July 11, 1997
The quantum foam above the Atlantic Ocean ripples, and a huge, red wormhole appears. It is a mighty vortex a mile wide. Soon, hundreds of ships emerge, starting with a huge aircraft carrier. The other ships consist of cruisers and destroyers and supply ships and amphibious ships. All of these are war ships, ready for war.
The commander of the joint attack force stnads with his staff in a command center on board the interdimensional aircraft carrier. He looks at a viewscreen which shows the whole Earth.
"Location confirmed," says a sailor. "We are now on the target Earth."
"Excellent," says the commander, an admiral in the Kromagg Dynasty Navy.
"Our attack forces report they will be ready in seven minutes," says an officer.
"Very good, Commander," replies the admiral. "Report to me when they are all ready for attack."
"Yes, sir."
The admiral looks at the screen again. It shows the location of the various fleets sent to this Earth by the Dynasty, as well as the location of the preliminary targets.
After the Council had approved of the invasion of this Earth, the admiral met with the high command. Information about this Earth gleaned by the spies the Dynasty sent for the past two months was used to formulate an attack plan. The attack plan was simple-destory the major population centers and the capitals of the most powerful nations, and then send in the troops. The first attack will be an all-out assault.
All over the Earth, the Kromagg Dynasty warships prepare for the impending attack on the human population. Crews make final checkups to ensure that the lasers and rail guns and missiles and their support systems all work. Officers and senior enlistees yell orders to their men. Airmen work aroud the clock to ensure that the manta fighters and manta bombers are armed and ready to go.
Back at the Kromagg Dynasty flagship, the admiral waits patiently.
"I remember the tension when we were preparing for the Battle of Alberton," he says to one of his aides. "I was flying a manta fighter in support of the invasion."
"Wasn't that the battle where they used that dreaded device?" asks the aide.
"Yes, it was."
"Sir, all ships are ready to attack," says an officer.
The admiral goes to a console and presses a button. "This is Pack Leader," he says. "Begin the initial bombardment."
"Send the attack code to all ships!" barks an officer.
The admiral looks at a digital clock.
The time is 2204 Atlantic Standard Time.
The attack code is received by a destroyer not far from the flagship.
"It's a go," says the commander of the missile crew. "Let us begin."
"We have satellite linkup," says a petty officer. The missile lauch control room's navigation system is now linked to satellites launched into low Earth orbit a day before.
"Select our appointed targets," says the commander.
"Aye, sir. Targets selected."
"Enter the arming codes for the warheads."
"Arming codes entered."
The missile crew commander looks at his crew. He has trained for this. Some of the crew members are young, having never seen combat before. this is a very important mission, for the ballistic missiles are equipped with hydrogen bombs known as city-busters because they could reduce a whole city to rubble. The commander knows that city busters are expensive, so they are reserved for heavily-populated cities or capitals of powerful nations.
"Commence primary ignition," says the commander. The crew presses buttons and flips swiutches to begin the primary ignition.
"Missiles are ready to fire," says a lieutenant.
"This is my job now," says the commander. On the main console is a row of buttons covered with lids. Each button is designed to fire a missile. The ship is loaded with two ballistic missiles.
He opns up both lids. and then he presses both buttons simultaneously with the index finger of each hand.
The button press is the final signal for the uanch system to launch the missiles. The missile's fuel chamber blasts hot gas, propelling it from the launcher and up into the atmosphere. The guidance computers located in the nose cones makes toiny corrections to keep each missile on course for its intended target. Telemetry from each missile is sent to the missile crew that launched it.
Both of the missiles head northwest towards two locations near the Atlantic coast of North America. One of the missiles heads for Washington, D.C., the other heads for New York City.
The Washington, D.C. missile begins its descent as it approaches its target. the landscape of Virginia passes swiftly below it. Seconds later, its navigation system determines that it is above its target point-The White House.
This sends a signal to the detonator. The detonator detonates plastic explosives. The explosion from the plastic explosives cruhses a sphere of plutonium. the atoms of the plutonium undergo fission, releasing a huge amount of energy.
this energy then causes the atomic nuclei in lithium hydride to fuse together into helium, thus releasing even more energy.
