The discussion of the elite "departing" into space reminded me of this short story:
The Exiles (Ray Bradbury)
The story begins with a scene the three witches from Macbeth brewing a potion and staring into a crystal, which reveals another scene that takes place on a rocket ship. Originating from Earth, the men on the rocket ship are panicking because they have recently experienced nightmares, confusing illnesses, and unexpected death. They are destined for Mars, and they are worried that these events may be warnings from Martians not to arrive.
As the crewmembers talk, it becomes clear that the Earth they are leaving has banned many books, some of which are considered some of the best authors of all time. The rocket ship has the last edition of many of these works, and their goal is to burn the books upon their arrival at Mars. Once they have burned the books, there will be no remaining evidence that these authors ever existed.
The story then leaves the rocket ship and returns to the witches, where they finish brewing their potion. It becomes clear that they themselves are on Mars, and they only have one hour until the rocket ship arrives. They fear that the Earth people will drastically change Mars and leave it in ruins, just as they have done to Earth. It is not only the witches who inhabit Mars - it is also a group of literary exiles, such as Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens. They have sought refuge on Mars after being banned on Earth.
These established and famous writers suspect that the rocket ship has come to destroy their literary heritage once and for all, which is exactly what the crew members intend to do. They suggest moving themselves somewhere else if the Earth crew causes trouble, but they must preserve their writings in order to continue to exist. To do this, they prepare Mars for a battle with the rocket ship.
While they may not be as strong as them, they have many different tricks and traps to defeat their enemy. They know that they must dedicate all of their forces to stopping the rocket from burning them. While they are strategizing, the rocket lands, and the crew steps out. Without hesitation, they burn the last remaining books and hear screams. They do not know where the screams have originated from, and they explore the area to look for clues that will help them learn more.
The screams were those of the authors, who were in the midst of planning their defense. The exiled authors have ceased to exist, and their work will soon be forgotten.
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