PART SEVEN – RISE OF THE FALL AND FALL OF THE RISE
Karl Marx liked to change the order of words in his works. This gave the text a surprising new sense and sometimes underlined hidden meanings.
BOTSWANA
"My child, you've done an amazing work. But there are many problems ahead of us. People are not made to live in a large empire. Sooner or later, all three empires will break apart", said Iosif Leonov.
"What do you say, dad?" asked Ana.
"Check out the history! No empire lasted forever. At some point, each one broke apart. No union and no federation lasted forever. Ethnic tensions will rise at some point. Separatist movements will be more and more powerful. Today, these three empires are held in place because of fear. Nobody can survive alone in this world. The surrounding empires will engulf a small, independent state. This is why anyone sits inside each empire. But if you look closer inside any empire, you notice there are tensions".
A private conversation between Ana Leonova and her dad.
March 7th, year 58. A powerful rebellion starts in Botswana. Once an independent state, it was divided between the American and the Jewish empires. Both empires took a part of it 70 years ago, dividing the population. The delimitation line crossed through villages and fields, blocked roads and railways. For seventy years, people from the North and from the South lived under occupation. But, on this date, something happened. A man living in the North tried to go to South, where his mother died a few days ago. He was refused to cross the border. Angry, the man attacked two custom guards and got killed by gunfire.
Other people at the border attacked and burned the customhouse. People started to cross the border in both ways without a checkpoint. Soon, rebellion spread throughout all Botswana. People took off American and Jewish imperial flags and burned them. They vandalized banks and institutions.
Both empires try to respond by force, to bring order. People refuse. Inhabitants block the streets with anything they find. They throw stones and handmade pikes into soldiers. On all streets of Botswana, you can hear people demanding freedom, demanding to have their state back.
In the midst of chaos, the gubernator of South Botswana goes suicide, while the administrator of South Botswana is captured and killed by protesters. They quickly organize into a self-proclaimed state and chose a president. They form an army and prepare to fight the armies of the other two empires.
Why is this happening? Could nobody see this coming?
Two centuries ago, huge tensions existed between various factions in Europe. Even if it were a time of peace, a little spark is all what was needed for World War I to erupt. A Serb student started that war. That was the spark that triggered a worldwide war. Huge tensions exist now too. It was just a question of time until everything will erupt in chaos in certain parts of the world.
Rebellions are not something new. An year ago, the Jewish Empire stopped a rebellion in Central India in a bath of blood. South America is also trying to separate. Australia and Japan tried many times a diplomatic way to increase their autonomy. Poland, The Baltics and parts of Siberia also wanted to break apart from the New Soviet Empire. However, anyone knows what would happen in case of a separatist movement. All other empires are looking for a way to incorporate fragments that break apart.
However, Botswana is different. It lies at the border between two empires. It tries to break apart from both. In this case, the newly elected president asks for help from the New Soviet Empire, which could not possibly annex a territory that far.
A few days later, force is used to break the newly formed state. Both empires act together, attacking each point of opposition. But, the people don't stop fighting. They get together and hand each other's hand, forming human fences around their villages and towns. Will a whole state be imprisoned?
Tensions are high. Many more provinces want out. No matter what an empire tries, more and more people want to break out. Tensions rise in other areas. Protests are seen on the streets of New York and Jerusalem. In Moscow, it is peace for the moment. Meanwhile, the war continues in Botswana, where many people are killed. Something needs to be done.
On June 1st, year 58, the Supreme Soviet interferes and says that people has the right to chose what they want. They demand that Botswana should be a free state. By the end of June, the other empires accept and withdraw their armed forces. Soon after this, two major rebellions occur in the Baltics and in Italy. This time, after two months of fighting, both states are recognized free. Japan follows. Japanese people don't go to war. Instead, they take off all American flags and put on back their Japanese flags. They chose their own emperor, a descendant of the imperial family. The same happens in the Caucasus, where people refuse to pay taxes and remove all New Soviet flags.
Then starts a bloody rebellion in Arabia. Arabs want to rebuild Mecca, which was destroyed by Rosenstein's troops.
Ana Leonova urgently goes to Moscow for a secret meeting with the Supreme Soviet, Anastasia Melnikova. It is late in September. Ana is now old, but Melnikova is young. She is only 27 and very ambitious. Both women meet in a room and light a cigarette.
"It is an honor for me to receive your visit", says the Supreme Soviet.
"We live difficult times now", says Ana. "It's been a difficult period since I was born. But now, it is even harder".
"Despite all my efforts to make our empire a modern place, there is something that I cannot do. People want to be free. I am afraid that this will lead to a worldwide bloody war".
"I can see that", says Ana. "All three empires are losing territories as rebellions are getting more common".
"I am more worried about a possible nuclear war".
"After all these years... This is what I fought to stop and prevent. This is why I fought to win the space race, to take the fight out of Earth. Now, what should we do?"
"I don't know exactly, comrade Leonova. I preferred to let the Baltics out, to sacrifice a small territory so that the rest can remain united. But, I see escalating tensions all over the empire. It would be acceptable to lose some border territories. This could create a buffer zone between empires".
