January 2025
The whole Earth was in shock, dust obscured the sun, the temperature plummeted, dropping over 17 degrees C, winter reaffirmed it iron grasp of the planet in January 2025. The tropics saw blizzards, the temperature in North America dropped to –20 degrees C, while Eurasia dropped to –30 degrees C. Industrial production was down by 17.5% as absenteeism and starvation started making inroads into populations across the World. There was a call for humanity to unite to defend itself against the unfeeling cosmos, no, the positively malevolent cosmos. There were endless reviews and recriminations, had the US missile and drive technology been joined to the Chinese sensor technology and combined with the Indian cloaking device, things may have turned out differently. Had the US, Chinese, Russian and Europeans managed to coordinate their attacks on the Intruders better the aliens may well have done much less damage than they did. There was a ground swell of opinion among those not having to struggle just to survive, that a divided planet could no longer be tolerated, we must work together for the common good, for racial survival, which was now in doubt. Martial law was in widespread use across the globe as the deteriorating climate began to affect the population.
The situation in was used to be the Russian Federation was deteriorating further. The lack of a central authority had given rise to many petty warlords squabbling amongst themselves at first, but then threatening the stability of the Balkans, always a powder keg waiting for a match. Army units had simply disintegrated, many set up their own fiefdoms, fighting had broken out in the Russian orbital stations. Finally at the end of January, the commander of the remaining Russian ground base contacted the EU, several factions were fighting over possession of the base, some with a view to blackmailing neighbouring states, the base commander invited the EU to take over the facility and pre-empt a possible disaster. Thus that month saw European panzer formations once again rolling across the Russian steppes. Resistance was sporadic, in many places they were welcomed as liberators from despotic warlords, in a short time the central accessible parts of the Federation were in EU hands, some places however would take longer. In short the Federation was incorporated into the EU as a client state, with the prospect of joining the EU as a full member as conditions improved. The Islamic Block protested the blatant aggression of the EU and skirmishes broke out on the border between the former Russian Federation and Islamic Block, Revolutionary Guards attempting to seize provinces with an Islamic majority population with limited success.
27th January. Luna
EU announced the discovery of TN Minerals on Luna in the megaton range. Duranium 4,462,997 tonnes (0.6), Tritanium 271,545 tonnes (0.6), Boronide 638,433 tonnes (0.2), Corundium 2,838,854 tonnes (0.4).
22nd February. Venus
EU announced the discovery of TN Minerals on Venus in the multi-megaton range. Duranium 8,973,542 tonnes (0.1), Neutronium 33,755,170 tonnes (0.1), Corbomite 17,437,970 tonnes (0.1), Sorium 1,322,224 tonnes (0.1), Gallicite 30,330,570 tonnes (0.1).
April 2025
After several months of deliberations the UN Security Council reached the decision to create a new body, the Earth Defence Authority. It would have an overriding authority to defend the planet. For the Earth had at least one Enemy among the Stars! Invitations were issued to all the TN Nations on Earth to join the new Authority and contribute to its budget in keeping with their revenues. It would be inaugurated on the 1st of May. Few of the TN blocks that had suffered failed to sign up; most would gain sorely needed aid. The rest of the non-TN world was told obey the EDA or suffer the consequences, a divided planet could no longer be tolerated. The EDA was granted the power to draft anyone it thought necessary to the defence of the Earth, with draconian penalties for any who tried to resist. Industrial infrastructure could be co-opted for EDA purposes without right of appeal. The local national governments would control their own civil affairs and civil defence with some National Guard units, but all extra-territorial defence, especially that of extra-planetary defence was now the province of the new Authority. It was granted powers to ride rough shod over national sensibilities. If members had a grievance against the EDA the UN Assembly would deal with it. The final court of appeal being a new UN-EDA Security Council, or if you had a permanent seat on the Council it could be the first port of call.
The Earth needed rebuilding, a new level of government was introduced, the Director of the UN-EDA, followed by the EDA Secretary General both decided by the new UN-EDA Security Council, with the President of the UN Assembly below that which would be an elected post voted on by all of the UN Ambassadors. How the national Ambassador to the UN was selected was up to the individual Nation States.
The first Secretary General of the EDA was to be Rurik Zinoviev, surprisingly a member of the former Russian Federation, and was appointed because of his political reliability and his adroitness in wealth generation (Wealth 30%) for the new supra-state organisation along with his prowess in inspiring everyone from the common worker to raw recruits (mining 10%, shipbuilding 15% & GCU 10%) and the help his appointment would be in the absorption of the former Russian Federation into the EDA. His inauguration would be on the 1st May. The Director of the EDA would be inaugurated in June, almost a month after the EU, Indian Confederation and the rump of the Russian Federation came under the direct auspices of the Earth Defence Authority. China and the World Free States would follow later, once critical projects completed.
