- “The sky is pitch black with smoke. The ocean is dark, incredibly dark. In the distance I can see land. According to navigation - it's Lisbon and the coast of Portugal.
It's on fire. Everything is on fire. The flames, they're reaching all the way into the sky. It's unreal.
[...] Nothing but a massive firestorm covering the continent.” - ― Crewmember Hopper of the MS CURIE[src]
 | |
|---|---|
| Impact Event | |
Impactor | Comet Telos |
Site | Pacific Ocean, Earth |
Time | January 12, 2103 at 05:13 |
Effect | Extinction of all life on the surface, surface rendered uninhabitable |
The Impact Event (called The Apocalypse by many) was a sudden mass extinction event that occurred on Friday, January 12, 2103 at 05:13 when the Comet Telos collided with Earth, crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
Contents
- 1 Comet Telos
- 2 Overview
- 3 Gallery
- 3.1 Schematics
- 3.2 Disaster
- 3.3 Earth
Comet Telos
 | |
|---|---|
| Comet Telos | |
Discovery date | 2089 |
Named after | τέλος Telos |
P. designation | 2089 SO |
Comet Telos, provisional designation 2089 SO, was an asteroid or specifically a comet (made distinct from other asteroids by the effect of sublimation and outgassing) discovered in 2089, likely originally classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid. It was likely the same size, if not larger, than the Chicxulub impactor that resulted in the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, which was around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in diameter.
On the third deflection info screen, and on an unused pictogram of Comet Telos (found among the files for the video on the tram in the Upsilon Shuttle Station), the comet is called 2089 SO. This is its provisional designation, and as per astronomical naming conventions for comets the "2089" indicates the year Comet Telos was first discovered. SO possibly stands for Stellar Object.
Overview
The impact triggered firestorms in many areas on Earth with the Iberian Peninsula being severely affected. It ejected enormous amounts of dust and debris into the atmosphere, making it thick and difficult to operate in. Massive tsunamis inundated the coastlines of the Earth's continents. The impact rendered the surface of the Earth completely barren, killing all surface-dwelling life.
The impact caused the atmosphere to become heavily toxic and much warmer. Undersea life continued to thrive, however, including the humans stationed at PATHOS-II. Comet Telos initially decimated the populations of large aquatic species such as the humpback whale and the giant squid to near extinction. However, the humpback whale managed to survive and was observed by PATHOS-II staff after the impact event to be unaffected by the WAU, carrying on mammalian life on Earth.
Humans worldwide reacted differently to the impending disaster. At first, an effort to deflect Comet Telos was attempted via rocketry contributed by Earth's nations. However, these efforts failed in succession until the last attempt mere hours before the impact. Meanwhile some people fled to bomb shelters in mountainous areas such as Upstate New York, hoping to endure the Comet Telos impact. Many major cities worldwide were evacuated as urban centers were seen as more vulnerable to damage. Major corporations made an effort to preserve their assets and personnel, with those of Carthage Industries and Haimatsu Technologies aboard PATHOS-II being relatively successful. Other people accepted the inevitability of death and extinction and spent the remaining time with their loved ones, or sent loving messages to those they could not reach.
The initial impact killed billions within the Pacific region and the fallout killed billions more over the next few days. The impact completely destroyed global communications, leaving the few pockets of survivors with little information as to the scope of the damage. PATHOS-II became the last known human settlement on Planet Earth. However, submersible vessels such as the MS CURIE managed to remain operational for some time after the impact. The CURIE was able to reach the coast of Portugal and photograph the extent of Comet Telos' wrath. However, an aftershock occurred after the Impact, likely destroying any remaining global transportation.
Gallery
Schematics
Details of the effort to deflect the comet. Note the early logo of Phi.
Ditto.
Ditto. This one also has the early Phi logo.
Disaster
Firestorm along a destroyed highway.
Ruins in a mountain area.
The Comet Telos in space.
A firestorm in a forest.
The Comet Telos as it hits the surface.
The surface of the Earth covered by a massive duststorm, with fire and lightning peaking through.
A photo of a fence along a dirt trail, with the skeleton of a horse in front of it.
A human skeleton lying against a concrete wall.
A flaming city being destroyed by debris and firestorms from the comet.
A massive tidal wave caused by the Comet Telos carrying dozens of ships as it comes towards a city.
A destroyed city along an unknown coast side, possibly the same city as the one depicted in the tidal wave image.
Earth
The destroyed Earth seen in the post-credit scene of SOMA.
Ditto.
The model of the destroyed Earth itself, without all of the clouds covering it.
