Drafted

Prologue

The draft began on June 21, 2042. 

All healthy, eligible individuals ages 18 to 35 were required to serve. Women could be exempt if they were pregnant or caring for a child age 10 or under. Individuals with mild mental or extreme physical disabilities would be expected to take a job helping on the home front in the factories. Individuals ages 15 to 17 would be put into training. All individuals were expected to contribute to the war effort in some manner.

For all the peace talks, treaties, and solemn oaths to never repeat the atrocity, a world war had broken out. It had begun as a simple and routine uprising of the states within the Greater Middle Eastern Coalition, a poorly organized grouping of the most opinionated and violent states from south Asia and northern Africa. The GMEC, as it was called, had been in a state of perpetual warfare since it’s installation in 2024. Though it had been formed after the near-eradication of terrorist groups ISIS and Boko Haram, new groups, offshoots of the two had risen to power, toppling the peace within a year, forming their own ideological states. Eager to avoid further conflict, the UN, head of coalition law, had been forced to accept the change. 

However, the states had-after years of bloody warfare-merged to form the Purists, beginning their assault on the surrounding coalitions. No one army could stand against them and many of the poor countries fell quickly. Realizing this proved a danger to valuable European Union assets, the UN began to send in small task forces from the EC. They were crushed within a few months. The EU begged the powerful North American Alliance and East Asian Coalition for help. They each contributed, but the army was still crushed. And while the parties involved were bothered by the Purists’ power, they remained relatively unconcerned. The terrorist states, though violent, had created reasonable proposals for the maintenance of external assets. Though the imported goods cost the other nation-alliances a good deal more, they were able to adjust to the inflated prices. The Purists were far away, confined to the GMEC, and the price for a truce was just a slight economic adjustment.

The other nation-alliances soon regretted their complacency as April 1st, 2039 quickly replaced Pearl Harbor as the day that would live in infamy.

A UN conference had been held in Geneva that day, delegates from every state present on the 15th anniversary of the formation of the various unions throughout the world. Parades ran through city streets across the globe, schools took a holiday, work was called off to celebrate the beginning of an era of unprecedented peace.World leaders, politicians, celebrities flocked to Geneva to celebrate the possibility of world peace, a goal once thought unattainable. Nobel laureates sang the praises of a warless society. Shivam Krishna, the man who had engineered the first successfully transplanted 3D printed heart, spoke of being witness to the evolution of the human race, from warring tribes to conflicting nations to a harmonious humanity.

At 1400, as crowds rose to their feet to cheer on Mr. Krishna, the bombs began to detonate. 

The first destroyed the stage along with all the keynote speakers sitting on it. As the people, panicking, ran into the lobby, the second bomb went off, vaporizing all those who tried to flee. Unable to escape through either the front or back, guests, dazed and terrified, began to sprint out the side exits. However, not everyone was able to escape the building before the third and final bombs triggered, collapsing the entire building. Armies from across the globe had swarmed to the scene, desperately searching for survivors, rushing the wounded to the hospital, and hunting the individuals behind the attack.

The world had turned toward Geneva, frozen in horror at the footage of the terrorist attacks. Countries were in disarray, some without a leader, some with a leader in no shape to function. And, as the world had stared at Geneva, The Purists launched a brutal air assault on both Ankara, Turkey via Syria and Yerevan, Armenia via Iran. The air strikes were able to effectively disable both countries long enough for the Purist army to sweep into both bombed capitols and claim victory. 

 Following the initial attacks, the Purists spread out throughout both countries, bringing both entirely under their rule. The rest of the world launched a war on The Purists, angrily attacking in an attempt to retaliate for the massacre in Geneva. But the troops quickly ran thin, devastated by the Purists’  unbelievable strength. So, on June 21st, 2042, all individuals of drafting age were required to register in their hometowns. Individuals ages sixteen to seventeen would be required to complete mandatory weekend training. Everyone would be expected to help with the war effort. Everyone.