"But now, rebellions occur anywhere. Comrade, we have war in Arabia, very close to Jerusalem. I heard that even the Syrians are getting ready for war. In the American Empire, Texas is seeking to become free. The same happened with an Amerindian reservation".
"The problem is what will remain after this. I expect one empire will remain stronger then the other ones and will start conquering the small free states. It looks like we are the least affected for the moment".
"That is good".
"I don't think so", says the Supreme Soviet. "If we conquer the fragments, we have to fight with all local factions. They will fight against us. This would only increase our problems. I thought if there is a solution to the problem. Then, I found out that we are also a problem. Our empire would one day collapse under its own weight".
"You see that?" asks Ana.
"Yes, I do. The New Soviet Empire was formed as a mean to stop the other two empires. People joined us to save themselves. Local governors preferred to join us instead of being conquered by the other empires. But now, they have no reason to be with us. We have nothing to protect them from".
"It looks like in the colonial period. All major European powers had colonies throughout the world. At some point, they decided to lose their possessions. I always asked myself why they did this. Now, I understand".
"Comrade Leonova, we already have a plan. If the other empires will split, we will split too. The 15 you selected will each one take a part of the empire. Even if we are divided, we are one and we all respect your authority".
"I am old. Soon, I will no longer be able to mind my space business. Besides, people around the Aral are also willing to break apart from the empire. This is why I decided to move most factories to Himalia, to space".
The Supreme Soviet looks at Ana, thinking about this. She never thought that is why Ana is building so many things on Himalia. That must be why she stopped developing the Aral further.
"I see it coming", says Ana. "When the Old Soviet Union broke apart, their cosmodrome, Baikonour, was left outside. I think this would happen to the Aral too".
"You need to set the Aral as an autonomous republic", says the Supreme Soviet. "I will make you chief of Aral Autonomous Republic".
"Yes, that would be good. I thought about it. What about the rest of the world? What would happen next? We are out of control. I fear the worst, a nuclear holocaust. In that case, only what is in outer space will survive".
"The bad things are already happening. The KGB reported me that Botswana is seeking to build atomic weapons to defend itself".
Ana finishes her cigarette and drops it in the ashtray. She thinks for almost a minute, then says:
"What if we help Botswana and the other small states reach space? Could it be possible to move the conflict from Earth to space? How about a new space race?"
The Supreme Soviet looks puzzled. She also throws her cigarette in the ashtray. Could that be a solution?
"I can go there with a diplomatic delegation. It would be a good start point. This would make the other empires angry, but it could still motivate other small states to go to space. It is a difficult gamble with an unknown outcome".
"I am moving my headquarters to Himalia", says Ana. "This could motivate more people to go to space. There is plenty of room out there for all of us".
"There is a big thread in outer space that scares me", says the Supreme Soviet. "It is the former Jewish military base. It has a powerful atomic arsenal and it orbits the Earth without any military personnel. If anyone pushes the trigger, the whole planet is at risk. I suggest we secretly prepare a ship to push it out of Earth orbit and detonate it somewhere in space, where it will not harm anyone".
"That is a good idea, but the Jews will not be happy about it. It is their base, after all".
"I hope they would understand the risks. Any of the ships parked at Earth Space Station can do this. We always have at least two ships ready at anytime".
Just as said, the Supreme Soviet goes to an official diplomatic visit to Botswana, trying to offer her help to the local population. She offers to the locals a chance to build a colony in space, like all the three empires. The president accepts this challenge and sends four people to Aral, to establish the first base on Mars. Ana accepts and plans the construction. Then, the president contacts Ana again and says that he would like to build a small space station orbiting the Earth. That is easier to do, but Ana is suspicious.
The other empires are strongly against this. They want to prevent this from happening. However, there are other newly formed states willing to go to space, to show their power. Ana accepts all commands from anyone, as long as people pay the bill. However, Botswana is the first to be served. To show the world her neutrality, Ana accepts an offer from the Baltics to build a colony on Mercury.
With most of the freed border states willing to go to space, the Aral Space Complex gets more money.
FIRE!
Every empire rises and falls. Those not willing to accept this face a long agony. The Romans did not understand this and perished. The British understood this coming and slowly gave away their possessions, still remaining a ruling power on Earth.
A comment on a history book.
The date is October 4th, year 60. Botswana Space Station has been orbiting the Earth for over an year. On Earth, conflicts are more violent then before. It looks like almost every territory is trying to break apart form its ruling empire. All three empires are in a desperate situation. They accepted border provinces to separate, but not mainland territories.
Ana makes a historical decision. At 78 years old, she is no longer the person she once was. She decides to move the headquarters to Himalia, the moon of Jupiter. Aral will only be a possession of Himalia. She also chooses her successor: Svetlana Himaliova, a woman born on Himalia and one of the first children born in outer space. Her perents are the legendary Svetlana and Vuc, the first cosmonauts that landed on Venus. Ana hopes that this way the Aral Space Complex will keep a neutral position and will be out of the crossfire between any groups.
