There is no way to argue with Mother Nature (an ecologist).

Everyone knows that Betelgeuse will soon go supernova. Less and less immigrants go to the planet Betelgeuse VII, the economy remains on the line of stability and the newly elected dictator, Caligula XV, guarantees to the people that, before the star will die, everyone will have time to relocate to the newly terraformed planet Betelgeuse S, which is safe.

But there is a catch. The star has a large inert core, composed of oxygen, neon, sodium and little magnesium. This core is surrounded by a shallow shell fusing carbon, surrounded by a large shell of carbon and oxygen. All that carbon is just waiting to start fusion reactions. The real killer of giant stars is not something big, but a pitiful little subatomic particle, the neutrino. This particle merely interacts with matter. It is produced in large amounts in the core, carrying energy from the star with it. The higher the temperature, the higher the amount of energy lost through neutrinos. Both the inert core and the carbon-oxygen shell are emitting neutrinos, slowly cooling and contracting. As they contract, pressure and temperature increase, up to the point where a new element enters fusion reactions. The star will need to wait a bit more until in the core, neon starts fusing, followed by oxygen. But in the thick carbon shell, things take a different turn. As pressure increases, carbon starts to fuse into heavier elements, mostly neon.

On the planet, rich people bought neutrino telescopes, to see what is going inside the sun. While some people say that doomsday is just around the corner, others are sure that centuries will pass without a problem. But trained astrophysicists know the truth. And they know that even if supergiant stars follow a common evolutionary path, they don't evolve quite in the same way.

Soon after the new dictator changed its name from Adrastea into Caligula XV, carbon fusion started in the large shell. The carbon flame grew very fast, eruptive, so that all neutrino telescopes clearly seen it. This produces a lot of energy, so that the shell expanded, heating-up the next shell, that is fusing helium. The helium-fusing shell reacted, sending a powerful blast upwards, a shock wave that made its way to the surface. This shock wave is far too little to disrupt the star, to create a supernova, but still, it is able to affect the planets surrounding Betelgeuse.

Not all aged stars evolved like this, but many of them, during their final years, behave a bit strange. They throw powerful flares of solar wind, change luminosity or develop a large halo of ejected matter around them.

Real astrophysicists warned through the media that this will happen, but not many people believed them, because there always are false prophets that say strange things.

**********

Because Betelgeuse has variations in brightness, agriculture develop in an interesting way. Sometimes it is cold for 20 days, stimulating plants to think it is spring. During this time, flowers blush. But not after too much time, it gets hotter like in a summer day. Because of this, plants usually have both flowers and fruits. This is of great importance for agriculture.

Lysithea and Elara are two close friends, two teens born on Betelgeuse VII. They recently finished high school and now work in agriculture. They both left their parents behind and moved to a new town. They are not men, nor women. They both opted to be hermaphrodites, even if one was born as a man and one as a woman.

They transformed their bodies a lot, also trying to look the same. It is almost impossible for someone to say who is who. Both changed their eye color into complete black, which is similar to their long, back hair. They have ears similar to those of a cat. They removed their noses with something that looks like a small mouth, with lips but without teeth. Their mouths are also changed in an interesting way. They have larger mouths, with longer canines and sharper teeth, with a double tongue that looks somehow like that of a snake and with wider lips. Also, they both have a mustache made of rare, long and thick hairs, like that of a cat.

But this is not all. They have hair that grow on their shoulders, black hair. Except for the head, mustaches and shoulders, they have no hair on their bodies. Both have large breasts, a bit too large for their thin silhouette. Still, they have claws instead of fingernails and the skin on their hands is rougher, like that of the paws of an animal. The skin on their arms and legs is more shiny, like that of a snake. And they have no toes at all. Their feet extend to where the toes should be.

However, the biggest difference is when it comes to genitals. This is the first thing they changed to their bodies, so that they can have both organs, male and female.

