52.Waiting

Riker and Charles confront the collapse of Earth's last major farming operation, leaving humanity entirely dependent on the Bobiverse's support. Riker faces the difficult choice of how to allocate limited resources among farming infrastructure, colony ships, and stasis pods, while Minister Scott moves to accelerate decision-making through repeated votes in the UN.

Riker and Charles discuss a catastrophic report: the final large-scale farming operation on Earth has failed with almost total crop loss, leaving insufficient seed stock for future years even with zero consumption allocation. This forces an immediate resource allocation crisis. The three traditional options remain: build more farming donuts to sustain the population, construct colony ships for off-world migration, or create stasis pods to reduce consumption pressure. Without farming requirements, Riker sees an opportunity to move human enclaves underground. Charles declines to attend the upcoming UN session. At the UN meeting, Minister Sabrina Scott acknowledges the watershed moment and announces a new process: non-binding votes will be held after each session until one option receives over fifty percent support, triggering a binding vote. The meeting proceeds with notable restraint compared to past debates. Riker wrestles with despondency but refocuses on the arrival of the Bellerophon, which carries enough material for stasis pods for every human. However, uncertainty remains about the timeline before the Others arrive and whether they will destroy Earth or pursue the Bobiverse.