May 2025. Earth.
1st May. EDA
Secretary General Zinoviev was established in post, one of the most powerful in all Earth's history. The EDA immediately grabbed the reins of power. The first acts of the EDA were to absorb NATO, the US, and the Chinese military machine The Indian military followed hot on their heels. Its second move was to conscript all orbital installations defence platforms and shipyards, there was to be nothing in orbit that was not authorised by the EDA. The third step for the fledgling organisation was taking over all the research Institutes in the TN power blocks devoted to military research. The only major power to resist was the Islamic Block, which accused the EDA Secretary General of being Satan’s handmaiden and threatened war if they tried to take anything of theirs. The Islamic fleet went to a war footing and moved to defend their orbital assets, but for now no move was made against the Islamic installations or military. The EDA had enough to digest already and its fleet needed urgent rebuilding and upgrading, only the Chinese FAC and EU fighters had survived the alien assault.
The integration of the various national technologies was proceeding apace. The decision was taken to hold all ship construction as improved designs were finalised, one of the first being the new Illustrious class Carriers, which now carried an extra two Hurricanes, improved lasers, point defence and sensors for a mere 200 ton increase in displacement over the Le Triomphant. An improved Star Flash was also on the boards, with a larger warhead and double the range. New fire control and search sensors followed for the Hurricane F2 and Atlantique Mk II, although their design was on hold awaiting the design of a new power plant expected early in the New Year. A new 3750 tonne ship, the Gomati Mk II class, was not only designed but five were on the stocks to begin replacing the grievous losses the Major Powers had suffered. It would have a cross-section of less than that a 600 tonne Fast Attack Craft when completed. A new missile, the SIM-3 Phoenix was also designed to complement it, capable of greater than 24000 k/s with a 15m kilometre range and an eight-megaton warhead. Additional ground units were also being trained, not the least to retain control of a fractious population.
Star Flash 4AS
Missile Size: 3 MSP (0.15 HS) Warhead: 7 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 16
Speed: 29000 km/s Endurance: 4 minutes Range: 7.1m km
Cost Per Missile: 3.35
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 464% 3k km/s 144% 5k km/s 92.8% 10k km/s 46.4%
Materials Required: 1.75x Tritanium 1.68x Gallicite Fuel x208.25
SIM-3 Phoenix
Missile Size: 4 MSP (0.2 HS) Warhead: 8 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 19
Speed: 24100 km/s Endurance: 11 minutes Range: 15.4m km
Thermal Sensor Strength: 0.1 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 100,000 km
Cost Per Missile: 3.935
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 457.9% 3k km/s 152% 5k km/s 91.6% 10k km/s 45.8%
Materials Required: 2x Tritanium 0.1x Uridium 2.2658x Gallicite Fuel x600
Gomati Mk II class Missile Boat 3750 tons 309 Crew 788.7 BP TCS 11.25 TH 90 EM 0
2400 km/s Armour 1-21 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 3 PPV 13.8
Annual Failure Rate: 37% IFR: 0.5% Maint Capacity 394 MSP Max Repair 312 MSP Est Time: 2.12 Years
Magazine 92
Ion Engine E7 Mil (3) Power 60 Fuel Use 70% Signature 30 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 110,000 Litres Range 75.4 billion km (363 days at full power)
Size 4 Box Launcher (23), Missile Size 4, Hangar Reload 30 minutes, MF Reload 5 hours.
Missile Fire Control FC15-R20 (1) Range 15.4m km Resolution 20
SIM-3 Phoenix (23) Speed: 24,100 km/s End: 10.6m Range: 15.4m km WH: 8 Size: 4 TH: 152 / 91 / 45
Active Search Sensor MR15-R20 (1) GPS 1920 Range 15.4m km Resolution 20
Cloaking Device: Class cross-section reduced to 15% of normal
ECM 10
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes.Ships under construction: Barracuda, Batfish, Billfish, Bowfin, Catfish.
12th May. Callisto
EDA announce the finding of megaton amounts of TN minerals on Callisto. Duranium 1,843,200 tonnes (0.9), Corbomite 1,272,384 tonnes (0.1), Sorium 360,000 tonnes (0.1).
17th May Callisto
The EDA announced the establishment of the first extra-terrestrial mining colony on Callisto. Further an EDA mining colony was to be established on the Moon to ease the Duranium supply shortages.
