-Lyndon B. Johnson
March 21st, 2023, Sunspot Solar Observatory, New Mexico
Scientists are hard at work at the S.S.O. exploring our star. The Sun. Rumors have been spreading on the reason why. The official reason? Celebration and “checkups” on the telescope for “abnormalities.”
Students from the New Mexico State University, the same university who operate the telescope had examined the sun on a trip to the Observatory and spotted some anomaly coming from the sun. Of course, this was initially brushed off as a “Telescope malfunction” and the students were ushered away.
But upon further inspection by the more experienced staff, they also found the same anomaly and declared that it was no malfunction, but actually happening before the Observatory staff's own eyes. Scientists were called in from the University in Las Cruces to confirm their findings. And what they saw was nothing short of extraordinary. Whips of radiation with length half a million miles reaching toward the outer solar system, making the sun look sporadic, almost animal-like, wild, and untamed. At first, the Scientists were baffled.
“S-something must be wrong with this damned thing! Let's open her up and check.” A lead scientist said aloud.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing wrong that was found.
More scientists were called from other universities and facilities around the country, even some from other countries like Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and all of them came to the same conclusion. Strange, wild solar whips stretching out into the black.
The international community all across the globe was then called upon to check their own sun observatories and point their telescope at the sun. The result?
Massive solar storms headed towards the outer solar system, It seems to be a once-in-a-millennium event. At first it was believed that it would be celebrations for all, with rewards going to the Scientists who found the phenomenon.
Upon further inspection, something was amiss. Sure enough, after analysing the speed around the sun, and the sporadic speed of the whips. One whip will hit Earth in mid-October, so little over two years from now. All of sudden, the celebration turned into dread.
The world must know, but how do you tell a planet of eight billion souls that they all might be dead in a few years if no action is taken? Simple answer? The Truth. To survive as a species, humanity must put aside their differences and work together, at least for a while.
A U.N. Emergency General Assembly Session is called with every major scientist to present their findings to the world, many do not believe what they are hearing. Is a solar storm coming to destroy us? Impossible some would say!
All representatives are given time to correspond with their respective national scientists to confirm the findings. And every single one of them, confirms the fears. “The time to act is now!” The lead scientist says to the assembly, “If we do nothing, We die.” He says. Voice Shaky with fear.
The days counted up to weeks, weeks become months, and months became years. The two years, six months, and a handful of days became a living hell for the nations of Earth. Plans to be made, and resources need to be acquired. Shelters built. But time is counting down. The clock is ticking. Tick. Toc. Tick. Toc.
A special council was devised through the U.N. on how to shield humanity from the coming storm. Of the thousands of ideas brought from every corner of the world. “Project Ant Hill” was chosen.
“Project Ant Hill” is very quite simple, in each major country, there would be main bunkers underneath the capital cities. Tunnels would be dug to other cities for connection to smaller bunkers, storage caves, etc. The bunkers would be deep enough to block out the whips of radiation.
With this task of the gargantuan scale, came the equally gargantuan hurdles that needed to be jumped. Conflicts need to be solved. Differences to be put aside. Right now. Trade needed to be established. Resource caps to even everything out underpopulation density. Wars needed to end.
The United Kingdom, still reeling from the economic impact of Brexit. Decides to swallow their pride and forgo their Euroscepticism. Re-joining the European Union for easier trade of goods, and for connecting their “Ant Hill” to the main European Ant Hill network.
The Russo-Ukrainian war fell into a standstill. No side gained ground, and no side lost it. Slowly, the war devolved into a game of who blinked first. And the Russians blinked first. With a mix of bleeding resources, losing young men, the sons of mother Russia, and the increasing cost of building bunkers. The country was on the verge of collapse, pressure from the incoming solar storm could be felt in the streets of Moscow. Feeling the wind change direction, the President of Russia conceded. The war became “No longer viable” he declared on state/national television.
The puppet states of Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR, feeling betrayed, decided to keep fighting. But with both the support from Russia gone, and the determination of the Ukrainian government and peoples, they soon also conceded defeat and surrender. Of course, none of this came without a price, an oil price. With the involvement of South-Eastern Europe, and parts of Central Europe. Russia was to become their sole provider of Oil to the region. At least, until the eventual replacement comes around.
