"Good morning." "Good morning Donnalors. Thank you for seeing us. Today is an important day for you!" "Has the committee approved my request? I mean, am I going to receive a conception?" Zo Li, leader of the group addressed her. "Yes. You have received full approval. And, it looks like you will receive a baby boy. You are to receive the only male. You are going to make history."
Donnalors was overwhelmed with joy. She did her best to retain her composure. "And, what is my status?" "You are to be one of the first few test cases. You are very fortunate." "May I ask a taboo question?" Zo raised his arches. "I'm curious. Well, today is your special day. What would you like to ask of me." "Why...is this being done? I mean I know its illegal and unethical, but why is this happening?" Zo looked at the other two collaborators. "I think she deserves to know. She is taking most of the risk. Should we put this before her or see the committee?" "No, lets not waste time." "I agree" said the other.
Donnalors sat down next to Zo. "Donnalors, as you know, we live in a very crowded world. The death rate is staggering. It is prohibitive to maintain both the living and the dead. Billions of people die each year. In times past, society and our world could easily support a much smaller population. But, the truth is, our world is dying. We are fast running out of resources and water. People are moving off-world - to the colonies - routinely. This is done at a very high price. A price that our society cannot easily afford. Our society - is bankrupt."
"Food riots occur in the world most every day. Food security is a major issue. Water security is of the highest priority. Would that these last resources become unavailable, all human life on earth would be extinguished. It is amazing that we have not yet gone extinct. That is one reason that we need to start conceiving children again. The extinction event will almost certainly happen."
"You said food riots happen daily. Why haven't I heard of this?"
"A society..." Zo paused "...like ours cannot be maintained without constant censorship and secrecry. Only those who need to know are given this information. That included most government officials and party officials. Most but not all. The food riots and the police actions needed to contain them, are very serious and extremely violent. They are available on the Phemera, but only on secret channels. Would you like to see?"
Unsure of the consequences, Donnalors assented. "Turn on the Phemera," said Zo.
"Set it to 0117+017c." The scene was staggering. The violence was unbelievable. Thousands of rioters were being crushed under police equipment. "No...no..." said Donnalors with her hand over her mouth. She heaved on the floor and fell over backwards in a dead faint. "Smelling salts..." said Zo.
When she came too, Donnalors apologized. "I had no...no idea. That was horrifying. A hundred people must have died in just a few seconds." "Thousands," said Zo. "You see why this information is kept from the public. If it got out, the social disruption would be chaotic. The death rate is something like 200 billion people per year. That is far in excess of the expected death rate. The death rates on the African and Eurasian continents are beyond staggering. We are constantly building more processors to recycle the remains. This is another reason we need to start conception. By any means necessary."
"You keep referring to reasons for conception. Are there more?"
"Yes. There is talk - well, we know it is more than talk, it is a fact - that The Free Party means to shut down the Inception Centers."
"What? All of them?"
"Yes."
"That's insanity. How will we get more people...and food. Without the Inception Centers we'll have nothing. Why would they do this."
"For one thing, we believe some of The Free Party leaders have lost their reason - or have some knowledge that our party is not aware of. Another reason is that there are too many people as it is. Third, the system has no more funding. That's why we have to start preparing now. The China Party is fighting the legal effort to shut down the Inception Centers. I think the best we can hope for is to maintain the Food Inception Centers. Without the vegetation and grain Inception Centers, almost all life will certainly cease - at least on this planet."
"This is horrible."
"It gets worse. Much worse."Donnalors raised her eyebrows. "What? What do you mean?"
"Should I tell her?" Zo looked at the other collaborators. "I think you've started down a path that you cannot reverse," replied Ixox.
"The extinction event will almost certainly happen. Our scientists have developed the means and the technology to predict when and where a gamma ray burst will occur with a high degree of precision. If a gamma ray burst occurs several million to billion light years from earth, it is of little concern. If a gamma ray burst occurs in the next 10 to 100 light years - it is of major importance. If one should happen within a few light years of our planet..." Zo's voice trailed away, and she looked down at the floor, briefly. Zo looked up again "...it would mean almost certain annihilation. Some high party officials have given out this information with extreme caution. A GRB event will almost certainly happen within the next thousand years - and it will be nearby. They have even identified the star where this will take place. We don't know if The Free Party has this information - but we are pretty certain of it. We think this may be the reason they appear to be in panic mode. I have been given the authority to terminate your life if you release this information. It is absolutely vital that you share this with no one. Do you understand?"
Donnalors nodded. "That's not good enough. Please say yes I understand."
"Yes I understand..." Donnalors continued, "What about my baby? And the others?"
Zo looked at the other collaborators. They nodded. "That's why we're taking steps to get you and the others off-world."
Somewhat shocked, Donnalors asked "When is this supposed to happen?"
"Probably not until after you have conceived."
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