The World of 2150

The current state of the world has drastically changed since the departure of the ISV Unity and the six score years since then and its return. Major historical events have fundamentally changed the geopolitical spectrum, and the technological paradigm has changed.

History

The Aberrant War

The Aberrant War started formally in the 2050s, after several Taint-maddened Novas caused significant damage to the world and fought against nations, each other, causing incredible amounts of collateral damage in the meantime. In 2059, the nations which signed the Zurich Accord repealed it, stripping fundamental human rights from Novas and making it fully legal under UN law to declare war against them, which was done so in 2061. This was an unprecedented maneuver in UN history, the declaration of war against an entire race, although the declaration stood up against all legal challenges pressed against it and has done so for decades.

The Aberrant War was a horrific affair, with millions of civilians and soldiers dying from the godlike might or stranger powers of the Aberrants, cities being destroyed, and once-great nations being humbled and shattered.

The Zurich Repeal

(displaying excerpt)
"...given the horrific actions perpetrated by the majority of these "Aberrants" and their capacity to wreak havoc on the Earth on a grand scale, and recent studies by Project Utopia's Triton division which demonstrate that this onset of violent insanity is extremely common in all Novas, we, the United Nations, formally repeal the Zurich Accords, retracting the statement that Novas benefit from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Men and women may be free to do what they wish, but those with the power of nuclear arsenals must accept that their power must be controlled, for the good of all nations and all peoples..."

Earth Strike Ultimatum

The Chinese Earth Strike Ultimatum was declared in 2067, giving all Novas 72 hours to surrender, leave Earth, or die, as the Chinese military was willing and capable of the destruction of any amount of land up to and including the viability of Earth's biosphere to eliminate the threat to her sovereignty. The demonstration of the Chinese will to inflict this involved the elimination of a group of aberrants known as "The Liberators", who had taken over Bahrain. Chinese fusion warheads scoured Bahrain clean, baseline and aberrant alike, boiling the sea... ...as such, there is no longer an island of Bahrain, merely the Bahrain memorial. This demonstration of power eventually led to the exodus of the Aberrants...

Politics

Federated States of America

A Nova known as Jeffery Wycoff used biomanipulative powers to create a horrific blight across the American midwest, destroying a significant proportion of the world's arable land and causing the deaths of millions. As a result, the United States federal government was forced to undertake emergency powers, instituting martial law across North America. After the Aberrant War, the former United States was left in shambles, and coveting its almost entirely intact neighbor, annexed Canada. Canada was far healthier economically and politically but the US military was, at that time, one of the largest and most advanced ones on Earth. The combined territories are now known as the Federated States of America, a republic with a civilian government that is heavily influenced although not controlled by its military and corporate "advisors".

The FSA is a facade democracy, with mandatory elections (there is only one valid candidate) and ostensible methods of removing serving politicians from power (which in practice rarely work). Power lies in the military leadership and the corporate advisors, and the actual "power behind the throne" comes in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Federated States Joint Intelligence Community Council. Although heavily propagandized, the FSA suffers from several internal insurrections, including long-standing insurgencies in Canada and Texas, Orgotek obstructionism, and the Friendship Annex.

Friendship Annex

The US military and intelligence takeover of North America was not unopposed from the inside, but the vast majority of soldiers did what they were told. The "Friendship Annex" is a pro-democracy group operating in the United States, originally consisting of the remnants of United States domestic and foreign intelligence agencies and surviving soldiers who managed to successfully desert. Their goal, as it stands, is to depose the FSA and reinstate a democratic government in the United States. With reasonable numbers of sympathizers in the FSA at large, including suspected high-ranking agents in the military-industrial complex, the Friendship Annex has had no problems managing to fight an unconventional war against the Federated States since its inception, and is exceedingly well armed for an insurgency.

Aeon Archive Data: Friendship Annex
Friendship Annex tactics have evolved out of Central Intelligence Agency unconventional warfare tactics, possibly due to casualty aversion. They tend to find another group of less-organized insurgents in the FSA, then arm and train them to accomplish their goals, rather than engage in direct warfare-although it is no slouch in direct engagement. Aeon operatives in the FSA working against it have found the Friendship Annex quite useful for various purposes, including armaments and intelligence.

Proteus Division analysts suspect that Orgotek is arming and equipping the Friendship Annex, for unknown reasons.