Being a hermaphrodite is a common trend on Betelgeuse VII, but for the outside world, it looks very unusual. Many herm people like to wear tight pants, so that people can see a bulge between their feet. Some people are against this trend, including Lysithea and Elara. They both believe that genitals must not be exposed. Instead, they wear a short skirt, that hides their genitals, but that can be easily lifted, to show what they really are.

Today, it is a cold day. During the night, it was almost freezing. It snowed in the mountains, but in their village it didn't. Because of the cold, they take on a black fur coat, with gloves that let the end of their fingers and claws exposed. They also wear very long flat thigh boots to warm their feet, with black opaque tights beneath. There is not much to do in the garden, because of the cold weather. However, they sit outside the house on a bench and smoke. They put the cigarette in their small, second mouth. Doing so, they have both their hands free to do something else. Even if they get some smoke in their eyes, still this allows them to do both smoking and gardening in the same time. They talk about agriculture, hoping that the weather will change soon... or they will lose their crops.

It is a clear sky. As always, clear sky on Betelgeuse is not quite blue, but some sort of violet. The auroras are visible as narrow filaments of light. The giant red sun, Betelgeuse, just rose from behind the hills, sending its coppery light over the village. Lysithea takes small drags from its cigarette and gently blows the smoke through its half opened mouth, massaging Elara's breasts beneath its coat.

"I think it's getting warmer", it says. "It should, or we will lose all or seedlings".

"Don't worry, my love. The sun will not explode today. Our plants will survive and we will sell vegetables in a hundred days".

"I never believed that the sun will explode. But, it is very cold. Too much for the plants".

Elara moves its hand beneath Lysithea's short dress, gently massaging the area.

"Oh, you shouldn't"...

Elara feels the erection, taking a soft drag from its cigarette. In the same time, Lysithea drops some ash from its cigarette on the coat.

"Don't worry, it will pass away, just like the cold weather".

Suddenly, there is an unusual change in light. They are used with the coppery light of Betelgeuse, but suddenly, it becomes more white and a lot brighter. It is so shiny that they need to close their eyes. The light changes back into dim red, then again into white. Scared, they run into the house. The light is changing again outside, like if someone is welding. They turn on the VV (virtualvision, a 3D hologram television that everyone uses these days), but there is nothing. Same films, documentaries and music channels.

Elara dares to take a look outside. All this unusual light comes from the sun. Is Betelgeuse exploding? It appears at the same size, but with extremely bright spots. The powerful light almost blinds it, so Elara return to the house. Then, Lysithea finds out a welding mask and goes out, to clearly see it.

The sun has one large bright spot. Another smaller spot, but even brighter, can be seen too. They change in brightness very fast. What is going on?

It takes a few minutes and on the VV, a news channel starts explaining:

We interrupt our program with an important announcement. Very bright sunspots have appeared on the sun. People are advised not to look at them with bare eyes. The bright spots emit strong ultraviolet radiation that can burn the retina, resulting in total or partial blindness.

Very soon, the dictator, Caligula XV, appears, live, with an important message:

People of Betelgeuse, please listen to me. The sun will not explode today. I have been watching everything with the neutrino telescope at the state observatory. What actually happens is that a carbon shell ignited in a powerful nuclear reaction. The sun is not in danger. I repeat, the sun is not in danger. The carbon flame sent a powerful shock wave through the sun, that reached surface. What you see is not the end of our lives. As the shock wave reaches the surface, it disrupts the outer layers, bringing hot matter from below towards the surface. This will last for at maximum 30 days, then the sun will return to normal. The shock wave did not propagate towards the core, accelerating stellar evolution. The core is unaffected and is evolving according to schedule. However, during these 30 days, because of increased luminosity, the climate of our planet will be affected. It will be very hot and this extra heat will cause massive storms and hurricanes. Please, prepare yourselves for extreme weather and avoid being exposed to direct sunlight. After this time, everything will come back to normal and we can continue our daily lives.

