An enigmatic visitor from deep space spells trouble for the people of Earth. The resulting catastrophes threaten not only our way of life, but our very survival. This story details a message left by one individual decades after the event, their history, and their fears for whatever future remains for the human race.

Quintessence

The lockdown was supposed to last 12 hours. This, they said, was long enough to verify the reliability of the Safehold’s support and backup systems. After 12 hours, it was announced that there had been some problems detected in the power systems, and that the fuses governing the operation of the exterior doors and short-range communications had been damaged by the effects of the Dark Star, causing them to burst in the power startup cycle. 


The elected Coordinator at the time, Margaret Franklin, had assured the Residents that the issues delaying operation were being worked on, and that they should use this opportunity to practice the sort of regular life which would be required for the continued operation of the Safeholds. 


Slow Quiet