Stellaris Playthrough (Working Title)

Chapter 1: The End Is The Beginning

10 November 2171
Toronto, United Coalition

People ran aimlessly, tears streaking down quivering faces. They shoved past each other, trampling those unable to move. The noise was unbearable. Parents yelling out names, civbots droning instructions, a single woman praying to a long-forgotten God. The endless screeching and emotionless voice of the Emergency Alert System acted as a catalyst, only stimulating the desperate panic that now saturated the city.

"This is not a test. The United Coalition has been subjected to a nuclear attack. Predicted North American impact sites include New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto. All citizens in North America should seek immediate shelter-"

Mere moments ago, the scene at Marilyn Bell Park had been worlds away. Although the world had been gripped with a vague feeling of unease ever since the onset of the war, people had found refuge in their daily lives, distracting themselves from the abyss with fleeting moments of simple pleasures. After all, the war was being fought thousands of kilometers away by synth soldiers. Everyone had assumed that eventually, the three nations would declare a winner, and the war would end.

The young girl who stood in the middle of the cacophony had been among those lucky enough to be unaware that such a conflict was occurring at all. She had only been seven when a cargo vessel from the Unaligned Powers had clipped one of the Eurasian Principality's battleships. She had only been seven when the UP, smelling the profits of wartime trade, pinned the blame on the Coalition. She had only been seven when World War IV had begun.

She was now only eight, and though the world was ending, she did not understand. Her mother had just left for the restroom when the screeching began. Maybe she could explain why everyone was so scared. But the girl was too frightened to move. All around her, people said their goodbyes and begged for forgiveness, and she did not understand.

The sky itself seemed to scream in terror as the missile came into view. As its fuselage glinted in the afternoon sun, the little girl turned her gaze skyward. She looked up, past the lush trees and towering buildings of Earth, and high in the air, she saw a rocket. It looked different than the ones she had seen in her science class. This one was smaller, and it was upside down. It was moving very quickly. At that moment, she smiled. The rocket was coming to take her to space, like the astronauts had long ago.

Just as it breached the troposphere, something struck the missile hard, sending it careening across the lake. The little girl had only a moment to frown before a fireball erupted in Mississauga, blinding her.