Modern Times

Timeline

2558

Throughout spring, Thor mobilizes his men and some new followers from the ranks of Ceres’ tribe to take Neocron. Thor's men are equipped with a powerful hand weapon which shoots heavy plasma. This glowing green concentrated energy beam wields an enormous amount of destructive power. As Thor's men leave the city, they know there's no turning back. Ceres has told them that anyone choosing choose war over peace will forfeit his place in this community.

The Battle of Neocron doesn't last long. After Crahn and his Psi Monk bodyguards manage to escape, the remaining Psi Monks surrender quickly, realizing that they stand no chance against Thor’s powerful energy weapons. Thor is displeased by Crahn’s escape, but the joy and jubilance of the liberated populace comfort him sufficiently to take his mind off this disappointment soon enough. Not only do his own people cheer him; Crahn’s people hail their rescuer, as well. They, too, have suffered badly under the cruel reign of Crahn and his monks. They now hope for the instigation of an honorable government with Thor, whom they have heard so many encouraging tales about, heading it as a just ruler.

Crahn and his bodyguards escape to the Wastelands. Building on the base of ancient ruins, they begin to erect a fortified abbey. In the course of the following years Crahn dies. His guards found the Brotherhood of Crahn in the abbey. This sect will become a most influential religious group in the following decades.

2565

After seven years of growth, justice, and progress under Thor's benevolent reign, he considers himself too old to continue his rule of Neocron. He passes power on to his son, Regant. Regant wants to develop Neocron into the most powerful, most modern, and largest city of the new world.

The construction of the Dome of York is nearly finished, as well. Following the insights gained from the Ceres discs, York is structured like a 22nd century city. The dome of former Tokyo, which had protected that city against radiation centuries ago, served as an example for the protective dome above York.

Regant doesn't believe in the dome concept. Educated by Caalron, Mecando’s successor, he designs a plan for a magnetic shield that reflects more than half of the radiation without a material structure. The advantage of Regant's plan lies in the fact that his concept won't limit physical expansion of the city.

2570

Despite the magnetic shield, the population of Neocron still suffers from a disease which can be traced back to the influence of radiation. Regant plans to improve the shield and asks the now 65-year-old Ceres to give him a copy of the Ceres discs to supplement his knowledge of magnetic shields. Surprisingly, Ceres refuses his request, declaring that he had warned Regant's father of bloodshed and that there will be neither partnership nor friendship between Neocron and York.

Bewildered, Regant insists on his right to gain access to the Ceres discs. He points out that it has, after all, been his father who discovered them. But Ceres is not swayed from his point of view. Regant has no choice but to give up his plan.

2575

A lethal viral infection kills thousands of Neocron's residents. The city's medics are helpless, and even the Psi Monks, who have wondrous healing methods at their disposal, are puzzled. Once again Regant turns to Ceres and pleads for access to the discs that, he is sure, contain information on some medicine against the plague. But Ceres proclaims that the plague is the vengeance of the God of the Blinding Light, who is punishing Neocron for the pointless bloodshed.

Outraged, young Regant declares that there will be more bloodshed and begins to prepare his troops for war against the Dome of York.

2576

Regant and Ceres are unable to reach a peaceful agreement. Regant orders the Psi Monks to use their knowledge of genetic engineering – gained primarily while fighting the viral infection – for breeding a stronger and more robust warrior. The Psi Monks, who have studied genetic engineering ever since Thor's capture of Neocron and the introduction of the new doctrine, pursue this task most intensely and develop a prototype, which they call GenTank, after just a few months. The GenTank can be produced as a fully trained warrior in a short amount of time and has all the characteristics Regant requested. In addition, Regant's scientists develop new armored vehicles based on 22nd century military tanks. Piloted by the new warriors with their genetically enhanced reflexes and tactical abilities, these hover tanks become extremely effective weapons.

Ceres, too, instructs his researchers to work on new military equipment. They develop a new kind of walking vehicle, a powerful metal giant equipped with numerous weapons and piloted by an artificial brain. This new kind of field weapon is called WarBot by its developers. Furthermore, they work on a new mass destruction system based on the former nuclear bomb.

2577

Once again Regant asks Ceres to grant him access to the discs. He explains that, regardless of whoever discovered the discs, Ceres is not entitled to use the knowledge of the discs exclusively for himself. In fact, the knowledge stored on the discs should be accessible to all of mankind.

