A.D. 2037.
Luna Chasey gazed through the glass viewport of her spacecraft at the scene unfolding below. A planet's surface, marred by savage fissures, oozed endless lava that spread from the cracks in its crust, devouring oceans and continents. Water vaporized under the intense heat, forming an immense cloud that enveloped the planet.
Then, a light erupted from the planet's core. Silently, within the void of space, the entire planet began to shatter, as fragile as a crystal sphere.
Her heart heavy, tears welled in her eyes.
Because that destroyed world was her home, and the home of all humanity—Earth.
One hour earlier.
Humanity's cradle was struck directly by an intense gamma-ray burst originating from a supernova.
Under the massive energy surge, Earth's atmosphere was instantly destroyed. Countless lives perished in agony. The gamma-ray burst altered the magnetic fields of every planet in the Solar System, including the Sun itself.
The entire Solar System descended into chaos. Earth, knocked off its orbital path, was pulled towards the Sun and, under the immense gravitational forces, will be torn to shreds.
Today was April 27th.
It was a grand fireworks display, as if announcing humanity's extinction day.
Luna could hardly breathe.
She wasn't some high-ranking government official or a scientific genius, just a regular office worker at a new-age AI company.
Their AI company had partnered with a prominent Earth-based rocket company to design a massive liquid-fueled rocket capable of carrying a payload exceeding 420 tons, pushing the physical limits of transport.
Just moments before, she had been conducting the final AI adjustments and tests on the rocket.
This rocket carried their company's cutting-edge AI server, capable of performing calculations at speeds approaching those of the most basic quantum computers.
As a core engineer, it was her responsibility to ensure the stability of the computer software.
And then, the apocalypse arrived.
Without any warning, as current human observation methods were unable to surpass the speed of light.
And a gamma-ray burst was a burst of light!
When the gamma-ray burst hit Earth, every electronic device malfunctioned. This error caused the rocket to ignite prematurely, launching Luna, who was still inside, away from Earth and to safety.
"So, am I... the last surviving human?"
Sitting in the cramped cockpit, Luna gasped for breath.
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She hadn't undergone professional training, and the rocket's acceleration had taken a toll on her body.
At this moment, the entire cockpit lit up, indicating it had successfully weathered the gamma-ray burst.
"Hopefully, the electronics are okay."
When the gamma rays hit, Luna had quickly shut down the power, unsure if it would save anything.
She pressed a red start button.
Everything lit up, including the main screen, which brought her a sigh of relief.
She looked at the trajectory displayed on the screen; the endpoint was Mars.
This spacecraft had been designed to carry people to Mars.
"Hey, Ayla."
A voice responded in the silent cockpit.
"How can I help you?"
The AI was still functioning, which gave Luna a jolt of hope.
Ayla was currently humanity's most advanced artificial intelligence, possessing incredibly powerful computational abilities and information storage; she was essentially a walking encyclopedia.
"Calculate the probability of other human survivors on Earth."
Luna still clung to a sliver of hope that she wasn't alone.
"After performing the calculations, Ayla has determined the probability of any other life surviving on Earth is 0.0000000000272%."
"Furthermore, even if there were survivors, you lack the means to rescue them."
The coldly logical voice made Luna feel even worse.
"What about the space station?"
There must have been astronauts in the low Earth orbit space station.
"Ayla, send a signal..."
"No response!"
"No satellites detected outside the debris field of Earth."
"It is estimated that the gamma-ray burst, after passing through Earth, caused electronic malfunctions, leading to the satellites and space station in near-Earth orbit to fall back to Earth."
There was no hope.
She was truly the only survivor.
Luna sat stunned for a long time, memories of friends and family on Earth flashing through her mind. Her gaze slowly drifted downwards.
More than an hour later.
She licked her dry lips and weakly said, "Ayla, analyze the viability of Mars for habitation."
Now she had nowhere else to go.
Mars, the planet humanity had dreamed of colonizing, might become her second home.
However, Ayla's emotionless response shattered that thought.
"Based on data analysis, the Moon will collide with Earth in 28 years. This will further fragment Earth and accelerate its descent towards the Sun."
"When the Earth's debris falls onto the surface of the Sun, it will trigger an extremely powerful solar storm."
"This solar storm will engulf the entire heliosphere. The magnetic storm from the supernova will further damage electronic equipment."
"Faced with the intense solar storm, the surface temperature of Mars will briefly rise to over 500 degrees Celsius. The chaotic magnetic fields and gravitational forces could then pull Mars towards the Sun, mirroring Earth's fate."
"The Solar System will experience an unprecedented reshuffling."
Ayla embodied the pinnacle of human knowledge, her analysis previously even being utilized in military applications.
Luna had to consider new options.
The entire Solar System would soon be uninhabitable.
That left only interstellar options to consider.
So...
Proxima Centauri?
"Generate a navigation route to Proxima Centauri."
Proxima Centauri b, often called Earth's twin, might be a habitable planet.
"Route generated."
"Current spacecraft velocity: 20.3 km/s. Distance to Proxima Centauri: 4.22 light-years. Estimated travel time: 62,365 years."
More than sixty thousand years?
Luna was stunned.
She knew Proxima Centauri was the closest star system to their Solar System, but she hadn't realized it would take so long to reach.
The spacecraft's intended speed had been 13 km/s. The Earth's destructive shockwave had boosted it, but it was still far too slow for the vastness of space.
By then, she wouldn't even have ashes left.
"Plan an optimal trajectory. How much time can we shave off?"
This kind of calculation was beyond her; it was best to ask the AI.
"Two gravity assists are possible, at Jupiter and Neptune. This will increase velocity to 35.4 km/s, reducing estimated travel time to 35,764 years."
Humanity's journey from the Stone Age to the present had only taken about ten thousand years.
Luna felt her survival was meaningless; she was just waiting to die.
Then Ayla continued, "Considering humans do not possess such lifespans, I recommend using the metals in the asteroid belt to modify the spacecraft after arrival."
Luna asked, "Do you have a plan?"
"Ayla is currently generating a plan. Plan generation complete..."