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= Last Contact = “Last Contact” is a 2007 science-fiction short story by British author Stephen Baxter. It was originally published in The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction and is one of many uncollected stories Baxter wrote. The story follows 35-year-old Caitlin, an astrophysicist, and her mother Maureen as they live through the last few months of Earth’s existence. It was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus awards.

The short story is told through a linear narrative and employs dated time skips that lead up to the end of the world (March 15th, June 5th, and October 14th respectively), and is written in the third-person omniscient. “Last Contact” was partly inspired by Nevil Shute, the favorite author of Baxter’s father.

March 15
Accompanied by her daughter, Maureen tends to her garden located on the outskirts of Oxford, where she receives a ping on her phone notifying her of the discovery of yet another contact—a super-civilization—in space. Maureen notes this is the 15th contact discovered that year. Caitlin then reveals why she’s visiting her mother—the Big Rip, a phenomenon made up of dark energy, is pulling the universe apart, starting from the largest structures of the universe and in the end, will pull apart everything even to the smallest scale—including all of humanity. Caitlin states she will be going live on BBC Radio 4 to break the news in a government statement that evening. Her mother predicts people will handle the news well. Maureen’s phone pings again, signalling another contact has appeared. Caitlin professes her frustration regarding the contacts, as she reveals every contact is different than the last, with no way of decoding any of them. She wonders if those signals will ever be decoded in time.

June 5
Caitlin visits her mother’s garden, helping her set up a pergola. Maureen notes the crumbling supply chain, as more and more people are quitting their jobs to remain at home. Caitlin even mentions that her husband, Bill, has quit work as well; his project would have never been finished anyway. Caitlin then turns her attention to the garden, noting that her mother planted a lot of vegetables. The conversation shifts over to the Big Rip, where Caitlin admits she has not been following the news; all she knows is that more and more stars are disappearing. Further, there have been no new developments in decoding the contacts. Maureen wonders if they need to be decoded at all. It is revealed here that Caitlin’s father had substantial astrophysical intelligence, dedicating much of his time to uncovering alien life. He often analyzed possible signals from space, and after he passed away, Maureen took up his hobby.

Caitlin informs her mother that a few scientists are building a shelter in Oxford to outlive Earth if only for 30 minutes more. Their intent is to gather that extra bit of data after the Earth is destroyed and, ultimately the shelter is pulled apart. She reveals she was invited to join them, yet she is hesitant to accept the offer.

October 14
That morning, Maureen watches as the sun rushes away, taking all the light with it. Caitlin joins her mother, both sitting on the pergola. Caitlin admits she declined the offer at Oxford, to which Maureen says she’s happy to see her daughter on their final day on Earth. Caitlin tells her mother that her family celebrated Christmas early. After lunch, her husband and children all took a blue pill that was handed out to the population by the National Health Service, falling asleep. Caitlin decided against taking the blue pill, as she “wanted to see it through to the end.” Caitlin then shows her mother a heavy black sphere, made of space shuttle equipment. She says it will survive Earth breaking up and keep recording until the Rip cracks the sphere open, where it will then “release a cloud of even finer sensor units” that will keep gathering data until the expansion reaches the molecular level. The ground begins to shudder. Holding hands, Caitlin asks her mother what she meant by not needing to decode the signals. As the ground bursts open, her mother says the message probably all said the same thing: “Goodbye.”

Caitlin
Caitlin is the daughter of Maureen, and one of the two main protagonists of the story. As an astrophysicist, she has proficient knowledge regarding the Big Rip and the theory behind it:"“It’s all to do with dark energy. It’s like an antigravity field that permeates the universe. Just as gravity pulls everything together, the dark energy is pulling the universe apart, taking more and more of it so far away that its light can’t reach us anymore. It started at the level of the largest structures in the universe, superclusters of galaxies. But in the end, it will fold down to the smallest scales. Every bound structure will be pulled apart. Even atoms, even subatomic particles. The Big Rip.”"Because of her position, Caitlin was aware of the Big Rip before it was made available to the public and decided to share the news with her mother in person rather than her finding out through the radio. She partly feels responsible for the world ending, as “after all I was in at the start—those supernova studies.” Throughout the story, she is mostly accepting of the fact that the Earth will cease to exist, only conveying points of dismay when she admits nobody can decode the messages.

