A Space Odyssey

AMONG the handful of survivors, some called it the qiyamat, others the pralaya.

- Yousuf Saeed

And for some, it was the apocalypse, of course. But it was none of those mythical endings. There was no hope of a rebirth after such destruction. The qiyamat or Doomsday is supposed to wipe out everything on Earth and take the souls to a Day of Judgement for their reward or punishment; that didn't happen either.

The survivors on Space Station 21B had witnessed the ultimate annihilation of everything on Earth—its cities and forests, life and water, everything. Nothing was going to spring back again. Only two dozen men and women survived on a space station encircling Earth in a distant orbit. But for how long, they didn’t know: their life-support system would not last unless they found a way to make more food and oxygen. They could not land back on Earth, now burnt and contaminated. They often sat at the ship’s thick windows and watched a once-familiar world that had turned dark red and yellow as fires raged across continents.

“Everything is fine. Go back to your pods,” came the voice of Xorm, the computer that controlled the station, every time some anxious workers gathered to chat. It was becoming more stringent each day—it would lock or unlock doors at will, deny food or medicines to some, and reduce oxygen levels in someone’s pod. Xorm was surely partial to some workers. It censored all incoming information, giving them only official propaganda received from the government. For entertainment, they watched and rewatched old movies available on board.

The great destruction befell Earth, from whatever little they could glean, not only due to ecological disasters, but more so because of the grand war between Rajam, the king, and Prajam, the rebels. And since the space mission was sent by Rajam's government, Xorm ensured that the workers didn't voice any rebellion, knowing some might be Prajamites.