1 PX9345

PX9345 is a solar system situated on the outer edge of the Milky Way. It has one star, and seventeen planets, three of which are located in a habitable zone, where water is not only present, but present in large amounts. Apart from the planet closest to the star, which has a 4% land mass, the other two planets are completely covered in ocean. 

These two planets, which were named Molière, and Maupassant, were discovered by Station AXP09392. Molière’s dense atmosphere renders it impenetrable to astronomical observation. Its high frequency of torrential rain and thunderstorms, and an ocean 400 times the size of Earth’s surface, are its only known features to date. Maupassant, on the other hand, is an extraordinarily stable planet, which, apart from the lack of land, is more comparable to Earth, with its ocean coverage 30 times larger, its deepest seas reaching a depth of approximately 12.5 Marianna Trenches. 

Such an enormity of ocean, yet no living thing dwelt within. It was as if all the amino acid-based evolution on Earth had never occurred on this planet. 

320 years ago, PX9345 was selected as one of the systems for Project Pasture. Firstly, plankton and algae were cultivated on Maupassant, and about 80 years after they had been introduced, species of krill, which took 130 years to spread through the entire ocean. Then, the first pods of baleen cetaceans – 4000 blue whales, were released into the seas of Maupassant. After that, over forty other baleen species were introduced. Today, the planet is already home to about 700 000 cetaceans of different kinds, divided into over 200 000 pods, spread across the whole of Maupassant.

Here, the water is pure and clear. A simple ecosystem made of up algae, krill, baleen whale, bacteria and fungi, where the whale pods are showing healthy reproductive patterns, and for the first time, populating at their highest capacity. Diving alongside hundreds of blue whales, you come to feel the sublime romanticism these epics of nature can achieve, against the backdrop of a tangible, living universe. 

And I, as the only human on this planet, am the shepherd of this pasture. 

In this age, loneliness is no longer a dreadful proposition. Humanity needed to adapt to the space age, and the solution that Nature itself presented, was a genetic mutation on 298X-C, which created in people an intense social phobia that had been passed down for generations. Their ancestors could never have imagined that this was evolution at work, preparing for the Space Age, and so it was considered as just another psychological condition. 

The ultimate outcome of this evolution has been the creation of people like me, who can survive quite happily alone, without the feelings of psychological discomfort, or loss of control that regular, swarming humans would suffer. I could, quite happily, spend my whole life, in solitude. 

System PX9345, Planet Maupassant, the whale ocean. This is the story of them and I.  

This whale farm is not here to produce meat, unlike the Pasture programs on other planets. Whale meat is not generally an acceptable food on today’s dining tables. Besides, the baleen whale population on Maupassant has still to reach saturation, so population growth will be the major principle of the project for the next 20 years. The next stage for the Whale Ocean, and the 30th to 50th year of my life, will be the successful introduction and conservation of their toothed cousins.

The ecosystem required by odontoceti is far more complex than that of the baleen whale. By my calculations, I will need to find approximately 2000 species of marine plants, in order to build stable populations of arthropods, and fish. At the moment, Whale Ocean has just 30 toothed whales, across four species, who act as my “sheepdogs” on the farm, helping with the milking, and herding of the baleen into ocean areas overpopulated by krill. 

Smaller cetaceans are fine to be herded by dolphins, but blue whales require my bigger dogs. 

Whale farming brings me joy, but the workload is enormous. The average depth of Whale Ocean is so deep, that the whale fall (the carcass of a dead whale that sinks to the seabed) needs specialist diving for me to reach and harvest the protein from the whale corpse. Whilst I can rely on the algae for a partial supply of nutrients for myself and the 30 odontocetes, our main source of protein still comes from whale fall. 

Aside from this, whale poachers and tourists are a constant nuisance for the farm. Each year, Whale Ocean receives 9 to 10 guests, who subsidise the project’s fuel and supply costs. The tourist programs include, “Swimming with Whales”, “The Whale Graveyard – the Mystery of Whale Fall”, “A Day on A Whale Farm”, and “Whale Milking and Whale Dairy Tour”. Tourists are also offered the chance to ‘adopt’ a whale and name it, for about 3000 $ilvers. I would then cement a GoPro to one of the barnacles on the whale’s head, so the sponsor could watch the activities of the pod, streamed to the comfort of their own home.

In around 3000 years’ time, Maupassant’s whale population would exceed 40 million. When that time comes, the toothed whales will be needed to control the pod numbers, and the ‘Adopt A Whale’ business would need to cease, because the customers will have to watch helplessly as their adopted whale is hunted down, and the custodian will have to email them and say, “Sorry, the whale your child chose and named has been eaten today, please select another one.” 

For someone with the 289X-C mutation like me, hospitality for even these few guests a year, is a huge headache. This time the guest is a lone, young woman, who has brought four cartons of tobacco, and a promise to carry out 340 hours of admin duties, in exchange for a 9-day vacation. This meant I would have to interact with her for 20 days in total. It would be a massive chore, and were I not desperate for a smoke, I would have not have issued the pass. Her name is Li Ran, (“ran” as in to burn or ignite), and she’s a niche astronomy writer. She also told me, that she would bring me some unexpected news. 

