Se7en Years - Final Year

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

UWYZSe7en Years UWYZ

Final Year Part One - Falling Towards Megiddo

Once upon a time, in a future, not far away…

Israel

Before any announcements or declarations could be made by anyone, fighting had broken out in Jerusalem between American & Israeli armed forces. Considering the professionalism of the combatants involved, it had been somewhat ironic that it had all started in a haphazard manner. All the same, few were surprised by the commencement of hostilities, regardless of how the fighting had started.

The Israeli government, having left the CN & reclaiming Jerusalem as the sovereign territory of Israel, had ordered its army to do just that. Drache, currently in the city, was caught somewhat unawares by the bold actions of the Israelis, even though he had expected that he too would have to resort to force somewhere in the near future. Thus, due to the pace of events, neither side were prepared as well as they had originally hoped.

Nonetheless, by the simple fact that American forces were already stationed & deployed in Jerusalem, meant they were in a much better position in defending the city. Reinforcements from the 4th Armoured & 55th Mechanised Divisions, as well as the 14th Cavalry Regiment, were rushed to Jerusalem in an effort to help the Americans already there. Although the Israelis had moved first, thus gaining the initiative, the Americans soon got the upper hand.

Extensive battles soon commenced in & around the Holy City. Condemnations soon came in from the Arab world, but not all of it was directed towards Israel. Most complaints were concerned about the important Muslim sites than anything, with several Islamic countries pleaded for the fighting to stop. They were, however, to be ignored. Israel had decided to act & fight it out with the Americans for years, if need be, in order to free itself from CN domination. And the Israeli Prime Minister stated that Israel would do it alone if it had to.

But Israel was not alone. Having just rejoined the UN prior to the commencement of combat, the UN declared that it would support its newest member. Drache, though, scoffed at the UN announcement not realising the importance of the recent changes in the old international organisation. Thus ignoring UN warnings to withdraw from Israel, Drache ordered the US Mediterranean Fleet to commence offensive operations against Israel. He also ordered the large unit of Marines, which accompanied the US Fleet, to join the US Army & Air Force elements already battling it out in Israel.

But even with the 15 000 or so Marines added to the American forces, it was far from enough in battling the Israeli Defence Force, which numbered around 400 000 full-time personnel. There were also about one million Israeli reserves too, if required, who could also take up the struggle against the Americans. Drache knew this & began calling upon other CN member countries to help the Americans out. Few, however, took up the call. Even the Palistinians decided it was not their fight. Only Syria took up Drache’s call. But even with Syria’s armed forces, it was not enough. Other American forces had to be found.

Naturally the first reinforcements came from other parts of the Middle East, whilst the 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions were immediately flown in from America. Although this raised the number of American troops to almost 200 000, more were still required in order to go onto the offensive & force Israel to surrender. Drache looked elsewhere & noted that 80 000 American troops were still in Korea. These troops now had little to do. Furthermore, being battle victorious veterans was a major bonus, so it was obvious that these troops should be redeployed to Israel.

Needless to say, this military build-up did not go unnoticed. Having had their attempts at recovering Jerusalem fail, the Israeli army had withdrawn & gone onto the defensive. Although the government was not all that happy with the army’s actions, nonetheless the generals convinced the government that a major American attack could take place at any moment, especially after considering the American reinforcements on the way.

The Israelis, though, were not the only ones who were aware of the rapid American build-up. The UN once again issued warnings to Drache to cease fire & stop the reinforcements moving into Israel. As before, Drache ignored them. But when the UN discovered that the Americans in Korea were getting ready to leave for Israel, the UN acted in an unprecedented manner. Concerned that Israel would not hold out if the troops from Korea arrived, the UN declared war "… on the enemies currently combating Israeli forces within the territory of Israel" - in other words the United States. World War Three had come at last.

To The Pacific

To say that Drache was shocked would be an understatement. After what the planet had been through already, he never believed for an instant that the UN would go after the United States or the CN for that matter. But after he had recovered from the UN declaration of war, he went back to the business of President & ordered the entire CN & American military to ready itself for a world war. This, however, was a lot more complicated that it sounded, especially when CN countries almost everywhere refused Drache’s orders. Thus Drache’s greatest fear had come to pass. The United States was thoroughly isolated in a very hostile world.

The declaration of war meant that getting reinforcements to the Americans in Israel just got immeasurably harder. Although the Americans could truly say that the Atlantic Ocean was theirs, the Pacific & Indian Oceans were another thing altogether. Furthermore, it now became impossible to quickly move the 80 000 Americans in Korea to Israel. Added to this problem was the fact that the UN countries in Asia blockaded the Korean Peninsular immediately. Although the UN countries involved never violated Korean territory, they were well aware that Drache was after the US troops there. In order to get them out, hence, the US Pacific Fleet would have to force the blockade & escort the troop convoy out of the region.

