PROLOGUE

The human species had always possessed an unsettling aptitude for war, a talent that plunged the world into chaos during the first half of the 21st century. It was a time marked by the fraying fabric of society, torn apart by the rise of American Radicalism and the discovery of foreign interventions that ignited a minor American Civil War. The early 2000s were tumultuous years, filled with unrest and upheaval. The American Civil War sparked the flames of the Third World War, a cataclysmic conflict that pitted the United States, Great Britain, and the European Union against formidable adversaries: China, North Korea, and Russia. This war, which felt like it would never end, stretched on for centuries, a half-millennium of bloodshed and strife.

Historians, witnessing the devastation unfold, would later refer to this conflict as ‘The Extinction Level War.’ With the majority of the world’s superpowers possessing millions of nuclear weapons, it came as a shock to many when only a singular atomic weapon was ever deployed during the entire war. North Korea, in a desperate and ultimately futile attempt, launched an atomic attack against the United States. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the United States refrained from retaliating with nuclear force, quickly opting instead to invade and decisively defeat the beleaguered nation.

To combat the overwhelming might of Russian forces, the world’s nations proposed a revolutionary solution: unifying their governments to pool resources and capabilities for collective defense. The allied nations, primarily comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and several others, gathered at the United Nations to present a bold proposal: reforming the allied system into a singular government that spanned the globe. Thus, the United Federation of Nations was born, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos.

Meanwhile, Russia had amassed a formidable military power bolstered by the support of China and various Middle Eastern nations. Together, they formed a coalition, the Republic of Earth, driven by their ambition to claim the planet under their banner. For several years, the war stalemated, with neither side gaining any significant ground. Tensions mounted within the allies of the Republic, leading to an increasingly precarious situation. By 2050, Russia escalated the conflict by declaring war on Pakistan and Iran, swiftly invading these countries and overpowering them with alarming ease. By 2055, the entire Middle East had fallen under Russian control. In a strategic shift, China severed ties with Moscow, fearing that it might be next on Russia’s list of conquests. This pivotal decision effectively dismantled the Republic of Earth, granting The Federation a brief respite from the relentless war and an opportunity to recover from their losses.

As the dust settled, Russia and China engaged in a fierce conflict of their own. The outcome of this clash between the two superpowers was unforeseen by many, but in the span of just five years, Russian forces overwhelmed the Chinese military. The successful invasion of China culminated in Russia declaring victory and establishing The Republic of Russian Nations, a regime that spanned half of the planet.

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Buoyed by their significant successes against China, the R.R.N. proclaimed the planet to be rightfully theirs and launched an aggressive campaign for world domination. However, the United Federation of Nations stood resolute, fighting back with all its might in defense of justice, peace, and the core morals of humanity. By 2065, it became painfully evident that neither side held a tactical advantage. The war stagnated, with neither party able to declare victory nor surrender, resulting in considerable casualties and industrial losses that wreaked more havoc on the global economy than the industrial boom the war had initially created.

The war also exacerbated the already dire effects of carbon emissions on the planet. By the time China succumbed to Russian aggression, the Antarctic ice caps had melted to alarming levels, and the world faced grave concerns. Natural disasters intensified, claiming as many lives as the war itself. In a decisive move, despite facing bureaucratic opposition, the president of the Federation declared a state of emergency and redirected all available resources towards addressing the climate crisis, siphoning much-needed supplies away from military advancements.

Although these emergency measures eventually alleviated the carbon problem, it took the remainder of the millennium to reverse the damage done. During this arduous process of averting a global environmental catastrophe, NASA, with the backing of the Federation, embarked on an ambitious endeavor to expedite the colonization of the solar system. By 2100, NASA had successfully constructed space stations orbiting Earth and Luna. In the early years of the 2100s, the Federation established thriving colonies on Luna, Mars, and Deimos, marking a new chapter in humanity’s expansion.

Perceiving these advancements as a direct threat, the Republic adopted a strategy of tactical aggression. Instead of dedicating resources to colonizing other areas of the solar system or even establishing separate colonies on the same celestial bodies, they concentrated all their efforts on building a formidable military space navy. The navy’s inaugural mission was a forceful invasion of Mars, a campaign that succeeded temporarily long enough for the Federation to mount a counter-response. In retaliation, the Federation absorbed NASA into the military complex, abolishing the long-standing civilian-run branch of government and forming the first United Federation of Nations Navy. The war had now extended into the very fabric of the Solar System itself.

By the year 2150, a plethora of new technologies were invented and developed to support the war effort on both sides. Innovations such as Anti-Gravity, Gravity Plating, and Artificial Atmosphere Scrubbers emerged as some of the most valuable technologies, playing a vital role in mankind’s expansion into the solar system. The Federation was responsible for the majority of these advancements. In a surprising gesture to broker peace and bring an end to the ongoing conflict, they openly shared these quality-of-life technologies with the Republic, hoping to facilitate their own expansion into the cosmos.