When tension between the major powers had escalated past the point of no return, and global nuclear holocaust seemed inevitable, a secret group of Earth’s brightest scientists, backed and funded by several neutral countries, which had begged to remain unnamed, settled in one of Africa’s remotest places. There, under the dense green canopy, they dug a large subterranean complex, away from the eyes of spying satellites, where they worked day and night at their ultimate project. When it was completed, time was running short, so they set out at once for one last earthy stroll. Each of them endeavoured to pick up as many species of plants or animals they could garner, knowing well that they had neither the time nor the space to save all forms of life, and that most of them would likely perish or be radically altered by the radioactive fallout. When they were done, and everything had been secured inside the polished hull of the majestic spacecraft they had built, they randomly chose who would be part of the journey and who would stay. Then, they celebrated their last luncheon and parted. Some marched towards an unknown future, the others towards inevitable doom. The same night, for the first, and last, time, the titanic roof of the complex slid open. In an outpouring of flame, the ship rose, until it was no more than a tiny star lost in the Milky Way radiance, then vanished altogether. A couple of months later, the ship landed on to the desolate vastness of Mars. There, plagued by the clumsiness of their suits, but aided by the low gravity, they began building a new home, a futuristic dome of glass and metal that would shelter a breathable atmosphere and harvest the puny fire of the now remote sun. They moved in, and began their new life, sowing the seeds they had brought with them, feeding the animals with leftovers of their earthy cargo, and exploring their surroundings with vehicles in search of water, the only vital element they would eventually run out of. That’s when they made the discovery. At first, it was no more than a big boulder of sandstone dug out by a robot searching for underground water tables. But when the images relayed by the machine showed the stone was engraved, it was a game-changer. They sent out more robots, dug on a greater scale, until they had unearthed the remains of a vast building. It was ruined and weathered by uncountable aeons, but its foundations had withstood the passing of time. Most fascinating was the rubble they came across in the middle of the crumbled edifice: shattered blocks which, when 3D digitised and manipulated on a computer, all fitted back into an almost perfect statue. And that statue was human. They set up an expedition to look for smaller pieces and other relics. The scenery was breathtaking. To the explorers, it felt like entering a vast tomb, where secrets immemorial had been sealed forever. And in that tomb a fallen colossus lay, his feet and legs still on its plinth. And when the most curious scientist touched this hoary figure, the stones spoke in everyone’s mind. “Hearken,” they said, “for we are the memory of the past. Hearken to the tragic story of the planet we named Sydaeris. Whence we came, the memory is lost. Legend has it that our ancestors fled a world at war in a cosmic barge that stranded after centuries of errand on this remote planet. From there we toiled and clambered back to glory. We learnt how to harness science and technology again, and they gave us tools of unlimited power. “But as you know, with power comes hubris. With time we forgot the lessons of our ancestors, and relapsed into the same errors. We divided ourselves into nations which turned their backs one to another, and became estranged. Distrust overcame friendship, hatred overcame distrust, until an all-out war erupted. Thus we, the last scientists, set out again to build a new spaceship to carry a few of us to that sister planet teeming with life which revolves closer to the sun, in the hope they may start a better and wiser civilisation. Finally, we let that artefact here as a portent to those who will come after us.” At that very moment, they heard over the radio link that all transmissions from Earth had shut down. Once again, they knew they were alone in the universe.