[center:35o1pv1r]Post Apocalypse Earth 2026: A Short Victorious War[/center:35o1pv1r]
January 2026
1st January Uranus
EDA Survey Command announced that neither Uranus nor any of its moons contained any TN minerals.
2nd January
General Menendez had to do something; his army was becoming rebellious, not having much in the way of discipline to start with. There was little in the way of resources left unplundered within the territory he claimed. He had heard that the US military was in a different league, but then the Earth Defence Authority had taken it over hadn’t they, and the US was not part of the Earth Defence Authority was it? Thus the US would be an easy target wouldn’t it? This line of thinking in a mind that was not totally sane would bring catastrophe.
6th January EDA
The EDA was in shock as Menendez’s troops drove across the border into Texas engaging forward elements of the 101st Mobile infantry. The General apparently did not believe the EDA would defend the US territory, as it was not yet fully absorbed into the EDA, and believed they only had National Guard units under national control. The shock at EDA HQ did not last long; the go-ahead for Operation Conquistador was given. At early light the next day the 3rd Air Mobile Brigade and the 4th Ghurkha Brigade disembarked from their transports. At the same time 3rd Armoured Brigade moved up in support of the 101st Mobile Infantry Brigade.
7th January The Americas
The Central American Front.
The untrained rabble ran into a brick wall that was the 101st MI, the 1st Regiment ran when it came under fire only suffering 11% casualties. The 3rd and 4th Regiments were less lucky, receiving 32% and 34% casualties respectively. The 2nd and 5th Regiment refused orders and fell back. The 101st MI suffered no fatalities. However civilian casualties were 125,000 and cost a fuel refinery, a mine and three construction factories.
The South American Front.
General Robles moved her Armoured Brigade to oppose the EDA Forces, as it turned out, an unwise move. Her own 9th Armoured Regiment only received 27% casualties, but the 10th, 11th and 12th Armoured Regiments suffered 43%, 43%, and 37% casualties respectively. Robles supporting infantry formations received their share of fatalities, the 7th and 8th Infantry Regiments suffering 14% and 20% respectively.
14th January The Americas
The Central American Front.
The assault by the Central Americans was repulsed; the 1st Regiment was down to third of its starting complement and routed. Only the 2nd and 5th Regiments were above 50%. The 101st pressed the retreating horde. But there were just so many small groups of invaders’ that another 75,000 civilian died and another fuel refinery torched and two mines destroyed.
The South American Front.
Only two of General Robles Armoured Regiments remained above 50% of its original order of battle. The 10th and 12th Regiments retired to regroup. The Ghurkhas assaulted the 7th Infantry Regiment, only 15% escaped running for their lives.
There was associated collateral damage, 125,000 civilian casualties and four conventional industrial units destroyed.
19th January The Americas
The Central American Front.
The 3rd Armoured brigade caught the 4th and 5th Infantry Regiments by surprise, destroying them as a fighting force, few escaped and lines of bedraggled prisoners were marched away. The only organised units left on US territory were in no more than battalion strength and would soon succumb to US/EDA forces.
The South American Front.
It was a day of disaster for General Robles, the 3rd Air Mobile Brigade surprised her overnight laager, by sheer brilliance she got nearly a third of her personal Armoured Regiment away, but the 10th and 11th were utterly shattered, while the 12th got away a single platoon of tanks. The Ghurkha’s meantime destroyed the remnants of the 7th Infantry Regiment and severely mauled the 8th Infantry Regiment that came up in support of the routed 7th.
With the fighting moving into urban areas civilian casualties increased, another 175,000 died and the remaining maintenance facility was destroyed along with another four conventional industrial units.
26th January The Americas
The Central American Front.
The 101st continued cleaning up Texas; the remnants of the 1st Regiment were corralled and marched away to life behind the wire. There was only one group of invaders left, at no more than a couple of companies in strength. The 3rd Armoured Brigade stood down.
The South American Front.
The Ghurkha brigade followed up on its success the previous week, completely eliminating the 6th and 8th Infantry Regiments. General Robles led a charmed life managing to avoid the units searching for her. This did not prevent another 50,000 civilian casualties and two further Industrial factories destroyed.
February 2026
1st February. The Americas.
The Central American Front.
The 101st caught the remaining fleeing insurgents and killed or captured them. The Central America campaign was over. General Menendez was a fugitive, wanted dead or alive. A warrant was issued for his arrest as a War Criminal for his part in the death of 200,000 US citizens with a substantial reward offered, at least part of which was in the form of two years supply of ration bars.
The South American Front.