Outside, the light is changing. But, on the VV, everyone starts to expose its own theory. Some say this is the first sign of the incoming supernova. Some suggest that the dictator has a hidden spaceship and is ready to flee. Others argue that Betelgeuse will not explode soon and all this is a lie used for economic reasons, to destroy the economy of Betelgeuse VII in favor of Betelgeuse S. How could the two know what is the truth?

The sun becomes incredibly shiny, an alternation of white, yellow and orange. It's light falls all over the planet. The sky is, for the first time in history, blue. It is something that, the people of Betelgeuse have never seen. And at night, the auroras are much more brighter. People are used to see the light filaments twisting, merging and separating, changing color in a majestic show. But this night, everything is different. The filaments are far larger, brighter and moving faster. Sometimes, they are like clouds moving very fast over the sky.

Next morning, Lysithea and Elara wake-up. It is not hot and not cold. While they eat breakfast, they watch VV. Someone comes with a computer simulation, showing that Betelgeuse will not explode for sure soon, but it will lose its outer layer of gas:

Carbon fusion produces a lot of heat. During this phase, stars heat-up and expel their outer layers, exposing the hot core. As this will happen... and it will only take a few Earth years, the sun will become a blue giant. In astronomy, blue means hot, it means surface temperatures of over 20 thousands degrees C, instead of 3500, as is in present. The climate will change dramatically. Oceans will boil and life will cease to exist. I advice anyone that can leave, to do so, while we still have time.

Not knowing what to believe, both Lysithea and Elara go to their garden. They have some machinery: self-planting tools, self-harvesting tools, so that basically they don't touch any plant. They only sit, watch, guide the machinery and smoke. It is not a hard job, but it requires patience. Above them, Betelgeuse throws bright rays of light over the fields. By noon, it is getting very hot. So hot, that they take off their fur coats. Then, they take off their boots and gloves. They are all sweat. But it is not only the heat that flows over the land. They also feel very dizzy and start having a headache. For the first time in their lives, they have a heat-stroke.

Unlike Earth's sun, Betelgeuse emits most of its light in red and infrared, with only little ultraviolet. but now, its surface is very hot and sends waves of ultraviolet in all directions.

Feeling bad, the two return home. There, they change to summer outfit. They put on a light white dress, with sandals. Outside, it is very hot, as it never were since they can remember.

The next day, it is the same. The sun is bright, throwing with heat all over the planet. When any ray of light hits you, it feels like it is burning your skin. They return home at evening. Both are covered with sweat. They outside the house, where it is not so hot.

"Do you think we are going to die?" says Lysithea, lighting a cigarette.

"If we watch too much VV, we will", answers Elara, lighting a cigarette too.

"Look at the auroras. Have you ever seen something like that? It is like the whole sky is burning! And the planet is burning, just like this cigarette!"

Elara keeps its cigarette in its second mouth, taking small inhales with each breath. Its hand touches Lysithea's stomach, careful with its claws.

"I am not afraid. As long as we are together, the whole galaxy can burn like this cigarette".

"But it will burn with us", whispers Lysithea, with its cigarette also placed in its second mouth. "I think we should go. We should leave Betelgeuse soon".

"I don't", answers Elara, letting a trail of smoke out of its mouth with each word it says. "You will see, the sun will calm down in the end. I never believed in doomsday".

"Maybe it will not explode now, but it will barbecue us before this happens", says Lysithea, looking at the large auroras. "I am afraid".

"Don't be!" says Elara, playing with its bare foot on the grass. "Just enjoy this unexpected summer".

"You think the sun will calm down?"

"Yes, it will. I trust the dictator. Remember that we voted it".

"I know", says Lysithea, trying to hug Elara with its hands. "But you know very well. Caligula XIII betrayed us. Can we trust the words of this one too?"

Elara moves its hand down below Lysithea's skirt, saying: "We will pass over this for sure. Just hope that our seedlings will not get dried".

"I hope so... but something tells me that the end is near".