But up there, in the sky, something is happening. Botswana Space Station made a surprising course correction, heading it to the former Jewish Space Station. Cosmonauts claimed that they did this to avoid the Van Allen radiation belts. They also said that they will use the flyby to show the world what Samuel Rosenstein planned to build in orbit, to start a nuclear war.
Ana gives her power to Svetlana at 9.17 AM, Aral time. This decision is followed by a parade in Moscow. People all over the world watch as Ana Leonova resigns from her space throne at this old age. In fact, Ana will remain second in command to ensure a gradual power transition.
At 10.24 AM, Botswana Space Station detaches its rescue capsule, which was supposed to bring the astronauts back to Earth in case of an emergency. The four astronauts turn on the engines and abandon their space station, heading for the Jewish station. They say nothing and try to get the event unnoticed by anyone. At 10.37, they dock at the Jewish Space Station. Docking is impossible, as the station has different types of door locks. They just leave the rescue capsule behind and cut a hole in the fuselage. They enter Jewish station and go directly to the control room. Nobody is inside. All electronics are put on a sleep mode. Nobody on Earth notices this. From there, they simply cut down all wires, disconnecting onboard computers. They go to where the nuclear warheads are stored and open the lock manually. And then, they start activating each rocket manually. The Jews notice a lack of signal from their military station and call Aral for a survey.
At 10.42, Aral Cosmodrome tries to contace Botswana Space Station, but gets no answer. What is going on? Ana runs to her office and tries to get an answer. She orders s ship to be immediately dispatched from Earth Space Station to see what is going on. A few minutes later, telescope images show the Botswana rescue capsule floating in space at some distance from Jewish Space Station. Immediately, she realizes what is going on. She calls the Supreme Soviet and says shortly:
"Cosmonauts from Botswana Space Station have abandoned their ship and entered Jewish Space Station. Be prepared for a nuclear attack!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. I don't know what they are up to, but it sounds like a suicide mission. There are no life support systems onboard that station. They abandoned their station and rescue capsule. It is a suicide mission".
"I call the army. We might be at war".
Everybody looks shocked at Ana. She also sends a message to Himalia, but Svetlana will get it in 31 minutes.
At 10.51, rockets start flying from Jewish Space Station. They are released one by one and form three groups. Soon, they appear on radars and satellite images. 300 rockets are released in only a short period of time. At Aral, scientists calculate their trajectories. They are heading towards the three capitals: New York, Moscow and Jerusalem. Ana immediately calls the Supreme Soviet and gives an order:
"300 rockets launched. 100 are heading to Moscow. There is no way to stop them. Call anyone to abandon the city or go to the subways. There is no way we can fight with this. We cannot take them all down. Get out of there, comrade! Also, be prepared for electromagnetic pulses. I am sure some rockets will explode on the way".
Ana calls Earth Space Station and orders all electronics to be shut down on all stations and on all satellites for three hours. This is the only way to save them. Only military satellites will be left active.
What can you do to defend yourself? Since they are launched from space, rockets are very small. They are only 2 m long and they detach the empty fuel tanks, making them appear double as many. Each rocket carries 30 kg of plutonium. That is certain death. How many of them would fail target? How many of them would hit and destroy?
Ana lights a cigarette and waits. The other empires are aware of this only at 11.17, Aral Time. They try to fire anti-satellite guns, but it is too fast. There is nothing to do. They can take down only a few bombs, not more then 50. Nobody ever anticipated this to happen. Nobody.
At 11.29, New York is hit. Jerusalem is hit at 12.41 and Moscow at 12.57. All three towns are engulfed in massive nuclear fireballs. No electromagnetic pulse is detected in outer space. The explosions occur almost only very close to the surface.
New York was hit hardest and at night, when most people were sleeping. Ana can see images from space, bright spots of light anywhere. These bombs fall on a wide area. It is not like in the case of a massive explosion, when you have only a single impact site. Here, you have many multiple sites. There is no escape.
Ana watches what is happening to Moscow. All defense airplanes are launched, trying to stop anything they can. But the bombs are too small! Pilots shoot at random, trying to hit something. Suddenly, the first bomb explodes. The fireball is visible throughout the city. People tried to live, but are blocked on the way. Cars can only travel for 100 km without a recharge. Many people left by train, but even trains are too slow for this. Second explosion occurs. Then comes the third one.
One bomb detonates on the Red Square. Its flames engulf the historical churches. The city is in chaos. Bombs keep on falling as far as 200 km from Moscow. Everything is destroyed all around.
At 13.18, the last nuclear warhead explodes in the midst of ruins. The sky is black and smoke is all over the place. Fires can be seen anywhere. The smoke is so dense, that satellites cannot see through. A thick cloud of radioactive ash mixes with the clouds.
Ana falls on her chair and starts crying. She hits the desk with her punch and lights a cigarette.
"All my life I fought to stop this!" she says. "This is the reason why we are here. This is the reason why I started the space race! It was the only way to avoid a nuclear war... and now I see it happening. Curse you, Rosenstein! May you suffer forever in the afterlife for all your crimes and for all what you did in your life and what you did today! Without you, we would not have this disaster!"