The energy release both from the fission of plutonium and the fusion of lithium and hydrogen into helium is more than enough to vaporize the missile.The radiant energy from the nuclear reactions heats everything nearby to ten million degrees Fahrenheit, enough to vaporize everything. the walls of the White House begin to melt and evaporate. The trees and grass catch fire. People standing near the place begin to burn.
But before everything is vaporized, the siudden increase of temperature raises the air pressure. This creates a pressure wave which expands from the focus of the explosion.
The pressure wave first reaches the White House, already evaporating from the extreme heat. The structure buckles from the increased pressure and collapses. The pressure wave continues, knocking down trees and power lines and street lamps. Trash cans and cars and anything not bolted to the ground is thrown. Anyrthing fragile is shattered. Buildings and bridges and overpasses crumble. Landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court Building and the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial are reduced to pieces of rubble. the pressure wave travels across the Potomac, destroying the bridges. The Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, collpases into a pentagon-shaped expanse of rubble. The pressure wave loses energy as it travels farther from ground zero. Soon it only cracks buildings and shatters windows and knocks loose things about.
The New York City-bound missile also finds its mark, at a spot right above the World Trade Center. Its warhead explodes, first destroying the two towers of the World Trade Center and then knocking down the other buildings in Manhattan and beyond.
The end result is that two cities-Washington, D.C. and New York City, are reduced to rubble.
The same thing happens to Mexico City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, London, and Beijing. In a flash of light and a wave of overpressure, these cities are reduced to piles of charred rubble. Thewir residents did not even have time to scream.
It is a day that will forever live in infamy.
The news of the massive nuclear explosions travels fast. The sports programs regularly shown by the televisions on the Chandler Hotel Lounge and Sports Bar in Los Angeles, California are interrupted by a special report.
"We have just received word that our nation has been attacked," says a reporter, clearly stunned by the revelation. "Military officers have told us that Washington, D.C. and New York were hit. Casualties are unknown. We have lost contact with our correspondent to the White House. We have not yet heard from the President or the Joint Chiefs. I repeat, Washington and New York have been bombed. This will be a day that will live in infamy."
"My God," whispers Wade Welles. She drops an entire tray of drinks that some patrons had ordered minutes ago.
None of her patrons notice that their drinks were spilled on the floor, their attention being on the news.
"We have confirmed that Washington and New York were bombed," says General Eric Shinseki, an officer in the United States Army. "We are still trying to get an assessment on the damage caused by the attacks. We ask that Americans remain calm, and wait for further news."
"General, has there been any word from the President?" asks a reporter.
"No, I have not received word. I am trying to get into contact with my commanders."
Captain Maggie Beckett puts away her drink. "I'm closin' my tab," she says to the bartender, a young lady named Natalie Nassau.
Natalie processes her Visa credit card. Maggie quickly signs the receipt and hands it to her.
"I hope you're not driving," says the bartender. "You've had too much to drink."
"Haven't you heard," Maggie slurs. "This is a national emergency!"
Maggie heads out to the parking lot where her black Toyota Tercel is parked. She finds herself walking crookedly and can feel a buzz in her head. She hopes she does not get pulled over for drunk driving at a time like this.
She gets into her car and starts it and puts on on reverse. She backs out, and then her car strikes a Ford Taurus.
"I hope you have insurance," says Maggie. She puts the car on drive and then heads to Yerba Buena Island.
"All targets have been destroyed, sir," says a Kromagg Dynasty Navy commander.
"Excellent," replies the admiral. "Now we begin the second attack wave."
Two Kromagg Dynasty Marine pilots enter the huge manta bomber. They board their craft and they wear their helmets and connect the helmet to the instrument panel.
The two of them check their instrument panels even as the ground crews make a last-minute checkup of the planes. The helmets are designed as a mental interface between the kromagg pilot and the plane. In the heat of combat, the pilots can manuever the plane just by thinking. This technology was devloped about ten years ago, after the exile.
