reason to think that despair is the answer.
Despair and Apathy have never been the answer…and have never saved anyone.
Mankind will not fall to that master of our demons…will not falter to the challenge of space, of our home, or even the pain of wandering the stars.
Even if we must wander forever…we will not give in.
To give in is to betray everything we've sacrificed to get here…
So chin up and march to that horizon…
You've already cheated death.
Why not beat the rest of what the Universe has thrown at us out of Spite.
Because that's what being Human is.
Being too stubborn to give up.
Why Just settle for Just Survival?
…There's nothing wrong with being exceptional.
You're the best of Humanity…why not prove it.
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AN: What started as a childish raid of the bridge as a prank turned into a full-blown philosophy lecture on Humanity and the importance of never giving up on anything…
And that is how you escalate…Federov just convinced an entire generation of teenagers and children to be exceptional human beings.
And that will only lead to good things…
Hopefully.