In the Middle East, tensions rise with the stress of goods going to and throwing. Feeling the time was right, after calls from Palestinians within Gaza and the West Bank, protests then sprung around the borders of Israel. Calls for “Freedom” and “Justice” were shouted by men, women, and children. Yearning for a proper country to call home.
Feeling the intense pressure, almost like an over-shaken soda can. It finally popped. No one knows who fired first. Some say it was an IDF border guard, others say it was Hamas fighters who joined in the protest as provocateurs. The reports are so conflicting that no one even knows who said what. The shooting started before the body hit the ground, and the fog of war only got worse from that point.
Not wanting for another war to erupt in the Middle East, the U.N. forms a coalition of nations, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, and China, to figure out how to settle the matter between the two bitter rivals, once and for all. The reasons are very clear, to stop the fighting, save lives for generations to come, and with the resources critical to the survival of the world being located in this area of the world.
As no one can afford a major conflict in the face of the incoming storm. The U.S., The U.K. and EU shocks the entire world by putting an uncharacteristic amount of pressure against Israel to accept the terms. Doing so by holding “Ant Hill” resources over their heads to comply. After much debate, the Israelis reluctantly accept the proposals from their principal allies.
The conditions are as follows.
- A Two-State solution shall be implemented, with the Republic of Palestine to be formed in the bottom half of the current Israel, with Jerusalem located in the middle point of the border. Splitting the countries in two.
- All holy ground is to be neutral ground. Enforced by a U.N. force made up of non-conflict-of-interest troops. Meaning, there would be no soldier in Jerusalem whose religion is part of the Abrahamic group. Countries like India, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam has offered their respective armed forces to contribute for the mission
- The new “Republic of Palestine” is to hold new, fair, democratic elections for their new secular government. No militant groups involved in previous conflicts are allowed to participate in the new government, especially the ones with a history of extremism, including various Sunni, Shia, Zionist, and socialist groups.
- Israel is to pay a yearly sum of money for the next fifty years to rebuild the areas over the decades tattered by destruction in the new country. Including reparations for harm and misdeeds. Negotiations finished in September 2025. No maps have been updated yet.
The solar event is officially dubbed, “The Storm”.
October 18th, 2025, The day finally arrives.
All flights and shipping are locked down for The Storm. Every non-essential flights were grounded months in advance, these were the stragglers. The International Space Station is sent into orbit to be behind Earth before “The Storm” hits.
All essential Satellites are put into a similar orbit, and the non-essential ones are left to record their final moments, collecting as much data as their storage can hold and transfer to the surface. And if they survive, it will make the world's space agencies' lives better. The cameras are pointed in the direction of the sun, to catch the whips of radiation hitting the blue marble.
10:30 am, EST
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Worldwide Air Raid sirens sound, and all civilians are notified to enter underground shelters. The world waits and prays for its survival. Tendrils of radioactive light begin to come from the sun, the sun begins to make sporadic sparks of light. The rays of light heading toward the Earth look like Kraken tentacles, reaching out for their prey.
11:45 am
The tendrils reach the moon's orbit, and the whips of light begin to move close together, aiming for its target. The theory was that these whips of radiation would cover the earth and eventually move past it, like all other solar storms. But they're too precise, too logical, too intelligent.
Light whips begin to reach out on the North American continent. Violent worldwide earthquakes begin, and the whips break into the earth’s crust across the northern national lines of Canada and The United States. To the south, whips break into the lines between the United States and Mexico. The continental United States is surrounded by these red whips of light. Alaska and Hawaii are surrounded, and all territories of the US are surrounded.
11:59 am
The ground starts to crack, shaking, pulling in and out. Then stops, and the earth stands still. The field of tentacles surrounding the landmasses begins to pulse colors of Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Orange. All non-essential satellites capture this event. The rope is pulsing faster and faster, the sun pulses these colors. Separate tendrils form and reach for all satellites American-owned, wrapping around them.
Noon
Pulsing sounds emanating from the ground and begin to erupt. A loud pulsing hum grows louder and louder. “Thump Thump” “Thump Thump” getting faster and more rhythmic “Thump Thump Thump Thump” “Thump Thump Thump Thump” “Thump Thump Thump Thump”. The sound reaches into the bunkers, scaring the innocent civilians. Screams and cries emit from children, and mothers and fathers cower, covering their children.
