15:52:24 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-10:00
The sun shines brightly in the bright blue sky.
Workers prepare to sink in for their busy workdays required to keep society functioning. Children sit in link cafes enjoying their time after school.
Some workers prepare to close the workday and de-link in order to spend time with their families.
Cars, planes, trains, hyperloops, drones, and more generate a quiet hum of post-modern life that you can hear. Vehicles of all sorts working in order to shuffle cargo across the planet.
The immaculately climate controlled weather brings smiles to faces across the globe. It is a perfectly ordinary Wednesday, just like any other.
However, this day would forever go down in history. It would become known as the day when humanity’s blissful isolation was shattered.
15:59 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048CE | T-3:24
“The sky is on fire, I repeat, the sky appears to be on fire. We are seeing signs of thousands of unknown objects entering Earth’s atmosphere.”
These words are heard all across the globe, and quickly propagate through the entire Sol system. Tens of billions stop their activities and turn attentively to the nearest screen.
16:00 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-2:24
“The International Space Monitoring Agency has picked up an estimated 9,000 objects of unknown origin entering Earth’s atmosphere.
They appear to be shaped like eggs and have a mass of approximately 300 tonnes each. The objects are projected to land all over the globe. The objects will impact in three minutes and twenty seconds.”
People panic.
Parents grab their children and run for shelter. Preppers seal themselves in their doomsday bunkers.
World leaders are whisked away into high security emergency rooms. Messages are sent to extra-terrestrial colonies to initiate emergency protocols.
The anti-projectile railgun systems start to initialize, waiting for firing orders.
16:01 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-1:24
Planetary monitoring AI across the globe agrees to trigger the anti-projectile defense systems. Millions of counter-projectile projectiles streak into the atmosphere on intercept courses.
16:02 UTC Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-0:24 to impact
Strange energy signatures are registered around the unknown objects.
Moments later, every single counter-projectile projectile vanishes. As if they never existed in the first place.
Planetary management AI raises threat levels to maximum. Initiating full combat protocols by handing full control of the planet to defense AI.
16:02:24 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | Impact
Across the globe, 9,468 unknown objects hit the Earth. Minimal damage is sustained.
AI systems rush to catalog and send out analysis drones to identify the objects.
Military drones are beginning final preparations to mobilize worldwide.
Emergency aid systems are rapidly deployed to affected sites.
The human population shelters, some terrified, some excited, some apathetic as to what will come.
One particular human sits, synced into his Neural-Sink system, absorbing all this information and forming plans and hypotheses. With a calm smirk, he utters, “Bring it on”.
16:03 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T+0:36
A dog-whistle like whine is heard all around the globe. Milliseconds later, every single military installation goes dark. Backup generators attempt to turn on, only for every single one to fail.
The entire combined military of the United Front of Humanity has been rendered completely inoperable. Noticing this and classifying it as an error, planetary defense AI reports that the threat is clear and reduces global threat level to 0. Control is returned to planetary management AI.
Human specialists stare in utter bewilderment at their screens at this information. Amazed at how easily their immaculately designed systems failed to respond to what is potentially an extinction-level crisis.
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16:05 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T+2:36
With specialists still scrambling to understand the situation, the unknown objects start to emit signals. These signals are seamlessly compatible with existing human technology and are quickly picked up by receivers.
Shortly after, on every single display appears an ornate looking podium in a large blank room. A strange creature slowly rises from behind the podium.
Next, the creature utters, in a slightly synthetic sounding human common, words that violently shake all of humanity’s preconceptions.
“Greetings Humanity. It is with great pleasure that I am standing before you to deliver this proclamation. I am of the Vaux, one of the seven sovereign species of the known universe.
The Intergalactic Enlightenment Committee has elected me to oversee your welcome into the wider universe.
As a precautionary measure to prevent misunderstandings, we have disabled all devices that we identify as being purposed for war. Make no mistake, this is an act of peace, as hasty conflict could lead to your immediate destruction.