General Robles luck could not hold forever against superior technology. The 3rd Air Mobile Brigade took Brasilia and destroyed the last of her tanks on the margins of Lake Paranoá in the grounds of the Palácio da Alvorada (Palace of the Dawn, the Presidential residence). The General was taken prisoner. The fighting in the capital cost yet more civilian lives with 25,000 casualties and the loss of a final industrial unit. The Administration formally surrendered the next day. This short unnecessary war had cost the lives of over half a million non-combatants and destroyed vital industry that would be required to pull humanity out of this mess. Within the week protein bars were arriving in the continent to assuage some of the extreme hunger.
6th February. Neptune.
EDA Survey Command announced that neither Neptune nor any of its moons contained any TN minerals.
9th February.
The celebrations over the short victorious war that entered the history books as the One-Month War were cut short by the sudden revelation of a massive penetration of some of the EDA’s most valuable missile technology up to and including reduced size missile launchers, box launchers, all the pre-EDA missiles and some fire control systems, greatly upgrading the threat from the Islamic block. To compound matters the Islamic Block immediately released the tech to Africa and the Middle East, announcing its intention to support all that oppose the Earth Defence Authority and its lackeys, Satan’s representatives on Earth.
March 2026 EDA
Rumours abound that African and Middle East countries are moving rapidly to adopt TN technology; all should have it in no more than two years.
20th March EDA
Professor Acharya Ghosh led his team to complete work on the stellarator fusion reactor. Disappointingly it would be a further year before any new propulsion technologies would be available for new construction.
25th March EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that both Pluto and Charon proved to be devoid of TN minerals. These were the last of the large bodies to be surveyed in the Solar System.
30th March EDA
EDA Resource Commission announced that the mining operation on Callisto was to be expanded the three complexes.
April 2026
6th April EDA
Professor Steven Lercher has completed work on magazine ejection system - 85%.
10th April EDA
The Deutsche Werft shipyard announced the start of construction on the first two units of the Grapple class, salvage vessels, EDAV Grapple and EDAV Salvor
Grapple class Salvager 55400 tons 679 Crew 1391.6 BP TCS 1108 TH 1125 EM 0
2030 km/s Armour 1-129 Shields 0-0 Sensors 8/8/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Maint Capacity 16 MSP Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 25000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 10
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Ion Engine E0.7 Commercial (15) Power 150 Fuel Use 7% Signature 75 Armour 0 Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 116.0 billion km (661 days at full power)
Active Search Sensor MR7-R60 Nav (1) GPS 960 Range 7.7m km Resolution 60
Thermal Sensor TH1-8 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8m km
EM Detection Sensor EM1-8 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8m km
This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes
20th April EDA
The geological survey vessel EDAV Sir Francis Drake was commissioned and entered service with EDA Survey Command.
30th April EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that the EDAV Sir Frances Drake had found TN minerals in the asteroid belt; the initial finds were at asteroid #28,
Duranium 90 tonnes (1), Neutronium 1 tonne 1, Sorium 90 tonne (1), Uridium 96 tonne (1), Gallicite 1 tonne (1)
and Asteroid # 58,
Duranium 5,080 tonnes (1), Neutronium 520 tonnes (1), Mercassium 3,457 tonnes (1), Sorium 576 tonne (1), Corundium 1,011 tonnes (1), Gallicite 1,011 tonnes (1).
While these reserves were small they were at very high availabilities and since the third and fourth asteroids surveyed had TN mineral concentrations it was highly likely that higher concentrations would be located within the asteroid belt.
May 2026
5th May EDA
Professor Dai Yong Ju’s team has completed research into active grav sensor strength 21.
10th May EDA
EDA Resource Commission announced that a commercial mining operation was to be established on Iapetus.
28th May EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #293.
Neutronium 72 tonnes (1), Sorium 462 tonnes (1), Uridium 2,209 tonnes (1).
June 2026
3rd June EDA
EDA sensors detected 3 Falaq FAC leaving the Islamic Block orbital ‘yards.
The EDA announced that Mars was now restricted to any spacecraft that did not belong to the EDA or it’s allies. In particular any Islamic Block craft may be fired on without warning if it approached within 60m kilometres.
July 2026
22nd July EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #125.
Duranium 737 (1) and asteroid #130 Duranium 3,121 tonnes (1), Neutronium 272 tonnes (1), Tritanium 1,521 tonnes (1), Vendarite 256 tonnes (1), Sorium 306 tonnes (1), Corundium 576 tonnes (1).
27th July EDA
BAE Systems reported the laying down of EDAV Illustrious, Victorious and Téméraire. These carriers will form the backbone of the new EDA Navy.
