We didn’t see them coming. All the satellites, telescopes, space probes, monitoring stations - you name it - all the shit that we had spent trillions of dollars on over the decades had failed spectacularly and simultaneously. One moment the sky over Pottersford, MA was a brilliant blue; that deep sapphire color that belongs exclusively to mid-September. The next moment the sky was filled, almost horizon to horizon, with a massive object. The thing was so goddam big it affected the tides.

The cellular networks almost immediately collapsed under the weight of thousands of people taking to social media sites to post photos and videos of the ship. The news outlets scrambled crews from Boston and Providence. Kids, just back to school after summer vacation, were ushered into their school gymnasiums. Parents, panicked and fled work to get home to their children. Police sprang into action to direct traffic, but quickly had to shift gears to stopping riots in the area grocery and hardware stores. The governor mobilized the National Guard and delcared a state of emergency. People started carrying guns in the street. They barricaded doors and windows, and hunkered down.