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The year is 2024, and the world is a dangerous place. For the past quarter-century, our world’s economy has plummeted as the oil wells have dried up. We knew it would happen, we’d known it for years, but no one dared imagine how horrible the energy shortage would be. As citizens of the superpower nations, we were sheltered from the first stages. We ignored the stories on the news. Mass starvation in Africa, civil war in the Middle East, entire populations ceased to exist. We just changed the channel. Now, those same scenes are happening in our own neighborhoods.
In the early twenty first century, world civilization was at its peak, but mankind’s dependence on technology was total. When there was no more electricity, no more heat for our homes, no running water - chaos ensued. Millions died from starvation and exposure. Now, only the former superpowers remain to compete for the meager remains of our planet’s natural resources.
After Decades of trade agreements and military alliances, The Western Coalition was a natural development from the former NATO and EU countries. The US and UK banded together immediately, while countries such as Japan and India joined as a means of survival - the threat of the enemy loomed nearby.
China and Russia could never have been called friends, but with most of the remaining oil wells in central Asia, it was easier for them to join forces against the west than to fight each other. This uneasy partnership resulted in the formation of the Red Star Alliance, and with the addition of many Middle Eastern countries; they now control the vast majority of the world’s oil.
Now, there is open war on a worldwide scale. With all available funds directed toward military development, modern battlefields are home to the most advanced weapon systems ever conceived. While the civilian population has starved, the world’s militaries have grown strong. There is only enough oil left to sustain one half of the world’s remaining population. This is an inescapable fact. The only question - which half?
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