They looked to the skies for a sign but there none. Their world was dying and they had soffocated her , bled her until her last drop fell to the dying earth. They built walled cities and amassed weapons and began to hunt and massacre each other whilst their scientists built machines that could leave their world and reach out for the stars.
And so they went , the elite and those who usurped power by bloodletting and might up in these machines . Some never reached the heavens whilst others left the throngs of dying should behind . And then there was on last machine left and it was time . A girl looked down at the empty floor and he wasn't there. He wasn't there .
The machine lifted off the groaning earth and roared as it went upward through the clouds and was gone . The last people on the surface looked up and began to wail and beat themselves not wanting to accept their faith. When all traces of the machine were gone they turned on each other and the blood ran swiftly back to the earth where it came from.
The man looked up at the sky then walked away. An arrow came swiftly towards him and he closed his eyes waiting it to end his misery but that did not happen.
The man Luke opened his eyes just in time to see someone shoot the savage dead. Luke was carried away swiftly and more savages came rushing in . He tried to wrestle free but the bonds on his hands were too strong .
The core of the planet was overheating . Exploitation and selfishness had caused cartels to drill into the mantle of the planet and extract minerals and then dump toxic waste into it . Two centuries of abuse had caused the core of the planet to stop and begin to solidify.
Luke was working on a solution to it . He had created a machine that could move matter large distances in an instant. He just could not figure out how to start off the chain reaction that could make the reactor spin until it reached the speed of liteons , the fastest particles in the Universe .
He missed Emma. She was opinionated and first but he felt his heart pain- a pain he could not stand. He poured into the data once more and watched the dozens of screens blinking and flashing. He soon felt tired and went off for a walk . The air was dry and hot . It reminded him of the desert.
And then he remembered ....
Luke and Emma had been traveling together for weeks now, moving through the barren desert of their dying planet. They had grown closer, and Luke couldn't help but feel a strong attraction to her.
One evening, as they set up camp, Emma emerged from her tent wearing a flowing dress, her hair falling in soft waves around her face. Luke couldn't help but stare at her, transfixed by her beauty.
As they sat around the fire, Luke began to play his guitar, softly strumming a tune. Emma's eyes closed as she swayed to the music, lost in the moment. As the song ended, Luke leaned in close to her and started singing.
Her hair, a cascade of gold
Falling softly, a sight to behold
In her presence, I feel alive
Lost in her beauty, I cannot hide
She started laughing .He had a terrible singing voice and he knew it. He blushed . "I'm sorry," she said . "It's so beautiful ..."
Emma's eyes opened, and she looked into Luke's intense gaze. Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up, blowing sand into their faces and causing them to stumble together. They found themselves caught up in each other's arms, the wind whipping around them.
As they held each other tightly, Luke leaned in and pressed his lips to Emma's, tasting the salt of her tears mingled with the desert air. Emma hesitated for a moment before giving in to the passion of the moment, kissing him back with fervor.
For a few blissful moments, they were lost in their own world, the heat of the desert and the warmth of each other's bodies creating a perfect storm of desire. But then, as suddenly as it began, Emma pulled away, shaking her head.
"I can't do this," she said, backing away from Luke. "I'm sorry, I can't be with you."
The words stung like salt in his eyes even though it was a year later. He felt the tears roll down and as it fell a though crossed his mind. "The salt mines!"
The Salt mines were abandoned for a long time . Emma a geologist had been surveying it and he had been going there with him . There they had met an old man with long shaggy hair who slept in a cave . He had been scribbling on the walls in ancient words that Luke somehow could understand.
"The mother will sleep and give her last breaths
The fire within her ceasing incessantly
Only the tears of a pure soul can soothe her pain.
Only a pure soul that has lost its soul can go to their mother "
He stood above the reactor . A tear fell into the reactor . Suddenly the reactor began to vibrate. Another tear fell and the reactor began to whine. He looked at his hands and it was red. He was crying tears of blood.
He then realised what to do. He jumped over the rail and then looked at the other technicians . As he jumped he heard Emma's voice "I love you Luke."
She screamed as he fell into the reactor . Soon it whirred to life and then began to slow down and then suddenly it roared back to life . The machine began to work and move the toxic deposits into space. The scientists knowing what had happened began to target other deposits .
The planet slowly came back to life . Life as it had always been had returned .
Luke: He felt her before he saw her . She was in her red dress and smiling . Luke was young again and not an old man . She ran and jumped into his arms and fell on top of him. She was crying and he felt her tears flow down .
[Luke: "I love you," she said .
"I love you Emma," Luke said .
The two lovers looked up at the night sky as the stars danced on their cosmic ballet .
Luke: And that might under the stars of the heavens the embraced and became one knowing they would never be apart .