The Pre Empyrean Chronicles, The final three days of "The Fusion War"!

 Here is the third and final set of turns from my "grant strategy cyberpunk" game I am ran with some IRL friends through facebook. The game's procedures (rather than rules) are here if interested: https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2022/07/pre-empyrean-cyberpunk-ish-freeform.html

This post includes the  the final three single day turns and the epilogue! Enjoy! I am going to attempt to put together a bit of cyberpunk setting guide using the events of this game in the near future. 

Here is part 1 and 2:

• http://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-pre-empyrean-chronicles-2700-3000-ce.html 
• https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-pre-empyrean-chronicles-3000-to.html

Turn 9: The Pre Empyrean Chronicles, 3021: Week 3. Day 1:

• The SAFE zaibatsu launched nearly all of the 10’000 mining drones they have stationed on Earth to hunt the dark skies for the Hyperion Order transports that escaped the destruction of the Halcyon arcology. Alongside heavy datagrid searches and sensors, they were unable to find the jets in the air. It is assumed that the 5 transports have landed somewhere on the earth’s surface but scans so far have not located the remaining members of Hyperion Council.
• The continued search will be harder over the next few days, as SAFE’s “Nu Datagrid” satellites were mysteriously shut down today! Rebooting their systems will take several weeks. While SAFE’s datagrid access is maintained as normal on the earth’s surface - the high fidelity connection to their automated mining drone fleet has been lost.
• A single SAFE mining drone was launched from beneath the water of one of earth’s dark oceans and set course towards the Halcyon Independent space fleet. The fleet, not willing to take any risks at this point in time, opened fire at the single drone. Another enormous chunk of the shrapnel sphere was blown apart as the drone exploded into a red ball of plasma that matched the size of the recent Halcyon arcology reactor explosion. As the explosion took place outside of the atmosphere the damage was minimized, but a 1000 drones from both the SAFE and Halcyon automated mining fleet was destroyed from the shrapnel blast.
• Alongside the events in the air and space, the mutant army of “Zombie” Jack Tackhard II clashed with the SAFE army led by Commander Borgsey in the empty mega city blocks east of the SAFE arcology. The SAFE army was prepared for the onslaught and most of the frontline lizards and mutants were ripped apart by bullets on the initial charge. Many of the bizarre flying and camouflaging units were able to get behind the SAFE lines though causing them some losses too. Fighting continues in the empty streets and skyscrapers east of the SAFE arcology, with about 100’000 SAFE soldiers dead and 200’000 mutants slain. The vast majority of the SAFE citizens who had recently taken up “camping” were eaten by the rampaging mutants.
• Having easily defended against the single SAFE drone attack, the Halcyon independent fleet was then besieged by the self-destructive strikes of 6000 of Halcyon’s own mining drones! A red glow was seen above earth’s black dust cloud skies as the Independent fleet fired near endless rounds of plasma slug fire at the mining drones swarming them from all directions! While the fleet survived the onslaught, two destroyers and four frigates were destroyed in the attack, reducing the independent fleet down to 1 carrier class, 3 destroyer class and 4 frigate class spacecrafts.
• While Commander Treb Redyier ordered a datagrid re-seizure of the automated mining drone fleet, the operation was not successful, meaning more mining drone strikes may be en route in the coming days!
• As conflict raged on Earth, President Truffle of the Dual Colonies extended an invitation to all Earth nations and organizations to send dignitaries to join a panel of earth representation on Jupiter’s moons. The call has not been answered by any Earth organisation as yet. Alongside this President Truffle continued the planning for long term habitation of Jupiter’s moons.

Turn 10: The Pre Empyrean Chronicles, 3021: Week 3. Day 2:

• The earth was rocked by several heavy earthquakes and accompanying tsunamis today! A large number of the earth’s volcanoes also erupted without warning, filling the already dark skies with even thicker ash and dust. While impressive, these natural disasters did not have much of an impact on earth’s already hugely reduced population.
• As the Halcyon fleet began its orbital plasma bombardment of the SAFE arcology, it was joined by a thousand of its own automated mining drones in the assault - returning from the asteroid belt. The fleet spent the day melting away the exterior of arcology, as the 1000 mining drones surged through the plasma slugs, and adding to its destruction! By the end of the day only the bottom third of the SAFE arcology was barely left standing. While not totally destroyed, the top two thirds of the arcology’s sphere has still been slagged at this point, resulting in utter chaos within the spheroid mega city and the death of about 2.5 billion people.

