Timeline

2052

 * There is a limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East, the Euro-Middle Eastern conflict begins.

2053

 * Britain starts building a large network of nuclear power stations to alleviate the energy crisis.


 * The "New Plague" arises, hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) die. The United States, the European Commonwealth and many other nations across the world close their borders. The source of the plague is unknown.


 * Tel Aviv is destroyed by in a terrorist nuclear attack.

2060

 * Petrol becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, and alternatives are explored. Pressure on fusion research increases.


 * Middle East's oil fields dry up and the Euro-Middle Eastern War is brought to an abrupt end. The Middle East has been transformed into an irradiated wasteland, and Europe has been reduced to economic ruin.


 * The European Commonwealth is dissolved and nation states fight amongst themselves.

2062

 * The New Plague continues to spread and decimates the population of Europe.

2066

 * It is obvious to all observers that a nuclear war between the US and China is almost a certainty. Britain begins constructing vast city shelters and government vaults using it's remaining resources. Britain also declares it's own neutrality in the conflict between China and the USA.


 * Fusion power cells are manufactured in the USA. Samples are acquired by Great Britain.


 * Britain's network of nuclear power stations come on line, electricity is sold at extortionate prices to other European nations.


 * China invades Alaska


 * Britain seals it's borders and starts requisitioning resources, land and even work forces from the private sector.

2067

 * Riots break out in all major British cities, a State of Emergency is declared, the police force become a branch of the military, hundreds die as paratroopers are sent in to quell protesters around Parliament. Images of the massacre are leaked into the media, the Prime Minister vows to never again use traumatised war veterans and automated curfew drones to put down riots.

2069

 * Canada begins to feel the pressure from the United States military as the U.S. draws upon Canadian resources for the war effort. Vast stretches of timberland are destroyed, and other resources in Canada are stretched to the breaking point. Many Americans refer to Canada as Little America, and Canadian protests are unheard.

2070

 * By millions of refugees from S. and E. Europe, Africa and Russia begin flowing into Central Europe. France elects a Communist President, the German government collapses while the Netherlands and Belgium, by now both under Fascist rule, cede their sovereignty to the United Kingdom in exchange for military protection.

2071

 * France starts annexing vast swathes of S. Europe, all industry is nationalised, all immigrants are welcomed - and then sent off to dozens of forced labour camps in Spain. France signs a pact with Communist China. The French President along with the puppet leaders of Spain, Italy and Portugal declare the creation of 'The Second European People's Commonwealth'.

2073

 * The Second European People's Commonwealth starts massing troops in Normandy, Britain is offered a place in the Commonwealth pending the embrace of Communism. Britain is given a week to respond by the French President. The troop numbers Britain faces are vast.


 * After two days of indecision, power is seized from the British Prime Minister by a charismatic veteran General and leader of the fascist 'Empire League' using the support of the British King. During this period of constitutional crisis, and before order can be restored, General Alexander Becket unleashes Britain's entire remaining nuclear arsenal against strategic targets all over France. An attack of this magnitude was totally unexpected, the Communist government is wiped out, Paris is consumed by nuclear fire.


 * The Second European Commonwealth descends into anarchy while Great Britain is transformed by Becket into a fully militaristic Fascist state. Britain takes full control of the Netherlands and Belgium, the small fascist states happily complying in exchange for their own security. China is too busy fighting the US to pay much attention to European affairs.

2076
In 2076 British troops begin 'The Great Raid': resources, technology, art, historical artefacts and slaves are brought to 'Camp Calcutta' in Normandy for processing. By now Central Europe was rife with plagues, diseases and nano viruses. Advanced air purification systems, heavy armour and special weapons developed to quickly wipe out large numbers of unarmed and unarmoured 'targets' become standard issue for raid units. Slaves are scanned for infections and disabilities at Camp Calcutta. In what proves to be a harrowing but effective way of dealing with the vast numbers of immigrants attempting to enter Britain, captured refugees and inferior or diseased slaves are turned into food and a form of fuel with qualities similar to petrol. No word of this is leaked to mainland Britain. So called 'Soylent' food products become part of the average citizens diet.