Such was the situation when the three American aircraft carriers left Pearl Harbour bound for Korea. Along with the carriers, the Nimitz, Eisenhower & Lincoln, came all of their escorts; six Ticonderoga, three Spruance, six Burke & six Perry class ships. Although nothing akin to the numbers of a fleet in the Second World War, this Pacific Fleet in the Third World War had unimaginable firepower. Apart from numerous missile systems, the Fleet’s air-wings, made up of F/A-18s, A-6s & the new F-35s, were beyond comparison to the planes of the 1940s. Yet, as impressive as this American fleet was, the UN had its own Pacific fleet waiting for it.

As mentioned before, the Japanese, Chinese & Australians had brought their separate fleets together in anticipation of a future Pacific conflict. Operating under the authority of the new UN Central Command (UNCOM), the UN fleet, although deploying smaller carriers, had five of them as against the three large American ones. And although the American carriers carried overall more aircraft, this was actually more of a weakness than a strength. To begin with: the majority of the aircraft which the UN used were the modern F-35. These were deployed on the two Australian & two Japanese carriers. Numbering a combined total of 82 F-35s, the UN F-35s outnumbered the 36 which the US Navy deployed. Of course the UN Navy also deployed the F/A-18 multi-role fighter along side the F-35. But it was some 30 plus years older, although still capable. Yet it was to these F/A-18s that the US Navy depended on more so numbering 72 overall. Against the F/A-18s, however, the Chinese MiG-29s were an equal match. The Chinese, though, could only deploy 40 such aircraft, meaning they were well outnumbered. Finally the Americans had 72 A-6 strike aircraft. The UN had no such equivalent, although both the F-35 & MiG-29 could also be deployed in the strike role as well. Taking this analysis of hardware into account then, it was a lot more even than sheer numbers may suggest.

It was not as if, though, that the American Navy was unaware of the powerful UN Pacific Fleet. Yet finding its location & activities was not that easy. A few years before, spy satellites would have simply watch down from orbit above telling the US military what was happening. But thanks to the defection to the UN by both Japan &, more importantly, Australia, key satellite ground stations had been taken over by the two countries. By far the most important of these was Pine Gap in Australia. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, the Australians had managed to hi-jack several American spy satellites & use them to spy on the Americans. In doing so, although the US was able to retain some spy satellites, their orbiting network had been drastically reduced. And having a constant continuous picture of the entire world was now an impossibility. The commander of the UN Pacific Fleet knew this & used it to his advantage.

Still, the US did not sit back & wait for things to happen. Not only did the US Army have 80 000 troops in Korea, all of whom were now combat ready as the local commander expected a possible attack (one which never came), but the US Air Force also had various combat units located there helping to protect Korea. These included F-15s, F-16s & F-35s. It was a rather substantial force & was not necessarily dwarfed by the air forces of either China or Japan. Considering the USAF in Korea was also supported by the local Koreans, it also meant that it could be aggressive. It was, thus, in this mind set that the Battle of the Pacific began. USAF patrols began challenging UN aircraft to the south of Japan. In doing so, they were operating in the anticipation of the route to be taken by the US Pacific Fleet. Their patrols also permitted them to look for the UN Pacific Fleet. Still, all it really achieved was to bring out the Japanese Air Force. Soon air battles commenced over the sea to the south of the Japanese islands. But these encounters would be nothing in comparison to what came next.

Unlike the Americans, the UN had a good idea where the American fleet was. Having said that, the UN could not relax as much caution had to be shown in the anticipation of US submarines. Possibly the most lethal weapon in the American armory, the American nuclear powered boats were the most advanced in the world. One or two such boats could sneak up to the UN fleet & sink half of it before the submarine could be sunk. Needless to say, the UN paid as much attention to this threat as to the carrier one by deploying several frigates of Australian & Japanese origin in harms way. But, due to the fact that the Americans had no idea where the UN fleet was, & that the UN had no idea were the American submarines were, neither the submarines or frigates would encounter the other in the battle to come.

This was not the case for the main fleets, however. Even though the Americans had lost the advantage of their satellites, that did not mean that they did not have other surveillance methods. Now more than ever, they relied upon their advanced radar systems, especially the venerable Hawkeye aircraft. In fact, & with some irony, it would be the old Hawkeye aircraft which would spot the UN forces first, before the UN knew the exact location of the US fleet. At that moment, then, the battle really took off.

The first naval as against air force action of the Battle of the Pacific involved UN fighters moving in on the forward Hawkeye patrol. This was important in many ways, for not only did the Hawkeye let the US fleet know of the UN’s location, but it also let the UN know that the US fleet was not too far away. In this regards, it meant that the Hawkeye instantly became a prime target. As a result, four UN F-35s were immediately dispatched to intercept the American Hawkeye. Unlike the Americans, though, the UN fleet had nothing like the Hawkeye. Instead they had to use helicopters for local surveillance. This put them at a disadvantage & they had to arrange something else. To this end, the UN deployed AWACS aircraft from southern Japan. This still meant, however, that the Americans, at least locally, had an advantage come surveillance. And they immediately took advantage of it.