All scientists look shocked at the images. They never imagined this to ever happen. Some people try to call their loved ones. Ana can see them. Desperate, a man tries to call his wife:
"Natasha, are you there?"
No answer. He falls on the ground and cries. He is not the only one. All over, people seem to lose their minds. Then, Ana gets a call. It's the Supreme Soviet.
"Comrade Leonova, what is your status?"
"I am fine. No bomb hit Aral. What is your situation?"
"I am on an airplane, flying to Novgorod. Moscow is lost. I bet less then 30% survived. The area is badly contaminated with radiations. I cannot send rescue teams. I will risk their lives too. Those locked in the city will die of radiation".
"So, there is nothing we can do".
"Nothing. I am ordering a mass evacuation in the surrounding areas. The radioactive cloud is heading South-West. It will hit Ukraine and the Balkans. I am warning people to evacuate the area and store water and food".
"Anything from the other empires?"
"I am focusing on our empire. I presume the situation is similar and their capital cities are compromised. Their governments are annihilated".
Ana can see satellite images. The disaster is of epic proportions. Nobody ever expected something like this to happen. In all three empires, the governments and all major institutions were annihilated. Only Ana's warning saved the 15 Soviet elites. They managed to run in time. They are trained to save their lives so that they can work later to save the others.
At 16.27, Aral time, a spaceship reaches the Jewish Space Station. Ana ordered a ship to come and see what is going on before the nukes were released. Two cosmonauts reach and look inside. They find the four astronauts from Botswana. They are running out of oxygen and will die soon. They are unarmed. Ana gives the next order:
"Kill them! No! Better, let them die in outer space! Push the space station on an impact trajectory with Earth! Let them die like all those who they killed. Then, return to Earth Space Station".
"You let them die?" asks a scientist.
"They should be brought to justice".
"What better justice do you want then this one? They will die at reentry. With that wrecked station, they will have no chance. They don't deserve to live another day".
FLARES OF DEATH
Three billion human lives ended... The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines.
Terminator 2 entry monologue.
The explosions took the world unprepared. Empires lost their governments and all institutions. The American Marshall and the Jewish Emperor died in the explosions, without having a successor. Who could take over? Second in command died. Third in command died. There is nobody to take power.
The world took a devastating hit. It all happened too fast, so fast that most people could not even realize what is going on. People were shocked. They would ask for help... but who is to help in this case? Who can interfere from the outside world? What is the outside world?
The first to react were territories willing to separate. Greedy generals, governors and land administrators used this as an advantage to siege power. The world changed in only a day. Arabia self proclaimed its independence. Iran did the same thing. South America broke apart, then started to split into smaller regions. The whole world is falling apart.
Before the climate change, Antarctica was ice-covered. Now, it is large tundra, inhabited by many people. It also broke apart. The same happened in the New Soviet Empire. The Supreme Soviet dissolves the state. Each oblast and each autonomous republic becomes a state on its own. It all happens so fast, that people have no time to realize what is going on. Even the United States break apart. Without a government, people don't know what to think. What next? What would happen now?
Moscow is a ruin. Desperate, the remaining survivors call for help, but nobody dares to come. The aria is too irradiated. No helicopter can cross over. The same happens to the other two capitals. They are destroyed beyond recovery. There is no way anyone can do anything to save the people left behind. It all happened so fast, that most people had no time to run. And where to run when you have to cross 300 km of radioactive land? There is no escape for those left behind. The rest of the world is facing massive radiation problems, as radioactive clouds circle the planet.
October 5th, year 60. The Aral is an independent state covering the former Aral seabed. The fate of all three empires is doomed. The world is in chaos. Nobody knows what to expect from this point.
The world continues to split. The first to separate were territories with secessionist movements. Arabia was the first state to declare its independence after the conflict. Then, each autonomous republic of the Caucasus broke apart and very fast. All these changes took less then a day to happen. In Africa, Namibia was the first to declare its independence. A big surprise came to America, when a few Amerindian tribes declared independence by themselves and formed four small states. Soon, it became clear that the new borders will not look like the old ones. New states will be different.
Many of the last remaining Germans decided to go to their homeland and try to rebuild it. This movement amazed most people in the world. This remembered the world how Israel was built, around the time Hitler was killing so many Jews with no mercy.
Surprisingly, many people come to Aral and ask for a ticket out to space. They want to go anywhere. The cosmodrome offers its services to anyone at far lower costs then other space agencies, but by far not for free. While an average person can sell anything he or she has for a flight to space and back, living in space is not cheap. You have to pay for your house to be built on another celestial body. This is not cheap. It is only for the richest.
Ana sees the problem in a different way. She tries to move more people from the Aral to space, to all construction sites in outer space. Still, the richest people on Earth want to get out and fast. They offer anything: money, jewelry, gold, land, factories, anything they have. The world is scared to death by what is happening.
