“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Her gaze reached out beyond the viewing gallery, into the vastness of space. The ocean of stars swam behind the brilliant light of the Sun.
She did not reply.
We sat in silence, in awe of the cosmos as the Tartarus drifted through the emptiness. We’d sailed past Mars hours ago, the planet as red as the stories told. Soon we would be upon Earth.
Earth.
Our home.
When we closed in on the third planet of the solar system, we were greeted not with the blue marble from the legends but with a withered grey orb.
I could hardly believe that this was all that remained.
The intercom chimed. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re now within viewing range. On behalf of the corporation, we hope you will enjoy witnessing the event. Thank you for travelling with Journey’s End.”
By this time, Mercury and Venus were all but destroyed. The expansion of the Sun had consumed them centuries and decades ago.
Earth was next.
I looked back to my guards, motioning my intent to move around. After they acknowledged, we left our seats and walked to the tip of the gallery. A waiter offered us champagne from his tray, which we accepted. Looking to the side, there were other cruisers and ships parked nearby. All here to witness the death of a planet.
“I wonder if what the legends said were true. That Earth used to house fifteen billion lives. That the oceans were full of life and the skies were bluer than azure,” she said. Her were arms folded within her shawl.
“Looking at it now, it is hard to believe that we came from this planet. It’s nothing but waste.”
“I suppose not all of us learnt our lessons.”
“I suppose not.” I laughed.
As we drank, we watched the once life-giving entity inch closer, swelling in size. The grey planet glowed slightly as its surface boiled.
Slowly, but surely, the Sun’s surface met with Earth’s. Live images from a probe showed the crust cracking, molten rock spewing out as its shell was crushed. Sound transmitted from the surface was broadcasted into the gallery. It was unlike anything I’d heard in my life. The deep rumbling, the crack of tectonic plates.
Then came silence.
Some cheered as the Earth sank into the plasma. Some cried. Me? I could only stare in silence. I looked at her. A tear ran down her cheek.
As I stared at her, it dawned on me. We’re all that is left of the Earth. We are the planet’s final legacy in this Universe.
I wrapped my arms around her. “I suppose this is goodbye.”
She buried her face into my chest. I could feel the tears soaking through my jumper.
“Have a safe trip home, alright?” I said.
“I didn’t want it to end…”
“I know. I know…” I continued to comfort her, stroking her hair.
The two guards walked up to us. I gave her one last squeeze before peeling away.
“I love you.”
“I know. Take good care of yourself. Promise?” I smiled at her. When she nodded, I kissed her on her forehead and turned to the guards. “Alright boys, let’s get this over with.”
I could hear her footsteps follow us as we walked out of the gallery. I stopped just after the door frame. One last glimpse and the door slid shut between the two of us.
Regret washed over me. My heart ached. I would not be able to see what she would become.
I stepped into my pod. It shook violently as it ejected from the ship.
Weightlessness was an odd sensation. I looked back at the Tartarus, at the viewing gallery, getting smaller and smaller. I turned my gaze back to the front. Towards the sun, slowly getting bigger and bigger, till it was the only thing that I could see. The silence was deafening. Only my heartbeat remained to soothe my nerves.
But if my legacy is her, I have nothing to be worried about.