June 2025 Earth
The 1st of the Month saw the inauguration of the first Director of the EDA, Bhu Karamchard, formerly Chief Administrator of the EU Mars Colony now, on paper at least, the most powerful single person in the world. One reason for his choice was the unwillingness of the Presidents of the major power blocks to relinquish their posts before the new Authority was fully established and their inability to agree on who should have the prestigious post. Bhu Karamchard’s former post was taken over by Haimati Ghatge from the Indian subcontinent, who was installed as Governor of Mars Colony.
July 2025
Dust still obscured the Sun, the surface temperature was hovering around 5 degrees C. There was widespread crop failure. The North American grain harvest was very poor. While the troops were fed, control could be maintained by brute force. There was massive expansion of hydroponics in the first world in an effort to stave off starvation.
25th July. EDA
The EDA supported the Chinese Government as it ran into financial difficulties.
The Islamic Block struggled under the damage it suffered, without the resources the rest of the TN World had access to. The population was visibly shrinking under the climatic onslaught and long term radiation poisoning without the recourse to first world health care. The Blocks conflict with the (ex)Free World was currently a covert war fought in the shadows, operatives turning up in alleyways with vital parts of their anatomy missing.
August 2025
The extent of the privations in South America became apparent when several governments collapsed, replaced by anarchy in most cases. The EDA was not yet in a position to support the starving masses in South America while citizens in its own dependencies were on starvation rations. The harvest in the North American plains was going to be meagre, that of Australia would add little while agriculture in Europe was devastated. The price of food began to rival that of gold and then surpassed it.
In Brazil an obscure administrator emerged, Abram Delao Pina, a highly educated, religious and charismatic orator, he was ably supported by his lover General de Brigada Rita Delrio Robles who brought her command, an armoured brigade to his cause. At first they were a stabilising influence, but no amount of religion filled the masses bellies. There was a another leg of the triumvirate, General de Brigada Eustacio Canales Cerda y Menendez, a distant commander not popular with his troops, had command of an infantry brigade, but so far he had kept them fed at the expense of the local population. Pina started a campaign to try and reduce the oppression of the people, share what was available fairly, but it quickly ran into opposition by General Menendez, who demanded his troops be first in line for whatever food there was. Unfortunately for him his troops were no match for the armour of Pina’s lover, General Robles, They rapidly consolidated their hold on Argentina, Chile and Brazil. The General and his troops were rapidly pushed out of Northern Brazil and into Colombia and Venezuela. When most of the uncommitted army groups declared for Pina, General Menendez was forced into Panama after a vicious jungle campaign forced him out of South America proper. By August he held his ground with his back against the Panama Canal, his forces attracted the shiftless and self-serving. He was still superior to most remaining national forces. But his foraging parties returned with less and less as his army sucked up the local population as recruits and made depredations on the countryside. Joining the ragtag army was the only way to survive after a few weeks.
20th August. EDA
The first civilian ship was licensed by the EDA today to the Maggart Freight Corporation to supply the Mars Colony.
September 2025
Because of the situation in South America the 3rd Air Mobile Brigade moved to the Falkland’s with amphibious assault elements. On the continent itself, General Menendez’s horde was moving up the isthmus into Nicaragua. Pina was trying vainly to stabilise the main population and resource centres, drafting civilians and troops alike into agricultural projects in an attempt to feed the desperate population.
World food reserves were down to about 60 days. Africa had virtually run out as most African nations only carried three months food stocks. There were massive projects underway to grow bio-engineered algae that would meet all of a person’s nutritional needs when pressed into a bar. It was unappetising but kept body and soul together. Unfortunately this enterprise was only now beginning to deliver its promised output. This technique required TN power plants to provide heat and light, the proposed orbital biomes were still only on paper and could well remain there. Only the very rich could still eat “pre-apocalypse” and maybe very soon it would only be the mega rich. Private food stocks had already been seized by the EDA and hoarding outlawed. The population continued its steady if slow decline.
23rd September EDA.
The civilian mining operation on Callisto has expanded to two complexes. Investors were beginning to view this investment as a possible way out of a deteriorating situation on Earth. Callisto proved the only source of TN minerals in the Jupiter cluster of moons.
October 2025
10th October EDA.
The EDA Survey Command announced the discovery of 301,350 tonnes (0.4) of Sorium in the atmosphere of Saturn. This exciting discovery means that some of the extra solar gas giants detected could be a fresh source of this vital element if a way of reaching them can be found. The 4th Ghurkha Brigade joined the 3rd Air Mobile Brigade in the Falkland Islands.
16th October. Islamic Block.