Aral produces its energy, but it depends on other parts for supplies. It needs water, which comes from the Irtysh. The pipeline crosses now three states. It needs food, which used to be shipped from other places. Things are getting very hard if something is not done. Ana negotiates an agreement with newly formed nearby states to purchase water and food. The agreement is to send some people to space in exchange for water and food.
Things become even harder as the newly formed states start to fight one with the other. Without an organization to keep peace over the world, there is nobody to stop the conflicts. A nuclear war seems imminent for many people. So, more and more of the richest go to Aral to ask for a possible home in space. This appears to be the only safe place to go.
Meanwhile, Himalia becomes a massive working place. There, scientists come with a new idea: a ship with wings, able to land on Earth and return to space. It is a giant glider able to take 50 people to space in one flight. Svetlana Himaliova takes her role seriously. She sees that many people would leave the Earth to space.
Like the Venus Lander, the Earth Lander will use solid fuel, to make it smaller. It will fly like an airplane to high altitudes. There, it will turn on its chemical engines to reach orbit. A small nitrogen stage would push it to Earth Space Station. Svetlana knows that this reusable rocket is the cheapest option to take people to Space. She is not so interested in money, but in valuable people, able to work on space stations and build homes for others. Ana accepts this new proposal. The Earth landers will use solid fuel produced on a near Earth asteroid. Surprisingly, it will be a cheaper way to transport people out.
Still, there is chaos on Earth. People fight with each other. The newly formed states continue to fight, conquer each other and break apart in smaller states. For the moment, the Aral is safe, but nobody knows for how long. People live with fear. The greatest fear of all is a military attack against the Aral. There is also another fear: breakup of irrigation networks. If that happens, water will flow into the Aral, blocking the railway that connects Space City, Space Factory and Aral Cosmodrome.
This state of conflict continues for almost an year. Then, Anastasia Melnikova, the former Supreme Soviet, starts fighting to bring peace. She talks with many of the small states, all over the planet. She convinces everyone to join some sort of mutual defense network.
After all this time, almost any state has atomic weapons. Each state that agrees with Melnikova's ideas is forced to take actions if a state violates a border or merges with another state. If such thing happens, all nearby states are free to invade and destroy the attacker.
A new, unusual form of peace is created. Most states agree with this, as it guarantees mutual protection. Now, the wars stop, but tensions don't. Since almost any state has atomic weapons, a nuclear war is possible at any given moment.
FATE OF THE ARAL
1. Any state signing this agreement will not violate its neighbors' borders in any way. Any state is free to do whatever it wants on its territory, but has no right beyond its borders.
2. Subjects like rivers flowing between states, pollution or transport routes should be discussed in local talks between border states.
3. Any state signing this agreement is forced to interfere by force if a neighboring state violates any border. Atomic weapons shall be used in this situation. Any state violating borders should be annihilated.
4. Any state can be further divided into smaller states if the population requires so. It is forbidden for two or more states to merge.
Border Peace Agreement.
June 13th, year 62. The world is divided into 2621 small states. Their borders expand not only over land, but also over water. 2127 states sign the border peace agreement. Finally, the war is over. Earth is divided like it never was before. There are all kinds of governments: democracies, dictatorships, anything that human mind can imagine. World map changed beyond recognition. Every ethnic group formed a state. Many greedy governors and generals took slices of land and built their own states. There are even corporations that built their own states where they could.
So many things happened. At some point, the Aral was at risk of losing its source of water, the Irtysh adduction pipeline. Then, tensions rose along the states inside Aral Sea Basin. Once, the sea received water from two large rivers, Amu Daria and Syr Daria. These rivers and dammed and diverted for irrigation purposes. However, in times of war, tensions are high. Upstream states refuse to open their dams and allow water flow in summer, when it is needed for irrigations. They left water to flow in winter, reaching the Aral. This is a major risk for the space complex, because it can flood the railway and the salty desert used for landing ships. Excess water had to be diverted towards depressions in the desert, creating temporary water ponds.
The main irrigation canal is the Karakum, which links the Amu Daria with the Caspian Sea. This canal is over 1300 km long. In past, it was just a long waterway dug in the desert soil, with huge amounts of water infiltrating the ground. Now, the canal is made of concrete, limiting water losses. This allowed the irrigation scheme to be extended. The New Soviets enlarged the canal and made it navigable on its entire length. It also has branches that extend further North. The canal starts very close to Afghanistan border, a territory prone to terrorist groups. A terrorist organization captured the starting point and closed the canal, leaving large crop fields, cities and villages without their vital source of water. All that water was heading for the Aral again. Finally, Turkmenistan took control of the canal and the conflict ended.
Borders cross also over the oceans. The American Empire built forts in the ocean. Usually, those forts were massive ships anchored to the bottom. Sometimes, artificial islands were built. There are new states formed only over water territory. People started to build settlements beneath the seas, in submarines or in submerged domes.
More and more people look for a way to leave the Earth. Some people try to escape corrupted governments, while others just look to become pioneers on other worlds. Some people decide to sell anything they have for this purpose. Space colonies continue to grow all over the Solar system.