12:01 pm
A final pulse from the sun shoots out towards its spread-out tendrils, making an electronic swoosh hitting the atmosphere. In the blink of an eye all objects covered in the field of lights simply disappeared. Just vanish like that. In their place, water, crystal-clear blue water where they once lay.
12:02 pm
On the calm waters of The Sunset Sea, sits a lonely fishing ship, called “The Bright Stone”. Her captain, Viktor Godwin, is a simple fisherman making just enough to make a little coin and to feed himself, his wife, and 5 children. His oldest, Elrik Godwin, was Viktor's first mate. He and his family live in a small cabin near Flint's Finger of Westeros in The North under House Stark. Originally, the family was from the Westerlands, near Lannisport.
The captain has decided to test some new fishing spots out west, deep in The Sunset Sea. A very dangerous move, no one ever catches fish out that way. But Viktor had a dream of a fresh catch enough to feed his family for the coming months, and plenty of coins to be made in the markets of Lannisport. He was determined.
The sea was calm, too calm, not a bite in hours. Elrik raises his concern, “Father, I told you this would be a bad idea. No one has caught fish out here before.”
Viktor annoyed, “Shut it, boy! I know what I’m doinn. The Smith came to me last night and told me to come here and fish. An that's what I’m gonna do!” Viktor yells angrily to his son. Trying not to show worry in his voice.
“This could be bad, if we don't catch any fish, we won't eat tonight.” He thinks as he stares out into the blue water with a worried look on his face. He knows The Smith would never lie, right?
As the captain looks out, a bright light appears in a flash with a monstrous roar and thunderous clap. He shades his eyes from the brightening light, his bagger arm sleeve protecting the rest of his face. Elrik, in confusion, jumps down to hide from the light. Viktor shakily lowers his arm in fear, praying for no Leviathans, Krakens, , or any other sea creatures that could be lurking in this side of the ocean, to be coming for them.
As he looks out westward in fear, he sees. Land? There's no land out here. Never been recorded, at the very least. Land mass this size should be hard to find. He squints and sees pillars. Pillars of glass? His son and other crew members of “The Bright Stone” look out Port-Side, and see land.
Dumbfounded, Elrik Says to his Captain “Father, What should we do?” looking up at his father he sees something he has never seen on his father's face. Fear. Pure fear, eyes wide, and his heart racing. He yells to his father “Father! Are you alright?” Viktor still not hearing his son stares at the landmass. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears getting louder and louder, eyes beginning to get dry.
Sweat dripping from his brow and getting in his eyes. Stinging but not paying attention. He keeps staring, “Why would The Smith give me a dream to come out here? A warning? A message from the other Seven?” He feels a hand on his shoulder. He jumps and screeches a horrible scream of pure fear.
It was his son Elrik, “Father” in a calm tone, “Are you alright?” he looked into his father's eyes.
Viktor still with a fearful look “Y-y-yes. M alright. Let's get the ship ready and get the seven hells out of here! I don't want to find out what that land mass is.” Panic ensues, shipmates pulling lines up, packing boxes and barrels getting the ship to sail for the mainland. Many tripping over one another.
Elrik Stops before entering his cabin to get some more rope. He looks up into the sky squinting, he sees a little dot in the sky moving. “A bird?” It moves fast across the open sky. He has a shaking feeling, whatever it is watching him. Shaking off the feeling, enters his cabin.
254 miles above the planet, the ISS sits in its strange new orbit. Solar radiation burns on its outer shell and sits 6 astronauts inside her safe interior. Her commander, Johnathan Daniels looks out at the surface of the planet. “Any news from Houston?” still looking at the alien planet. His eyes may be old to some, but they're still as sharp as they were 20 years ago. “This isn't Earth” he confidently says in his mind to keep the others from panicking.
Patricia Wilkins pulled herself over in zero gravity. “Still nothing yet, They all must still be in the bunkers underneath waiting for radiation to return to normal levels. Which by the computer's calculations should be a couple of minutes from now. 10–20 minutes.” she says, looking from her commander to the tablet in her hands.
Still looking through The Cupola, Johnathan sighed, placing his finger at the bridge of his nose “Will we still be in contact range with Houston?” his eyes pressed closed trying to stop the coming headache.
