Big Long Now
11-12-2004, 02:52
The sun shined brightly upon the crowd of citizens, eager to hear their beloved dictator address the crowd. They loved his charisma, his passion, his empathy and his strength - they felt no need for any other leader but this man, for he provided what they wanted - security and freedoms. The blinding light almost kept the spectators from seeing Dictator Richard Evan taking the podium, clouds passed by the sun, allowing them to see their leader take the stage - then the sun shoved the clouds aside as he cleared his throat.
"My fellow citizens, I hope future generations will see this day as a historic one, which those in the crowd today can tell their grandchildren thirty years down the road. For many nights for which I cannot count, I have looked up into the dark sky, glittered in twinkling silver, occasionally with a full moon. Then one night, I wondered to myself, 'Why have we not been up there as frequently as other nations like ours have, why do we not reach for the twilight, miles closer than here on the earth?'
I then realized that this was the time for this nation to take the next step into the future, to abandon space stations and low orbit transits that only allow the common man to stay for such short periods of time. My administration and I have been working with our space agency to come up with a plan to allow the casual citizen to take up residence in space for the span of their lifetime. Currently, the Big Long Now SA director Mark Ribel and I have envisioned a space colony that can house two hundred occupants, with the ability to be expanded upon to allow up to 1,500 occupants without risk before requiring a new space colony. The BLNSA has begun drawing blueprints and estimating costs for our envisioned colony, hopefully beginning construction by 2045. Although I and Ribel will most likely be in our graves by the construction date, we will work to carry this vision to our successors, for the dream of space will never be lost.
May the God you praise bless you all."
The crowd bursts into applause, whistling and hooting as if at a sports game. The dictator scans the crowds, he gives a coy smile and walks off the stage after giving a final wave. He is rushed to his vehicle and departs the scene almost as quickly as he came.
"My fellow citizens, I hope future generations will see this day as a historic one, which those in the crowd today can tell their grandchildren thirty years down the road. For many nights for which I cannot count, I have looked up into the dark sky, glittered in twinkling silver, occasionally with a full moon. Then one night, I wondered to myself, 'Why have we not been up there as frequently as other nations like ours have, why do we not reach for the twilight, miles closer than here on the earth?'
I then realized that this was the time for this nation to take the next step into the future, to abandon space stations and low orbit transits that only allow the common man to stay for such short periods of time. My administration and I have been working with our space agency to come up with a plan to allow the casual citizen to take up residence in space for the span of their lifetime. Currently, the Big Long Now SA director Mark Ribel and I have envisioned a space colony that can house two hundred occupants, with the ability to be expanded upon to allow up to 1,500 occupants without risk before requiring a new space colony. The BLNSA has begun drawing blueprints and estimating costs for our envisioned colony, hopefully beginning construction by 2045. Although I and Ribel will most likely be in our graves by the construction date, we will work to carry this vision to our successors, for the dream of space will never be lost.
May the God you praise bless you all."
The crowd bursts into applause, whistling and hooting as if at a sports game. The dictator scans the crowds, he gives a coy smile and walks off the stage after giving a final wave. He is rushed to his vehicle and departs the scene almost as quickly as he came.