Prelude to War – 2050 to 2052

 

 

The economic and social conflict between the European Union and the United States along with Russia and the Martian Republic is nearing the boiling point. The withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU and the revitalization of the old Commonwealth of Nations (they have dropped the word ‘British’) has cut the cultural and social link that kept the US and the EU from open conflict. Still, public opinion in the US keeps that revitalizing country from pushing the Europeans into conflict. Relentless EU penetration of Eastern Europe into what Russia considers its sphere of influence is pushing the eastern bear into a corner. Still, that eastern colossus isn’t ready to fight. There are some in the EU that think now is the time to push hard; before the bear regains its former strength. And then there is China, who feels ready to become the leading power in the Pac-Rim.

The EU remains enraged at the Martian Republic and its perceived monopoly on the Jovian system. For the European Union who view themselves as the rightful masters of the entire Sol system the Red Planet’s presence there must be challenged. Queen Victoria II and the Commonwealth try to act as peacemakers, but there is a secret group that has been pushing the world towards destruction for years. Why? It is their desire to remake it into a utopia for all. They have almost succeeded a number of times over the 70+ years of their existence. At one time they might have become the saviors of the world. Now, fractured and several generations old, they are just part of the problem. However, now the Great War they have been seeking is just over the horizon. All it needs is a little push.