Let me begin with another tale. This is the tale of a sadness, loss, but also one of sacrifice.

This is the tale. Of pears. And the end of the world. n the far flung edges of our galaxy, ever grand and forever expanding, there floated a planet. It orbited a sun of the richest silver, but stood as its only admirer. The small celestial rock floated in the vast empty space of its tiny solar system, with but dust, and its shining father to keep it company. So too did the people of this planet feel. They saw the light of other planets on the heaven-bound horizon, but knew they could never reach them. And so the people accepted their loneliness. It was simply what the sane minded do. Accept what they cannot have, and forgot about the stars, and the unknown that surrounded them.

However, the planets own fate was slowly approaching. After a millennia of armed conflict between rivalling states, the planet, the only one they called home, was now dying. Upon realising what destruction they had wrought, and that now their doom was inevitable, the people of the planet fell into despair. The world leaders were unable to think of a solution to their approaching fates, and soon, more armed conflict erupted for the remainder of the planets scarce resources broke out.

However, one individual knew the answer to the planets plight. She was called the Ark-Builder. She was credited as being the planets greatest mind. She alone had the knowledge to save her planet, but she needed the expertise of the people and the resources of the world leaders for her plans to come into fruition.

And so, armed with a life-time of expertise in all the known sciences the people of this planet had developed, she called together the leaders of the world, and told them her plans to save their people, one which she, and her scientifically gifted colleges, who she personally hand-picked for what would be the most important scientific endeavour of their species existence, had spent the last 20 years perfecting.

Yet the world leaders would not agree, for what she suggested was to, in fact, forsake their world. Their home. The only planet they ever knew. Many great minds in the past theorised that one day this inevitability would arise, and that the decision would have to be made. But now that the decision making was at hand, the decision-makers were denying their responsibility.

The Ark-Builder knew about their stubbornness, but she was not prepared for the implacable nature of the governors, or how far they would go to keep what was theirs. They did not want to let go of the little power they had remaining. Their greed was what had brought them to this point, but the senators refused to acknowledge their folly, and instead, blamed each other.

The Ark-Builder spoke once more to the leaders, and chose to instead denounce their mistakes. She told them how it was the leaders themselves that were to blame for bringing their world to the verge of oblivion, and it was now their duty, as redemption for their unchecked destruction, to make amends and to right the wrongs that their greed had created. Many voices cried out in desperate and almost mad defiance of fact. For, in a world where rioting in the streets had become common place, and entire townships where massacred by their neighbours over small supplies of food, their leaders reflected the insanity around them. For the power they fight for had disappear long ago, and was now only a ghost that lingered over the senatorial halls of which they resigned their days, with endless paperwork to distract them from what madness was being perpetrated.

But the hall was to be silenced by the commanding voice of one of their colleges. One of the few who still held some reign over his seat of government, but knew full well it was only a matter of time before even that disappeared. He was known as The Arbiter.

He stood up again the many bodies that filled the hall, and walked across the aisles. Many eyes turned from the speaker to The Arbiter. He gave off an aura of calmness and certainty that seemed to spread through-out the assembly. He walked upon the stage before them and across to the ArkBuilder, and asked her politely if he could speak for a moment on her behalf. Surprised, but relieved, she realised that The Arbiter intended to win her the day.

And this indeed was his intention. He knew the world was in peril, and he saw the Ark-Builder to be the only one who could save their race. But he knew that she had no experience with bureaucracy and the people that kept it afloat. He, however, had a reputation of being a political power-house, and, on that day, he proved why. With a voice that resonated with power and authority, he spoke too his colleges.

'Senators, governors, kings and leaders of the world. Why do you choose to denounce the very thing we've been for the last two decades searching for? We are being shown the answer, our salvation, yet you refuse it because of its implications? Can you not see that our planet is already dying around us? She collapses as do her people. As we murder each other over scraps of food, our planet's delicate eco-system is slowly coming apart. Crops are failing. Trees are dying. Water levels are dropping, and the land is being scorched and burnt by the unprotected sun. What better sign than this could there be that spells the end-times of our world? But we need not die with her. She has

been our mother for many a generation, but now, like a child that has out-grown the home, we must set out on our own. Our speaker here today gives us the means to do so, and I intend to stand behind her and her goal.'

And with this, he stepped from the speakers pedestal, and knelt before the Ark-Builder. 'I pledge, as representative of my people, all our assistance to you'.

Moved by the scene before them, the leaders finally saw their mistakes, and realised now was the time to make change. Slowly, the assembly rose and pledged themselves to the Ark-Builder. Soon, almost all of the world leaders had agreed to help with the plans of saving their people, and those that didn't simply crept away, never to be seen again. These people were considered to have deserted their people, and their resources added to the cause. Not by force, however. People had seen broadcast of the speech across the world, and they too were motivated. It was suddenly as though every person in the world found a reason to live again. Soon, the whole world had come together to prepare for their escape. Now was the time to begin the Ark-Builder's greatest achievement.

The Ark-Builder was named thus because this was what she intended to create. An Ark ship that would become the bastion of their race. The millions within it's iron shell would hold the torch of their existence.

However, the problems were obvious. The first being that there was hardly enough food for the current population to survive on, let alone enough to survive the projected several thousand year journey ahead of the Ark. So, the scientists of the world developed cryo-chambers in which to house the population on the Ark until it reached its destination. They would be sealed away in cryogenic pods, in which they are preserved in a deep coma. Protected.