He issues an ultimatum for Ceres to make the discs accessible by the end of the year. Should Ceres not react by then, Regant will use force to ensure that the knowledge on the discs be shared by everyone.

2578

Ceres declares the discs his property and indicates that Neocron has already benefited more than it merits from the knowledge they hold. Regant deploys his army of GenTanks equipped with heavy weapons and attacks the Dome of York with full force. Regant's strategy is based on a short, forceful military strike against Ceres, but he fails to take the defensive mechanisms of the dome into account. The area surrounding the city is covered with mines and spring-guns, and the GenTanks that break through this protective perimeter face an army of WarBots.

2578-2585

What was planned as a short strike becomes the longest military conflict in the history of the new world. While Ceres dispatches his armored warriors to the battlefield, the Psi Monks raise one Tank after the other and the factories spew out thousands of hover tanks.

The earth surrounding both cities is soaked in blood and covered with debris by the time Ceres' scientists discover a weapon based on the nuclear bomb, which would kill unprotected organic material while leaving Ceres' own walking weapons unharmed due to a special shielding for the WarBots. Ceres does not hesitate to detonate this bomb over the battlefields between the two cities. Thousands of genetically bred GenTanks fall victim to the radiation of the bomb. Ceres threatens to deploy the bomb over Neocron if his enemies don't surrender within a week. Little does he know that the Psi Monks have already copied the shielding of the WarBots and have applied it to a new type of armored suit developed by adapting technologies they acquired from destroyed or captured Ceres WarBots. This suit of armor enhances the reflexes and capabilities of the GenTanks even further, and the next wave of GenTanks marches into battle adequately protected.

Because of this protection and the increased power and efficiency provided by these suits, the GenTanks vanquish Ceres' warriors and WarBots and invade the Dome of York. The government is overthrown and Ceres publicly executed. Regant seizes all of the Ceres discs and begins to reveal their knowledge to the public. Furthermore, he appoints a new ruler from his own ranks, who is to supervise the reconstruction of the dome.

2587-2610

Radiation in the area between the Dome of York and Neocron is staggering. Even with the best radiation protection available, the distance between the two cities can't be covered without the unfortunate traveler suffering permanent damage. This leads to a rather isolated development of both cities in the following years.

The irradiated area on the brink of and outside the protective dome is called The Wastelands. The first district of Neocron adjoining these is the Outzone. While the Outzone is protected against radiation, the numerous and hard-to-survey installations and buildings hold a certain attraction for criminal elements. The inner districts of the city are composed of Pepper Park, an entertainment and red light district, Plaza, the actual center of the city, and Via Rosso, the governmental and financial center.

It is a peaceful time that greatly furthers research and financial growth. The Psi Monks, to whom Neocron more or less owes the victory over Ceres, have taken command of the military.

There is no further genetic development of GenTanks. From the Psi Monks' point of view, a battle unit based on an organic being can't be the optimum solution. The existing GenTanks are left to their own devices. Much like the Psi Monks, the GenTanks mostly remain among their kind. Nevertheless, they more or less succeed in becoming a part of the social system. They accept security and bodyguard jobs, thus carving their place in society. But the GenTanks are never drawn into the regular police force.

Regant, who suffers badly from the effects of radiation disease, apparently loses influence and the well-organized Psi Monks become more and more of a secret power within Neocron. The intelligence service NSD, once founded under Crahn's rule, controls police activities and increases its power steadily. The NSD sets up internment camps in the Wastelands, where political opponents are held and tortured.

2611

Regant dies. His chosen successor is found murdered shortly thereafter. The Psi Monks immediately seize control of Neocron. They introduce rigorous laws, but also do much for the progress of the city. In the meantime, the complete knowledge of the Ceres discs has been put into practice, except for space travel. In some areas progress has already surpassed the theoretical knowledge.

2618

For the first time mankind succeeds in establishing an uplink to the ancient satellites which have remained in orbit for centuries. Much to the amazement of the scientists, more than half of the satellites are still operational. By using these satellites, researchers discover that on another continent, which emerged from East Asia, yet another city is being constructed. But since it's situated on the far side of Earth, it is impossible to reach by riding regular vehicles through the irradiated areas. From the Ceres discs, the Psi Monks also know about the Mars colony. The Council of Psi Monks resolves to develop a spacecraft for passing the orbit and thereby escaping the lethal radiation on Earth. By this means, the East Asian metropolis can, indeed, be reached. In a second stage, a spacecraft capable of flying to Mars will be developed.

