Eclipse Drift: Cosmic Odyssey

In the sacred silence of the church, a sermon begins not with words, but with a breath. It is the deep inhale of pastor Aravind Chatterjee, a moment of gathering thoughts and spirit before the journey of oration commences. As the first syllables unfurl, the pastor’s voice is a gentle stream, flowing smoothly, inviting the congregation to the banks of contemplation. "No eulogy can reach the cold dull ears of Death; yet we would fain call a wreath of forget-me-nots and place it on Memories' shrine, in token of our love and gratitude to one who was very, very dear to us. Mrs. Elena Siyu Gavrilova Li Klein was born in the first light of Earth's dawn as seen from the Martian colony of NovoTerra and she was once married to Mikhail Chang Klein." The pastor’s voice transforms. It rises and falls like the tides of the ocean, each wave of pitch carrying the weight of divine wisdom. The tempo accelerates, mirroring the urgency of the message, then slows, allowing the words t...

“No one knows what group caused the Undoing. Post-modern society had already begun the so-called “Battle Royale” Generation. During this hundred year period, every facet of society began warring with one another for dominance. Activism and rebellion invaded every facet of our lives. Lines of loyalty were drawn up and those without a cause were forced to retreat to entertainment fandoms or online communities. Unfortunately, the world politics and despotism of the late 22nd century grew to overshadow the lives of everyone living on the planet and invaded those areas, too. The space age had already begun, so the turmoil had forced everyone to become refugees off-planet where jobs were more plentiful. Close-knit families and communities grew abundant but separately in space while everything on the planet was steeped in societal pollution. Having more than one place in the solar system retreat to was what saved mankind from utter extinction. However, it wasn’t an Earth-shattering comet that...