There are three white areas on the map, former territories of Moscow, Jerusalem and New York. These areas are now neutral land, not claimed by anyone. The land is highly radioactive and the few survivals prefer to hide.
Anastasia Melinkova, the former Supreme Soviet, moves to Aral. Ana asks her to become the ruler of Aral Free State. She accepts. Now, Ana Leonova is 80 years old. She is no longer able to work like she did in past. She lives in her apartment, alone. People can see her on the streets only with rare occasions. Her generation is almost all gone. But even at this age, she continues to watch what is going on in space. Space program is no longer controlled from earth, but from Himalia. Ana is happy of this. The only person that visits her every week is Anastasia Melinkova. One day, the former Supreme Soviet comes to Ana and finds her sitting at her computer. Ana is watching an old video with the launch of a Lenin II. They both salute each other and light a cigarette.
"Greetings, comrade Leonova! Do you need anything from me?"
"It's good that you came. I don't need anything. I have all I need. There is only one thing bothering me".
"What is it?"
"You see this, comrade?" says Ana. "This is the launch of Venera Express. I was young at that time. Many people you see here no longer live. I ask myself. I fought to keep the peace, to give the world an alternative for fighting. What happened in the end? The nukes did finally fall. We have three capitals destroyed. We have sixty millions dead. I just delayed the inevitable".
"No, you did not", says the former Supreme Soviet. "You brought something new to the world. Human race will never be extinct. Even we will destroy the Earth, people would still live in space".
"But what would had happen without the space race? Wouldn't it be the same? I mean... I talk about the number of dead people".
"I don't know. You can tell me, you lived in those times".
"I started the space race to give the empires something else to do and show their muscles. It was never meant to go where it went. All I wanted was a competition".
"I think it is better the way things are now. Space prices are still lowering. I hope that in few decades anyone would be able to pay to get to space".
"But still, we have sixty million dead people".
"I know, comrade. But there is nothing we can do. We cannot bring them back to life. We got peace on Earth and colonies in space".
"One more thing, Anastasia. Did I do more good or more bad to humanity?"
"Comrade, you did a lot of good. You started the space age, the colonization era. I think this is very good. What would it be a nuclear war in your youth? You had the chance to know Rosenstein in person. For me, he appears to be a demon in human flesh. I don't think history had seen a more cruel person. You stopped him. Without you and your father's help, he would conquer the world. You know what he did. After killing all Germans, he turned against other ethnic groups, killing anyone. When he almost exterminated anyone else, he turned against his own people. If I imagine Rosenstein ruling the world... He would kill anyone in the most horrible tortures one can imagine. No surprise people say he is the reincarnation of Hitler".
"I thought about that too. After exterminating all Jews, Hitler would have turned against other ethnic groups: Gipsy people, Slavs, until only his Arians would have been left alive. And then what?" Ana looks around, thinking about it. "And then, he would kill his own people. He had an ambition for superweapons and megastructures, just like Rosenstein. All of them proved to be not feasible, but he continued with the idea".
"I know, comrade. Don't consider yourself guilty for what happened. Think about a world without space exploration. Without you, we would have nothing out there".
"I know".
The former Supreme Soviet lights another cigarette. She continues to say:
"If there is something that I regret, is that the New Soviet Empire failed apart. I did anything I could to boost its economy, to make reforms and to see people happy. But it all was in vain".
"I don't think it was in vain. Your legacy lives on. When the empire broke apart, people got almost perfect states, with anything they need: infrastructure, a good ethnic structure, anything. It was far better then in other places around the world. Don't accuse yourself for this. Instead, try to think further. The empire would had collapsed under its own weight. I am convinced about that".
"Me too, but I still think there could had been a way to save it. Nobody had any idea that those cosmonauts from Botswana would destroy all empires in just a day".
"Maybe, it was the work of God", says Ana.
"Maybe. There is no way to know that".
"I might not go to church too often, but I do believe in God".
"Your legacy, comrade, is Aral. Once it was a toxic, barren salt desert. Now, it's Earth's gateway to the cosmos. This is where people will fly to space from. People will always remember you as the one who opened the door to space colonization".
"You know, Anastasia, I don't want fame. All I want at my age is to die in peace. My last wish was to go to space, but I am too old to survive a space launch. When I will die, let the people decide what to do with me. You must take care of Aral Free State. Up in space, Svetlana will take care of space projects from her home on Himalia".
The former Supreme Soviet realizes that Ana is tired. She leaves. Now, Ana is unable to talk for more then two hours with someone. She simply needs to rest. The only thing that surprises the world is that she still smokes at her age and has no health problems. Her smoking addiction crossed over all logical barriers.
THE FALL OF A STAR
There are many names in the history books, but most of them are forgotten. Only a few people remain in the memories of people. To be one of them is probably the greatest goal a human can ever achieve.
From a public speech in memory of Lenin.
January 10th, year 63. Sixty-three years ago, Iosif Leonov conquered the Kremlin with his paramilitary troops. He killed the president of that time and abolished the government. That is the day when the New Soviet Empire was born. When he died, people cried him like they cried after Lenin. People demanded a mausoleum for him just near Lenin's. Now, both mausoleums are in ruins after the nukes destroyed Moscow. Still, people remember him as a glorious leader and a hero. Everyone speaks about him with dignity and respect.
