The only warning was the sudden sight of a burning structure entering the atmosphere. People looked up in wonder and fear as a massive flaming ring fell from the sky.

The first reports about the falling object began circulating on social media, but televised news agencies quickly picked up the story. The headlines dubbed it the “Burning Ring of Death.”

There wasn’t enough warning for major powers to launch a last-ditch defense against the falling object, and scientists on the ground couldn’t calculate its precise trajectory. The best they could do was estimate a general area where the oddly-shaped ring may impact.

Warnings were sent to nations around the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the International Space Station provided images showing the “ring” was actually a more substantial structure.

People under the falling object panicked as it grew closer. Airplanes across half the planet received emergency orders to reroute and land, but for many, it was too late. They were already trapped inside the airspace beneath the falling structure. Some planes still tried to escape, only to be destroyed by the Burning Ring of Death.

09:55 AM

About five minutes before impact, the massive structure began to visibly slow down and parts appeared to randomly rotate or change shape. There was no clear explanation for these sudden changes in speed or form.

As the structure entered the atmosphere, its pressure wave knocked aircraft out of the sky. Only a few pilots managed to maintain control of their planes. Unfortunately, some of these aircraft still collided with the structure’s wall.

10:00 AM

At exactly 10:00 AM (local time), the structure touched down. News reporters who were live on the scene went dark immediately after the impact. Their international colleagues desperately tried to contact them, but it quickly became apparent that communication was severed. While some regional networks remained operational within the dome, access to international internet and phone networks was silent.

10:10 AM

All the airplanes that were destined to crash did so. Around this time, people worldwide could clearly see that the structure was actually a dome.

Every nation focused their satellites on the dome, noting its unusual shape on the planet’s surface. One commentator noted that it resembled a puzzle piece meant for a map.

10:30 AM

Social media networks buzzed with images from the edge of the dome. Initially, locals shared pictures of livestock that had been killed by the impact. Soon after, images appeared of neighbors waving to each other from opposite sides of the dome.

Nations within the dome mobilized their armies to explore its boundaries.

11:00 AM

At precisely 11:00 AM (local time), a giant projection activated above every major city within the dome, displaying a countdown that began at 11 minutes and 11 seconds. But what was this ominous timer counting down to?

• Would it trigger a massive bomb?
• Would toxic gas fill the dome?
• Would the dome rise to the heavens?

Panic and lawlessness spread through the cities as the timer approached 00:00:00. Some soldiers stationed at the dome’s barrier fired at it, but their projectiles merely ricocheted off, injuring or killing themselves instead.

11:11:11 AM

The countdown reached its end, and a figure appeared above all the cities within the dome. He resembled a human, but his skin was green. When he spoke, his booming voice was instantly translated into the dominant language of each city below.

He said, “I am the Emperor of the Tri-Galactic Empire, Lord Protector of the Federation, Dominus of Sssilesssia, Bane of Elodi, and Exterminator of Shydow.”

“We grow tired of the senseless conflict sparked by your so-called holy land. Everyone in the galaxy knows that the true founder of galactic civilization was born in the Betelgeuse system, which bears his name.”

In reverence, he briefly prayed, “Praise be the founder! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!”

“It is by my decree that you shall, as you say, ‘duke it out.’ We do not care who wins. We only care that you stop whining about who did what several generations ago. Stop crying about who has oppressed whom since your second industrialized global conflict.”

“We grow weary of seeing a nation that suffered a great genocide hide behind that to commit repeated micro-genocides, all while relying on powerful allies who were either paid or guilted into supporting their cause.”

“Do not attempt to dig underground to escape your fate. What you see as a dome is now spherical and completely sealed from the rest of the universe. The dome is made of a material unknown to your science, designed to be indestructible to all civilizations except our own.”

“We do not wish to hear your pleas. We do not intend to communicate with you beyond this initial contact… until you grow up and join MODERN civilization.”

11:22 AM

That was it. The image vanished.

A Few Days After Impact

At first, nothing major happened.

• Scientists quickly asserted that such an event couldn’t have been predicted, given how the structure was perfectly clear and transparent.
• Using ground-penetrating radar, they confirmed that the dome was indeed spherical, making escape through digging impossible.
• Theorists suggested there was enough air and water within the dome to sustain life indefinitely, provided governments implemented strict measures to ration resources, conserve energy, and recycle waste.
• Primitive communication was established using light to convey messages in Morse code.

1 Week After Impact

Reliable digital communication was reestablished within the dome, and the first message transmitted to all trapped nations came from the international scientific community.

