Author: David Berger

“How much longer do you think we have?” TRX-Dan (a Tyrannosaurus Rex), perhaps the world’s leading astrophysicist, asked.

“About a month,” TRI-Susan (a Triceratops), his trusted colleague said. “It’s coming on fast.”

“I concur,” TRX-Dan said. “And ARG-Lou (an Argeninosaurus) has confirmed it with the big scope in Montana. They heliographed me.”

“Have you notified the President?” TRI-Susan asked.

“Just did. I let them know yesterday when we first spotted it and confirmed its course. That was before we had a good estimate of time.”

“And the Minister of Science, ORT-Li (an Ornithomimus)?”

“Them, too,” TRX-Dan said.

A few hours later President TAL-Stefanie (a Talalarus), met with their Council of Advisors in Squo, the largest city and capital of Laramidia. The President was now in constant contact with TRX-Dan and TRI-Sue.

“There’s no doubt?” TAL-Stefanie had heliographed back to the two scientists. They had confirmed the impending doom. There was no way that the ordinary DINs would be able to survive the collision.

“Then,” the President said, “we’ll need to build bunkers, huts, yurts, caves, tunnels. So some of the smaller Teranurians, with their feathers, will be able to make it through if we take care of them. But none of us, not our clades.”

“We’ll also have to protect the mammalia; otherwise, they’re finished,” the Minister of Zoology, ISI-Pablo , said. “They’re too stupid to survive by themselves.”

“What about the pisces, lizzies and bugs?” the President asked.

“They’ll lose most of their species, but they’ll survive,” ISI-Pablo (an Isisausrus) said.

“We’ll need special structures to preserve seedstocks of the edible plants for the surviving ones,” MAP-Sven (a Mapusaurus), Minister of Agriculture said.

“After everything, it’ll all be gone,” Minister of Culture ZAL-Rasha (a Zalmoxes) said. “All we’ve built.”

“Yes,” President TAL-Stefanie said. “Everything. So let’s get going?”

“TRX-Dan said only a months” The President asked “No chasnge?”

“Thirty and a half rounds,” Minister of Science, ORT-Li said

“It’ll all be gone,” TAL-Stephanie said. “Our cities, our great machines, our plain-wide murals, our carved mountains? And our faith. Who’ll honor the Great Explosion? No one. And all that’ll be left will be our bones, turned to rock like the Old Ones. If only we’d made it to the Red Wanderer, or even just to the Face. Some of us could have survived there.”

“Another hundred spins or so, and we’d have been there,” TSA-Maali (a Tsaganetia), Minister of Transportation said. “There just wan’t enough time.”

Meanwhile, the Roid could already be seen in the night sky.