· Although the fighting was fierce in the abandoned skyscrapers around the SAFE arcology, the SAFE cybernetically empowered army was beginning to overpower the shrinking mutant Calvert Vally army in the early hours of the morning. Fighting was disrupted, as the dim sun rose, by the harsh red glow of plasma slugs beginning to melt the top of the SAFE arcology. Several thousand units in both armies were melted, vaporoused or set alight by stray plasma in the AM. Several sky scrapers were toppled by the mutant army, crushing many thousands of defending SAFE soldiers. This was not enough for the mutants to win though, as SAFE had a massive advantage in firepower and numbers! By Midday another 100’000 mutants were slain, their foul blooding flooding the city streets, to SAFE’s 50’000 lost soldiers. The mutants were now only 200’000 strong, still led by “Zombie” Jack Tackhard II, against the SAFE army of 2.85 million. But then, the cybernetic soldiers began to get dragged, by some mysterious force, to the west! SAFE’s soldiers were literally pulled through the air, slowly, then with more force and swiftness, towards the coast. Millions of metal soldiers were wrenched westtward, along side any scraps of metal littering the destroyed city streets around the SAFE arcology. The metal armoured and armed mutants were also dragged westward.

· From midday onwards, in massive screeching waves, the entire SAFE army, alongside many mutants, and most of the metal around the SAFE arcology were dragged into the ocean, towards 6 VSM naval destroyers off the coast!

· As more of SAFE’s army was sent out from the arcology (which held strong even with its melted top) they were dragged out into the waves. Here the advancing mutants of Calvert Vally were somehow protected by an invisible bubble from the falling plasma. And so they stomped and howled to the entrance of the arcology!

· By the end of the day, a massive mound of metal and dead, drowned SAFE soldiers had filled in the ocean to the west of the SAFE arcology and the mutant horde was in the arcology, ripping apart the undefended citizens with glee! No armoured mutants remained though, all of them ripped out to sea alongside the SAFE cybernetic army. 150’000 foul, mutant horrors now rampaged through the megacity arcology as it was melted from above by the Halcyon Independent fleet! A further million SAFE citizens were killed by the Calvert Vally mutants today.

• As the SAFE arcology was ripped apart from above and within, its datagrid assets were also ravaged by outside forces. Already weakened by the loss of its Nu-Grid satellites,and in the absolute chaos of the day, its financial assets were nearly all funneled into anonymous accounts. With the very imminent collapse of the zaibatsu, this appears to just be insult to injury.
• The, now largely underground living, citizens of Calvert Vally, emerged from their bunkers today to attend a mass ceremonial planting of trees. About a million trees were planted before the citizens of Calvert Vally returned to their warren like underground industrial cities.
• In the Dual Colonies of Jupiter, VSM citizens reported feeling incredibly sleepy and lethargic today - several even feinting. Calvert Vally citizens reported that they felt completely fine.

Turn 11: The Pre Empyrean Chronicles, 3021: Week 3. Day 3:

