When there is no more food – Fiction.

Discover the secret of what seems to be the only human society left out in space after many years of the destruction of Earth.


Source.

-Captain, we are receiving a transmission from that pod, sir.

-What´s their message?

-They have been stranded for years, sir. They ran out of fuel and are short on food supplies.

-Let them in, lieutenant. Make sure our guests feel like their home – smiled Captain Harrison, a 37-year-old bulky man, clad on his neat white suit.


The pod was drifting in the void of space surrounded by dark matter asteroids, which was the very reason why the gigantic ship “Hope” was there in the first place.

The pod was weathered and so was its crew. Three women and one man were the only ones left after a lustrum of wandering in the nothingness of space.

The “Hope” sucked the pod inside its hangar, where a group of paramedics attended the four of them. Captain Harrison made his way near them and gave them a rather warm greeting:


-Welcome onboard, ladies, gentleman. I am Capt. Richard Harrison. This is our ship “Hope”, named after the only thing that is left for humanity in these dark ages. Whom do I have the pleasure to be addressing today?

An athletic but almost skeletal woman in her early 30’s stood up, raised her hand in salute and shouted:

-My name is Jean Nevada, leader of the three souls standing before you, sir. Our ship was one of the last that escaped the tragedy of Earth three generations in the past. Seven years ago, however, our scientists noticed the space project was unsustainable and we ran out of food and resources quickly. We are all of what is left from that.

-Such a pity what I hear. But I got to tell you this might be your lucky day. You people have probably bumped into the only place of our explorable galaxy where human life is sustainable. Let me walk you around – said an eager Capt. Harrison, as he grabbed Jean by the hand and pulled her towards him to show them the place. Her crew followed them.


The four strangers were exhausted, but as soon as they left the hangar and the steel doors slid open, they were astounded. Plants, people, outdoors activities, bars, malls, pools, it was like a dream. Everywhere they looked, they saw someone smiling and having a good time; all of them being young between the ages of around 15 and 40. Nevertheless, what seemed to be the most impressive of all was the food! They got there right at lunchtime (everyone was punctual inside “Hope”) and they were all having great feasts (it was actually just a normal amount of food, but the crew was not used to seeing those quantities). It specially got to their attention the fact that their main source of food was none other than meat. The crew had barely eaten meat before, since it is extremely difficult to raise cattle in space as it would require lots of resources.

Throughout all the years that have passed by, they have seen their ship and many others succumbed into extinction because of famine, but “Hope” seemed to be very successful. “How have they done it?” They asked themselves.

Source.


The crew was sent to a room and told to rest, clean up and get ready for dinner in 7 hours. They were a little excited about it. None of them could recall the last time they had eaten meat, let alone being that elegantly cooked.


It was dinnertime and they sat in the middle of a prolonged oval table, facing the Captain, alongside other 26 people. The menu included a huge and juicy steak skirted by some fresh lettuce, a bowl of what looked like chicken fingers and a cup of wine. Jean’s mouth was watering and she wanted to say some words to thank their hosts:

-I must say, we are vastly thankful an impressed by you generosity and success. We have seen the fall down of larger and more advanced ships than this one, and I can see you have managed not only to survive, but to enjoy your lives the way our ancestors did long ago back on Earth. We are quite curious, though. How have you accomplished it?

-Well, darling – replied a grinning Harrison – I am delighted by your kind words. I shall explain every single detail at the end of our meal.


They all agreed. They crew was starving and they felt like in heaven. Never had they tasted such a delicious banquet. The more they ate, the more they fell in love with meat and this new place, which they hoped it became their new home.

After some minutes, they were satisfied. Huge smiles were drawn across their faces. They laughed and got to know more about “Hope”.

-So, Captain – said a smiley Jean – I believe you were going to tell us the key for all your blessings.

-Yes, indeed, sweetie. Look, our success is due to having understood and accepted the course of our humanity. Many years ago, the first commanders of this ship were on the verge of desperation as we were about to run out of food just as well. Luckily enough, they realized that in order to survive, harsh measurements had to be applied. They established a very delicate limit for our population. Those who were older than 45 became food. Babies and kids younger than 15 years old, were split into two halves according to their skills, where the best ones became part of us and the rest were eaten. Currently, we grow those babies in crops. We try to make as many as we can so there is enough for everyone. We also recently adjusted the age limit from 45 to 40, so our population is kept young, productive and short. Once you reach that age, you become part of the menu. We have learned to grow with it. Just look at me, I’ll be 40 in three years and I am having a blast. It is our circle of life! Take a look at what we just ate tonight. It was a good mixture between baby and old women from just last week. Isn’t it delicious?

Try to imagine the crew’s faces as they were horrified and disgusted.

-Now, if you excuse me, we have a rather strict limit for our population, remember? So I am afraid you have not been invited to stay as our guests, but as tomorrow’s meal.


-The End-

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