Maf: A Brief History of the “Original Colonists” — Part One

This story was written with the assistance of an AI writing program.

A group of 187,000 people, 70% randomly selected from across the Earth and 30% engineers, scientists, artists and leaders boarded the great football-shaped ships, their noses pointed at the sky.

Each ship — a shuttle for the huge ship in Earth orbit — stood hundreds of feet tall on rock, hard ground and similar locations selected strategically from around the world.

20,000 people would board each of these monstrous “shuttles” which would then rocket into space and permanently join with the “Ark Royal,” a huge ark-type ship six and a half miles long and just over a mile wide.

Built by “Vee” of the huge LMT Corporation, rumors flew regarding the cost of this project. Guestimates ranged from several hundred billion to over three trillion dollars.

It had required over ten years to build the ark in orbit and the 15 “shuttles” now scattered around the globe.

Tensions between the nations had been running hot for nearly 20 years, but miraculously, full-scale war had not yet broken out although several proxy wars had been fought between the competing blocks of nations — the Western democracies on one side and Russia and China and their allies on the other.

Vee believed World War Three was coming and he suspected it would quickly turn nuclear terminating all life on Earth.

To preserve life and human customs, culture and history, Vee built the Ark Royal and its fleet of 15 huge shuttles to ferry people to the great ship hovering above Earth. Each was to carry 20,000 people, for a full capacity aboard the Ark Royal of 300,000 refugees of Earth.

The shuttles were now parked all across the planet, one in South Africa, another in western Egypt, one near London, two in Canada, three in the USA, one in Australia, one in Vietnam, one in Brazil, one in India, one in Japan, one in Spain and the last, the “Philadelphia,” 208 miles southeast of Moscow.

The military forces of each country guarded the ships with supplementary heavily armed security forces hired by the LMT Corporation.

As the day approached to leave Planet Earth, huge crowds began converging on the site of each shuttle. Many had been there for weeks, hoping to be selected at the last moment to board one of the ships.

Yet, the worldwide “Great Lottery” had ended months ago. There would be no new nor late winners selected to board one of the fifteen ships.

Just 11 days before launch, fighting broke out at several of the launch sites. At each site extra security flew in aboard military helicopters, armed troops from the nation’s military reinforced those already there.

Five days before launch, riots broke out at all 15 launch sites, people were frantic.

These ships had been advertised as offering a new chance at life, “to escape the evils, wars, racism, prejudices and hatreds of Old Earth to build a new civilization of peace and prosperity beyond the stars.”

At each location, thousands upon thousands of people gathered hoping to board, to escape Earth and its crime, corruption and wars and politics to begin anew, to start a new life, to start over again.

208 miles southeast of Moscow, police and military officials informed Vee that the crowd had grown to over a million; there wasn’t enough food or sanitary facilities, the troops were having a hard time holding back the crowds, people; men, women and children were already dying in the dozens, more would occur unless drastic measures were taken.

The Philadelphia was the only ship fully loaded. 20,000 passengers nervously awaited the ride into orbit. Peering out the windows, they could see the surging, angry crowd.

Vee gave the order.

“Launch in 24 hours,” he stated.

None of the other ships were at capacity, thousands of selected “Lottery” winners would be left behind.

A rumor escaped that the ships were readying for launch. Although Vee and the company denied it, stating that lift-off would occur at the scheduled time, there was no concealing the frantic activity aboard and around each of the great ships.

Suddenly, in the early morning of the fourth day from launch, at each site dozens of military helicopters swept in. Some carried Lottery winners to be offloaded and board the great ships, others were empty to ferry the engineers and technicians serving the great ships away to safety.

Near the Philadelphia, 208 miles southeast of Moscow, the huge crowds broke through the military and police cordons surrounding the great ship. Fighting and the stampede killed thousands of military, police and civilians.

At 9 AM, the rocket engines of all 15 ships roared to life. The ground could be felt shaking from miles away. At the Philadelphia, the searing flames of the engines killed another 9,000 people.

The Kremlin had been dubious of these ships and this project from the start. The leader of Russia watched on the monitor as the Philadelphia and the other ships ponderously lifted into the sky.

These ships were so big and heavy, it appeared at first they were moving by mere inches, creeping into space as if reluctant to leave Mother Earth.

Acceleration was slow. A few miles above the surface of earth, it became apparent that the ships were moving much quicker, now appearing to be eager to break hold of Earth and meet the great Ark Royal beyond.

The Kremlin leadership made a decision. The leader of Russia had issued his order.

All 15 ships were to be destroyed before they reached the Ark Royal, beginning with the Philadelphia. Then the Ark Royal itself would be destroyed.

As the ships began to enter orbit, in Russia, several ballistic missiles were fired, aimed for the Philadelphia. Four Russian battles shuttles also rocketed into orbit with orders to destroy the Philadelphia, then the Ark Royal. Next, they were to hunt down the other fourteen shuttles and destroy them as well.

The Russian leader knew his actions would most likely initiate World War Three, but he was determined.

One of the Russian battle shuttles developed a problem and was forced to turn back toward Russia. The other three continued.

U.S. Space Force destroyed three of the six ballistic missiles headed for the Ark Royal, the British destroyed one more. Two remained.

The three Russian battle shuttles saw the Philadelphia at extreme range. They closed to within 300 miles, then each launched four conventional missiles.

The Americans destroyed five missiles, the U.K. accounted for two more. One missile lost thrust and began the slow spiral to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. Four more missiles continued on course. Two had been aimed for the Ark Royal, two at the Philadelphia. The heavy load of explosives on each missile could easily destroy the Philadelphia, the Russian leadership was uncertain how effective they would be on a ship that measured six miles long and over a mile wide.

The ballistic missiles missed the Ark Royal and finally detonated in empty space hundreds of miles away. But the smaller conventional missiles continued on course.

Contact! Two missiles hit the Philadelphia and the huge ship exploded in a huge fireball that could be seem from half the Earth. 20,000 people died.

Two more missiles closed on the Ark Royal. The United States Space Force attempted to intercept these missiles but failed.

The Ark Royal had begun to accelerate out of orbit when the shuttles had launched. It was now picking up speed, traveling nearly as fast as the missiles which chased her. Could she accelerate enough to escape the oncoming missiles and inevitable destruction they would unleash?

As the ship turned onto a new heading, onboard monitors and Earth-bound radars and cameras all saw two missiles merge with the great ship. Two explosions were observed.

A few moments passed; “No damage!” radioed Captain Patrick McHenery to Houston, he repeated, “No damage.”

“Good sailing — and God speed,” radioed Houston. The last best hope of Earth was now safe.