By the end of the novel, Caitlin is far more wistful and resigned to humanity’s fate, saying: “I don’t suppose we need a countdown.” Yet she also holds a level of optimism despite the world ending as she shows her mother the data-gathering sphere:"“Some of the cosmologists say this is just a transition, rather than an end. The universe has passed through transitions before, for instance from an age dominated by radiation to one dominated by matter—our age. Maybe there will be a life of some kind in a new era dominated by the dark energy.”"Caitlin possesses a strong bond with her mother, as proven by her choosing to stay with Maureen over her husband and kids and declining the offer to Oxford so she can stay with her. Caitlin views her mother as a form of support and comfort, as she can stay calm and rational despite the fact the Earth is nearing its end.

Maureen
Throughout the story, Maureen is seen taking great care of her gardening, which is suggested to be an activity that is nostalgic for her: “It’s nice to get this old thing back on again.” Maureen was always prepared for the news that the world was ending, as stated: “She knew why Caitlin was here, of course. Caitlin had always hinted she would come and deliver the news about the Big Rip in person, one way or another.” She managed to adapt to the news rather quickly, as she knew there was nothing she could do about it that would change the outcome.

Maureen deeply cares for her daughter, performing small acts of kindness such as offering her tea, and sandwiches, and comforting her daughter on the inevitability of the near future. In the end, Maureen and Caitlin are each other’s ‘last contact.’

Bill
Bill is Caitlin's husband. He was planning on finishing an induction at Webster’s, however, retired after realizing he would not be able to finish the work before the Earth is destroyed. Caitlin mentions she got into an argument with Bill on the morning of October 14th, as he chose to take the blue pill handed out by the NHS and stay with the kids, while Caitlin wished to “see it through to the end.” Ultimately, the two thought it best to part ways, Bill staying at home and Caitlin going to see her mother one last time.

Harry
Harry was the husband of Maureen and Caitlin’s father who passed away shortly before the first contacts were spotted. He was fascinated with alien life, joining “networks of home observers of ET,” and analyzing potential alien signals as a hobby. It is mentioned he used weather monitoring equipment and football pools when looking for proof of alien life, which Maureen kept after he passed since it “would have felt odd just to have stopped it all.”

Eschatology
The concept of eschatology is central to the story, as the text is set during the last few months of Earth’s existence. Throughout the story, Maureen and Caitlin discuss their near end, mostly reminiscing on Christmas dinners, birthdays, no more January or February months, and Maureen’s gardening, an act that brings a sense of ‘normalcy’ amidst the last few months. Further, Caitlin completely re-evaluates her role as an astrophysicist, where she initially thought, “that what I studied would have absolutely no effect on anybody’s life. How wrong I was.” Yet now she has come to the realization that her work did have an impact, yet unfortunately, there was little she could do to change their situation. By the end, the two are resigned to their fate, yet they also try to make the most of the little time, such as when Maureen tells Caitlin: “You had an early Christmas. Now we’re going to have an early Bonfire Night.”

Family
Family is an important theme in the story. It is what shapes Caitlin’s decision to stay with her mother on the last day on Earth, and is the cause of conflict between characters, as well—specifically between Bill and Caitlin. Caitlin’s choice to stay with her mother over her kids and husband suggests the strong maternal bond they share, and that such a bond is particularly special. The theme of family thus shows the strong relationship between mother and child, and, even though Caitlin is now an adult, she finds herself being comfortable with her mother.

Science
The short story brings up theories such as the Big Rip, dark energy, the expansion of the universe, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way, and the speculation of alien life. Further, it is the sciences that became an integral part of Caitlin’s family. Starting from Harry’s interest in alien life, his passing led Maureen to continue his analysis of potential alien contacts, as she mentions she is one of “a billion other search-for-ET-at-home enthusiasts.” Caitlin is also linked to the sciences in her role as an astrophysicist, as shown by her ability to explain the Big Rip and its implications on the Earth.

Gardening
Maureen’s interest in gardening serves as a reflection of the story’s progression toward October 14th. Initially gardening for the sake of “getting back on the saddle,” she starts off by tending to the flowers and sweeping up the autumn leaves or pulling out weeds. Yet as the chain supply crumbles, she begins planting vegetables, as Caitlin notes: “And you put in a lot of vegetables in the end.” Interestingly, Maureen’s garden begins in a shabby condition, with dried-out patches, improper drainage, and areas needing to be re-laid. Yet by the end of the story, the garden is in great condition. The garden becomes a sense of accomplishment and normalcy for Maureen and is where she and Caitlin stay to watch the Big Rip destroy the Earth.