Illustrious Class Carrier 11500 tons 706 Crew 1758.7 BP TCS 230 TH 240 EM 0
2086 km/s Armour 5-45 Shields 0-0 Sensors 24/24/0/0 Damage Control Rating 15 PPV 10
Annual Failure Rate: 211% IFR: 2.9% Maint Capacity 478 MSP Max Repair 160 MSP Est Time: 1.21 Years
Flag Bridge Hangar Deck Capacity 3000 tons Magazine 272
Ion Engine E7 Mil (8) Power 60 Fuel Use 70% Signature 30 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 105,000 Litres Range 23.5 billion km (130 days at full power)
Twin 12cm C4 Near Ultraviolet Laser Turret (1x2) Range 120,000km TS: 12500 km/s Power 8-8 RM 3 ROF 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 1
CIWS-120E (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Fire Control S16 64-12000 (1) Max Range: 128,000 km TS: 12000 km/s 92 84 77 69 61 53 45 37 30 22
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor Technology PB-1 AR-0 (3) Total Power Output 6.75 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor Technology PB-1 AR-0 (1) Total Power Output 0.45 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor Technology PB-1 AR-0 (1) Total Power Output 0.9 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Active Search Sensor MR102-R80 (1) GPS 12800 Range 102.4m km Resolution 80
Active Search Sensor MR0-R1 (1) GPS 16 Range 128k km Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-24 (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
EM Detection Sensor EM3-24 (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposesAugust 2026
1st August EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #327.
Tritanium 1,076 tonnes (1).
6th August Mars
The Mars Colony population passed the one million mark.
11th August EDA
The Maggart Freight Corporation commissioned a new Port class freighter.
30th August EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #297.
Corbomite 52 tonnes (1), Tritanium 145 tonnes (1), Uridium 745 tonnes (1).
September 2026
The harvest was in, still too little to feed the world’s population without the food factories. However conditions were improving although it was not obvious to the average citizen as the chill winds that presaged winter blew across the plains.
25th September EDA
The Maggart Freight Corporation commissioned a new Port class freighter, its third.
26th September EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #75.
Gallicite 392 tonnes (1).
October 2026
11th October EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #67.
Duranium 16 tonnes (1), Corbomite 77 tonnes (1), Mercassium 927 tonnes (1), Corundium 125 tonnes (1).
Three new Terraformers left the Nederlansche Dok en Scheepsbouw, the George Stephenson, Robert Fulton and Thomas Crapper en route to Mars.
11th October US.
Nakhoda Sevom Arezoo Ebrahimi drove his van up to the gates, his side window down; he waved to the guard as he had for the past year. The guard waved laconically back, no use searching that vehicle, they had done it on every visit for the first three months then once a week for the second three months, then occasionally for the next three months, finding nothing out of the ordinary, now it did not rate a second glance. The van drove on to the main Engineering Block, passing towering launch pads and assembly sheds and parked up in the car park in the same place it had for the past six months, midway between two floodlights just in the place shadows would be cast by both lights. Arezoo got out and entered the building and went into the changing room, reporting to the head of Cleaning Services, collected his cleaning trolley and went to work.
Out in the car park the light faded, once it was fully dark the rear doors of the van opened just enough for a slim shadowy figure to slip out, closing the doors quietly behind him he disappeared in to the darkness. Around the corner of the from the main entrance a side door opened and a dark figure slipped silently inside, the alarms having been disabled by Arezoo on his routine visit this evening and would be repaired by him just as his shift finished tonight. Once inside the intruder made his way silently to the second floor opened an office door marked Chief Engineer. The interloper picked out the desktop PC with a pen torch, silently closed the door behind himself and moved to the computer. It was the work of moments to slip the case from the PC, exposing the motherboard, a few minutes work had the inserted the chip so it piggybacked the CPU, the work of another couple of minutes saw the computer reassembled and the intruder left the office, down the stair well and around to the side door, as he did so he heard the cleaners coming off break and resuming their activities as the door closed silently behind him and he once more entered the darkness. In the car park there was a muffled clunk as the van doors shut fast.
Arezoo finished his shift, returned to his van and drove back through the gates again giving the guard a friendly wave. The large sign next to the gate read “Earth Defence Authority, Kennedy Space Centre, No Unauthorised Admittance”.
Next morning the Chief Engineer switched on his PC, logged on and got to work opening documents and studying the schematics of the latest modifications for the Epsilon Launch Vehicle. Unseen by his eyes the hidden chip “tasted” the data, storing it in its memory. At 12:45 the Chief Engineer left for lunch, the computer quiescent for 15 minutes, awoke. The chip accessed the email system, sent off an email, then erased the record of its sending and returned to surveillance mode putting the PC back into sleep mode.