Now, his only child, Ana Leonova, is 81 years old. She sits on her bed, feeling the end is coming for her life. A few close friends come to her. She did not eat anything the last day, but she doesn't feel sick. As people look at her, she closes her eyes. Her last words are:
"I think I did not waste my life in vain. I hope I did something good for the world. I had to be rough with some people, but I won. Go to the space, my children!"
Then, she falls asleep. Knowing that she will die, people light a candle. It doesn't take much. In half an hour, she stops breathing. Her heart stops.
Sow many assassinate attempts did she survived? How many times her life was in danger? Not the Americans, nor Rosenstein could dtop or kill her. She won space battle after space battle and she won. Her life was hard, but she never gave-up.
The news of her death reaches everyone in Aral Free State. Bells ring in all churches around Space City. Everyone wants to say goodbye to her, so she is moved to the central square of the city. She is then sent to Space Factory, which she built. The next day, her body is sent to Aral Cosmodrome, where she worked and watched most of the launches. People from all over the Aral come to see her body for the last time.
The news reaches the world. Her death is on the news on all televisions. Many people from all over the world come to see her for the last time. Endless crowds wait in Space City.
People bring flowers and candles. The central square becomes filled with flowers. It is something that the world has never seen. People also bring replicas of the spaceships launched from Aral: orbiters, horses, habitat modules, space stations and the Lenin rockets. Everyone is trying to say goodbye to her. At some point, people wait up to three days to have a chance to see her for the last time.
Once an ambitious teen, Ana is now an old woman. Her face is aged, her hair is white, her skin is like an ancient sheet of paper. This seems to last forever.
After many days, Anastasia Melinkova decides to say what should be done with her body. People thought that Ana's body would be conserved like Lenin's body. Well, things don't go like this. The former Supreme Soviet has a public speech:
Comrade Leonova lived more then many of us. She opened the door to space, which remained closed for almost a century before her. She gave us the chance to go to space, to live there and to colonize other worlds. Before her, we never thought it possible. Before her, the world was Earth and nothing beyond.
All what she did was for a reason. She wanted peace to prevail. She opted for an additional challenge, to stop world empires from fighting each other. The space race distracted other empires from a possible bloody nuclear war. We lived to see only a bit of the war, the destruction of our former capitals. Does anyone imagine what could be a large-scale nuclear holocaust? Could the human race survive to that? It appears that a few people could survive, but over 80% of world population would have died. She protected us from this nightmare.
Now, the space is opened for almost all of us. Until recently, if anything happened to the earth, the human race would have been extinct. Now, we won't die at all, because we have the space.
How many space missions did she order to get done? How many technologies did she test? I am afraid that I don't have the answer. She rebirth the space exploration era, ended it and started the space colonization era. She changed our lives beyond anything. Before her life, there were many people saying that we, humans, never went to the Moon, that we never sent a spaceship beyond Moon orbit or even that the Earth is flat. How many people still believe that? I guess nobody.
Thanks to comrade Leonova, there are now over 35 thousand people living in space and the number is growing. Without her, we would be still living only on this tiny ball that we call Earth.
She sent many manned and unmanned probes into space. She witnessed as many cosmonauts went to space. From her office, she watched how children were born in space and families were formed. Why did she want families to be formed in space? She knew what would come. She was a visionary. It might be surprising to you, but she had seen the end of all empires before other people. She knew that space could one day the only way to save the human race from the deadly weapons we have created.
But, even if she ordered so many space missions to be launched, even if she created factories and colonies in space, even if her ships are roaming all over the Solar System, there is something she never did. She never went out to space. Many of you might ask me why. There are many, if not all people living on Aral that went at least on a suborbital launch. She never went to space because she never left her work. She never had a vacation, not even a birthday party. All her life, she fought with all her powers to get her dream fulfilled, to conquer space.
I can tell you that she wished to go to space, to see with her own eyes how it is to be out there.
I think that the best place for her body is in outer space. We shall send her to Himalia, her favorite space station, to be buried there. She deserves it. She deserves to be buried there.
This is what Anastasia Melinkova said in public near Ana's dead body. People agreed with her decision. Ana will be loaded on a Lenin rocket and sent to space, to Himalia. She will travel along the space transportation network she built.
A Lenin II takes Ana Leonova to space. Launch occurs on February 26th, year 63, at 11.27, Aral time. Her body lies inside a sarcophagus made of sculpted glass. The rocket goes to space. Boosters are separated, then the first stage runs silent. Second stage is turned on. Her body is secured inside the capsule. After two hours, Ana arrives at Earth Space Station. Her body is put inside the central hall, where most people come for the first time when they head for space. It is a giant, spherical room. People move around by floating into the air. They all come to Ana, to show their respect for her.
After staying two days here, Ana's body is sent with an unmanned ship to Jupiter. It is not a good planetary alignment. The ship will need more fuel to reach its destination. Ana's body cannot stay for too long on Earth Space Station, as it starts to decompose in heat. On Aral, it was winter that conserved her body.