The announcement that people would have to live with even less sent distress rippling through the population. Anger grew when they learned that the cost of living was also increasing:

• Electrical rates doubled to encourage conservation.
• Blackouts were scheduled at night for non-urban areas.
• Water rationing was implemented based on essential needs.
• The price of most types of food tripled.
• Due to limited communication methods with the outside world, cellular and internet access prices also doubled. Later, it was discovered that the transmission rate was permanently reduced and throttled during certain hours.

For those raised in the digital age and reliant on the comforts of modern society, this was inexcusable.

Riots erupted.

In some countries, protesters were deemed liabilities and met with brutal crackdowns. Authorities argued it made sense to eliminate those individuals to preserve valuable resources for cooperative citizens.

2 Weeks After Impact

Despite worldwide protests, Israel halted all aid shipments to the Palestinians. The Israeli government publicly signaled to radical settlers that it was open season in the West Bank, granting military support to secure as many natural resources as possible.

Israel completely isolated the Gaza Strip and intensified its bombing campaigns in the territory. The military action resulted in the expulsion of many native Palestinians, and Israel announced plans to exploit both land and oceanic resources for the country’s benefit.

The Palestinians were unable to withstand the Israeli onslaught.

1 Month After Impact

Humanitarian concerns regarding the brutal occupation of Gaza and the escalating conflict in the West Bank turned global sentiment against Israel. In response, assets were frozen, and access to the global internet was entirely cut off to the country, except for diplomatic channels.

Fearing that Israel would eventually target them as it had Palestine, the other Arab nations within the dome declared war and launched attacks against Israel.

The outside world divided into two factions, labeled by the media as Team Israel and Team Arab. The new conflict ignited outrage among supporters of Team Israel, but they found themselves powerless to meddle economically and militaristically as they historically had.

A few countries outside the dome also declared war in support of Team Arab. However, these declarations were largely symbolic, as there was no way to physically engage with anything inside the dome.

The Dome War

The Israelites understood from history that a war of this scale could only lead to their total annihilation. All reserve members were called to serve, and Israel drafted every able-bodied man, regardless of religious orthodoxy.

The Arab nations were equally desperate. Their national and religious leaders declared that Islam was at the brink of extinction, convincing citizens that if they failed in this holy war, extermination at the hands of the Jews would follow. Even the most conservative Muslim leaders acknowledged the need for every man—and, unfortunately, every woman—to contribute to the cause.

International commentators weighed the odds of who would win the war , with many placing bets based on expert speculations:

• Team Israel had a well-trained army, multi-million dollar equipment, and advanced technology.
• Team Arab boasted vastly superior numbers but relied on outdated equipment and lacked modern technology.
• Team Null was created for those who wanted to bet that neither side would be victorious.

Initially, the odds seemed even. Team Israel fought on multiple fronts without the support of traditional allies. They held their ground during the first week of the war, but as more troops and resources were brought into the conflict, Team Arab began to gain the upper hand.

Team Arab made significant territorial gains into the Israeli heartland. To the outrage of the outside world, city after city was brutally subjugated, and populations were massacred.

Arabic armies closed in on all sides toward the dual heartlands of Israel. Just as Team Arab prepared to lay siege to Jerusalem, Team Israel finalized modifications to reprogram their atomic arsenal for use within the dome.

In a shocking turn, Team Israel launched atomic weapons against Team Arab.

Atom & Eve of the Dome

The world was shocked and outraged when international headlines featured satellite images of burning craters where cities once stood. The use of atomic weaponry ignited renewed fury against Team Israel.

In the United States, over half the population publicly protested, calling for a formal declaration of contempt against Israel—or even a symbolic declaration of war. The government made half-hearted attempts to quell the protests, revealing a long-held contempt among the populace for Team Israel.

There simply wasn’t enough money or sympathetic interest outside the dome to sway the media toward pro-Israel narratives. The pro-Israel lobby could no longer afford to influence politicians to oppose the wishes of their constituents to support the agenda they had historically promoted.

Despite the outrage, the deployment of their atomic arsenal effectively halted Team Arab’s assault.

Dome of Peace

The international scientific community announced a grim theory: radioactive fallout was spreading throughout the dome, and scientists predicted that radiation levels would soon exceed survivable rates everywhere within. They assured the public that everything was contained and would not affect anyone outside the dome.

Once the radioactive dust settled, there was finally peace and quiet—just as the aliens intended.