GATE: Thus Democracy was Called [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 0: Prologue

Prologue

As the mid-21st century dawned, the world found itself perched on the brink of a new era, not of discovery and progress, but of escalating tensions and shadow wars. The Cold War, a chilling term once thought relegated to history books, resurfaced, this time with new players and higher stakes. The globe was cleaved into two opposing alliances, the Eastern Coalition and the Western Alliance, each vying for dominance in a world that had grown weary of superpower struggles.

The years leading up to 2066 were marked by a series of proxy wars, espionage, and an arms race that mirrored the anxieties of the previous century. But amidst these global chess games, one conflict stood out for its sheer brutality and the indelible mark it left on those who survived it: The Middle East Conflict of 2062-2066, colloquially known as the Four-Year Hell.

The Four-Year Hell was not characterized by the sleek, remote warfare that many had predicted for the future. Instead, it was a throwback to the gritty, merciless battles of the past. In the arid expanses of the Middle East, soldiers from the Eastern Coalition and Western Alliance clashed in a series of ground battles that were as much about ideology as they were about strategic advantage.

The proxy war began over a disputed territory rich in resources, a seemingly small spark that ignited a powder keg of long-standing rivalries and resentments. As the war progressed, it became less about the original dispute and more about proving supremacy. Each side poured more troops, more weapons, and more resources into the fray, with little regard for the escalating human cost.

The battles were marked by their ferocity and the willingness of both sides to engage in tactics that bordered on the barbaric. Cities and villages were reduced to rubble, civilian casualties mounted, and the rules of engagement seemed to blur with each passing day. Chemical weapons, once thought to be a red line no one would cross, were deployed with alarming regularity, leaving swathes of land uninhabitable and populations decimated.

As the war finally drew to a close in 2066, with a tenuous peace agreement that left no one truly satisfied. The world was now one on the cusp of a new and uncertain future, a world where the lines between friend and foe, right and wrong, were more blurred than ever.