Original fic: One reason why the universe is silent
Title: One brief case study in the explanation of why the universe is silent
They sit, an armada in orbit around a collapsed sun. Their hulls soak up most of the radiation perpetually cast out by the neutron star. Their propulsion engines idle for an epoch.
This place had been deliberately, carefully chosen from a list of canidates. This star's inhospitable nature was its strongest selling point. This was the one place the Enemy would never look.
Inside the fleet, a hundred million live, work, pray, and love. Inside all those ships are smoothly-purring engines and a populace no longer affected by the radiation.
Outside, the universe is empty, their ever-victorious enemy retired long ago from space travel. Everywhere, the Enemy is now extinct.
For Mankind, it is a hollow victory. A Pyrric Loss. To humanity, so much more of the universe is inhospitable than ever was before. With men and women only able to live in ships around neutron stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this was inspired by the Travelers in the Stargate Atlantis episode a few weeks (or so) ago.
They sit, an armada in orbit around a collapsed sun. Their hulls soak up most of the radiation perpetually cast out by the neutron star. Their propulsion engines idle for an epoch.
This place had been deliberately, carefully chosen from a list of canidates. This star's inhospitable nature was its strongest selling point. This was the one place the Enemy would never look.
Inside the fleet, a hundred million live, work, pray, and love. Inside all those ships are smoothly-purring engines and a populace no longer affected by the radiation.
Outside, the universe is empty, their ever-victorious enemy retired long ago from space travel. Everywhere, the Enemy is now extinct.
For Mankind, it is a hollow victory. A Pyrric Loss. To humanity, so much more of the universe is inhospitable than ever was before. With men and women only able to live in ships around neutron stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this was inspired by the Travelers in the Stargate Atlantis episode a few weeks (or so) ago.