Chapter 1
The end of the world didn't come like the classic Hollywood films of the 21st century forecasted, death and horror as nature exacted its revenge on the human race for its centuries of mis treatment. Instead the end came like a slow lingering illness, each moment that passed the earth grew weaker and more fragile as the toll finally showed.
Nicole stood in the hot accommodation block looking out the window at the arid landscape, the lush vegetation of decades gone by replaced by dust and sand. Coughing at the toxic air that could only be scrubbed so much by the cheap air conditioning units she looked over at the glistening biodome in the distance, the safe haven of the rich and powerful.
It was 2245 by the old calendar, nearly 100 years since the planet started dying and long before Nichole was born 19 years ago. She wondered just what this place would have been like only 75 years ago, some of the elders told tales of flowing rivers and green trees, something Nichole never had, and in most likely hood never would see in reality.
When the earth started to perish the world powers soon started moving aggressively into the safer green zones around the planet, northern canada, siberia and southern America. As tensions raised and the deserts swept across all equatorial areas something had to give. The middle east launched the first nukes, deep into the Chinese green territory that sparked a world war that almost eradicated the human civilisation. In 4 hours 99% of the green zones on the planet were wiped out, 84 % of the worlds population incinerated in an instant.
From that day on the survivors had to live in the sweltering desert areas to stay away from the nuclear fallout. The world powers came together and soon countries failed to exist, humans rallied together in and effort to stop the extinction of the entire race.
Only Africa escaped the nuclear blasts but the continent had been ravaged by the heat of the sun making habitation almost unbearable. So the biodomes were born, 50 started out to house the remaining millions of humans from all over, but they overflowed and soon admittance had to be earned or bought, the survivors building shanty towns close by.
She looked over to the shipyard supply docks in the distance before tracing the lines that shot into the sky up to the tiny specks in space. She smiled, knowing that up in orbit the latest batch of vessels were under construction and it would soon be time for the crew lists to be selected, not that someone like her stood much chance.
The arcs were humanities last hope of survival, everyone knew that. To date 14 vessels had been successfully lunched into deep space, each carrying on average over 5000 people to carefully selected planets capable of supporting long term life. The ESA (Earth Space Agency) had spent decades sending robots into space searching and its was only recently that three planets were confirmed as habitable.
The first ships launched immediately, a two thousand strong army of people along with a ship filled with equipment and supplies heading to each planet. The key was the deep stasis that doctors had discovered that allowed for the crew to be put into a sort of suspended animation. This meant that the 30 year journey would only seem like moments to the crew.
As people starved and the earth deteriorated even further news came through from the first planet that the settlement was successfully ready and ready for the next stage. More ships launched, the influential and rich managing to buy there way to a better future whilst the poor slaved away building the ships. It wasn't until the riots of 2238 that the government realised that they had to do something about the availability of places to the less fortunate if the ships were to be built, and hence the lottery was launched.
By combining skill sets and medical data each person was entered into different lottery pots, a number of who would be picked at random depending upon the ships destination and capacity.
Sighing she looked over at the information point in her flat and grabbed her kit, it was almost time for work. She hated the job she had, it was hot, dangerous and completely pointless. Outside in the heat all day with only the biosuite and respirator to keep her safe she was one of hundreds how spent their days scaling the huge biodome servicing the energy panels and engineering systems.
Still, the work had its perks, she was on decent rations for a start, unlike others she knew that barely got enough food day to day. There was also the perk of being in a better selection pot for the arks, but even Nichole knew that the chances of her name coming up were remote.
By the end of the day Nichole was hot, knackered and in desperate need of a shower. The recycled liquid was foul, but it managed to get the worst off her as she stripped down out the filthy biosuite and rubbed the grime from her face.
Later that evening Nicole stepped into the bar and grabbed a seat over at the bar. A short, fat barman headed over with a smile and pushed over a synthabeer to Nichole.
"Tough day babe" he asked. Nichole looked up taking a swig and smiled.
"Same shit different day Stevie."
"SSDD Nic!" The short man laughed and walked off to serve the next customer.
She looked up at the tv, there was the build up to this evenings lottery on, the crowds slowly building as a mix of excitement and desperation built. Like everyone else in the bar Nichole knew she had about as much chance of getting called up as she did of stumbling upon a piece of fruit - and that was practically impossible these days!
"God your a sight for sore eyes" someone said behind Nichole. She turned round and smiled at John as he picked up his beer and took a swig.
