Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-10:00
The sun shines brightly in the bright blue sky. People wake up to the beautiful sunrise. Workers prepare to sink in for their busy workdays required to keep society functioning. Children sit in link cafes enjoying their time after school by hanging out with friends. Workers prepare to close the workday and de-link in order to spend time with their families. The quiet hum of post-modern life generated by cars, planes, trains, hyper loops, drones and more can be heard. With all the vehicles working in order to shuffle all sorts of cargo across the planet at high speed. The immaculately climate controlled weather brings smiles to faces across the globe. In other words, it is a perfectly ordinary Wednesday, just like any other.
However, this day would be one that forever goes 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 are the words that are heard around the world, broadcast on every physical, mental and digital display. Those words left all 17.8 billion humans stunned, people stopped their activities and turned attentively towards the nearest display.
16:00 EST, 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. They are estimated to land all over the globe. Impact is expected in three minutes twenty seconds."
After hearing the news stations broadcast these words, many people started to panic. Parents grabbed their children and started running for shelter. Preppers quickly isolated themselves in their doomsday bunkers. World leaders were whisked away into high security emergency rooms. Messages were sent to extra-terrestrial colonies to initiate emergency protocols. Anti-projectile projectile railgun systems started to initialize, waiting for firing orders.
16:01 EST, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-1:24
Planetary monitoring AI across the globe agreed to trigger the Anti-projectile defense systems. Millions of megaton counter-projectile projectiles are launched into the air on intercept courses.
16:02 EST, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | T-0:24 to impact
Strange energy signatures are registered around the unknown objects. Milliseconds later, every single counter-projectile projectile is vaporized. Planetary management AI instantly raises global threat levels to maximum and hand over control to Defense AI.
16:02:24 UTC, Wednesday, July 15th, 2048 CE | Impact
Across the globe, a total of 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 deploying 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[1] 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[2] 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 a potential humanity ending crisis.
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 electromagnetic waves. These waves are seamlessly compatible with existing human technology and are quickly picked up by receivers.
Shortly after, on every single display appears an ornate looking throne in a large, alien looking throne room. A strange creature enters from the left of the display and moves to sit upon the throne.
Next, the creature utters (in perfect 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 races of the known universe. I have been elected by the Intergalactic Enlightenment Committee 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, unsure 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 Trial of Ascension[3].
Now, what is this so-called Trial of Ascension you may ask. Well let me explain. Around three thousand solar-standard years ago, the IEC was formed by a group of five sovereign species[4] to manage and research species that are of sufficient ability to become space faring. The IEC has determined humanity to be one of these species.
In accordance with protocol, any identified species is to be administered a Trial 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 opportunities for contestants to demonstrate why they should be the administrator.
The trial 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 of the universe's knowledge and be tasked with effectively distributing it and using it to elevate humanity.
In accordance with IEC policy, we have canvassed your planet with monitoring and aid stations, to aid in humanity's hyper development, 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 Trial of Ascension will begin on (in your Earth terms), 12:00 UTC, Wednesday July 22nd, 2048 CE. We will inform the contests that have been chosen six Earth-days before the game begins, and will collect them twelve Earth-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).
Good luck humanity, I am excited to see what you will offer."
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 personalities. 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 sat around and pondered, social media sites blew up, with most sites quickly going offline due to explosive traffic increase. Stock markets were in absolute chaos. However, many people resumed their daily activities, waiting for society to adapt to this new information before taking any radical actions. Unfortunately, there were many humans who started rioting and looting. Consequently, they shortly fell unconscious, seemingly thrown into unexplained comas. It is assumed this was the doing of the aliens in efforts to assist humanity.
Among these humans, were the eight that were to be chosen in eighteen hours time, likely all across the world, doing who knows what. These eight would soon be showered in unprecedented fame, responsibility and power, with humanity's fate resting in their hands.
- An account of the Great Ascension, Kraven Ducker, 2052
End of Chapter 1
[1] A full-dive type VR system that is used to facilitate many functions, from work to pleasure.
[2] The United Front of Humanity (Established in 2026), or UFH, is a global government structure that, along with AI systems, oversees and manages all functions of human society throughout the solar system.
[3] The Trial of Ascension is a deeply honored and respected. Having only occurred thrice before in intergalactic history, it is a very important event.
[4] While there are only seven current 'sovereign' species, there are many more species that are considered inferior. Often they are hybrids/artificial breeds stemming from genetic modification.