User:WikiBuilder1147/Sandbox

Epilogue
2nd July 2158

''Today the Government made their move. A devastating one. They call them "nuclear missiles." Very dangerous things. I hope that everything's alright down there.''

When the missile came, the Redemption'' was hovering near Riverview. We were planning our assault on SimCity. Then, alarms went off everywhere. The crew on the bridge was sent into a frenzy.''

''"Nuclear missile incoming!" cried the radar officer.''

''The panicked crew put the ship's cannons on the missile. They started firing. I went up to the radar screen. There was our dot in the middle. Then there was another flashing dot, moving closer and closer to the centre point. The guns obviously had no effect.''

The missile rushed straight past the Redemption''. We all sighed in relief, but only momentarily. We saw a bright flash. The light splayed out in all directions. Some of the crew members were momentarily blinded. Then, a deafening, thundering boom. The noise transformed quickly into a roar. A cloud formed in the sky.''

It looked like a mushroom.

''Out of the mushroom cloud came a ring of what appeared to be dust and debris. The ring steadily expanded. It was heading towards us as well.''

''"GET DOWN!" the captain screamed. We scrambled to get ourselves onto the floor. Suddenly, the full force of the shockwave shattered all the glass windows that made the walls of the bridge. The glass flew everywhere. The wind generated by the explosion whipped my hair back, as with everyone else in the room.''

''I tried to stand. I looked at the explosion. I scrutinised it. Where was the missile headed? What was its target?''

Then, I realised.

Riverview.

3rd July 2158

''Reports came in from our units all over the world. Nuclear attacks. Nuclear explosions. Nuclear missiles. Nuclear, nuclear, nuclear, nuclear. The world is in ruins. Shambles. Nuclear fallout will make sure of that. As each and every corner of the devastated planet is coated in a hearty serving of radioactive, poisonous dust, Supreme Command finalised its plans to attack the Government's capital. The final showdown. It will determine the fate of our sphere.''

''My best hopes for humanity's recovery have been dashed. It looks like we're doomed to bomb each other to death. To hell we go, I suppose.''

 —Miami Hodgson

There are various accounts of the experiences of Lieutenant-General Benjamin Faulkner, Major-General Miami Hodgson, Colonel Alexander Townsend and General Harry Miller. For example, some state that Miller's former platoon was not part of the Federal Armed Forces, but were a band of mercenaries. The same accounts imply that the mercenaries were employed by the Government and eventually incorporated into the Army as a separate unit. Other biographies of Miller say that his platoon, instead of being executed, were exiled to an undisclosed location, and that Miller was retained for interrogation.

After what became known as the Liberation War, Benjamin Faulkner and Miami Hodgson were posthumously awarded the Cross of Valour, the National Legion of Honour, the and Companionship of the High Order of the Liberation. They were buried ceremoniously in the Tomb of Heroes on July 4th, 2158. A monument was erected in their memory in the centre of the ruined city of Bridgeport. Many travel to the ruins to pay their respects to the two national heroes. Hodgson's diaries and journals, with the consent of Colonel Townsend and General Miller, were published in 2160. However, the final published version was heavily edited out. This has resulted in several events being altered and even omitted. Unfortunately, the original notebooks on which Hodgson had written her diary have since been lost, so it is unlikely that the questions that have arisen as a consequence to these alterations will never be answered. Nevertheless, the published documents have become a major primary source for historians.

Directly after the war, Alexander Townsend CV NLH CHOL MP resigned from service in the Liberation Army and the Liberation Governance Council appointed him Secretary for Education, a post he continued to hold under the new Oasis Landing National Directory. He organised a program to un-brainwash the populace, and began the establishment of a curriculum based on the values of mid-21st century humanity. After a ten-year tenure as Secretary for Education, Townsend resigned and retired to his home in Oasis Landing's Garden District. He never consented to be interviewed about his personal wartime experiences. At the age of 50, Townsend travelled into the Wastelands, and never returned. He is presumed dead.

General Harry Miller CV NLH GPC CHOL MP remained in the Liberation Army, becoming Supreme Commander. He later was appointed Secretary for Defence. In this position, Miller began the transformation of the Liberation Army, establishing the Oasis Landing Peacekeeper Corps. He also became Chief Peacekeeper after resigning from the Directory. He continued to serve the city in the field of defence until his tragic and heroic death during a battle against Government insurgents at the age of 56.

These individuals were at the forefront of the pursuit of liberty for the people of our world. May their names forever live on in history.

The speaker stood before the audience. Behind him was a gargantuan marble statue of Benjamin Faulkner, Miami Hodgson, Alexander Townsend and Harry Miller. As he told the audience of the four's heroic deeds, they sat and listened attentively, save one. The child looked up, and noticed a small, strange-looking creature. It was completely alien to him; he had never seen one before. It had colourful, thin wings with intricately carved patterns. It fluttered above him effortlessly.

A butterfly.

The boy stood up in an attempt to catch it, but failed. The butterfly flittered away, as if beckoning him to follow it. He complied.

As he ran after this new, wonderful creature, the cityscape about him whizzed by. The hovercars quietly whooped as they floated about purposefully above him. The skyscrapers towered above the boy and the butterfly as the two sprinted and flew by each of them. The clean roads glistened in the sunlight, as if it were smiling with joy. The pink trees waved to and fro ever so slightly, a soft breeze brushing past them. The wind whipped past the boy's face as he ran after the butterfly.

Then he came to the edge of a dam. The butterfly slowed down and landed on the boy's shoulder. He turned his head to look at it and smiled before staring into the distance. The wastelands spread out in all directions before him. The orange barrenness of the place seemed utterly hostile compared to the wonderful oasis he was familiar with. But then, he saw it. Kilometres into the distance. A single small, pink and yellow object rippled unhurriedly and leisurely. The boy's pupils widened, and he ran off back to his mother to tell her of his findings. And as he did so, and as he returned with his mother an hour later; and as they left and the sun set, and as day and night came and went, as the clock of eternity slowly ticked by, more of these little things sprouted out of the ground and began to ripple. Unhurriedly and leisurely.

The flowers were in bloom.

END

This part of my sandbox involves the further development of the Book page.