Orgotek

Orgotek is one of the Psi Orders, structured as a corporation under Proxy/President (Prexy, in normal parlance) Alex Cassel. Orgotek is the primary creator of electrokinetics, who are capable of manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum, and also is a leader in the research and development of various fields such as bioapplications, biotechnology, and electronics. With government and private sector contracts throughout the world, Orgotek has significant market share in a whole host of fields. It also has positive associations with most Psi Orders, and an especially close one with the Legion. Mixed Orgotek/Legion Psion teams commonly operate near the Mideast Blight Zone, and cross-training is not unheard of.

Orgotek itself is very image-conscious, having forged a reputation for low corruption, high accountability, and free public works. Orgotek "traveling schools" seek to educate FSA citizens despite constant harassment from the government, Orgotek employees are given excellent benefits packages and well-taken care of, and Orgotek is quick to punish elements of its corporate hierarchy which do not live up to its noble public image. This, in concert with its universal contracts, have made it largely untouchable in the FSA despite its actions sometimes sabotaging FSA policies.

Aeon Archive Data: Orgotek
Orgotek's public face may not be all it seems. Information gathered from operations such as the Tunguska Raid, the Huang-Marr scandal, and so on reveal that several times when Orgotek interests were threatened, operatives with unknown affiliation attacked and seemed to have objectives involving the destruction of evidence. This operations group is tentatively named "Option Eight" (from the Orgotek file on disciplinary policy, with Options One through Seven delineating ever more extreme punishments) and is likely to be an Orgotek black operations unit. Whether Alex Cassel is complicit or this is being undertaken without his knowledge is unknown.

Furthermore, Orgotek has links to terrorist and FSA underground groups such as the Friendship Annex, the Free Canada Movement, and the Barret Commission.

China

The People's Republic of China is the world's sole superpower, a powerful nation which survived the Aberrant Wars essentially untouched. One of the primary impetuses of space exploration, a research and development powerhouse, and hosting the Ministry of Psionic Affairs, Chinese influence in every area of life cannot be underestimated. The People's Liberation Army is the largest and most potent military fighting force in the world, controlling the majority of the Orbital Monitoring and Elimination Network (OMEN) jointly with the FSA, with the largest spacefleet, and controlling shares in most of the Leviathan Jumpships constructed as of 2150.

Although rich and prosperous, China has taken more than a little flak from pro-free-speech activists and pro-democracy activists for the "Chinese Panopticon", a near-universal network of monitoring systems and software which extend through all public areas and make crime (and privacy) almost impossible, as well as media censorship.

Aeon Archive: China
The "Chinese Panopticon" makes covert operation inside China extremely difficult, as all cities are universally monitored in an "open society". This, in concert with the Ministry, means Proteus has no assets in China and all Aeon assets in China are officially sanctioned and publically documented. All Proteus operatives deployed to China for potentially illegal operations should be equipped, whether technologically or via psionic modes, to subvert this security. Fortunately the security systems are networked, meaning that subverting the security of a small area can easily be extended to create electronic invisibility for a city.

Ministry of Psionic Affairs

The Ministry of Psionic Affairs is a Psi Order, but also a significant force in the politics of the People's Republic and is, in fact, a branch of the PRC's government. Led by Proxy Bue Li, the Ministry's political viewpoint is essentially "technocratic Confucianism". The rule of law, intolerance of corruption, social mobility, and the idea of human rights as a group, rather than individual, right all inform the Ministry's political views and give reasons for its explicit support of the current Chinese government, and further improve the Chinese Panopticon and its reach.

The Ministry believes that the elimination of corruption is best done at the root-and its policies seem to bear it out. The stereotypical Ministry Psion is infallibly polite, completely incorruptible, and totally dedicated to his or her mission, no matter what it may be. More depressingly, the Ministry does not believe in the inalienable right to privacy as much as most of the world does, although they do (by all indications) respect the laws against telepathic intrusion that the rest of the world generally possesses, when operating outside of China.

Aeon Archive: Ministry of Psionic Affairs
It is currently unknown how much of the Ministry's incorruptibility is due to conventional education and indoctrination and how much of it is due to telepathic alteration of its students. It would not be impossible for Proxy Bue Li and her trusted inner circle to adjust all such agents to be less easily swayed by earthly desires.

Agents beware of Ministry operatives because although not omniscient, they can read your minds. All Proteus operatives sent for black operations in China should be given anti-telepathics training and suicide shunts.

The European Union

The European Union suffered greatly during the Aberrant War, losing several cities and millions of citizens during it, as well as many of its member nations' capitols. The Esperanza incident in 2120, though, was the straw that broke the camel's back, destroying Paris, one of the EU's largest fully-intact cities, and further crippling the EU's efforts to rebuild to its former glories. The birthplace of western civilization, the European Union is still an excellent tourist spot despite some of the risks, as many historical sites and monuments survived the Aberrant War intact, given their extremely low strategic value.