• The 9’998 SAFE mining drones that had been hunting across the earth’s dark for the Hyperion Order jets turned their focus to the 10 VSM destroyers stationed on both the East and West coast of Amazonic desert region. The drones hurled themselves at the ships at supersonic speeds, but exploded in red balls of plasma as they impacted against a hidden field surrounding the ships!
• The morning passed with thousands of drones exploding themselves against the impenetrable VSM barrier when suddenly, at around 10 am, the barriers failed! The crew aboard the ships, panicked, analyzed their electronic systems and discovered that their communication network, that had been growing over the last few days, had been traced and corrupted. They only had a few moments to curse the Hyperion Order before the remaining horde of SAFE mining drones ripped the remaining fleet apart. Each ship was pummeled by the super sonic force of the speeding mining drones - exploding in a massive sphere of red plasma and water!
• While both the VSM destroyer fleet, and 9’998 drones of the SAFE mining fleet had been destroyed, the VSM arcology remained standing and well defended!
• In Free Neosia, the two thirds melted SAFE arcology was ravaged by “Zombie” Jack Tackhard II and his mutant army! The warped and abominable beasts stomped through the hugely populated enclosed megacity, feasting and killing with abandon! Suddenly, the millions of personal assistant robots across the arcology were activated into a mode of murderous rampage! While the robots were poor fighters, their sheer numbers allowed a large component of the surviving SAFE citizens to retreat from the mutant horde, and take refuge in a secure quarter of the arcology! By the end of the day, “Zombie” Jack Tackhard II had seized most of the city apart from a small section of the arcology inhabited by 100 million civilian SAFE citizens, defended by an army of about 1 million personal assistant robots!
• Having decided it had melted enough of the Earth’s surface, the Halcyon Independent accelerated away from the earth, setting a course outside of the solar system. The fleet’s commander Treb Redyier received a mysterious transmission from President Truffle of the Dual Jupiter Fleets as the fleet left the Earth behind. It is unknown what was contained within the datagrid package, and whether the commander opened it or not…
• As the Halcyon Independent Fleet left the solar system, 1000 Halcyon Tiko Field automated mining drones pierced through the shrapnel sphere, returning from their long journey to the asteroid belt. The drones had no Halcyon arcology to return to, and instead travelled above the underground industrial cities of Calvert Vally in the Zeastra scrub zone. After their ceremonial planting of many trees yesterday, the ever hardy and adaptable peoples of Calvert Vally were preparing to live underground for the coming years, as the darkness from reactor explosions and plasma bombardments cleared above. Their hibernation had barely begun when the 1000 Halcyon mining drones drilled down into their underground cities like earth eating missiles! The underground cities were ripped apart, and torn asunder by nuclear reactor blasts. About 100 million calvert vally civilians died, leaving only 100 million left to attempt to rebuild their destroyed clan lands after the desructive Halcyon terrorist attack!
• A sad, lonely, and poorly converted for space travel ex VSM submarine slowly traveled towards Saturn. Leaking various bodily fluids from its warped, flesh and metal form. What nightmares and heavens it dreamt on its journey through the dark endless void, are not known.
• On the dual colonies of Jupiter’s moons, President Truffles reign continued, watched by the 165 VSM destroyers orbiting his fragile bases.

Epilogue: The Pre Empyrean Chronicles, 3031, Ten years after “The Fusion War”.

· The earth remains dark, shrouded in night-time induced by heavy dust clouds and enforced by the shrapnel sphere. Though there were spikes in temperatures after the several bouts of plasma bombardments in the last decade, in general global temperatures have dropped by an average of 15 degrees. Filthy black snow is common across the globe. The only land region that is an outlier to this is the area surrounding North East Free Siach – where the slagged flat plane left behind after the plasma bombardment still radiates heat. Several small free settlements have erupted on the borders of the plasma slagged region. The ocean where the Ropa Retired Industrial Region used to stand also exhibits higher levels of warmth, the seam more often than not steaming and emitting a faint red glow from beneath the waves.

· The constant eruptions of the earth’s volcanos ensure the dust cloud remains in place. The earth continues shaking with regular earthquakes, followed by tsunamis. Outside of the tsunamis the earth’s oceans are dead and flat – due to the SAFE metal moons taming of the tides.

· Farming is impossible, most vegetation has died apart from some rare albino plants. Fungal blooms are beginning to be recorded in abundance. The food supply for all surviving people on the earth is generated in industrial nutrient laboratories.

· The shrapnel sphere remains in place, though large chunks of it have been removed due to space conflict.