The two Marine pilots receive the signal to take off, and their plane reac hes the carrier's catapult. the catapult launches the manta bomber at a very high speed and they are airborne. They are followed by an escort of Marine manta fighters.
Hundreds of miles away, Edwards Air Force Base receives an image on their radar screen.
"It looks like over one hundred planes are heading this way, sir," says a U.S. Air Force sergeant. ""They are flying above the Pacific, and they will reach the coastline in fifteen minutes."
"Could it be the enemy that attacked Washington and New York?" asks an Air Force colonel.
"Possibly, sir. I suggest we scramble the fighters to intercept."
And so the Air Force fighter wing stationed at Edwards Air Force Base are scrambled. The U.S. Air Force pilots get into the cockpits of their F-15 Eagles and then take off from Edwards. Soon they are over the San Gabriel Mountains, heading fpor the unidentified aircraft flying towards the coastline from the Pacific Ocean.
"ETA in three minutes," says the Air Force major who is commanding this wing. "Master arm on."
"Hail them," says the colonel.
"Unidentified aircraft," says the major. "This is the United States Air Force. Identify yourself now."
There is no response.
"Unidentified aircraft, this is the United States Air Force. You have not been authorize to enter U.S. airspace. Identify yourself."
Then the major watches in horror as he sees contrails. He recognizes them a missiles.
"Evasive maneuvers!" he yells. He banks his plane and releases chaff to fool the missiles. Looking to his right, he sees an F-16 explode, raining flaming debris into the waters of the Pacific. "Engage!"
He maneuvers to engage the enemy. He notices that the enemy planes are shaped quite differently from his own plane.
"I got you now," he says. He fires a missile. It hits the strange enemy plane, blowing it up. "I got one."
"you got one on your six!" shouts an Air Force pilot. The major checks his radar screen. His plane is being locked on.
"Aaargh!" he shouts as an enemy air-to-air missile strikes his plane and destroys it.
Rembrandt Brown rushes into the Chandler Hotel, not bothering to put money in the parking meter. He figures the Los Angeles Police Department will be too busy to cite people for meter violations.
"Wade!" he shouts, spotting the waitress in the bar. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, we're watching it on the news," she replies.
"This is an announcement," says a KTLA news reporter. "The Air Force had declared an air raid. Everyone is to take shelter now!"
The last of the fighters from Edwards is blown up by the Kromagg Dynasty manta fighters. Now three of them fly escort for the manta bombers. One is heading for Los Angeles, the other is heading for Edwards.
The Los Angeles-bound bomber flies to its target. The bomber pilot locks the target into the bombers targeting systemm and then fires the bomb. The bomb descends to the ground, and it strikes its target-the intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles.
The explosion causes the overpass to collapse. The ramps connecting the freewayt also collpase in a cascade. Drivers on the freeways who see the explosion slam their brakes, but it is too late for some of them. The drivers on the 110 freeway crash into the debris; drivers on the 101 freeway and the ramps go over the edge and crash on the 110 freeway.
The manta bomber then continues to bomb the skyscrapers and freeways in downtown Los Angeles. Within minutes, the freeway interchanges are reduced to piles of rubble, and the streets of downtown Los Angeles are littered with rubble from pieces of skyscrapers that were hit with the bombs.
The manta bomber headed for Edwards arrives at its destination. The air traffic control tower is the first to be destroyed. Then the bomber releases its payload, destroying hangars and barracks and airplanes and trucks.
Captain Maggie Beckett arrives at Yerba Buena. The guard lets her in, and she parks at the U.S. Marine Corps Research Facility.
Before enetering the facility, she look out towards the city of San Francisco. She sees flashes of light there. Then she looks above and sees fast-moving aircraft.
"They're bombing us," she says. She then enters the building and takes the stairs to Sub-Level One.
This scene is repeated in cities and military bases all over the world, as wave after wave of manta bombers bomb their targets. The nations of the world put up some resistance with their fighters, and the kromaggs' manta fighters shoot down the opposition.
July 11, 1997 is a day that will live in infamy for everyone in this version of Earth.
