Two years into the flight, and not yet
two-thirds of the way there, we received a delayed signal from earth,
and at an undesignated interval. The bloody butchers who called
themselves our leaders had finally done it: missiles and satellite
stations vomiting their nuclear death, and pounding the cities flat.
The emotions of those conscious---most of us were in a suspended state,
so as not to age unnecessarily during the voyage---I can't imagine.
But Stenmark, and the Doc, and poor dead Rene' Christian, well, they
had to do something.
'So they turned the ship about, and upon returning to Earth engaged
in a high orbit around it, and tried to make contact, with anybody. No
one there. Even the orbiting agri-colonies and Moon bases hadn't
been spared. The latter might have been construed as some kind of
military threat, to the sick and paranoid, but to kill innocent
civilians, farmers for Christ's sake, just to be sure all was
ended..... The worst you can think of us isn't bad enough, Kalus, if
you look at what we did to each other in the end. Maybe we ‘common
people' of the superpowers didn't take an active part in the
destruction; but we sure as hell sat on our asses, and let the
presidents and the generals make it inevitable.' He subdued, or at
least restrained, his rising passion.
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