Author Topic: Corporate Folly: Prologue  (Read 3751 times)

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Offline Malikane (OP)

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Corporate Folly: Prologue
« on: January 13, 2014, 12:49:40 AM »
In 2025 democracy died, and nobody batted an eye.    In the eyes of many, the collapse of civilization in 2015 was a result of government ineptitude, corporate greed, communists, terrorists, and/or aliens.    And, to be fair, the first four factors did play their part.    Don’t let the conspiracy theorists scare you too much though; the problems that developed would have been difficult for the most admired heroes in history to handle.    They were only human, after all.   In 2015, an event occurred that would scar the next decade, and ultimately wipe out 93% of the human race.    It was not so much that the WHO, the American CDC, or any of the other numerous disease control organizations did not see it coming.    Rather, when EbOV-Z2N1 (a strain of the Ebola Zaire virus [EbOV]) started appearing in genetically modified food, it was simply far too late.   

Several years prior to the first appearance, American scientists working in the Democratic Republic of Congo on better agricultural production for regions of sub-Saharan Africa accidentally created a supercrop based on corn that—unbeknownst to anyone—doubled as an ideal viral delivery system.   Through an oversight that can only be described as insanity, the same complex was researching new strains of dangerous diseases.    The new strain of Ebola being studied at that time had the unfortunate trait of being able to hide for months on end without being detected through any symptoms at all, while still remaining transmissible.    Once it was activated, however, the symptoms were even more deadly than the standard strains of the virus, which already had up to a 90% mortality rate.    The supercrop and the virus both ended up in the completely wrong hands due to a raid on the laboratories by remnants of a Congolese rebellion looking for biological weapons.    Unfortunately, the raid resulted in the Ebola virus contaminating the seeds that the rebels stole.    Through the following months, the then-dormant virus bided time in those seeds as they were delivered across much of Africa, often by accident.    The positive qualities of the supercorn began to become well known, and by the following year, the “miracles” of the supercrops increased food production by noticeable levels.    It was only a matter of time before the virus reactivated. 

After that, it was over almost before it started.    The time between the first reported case and the millionth death was so short that many suspected true biological warfare on a terrifying scale.    Political tensions rose, threats were made, entire countries collapsed into economic ruin.    By the first billion dead, most were saying humanity was doomed.    By the second billion, it was finally discovered exactly how the virus was being spread.    Unfortunately, the distrust was too great for cooperation and—without the huge international effort it would have required—the effects were slowed, but not halted.    It took almost 6 years for a private company to develop a vaccine and treatment for the disease.    In those six years, 6.  7 billion people died.    China, Russia, India, much of Africa and South America—these areas were the hardest hit, through a mixture of reliance on the new supercrops to feed the poor multitudes and bureaucracy that did not allow for change to happen fast enough.     Entire regions were completely depopulated, the global economics were in tattered shambles, and the old political thoughts were all but ignored.   

The only silver lining to everything that occurred was the development of an entirely new branch of physics: Trans-Newtonian.    Based on minerals that broke conventional ways of thinking, several corporations were able to harness this new theory into practicality, leading to a trans-Newtonian industrial society which not only cured the world of the woes of the rampant Ebola but of every disease.    With so much of the world already devastated, it was a bittersweet victory, but the new technology defeated all known Earth-based diseases and solved many of the agricultural and industrial problems of the time.    By 2022, the leaders of the companies that controlled trans-Newtonian industry came together to discuss the future of the world.    It was clear to that body of 41 individuals that the old governments had failed the people through their mismanagement of power and inability to respond fast enough to threats.    It was decided then that a new entity would be formed.    An entity based on efficient distribution of resources to take advantage of the new opportunities.    An entity that rewarded success and punished ineptitude.    An entity that would be focused on running what was left of the world as a corporate meritocracy.    This entity was Frontier Dynamics, Incorporated.    By 2024, the groundwork was laid for how the world would proceed into not only the betterment of the global society, but also how the new trans-Newtonian technology would allow humanity to break free of its devastated world and begin to explore the cosmos.   

In 2025 democracy died, and nobody batted an eye.    The former powers that had failed the world were gone, and in their place a corporate government had united the remaining populations under one banner—one that fed them, protected them, and saved them from the greatest crisis of humanity’s recorded history.    For the 500 million people remaining, the worse was behind them, and it was time to rebuild. 


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Trans-Newtonian start Conventional start, year 2025, Corporate Government
500M population
No Invaders
Swarm and Precursors enabled
Realistic commander promotions with political bonus enabled

This is my first true campaign, after playing a couple games for a little bit to get the hang of Aurora.    As the beginning of writing, I am in 2041 in my game.   Unfortunately, I have not taken many notes up until this point, and those that I have are a bit.  .  .  convoluted.    Thanks to the logs, I should be able to recreate a lot of the first 15 years, but there may be continuity errors based on the fact I was not sure I was going to write this up into a fiction piece.    Regardless, things are just beginning to get interesting, so we will see how this goes. 

Please feel free to critique, correct, and show me the errors of my ways.    I am happy to add specific characters into the story based on request, but I do not guarantee safety, or success.    Cheers!
« Last Edit: April 11, 2014, 07:37:54 PM by Malikane »
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
 

Offline MarcAFK

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Re: Corporate Folly: Prologue
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2014, 06:18:39 AM »
Welcome to the fiction sub-forum, if your terrific introduction is anything to go by I'm looking forward to this one.
" Why is this godforsaken hellhole worth dying for? "
". . .  We know nothing about them, their language, their history or what they look like.  But we can assume this.  They stand for everything we don't stand for.  Also they told me you guys look like dorks. "
"Stop exploding, you cowards.  "
 

Offline Sematary

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Re: Corporate Folly: Prologue
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2014, 08:06:46 AM »
It looks great. Can't wait to see more.
 

Offline JacenHan

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Re: Corporate Folly: Prologue
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2014, 05:21:38 PM »
This is an excellent prologue, eagerly awaiting Part 1.
 

Offline Five

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Re: Corporate Folly: Prologue
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2014, 10:32:58 PM »
This is an excellent prologue, eagerly awaiting Part 1.

whole heartily agree, can't wait for more