The quantum foam above the Atlantic Ocean ripples, and a huge, red wormhole appears. It is a mighty vortex a mile wide. Soon, hundreds of ships emerge, starting with a huge aircraft carrier. The other ships consist of cruisers and destroyers and supply ships and amphibious ships. All of these are war ships, ready for war.
The commander of the joint attack force stnads with his staff in a command center on board the interdimensional aircraft carrier. He looks at a viewscreen which shows the whole Earth.
"Location confirmed," says a sailor. "We are now on the target Earth."
"Excellent," says the commander, an admiral in the Kromagg Dynasty Navy.
"Our attack forces report they will be ready in seven minutes," says an officer.
"Very good, Commander," replies the admiral. "Report to me when they are all ready for attack."
"Yes, sir."
The admiral looks at the screen again. It shows the location of the various fleets sent to this Earth by the Dynasty, as well as the location of the preliminary targets.
After the Council had approved of the invasion of this Earth, the admiral met with the high command. Information about this Earth gleaned by the spies the Dynasty sent for the past two months was used to formulate an attack plan. The attack plan was simple-destory the major population centers and the capitals of the most powerful nations, and then send in the troops. The first attack will be an all-out assault.
All over the Earth, the Kromagg Dynasty warships prepare for the impending attack on the human population. Crews make final checkups to ensure that the lasers and rail guns and missiles and their support systems all work. Officers and senior enlistees yell orders to their men. Airmen work aroud the clock to ensure that the manta fighters and manta bombers are armed and ready to go.
Back at the Kromagg Dynasty flagship, the admiral waits patiently.
"I remember the tension when we were preparing for the Battle of Alberton," he says to one of his aides. "I was flying a manta fighter in support of the invasion."
"Wasn't that the battle where they used that dreaded device?" asks the aide.
"Yes, it was."
"Sir, all ships are ready to attack," says an officer.
The admiral goes to a console and presses a button. "This is Pack Leader," he says. "Begin the initial bombardment."
"Send the attack code to all ships!" barks an officer.
The admiral looks at a digital clock.
The time is 2204 Atlantic Standard Time.
The attack code is received by a destroyer not far from the flagship.
"It's a go," says the commander of the missile crew. "Let us begin."
"We have satellite linkup," says a petty officer. The missile lauch control room's navigation system is now linked to satellites launched into low Earth orbit a day before.
"Select our appointed targets," says the commander.
"Aye, sir. Targets selected."
"Enter the arming codes for the warheads."
"Arming codes entered."
The missile crew commander looks at his crew. He has trained for this. Some of the crew members are young, having never seen combat before. this is a very important mission, for the ballistic missiles are equipped with hydrogen bombs known as city-busters because they could reduce a whole city to rubble. The commander knows that city busters are expensive, so they are reserved for heavily-populated cities or capitals of powerful nations.
"Commence primary ignition," says the commander. The crew presses buttons and flips swiutches to begin the primary ignition.
"Missiles are ready to fire," says a lieutenant.
"This is my job now," says the commander. On the main console is a row of buttons covered with lids. Each button is designed to fire a missile. The ship is loaded with two ballistic missiles.
He opns up both lids. and then he presses both buttons simultaneously with the index finger of each hand.
The button press is the final signal for the uanch system to launch the missiles. The missile's fuel chamber blasts hot gas, propelling it from the launcher and up into the atmosphere. The guidance computers located in the nose cones makes toiny corrections to keep each missile on course for its intended target. Telemetry from each missile is sent to the missile crew that launched it.
Both of the missiles head northwest towards two locations near the Atlantic coast of North America. One of the missiles heads for Washington, D.C., the other heads for New York City.
The Washington, D.C. missile begins its descent as it approaches its target. the landscape of Virginia passes swiftly below it. Seconds later, its navigation system determines that it is above its target point-The White House.
This sends a signal to the detonator. The detonator detonates plastic explosives. The explosion from the plastic explosives cruhses a sphere of plutonium. the atoms of the plutonium undergo fission, releasing a huge amount of energy.
this energy then causes the atomic nuclei in lithium hydride to fuse together into helium, thus releasing even more energy.
