[ Year 2321 ]
It was almost the middle of the day. Situated in the heart of New Eden City, the 'New Eden Cosmic Research Institute' used to be at the pinnacle of activity at this time on other days.
But today, the picture was a little different. The building stretched over acres of land, was drowned in utter silence.
On the third floor, the huge laboratory, filled with equipment made with cutting-edge innovations, and supercomputers in abundance, was no different. There was no sound except for the faint hum of the machinery.
In the middle of the lab room, there sat an elderly gentleman on a leather-wrapped chair, with his eyes focused on the large holographic screens on the walls. His brows were furrowed in deep thoughts.
"This... Can't be happening!" An almost inaudible mutter came out of his mouth.
Knock knock!
Suddenly, the chain of his thoughts was broken by a knock on the laboratory's metal door.
"Come in." He answered.
In the next moment, a guard robot pushed open the door, and in its robotic tone, it informed.
"Master, the Mayor is already here."
"Bring him in." He replied without taking his eyes off the screen on the wall.
In a few minutes, a couple of footsteps were heard behind him. Someone entered the laboratory.
"Dr. Edward, what's the matter?" A deep baritone voice broke the silence of the room.
Dr. Edward, the medium-height, stout-looking older man, left the chair and stood up.
"Please come in, Mr. Thompson."
Augustus Thompson, the mayor of New Eden City, stepped forward.
The tall man in his late forties had a strong nobility and commanding presence in his countenance. His sharp jawlines, sturdy frame, and piercing eyes with an intelligent glint could bring anyone down to his knees.
"You seem tensed!" He asked, curiosity flashed all over his face. Dr. Edward, the senior-most scientist of 'NECRI' was a very calm and composed personality.
When he seemed worried, certainly, the matter was serious.
Dr. Edward didn't answer immediately, instead, he pointed toward a particular holographic screen on his right.
"Watch it carefully, Mayor."
He frowned but without any further questions, glanced at the holographic screen he was pointing.
A very close-up live video of the sun was showing across the screen. But the sun shown on that screen had a strange feature; it was about 10 times larger, and instead of the well-known golden hue, it was reddish in color.
He stared at the screen for a few minutes, and gradually, his eyes widened in shock!
"Dr., it.. it means..."
"What we all were afraid of, is going to happen." Dr. Edward answered in a low tone.
*****
It all started two hundred years ago. For the first time, the scientists noticed a subtle, yet inexplicable change in the sun's energy output. It was so subtle that they almost ignored it.
The effects were minor, almost imperceptible; but it was persistent. It took them almost a few decades to finally notice that the solar flares and sunspots became less frequent, and the corona had begun to shrink.
As the years passed, the sun's energy continued to wane constantly. But with time, the process became faster and faster; the stable solar constant started to fluctuate, resulting in unpredictable changes in the Earth's climate.
The sun's appearance also changed over time. It started growing larger and less warm. The warm golden hue was being replaced by a reddish tint;
the sunspots grew larger, but they were not any more intense; they appeared as black patches of wounds on the surface.
But the reason was unknown. No one could understand what was supposed to happen after a few billion years; how could it happen in just two to three hundred years?
But by then, one thing became crystal clear; the sun was dying. And it was dying really fast.
*****
"Dr., do you have a plan? What should we do now?"
The Mayor asked in a calm voice. It was not the time to freak out; rather, the most important thing was to calculate the upcoming steps.
"I do have a plan. Actually, we don't really have any other way than this."
"Hmm?"
Dr. Edward let out a deep breath. "We need to leave this planet as soon as possible. There's no other solution than this."
The mayor stayed silent, letting him continue.
"Suddenly, the energy drain became faster. The sun's size is also increasing subsequently. We thought it would take a couple of hundred years for it to deplete, but seeing the current situation, nothing can really be told.
So, the only possible way to get out of this situation is to find a new habitable planet and move out of Earth.
But the problem is, our scientists have been searching for the past several years, but have not found any such planet yet."
The folds of Mr. Thompson's brows deepened. "Then the way?"
"The last possible way is to send astronauts to distant planets throughout the Milky Way, who will go and search for habitable environments."
"But again, there is a risk. Our spacecrafts are ready for the mission, but the problem is the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, especially near the orbit of Ceres. Navigating through this region is very risky, and it might not be survivable. Other than that, for the first time we'll be crossing the solar system into an unknown environment. It's quite a sacrificial mission..."
Dr. Edward paused.
"I'm afraid I'll be sending our trained astronauts to death. As their senior, I... I can't do that!"
The mayor thought about something for a long time, and slowly, a grin appeared on his lips.
"Is that the only reason you are hesitating?" He said, looking at him.
Dr. Edward nodded.
"What is he thinking!" The question appeared in his mind.
"Then you don't have to think anymore. Arrange your space expedition. Don't worry; we're not sending our astronauts."
"Then?" He asked in surprise.
The mayor, Augustus Thompson let out a subdued, menacing chuckle. A hint of disgust crept into his tone.
"What are those filthy wretches for!"