Year 2157 A.D
132nd Shattered Era
The world is no longer what we knew of. Now the landmasses that continents had called home are no more. Instead, archipelagos, islands, and fjords make up this new world. Nation that once were considered superpowers faded away over time. In their place emerging nations quickly filled the void. All that remained where four continents that were heavily altered. Those being Africa, Asia, Antartica, and the artic.
Africa which was considered a third or even middling power was thrusted forth having the largest farmable landscape. The shattering did more than to destroy. The biggest desert in the world sank below sea level and quickly filled with ocean water. Filtering out into many fresh bodies which resulted in an explosion of farmable land. The many African nations that relied on world aid quickly became the breadbasket of the world. What once were dictatorial governments fell in coups and revolutions being replaced with surprisingly monarchies and democracies.
The land of sands and poverty quickly became prosperous and technologically advance. Other regions experienced this reversal in the state of things. The once landlocked central Asian countries were graced with the aptly dubbed “Flat Sea” for taking over the steppes. Strangely enough Mongolia’s once strange navy filled the niche of patrolling their area of control. Nations that once used the Caspian Sea for its natural resources were quickly swallowed up. In its wake were islands on the steepest of mountains. The nations in this area disappeared and nation states arose from the remains.
Europe, one of the most advanced nations in the world, was ripped into thousands of islands and once massive cities that dotted the continent are replaced with villages or towns. Great Britian the once revered naval power sank below the wave. Only Scotland remained. Countries like France, Germany, and Italy sank below the waves. The Danish straits became a part of the Atlantic Ocean. The Nordic countries fell into ruins. What little arable land they had was swept under the ocean. The fjords that had made up Norway became the new islands of the north.
The Americas were no better. The Great Lakes had turned into a great ocean. The coastal states save for Alaska had seen their lands shrink. The United States as a whole ceased to exist. In the south, the Keyes Republic had been borne from the remnants of Florida, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. In the west the Cascadian Monarchy, formed from the remnants of the British crown, Alaska, and parts of western Canada formed into a naval power of their own. In the Midwest was the Great Ocean Republics.
While South America had been reduced to the mountains of Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The amazon rainforest that was a hot topic of conservation survived the shattering albeit a separate part of South America. The governments of Chile and Argentina combined to form the Andes Republic, due to their dwindling population and economies. Combined they had made a comeback of the century. While Brazil was relegated as a second power due to their separation from the Amazon rainforests.
However, the biggest change was that with how travel changed. Ships that were relegated to leisure cruises and logistical transportation. Had seen a resurgence of military force. Strangely enough powers that had highly advance navies found themselves quickly replaced with easily maintained ships of those in the second world war. Ships like battleships found themselves as powerhouses in regions. For example, the battleships of the American navy, had found a second life as command ships of the regional powers. Most of them would be found in the Kingdom of Cascadia.
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Other nations that had the industrial capacity quickly built battleships or cruisers of similar size to defend themselves from the emerging pirates. Pirate republics had begun to crop up in unlikely places. Attacking these nascent nations.
The fiercest of these attacks happened near the Scottish coast. The former French Navy decimated and hungry attacked the island in the hopes of replenishing their food supplies. What was left of the British navy had flung itself to fight their former allies. The battle itself had little tactics since both fleets were heavily damaged, running low on ammunition, and in disrepair.
However, the mere fact that the once friendly and allied forces of the French fleet resorting to piracy had come as a shock. The battle ended in a draw resulting in what was a technological navy reduced to shipwrecks off the coast. The former British navy returned with a compliment of two destroyers, a couple frigates, and a cruiser as the remains of the British Fleet. The year after most of these ships would mothball due to their inability to maintain their seaworthiness.
Overtime these nations with limited industrial capacity-built fleets akin to those of the second world war. These fleets quickly followed what their predecessor had done so in the past. They defended trading routes and patrolled national waters. Naval academies had become a popular way of education. Both from the military sector and the civilian sector.
In the Kingdom of Cascadia, the Victoria Military Naval Academy is home to the best and brightest. Hosting both an engineering course, a doctorates course, and many other courses that could be found at any other source of higher education. The difference is that any student of the academy was in the navy as cadets. In reality though, these cadets were mostly reservists that would take command of the mothball fleet. Most of which were ships built in the early period of many nations. Mostly a lifetime ago.
Most students would go on to the civilian sector actings as doctors, engineers, and security for the many companies that traded in this new world. The biggest of which would be the governments Royal Cascadian Mercantile Fleet. A fleet that consists of many merchant families that would trade, cruises, and many other niche businesses that populate the ocean.
The Kingdom of Cascadia during this period became a regional power, clashing with and befriending nations. However, in the ending years of 2157 the Sun Republic, the compilation of the former nations of Japan, China, and Korea. The Republic begun hostile actions towards the Cascadian. At first it was minor, grumbling about trade rights here, a compliant about customs there. Until finally an explosion both physically and metaphorically sparked the flames of war. The Republic embassy was bombed in the Cascadian capital of Victoria. No one knew who had done it. The Republic blamed the Cascadians, the Cascadians blamed terrorists and fundamentalists. However, war had begun.
At the same time though, Republican agents infiltrated the military structure of the Kingdom and assassinations took place. The death of the Admiral Roth, Minister of the Navy, brought a shock to the admiralty. However, the following days. Many high and mid ranking officers were killed in the process of mobilization. Only a handful survived, and they were junior themselves. The worst had come to happen. The three naval academies of the Kingdom were mobilized to take over. The best of the best would fill top to bottom. Many were promoted from ensign or lieutenant to commodores and captains in the span of a week.
The 33rd Class of the Victoria Military Naval Academy were to be mobilized into the 16th Royal Task force, named after their commodore, a James Huey. Among the ships this task force would consist of would be
1-Victoria Class Cruiser- CRS Victoria
3-Oregon Class destroyers- CRS Resolute, CRS Earnest, CRS Adamant
2-Seattle Class frigates- CRS Hugh, CRS Abenante
1-Maintenance/Fuel Class Ship- CRS Custodian
Task Force Huey would go down to be the most combat heavy, force augmenting, and successful unit in the war. However, that was not to be seen in the opening stages. For the opening moves were made in haste and defense in mind. Many lives would be lost in the first couple of months.
However, I am tired. We shall continue this for another time.