That Good Night

That Good Night.

In the year, 3647, mankind had already ventured out into space, built colonies on Mars, Enceladus and even space stations near Neptune. Probes had already been sent to other solar systems and had found rocky planets but none that would sustain humans life. As a result, humanity remained within the confines of Sol, with most of mankind still within the bustling planet of Earth.

The surface of the Earth had become unhabitable over a thousand years prior and man had built a shell underneath the surface and had found a way to survive there. They had built machines that were able to gain energy from natural sources including wind and solar which they used to power the massive underground cities.

Man had also found ways to recycle water and create rain which they gathered in vast containers in the upper part of the shell.

The colonizers had used similar techniques on the other planetary bodies in the system and had thrived.

Justin 670, a man of about 35 years of age, had been educated in this world and had marveled at the achievements as he reread the old data feed in front of an audience hall where a thousand students listened with rapt attention.

"Wow!", he said aloud. "Just look at what we have accomplished! I am just continually amazed! We can fix just about any problem that the universe can throw at us!"

The students seem to smile at this, nodding their heads in assent.

"All we have to do is put our minds to it and we can accomplish anything!", Justin continued. "It just takes a good idea and a lot of hard work to make it happen!

"You are the next generation of humanity and here at the Hansa University, you can learn what you need to help humanity to move forward! That's what you are here to do and I for one have the utmost confidence in you!"

All the students stood up and clapped and cheered at his words oblivious of the tiny sphere floating high above them, recording ever word and action.

After the class had ended and all the students left the lecture hall, Justin 670 received a summons from his wrist com from the headmaster.

"Uh oh," he groaned. This usually meant that something was wrong. He sighed. "Well, " he said as he packed his briefcase, "better get this over with."

He spent a little time straightening his desk, making sure that everything was ready for the 3 pm class, then exited the hall and headed across the campus to the waiting transport pod.

The small pod was only big enough to accommodate 1 or two people at most and Justin felt that he had to squeeze himself to get inside. "Probably designed to make the journey to the headmaster as uncomfortable as possible", he thought to himself as the pod lurched forward at break neck pace. He tried to look at the enormous underground city as it passed by, but the pod was moving so quickly that he got motion sick.

The pod finally stopped the forward motion and the shot directly upwards to the headmasters tower and then stopped. Justin took a deep breath to make sure his stomach was still in place, the left the pod on rather shaky legs.

After he left the pod, he took in the view of the headmasters office. which was so large, it often reminded Justin of a old style cathedral. His footsteps echoed on the marble floor as he made his way to the large desk that was risen above the floor.

The domed ceiling opened up to the sky outside the shell like an observatory. Justin looked at it and viewed the pattern on the floor made by the reddish orange glow that was pulsating slowly. It gave the room some natural lighting but, it was still a bit dark and cold in the room. He sighed, shaking his head.

The headmaster himself was a middle aged man and he was wearing wig and robe of courtroom judge.

"Well this is a bit much," he thought to himself as he stared at the headmaster who looked back at him through small glasses that had slid down his nose. His eyes had the hint of smoldering embers of a dying fire.

"Approach the bench!"

Justin moved forward to the bench as instructed.

The headmaster cleared his throat and pulled out a few sheets of paper and turned to face Justin.

“Justin 670. You DO know what I am holding, do you not?”

Justin looked at the papers and then back at the headmaster.

“I do, sir”

The headmaster leaned back in his chair and glared at Justin.

“Then state it, Justin 670!”

“It is our contract. The contract between the University and myself.”

“Correct, Justin 670! “ The headmaster leaned forward on the desk and looked downward at Justin as a predator would.

Justin couldn't help himself and rolled his eyes.

“Am I boring you now, Justin 670?!? You know I hold your ENTIRE FUTURE in the palm of my hands? One word from me and your fate is sealed!? You know this, Don't you?!”

Justin looked down cast at the floor and said. “I humbly ask forgiveness, headmaster. Please continue.”

The headmaster sat back, momentarily satisfied and placed his hands in a steeple position in front of him.

“Justin 670,” he began. “As you know, we monitor every class and all curriculum here at this university to make sure it is within compliance. Nothing must deviate from established policies laid down by the University leadership and the leadership of our society.”

“Yes, headmaster, I understand.”

The headmaster cleared his throat again as the light dimmed slightly in the room. “Your recent lectures are…. interesting..but they really border on violating the policies.”

He shifted in his seat and looked Justin again. “These policies are put in place for a reason, you know. We can't have people thinking about things that are outside of their control or would cause mass hysteria. Our whole system would collapse!”

Justin looked back at the floor noting the dimming light then back at the headmaster.

“I know that part, headmaster. Of course, I also know that if we do nothing at all…”

Suddenly, the headmaster slammed his fist on the desk and pointed his index finger at Justin. “Don't say it! You know the policy! Don't even think about it!”.

Justin opened his arms, palms up and shook his head. “So we put our heads in the sand? We just wait for it to just happen? What about those children and their own children? Don't they deserve a chance? Or have the powers that be, sealed the fate of all of us including the children?”

The light in the room grew dimmer still as the headmaster looked away to his left, staring at the door to the library. The headmaster sighed, hoping he could conclude this meeting quickly but this “Justin 670” person was just not getting it.

Justin stood silently and waited for the headmaster to say something, but at the moment he just seemed to choke with rage as his face grew as red as the room.

The headmaster then took a deep breath and sighed.

Justin waited patiently. "They just don't care", he thought to himself. "It doesn't seem to matter to the headmaster or anyone else that it no longer hurts to view the sun with the naked eye or that the light was constantly getting dimmer everyday."

Justin had been monitoring this from a pirated server, that his TA had set up. He was hoping that the headmaster hadn't found out about it or the plans he and several others had for evacuation.

“Look, Justin, you're doing a bang up job! The students love you and your teaching.

“Thank you, headmaster”

“But, you gotta stay in line! You know the policy and you know why it's there. Fair or not, it is there.”

Justin sighed again. “I know I can't talk about it.”

“Right”

“But there's nothing in the policy about having hope or even the possibility of a future of some kind.”

The headmaster grumbled…”No, the policy doesn't exclude things like that, Justin. It's just teetering on the edge and that's why I have to call you before the carpet. It's protocol. You know that.”

Justin 670 nodded his head. “I understand, headmaster. I have been warned. Thank you.”

The headmaster grunted a “harrumph” and then sent Justin 670 back to the Lower levels of the University.

Secretly, the headmaster admired Justin and hoped that his clandestine efforts to save the young students from the coming catastrophe would succeed. He doubted that it would though. The powers that be already determined that the sun would go nova within a year if not sooner. That's not a lot of time.

He sighed and shed a single tear and prayed to the ancient God that his ancestors worshipped

so long ago, hoping that the he would grant them success. The young were worth it, weren't they?