The energy release both from the fission of plutonium and the fusion of lithium and hydrogen into helium is more than enough to vaporize the missile.The radiant energy from the nuclear reactions heats everything nearby to ten million degrees Fahrenheit, enough to vaporize everything. the walls of the White House begin to melt and evaporate. The trees and grass catch fire. People standing near the place begin to burn.
But before everything is vaporized, the siudden increase of temperature raises the air pressure. This creates a pressure wave which expands from the focus of the explosion.
The pressure wave first reaches the White House, already evaporating from the extreme heat. The structure buckles from the increased pressure and collapses. The pressure wave continues, knocking down trees and power lines and street lamps. Trash cans and cars and anything not bolted to the ground is thrown. Anyrthing fragile is shattered. Buildings and bridges and overpasses crumble. Landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court Building and the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial are reduced to pieces of rubble. the pressure wave travels across the Potomac, destroying the bridges. The Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, collpases into a pentagon-shaped expanse of rubble. The pressure wave loses energy as it travels farther from ground zero. Soon it only cracks buildings and shatters windows and knocks loose things about.
The New York City-bound missile also finds its mark, at a spot right above the World Trade Center. Its warhead explodes, first destroying the two towers of the World Trade Center and then knocking down the other buildings in Manhattan and beyond.
The end result is that two cities-Washington, D.C. and New York City, are reduced to rubble.
The same thing happens to Mexico City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, London, and Beijing. In a flash of light and a wave of overpressure, these cities are reduced to piles of charred rubble. Thewir residents did not even have time to scream.
It is a day that will forever live in infamy.
The news of the massive nuclear explosions travels fast. The sports programs regularly shown by the televisions on the Chandler Hotel Lounge and Sports Bar in Los Angeles, California are interrupted by a special report.
"We have just received word that our nation has been attacked," says a reporter, clearly stunned by the revelation. "Military officers have told us that Washington, D.C. and New York were hit. Casualties are unknown. We have lost contact with our correspondent to the White House. We have not yet heard from the President or the Joint Chiefs. I repeat, Washington and New York have been bombed. This will be a day that will live in infamy."
"My God," whispers Wade Welles. She drops an entire tray of drinks that some patrons had ordered minutes ago.
None of her patrons notice that their drinks were spilled on the floor, their attention being on the news.
"We have confirmed that Washington and New York were bombed," says General Eric Shinseki, an officer in the United States Army. "We are still trying to get an assessment on the damage caused by the attacks. We ask that Americans remain calm, and wait for further news."
"General, has there been any word from the President?" asks a reporter.
"No, I have not received word. I am trying to get into contact with my commanders."
Captain Maggie Beckett puts away her drink. "I'm closin' my tab," she says to the bartender, a young lady named Natalie Nassau.
Natalie processes her Visa credit card. Maggie quickly signs the receipt and hands it to her.
"I hope you're not driving," says the bartender. "You've had too much to drink."
"Haven't you heard," Maggie slurs. "This is a national emergency!"
Maggie heads out to the parking lot where her black Toyota Tercel is parked. She finds herself walking crookedly and can feel a buzz in her head. She hopes she does not get pulled over for drunk driving at a time like this.
She gets into her car and starts it and puts on on reverse. She backs out, and then her car strikes a Ford Taurus.
"I hope you have insurance," says Maggie. She puts the car on drive and then heads to Yerba Buena Island.
"All targets have been destroyed, sir," says a Kromagg Dynasty Navy commander.
"Excellent," replies the admiral. "Now we begin the second attack wave."
Two Kromagg Dynasty Marine pilots enter the huge manta bomber. They board their craft and they wear their helmets and connect the helmet to the instrument panel.
The two of them check their instrument panels even as the ground crews make a last-minute checkup of the planes. The helmets are designed as a mental interface between the kromagg pilot and the plane. In the heat of combat, the pilots can manuever the plane just by thinking. This technology was devloped about ten years ago, after the exile.
