Kaleidoscope: Slices of Life - The Star of Our Universe

Written by: Katelyn Joshy (21-U1)

As if the divine had played a game of pool in zero gravity, there were the spheres of our solar system. These bold spheres stand out within the vast inky blackness of our cosmos, characterized by its swirls of purple, blue, pink, and dotted with millions of tiny white specks - Stars. These stars, millions of light-years away from our blue orb, are so tiny, so insignificant. Yet, there is one our whole world revolves around-literally. The Sun, this burning ball of gas, is the central star of our universe, and for centuries, it has bathed our planet with an abundance of light and warmth. It is what sustains life on Earth and the key to our existence at all. The human race had never seen a day without the Sun, leading many to believe this reality will always be… Until the year 2071.

In the years leading up to 2071, meteorologists at NASA observed alarming new readings from the International Space Station of the Sun's reduced solar emission. Ever since 1971, the Sun's emitted energy dipped by an average of 0.5% with each successive solar cycle. Initially, NASA dismissed it as an anomalous trend, attributing it to increased sunspot activity due to disturbances in the Sun's magnetic field. Thus, they hid their findings for fear of causing alarm to the international community. However, as the "anomalous trend" continued into the 2000s, a deep-seated fear within the space community was unleashed. 'Could our Sun be running out of steam?' NASA scientists scrambled to find excuses, to find another name for the "trend." For they knew if their suspicions were founded, the human race would suffer the same fate as the Dinosaurs. 

They drew up predictions and estimated that by 2088 the Sun would die out. "...By which point the Sun will turn into a red giant, expanding to engulf all planets surrounding it, vaporizing our solar system." NASA solemnly declared in a press release on March 16th, 2071- a day that will go down in history as the end of our universe as we know it. The news set the world in a frenzy as tabloids descended into outrageous speculations of what was to come. Amid the tension, global leaders quickly assembled for summits to discuss humanity's future. The world waited with bated breath for the binding decision of the committee. Months passed, and soon the word was out; Humanity needed to begin preparation for colonization of rogue planets outside the milky way. "NASA has confirmed the existence of extragalactic planets located outside the galaxy for humanity to inhabit. We will be deploying rovers to assess the conditions of these planets and their habitability. For now, the UN member nations will be funding spacecraft projects of SpaceX to begin preparations for humanity's future migration." The voice of the US president echoed from the television. "The rogue planet in question- 'S Ori 70' is just outside the milky way and roughly 1000 light-years away from Earth. It will take us many lifetimes to get there. Still, we need to leave immediately, to secure the future of the human race because what we do today will define our existence tomorrow." As the television blared, my family stood rooted to the ground- 'What is going to become of us now?' I thought to myself. 

In the months that followed, the tabloids reported on the very milestone completion of the building of the historic 'Convoy A23', a massive airship that will take us to the 'S Ori 70'. However, it became clear that our troubles were only beginning. The Convoy A23 could only take a limited number of passengers- 10 million of us to be exact. The UN soon released a statement stating that it will reserve roughly 65% of 'seats' on the Convoy A23 for essential people. These included intelligence forces, scientists, researchers, and fertile adults that will ensure the existence of the human race on 'S Ori 70'. The remaining 'seats' were to be earned by anyone who can prove themselves worthy. This revelation was met with violent public outcry and intense media scrutiny. "Leaving your kind behind?", "Generations left to die!" and "Worthy Enough to live" were just a few of the headlines in the daily news. There were calls for the building of more Convoys. Still, all appeals were rejected- national economies were drained by the building of Convoy A23, and the International Monetary Fund was unwilling to extend further loans. With that, our fates were sealed, and the race for survival began.

The UN claimed that countries have begun screening their populations to identify potential candidates for the remaining 35% of seats. Nations will plow through national databases to check every last detail they have of their citizens and begin selecting a handful of citizens from selected age groups. Selected candidates worldwide would then be taken to a secured facility with the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to undergo a series of tests. Depending on one's performance, it would guarantee them a seat on the Convoy A23. Soon after, government officials came for my twin sister and me but not my family. I remember that moment of anguish as we were mercilessly torn away from our parents and forced into the government vehicle. It would probably be the last I'd see of them. I promised myself I would keep my sister close to me. Still, once we reached the testing facility, we were assigned identification numbers and quickly separated.

I was escorted to a room where I underwent a series of psychological tests, consisting of scenario-based questions of complex circumstances one might encounter in space.  When the results came out, I realized I passed on to Phase 2, but my sister got eliminated. "You deserve to live.", those words tore through me like a bullet. "What about you? Don't you think you should live?" I shot back. "It's going to be fine.." she said as she pulled me in for an embrace. That's when something clicked in me. I secretly changed our identification numbers and swapped our IDs, placing mine in her pocket. "Of course it will be," I said, pulling away. It was in that moment that I altered our seemingly sealed fates, contradicting the paths chosen for us and radically changed our futures.