Born again humans

2.7 The seed

As wished by the ark, the planet Eris received the seed of bacteria, well protected under a dome of glass. As soon as it was sure it had done its best to complete its mission, the ark, which was stranded on Dysnomia, also transmitted the last remnants of its dying energy via a laser beam to heat up the interior of the dome.

There were no foreseen circumstances in which it could improve the life expectancy of the bacteria. In one potential scenario, he might have retained the energy of its laser beam to defend bacteria from intruders, but the ark reasoned that the energy profile of the laser battery was detectable from space and that it would surely attract intruders, hence defeating its purpose.

Just in case, for another scenario, he had equipped himself with a solar panel to charge a diminutive battery and a visible red push button for any visitor that would try to trigger him back to life.

He was seated a few feet from the pyramid of crystal that told the story of humanity. That part of its mission was perfectly executed.

The pyramid displayed on its external surface a series of shrinking mathematics symbols. The idea was to provide the future archaeologists with an understandable language, if not universally understood.

The shrinking writings was also the hint that there was even more to read at the millimetric level, and then at the nanometric level and finally at the atomic level. For most of the information was indeed coded in the atomic structure itself.

The future visitors should be able to understand that, and they would master such complex technology. Otherwise how could they have reached the remote Dysnomia? Nothing more I can do. So this is it. The real Blue Screen.

With that last thought the ark simply shut down its own energy source.

Despite its previous claims at consciousness, it had gone without any form of ceremony, any amount of pride nor any hint of remorse that could have been expected by an intelligent entity capable of feeling.