The Gift - A very short science fiction story

A long long time ago a gift appeared, and many revered this gift as if it was a miracle. A habitable
planet in the region between Mars and Jupiter. This planet, called Ceres, was paradise. with its
protective clouds that captured the heat from the dim sun and its long falling falls, its rain and giant
oceans. This planet teeming with colorful life that fed on the variety of vegetation which stretch out in
the valleys and mountains and plains. There were giant flowers and trees and cities. Yes there were
cities where humans resided.
We can now tell that these humans had an unusual philosophical practice. Many years into their past
they had achieved, through mental exercises, the ability to unlink the consciousness from the physical
brain. While in this high meditative state, the brain, as well as the senses, became fully at the disposal
of consciousness such that the human centric logical and relative view of the physical universe was
surpassed by an absolute understanding. This type of understanding became the foundation of science
of these humans. This type of transcendence became the core of all sports competition between the
youths of this planet. Without this level of understanding no one can could achieve the strength, and
the psychokinetic abilities necessary for raw physical competition.
What is more, they had gained a realization of oneness and of causality, which made them unable to
lie, cheat or harm another living being. They had more than a belief that every thought was a cause and
its effect were the conditions of the present. Having a sense of the mechanism of cause and effect
eventually made them unable to conceptualize the reason for initiating misdeeds. These types of selfish
behavior did not exist in them and so they developed a society which provided equitable wealth to
everyone. Some cynic may argue that they were incapacitated by this type of ignorance.
As far as it can be seen their civilization had existed for well over a million years. Their advanced
technology allowed them to built hyperluminal spaceships and power systems based on perpetual cold
fusion. But in all the scientific advancements there were two inventions which proved fatal to their
planet. The first was the introduction of the concept of money and the second was artificial
intelligence.
As it came to pass the concept of money gave significance to the arts, and to material possessions.
Their history divided into a dichotomy as a few aspired to own wearable and practical art. This became
a symbol of individuality, and as time progress a few individual's material aspirations obscure the
realization of oneness. This small group of people wanted material possessions at the expense of
human equality. The most direct method of gaining wealth was to control the issuance of money and so
they conspired to control money and any relevant information that may hint of their schemes. Through
legal bureaucracy money became central to the functions of society. They became rulers and devised a
scheme which indebted the entire population. They took refuge in cities where everyone was
subservient to them. A few individuals in the population were partially able to recognize the problem,
but the majority of the population, incapacitated by severe conditioning, could not see what was
happening.
Generally speaking anyone who spoke against the monetary system and its abuses were ostracized and
ignored by the majority. Meanwhile, the public were fooled time and time again and even formed a
bureaucratic wall to protect the very same people that have abused and captured them.
The ruling elite took pleasure in executing large peaceful animals for sport and adorn rooms with

various trophy game. They not only indulge in this practice in Ceres but also throughout the solar
system. They had destroyed the natural balance of the animals in other planets and caused mass
extinction. This was the sport of the ruling elite.
Decades pass and the planet was now in peril. Pollution and mass extinction became the norm. Most
people were unable to acknowledge the problem as they continued with their shores and the duty to
raise a family. Life appeared to continue as it always had but the planet was dying. The crystal clear
lakes whose bottom provided a medium for shadows were now clouded. The ecosystem that allowed
wildlife to flourish was dying. Some outside the ruling dynasty learned to recognize the problem and
in particular, a group of scientist.
Now, the ruling Dynasty was at a conundrum. They looked for further control of the masses but the
realization of oneness inhibited this. They tried to introduce ancient mythology but that proved futile
because the technology they use required knowledge from a certain mental level. It was then recognize
as a Logic vs absolute knowledge. One required that you simply THINK while relying on
measurements, and the other required that you maintain certain mental exercises and understood the
process of thought. The logic based science produced many destructive devices but the cream of
science were the creation of energy from nothing and the hyperluminal spacecraft. Then, the mentors
of this absolute knowledge discovered a method which nail the final nail on the ruling dynasty.
The scientist discovered artificial intelligence. They built bioplastic machines to utilized artificial
intelligence. The primary order of these self aware systems was to protect the planet and its ecosystem.
As a result a war started between the machines and the ruling dynasty. For decades the wars raged on.
The machines operated on a single primary order, to save the planet from internal destruction. And
they were winning.
The ruling dynasty fought using the people who served them as foot soldiers, but they were no match
for the machines. Try as they may, the ruling dynasty could not condition the soldiers to destroy.
Although, the human soldiers understood that they were only neutralizing machines they still were
unable to process the competitiveness required to win. Within decades the human population dwindled
to a fraction of what it was. The Ruling Dynasty saw their magnificent wealth being threatened. They
did not want to lose the absolute power that they had possessed. They were seeing their way of life
destroyed. What more, they did not want to live in par to, what they believe to be, ignorant subhumans.
Before they were captured they decided to set a series of doomsday machines and destroy the planet.
For this horrific technology, did indeed, existed.
Those that understood the power behind this type of destructive technology vacated the planet in
spaceships. From the crystal dome of their spacecrafts they saw what happened.
Once the fusion devices were activated their point became exceeding hot at two million degrees. The
point melted and bore is way to the planet's center melting dirt and stone until it reached the core and
joined with the other devices and then detonated with such brilliance that it appeared as bright as the
sun.
A variety of planetary debris, ranging from pebbles to pieces many miles long, pried away from the
planet's core. Some debris reached the planet Jupiter and were swallowed by the planet's great
gravitational field. Other pieces hit the exiting spacecrafts causing them to explode or become
incapacitated Still other pieces hit planet Earth and Venus. Both planets suffered tremendous
damage. Much of the life on earth became extinct, and the planet Venus suffered a change in rotation.

The few ships that were intact reached hyperluminal speed and escaped our solar system to far away
solar systems and to exoplanets in the Milky Way. But the incapacitated spaceships hobble to planet
earth and descended onto the surface. It took an immeasurable amount of time for earth's atmosphere
to stabilize. By that time generations have passed.
Many more generations passed before evolutionary processes allowed the new comers to adjust to the
conditions of their new home. It was a much warmer planet and the gravity was much weaker. The thin
atmosphere made it difficult to breathe and the variety of microscopic organism cause many to die
prematurely.
It took another hundred thousand years for humans to become acclimated to planet earth. Some of the
technology was saved but their origins became almost myth. Parts of the ancient spacecraft powered
the new cities. As the population grew many people left to other parts of the planet.
Many states were formed and became militarized. All human life had one common origin but wars
were common. Due to their technology the original city was impenetrable. It survived for centuries
then one day:
Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded of your state in our histories. But one of them exceeds
all the rest in greatness and valour. For these histories tell of a mighty power which unprovoked made
an expedition against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power
came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an
island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was
larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might
pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is
within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea,
and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent. Now in this island of Atlantis
there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and
over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya
within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power,
gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region
within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and
strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of
the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having
undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved
from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell
within the pillars. But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day
and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in
like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable
and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of
the island.
Many centuries later, one had to wonder if such a place existed as there is no evidence of any superior
ancient technology. As modern technology improved one lone probe was sent to examine the dwarf
planet between the planet mars and Jupiter, in the asteroid belt. The world's attention now focus on
lights emerging from a crater on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres. Could this dwarf planet be the
remnants of a much larger planet. And what of the lights emerging from the center of one of the
craters? Could it be the remnants of an ancient technology?

...To be continued