Act 1 - Voyage

2072.

If the sun is falling should I chase it?

Don't know what I am guarding, yet I can see.

The sky is full of words you gifted me.

Stay awake inside this ancient dream.

Ignore enough warning signs and you will fuck around and find out.

They saw it, everyone saw it. But inaction is still taking a side and unsurprisingly everything gets fucked up in the end. You know very little of the world before this smoggy hell that eclipses the very air you 'breathe', born too late to appreciate earth.

Apparently born just in time to explore space.

There's a few universal truths that you've had to accept recently. That capitalism will kill you all, that greed is ultimately the driving force to extinction… And that you are ultimately just a vessel for the rich and powerful even no matter how hard you try.

Alas, spaceships right? There's less bread & circuses these days, turns out even they have their limits. You are getting sidetracked, need to join the masses of people sent as a last resort to undo a fuck up. It's cheaper to send people to find their own planets or perhaps they are just too desperate to do anything else.

You are one of those people going to space, it's infinitely better than this planet so you took it. The money doesn't mean much to you, given if you get the opportunity you'll outcast the fuckers where they stand. But your relatives still need to buy respirators and stuff while they stay here.

That's a pretty good personal motivation right? Stop further suffering on those you haven't lost to the smoke yet. It drives you forward, you shouldn't stay outside the ship much longer with your respirator shattered and ill-functioning. You take in one last glance of the depressingly smoggy atmosphere, throw your belongings over your shoulder and hit the button to open the vessel door. It's a pretty nice design, a ship that can split into two equally liveable spaces. Driveable apartments! Definitely worth the trillions not used on saving earth.

You didn't have much to bring unfortunately– memories require colour to be worth making, the entire world is grey. Everything positive you know is vicarious, from a time before. And now here you are, able to look through the glass before venturing on your own journey.

There's something poetic in that. Leave the greyscale hellscape for a colder, vibrant one.

Pretty profound all things considered.

"Heya." Someone greets you, catches you off guard for a second before you readjust. "Welcome aboard, final guy. I'm legally obligated to give you a tour. Come along."

"Thanks?"

"Don't even worry about it, it's ventricle.” She turns around, you follow suit. It's a pretty nice space, black exterior and all. Full of essentials to live like a depressed university student. "So here's our microwave, our kettle, our food forge. You know all the stuff by now."

"Exactly what I was expecting."

"I mean don't fix what isn't broken?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She takes you to the other side, it's a spitting image. Everything in the same dystopian grey it was before. "It's the same shit, there's a bathroom on both sides. Own water reserves assuming they don't get damaged. Only use it when absolutely vital."

"Ya."

"Final stop, our stuff! Yours is in the left vessel, if you need anything." You almost forgot that half your stuff got here before you did, practical.

"Thank you." You wave your goodbye and she does the same, all of the people on this ship are all on the right side. Except one, they sat in the driver's seat for that side of the ship. Wearing clothes that entirely obscure their appearance.

And another who's way too young to be here, who's not in either vessel. Sitting in the corridor.

"Kid, it's not safe to sit in the corridor. If the doors close you are trapped." You gently nudge, the kid jumps in surprise. Like nobody's tried to talk to them before.

"It's loud over there." They respond, pointing towards the bustling ship. "I don't like loud…"

"Then join me and that stranger over there in the quiet one, it's going to be calm there." Your attempts to comfort seem to work, they run on ahead. Nestling themselves comfortably on one of the beds nearby, hiding underneath the blanket.

That'll do for now.

You get out of the corridor, there can't be that much time till take off. Maybe you ought to take a quick nap.

Space is vast after all, going to be flying for who knows how long.

Insane how you can just sleep through going past earth's atmosphere, that much should be illegal in some variety. Look around, it's space. Nothing could have ever taught your crew how beautiful this was. There's stuff you can't identify. A remnant of explosive colours way off in the distance. A large black void even further off, killing all the light.

That is beautifully horrifying. The sight moves you for the first time in a while, the grey is gone. Replaced by real colour, real hope and a real potential chance for a future. You've finally got something to look forward to. It's overwhelming, you stay sitting on the bed. Gaze out at the serene landscapes a bit longer.

"Hey, Yena! The guy's awake." That kid again, talking to whoever's in the pilot's seat, assumedly this 'Yena' person.

"Okay?" Her helmet was off this time, her tone didn't seem much interested in you. Her hair was a very pretty shade of pink with black streaks. That symbolism is familiar, you heard about it a few times. A form of activism for finally fixing the climate. Their efforts were futile, but for it to be so well maintained means she cares.

"So can we say hello? I don't wanna do it alone." The kid keeps tugging at Yena's arm.

"Fine." They approach you and that's your cue to stand.

"Hi…" You say suspiciously and awkwardly. "Nice to meet you."

"I'll be the judge of that later, I'm Yena and this little eccentric is Olive."

You tell her your name and offer your hand, she doesn't go for it. But Olive does.

"Cool."

A loud ruckus is heard from the other bay. "At least you aren't as loud as those fuckers. That means you can stay."

"Thanks?"

"Yena you gotta show him the thing!" Olive points towards something on her desk.

"The book? Why are you so fascinated by that?"