2630

After twelve years of dedicated work a flying vehicle which is able to break through Earth's atmosphere and travel outside its orbit is at the city's disposal – for the first time in 480 years. A select crew is sent to the newly discovered metropolis. They are amazed when they learn that the city boasts a high level of development both technologically and culturally. Just like that of Neocron, the protective dome of Tokyo II is based on a sophisticated magnetic shield. But the two shields also prevent radio communication between the cities. The Asians react rather coolly to the foreigners and are not interested in any further contact with the western world. Thus, the crew is unable to learn how the inhabitants obtained the old world knowledge. After just a few days’ sojourn in Tokyo II, the crew are awakened by soldiers one morning and escorted to their spacecraft. Without having accomplished much, the envoys return to Neocron. After they have reported to the Psi Monks, the latter decide to ignore Tokyo II and to concentrate on the space travel program instead.

2633

A group of young scientists feels oppressed in its work by the Psi Monks, and the researchers decide to leave the city. They erect a small base in the Wastelands protected from radiation and settle down there.

2636

Named Shirkan after the chief of the PSI Council, a spacecraft embarks in September on a nine-month journey to the Mars colony.

2637

The astronauts discover the remains of the more than 500 year-old Mars colony, Red Terra. The logs show that the colony fell victim to an unknown virus in 2212. Thanks to the logs, the crew of the Shirkan relives the utter despair of the colonists when they discovered that Earth was nearly destroyed by WW III – while at the same time unaware that they could easily have prevented the terrible war from happening, had they known the reason for the catastrophe.

On the 13th of February, 2134, Red Terra receives a distress call from a spacecraft named Starcruiser. They are told that the ship has been hit by meteor debris which damaged the sensors and their long range communications equipment. The crew of the Starcruiser is therefore unable to send a radio message to Earth, but has already begun to repair the equipment. The ship's crew asks Red Terra to forward this message to mission control in Beijing.

But Red Terra knows nothing of the launch of the Starcruiser and the pair of fighters that happen to be in the area are unable to confirm the existence of the ship. Red Terra command therefore thinks the message to be a joke of the patrol and ignores the call. And so disaster takes its course…

The astronauts also learn of the attempt to make the atmosphere of the planet breathable by releasing Gabanium. According to the logs, Gabanium stimulates the growth of the lethal virus on Mars, which is why the experiment was discontinued. A few days later the crew of the Shirkan discovers that Red Terra receives a continuous Hypercom message. It's from the crew of the Starcruiser! The content of the message – arriving every three hours at the colony – is that the generation cruiser has arrived on the planet Irata III, the Gabanium experiment has transformed the whole atmosphere of the planet according to plan, and that they've been ready to receive new instructions for generations.

Apart from these important insights into the history of mankind and the realization of the order of events of WW III, the crew also salvages all kinds of technical devices. The loot ranges from a mini holodisc player to a VR video game console when the Shirkan leaves after its two-week stay on Mars. The metal, which contains the elements needed for fusion drives, is also shipped to Earth in large quantities.

News of the colonized planet Irata III spreads quickly throughout Neocron. The government decides to develop spaceships which can cover the 80-light year distance to this promising planet.

2654

After nearly 20 years of work, the Avenger is at Neocron's disposal, a spaceship which is to take 2,000 people to the planet Irata III on a 90-year journey. The crew also has the necessary equipment for constructing a permanent communications installation on Irata III intended to establish and maintain permanent contact with both Earth and Mars.

2660

The colony Red Terra is once again put into operation. Construction of a vast communications facility begins.

2684

After a powerful explosion in the Wastelands, rumors of hidden laboratories engaging in research on secret weapons and defensive measures abound. Supposedly, the Psi Monks run these laboratories to protect their power by force in case of an insurrection.

2722

The Neocron crime rate peaks. Citizens accuse the Psi Monks of being unable to control the situation despite their iron-fisted leadership. Lioon Reza, an eloquent ex-member of the secret service, founds a group of terrorists, who set their sights on overthrowing the government and reforming the laws of the city.

2724

After a failed attempt to take over the mighty government building in the Plaza district, Lioon's troops succeed in surprising the government of the Psi Monks and banning the members of the government from the city. The remaining Psi Monks are tolerated within Neocron, but are not allowed to congregate or to be active in the field of politics. Many of the Psi Monks of the former government retreat to the old Crahn abbey in the Wastelands.