2 Li Ran 

My ship is the only ‘land’ on the planet. It was adapted from one of the old drill ships of the Earth Era. I have planted some flowers and vegetables on it, to supplement my vitamin and mineral intake, fertilising them with dried algae and mud from the whale graveyard. 

My cabin, along with those for guests, is on the highest levels of the ship. My room is very small, with windows on all four sides. When she arrived, Li Ran spent the day watching the sea from the railings on deck. 

In these skies, you can see the planet Molière, the size of three moons. It casts its influence over the entire ocean, it’s almost a shame that nobody else gets to experience the planet’s pull from here, over a million miles away. 

At dawn on the second day, Li Ran insisted on going out on the ocean. 

There’s a really great region for whale watching. I had named it “The Warm Sea”. It’s about 400 metres deep, with many volcanic craters on the sea bed. Larva spilling from them cast a reddish glow which would be reflected by the sea bed. The area is rich in minerals, and the water, warmed to 15 or 16 Celsius all year round, so large amounts of krill gather, and whale pods are bound to appear. 

When the sun shines especially bright, it would meet with the glow at the bottom of the sea and illuminate the whole ocean, as if it were a piece of crystal. At that moment, it’s as if the whales are floating in the air, and you among them. Immersed in their slow motion and whale song, you feel at one with them. 

I stayed with her in the water for six hours. She adopted and named her own whale, and was lucky enough to spot a particularly large specimen of blue whale. 

I know this whale. It had grown to 1.5 times larger than any blue whale on Earth. With an abundance of food, and no predators, it clearly ruled these temperate seas. I think Li Ran was in tears. I couldn’t be sure, under the water. But she looked like she was weeping. 

Li Ran was very happy with her first day and felt it had been worth flying across the galaxy for. I didn’t really speak to her, she was considerate of my stand-alone nature. After I had finished my work, I found her stood alone by the railings, gazing at Molière, with a kind of sorrow in her eyes. I know nothing of her experiences before she came here. It seems that everyone interested in visiting this planet, has some kind of story to tell. But I have no interest in hearing them. 

I liked Li Ran because she was very quiet. After her arrival, even the seas have somehow felt stiller. 

On the fourth day, we had our usual interaction. As per the agreement, I needed to cook her a meal. I had listed all the indigenous specialities on the priced menu. I had used every effort to come up with these tours, just to fund my staying on here. It was during this dinner, that she turned her attention to me for the first time. 

“Don’t you get scared? Living all alone in such a vast ocean?”

“At first, everyone assumed that my kind were not free from loneliness per se, just more afraid of socialising. People always seem to judge others according to their own values, assuming that one person is pretty much like another.” I told her, “It took a few centuries to convince others, that there really are individuals, who’d much rather live on their own, and feel no dread.” 

“So, you don’t need anyone to talk to, or to care for you.”

I shook my head. It was a concept I’d never understood, ever since childhood. 

After the coming of the Space Age, an enormous change had occurred in human society. The available resources of space were far too vast for the species’ needs, by such a factor that the entire concept of “wealth” lost its meaning. Being crushed into tight and crowded spaces, fighting over resources, was no longer an obligation, so what becomes the purpose of life? The age-old rules no longer held sway, and nothing to dictate what you had to become. 

I could go through my entire life, without the need to be bother anyone at all. 

“But rest assured, just because I don’t need to be cared for, it doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to care for others. I’ll take good care of you here.” I told her. 

At this, Li Ran smiled, and I poured her a glass of water. There was no alcohol here, and the food options were extremely limited. 

Her smile was lovely. We didn’t continue our conversation. 

The day after that dinner, I took her whale-herding. 

We had a long distance to travel, needing to sleep enroute. On the herding skiff, I had to be very close to her. 

I now have more information about her, she’s an astronomist currently working for an NGO, whose goal is to the help humans across the galaxy and provide them with the basic data needed to forecast the activities of the astronomical bodies they have settled on, establish horology and explore fundamental astronomical patterns. 

There was a period on Earth, a long time ago, of which we know very little. After centuries of being squeezed into concentrated populations due to genetic need and environmental limitations, humanity was finally able to return to a pre-Anthropocene way of life. During that time, whichever way you went, it was hard to find anyone else of your kind. You could choose a place to settle for life. No more landlords, no risk of chance encounters, and of course, you could give it up and move on at any time. 

During those centuries, humanity was like an exploding bomb, speeding away from that clustered core, and dispersing to every corner of the universe. Many star systems had only twenty to thirty inhabitants. The basic astronomical knowledge of these star systems were a complete blank, so these civilian groups appeared. 

She had come to this planet, bringing with her this star system’s data. Calculated from her completed measurements and observations, even though I was the only human in the whole system. 

“I’m curious about something.” She lay down next to me, looking at the sky full of stars and the giant form of Molière. 

“I’ll do what I can to answer.”

