653. Beyond the stars, 6
My dearest Nokaranlık.
As you’ve already begun to work toward your own ideal, I’m trying to remember how it felt before your time.
Before most of the rose Blumen began to voice out and wish for that dream you took over; for a world where flowers may bloom.
In the wake of the 20th century, the dream of an ideal world evolved.
We wanted a world without wars. We pursued the development of knowledge in every field of science and technology, knowing full well that knowledge is power. Unfortunately our global power kept growing, but the natural instincts of our societies did not.
The philosophers of our time failed at leading the way of our governments, economies and powers toward building a utopia.
I heard a lot about the great war in my youth, that sparked across Europe and bled all the great empires, eventually killing a few of them.
History afterward, it remained mostly a mystery to me.
I’ve learnt there had been more wars over the following centuries, just as awful as the last. But I don’t know as much, and more importantly, it’s obvious the pursuit of power never slowed down. On the contrary.
And defying the instincts, and even more, defying the known limits of our power and understanding, humanity kept going and achieving wonders we wouldn’t even have dreamt of.
Inventions from knowledge never stopped.
Had it already been there on Earth before, I’m confident even the T.I. would have been discovered, studied, understood, and its power harvested and used in many ways I can’t imagine. Just like electricity, just like steam power.
What I can imagine a little now, is what could have been dreamt by others in these times.
As power grew enough to build cities even in the most hostile places on Earth.
As humanity learnt to fly. As knowledge created the computers networks that still linger faintly to this day.
As we became able to see the stars, and the unfathomable span of the universe where we are.
As we sent machines onto our only satellite and were able to create new ones.
As our technology granted us the power to reshape our world and more for the better, regardless of the occasional lingering strife or war.
Of course you know what I fear most. Why a previous Rose chose to lay her life to stop the growth of a power like Magenta.
I know the reality of history has been also sadly like that.
In another time, I would have surely died against the rising city of Solaris.
And then, history came to its end, regardless of that last war’s outcome. But the dreams surely would have continued otherwise.
Unifying the lands and freeing the people as peace and wealth took over.
A world with absolute knowledge shared instantly through the computers. With lands all over the world growing in fertility and hospitality.
And then, even beyond, spreading life, knowledge and humanity like a ripe dandelion.
The luxurious cruise ships of older times would see their spacecraft equivalents increase in frequency toward the colonies of the moon, Venus and Mars.
Gradually, the colonial cities would grow in turn, until one day they could transform into new celestial flowers ready to blossom into new Earths. With all the power of humankind, this reproduction of life was achievable.
Blume, I recall, dreamt of it. Of how. How the moon could get a molten core through celestial engineering, until it allowed an atmosphere to be kept.
Then oceans on each Mars, Venus and the moon, filled with ice from Saturn’s rings probably over time.
Creating atmospheres and magnetospheres to keep them steady. Harnessing the power of the sun with Helio-satellites to focus its light into condensed forms. Using everything possible to make the garden of Earth able to slowly replicate. And give a chance for all sorts of lives to spread and transfer.
Using artificial monsters or giant automatons to spread their seeds and spores onto the new Earths, and also onto the worlds that could never become as ours.
Spread life. Make the moon blue and green from its seas and forests. Then other planets.
Until we can try to spread our bloom into the next barren fields and solar systems.
Until peace becomes a given.
~
I’m not sure how far on this logical path of life humanity was able to thread before it was wiped out.
Unfortunately, the moon at night looks a little smaller but not like it was made liveable.
Humanity didn’t reach the first stage of this journey outward. Too bad.
I’m sure we could find some human ruins on Mars, Venus and the moon, but I doubt they were able to really start their celestial blossoming, given how even the moon still looks dry and barren as it always has.
Nokaranlık’s dream, it’s a natural impulse for intelligence that overcame natural selection, I’m convinced of that.
Create and spread the richness of a land like orchards bear fruits.
Pears. I like pears. Like knowledge was good to spread, life is.
Nokarlık’s dream isn’t to catch up and back what humanity’s dreams might have been. And it shouldn’t be.
There is time and freedom. Nok is right with her passion. It goes along the natural order of things and life as I understand it. Her wish of happiness and utopia is normal and fair.
The dreams of the strongs, now that humanity vanishes, will slumber like a spore. A spore of wisdom and natural impulse, to reach someday the stars.
When the environment becomes right again, I’m sure some new form of intelligence will pick up that dream and carry it on. The same way than when a Rose dies, another takes over, so far. A virtuous civilisation sounds better than a selfish almighty god.
Another life, maybe in four hundred years or more, will have another chance. To inherit the remaining will, knowledge and dreams that came before.
Life will go on.
And flowers will bloom. Under Nokarlık’s watch in her kingdom.
Until maybe, they can reach every other stars, of this insanely wide universe where we lie.
~
N - You’re changing.
R - Hopefully getting wiser. I’ve had a lot to think about since you brought me back. In some ways, you’ve been even more ruthless with me than even your late aunt Bleue had been. You two would really have hit along just fine.
Thought that would have been a nightmare of endless teasing for me. I’m shivering just imagining it.
But it’s true that my sweet Nokarlık managed to pick up a lot from you.
Good thing you never met, or it would have been even more grey hair for me. I love you two!
~
Maybe the first seed to wander between the stars has already been thrown actually.
To wander aimlessly for hundreds of years, but perhaps someday...
It will be the first spore.
I wonder of Ros and Rus thought about that, as they went away.
I think I can picture a little better how they felt now.
They were looking up, to the stars. And they wondered.
What if...
What could be?
I wonder, if they’ll make it to a new land someday.
My previous self might have carried genetic information for many kinds of flora and autotrophic life forms with her. Enough to carry plant life anywhere, in the spirits of Blume.
They must be unconscious like spores now, whilst their remains drift away.
The space is so immense, it will likely take eons before they have a chance to reach a new world, or a complete death, someday.
I hope they’re sleeping well meanwhile.
And I wish their fate will be that new blossom someday.
A spread.
A chance to start from naught almost.
For everything imaginable that life can be.
~