The Esperanza crash bankrupted many EU nations, which were relying on it for their recovery, and further lowered living conditions in the EU.

Britain

The British Isles are a highly nationalistic, largely isolationist, "racist" government which has been criticized for its xenophobia and isolationism. Having withdrawn from the EU during the Aberrant War, they manage to exceed EU living standards in part by the level of economic damage that the EU suffered during the Aberrant War and Esperanza crash.

Aeon Archives
The Islington Tea Society incident in 2040, then multiple refugee influxes from the Middle East due to the Twenty-Minute War, created an atmosphere of fear and xenophobia which was in part an impetus for the current British government to take power. Successors of the British National Party, the current xenophobic British government has almost entirely banned immigration, asylum, and other methods of non-British citizens getting into the Isles. Anti-Psion sentiment is also high due to the Tea Society and the revelation of their influence in government-and the British government makes little distinction between Psions and Aberrants.

France

The destruction of Paris from the Esperanza crash and the French government's heavy funding of the station caused its government, already teetering due to damage sustained in the Aberrant War, to implode. France is in a state of anarchy, with warlordism rampant and a handful of teetering local governments too fragile to really reach out and become coalitions. Gangs (and Aberrants) operate openly, the primary industry of France is scavenging, utilities are infrequent, and in general nobody wants to be there.

Aeon Archives
No government means no official support, but it also means that the Aberrants in France don't tend to disguise themselves as well as the more hidden ones in any other area. On the other hand, Aberrant cults can easily form in France. Assume that your enemy will always have armed support from thugs with rifles and rocket launchers, as well as possibly bringing heavier firepower in play. Aberrants are insane, not stupid.

The Middle East

Increasing incidents of aberrant instability in the Middle East set off the powder keg which was Israel and its neighbors in the late 2040s, causing a nuclear war that was followed by the destructive total war between fanatical and insane aberrants. This has left the Middle East largely wasteland, shattering the cradle of many modern religions. Holy cities and priceless holy sites are now little more than graveyards, silent testimonies to the horrors of the Aberrant War. Radiation levels near the cities of Jerusalem and Mecca are still dangerously high, and due to the tragic use of the highly-dirty and long-lived "Salt Bombs" against those cities in the 2040s are unlikely to be safe for indefinite human habitation until the year 2350...

Aeon Archives
The Middle East is still radioactive, Tainted, and generally not a place you want to be. Even for religious reasons, Mecca is a radioactive crater and so is Jerusalem. Aberrants and nuclear weapons will do that to you. Recovery will require several decades of radiation scrubbing and intensive restoration work. Gathering the funds necessary for such a plan will require significant public support, although the current Pope, multiple remaining Muslim sects, and various other religious and secular groups have attempted to drum up support for such a project. Currently Neptune Division is working with these groups to pool their efforts for the restoration of the birthplace of civilization.

-Sadly, it always takes tragedies of this scale to unite humanity. <MAMercer>

Africa

After the Aberrant War, Africa was ironically left in a position to do relatively well, although the civil wars and complete collapse of the colonial borders during the Aberrant War had caused significant chaos. But although they had fallen, most nations had fallen far further and left them on a mostly equal footing. Rapid industrialization, a change from the endless parade of tinpot dictators, and a plethora of natural resources had allowed them to become a new rising star, and the influence and assistance of the Upeo in the Psion age was sufficient to further increase their international standing.

Their exodus has, of course, hit the continent hard, but with secondhand expertise on the nature of psionic teleportation, the nations of Africa have become critical contributors to Leviathan design and construction.

South America

The Norca's destruction and assimilation of the former South American drug cartels, and the Norca "going legitimate", left South America stable and united, and a leading powerhouse in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Like many of the poorer nations during the Aberrant War, it was hit relatively lightly by the infrastructural damage of the war due to lacking the high-tech, easily Nova-subvertible infrastructure and often relying primarily on cheaper last-generation technology. This allowed it, like Africa, to later make a fair recovery. South America has forgotten the previous image of the drug lord and now sees them as much more noble creatures, like how 1920s gangsters were viewed in many Hollywood films-criminals, but criminals one can respect. If Proxy Del Fuego is intentionally encouraging it, or if the whitewashing is just human nature, remains to be seen.

Outer System Insurgents

The official moniker "Outer System Insurgents" applies to a half-dozen or more smaller groups with similar anti-authoritarian, pro-space-habitation views, as opposed to the idea that space should be controlled and monitored. Hostile to the government and corporate presence in space, these groups, with names such as the "Trojan Splittists", "Void Chasers", and "Freedmen" are allies of each other but not a strictly united front due to differences in their idea of what "free space" should be.