Sadegh Esfandiari, the leading Islamic scientist on defensive systems, has been reported as developing a problem that will affect his long-term health. He is reported as throwing himself into his current project hoping to finish it before he is too ill to continue. It is uncertain whether Professor Esfandiari has fallen foul of the ruling elite or is a victim of the Shadow War, or possibly has just succumbed to the awful conditions now prevailing. The first blizzards of the winter coated Islamabad.
27th October EDA
The EDA Survey Command announced the discovery of TN minerals on Tethys. Duranium 64944 tonnes (0.9), Mercassium 47,219 tonnes ( 0.8 ), Vendarite 141,602 tonnes (1). There is consideration of a mining operation being mounted on Tethys as it would supply Mars with two of the four TN elements it was lacking, leaving only Corundium and Uridium left to locate in viable concentrations and accessibilities.
November 2025
1st November EDA.
The EDA Survey Command announced the discovery of TN minerals on Iapetus. Duranium 341,138 tonnes (0.9) and Gallicite 194,481 tonnes (0.7), thus the only TN mineral rich bodies in the Saturn cloud of moons was Tethys and Iapetus. The Vasco Da Gama would now move to the Uranus swarm of moons, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were fortunately in alignment during the planetary survey, only Pluto was diametrically across the opposite side of the Solar System
What was not revealed to the public was that the Vasco Da Gama had also located active alien installations on Titan. The EDA was unable to intervene until the troop transport Okinawa completed in two years time. The only vessel capable of reaching Titan on anything but a suicide mission was the Le Triomphant, but she lacked an escort and was regarded as too valuable to risk. The EDA would have to adopt a watch and wait strategy until it could act decisively. Another more persuasive argument against an immediate nuclear strike by the Le Triomphant was the startling discovery of was appeared to be an intact deserted alien city. The city was located in the Xanadu region of Titan, bordering Shangri-la. Xanadu is a plateau-like region of highly reflective water ice on which the city was emplaced and was now covered by a sand of complex organic molecules and water ice. The city immediately became known as the City of Xanadu. If the alien installations were targeted they were so close to the city that there would be inevitable collateral damage, possibly destroying a cornucopia of discoveries. It was only the fact that there appeared to be very few active intalations that made this decision tenable with the EDA military and even then it required the personal intervention of Director Karamchard.
The situation in Central America was going from bad to worse. General Menendez had set himself up as the dictator of Central America, his paranoia working in his favour; they were out to get him! The end of the month saw his forces reach Mexico, virtually lapping at the US front door. The general had attracted a large following by promising succour to those that joined him, but this could only be supplied by stripping bare the surrounding towns and cities. The strategy depended on having an exploitable population. It was now obvious that Pina was not going to come North after him, he had his own troubles further South. The General had his own playground now, while the population lasted.
13th November Islamic Block.
EDA Sensors detected the completion of three Falaq FAC, making a total of nine vessels available to the Islamic Revolutionary Space Guard Corps, only one short of that currently possessed by the Earth Defence Authority. Some critics said the Authority had missed its chance to remove a threat before it became too big to handle. There was also romours of a new prophet arising, but little real news was getting out of the |Islamic Block these days.
23rd November Mars.
Mars Colony passed the half million population mark. Although it is little more than a mining colony at present the potential was clearly indicated.
December 2025
Melendez’s locust horde moved across Mexico, laying the land waste, it did not take long for foraging parties to start crossing into Texas, with New Mexico and Arizona following quickly thereafter. Initially the raids were sporadic, but towards the end of the month began to rise in number as supplies in Mexico ran out. The 101st Mobile Infantry Brigade moved south. Several vicious firefights developed as the troops moved into contact. General Menendez was left in no doubt what would happen if he did not control his forces. EDA planners began work on the occupation of Central and South America.
Christmas was not a merry prospect this year while imminent starvation had been averted with the introduction of protein bars, there would be no turkey this year and not for many to come, the planets animal life had been devastated. Biologists were trying to obtain embryos for freezing so that the species could be re-introduced when their habitat returns, if it ever does. For many species embryos would not be available and they had to make do with DNA samples and hope a host cell could be used to reconstitute the species. Only a small core of domestic animals were being kept alive with some zoos who had attracted mega rich backers and the willingness of some people to will their bodies to zoos for use as feed when they died. There was of course a distinct suspicion that not only those who willed their bodies so were being used. Shades of Soylent Green! Unfortunately rats and cockroaches were not among those species under threat of imminent extinction.
27th December China.
Gao Li Ting completed his work on extending the range of particle beams to 150,000 kilometres. This research was shared with the EDA and World Free States.
