Soliloquy + Grand Finale
#4 of MMCXII
Could it at all be possible that what the Oracle who the wolf saw in his dream was true? Could it be that the victory of the Solar Federation against the Elder Race had resulted in a culturally inferior people who could not ever hope to create the grand art and architecture of their forebears? No, this couldn't possibly be true. But why had the culture stagnated- why had the music and TV programming not changed since the days the wolf was only a cub? It was though the Priests, the rulers of the Solar Federation were themselves opposed to any notion of change whatsoever.
The confirmation of this theory was seen in his friend Jon, a fox who had spent some time on the Outer Planets and realized the differences between the two cultures. When asked, Jon would say that life in Megadon was better but anyone could tell that was pretty much a programmed response. The Federation suppressed the artists through bombardment which never gave them free time to establish their own ideas. It seemed tragic, almost horrifying that the people of Megadon had been entertained by the same television programming, music, theater, and art as they had been for years, without ever getting a chance to submit their own forms of art. From the cradle ot the grave, they would never see anything change in terms of culture. The fifty years worth of stasis and never-changing nature of the city prompted the wolf to leave his family and friends behind, to go back to the cave where he had made the discovery that forever changed his views of society, where he would remain for several days, or longer if need be.
'...I have not left this cave for days now, it has become my last refuge in my total
despair. I have only the music of the waterfall to comfort me now. I can no longer live
under the control of the Federation, but there is no other place to go.'
Even if the wolf decided to spend a few days there or a few weeks, or months, or years, or even spend the rest of his life living as a hermit in that cave, there would be no hope of change in Megadon at all. His friends and family were all plugged into the Temple and they would never break free of the bombardment of images, which left them mentally paralyzed, unable even to think for themselves. What good would his parents and Jon his friend be if they were just staring blankly at the Templevision channel or reading nothing but the Temple Paper or doing monotonous factory work at their machines all day? Since the wolf had no guitar or anything to keep him entertained, except for the droning music of the waterfall to keep him company, what could he possibly do? This was a hopeless situation for him and the only solution would be to commit suicide, the only way out of a world which had long ago grown stagnant and tiresome.
'My last hope is that with my death I may pass into the world of my dream, and know peace at last.'
As time went by, the notion of carrying on this pointless, trivial life became less and less appealing. The wolf knew that the Federation police would soon be coming for his cave- he had heard their voices creeping closer each passing day but the Martian landscape, however terraformed it may have been, was so craggy and filled with caves they would have difficulty finding him. He remembered that he brought a gun with him, thinking maybe he could defeat the police who would come looking for him but at this point, resistance would be futile. His best chance at ever acquiring the happiness that he had experienced from his dream would be to pass into the dream world itself and become spirit. This would mean surrendering his physical body and dying but he would rather face death than another moment of boring, pointless existence under the Federation. So the wolf took the gun originally meant for survival or a possible confrontation with the Federation police and shot himself in the stomach. And as his lifeblood spilled over the cold floor of the cave, the last thing he saw as the entrance of the cave, the sky was filled with black dots. He had no time to think what those might have been before Death took him.
Grand Finale
What were those black dots? The vanguard of a gigantic space force that would invade all the planets simultaneously. They had come to take over Mars, Earth, Venus, Merucry and the moon and they had caught the Solar federation completely by surprise. The resistance that the off-guard Federation army could provide was minimal and the Elder Race from the Outer Planets soon had overrun the Federation. The Temples were annihilated, the Priests within them in all likelihood had been killed, yet many of the citizens would be unharmed, if a bit surprised to see the new leaders of the Inner Planets. There had been some sleeper cells throughout the solar system which were tired of the system as well and they joined in on the destruction of the Federation. And soon, the message spread across all of what once was the Federation, in many different languages.
¡Atención todos los planetas de la Federación Solar! ¡Hemos asumido control!
Attention toutes les planètes de la Fédération Solaire! Nous avons assumé la commande!
Aufmerksamkeit alle Planeten der Solarvereinigung! Wir haben Steuerung angenommen!
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation! We have assumed control!