Elara hugs Lysithea and kisses it. Their cigarettes touch each other while doing this. But as they do this, some ash falls over Lysithea's skirt. Elara tries to remove the ash, but feels that Lysithea also has an erection. So, it moves its hand below its skirt. They both start playing with each one's genitals.

**********

What caused the auroras is the powerful light that Betelgeuse emitted. It pushed the solar wind already released by the star before the flare. In five days, the real blast reaches the planet. High-energy solar wind hits the magnetosphere, with a tremendous force. During night, the sky is illuminated like never before. People can see clouds of light on the sky, as they move very fast, changing colors in every second. All electricity is turned down. All mass-media is closed. There is no VV, there can be made no online transactions. Money, the local currency, BC, is useless, since there is no terminal where you can pay or get them. Every town is isolated from the rest of the world. Hovering cars burn their electronics and cannot go anywhere. Automated trains are stopped.

Lysithea and Elara go by foot on the concrete streets of their town. It is very hot. People walk almost naked.

First, they hear some screaming.

"We will die! We are dead! We are already dead, but we don't know it yet!" screams someone.

Some people are starting to lose their mind. Isolation is very dangerous.

"We should leave!" shouts someone.

"Now? And where should we go?"

"Out! To another planet!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Telesto! What spaceship can possibly fly through this?"

"Tomorrow, it will be worse!"

Then, they see other people. This time, they are in agony. Fat persons cannot support the extreme heat. A neighbor ran out of water and tried to get some from the river... but got skin burns from the unusual light. An old woman, one of the first settlers, stays in front of its house, looking like not understanding what is going on. She doesn't feel well.

"Our paradise is falling apart", she whispers.

In the town center, where the shops are, people both all goods. With no automated trains, there is no way other goods can be brought. nobody could pay anything, everyone promised that will pay when the online terminals will be back functional. Now, the town is isolated from the outer world. Fruits and vegetables are rotting because they cannot be shipped away.

**********

A few days later, a powerful storm comes. Betelgeuse VII is known to have a mild climate. So, people are not used to storms, flooding and droughts. This is because of the unique Geography, with long peninsulas and many inland seas. But this storm is different. The sky turns almost into black. A very strong wind blows everything in its way.

Elara and Lysithea are in their home, which was built for the natural conditions on the planet, not for what is to come. The wind blows like wild. Then, it breaks one window. The powerful air current formed in the house then breaks another window and another one. Water, tree branches and objects enter the windows, making a disaster. Both decide to hide inside a closet, thinking that this will be safe. Water gets everywhere, while lightning seems not to end at all. And all seems to never end. It continues through the night, all until next morning.

When they try to get out of the closet, it is very hard. The door is blocked. They manage to break through somehow... but what happened here? Their house has no roof. The walls, built on a metallic structure, managed to survive, but the rest is a mixture of mud, dirt, tree branches and objects.

The whole town is destroyed. No house survived in one piece. Many places were flooded. In other areas, huge hail had fallen over buildings. All crops are compromised. The lake near the town is completely silted, so there will be no drinkable water.

But this was not all. Betelgeuse is still very bright, bringing heat to the planet. This continues for more days, with other storms to come.

**********

After 26 days since the sun increased its brightness, it falls back. The light is again copper red, like it used to be. There will be no more storms, no more extreme weather and no more extreme heat... for a while.

The free state of Betelgeuse VII tries to recover... but will it ever? Almost all towns are without drinking water and without electricity. The network of automated trains is fragmented by massive landslides. Almost all electronics has ceased to work, as the powerful magnetic storm burned them. Nearly all houses are destroyed. With only the blink of an eye, the sun showed its power. It is a warning sign of what is to come. From now on, the paradise is lost. About 10% of the population is lost.

Lysithea and Elara survived. Very soon, they find out that there is nobody that can help anyone. Everyone is on its own. they have to sustain themselves with what they have, until some vehicle will be able to reach their town and until the online terminals will be again functional. Up in the sky, they see the sun, big and red, with lighter and darker spots on it, surrounded by this new red ring of gasses. It is a warning sign, a sign of what is to come.