· While VSM nearly imploded after the devastation of the “Swift Collapse” datagrid virus, they were able to drag some of their key systems into an operational state during the events of “the Fusion War”. Their Magnetosphere Force Armouring Field (MFAF) equipped naval destroyers played a pivotal role in “Zombie” Jack Tackhard mutant horde’s conquest of the SAFE arcology. Though mass deaths due to starvation and electronics withdrawal were unavoidable, the population in the SAFE arcology has since stabilised at 1.4 billion, alongside an infantry army of 1 million.

· VSM has transitioned to a totally analogue society, with the use of the datagrid banned under threat of severe punishment. The decade has been spent removing all connections to the datagrid in current generation electronics and equipment, and all new manufactured equipment being totally offline in nature. VSM was able to capitalise on the relative collapse of SAFE, becoming the dominant power on the earth and rifling through the remains of their arcology for any industrial secrets left behind. The scavenging was proven unnecessary when a number of the VSM space fleet craft returned from Jupiter to Earth orbit and seized the single Halcyon craft holding a number of SAFE executives and industrial data.

· Since the seizure of the SAFE space craft, VSM has unlocked the secrets to fusion power, human hibernation, and robotic A.I system and fusion bombs – further cementing their position as the hegemonic power in the solar system. The SAFE executives were all executed for their attempt to destroy the earth through the bombing of the core.

· Both the Halcyon and SAFE automated mining drone operations were inherited by VSM, the events of the Fusion War and the process of off lining the drones from the datagrid resulted in a great reduction of both fleets size, but VSM is now operating a fleet of 100’000 automated mining drones – all disconnected from the datagrid, running on analogue technology command systems. This extra terrestrial mining operation has allowed VSM to rebuild its earth based naval fleet, to a total of 50 destroyers over the last ten years (alongside a vast number of support and transport craft).

· The Hegemony of VSM is overseen by Earth Consul Ian Brown and Space Consul Max Steel in a shared military dictatorship. While in a position of supreme power, the offline and analogue VSM society has living standards greatly below that of all earth zaibatsus and clans before the events of the catastrophic “Fusion War’

· The ruins of the SAFE arcology itself is now controlled by King “Zombie” Jack Tackhard II. His kingdom has inherited the infrastructure and industrial capacity of the bottom third of the otherwise melted SAFE arcology. This has allowed King Jack’s mutant society to flourish over the decade, with Jack himself growing in size and mutations, and his army/people also flowering with endless mutated variations. A population of about 200’000 mutants lives in the ruins of the SAFE arcology under King Jack’s rule.

· A small western pocket of the arcology has been sealed off to King Jack, where the SAFE citizen refugees fled the onslaught of his army. The defence barrier keeping the mutants out is manned by a million strong personal assistant robotic army that has slowly grown in conflict capacity over the decade (the robots being as effective in fighting as a particularly slow and weak human toddler when engaged into conflict mode during the fusion war). Heavy engineering works has resulted in massive physical barriers sealing the refugees away from the rest of the arcology. While essentially entombed within a relatively small portion of the arcology, the SAFE refugees in fact experience the highest standard of living in the world – not victim of the severe offline restrictions placed on VSM citizens. There is believed to be about 80 million SAFE refugees living in their pocket of the SAFE arcology.

· Wild and unsubstantiated rumours exist that some of the SAFE refugees are adherents to the bio sexual cult practiced by the disgraced Halcyon management executives. Alleged occult bio sexual ceremonies involved the use of giant, vat grown and nano-psych tech modified sentient organs.

· Outside of the SAFE arcology, the wild and feral mutant population has thrived since the fusion war, with a wide range of biological horrors inhabiting Zeastra scrub lands and abandoned mega cities of Freo Neosia.

· Many sentient mutants have settled alongside the 100 million strong population of Calvert Vally. The massive tunnels bored directly into the earth during the final Halcyon mining drone attack of the Fusion War have been a warm refuge from the freezing temperatures above for the clan. The drone holes and nuclear explosion craters have slowly been filled with salvaged and scavenged structures over the decade. Calvert Vally civilization remains a largely offline and analogue society, unable to get back online after the devastation of the “Swift Collapse” datagrid super virus. Non sentient mutant hunting/farming and mass fungi farming forms the basis of the Calvert Vally food supply, alongside some industrial nutrient production facilities.