The two Marine pilots receive the signal to take off, and their plane reac hes the carrier's catapult. the catapult launches the manta bomber at a very high speed and they are airborne. They are followed by an escort of Marine manta fighters.
Hundreds of miles away, Edwards Air Force Base receives an image on their radar screen.
"It looks like over one hundred planes are heading this way, sir," says a U.S. Air Force sergeant. ""They are flying above the Pacific, and they will reach the coastline in fifteen minutes."
"Could it be the enemy that attacked Washington and New York?" asks an Air Force colonel.
"Possibly, sir. I suggest we scramble the fighters to intercept."
And so the Air Force fighter wing stationed at Edwards Air Force Base are scrambled. The U.S. Air Force pilots get into the cockpits of their F-15 Eagles and then take off from Edwards. Soon they are over the San Gabriel Mountains, heading fpor the unidentified aircraft flying towards the coastline from the Pacific Ocean.
"ETA in three minutes," says the Air Force major who is commanding this wing. "Master arm on."
"Hail them," says the colonel.
"Unidentified aircraft," says the major. "This is the United States Air Force. Identify yourself now."
There is no response.
"Unidentified aircraft, this is the United States Air Force. You have not been authorize to enter U.S. airspace. Identify yourself."
Then the major watches in horror as he sees contrails. He recognizes them a missiles.
"Evasive maneuvers!" he yells. He banks his plane and releases chaff to fool the missiles. Looking to his right, he sees an F-16 explode, raining flaming debris into the waters of the Pacific. "Engage!"
He maneuvers to engage the enemy. He notices that the enemy planes are shaped quite differently from his own plane.
"I got you now," he says. He fires a missile. It hits the strange enemy plane, blowing it up. "I got one."
"you got one on your six!" shouts an Air Force pilot. The major checks his radar screen. His plane is being locked on.
"Aaargh!" he shouts as an enemy air-to-air missile strikes his plane and destroys it.
Rembrandt Brown rushes into the Chandler Hotel, not bothering to put money in the parking meter. He figures the Los Angeles Police Department will be too busy to cite people for meter violations.
"Wade!" he shouts, spotting the waitress in the bar. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, we're watching it on the news," she replies.
"This is an announcement," says a KTLA news reporter. "The Air Force had declared an air raid. Everyone is to take shelter now!"
The last of the fighters from Edwards is blown up by the Kromagg Dynasty manta fighters. Now three of them fly escort for the manta bombers. One is heading for Los Angeles, the other is heading for Edwards.
The Los Angeles-bound bomber flies to its target. The bomber pilot locks the target into the bombers targeting systemm and then fires the bomb. The bomb descends to the ground, and it strikes its target-the intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles.
The explosion causes the overpass to collapse. The ramps connecting the freewayt also collpase in a cascade. Drivers on the freeways who see the explosion slam their brakes, but it is too late for some of them. The drivers on the 110 freeway crash into the debris; drivers on the 101 freeway and the ramps go over the edge and crash on the 110 freeway.
The manta bomber then continues to bomb the skyscrapers and freeways in downtown Los Angeles. Within minutes, the freeway interchanges are reduced to piles of rubble, and the streets of downtown Los Angeles are littered with rubble from pieces of skyscrapers that were hit with the bombs.
The manta bomber headed for Edwards arrives at its destination. The air traffic control tower is the first to be destroyed. Then the bomber releases its payload, destroying hangars and barracks and airplanes and trucks.
Captain Maggie Beckett arrives at Yerba Buena. The guard lets her in, and she parks at the U.S. Marine Corps Research Facility.
Before enetering the facility, she look out towards the city of San Francisco. She sees flashes of light there. Then she looks above and sees fast-moving aircraft.
"They're bombing us," she says. She then enters the building and takes the stairs to Sub-Level One.
This scene is repeated in cities and military bases all over the world, as wave after wave of manta bombers bomb their targets. The nations of the world put up some resistance with their fighters, and the kromaggs' manta fighters shoot down the opposition.
July 11, 1997 is a day that will live in infamy for everyone in this version of Earth.