The ship takes her body and turns on its nitrogen ion engines to reach Jupiter. The flight lasts two years. Then, Ana's body finally reaches Himalia, the small, outer moon of Jupiter. This will be the home for her body forever.
Svetlana Himaliova, chief of space transportation network, is the first person to receive Ana's body. She is a young woman from the super-cosmic race. She is tall, over 2 m high, with narrow arms and legs. Her bones are thinner and far weaker then those of people born on Earth. With little sunlight, her skin is pale white.
Like all people born in microgravity, Svetlana has a different approach to terms up and down. She finds natural to sit on the roof or on the floor, to talk with someone sitting upside down, to read or watch TV sitting upside down. This is how people in the super-cosmic race behave like. They cannot live on a planet like Earth. They cannot live even on the Moon. People born on smaller bodies, like the moons of Jupiter and Saturn belong to the cosmic race. They still have the notions of up and down in a similar way as people from Earth. Still, they have far weaker bones and muscles.
Svetlana lights a cigarette. The time when cosmonauts lived with limited air and food supplies is gone. Now, they have many of the luxuries people on Earth can afford. She looks at Ana's body. She also has a speech.
It is the first time I meet comrade Leonova face to face. It is a great honor for me to see her. It is an honor for Himalia Space station to have her body. I wish she could come here when she was still alive, to see with her own eyes all the things we built here.
The very existence of our space station is a gift from comrade Leonova. She wanted Himalia to be the gateway to Jupiter. She wanted us to be here. She wanted my parents to go to Jupiter and establish a family here. This is where I was born and where I spent my entire life. My personal existence is a gift from her.
This woman had the courage to challenge anyone. She did not move back even when Rosenstein's armies were advancing towards Moscow. She did not quit when the other empires started an embargo, accused her of using forced labor and showed their nuclear arsenal. Not even the death of her father and protector stopped her. She refused to be the Supreme Soviet and returned to Aral only to win the space race again. She continued even when the empires collapsed and everything seemed doomed.
We have to continue the work she started. We have to make the Solar System home of all humans. She restarted the space exploration era and helped us enter in the era of space colonization. The history has not seen another woman so devoted to her ideas, fighting over all obstacles to win.
We have to go on. We have to terraform the worlds she sent us to. We have to make them new Earths, new places where life will thrive.
Ana's body is placed in the central dome, where all visitors come first, when they reach Himalia. Her body will be buried here. The dome sits on the surface of the moon. Workers already built her tomb. It is made of cement made from rocks that exist on the moon. Surrounding it, there are pieces of rock from other places in the Solar System. A big piece of rock is placed above the tomb, with the following inscription:
Comrade Ana Leonova (-18 – 63). The woman who won the space race.
The New Soviet flag is also depicted on the tomb. It is red, with the hammer, the sickle and the red star. Even if the New Soviet Empire is gone, its legacy will still live on for centuries. Everyone visiting Himalia Space Station can see Ana's tomb. Visitors are free to touch it, to feel it with their own hands.
Svetlana Himaliova wanted to name Earth Space Station Leonova. However, she stopped doing this. Instead, she decided to build a large colony on Callisto and name it so. Leonova colony soon became the largest human settlement in Jupiter sector.
October 4th, year 67. Svetlana Himaliova speaks to the people.
"Not too long ago, there was a person among us, who always pushed us further with space exploration and colonization. That person used to address us all, calling us comrades. She is Ana Leonova. We are here because of her. Without her, we would have never leaved Earth. She envisioned a future where humans would live in outer space and would colonize the Solar System. Today she still is among us. Even if we cannot see her soul, her body is here in our space station. She is still here and she orders us to continue her work. I am here to continue what she has started. She ordered me to do so while she was still on Earth. Because of the long time signal needs to reach us, we could never have a conversation. However, she explained me for hours what my mission is. We are here to create a new home for the human race. On this day, but two centuries ago, the Sputnik was launched. On this day of October, the New Soviet Empire launched many space missions. Today, we will go further with our conquest for space. This is the date when I sign the new space project. Terraforming. We are here to transform planets and moons into new, habitable Earths. We might not live to see the transformation completed, but our children and our children's children will see it done".
After announcing this, Svetlana Himaliova goes to Ana Leonova's tomb and puts a flower close to it. With little gravity, you have to fix flowers with some glue. Otherwise, a small air current can push it away.
She lights a cigarette. For Svetlana, Ana is a model to follow in life. Even the way Svetlana smokes is similar, with almost the same moves. She blows the smoke in the air, watching her feet encased in thigh boots and her hands covered with long gloves. The dome is quiet now. No spaceship is ready to launch or just arrived. The walls are decorated with pictures from the Solar System. Above, there is a planetarium protected by a transparent wall of glass. Svetlana takes another inhale from her cigarette. She says:
"Comrade Leonova, thank you for bringing the human race to space! I will continue what you started. I will make you proud. You started and won the space race. It is now my time to start and win the terraforming battle".
THE END