Patricia looking back at her tablet in surprise exclaims “Maybe, of all the essential and non-essential satellites, an estimate of around 1500 are still in various orbit levels. Mainly the essential ones survived The Storm.” she clicks another section on her tablet. “Of the ones we can contact though, is a different story. About 200 are fully online. But the good news is that the Medium Orbit refueling center is still online. Which we can use to get the other back as well.”
Johnathan looks over at her with a surprised look. “That many? The original estimate was that we would lose about 4000. But 1500? And how many are ours? Other nations must be there as well?”
Patricia looks back at her tablet. “So far, Just ours.”
Looking back down to the planet, Johnathan orders “Get in touch with the Russian Engineers on their side of the station. They must have some idea as to what is going on”.
“On it!” Patricia turns herself to move to the east side of the station. Pulling herself forward, passing scientific equipment, and computers with errors on screen. Her other crewmates are Daniel Santiago, Bruce Chang, Amanda Cruz, and Mia Thomas. We're working on the other computer for information from the other working satellites.
Patricia taps Daniel's shoulder, “Rookie, I need your help opening the Russian airlock door. It takes two because they're old.” This was Daniel's first time on the ISS, which made him the “Rookie” in space.
Looking up from his work, “Yes sir” he said respectably.
Patricia laughs “You don't need to do that here newbie. It'll only take a minute, but mind the smell that comes out. One of the Ivans snuck a bottle of vodka inboard the last flight up. So it's bound to smell like alcohol.” Daniel, at hearing this little fact, awkwardly smiles, pulling the handlebars in the direction of Patricia.
Making it to the airlock, splitting the station into sections, it has a worn Russian flag at the top. It’s been there since the beginning, seeing crews come and go. Patricia and Daniel grab the worn lever of the airlock and heave. Whizzing and mechanical noise of gears of the old door opening.
Patricia yells to the crew inside “Aleksei? Dimitri? Are you guys alright? Did you survive? We need help getting in touch with Houston.” Floating inside the section, no one’s there. “Hello? Anyone?” Patricia says confused.
Looking further inside, it's empty except for a floating bottle of unopened vodka. “Daniel, stay here and look around for anyone. I'll be back.” Patricia said in a panic, pulling herself back to The Cupola to her commander. “Commander! Commander! We have a situation with the Russians!” She yells grabbing a bar to stop her speed.
Johnathan, not saying a word, quickly pulls himself with full force to the other side of the station. Patricia follows, trying to keep up with him but he's moving too fast. Bruce, Amanda, and Mia noticing the commotion quickly follows their commander. Reaching the Russian it became instantly aware something was wrong.
Two Russian cosmonauts are supposed to be in this section of the station, and yet no one is here. Just a lonely bottle of Vodka floating in zero g. “What the hell? Where could they have gone? We would know if they left in the escape pod.” The commander says going further into the section of the station. One of the computer screens shows a video ready to play. Johnathan clicks play, the screen starts to play a video of the two Russians speaking Russian minutes before and right when The Storm hits.
“Солнце выглядит красиво. Лучи радиации похожи на танец Лебединого озера.” (“The sun looks beautiful. The rays of radiation look like a dance of Swan Lake.”) Aleksei says, looking out the window.
Dimitri performing final lockdown checks chimes in “Меня не волнует, как красиво это выглядит, закройся и отойди от окна, чтобы не выжечь глаза, идиот.” (“I don't care how beautiful it looks, lockdown and get away from the window so you don't burn out your eyes you idiot.)
With a smirk on his face, Aleksei is about to lock down the window when he notices the rays of light splitting up. With a worried look, he says “Ох, Дмитрий, вам стоит прийти и посмотреть это!” (“Uhh Dimitri, You should come and see this!”)
Dimitri pulls himself over, “Что это, черт возьми?” (“What in the hell is that?)
The Camera starts to shake violently, the station starts to creak and groan as multicolor light comes through the window. Aleksei trusts himself back in fear and yells, “Что это за херня!! Что происходит!!” (“What the fuck is that!! What is happening!!”)
Jonathan turns to his 5 other crew mates, horrified by the events that have just occurred. Not looking, he says “Patricia”.
She replies shakily, “Y-y-yes sir?”.
He locks eyes with her and calmly says, “I don’t care what you have to do, what rules or laws you have to break. You get us back in touch with Houston. NOW!.”