1 Chapter 1

What would you do if Earth was on the verge of collapse? Economies, societies, families, nothing would survive. Heh, don't think about it. You wouldn't survive. You should be thankfull if you died from starvation.

About two thousand years ago, Earth was at the edge of the precipice, climate change, global warming, environmental degradation. This should sound familiar right? The once winsome, azure dyed sky, had become tarnished by emissions from large companies and conglomerates. The crystalline lakes and oceans now a light green in the high end areas and brownish-green in the shanty town areas.

All governments had come together to contribute towards a solution. Terraforming. Target: Mars. It was the most feasible idea, however, even after all the technological advancements, they still didn't have the technology to be able to alter Mars' environment fast enough, but, they did it. How?

They chanced upon the sole survivor of an alien civilisation. Why would this mean anything? After all, this wouldn't be the first time the government had found an alien lifeform. So what made this so special? Why is this relevant to the story?

And, no- They didn't find the alien on mars. That would be to cliché. This isn't a movie.

The governments had pooled together any amount of money they could gather without crippling their economies, of course, the poor and useless be damned. It took two hundred years before mankind was able to terraform Mars.

This, this is where the alien comes in.

Although humans had advanced a lot from its animal skin wearing days, they still weren't advanced enough to terraform Mars, and make it habitable quick enough to ensure the continuation of the human civilization.

A millennium and 700 years after the earth had become dangerous to the human race, they found it. Well, her. A Mararti. A mind bogglingly smart civilization about two galaxies away from the Milky Way. Let me rephrase that. They were more like incredibly large hard drives. They would never forget anything they heard or saw, effectively, they are a biological internet. A hive mind. Memories, plans, blueprints, and aspirations would be passed down through their bloodlines, then they would build on whatever was passed down to them and add to it. Sadly, a lone Mararti saw what they weren't supposed to see and was killed. The whole race. Except her, of course. She fled for her life.

They are almost identical to human beings, except, the shortest among them would be seven feet tall, and the tallest would be nine feet tall with silvery-white hair and navy blue eyes.

What gave her away? How'd they know she was an alien? Well... she was in a space pod, and if that wasn't enough to give her away, she spoke an alien language. I guess they ruled out cosplay. They named her XX001 but everyone just called her grandma Ali, short for alien.

She was the main reason for earthlings to be able to flee from the predicament they had made for themselves back on earth. Obviously, no government would allow her existence to be known to the rest of the world. Wanna know how they found out? She connected to the internet and caused world wide internet traffic, whiles broadcasting her face and speaking in an alien language. Told you she was a hard drive. Anyway, its kind of hard to hide the existence of someone who is basically everywhere on the internet. That's how the world governments came clean and Ali learnt the languages of the world.

"Primitive". Those were the first words out of her mouth. To her, mankind was a bunch of toddlers while she was a three hundred year old great, great grandmother.

Two hundred years! Humans were finally able to leave earth! But they had to start from the bottom. Thankfully grandma Ali was there to guide the footsteps of mankind as they restarted.

Though, she did give them some pointers, however to the humans, it was like giving them the answers and methods to solving the answers on a calculus test. After fifty years, they had rebuilt themselves, they were still primitive in grandma Ali's eyes. If they were 3 years old, now they were 5.

Two hundred years after that, human beings decided to proliferate the galaxy. Anyone of them could be the James Cook, Christopher Columbus, or Marco Polo of their time. Who's blood wouldn't boil at the thought of this?

However, as previously stated, man was still a child. Even after decades of progress. As a child wanders the streets looking for new toys to play with, it will meet a dog or a cat, sometimes other humans. It would realize that compared to them, it was still very vulnerable and weak. If it was not excessively stupid.

Man was stupid. Excessively so. They got beaten back by the first alien race they met, excluding grandma Ali. Thankfully, human beings are quick learners. They weren't the only lifeform in space! Humanity had to mature fast, and what better way to do so than with enough time to mature? So, they called for peace. Peace with all the alien races they had come into contact with.

Trade routes were established, diplomatic friendships. They grew up fast. For a time, there was peace. Till they got their hands on gene serums. One bottle of it could alter the human body. Suddenly, becoming Superman or Wonder woman was no longer a movie, a comic- no, It became a reality. The first people to get their hands on this obviously monopolized it. Only three families and the government were allowed to sell the serums.

The Blackhammers, the Rakins, and the Longarms.

Mankind broke up after the Great Migration, that's what they called it. However, there were two main factions; The Earth faction, and the Mars faction.

Yeah, some people got left behind. Earth was pretty much the same except it didn't completely look like it was about to cause a biochemical hazard anytime soon, although, it looked like a cross between modern times and medieval times. There was running water, but it wasn't clean. Only rich areas had access to such extravagant luxuries.

Aren't you dying to get to the real story though?

Don't you want to know how the mc becomes the wealthiest guy in the world?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The slums. 9 pm. On a broken down, grimy, sidewalk.

Brrr.

Alva Thorn's stomach was grumbling in protest against such injustice. It hadn't gotten even the smallest crumb of bread in three days.

"There, there, I'll get you food as soon as someone has enough pity to toss out a couple of crumbs, okay? ". His tummy quieted down as if understanding his predicament. This wasn't he first time he was starving.

As Alva trudged towards the kind old lady's bakery, he couldn't help but think on his life. He was 18 years old that year, an orphan, and homeless. This was his 6th year on the streets after his family died from starvation. Earth might have gotten better, but the treatment of poor people had gotten much worse.

'Hi, can I please get half a loaf of bread?" I've got a couple of cents... please?". Alva was trying to bargain with the little money he had found on the street. The elderly lady gazed upon the boy's haggard and bone thin structure, and took pity on him.

"Alright boy I'll give you a whole loaf today. Just don't come back expecting the same treatment, alright?"

" Yess miss.God bless you, thank you!"

Burrrp.

Alva belched in satisfaction as he walked back to his spot on the sidewalk. It wasn't hard to miss, all you had to look for was a faint butt imprint.

Alva couldn't help but gaze fixedly at the que of beggars, and homeless people that seemed as if death had already wrapped his claws around their legs.

"Ugh, I hate this life. I hate being so miserable, I hate living like a dog while those people who call themselves our kind are living like kings and queens on Mars. Most of all, I hate being poor. One day I'm gonna have so much to eat, I'm gonna look like a bloated pig!" Alva's mumblings could only be heard by him and an esoteric black old man who pretended to be in a deep slumber.

"Hmm? Alva huh? Maybe I can pass this on after all.

Alva dropped onto his favorite butt shaped part of the sidewalk. "One day I'm gonna be the wealthiest guy in the world- ouch!, why did you hit me old man?"

"Oh, sorry kind sir, I'm a bit tipsy. are you ok?"

"Haaaaaahhhhhh, don't worry about it, you can just go on your way". "Weird, you don't see many people of his color in this part of the neighborhood", Alva thought to himself as he waved the weird old man goodbye. Alva was the only other black person in the neighborhood.

" A wealthy man must have his own business to make him bucket loads of dough. I wonder, what type of business should I make?".