Somewhere Else

Dr. Stone peered through the small, hazy window between his heavy eyelids. For a moment he had the decision to return to his dream world, but the sight in front of him prevented it. He considered the possibility he was still sleeping and widened his eyes with awe and disbelief. This is what he had come for, it was a moment he had anticipated for over twenty years. The giant blue globe shined brightly in front of him, occupying his full field of vision. The detail at this distance was astounding. The continents were smaller than Earth's and obfuscated with white billowy clouds. He could see the mountain ranges and rivers he had studied in as a child. He knew within days his life would begin again. He had made actually made it.

He raised his hand with great difficulty and noticed unfamiliar wrinkles. His last memory was sealing himself into the hyperbaric chamber as scientists observed him in wonder - as if his insanity was complete. It was the first and only time he had second thoughts. Apparently, that moment now rests in history as he notices the monitor in front of him. "November 6, 2049." He is now 50 years old biologically, although the relativistic effects of his voyage have pushed him well beyond that. He ponders his hibernation, which has a sobering effect on his arrival. He reminisces little before the fire ignites in his soul as it has for all of his short adult life. "How could have it come to this?" he wonders. He could make the journey, but others would not. He left many loved ones behind.

Like many of the time, his youth was spent in blissful ignorance. The deception was silent and took control over many generations - far too gradual for anyone to notice. Looking back it was almost impossible to blame them. People were busy with their jobs and families. Few had the time and inclination to investigate, and those who did weren't taken seriously. The thought that there could be sinister wheels turning behind the scenes was seen as ludicrous, and even dangerous. It was a world too complex for anyone to comprehend, and could easily baffle even the most intelligent. It was an open door. In fact, complacency was so prevalent any mention of an impending economic disaster or state corruption was dismissed. In these conditions the unsavory remnants of former kingdoms was free to conduct business unlike ever before - beneath the shroud of plasma televisions, hybrid cars and iPhones.

When the depression struck Dr. Stone was one of the first to feel the effects. He had just finished his doctoral defense at the Stockholm School of Economics and planned to move to London with his wife in search of employment opportunities like many of their contemporaries. It was hard for some to imagine why so many students of economics moved out of Sweden so quickly. Unfortunately Dr. Stone was still in the country when all passports were suddenly suspended and the borders closed. Sweden, the country that was once to be the socialist model for all countries, had buckled under its own weight. With more demand from its people than productivity, the state was finally forced to blame someone, and finally crumbled to a totalitarian oligarchy. Its National Guard crushed all resistance with stunning precision. The Swedish population found themselves refugees in their own country.

Dr. Stone and his wife Maud barely escaped to the United States in a friend's sailboat, bewildered and angry. As the world's last superpower, they decided the US would offer them the most protection from the global economic depression. They were mistaken. Upon arrival in New York, the Stone's were greeted with mayhem. The fall of the Federal Reserve had reduced the value of the dollar to $0. Individuals were walking the streets trading jewelry for food. All production and business had long ground to a halt and rioting was a common sight. They wondered if there was a refuge left on earth where their talents were of any use.

There wasn't. The Stone's only escape was the 20 year journey to the smallest moon on 55 Cancri's fifth planet, the only known habitable place in the universe other than earth. It was a cold place with strange wildlife and little wealth. But it had a radical new kind of society, one based on individual liberty and human rights - well, new to anyone currently living.

Dr. Stone marveled at the new world and anticipated great things. His life would perhaps be somewhat more difficult that on Earth, but the rewards would have no equal.