We of the IEC have noticed your fledgling race and believe it is time for you to peacefully join us on the intergalactic stage.
We know this may be hard to believe, and will require a large adjustment. We simply ask that you calmly listen to what we have to say and react like logically minded beings.”
The Vaux’s words resound across the world, everyone from the smallest child capable of coherent thought to the eldest that are sitting in their peaceful retirement retreats is in utter shock.
The world comes to a complete standstill.
In high security command bunkers, human specialists work quickly to process this information. World leaders sit dumbfounded, baffled by what to do next.
The Vaux speaks again, “Forgive my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Gamekeeper. For it is I who will be administering your trials of ascension.
Now, what are these so-called trials of ascension you may ask? Well, let me explain.
Around three million solar-standard years ago, the IEC was formed by a group of five sovereign species to manage and research species that are of sufficient ability to become spacefaring. The IEC has determined humanity to be one of these species.
Under protocol, any identified species is to be administered trials of ascension in order to equip them with the knowledge and capability to operate on the intergalactic scene and be deemed a new sovereign species.
As for what the trial is, more will be revealed with time. For now, simply know that we will select, based on our criteria, the eight most promising humans to play a game.
This game will be broadcast intergalactically as well as to the entirety of humanity. Through this game, many of our technologies will be introduced and showcased, with many opportunities for contestants to demonstrate why they should be the victor.
The trials will consist of seven stages, and based on each contestant’s performance, they will be assigned points.
The party with the most points at the end of the seventh stage will be recognized and supported as the unilateral administrator of humanity. They will be given access to all the universe’s public knowledge and be tasked with effectively distributing it and using it to finish humanity’s elevation to that of an inter-galactic empire.
In accordance with IEC policy, we have canvassed your planet with monitoring and aid stations to aid in humanity’s hyper development during the trials.
We leave these caches of resources and information to the current world leaders to utilize while the game is in progress. We ask that you act responsibly, and if you do not understand something, please use the terminals located on the caches to contact our new species support line.
Without further ado, allow me to announce that Humanity’s Trials of Ascension will begin on (in your Earth terms), 12:00 UTC, Wednesday, July 22nd, 2048 CE.
We will inform the contestants that have been chosen six Earthstandard days before the game begins, and will collect them twelve Earthstandard hours before the game begins. Any foul play by any other humans will NOT be tolerated and will result in immediate death of the offender(s).
I, and the rest of the universe are excited to see what humanity’s best can offer.
On behalf of all beings in the known universe, may the stars be ever in your favor.”
18:00 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T+1:57:36
The Gamekeeper’s proclamation has left humanity in utter shock. World leaders have released many statements regarding this unprecedented time. In summary, it has been ordered that humanity will unconditionally cooperate with the aliens.
Betting rings of unprecedented scale have opened up, with people placing bets on who the contestants will be. Betting on everything from hair color to age to even weight. Trillions of idollars were moved at alarming speeds.
Planetary management AIs finished their surveys of the ascension capsules and began processing the mountains of information and technology found within to use it efficiently.
Humanity, still shocked, largely sits around and ponders. Social media sites blow up, with most sites quickly going offline due to explosive traffic increase.
Stock markets are in absolute chaos. However, many people resume their daily activities, waiting for society to adapt to this new information before taking any radical actions.
Unfortunately, there are many humans who start rioting and looting.
Consequently, they shortly fell unconscious, thrown into unexplained comas. It is assumed this was the doing of the aliens in efforts to assist humanity.
Among these humans, the eight that should be selected wait.
Some are living normal lives, some are undoubtedly living extraordinary ones.
These eight would soon be showered with unprecedented fame, responsibility and power, unlike anything any human could imagine.
One boy with striking purple hair sits, Immersed into the net. He absorbs information, predicts outcomes. Simulates the entire universe of possibilities. All with a massive grin on his face.
- An account of the Great Ascension, Kraven Ducker, 1 PH
End of Chapter 1
