7 Days to Earth

"On the March 15 of an alternate 2015, S.E.T.I receives a signal from from an approaching alien spacefleet 38 days from Earth. After 30 days of linguistic analysis it becomes clear what E.T is saying - nay - demanding: Subjugation=imminent Cooperation=survival Service=Potential reward Defiance=Certain death. With this in mind the leaders of Earth's major powers commissioned a think tank to come up with a plan that could thwart the alien invaders during the remaining 7 days. So they did.

Over the course of the next week the world's major powers instructed their respective populaces to prepare for an imminent attack by their enemies. They had no idea they'd be fighting aliens. Meanwhile America and China turned to the orbital weapons they'd been building in secrets as well as a makeshift space navy for the purpose of finding out what military capabilities the invaders had at their disposal. They would lose, but the war would go on long after E.T thought they'd already won.

As that battle played out in Earth's orbit and those Earthbound dug in and prepared for a long, brutal struggle, the fledgling Mars colony - established as an international effort - received a rather different message: On those colonists heads lay Earth's future liberation from the same subjugation that would face them if they were discovered. For the good of all, they had to go forth and multiply until they were in a position to legitimately oppose the invaders. With the help of any remaining Earthbound resistance movements they would be able to triumph

So it was that a conspiracy was hatched. But not a conspiracy directed towards the domination or destruction of one group of humans or another, but towards the liberation of all humankind. And they called it...

THE ———- PROJECT!"

Three questions I have first and foremost: What sort of complications could I throw in the way of this plan along the way? How might I make this apparently black and white situation grayer (while at the same time keeping the ——- Project a lighter shade of grey, if I even go that route in the first place)? What would be some good names for such a conspiracy?

Also any points you folk can bring up besides these are all well and dandy as well.

edited 31st Jul '13 3:37:18 AM by goldenerasuburb

That beginning bit is bizarrely similar to an idea I thought of when on vacation last week. How 'bout that...

edited 31st Jul '13 3:48:05 AM by Ryuhza

Indeed. As a matter of curiosity, where does my idea diverge from yours past that initial similarity?

Well, I didn't spin the idea around for much, but I had the idea of a longstanding extraterrestrial signal being discovered, and eventually translated, with the most recent messages being roughly understood as being along the lines of "we are coming." Though in my head, the story revolves around the hysteria surrounding the implications of the message and potential contact, rather than actual, direct contact.

So, it does diverge pretty early on. Still a bit of a coincidence...

Some stuff that could come up: How does an isolated martian colony escape detection from aliens capable of intergalactic travel and subjugating their entire planet. What is their plan if they detect an alien scout ship/satellite that could potentially give away their position?

They discover that they lack a particular resource and need to find a way to gather it from a nearby asteroid/planet without attracting the aliens attention.

A group of refugees from earth arrive seeking shelter, but its possible that the aliens have tracked their movements and could compromise their position.

It is discovered that someone in the colony, foreseeing no possible victory, has decided to turn traitor.

As for making the situation less black and white: Perhaps the people of earth mistranslated the alien's intent. Instead of declaring their intention to subjugate the planet, the aliens are part of a more benign (but perhaps somewhat imperialistic) galactic alliance, and were attempting to invite the people of earth to join their society. (The whole Defiance=Certain Death thing was actually metaphorical 'death by isolation from the rest of the universe' or something) Instead earth geared up for war and attacked their diplomats (mistaking them for the vanguard of an army) thus prompting a more aggressive response from the aliens.

Or, maybe the invaders are actually conscripts of a larger empire, being forced to fight against their will. Essentially, the resistance is fighting against beings who suffered the same fate earth did, and are now being forced to impose this fate on other planets as well.

There could also be a faction on earth who decides to join the aliens (benevolent or not) and the survivors have to deal with fighting not just aliens but their own kind as well.

As for a name, the only one I can think at the moment of is kind of cliche: The Phoenix Conspiracy. One for the whole 'rising from the ashes' symbolism, and, because Mars is the 'red' planet it plays into the fiery imagery associated with a phoenix.