· Calvert Vally scrappers have had great success dredging the oceans east of the SAFE arcology, bringing up the many millions of cybernetic limbs and torsos left behind by the drowned SAFE security army. These cybernetic parts have greatly improved the fighting capacity of Calvert Valley’s half million strong infantry army. It is believed most of these cybernetic limbs in operation have been offlined from the datagrid.

· The survivors of the destruction of the Hyperion Council remain at large but wanted by the VSM Hegemony. They have been found guilty by VSM military court of war crimes during the Fusion War and will be executed on arrest. Many citizens of VSM blame Hyperion Council for the offlining of their society and the reduced living standards accompanying that.

· There are reports of communications between Hyperion Council and the SAFE refugees, but the largely offline VSM society has no way of verifying these reports.

· Globally, most fear Hyperion Council as ghosts and demons who will seize control of your life, equipment and holdings if you ever dare to connect to the datagrid…Most also assume the Hyperion Council to live a life of debauched luxury aboard their nuclear jets – the small group being the richest in human history (unfortunately in reality the earth’s somewhat deformed economy does not give them much goods or services to actually purchase).

· Additionally reports exists of Hyperion Council members meeting in person with the surviving Free Mind giants. This independent clan of 90’000 nano-psych tech modified giants continues to inhabit the mega city ruins of Free Siach. The giants are fearsome warriors, as well as an online, datagrid connected society in contact with the Hyperion Council, the SAFE refugees, and the smattering of small independent settlements across the earth. It is rumoured that the Free Mind giants are in contact with some non-earth based groups, via their intrusion into the SAFE “Nu Datagrid” satellites that are still in operation. Even wilder rumours claim that the mysterious group known as “The Fixers” resides withing Free Mind giant territory. Sadly, the giants will die out over the next century due to their being sterile.

· After the events of the “Fusion War” President Truffle was forcible removed from the office of Dual Colony President by Space Consul Max Steel. Truffle was found guilty of both crimes against humanity (for constantly tampering with the colonies oxygen supplies for his own nefarious reasons) and bestiality. He was executed shortly after his removal from office. All Calvert Vally citizens on the Jupiter colonies were also removed and transported back to earth – leaving VSM in sole rulership of Jupiter moon bases.

· 40 VSM space fleet destroyers were kept in orbit around Jupiter, 80 were put into orbit around the earth and the remaining 45 were put into orbit around Saturn when it was discovered the Halcyon Independent fleet as in orbit around the Saturnian moon of Enceladus!

· While the Halcyon Independent fleet has so far refused to return any radio wave hails, it is believed to be in communication with the commandeered VSM submarine, poorly reconfigured for space travel, that left the earth a decade ago. The VSM submarine that is currently inhabiting the frozen waters of Enceladus has constantly been transmitting datagrid datacoils to the VSM space fleet, but the totally offline, analogue only communication systems of the destroyers are unable to receive its messages. The 45 VSM destroyers constantly monitor the Halcyon Independent fleet – ready to destroy it the moment it sets a flight path towards the earth. The Halcyon Independent fleet remains at 1 carrier class, 3 destroyer class and 4 frigate class spacecrafts. Each is equipped with fusion power generators and plasma canons.

· The future looks bright for the VSM Hegemony, even if the earth is shrouded in darkness. The underwater cities destroyed in the “Swift Collapse” datagrid super virus are being dredged from the ocean and plans exist for them to be converted into space cities in orbit around the earth. Long distance space flights, employing SAFE human hibernation tech, are also planned – with the human colonisation of other systems a realisable possibility in the not so distant future. Living space designs taken from SAFE industrial data means both colonists and space city dwellers well both feel mentally calm and stable in these exotic environs.

· The VSM Hegemony can feel secure in their military dominance of the system, with Fusions bombs shortly to be put into production, the Magnetosphere Force Armouring Field (MFAF) becoming even more powerful through the use of fusion reactors, and the Halcyon Tiko field technology being miniaturised for use in personnel and small scale infrastructure and building armouring.