Tevun-Krus #95 - Best of 2021

The Children's Crusade - A Post-CyberPunk Story by John Nedwill

The Children's Crusade

By johnnedwill

We, the people of Earth, are sending this message to our lost children - wherever they may be. We ask that you listen to us. We can only hope that you forgive us.

What happened was not a matter of choice. It was a matter of necessity. Centuries of abuse had taken their toll on our planet; the environment was facing collapse. Every decade seemed to bring a new crisis with it: mass extinctions, freak weather events, climate emergencies, viral pandemics. The threats that humanity faced from these were real and immediate. So we had to act - to save our future and the planet's future. That was why we had to send you, our children, away.

We did not know exactly what we were sending you in to. Our knowledge of the solar system was based on distant surveys, the findings of a few probes. We did know that we would have to send you into environments that were hostile. Earth had been our home since the birth of our species, and only a few individuals had ever left it. We knew that you would face extremes of temperature, radiation and pressure - extremes that would be deadly. So, we did our best to help you survive, knowing that those who did would adapt and become stronger. Your forms were changed through genetic modification, prostheses and - when even these would would not suffice - through surgical procedures. The human body was changed to create lunamorphs, aremorphs, vacuumorphs and all the other forms that would be needed to survive. And then we sent you out of your cradles and into the void.

As well as new forms, we gave you the basic necessities; but we could not give you any more than that. In order to survive on the many worlds of our solar system, you would have to be able to live without our support. We gave you the knowledge of how to build shelters where you could seek refuge from the solar storms. We taught you how to extract minerals and nutrients from the very rocks. You had to be independent of us, because we could not afford to support you. Indeed, it was us who were to be dependent on you.

Over the centuries, we had stripped our planet of all its resources. We needed metals, hydrocarbons and energy. So the vacuumorphs built solar arrays to convert the sun's radiation into microwaves. The lunamorphs were set to extract the helium-3 from the lunar regolith. The others mined minerals from the asteroid belt or skimmed the atmospheres of the gas giants for exotic organic compounds. All of these were sent back to us on Earth, to keep us going and to help us rebuild our world.

At first we were grateful for your sacrifices. But, as time went on, we became complacent. Worse - we came to despise you. As your forms changed to meet the new challenges you faced, we began to see you as monsters; unfit to be called human. We came callous and hard-hearted, uncaring of your contribution to our great work. That is our fault, and will forever be our shame. It was understandable that you reacted in the way you did. Any child, when their parents cease to love them, will turn and ask one thing: "Why?" When you asked that question, we told you that it was not your place to query us. And, as we had turned away from you, you turned away from us.

It was only when the shipments to our world faltered that we took notice. We demanded that you restart working and, when you refused, our pride and arrogance told us that we should bring you to heel. In our rage, we struck first. We inflicted many casualties on you with our first strike, then sent our ultimatum: "Restart the solar arrays and send our minerals - or else!" Even then, you refused to surrender. So, we turned our factories to the business of war and, unwilling and unable to face the void we had sent you into, we sent automated weapons to hunt you down and force you back.

We do not blame you for what you did next. In our rage we forgot that children grow beyond their parents. You retaliated by turning the solar arrays against us: their microwave beams burning the land. The shipments of minerals became deadly missiles, falling from orbit with great energies that could wipe entire cities from existence. The helium-3 was used to fuel fusion bombs to burn away the seas and skies. But, even as our world died, our machines continued their genocide.

Please forgive us, our children. We were old and foolish. When we forgot what it meant to be human, we turned away from you and brought down a great tragedy on us all. Like Cronos we devoured our children in our fear; and, like Cronos, our children punished us for our crimes. So, we extend our hands towards you, our children - No! Our family! - and we ask to see you one last time before we die ... .