Near Apocalypse of '31

The Near Apocalypse of '31 was a crisis that took place during World War III, lasting from 8 to 16 March 2031 (UTC time). Prior to World War IV, this period was seen as the closest that humanity stood on the brink of global nuclear destruction, as both the Allied Coalition and the CSTO forces were, at one point, just minutes away from launching global strategic nuclear exchanges that would've led to a nuclear holocaust.
== Prelude ==
Prior to the crisis, nuclear weapons were not deployed as swiftly as commonly believed. Despite numerous instances of nuclear saber-rattling, world leaders endeavored to maintain the war as a conventional conflict for as long as possible, successfully doing so for 4 years. Both the Allied Coalition and the CSTO employed various grey-zone tactics that stopped short of crossing the perceived threshold for a nuclear escalation. However, the threat of nuclear warfare loomed large over the war, making its eventual consideration only a matter of time. 
== The Crisis ==
=== Pandora's Box Opens: Second Korean War turns Nuclear ===
==== 8 March ====
Amid significant setbacks against joint South Korean and U.S. forces, North Korea, under the perceived threat of an imminent invasion, initiated a nuclear attack at 12:00 UTC time, marking the first instance of nuclear warfare since WWII. It involved the usage of 10 tactical nuclear weapons delivered via Short Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs), with estimated yields ranging from 10 to 100 kilotons, against significant troop concentrations across the South Korean border, including two detonations on Seoul and Incheon. Within a few hours, at 15:35 UTC, the U.S. retaliated in kind, launching 12 nuclear strikes across North Korean soil via AGM-86 cruise missiles, each with a yield of 50 kilotons. They targeted critical command structures and troop concentrations within the North Korean military, which was already exhausted due to both defensive and offensive efforts, causing the near complete collapse of the North Korean front.
==== 9 March ====
It was assumed that, with the prior extensive bombing of North Korean military facilities, and under threat of further nuclear retaliation, North Korea would be compelled to surrender. However, and unexpectedly, North Korea would retaliate approximately 24 hours later, launching two Hwasong-17 road-mobile ICBMs from a location within the northern North Korean mountains. One was targeted at the state of Hawaii, but was intercepted and destroyed during it's mid-course phase by an SM-3 exo-atmospheric missile, launched from an Arleigh Burke destroyer located northwest of Hawaii. The second was targeted at the island of Guam, and though most of its deployed warheads either malfunctioned or were intercepted by AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, one warhead penetrated the defenses and detonated 2 km from Andersen Air Force Base as a surface burst, with an estimated yield of 125-150 kilotons. It caused severe destruction and radioactive contamination to the northern part of Guam. 
The U.S. retaliation came an hour later, at 13:00 UTC, utilizing stealthy F-35As to conduct direct low-yield (10 kt.) B-61 'Earth Penetrator' strikes on a storage facility housing more North Korean nuclear weapons, and a command bunker containing the majority of the North Korean leadership, including Kim Jong Un himself. This, along with additional 'finishing blows' using conventional strikes, brought an end to the Second Korean War, and eventually, the collapse of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 
=== The World Reels: Brief Interlude ===
The nuclear exchanges caused worldwide shock, so much so that it lead to several localized and temporary ceasefires across various theaters of war. The pauses allowed world powers to assess the new escalation and its potential consequences on a regional and global scale. Some nations began plans for neutrality or even complete withdrawal from the war altogether, but the majority of the CSTO and Allied Coalition nations remained committed to the war effort. Via various secretive emergency communications between the Allied Coalition and the CSTO, it became clear that North Korea had acted alone in its initiation of the nuclear dimension, without consulting its allies within the CSTO. Thus, and with the subsequent fall of North Korea, it was thought that a wider nuclear conflict was averted, and that the 8-9 March exchanges would remain an isolated event. 
However, a few days later, on March 12, another nuclear exchange occurred in a different theater of war.
=== Re-escalation: Suns Ignite on European Soil ===
Prior to the crisis, NATO and Russo-Belarusian forces were already exhibiting setbacks in their military advancements in eastern Europe, and news of the war going nuclear served to lower morale on both sides. Social media buzzed with talks of worldwide nuclear war following the exchanges in East Asia and the Pacific, with rumors spreading rapidly across Europe, stirring public unrest and hysteria, and causing mass protests and riots demanding an end to the war. Despite the turmoil, on 11 March, Russo-Belarusian forces launched a major offensive that had been planned months in advance, targeting facilities across eastern Poland while pushing westwards.
==== 12 March ====
On 12 March at precisely 05:05 UTC time, the first nuclear detonation in Europe occurred unexpectedly, in the form of a high-altitude detonation above the front lines located around the city of Olecko, Poland, with a yield of approximately 50 kilotons. A powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP) was generated, resulting in the widespread destruction of various electronic systems and the disruption of military communications for both NATO and Russo-Belarusian forces. The party responsible for the first nuclear detonation in Europe remains disputed due to the rapid response and subsequent tactical exchanges by both sides. 
Within just 30 minutes after the first, at 05:34 UTC, NATO would respond, detonating 20 low-yield nuclear weapons (approximately 25 kt. each) across the East European front, hitting combined Russo-Belarusian positions directly. 
==== 15 March: The "Darkest Day" ====
== Aftermath ==
Category:The Great Cataclysm