Drag

Originally posted on Mastodon Some knew in advance that Skynet was growing geometrically. The Cult of the Human Renaissance had spent years (and a lot of political capital) piggybacking Shuttle launches to build a lifeboat that could remain in orbit with a few hundred inhabitants before the inevitable end came for the billions below. When the acute fallout had died back, the theory held, those left above could return to Earth as rulers of the ashes. There were problems with the theory, sure, but the Renaissance held true to its belief that the machines would simply admit defeat when met with their obvious betters. August 1997 came and went, the world was enveloped in nuclear fire, and the Cult watched idly from their orbital vantage point. Thirty years up here, and they could emerge triumphant. The months passed slowly in orbit, until the end of 1999. The station performed regular boosts to retain elevation, against the ever-so-slight drag of the wisps of atmosphere that were still…