2725

Lioon becomes the new dictator of Neocron. He introduces the CopBot system to the city. CopBots are policemen-cum-judges and therefore are able to take rigid action against violence and crime in the streets of the city. Laws become strongly simplified and punishment is severely increased.

2727

After an insurrection in the old districts of the city, Lioon decides to concentrate the presence of the CopBots in the inner districts of Neocron. Following this decision the peripheral areas, especially the Outzone of the city, degenerate dramatically. The laws are once again tightened, the only punishment for a criminal act being immediate execution. All aggressive actions are punishable. Carrying unconcealed weapons in the inner districts of Neocron is (after a caution is issued) punishable by death. Everywhere in the city monitoring systems are installed, first and foremost to protect the inner districts ? Plaza and Via Rosso.

2740

The Avenger arrives on Irata III. Red Terra 2, the new colony on Mars, establishes contact with Irata III. Apparently the people traveling on board the Avenger have found paradise on the planet: Irata III is covered with forests and oceans. The Chinese have erected a city of stone and wood, which they call Typherra. The newcomers are warmly received, but the news of the destructive events on Earth shocks the inhabitants. Since the planet is so big, the Typherrans offer to accommodate more people.

2742

Word of the paradisiacal situation on Irata III spreads quickly in Neocron. Lioon Reza decides to populate Irata III and to subjugate the inhabitants of the planet. He promises a prosperous life to the citizens of Neocron if they join his troops and his trek. Most people are sick and tired of malformed children, radioactive water, and the general hopelessness on contaminated Earth, and are more than ready to join Lioon's trek.

2743

For unknown reasons contact with Irata III suddenly breaks off. Red Terra 2 rules out the possibility of a technical malfunction in the communications facility. The plan of the ‘Great Trek” persists nonetheless, although Lioon himself decides to stay on Earth.

2746

The ‘Great Trek’ begins. Forty spaceships, modeled on the Avenger and the Starcruiser, embark on their journey to Irata III. The new design allows 8,000 passengers per ship, which means that 320,000 people are leaving the city. Six months later, another twenty spaceships are launched. But those are only the beginning. Almost daily, more and much smaller ships leave Earth. The fact that contact with Irata III has been interrupted for almost a year now only seems to strengthen the wishful thinking and the hope placed on this new paradise.

2747-2749

The void left in the population of Neocron by those who have embarked on their long journey to Irata III opens up new opportunities for criminal elements. Since the trekkers are forced to leave most of their personal belongings behind, the government decides to collect this property for its own use. But there are others who would also like to profit from the abandoned belongings ranging from everyday utility items to entire buildings. Thus, governmental 'reappropriation' operations are disrupted ever more frequently by criminals and gangs. One man in particular, a lowly criminal named Trevor Denton, succeeds in organizing raids on abandoned property. By forging alliances between several criminal organizations, even between members of the Mafia and the Yakuza, he greatly impedes the government's progress and succeeds in accumulating a good share of personal wealth. But a large measure of his success is based on the fact that he is loyal to no one except himself, betraying every ally whenever it seems profitable. At the end of his short career, Trevor Denton is the most wanted man in Neocron and is finally killed by one of his many pursuers. To prevent any of Trevor's children from taking over the organization, the government arrests all of them. They are either executed or used as guinea pigs for scientific experiments. Two of them, Xav and Zeke, are pardoned after they survive a series of experiments. Xav is disfigured for life, while Zeke Denton has lost the greater part of his memory.

2750

The treks have left their marks on the face of the city of Neocron. Deserted areas and the collapse of the spacecraft industry are among the harmless effects. Lioon increases the presence of the CopBots yet further to prevent those inhabitants remaining in the city from plundering and committing other acts of violence. Still, the CopBots barely succeed in keeping a semblance of order, particularly in sections of the city that are difficult to oversee, such as Pepper Park and the Outzone.

When contact with Irata III is still not re-established four years after it broke off, Lioon's interest in Irata III wanes noticeably. Of course he knows that the treks won't arrive on Irata III before 2840. He, as opposed to the frozen passengers of the generation ships, will be long dead by then. Realizing this once and for all, Lioon's interest turns once again toward the security aspects of the city and his governmental duties.

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