Earth 2: A Grim Fate

New discoveries have been coming to light down here on the surface of Earth 2. In the last two days, our New York teams have found clear evidence of a large 400-year-old anonymous-burial cemetery in what would have been the northern areas of Central Park. Thousands of memorial markers have been found at those locations.

In London, our teams have discovered additional medical triage areas in the city’s subway tunnels, suggesting even more widespread medical activity below the city streets. Two large underground rooms have also been discovered that appear to have been makeshift morgues. Similar areas are being found under NYC as well.

In Paris, some still-standing debris has also been discovered that appears to contain the faded remnants of medical quarantine warnings. Most of this evidence is almost completely worn away, but they do appear to have existed at one time.

A large cemetery has been discovered in San Francisco as well. In addition, there are indications that vast refugee cities may have been constructed outside the city. Evidence of large-scale occupation is abundant, and would seem to suggest a mass exodus from the city center.

With all of these discoveries recorded (and new teams finding similar evidence at the ruined sites of Washington DC, USA, and Tokyo, Japan), we may well know what happened to the population of this planet. It is beginning to look like a catastrophic medical event, that led to planet-wide abandonment. Since there is no evidence from the air of rocket launch sites, this was likely an extinction-level event.

While these discoveries appear grim, it is equally amazing how quickly nature has reclaimed this planet. Where cities once stood, vast forests now grow. Where streets once hummed with activity, birds now chip in century-old trees. It is hard to imagine an Earth that once faced this kind of disaster, but it is humbling to know that this never happened on the Earth we come from.

There have even been some suggestions that, to avoid confusion, we call this planet, “Miri” – the apparent name of a young girl memorialized on a statue in the New York Central Park cemetery. Earth and Earth 2 could be confusing to those who continue exploring this planet after we leave. To date, however, an official name has not been announced.

-Lieutenant Sam Archer

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May 17, 2365 -- (Original Devron Timeline)