In a safe house hundreds of kilometres away another team member received the email and routed it out of the country. Within minutes the email and its attachment lay on the desk of the Islamic Block’s head of External Security, a feral grin washed across his features as the complete schematics for the Epsilon Launch Vehicle were laid out before him.
19th October US
The Lexington class Patrol Ships Wasp and Yorktown completed and left the Northrop Grumman Ingalls Orbital ‘Yard joining the EDA Fleet, immediately departing for Mars to join the EDAV Le Triomphant stationed at Mars.
26th October EDA
Two more mobile Infantry battalions raised their colours and joined EDA ground forces today.
November 2026
The dust had begun to fall out of the atmosphere and the temperature had risen by 3 degrees C, but the temperature was still 14 degrees below the previous surface temperature and it would be another bitter winter.
1st November. US
Diplomatic relations between the World Free States and the Islamic Block have steadily deteriorated, so much so that relations have rarely been so hostile.
2nd November EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #178.
Duranium 800 tonnes (1), Neutronium 210 tonnes (1), Boronide 1,892 tonnes (1), Sorium 2,116 tonnes
4th November EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that trace TN elements had been found on asteroid #223.
Tritanium 262 tonnes (1), Sorium 52 tonnes (1), Gallicite 92 tonnes (1).
27th November. EDA
EDA Survey Command announced that TN minerals had been found on asteroid #108.
Duranium 318 tonnes (1), Corbomite 3,014 tonnes 1, Tritanium 8,100 tonnes (1), Boronide 7 tonnes (1), Vendarite 207 tonnes (1) Uridium 2,916 tonnes (1), Corundium 4,679 tonnes (1).
December 2026
2nd December Earth World Free States
In the World Free States five marine battalions were recruited to strengthen the EDA Military and help enforce martial law. The 6th Infantry Assault Brigade was formed in the EDA Territories.
12th December EDA
EDA Resource Commission announced that the commercial mining operation on Iapetus was to be expanded to two mining complexes.
South America
Brigadier General Taylor Cross, CO, 3rd Air Mobile Brigade, rose from his desk. His itinerary for the next few days was to inspect the troops of his command spread out around the continent maintaining law and order. He boarded a light Chavasse* APC which drove the few hundred metres to the Square of the Three Powers around the corner from his office and into the loading bay of a Condor four engined tandem wing tilt rotor transport, as soon as he was aboard it took off in a flurry of dust from the square.
Day two of the tour saw the Condor approaching Cuiabá International Airport. From the airport in the suburb of Varzea Grande to the centre Cuiabá proper was 7.2 kilometres where stood the tallest building in Cuiabá, the Fontana di Trevi tower, completed at the end of the last century, standing 103 metres tall, now dilapidated but not yet derelict. On a balcony on the top floor with a view over the southern city and incidentally the airport, two men in combat fatigues bent over the man portable AA IR laser, it was a late model with an effective range of ten kilometres, but lacked the high speed tracking mount which would have been too bulky to mount on the balcony. The lack of such a mount made no difference when the target was a slow moving aircraft, such as a Condor. The IR fire control picked up the emissions from the incoming Condor that peaked as it went into a hover over the airport. There was a high-pitched whine as the laser’s capacitor charged and discharged sending half-a–dozen invisible pulses at the hovering tilt rotor. Inside the aircraft there were a series of loud bangs as the IR laser pulses tore into the starboard forward wing, which snapped off just beyond the wing root. The Condor flipped over on its back, crashing into the scrubland to the east of the runway in a fireball of flame and smoke. The crash was not survivable. On a balcony in the Fontana di Trevi tower two men rapidly dismantled the laser before removing all traces of their occupancy in the tower.
* The Chavasse light APC is named after Captain Noel Chavasse RAMC, one of only three men to have won two VC’s in the history of the medal.
EDA Ground Forces HQ
EDA Ground Forces Command announced the death of Brigadier General Taylor Cross in an air crash today. Investigators were on the scene and trying to recover data from the black box recorder which had suffered severe damage from the impact and subsequent fire. Initial impressions are that the crash was probably accidental and may have been due to metal fatigue in the Condor airframe, now a dated aircraft.
17th December
Two Luda Class Escorts, the Anshan and Luyang left the Qiunix Orbital ‘Yard and transferred their flag to the EDA. Their deployment was a little problematic, being slower than the Le Triumphant, however the carrier needed more escorts so for the time being the ships left Earth orbit to rendezvous with the EDA main battle group stationed at Mars.
Celebrations at Christmas and New Year were muted, much of the world was still on starvation rations although most of what was the previous First World had just enough to survive on if conditions did not deteriorate. There were still nearly 6.4 billion souls on Earth.
