Story Structure — 6 Plot Phases
Return To A Ruined Earth
The astronauts return from a forty-year mission and are immediately captured near the ruins of Portland. Their imprisonment exposes the brutality of the post-invasion world.
Key Events
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Return From Space — An astronaut doctor, his companion, and two other astronauts return after a forty-year space mission.
Location: Earth
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Capture Near Portland — Human bounty hunters capture the returning astronauts near the ruins of Portland.
Location: Ruins of Portland, Oregon
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Injured Teammate Executed — One astronaut suffers a sprain and is killed despite the doctor's claim that it would heal.
Location: Ruins of Portland, Oregon
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Taken To Work Camp — The surviving prisoners are transported to a work camp supervised by human bounty hunters.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Insectoid Camp Rulers — The prisoners discover that giant termite-like aliens operate the work camp.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
Life Under Alien Rule
The survivors discover that giant termite-like aliens control human work camps. Death, forced labor, and the history of the invasion reveal the scale of humanity's collapse.
Key Events
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Insectoid Camp Rulers — The prisoners discover that giant termite-like aliens operate the work camp.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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The Alien Invasion — The aliens arrived twenty years earlier, used E.M.P. bombs, and invaded a weakened Earth.
Location: Earth
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Refusal To Work — One astronaut refuses to work and is eaten alive by an alien.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Rumors Of Survival — The prisoners hear rumors that the President survived and commands an army.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Escape Plan Formed — The astronaut doctor and his companion plan to escape the next day.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
Escape And Separation
Rumors of a surviving President inspire an escape plan. The plan partly succeeds, but the companion is recaptured while the astronaut doctor begins searching for resistance forces.
Key Events
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Successful Camp Escape — The escape initially succeeds, allowing the prisoners to leave the work camp.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Companion Recaptured — Human bounty hunters recapture the companion while the astronaut doctor escapes.
Location: Near the work camp
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Search For The President — The astronaut doctor travels through the ruined world seeking the rumored surviving President.
Location: Post-invasion Earth
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Meeting The Believers — The astronaut doctor meets humans who believe that the President has survived.
Location: Post-invasion Earth
A Broken Government
The astronaut doctor reaches a secret headquarters and finds remnants of the American government. The surviving President is too diminished to lead, prompting the doctor to organize a rebellion.
Key Events
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Meeting The Believers — The astronaut doctor meets humans who believe that the President has survived.
Location: Post-invasion Earth
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Convoy Reaches Headquarters — The astronaut doctor and a human convoy reach a secret headquarters.
Location: Secret headquarters
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The President Revealed — The survivors find remnants of the American government and a diminished President.
Location: Secret headquarters
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A New Rebellion — Disappointed by the President's condition, the astronaut doctor decides to rally escaped slaves.
Location: Secret headquarters
The Camp Revolt
The rebels attack the alien work camp and rescue the punished companion. Alien artillery nearly defeats them until the President's group destroys the tanks in a surprise assault.
Key Events
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Attack On The Camp — The rebels launch an attack on the camp where the companion remains imprisoned.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Punished Prisoner Joins — The companion, who lost a finger after trying to escape, joins the rebellion during the attack.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Alien Artillery Arrives — The aliens bring heavy artillery and tanks, making the rebel attack appear nearly hopeless.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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Government Counterattack — The President's group arrives, launches a sneak attack, and destroys the alien tanks.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
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The Camp Falls — The remaining slaves join the fight, and the combined rebels defeat the aliens.
Location: Alien-controlled work camp
The Exterminator Rises
The liberated rebels continue attacking alien camps and recruiting followers. The astronaut doctor gains the title of the Great Exterminator.
Key Events
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The Extermination Campaign — The rebels continue attacking alien camps and gathering more followers.
Location: Alien-controlled camps
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The Great Exterminator — The astronaut doctor becomes known as the Great Exterminator.
Location: Post-invasion Earth