Brink

Chapter 4: Lines of History

Chapter 4

A Recent Past

“The largest catastrophe in the history of the modern world. The death toll is rising as we speak. Airlines are being interrogated as the counted damage only increases. All emergency forces are being mobilised. In the U.S.A., the army is being mobilized to evacuate locals and sort out the situation, which looks horrible.”

2014: The Russian Federation invades Ukraine and Crimea. Crimea falls under the Russian regime, and battle continues in eastern Ukraine. The EU does not take military action, and only engages in negotiation with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

2015: Negotiations lead to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. In the Middle-East, the Islamic State (I.S.) grows from terrorist organisation to legitimate threat. In May, the ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces is broken, and battle recommences.

2016: A large rebel force overthrows the Nigerian government. They proceed to negotiate with West-African countries. In October, under threat of the rebel activity, Niger agrees upon a treaty, giving up its territory and rights to Nigeria. They become the West-African Confederation.

In the Middle-East, the I.S. moves to Syria. They overthrow the government and the rebels, trained by American forces, join up with them.

Ukraine surrenders to the Russian forces. Under threat of the new power from the east, the EU becomes the United Nations of Europe (UNE). The UN disbands.

2017: The U.S.A. starts an invasion upon South America. Their forces invade Mexico, breaking any and all treaties with the Mexican government.

The West-African Confederation grows as Chad gives up its territory and resources willingly. A giant oil well is found in former Niger, only making the Confederation's wealth larger. The new goverment is not corrupt, and farming is greatly innovated within the Confederation. The Confederation seeks territory from Cameroon. After careful negotiation, Cameroon becomes a military ally of the Confederation.

The whole world rejoices when the I.S. is officially eliminated by forces of the US and UNE. The Middle-East starts to look calm once more, and the different countries start faring well and repairing any damages done to them.

The Russian Federation and the Republic of China create an alliance: The Socialist Russian-Chinese Federation (SRCF). The UNE expands its borders in the north, as Scandinavia joins them. The two sides look upon Eastern Europe with tense and paranoid minds, as a second Cold War commences.

The Confederation seeks territory from Cameroon. After careful negotiation, Cameroon becomes a military ally of the Confederation.

2018: The Russian Federation is satisfied with their conquest upon Ukraine. They make no further attempt to head west, as Eastern European countries eagerly join the UNE, as soon as they reach the requirements.

The Mexican National Army surrenders to the US. Mexico becomes an official state of the country. No nuclear weapons were used in the war, as more and more activist groups protest against the use of nuclear weaponry. The USA and Canada make the North American Alliance (NAA).

The WAC resumes negotiations with neighbouring countries. Algeria and Libya see the Confederation as a threat in the south. The Algero-Libyan Alliance (ALA) is created. The Confederation does not see kindly to this sudden pact between the two countries.

Tension rises all over the world. The UNE and SRCF look eagerly at Eastern Europe. The NAA and major South American countries look at each other in despise after the conquest of Mexico. The WAC moves troops to its western and northern borders.

Each party, alliance and confederation is a major factor upon international politics. Each of them is paranoid towards each other. On the 18th of May, worldwide disaster strikes. 348 planes crash all across the world. The media explode. Reports are being gathered, companies are being blamed, and this is no little incident which dies off. Apparently, the auto-pilots of all planes targeted the capitals of the designated countries. The death toll is astonishing. From passengers alone, the count is over 35000. The plane-crashes also inflict terrible damage upon the crash-sites. Some of the planes reach the capitals. Moscow, Washington DC, London, Paris, and many other capital cities of major countries, all are victim of the worldwide assault.

There has to be someone to blame, and the tension breaks. Countries, federations, confederations, alliances and nations, all blame each other. Politicians are outraged, and in this time of chaos, there is space for rash action.

Rash action is what tears the world apart. It all starts on the morning of the 24th of November. It’s the usual weekday in London, England; the capital of the UNE. People get onto the morning bus. People heading to work, to earn money for their loved ones, to sustain their lives in the better side of society. The sky is grey and cloudy, but it is not raining. It’s a little colder as usual, as winter comes right around the corner at the end of this year’s November.

There is a loud bang. The city shudders. Everybody looks up anxiously or excitedly, as the blast came from the sky. There is nothing to be seen. There is no explosion. No shock of a blast. Awkwardly, people resume to what they were doing. All of the inhabitants of London tweet about it on Twitter, and post it to their timelines on Facebook. The young, blooming population of London. Above them, the clouds turn purple. The internet and media are booming about this event.

“What has happened to our sky?”

“Fabulous London is fabulous.”

Some media take the matter more serious than others. Social media is booming with jokes, posts and reports. In the end, it does not matter. The interpretation of the action is of no consequence to its results. The bomb has done its work. It’s delivering a result as the people continue with their lives. Three days after the strange event, the first Londoner is infected. Then 2 infected, 5 infected, 13 infected, 28 infected, 64 infected, 221 infected. The number steepens, as the virus descends upon the thick smog of the city. Nothing but an inhalation is needed, and the pathogen has entered the body, destroying white blood cells and antibodies with ease, mutilating flesh and shutting down the nervous system within the span of a month.

London dies off. The city is emptied and evacuated. Every crossing of the Thames is blocked off. The government of the UNE moves to Paris, and crowns the city as their new capital. There is no doubt in the matter; the missile had come from the SRCF.

2019: All-out war across the globe. The UNE and SCRF mobilise their troops against each other. Battles are fought throughout Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Riots break out in Mexico, as still many of the original inhabitants owe their allegiance to the old government. The NAA shows no mercy to the rioters. None of it is broadcasted on the NAA’s television, or on any other television broadcast channel for that matter. If it were, the media would boom and the NAA would be blamed for manslaughter and mass genocide.

The WAC’s troops are attacked by Algerian forces on the northern border between the two countries. No Libyan forces are involved in the conflicts.

London has been emptied. The city decays in the absence of maintenance. All communications with the city drop. There is no-one left.

2020: The order in Mexico is restored. Brazil and the NAA negotiate a pact, and later, Argentina joins in with the negotiations.

Forces of the SCRF push back the forces from the UNE in Estonia and Latvia. Lithuania remains barely under control of the UNE. Poland and Finland are bracing for assaults from the SCRF.

The WAC and Algerian forces are still waging war over the territory in between the two countries. Benin and Togo join the WAC. Ghana refuses to join and the WAC takes immediate action, mobilizing the troops on the Western borders into Ghana.