BROKEN BY THE SUN
Kirken's War
Synopsis
In 2201, Earth’s atmosphere weakened to life-altering levels. Ozone depletion reached a catastrophic stage, and greenhouse gases choked the planet. The world’s inhabitants were slowly dying beneath the onslaught of the sun’s deadly rays.
The world became divided, and a new governmental Cold War began to exist. Superpower countries and nation alliances worked separately to develop ways for life to continue in the changed and damaged world. Giant domed structures were constructed to shelter small sections of land.
But it was not enough. The souls not protected under these structures became isolated, sick and weak. The United States found itself divided within.
In this new Cold War, each country carefully guarded and concealed all technological innovations designed to shelter greater amounts of its people. Each looked to the other for failure, hoping as a nation the other would perish from the Earth.
In 2226, a defense strategy was devised as official response protocol in the event of an invasive attack on the United States.
Administration Land Defense Strategy #21436 called for explosive ambushes of invading armies in outer world cities. Primary goals were to defeat and reduce the global might of an invading country’s force while at the same time clearing outer world land for the construction of new artificial atmosphere technology.
Unofficial hopes centered on an expected rejuvenation of the U.S. population through the removal of thousands of sick and dying within these cities when the blasts were planned to come.
Few knew of Defense Strategy #21436. Fewer still wanted to see it put into use.
Following one final mission of protecting and furthering the ideals of a government in which he no longer believes, retired dome military commander John Kirken travels back to the hometown of his ex-wife and two stepchildren living on the outside.
He pleads again with his ex-wife to relinquish custody of her children, his stepchildren, so that they can share his entitlement as a military member and live with him in the communities protected beneath the domes.
Kirken’s stepchildren have become the sole driving force in his life. His purpose. They’ve helped him numb the overwhelming guilt he’s continuously felt for living on the inside and give him strength in a world that sickened him to simply exist. They provide him the only peace he is able to find in this new divided world. His love for them calms his soul. They keep him alive. And allow him to sleep.
While Kirken is in Beuford, United States President Franklin Ford learns that a United States military team was discovered conducting illegal covert operations in the territories of a superpower nation. War is quickly declared. An invasion force is imminent.
As the country considers its response, Ford is informed that for the past several decades similar covert ops have been launched throughout the world to secure, steal and destroy foreign dome-related technical advances.
He is advised that launching Defense Strategy #21436 is the only option to defend against the coming military force and ultimately ensure the continued existence of the sun-ravaged United States citizenry.
With a heavy heart and sickened soul, President Ford authorizes it to be put into use.
Orders to carry out Strategy #21436 are given to General Maxwell Tuttle, a leading operations commander of the secretly trained specialized demolition troops. His teams embark hundreds of missions to wire strategically targeted cities. With full-scale detonation initiated once the invading troops established themselves within.
After a few early successes, detonation missions begin to unravel and fail. Tuttle immediately finds himself leading an uncertain military force questioning the actions of the government it is their job to protect. Tuttle also wrestles with the morality of his mission objectives, the destruction of his own people.
Visiting his family outside the protective domes when the initial attacks are finally launched, Kirken finds himself caught up in this newly declared war. He re-establishes military contact and is told of the existence of Defense Strategy #21436.
He is also informed that the air transport for a demolition team has crashed on its way to Beuford, the hometown of his children, the next target of the plan.
Kirken is offered rescue, a way out, for both him and his family…if he carries out the mission of the doomed demolition team.
With only the thought of getting his stepchildren to safety, Kirken returns angrily to forced military service to take on the government mission of destroying the city his family calls home.
Despite a promised extraction from the outside war zone, Kirken struggles deeply with what he has agreed to undertake. Completing the demolition mission would protect secret technology that when initiated would mean more protected life on the dying planet. However, this success would be at the unbearable cost and sacrifice of those still living within.
Kirken’s War is a story of characters caught up in a morally incomprehensible war.
Trapped in events that are beyond any means of control, each is forced to make unspeakable choices in a world where only unthinkable options exist. All claw and fight to do whatever is in their power to establish victory in a hopeless environment hoping to cleanse the sins that have stained their already darkened souls.
A wrecked planet. A people destroyed. All broken by the sun.