No Rest For the Wireless

In our vast, expansive galaxy there are around 50 suspected and or confirmed black holes. Many scientists speculate that there are millions more that have yet to be uncovered just in the Milky Way. The nearest black hole to our solar system is in the binary system of Gaia BH1 about 1500 light years away. All of this information can be found with a quick search, but what they don’t tell you about is the civilization inside this stellar-mass black hole; the Cerulean People.

The Cerulean People get their name from the bluish tint of their skin, not a vivid blue like the Na’vi of Avatar, but more gray and purple splotches, like bruises. This is due to the massive force of gravity within the black hole in conjunction with the low amounts of oxygen in their blood. It was not always this way though. Legend has it that the ancient Ceruleans or Gaian Ophiucus Dwellers were almost wiped out by a virus that attacked the electrical function of their hearts. This circulatory disruption caused a buildup of oxygen their bodies were unable to process. Their species never fully recovered but evolved to live with less oxygen in their blood. They now have to physically connect to an electrical source to charge their weak hearts.

The modern day Ceruleans live full lives. Similar to our society, they have systems that govern the people and everyday happenings. People work, children go to school, so on and so forth. For the most part, everyone does their part to ensure their fellow Ceruleans have their basic needs met, but there is an elite group that occupies the areas on the outskirts of the Central Cerulean Square. The elite are exclusive and elusive, so the common Cerulean does not give much thought to what they do, and the elite prefer it that way.

The average Cerulean heart can hold an electrical charge for about 12 hours. Because of this, the Cerulean government implemented a mass shutdown at the same time everyday. The mass shutdown has only been in effect for the last 15 years, so older Ceruleans are still adjusting. During these shutdowns all activity ceases. No matter where you are or what you are doing, sleep occurs involuntarily. If you don’t make it to a safe place to recharge before the shutdown you could be fined. The most common fine is for car collisions during the shutdown. Self-driving cars are highly encouraged but are not affordable for many working class Ceruleans.

Ideally, if you know exactly what time this shutdown will occur every day for the foreseeable future, you should be able to plan accordingly. Unfortunately, that is not the case for some Ceruleans, like Sorealis. Sorealis works across town as a private chef for an elite. The commute from the elite cove to her home is long, but she would make it in the knick of time, but her kids’ school is a few miles past her home. Sorealis rarely makes it to pick her kids up from school before the shutdown which results in a fine. She isn’t the only parent with this struggle. It is widely known that if one accrues enough unpaid “child left behind” fines, they run the risk of the government taking their child. No one has ever gotten this far, but Sorealis just got a notice that she is one fine away from losing her children. What will she do? Do the elite have a secret that could help? Are all Ceruleans incapacitated during the shutdowns?

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