“Does the 289X-C gene reject all intimate human behaviour? Such as, sexual intercourse?”

“The procreational urge and 289X-C are two separate systems, 289X-C still wants to see itself pass on”. 

“Oh.” 

I gazed at the stary sky in silence, not moving the conversation on. 

  “You don’t want to ask me anything? Aren’t you curious about me?” 

“I just don’t like talking”. 

“Every night, when you look up at that giant planet, Molière, haven’t you ever felt a little afraid?” 

I looked at Molière. Its atmosphere prevented you from seeing any patterns on its surface, But you could see a lot of cyclones, and could deduce its instability. 

“How could an astronomist be scared of planets?” 

“Because our evolution hasn’t adapted us to this sort of environment.” Li Ran was contemplative, and suddenly, she turned to face me. 

“I have travelled across the galaxy, been in cryogenesis, alone, for three years to get here, to meet the only human within dozens of light years…the two of us… don’t we, you know, have to do something? 

I looked at her and understood what she wanted. 

It wasn’t the first time this has happened, it was just that every time it had, I’d had no idea how to end it. 

“I have something to tell you, a secret about me.” 

“Please. Go ahead”. 

“In half an hour, I’ll tell you.” 

She gazed at me, and like her name, she really seemed lit up in flames. 

Li Ran was very gentle, her lips were soft, and the whales kept circling us, leaping, but neither of us paid them any attention. Afterwards, I gazed quietly at Li Ran, but as the excitement ebbed away, I saw that what remained was mournfulness. She stood up, silhouetted by Molière. Against her petite form, it looked grotesquely giant. 

3 Molière

The diversity of astronomy is common knowledge in this era, in so far as we know most of the solar systems in the universe have some unique astronomical features of their own. If we turn back time, even in the Earth Era, we’ll find astronomers already perplexed by the speeds of rotation of planets around stars. With the observational capabilities of the time, they could already see the extreme variations of cycles and orbits. The shortness of some planets’ days left many astonished. 

PX9345 too has its astronomical individuality, according to Li Ran, a phenomenon which, in the entirety of the observed universe, may be unique to this solar system.

“Do you know why, despite Maupassant having all the crucial conditions that support life, and being in the habitable belt of this solar system, it hosts no native life?” She asked me that night. 

I shook my head, and she turned to look up towards Molière. 

The orbits of Molière and Maupassant are not entirely standard. According to the orbital principles, they both have nearest and furthest points, but will never collide. However, every 20 million years, when the two are passing closest, a third, floating planet outside their orbital planes, would move between the two planets. Under the influence of this phenomenon, the activities of these two planets would alter, and they would come into grazing proximity. 

The whole process would last around three days. 

At that appointed time, the gravitational pull would cause giant tidal waves to rise high into the sky of both Molière and Maupassant, the oceans would rush towards each other, like flames licking the sun. Across the atmospheres, the aquatic flames between these two planets, would form a giant water bridge, joining them into one 

At this time, the giant primordial beasts concealed in the seas beneath Molière’s thick and dense atmosphere, would follow across that bridge of tides, pulled by the strong gravity, into the waters of Maupassant. And in those three days, would devour every morsel of organic life in it’s oceans. After that, as the position of the floating planet changes, and the gravity gradient reverses, they would return to Molière, and once again enter their 20 million years of hibernation. 

This is the only bi-planetary ecosystem in the known universe. Each time, after this event, Molière would begin its organic evolution again, awaiting the next annihilation. 

During this last 20 million years, this galaxy has ushered in Humanity’s Space Age, and for unknown reasons, its natural evolution did not take place, and was instead, replaced by Project Pasture. In its place, this Whale Ocean. 

The free-floating planet was discovered by Li Ran and named after her. In three day’s time, the next cycle will begin. When it does, the Whale Ocean, Me, everything that is here will vanish without a trace. 

Ran had arrived, along with the planet she’d named Ran 0412, at the time of transition, to be by my side. 

This, was the news, she’d told me she was bringing. 

I now understood why she had been so quiet since her arrival. Why she would just gaze out at Molière, and why, looking at all of this, she had felt an irrevocable grief. 

Just before Li Ran left, she told me, that she had hoped that I would leave this planet with her, and be witnessing this great astronomical wonder, this bridge of water flames, from the safety of space, with her. 

I declined. 

Apart from this place, I don’t know anywhere else I would want to be. That night, I took out the harpoon, and cleaned it. 

Today, I can already see that planet in the sky, Ran 0412. 

The gales sweep past my cheeks. On the surface of the sea, countless whales are hovering all around me, as if they’ve sensed the disturbance. I can see from a distance, waves like giant pagodas, heaving up from the sea, and filling the sky, overshadowing the sun and blotting out the stars, sinking the entire Whale Ocean into dark night. From that giant pagoda, I think I can see great black shadows falling from the sky. 

Clutching my harpoon, I step onto the prow of my ship. 

The Whale Ocean. This is the story of them, and I.  

Author’s note: this is not a science fiction story, in the strict sense. The bridge of water flames that only exists in theory, is what I wish existed in reality.