The end of the world

Personal Log

Captain Jason Mciver

September 6th, 13AF (After Fallout)

The end of the world began when Silvia Lauren became President of the United States. She won the presidency in spite of her extremely hostile plans against the Russians which she announced mere days before the election. The very day she was sworn into office, she made numerous aggressive moves toward Russia. Within a matter of weeks, American troops had all but completely pulled out of the Middle East and were now being trained specifically for conditions nearly identical to Russia. Americans were ambivalent about her choices, some still wanting her arrested for her illicit actions while on campaign, while others thought she would engender the cessation of terrorism. Obviously those Americans had no idea of what she was planning. The next two years were marked by the exacerbated acrimony between the two superpowers. At the same time it seemed the Lauren administration developed a close affinity with numerous Islamic nations; nations infamous for their radical beliefs and rumored atrocities. This time was also noted for the great migration of Christians and Jews from America to Europe as it was rapidly becoming dangerous for them to live in America. Finally, after over two years of rising tensions, Russia and America declared war on each other.

The ironic thing? It was over a mercy mission to a town in the Middle East. The Russian government had attempted to send a team of medical personnel into the Israelite town, which had been overrun by Pakistani forces. The Pakistanis were originally willing to let the group of assorted medics and missionaries into the enclave, until the Lauren administration got word of it. Outraged that a group of Russians had gotten into an occupied town, the US government demanded that the Russians be either taken prisoner or eliminated, under the grounds that they were "spies". Wisely, the Pakistanis refused to do so. However, a unit of US Green Berets attached to the Pakistan forces support had no problem with performing the execution for them. When word got out that the unarmed medical personnel had been gunned down by American troops, outrage erupted in Russia. The Russian government demanded that those responsible be punished for the atrocity, but Lauren, inexorable in spite of numerous entreaties from military leaders, AWARDED the American SF commander the Medal of Honor, claiming he had eliminated an extremely dangerous enemy cell. The implication that America and Russia were at war did not go unnoticed. The slaughter of civilians and the enormous insult was the last straw for Russia, and on December 24, 2058 AD, Russia formally declared war on the United States.

In a matter of hours, the skies of Russia and America were filled with hundreds of nuclear weapons as the two superpowers and their allies did their best to eradicate their enemies. By noon of that morning, both America and Russia, along with numerous other nations, were radioactive wastelands. However, Russia was the least affected, due to the size of the vast nation. However, the war was far from over. Despite the state of the two nations, what was left of the Clinton administration ordered the remnants of the US military to invade Russia, and Russian troops prepared to meet them at the beaches. Both sides were enraged by the devastation and bloodthirsty, and a furious battle raged on the beaches of Russia.

That was thirteen years ago, and the war has yet to subside. The Russians managed to force us from the "Motherland", and now we're the ones defending the wasteland that was our home. Right now, it's a stalemate, with conditions similar to the trenches of WW1, but with radiation on top of all of that. On top of that, we also have to deal with enemy air raids and advanced technology.

I'll never forget the first time I experienced a "big push". First the enemy missiles shot screaming from the sky, sending men and parts of men flying everyone. Then, as we struggled to regain our wits, the first wave of Russian mechs came charging out of the smoke. Before my panic-stricken eyes, one of those infernal machines reached a bunker and filled the pillbox with a raging inferno. To this day I can still hear the men's agonized screams as they were burned alive, roasted by the Russian flamethrower. When its pilot was certain that the pillbox was neutralized, he turned it towards the anti-mech cannon that I was standing next to. I could see the flames flickering at the barrel of the massive exo-suit's flamethrower, and i knew my death was imminent. I tried to run, but instead I just stood there, entranced by the fearsome beauty of the flames. Maybe it was because I was only seven years old or for some other reason, but for a brief moment the pilot hesitated. It was a fatal mistake. With a thundering boom, a missile from a nearby anti-vehicle turret turned the mech into a flaming wreck, pieces cartwheeling through the air. It was the sight of the destroyed mech shook me from my trance, and I took off towards the underground tunnels as more mechs arrived. Back in the old days when we used the old radiation suits I wouldn't have made it,but by then the suits were smaller, lighter, and easier to move in. Even so,I barely made it out alive, barely escaped the horde of Russian troops that flooded the trenches.

That's probably my earliest memory, the Battle of Arizona. I can't even remember anymore what it was like before the war. Understandable, considering I was only five years old and all the trauma that followed. However, even if I did, I probably wouldn't recognize my homeland. That's what all the guys who remember what America was like before the war say. They claim it was a wondrous place, with gleaming cities and rolling green hills. Compared with the hundreds of ruins dotting this landscape and the cracked deserts, it must have been heaven. In a way I guess I'm luckier than the guys who remember, because at least I can't miss what I've never had. They say that the world as we knew it is gone forever, and that's probably true. That's what I meant when I said the end of the world began that fateful November day fifteen years ago. If anyone is reading this, then that probably means I'm dead and you're still alive. It also means someone survived this living Hell, and that's something. It could be you've managed to restore our world to something of its former glory. If so, then congratulations, you've done the impossible. Personally I think Earth's had it, but I could be wrong. In any case, there's one thing you must do; Do not repeat the mistakes we have made. Learn from the nightmare our world has become-

This log was found on Sol-107, Dryloth system. It appears that it was written by a soldier indigenous to the continent the document was discovered on.Judging by the position of the skeleton holding the log and the projectile found lodged in it's skull, it seems the soldier was killed before finishing the log entry. Due to the massive Nuclear spikes on the planet, and the planet's emaciated inhabitants, the world was deemed uninhabitable and declared off limits by the Planetary Federation.

Dr. Xaroth Hargberg