January

 * Alaska is reclaimed by America

March

 * Britain declares itself the head of a new European Commonwealth. The Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia are the only remaining European nations with sufficient infrastructure to maintain national administrations, all these nations quickly declare themselves members of this new European Commonwealth, further ceding their sovereignty to London.


 * The President of the USA and the Enclave retreats to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war.


 * Britain receives intelligence about elements of the US government moving to remote areas in preparation for a nuclear or biological attack.

June

 * In light of the impending Great War, the European Commonwealth issue a statement of complete neutrality to all remaining national governments and organisations around the world - including China and the USA. Before the end of June, all key government, military and scientific personal are moved to remote parts of Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia. All citizens are warned of the impending war, and drills take place once a week. The 'cry wolf' effect is reduced considerably by the fact that the police had orders to execute those who didn't evacuate to the vast city shelters with a 'convincing sense of urgency'.

August

 * Sometime prior to August 15, General Constantine Chase, the hero of the Anchorage Reclamation, begins testing a virtual reality simulation of the Reclamation at the VSS Facility in Washington, D.C.

October

 * Great War: Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown... and it is not even known if the bombs came from China or America. Other countries, seeing the missiles on their way, launch their planes and fire their warheads as well. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed. What ensues is two hours of nuclear bombardment upon the earth's surface. The effects are far worse than most imagined. The earth's faults shift violently. Mountain ranges thrust themselves through the soil. Whole lands are submerged under floods of water.


 * Wales, Finland and numerous locations in Eastern Europe are accidental targets of large warheads. Casualties of hundreds of millions experienced by the USA and China, while combined deaths in Europe due to accidental targeting and nuclear fallout thought to only be a few dozen million by 2087, casualties in Britain number at only a couple of million, although various conflicts and diseases have already decimated the population.


 * A week after the initial blast, a black rain begins to fall. Plants and animals both go rapidly into extinction.

2080

 * Mutations start occurring, crops fail, animals die. The vastly decreased population and use of slaves prevents the starvation of citizens in the European Commonwealth. Strange and hostile creatures emerge from the fallout of the bombs, Wales is particularly affected. As the EC government returns to relative normality, they hear news of human "ghouls", strange mutated humans that show no mental degradation.

2081-2275

 * Slowly, bit by bit, the government tried to rebuild. Low fertility rates prevented significant re-population. Disease slowly subsided and people across Europe emerged from their vaults and places of refuge to form new societies. By 2200 successive chains of benevolent dictators, their tyranny kept in check by powerful military officers and scientific elite, had created a very insular union of city states across Europe, although the majority of these cities were in England. The EC was in effect ruled by a small elite of scientists, soldiers and academics... their power protected and sustained by the constant need for technology, protection and learning in the new hostile post-apocalyptic world. From 2200 until 2270, the EC central administration made contact with various organised societies across Europe, a grand alliance was slowly forged, those societies that rejected the call of the EC were slowly marginalised. They fell foul of starvation or raiders, or were simply wiped off the map by the European Defence Agency (EDA), which, although still primarily composed of British troops, now contained members of numerous nationalities. By the end of 2270, most of the known technology and societies within Europe had been consolidated, and those that remained independent posed no apparent threat to the union. While the total population of Europe stood at far less than the population of one pre-war European nation, and population centres existed in total isolation except for satellite communication and occasional visits by government aircraft, the European Commonwealth was starting to show real signs of progress and prosperity in amongst the wasteland. Slavery was abolished for all except criminals, and the people began to adopt a sense of European national identity.

2276

 * The EDA creates a number of special expeditionary forces. They would be tasked with the re-exploration of the planet. Their primary role was to simply observe, scout for advanced technology and resources and make contact with national governments, if they still existed.
 * One of these expeditionary forces is sent to the East Coast of America. Travelling by nuclear submarine, the unit establishes a base in an old secret military base and submarine facility deep underground.