But this presented a second dilemma. How can it be known that the Ark has reached its destination, if its passengers are in a cyro-induced sleep? The answer was in fact discovered by the Ark-Builder Herself. She had a small crop of what could be considered the planets last remaining pears. She had been experimenting with a few of them too increase the trees life-span and rate of produce, when it dawned on her that she might be able to do what she does with the pears, she could do with, say, a animal. One that could be altered to become sentient. Many scientists suggested to simply use an AI program, but the Ark-Builder was against the idea. She wanted the Ark to be in the hands of a capable Helmsman and crew. One that could maintain it and nurture it. That, and should the machines fail onboard, a computer is incredibly limited in such a situation. In this situation, a living person is much more capable.

But what animal would be used?

The Ark-Builder was brilliant, but she sometimes did things and had ideas that many would consider ludicrous and possibly insane. But she had become an idol to the people around her and of her race. And so, when she suggested that the ship be manned by bipedal, sentient pears, there was only a few of the scientists who decided that being upright was probably not the best thing right now, and that sitting was much better, because gravity suddenly stopped applying to them, it seemed. She set her task group to developing these pears. And, a year before the Ark was finished, she had her crew.

The first successful result was only the size of a dog. They had expanded their growth to as far as they could, but this could only go so far before they became stalkless, brain-dead abominations. And so, they settled on the current size before them. This pear, floating in the bio-tank, was their salvation. The Ark-Builder had come to witness the marvel her team had developed. She had only just finished preparations for who would be chosen for the voyage and was at this point incredibly exhausted by the ordeal. The screaming mothers, shaking babies at her, yelling out save my baby, please, save my baby. People crying in small huddles as they lined up for the Ark Selection Process, on board the orbital station that now housed the population around the planet, which had become so hostile over the last 10 years, that it could no longer support even basic life forms. The food had grown short, and people were becoming desperate.

So, good news was something to look forward too. And this was incredible news. The brain-scans had been showing that this pear in particular had been showing the developments of higher cognitive functioning. It had even begun to kick with its stalky legs that the pears appear to develop. It was the most successful of all of the pears, and today was the day it would be finally born into the world. The process was swift, and the pear child was removed from the chamber and was promptly wrapped in a blanket like a new born child. And so it was.

It opened its full, black eyes, and stared at the nurse that held it with the love that a child would have for everyone they first meet. Innocence. Intelligence. Hope.

A dozen more where created, and soon, they had a small band of intrepid pear space-mariners. The pears developed quickly and where fully grown in a week. This, however, didnt mean that they would die out quickly. Analyse showed that they seemed to age rapidly, before coming to a developmental stand-still. They would ripen but never would they spoil for what was projected for as much as two hundred years. This was wondrous news, as well as the news that the pears needed something next to no food. This was because they got their nutrition from pear trees. They latched onto the tree with their stalks and where supplied sustenance from the plant. In turn, the pears could go a full day without having to re-nourish themselves. The pears also learnt quickly, and never

forgot anything that was taught too them. They also learnt skills incredibly fast, and would in fact even develop techniques of their own that are more suited to their capabilities. They had created the perfect working force. Adaptable, hard-working and intelligent. By the time the crew had amassed a grand total of 4130 pears, the ship was finally ready.

And so now is presented the last issue. What would power the ship?

This was to be the greatest sacrifice of them all. Through their existence, the people of the planet only knew of one other celestial body. The silver sun and its brilliant, bluish white light that shone over all the people on the planet. But, now that their world was dead, the sun now served no purpose, and was simply a ball of fire and gas. And energy.

The Ark-Builder had decided that the sun was the only energy source that contained enough fuel to power the ship for the massive journey ahead. She planned for the ship to collapse the sun into a super-nova, but contained in a giant energy harness. With the endless power source of the exploding sun harnessed, they could power the ship indefinitely. And so, the harness was built to encapsulated the sun, and the ships planet sized battery too the harness. They would collapse the sun, and the energy from it would simultaneously be stored in the battery and push the ship off like a cannon.

The Ark was filled with the volunteers to be saved. Stored in family groups, should the whole family be allowed on board. And then the ship was crewed. The pears where given their roles, and given the means to reproduce themselves. One pear, who also happened to be the first ever produced, and thus the oldest and most developed, was put in charge as the Ark's Helmsman. He was given the duty of overseeing and coordinate the day-to-day routines of the pears. They had been taught all they needed to know, and were given the races entire library of literary works to study, appreciate and learn from. They were also given the means to teach the next generation the skills they needed for work on the ship, and were given all the equipment they would need for the future.

Their only goal, however, was to ferry their creators to safety. Otherwise, they had free reign to live out their lives, so long as it didnt put the people in danger. The pears would later see this as their divine duty, and would develop a religion from it, as the Ark-Builder as their patron saint. The ArkBuilder herself was now very old. She had started this journey a young woman, but by its end was old and tired. She sealed away next to her long-time companion and friend The Arbiter, who had went on to become her right hand and assistant. Both were stored next to each other, on a section of the ship known as The Cradle. Once the ship finally reaches its destination, it is said that The Cradle will rise from the ship on a platform, and the two cryo-chambers will unseal themselves. From them, the Ark-Builder and The Arbiter will finally see their promised land. Their races new home and salvation.

The Ark was prepared, and the pears in place, ready for the jump-speed of the suns explosion. Those on the space station were said to of watched as the sun became brighter than any known light. So much so that, should the glass not have been properly covered with protection, people would have been eviscerated by the heat and light that was given off by the sun. Otherwise, the fate of the people onboard the space station is unknown. All that is known is that the pears still search for their creators destined home. And a home that, hopefully, they too would share.