The "Space Pirate" movement has hijacked the image of the dashing swashbuckler for their individualist, anti-authoritarian views, based on the plethora of resources in space and the advances in automated manufacturing meaning that individualist enclaves are now a viable alternative to state-controlled power. Citing ancient UN agreements about the status of space as free territory rather than the government-and-corporate dominated environment it is now, embracing alternative lifestyles such as transhumanism and neonatal genetic modification, and demanding that they be allowed to consider themselves independent rather than people slaving under the sovereignty an Earth government in perpetuity. Militant freedom fighters, their standard form of protest often involves the boarding and seizing of merchant ships and the ransoming of their crew. The pirates may have a handful of military vessels, but generally use converted fast civilian craft to undertake their operations.

Entertainment

Strike Force Psion, Season 6

Good news, fans! The popular OpNet series Strike Force Psion has been renewed for yet another season across the world, bringing you more adventures of your favorite members of the Psi Orders and their epic adventures in space dealing with the Qin, Chromatics, and the Aberrants. Remember, Strike Force Psion is based on a true story and has actual Psions advising its scriptwriters and artists, bringing unparalleled authenticity.

Will Strike Force Psion be able to defeat the Dark Matter Witches of Lorentz and return home? Or will fraying tempers and personal tensions doom them to dying alone, rather than triumphing together? Will they be able to undo the brainwashing and mutation of the poor girls that Lorentz kidnapped for her terrible plans, or will they have no other choice but to kill the innocent? Watch the sixth season of Strike Force Psion and find out!

The Aeon Trinity

Neptune

Administration, Exploration, and Diplomacy
If you've ever wanted to step foot on new worlds and meet new people, or simply help people see past their differences and find their inner similarities, Neptune provides opportunities for idealists such as you to do their part in helping society grow past petty bickering into a grand, united whole. From exploring new worlds to understanding alien species to working closely with the Psionic Orders and shaping public opinion, Neptune can provide you a posting in almost any field you wish. Applicants to Neptune Division should be well-motivated and idealistic, and should have previous experience (or at least certification) in the area they seek employment in.

Triton

Research And Technology
Since its founding, Triton has brought to you many of the advancements which have increased the human lifespan and bettered the human condition. From its earliest discovery of a cancer vaccine and the cure for AIDS in 2014, Triton has provided many of the great leaps in biomedical technology, making the human race better by leaps and bounds. Triton trains many of the finest scientists and engineers in cutting-edge technology. For more than a century, Triton has been a trusted name in the sciences, and we do our best to live up to our reputation.

Any graduate of a certified college program in a field of scientific engineering may apply to Triton for additional training or a career. Do you want to allow the human race to step ever forward? If so, choose to become a member of Triton today. Latent Psions or currently active ones should note Triton's close partnership with many Psi orders, and how one may be able to join one of many joint projects. There is no reason why an Aesculpian, Norca, or Orgotek employee needs to retire from their order to work with Aeon Triton.

Proteus

Special Operations
Do YOU think you have what it takes to become a member of Project Proteus? Let me tell you, you probably don't. If you've got enough determination and skills to make us think otherwise, come to an Aeon recruitment center today, ask about joining Project Proteus, and show us that you've got the right stuff to become one of us. As a member of Proteus, you will be on the front lines, defending humankind from internal and external threats, from alien invasions to Aberrant cultists, living a life of excitement, duty, and wonder.

To be accepted into Proteus training, you must possess:

A Morgan-Atherholt Trauma Function Test of 70+ (acceptable Morgan-Atherholt TFTs are those administered by any Triton facility or the Legions. Any tester from a national military must retest [all retest costs are covered]).

No augmentation allergies, or a combined physical aptitude test result of 84+ (any Triton facility can test for augmentation allergies).

Creativity, intelligence, and a love of learning.

A sense of duty to humanity as a whole.

A willingness to spend years isolated from Earth in an extrasolar colony.

A willingness to make hard decisions and take responsibility for them.

No mental illnesses, physical disabilities, or social anxieties which cannot be permanently treated via hypnotherapy, pharmaceutical, or surgical means.

Note that Latent or already practicing Psis of particularly high power may waive some or all requirements. These requirements are the bare minimum-applicants are encouraged to have additional expertise before application, such as in translation, cultural sensitivity, law, investigation, or other similar fields. A full list can be found on the Aeon Trinity OpNet Node.