Yet before any major attack could begin, the Hawkeye needed help. So whilst the four UN F-35s headed for their target, a squadron of F/A-18s was soon heading to intercept the UN fighters. At first this counter-attack was not seen, but eventually the UN F-35’s radar saw the Americans coming in overwhelming numbers. The Hawkeye would be safe for now as the UN fighters had to retreat. Having said that, the UN soon had another eight F-35s heading the Americans way in an effort to defeat both the F/A-18s & the Hawkeye. But before the first AMRAAM air-to-air missile was even fired, the first American surface attack had begun thanks to the targeting data collected by the Hawkeye.

This was what the UN Admiral, a Japanese senior naval officer, feared & the reason why he wanted the Hawkeye destroyed. If the Hawkeye had managed to scan the UN fleet, & had gotten the locations of his carriers, a large missile attack was highly likely. In the event, he was not to be disappointed. Without waiting for air superiority, the American Admiral ordered a two phase attack. The first was the launching of the fleet’s entire Tomahawk anti-ship missile arsenal. The second was an all out attack by the fleet’s A-6 strike aircraft using Harpoon missiles. The tactic to be employed would see the Tomahawks acting as the first wave whilst simultaneously acting as a shield for the A-6 attack. Naturally a large number of F/A-18s & US F-35s would escort the A-6 aircraft giving further protection from the expected UN interceptors. Little of the UN Fleet, after this attack, was anticipated to survive after such an attack.

Yet the UN fleet was ready. Although the AWACS aircraft was still not on station yet, it had come close enough for its powerful radar, more powerful than the one in the Hawkeye, to spot the incoming US aircraft. Immediately, not only were all of the UN F-35s alerted to the American attack, but all of the fleet’s SAM systems came on line. The UN Admiral, though, did not know at this time whether there were any Tomahawk missiles on the way. The situation, though, would soon change as the UN’s radar surveillance helicopter soon counted over 100 incoming missiles. This put the UN into some dismay as to what to do - either go after the Tomahawks first or leave them for the A-6 attack. In the end, the decision was to go after the A-6 aircraft first as each aircraft could carry four Harpoon missiles. In all, that meant that a further 288 missiles would shortly be heading the UN’s way if something was not done soon. As a result of this decision, the UNs 82 F-35s went to afterburners & flew directly into the battle at full speed.

The American fighters, of course, did not simply wait there to be shot at. Like their UN counterparts, they went to afterburners too in order to intercept the UN attack. After not even five minutes, two large bodies of fighter aircraft hence began the deadly fighter battle. The tactics employed, though, were different. The UN had adopted a arrow type formation in an effort to smash its way through the American fighter line & get to the strike aircraft. The American’s, on the other hand, had a line so as they could employed the maximum firepower. Nonetheless, both formations soon disintegrated as aircraft, regardless of side, manoeuvred violently in a effort to avoid the hundreds of missiles in the air. Some missiles hit their targets, whilst others missed. But it soon became apparent that the F-35 aircraft of both sides were superior to the F/A-18s as casualties soon mounted up as the air-battle continued. After a while, the Americans were somewhat in trouble as more & more of the UN fighters, all F-35s, had a higher rate of survival. As a result, the tide began to turn against the American aircraft.

One can never foretell when a battle finally favours one side or the other, but when it does everyone senses it. And thus it was in this one. As fewer American fighter planes were left to fight it out, several UN fighters were able to break away from the fighter battle & head for the A-6 formation. When they were immediately in range, they opened up with everything they had. This started with a salvo of AMRAAM missiles, then followed by one of Sidewinder missiles. Finally it came down to dogfights using the plane’s cannons. The A-6, although somewhat manoeuvrable, had little else to defend themselves with. As a result they were slaughtered. The survivors, some 15 aircraft, retreated as best they could. They never got to fire their Harpoons at the UN ships. As the survivors retreated, they were joined by the surviving US F-35s & handful of F/A-18 fighters. The UN F-35 fighters did not pursue. Having said that, the UN MiG-29s finally arrived on the scene.

Before the MiG-29s could participate in the battle, the Tomahawks were approaching the UN ships. Needless to say they did not go unchallenged. The eight Japanese Aegis equipped ships took command of the Surface to Air Missile defence supported by the four Australian Kidd class destroyers. Soon hundreds of SM-2 missiles were flying towards the oncoming Tomahawks. Having been designed for exactly this task, the SM-2s began to counter the incoming Tomahawk threat. Although it seemed impossible at first, the numbers began to reduce significantly. The Tomahawk, although impressive as it is, suffered two major drawbacks. The first is its speed. It is a relatively slow missile as these things go. The next is size. Because of its power plant, it is rather large making for an easy target. As a result, Tomahawk after Tomahawk was shot down. Only five managed to get through the SM-2 shield only to be destroyed by the target’s local defence grid: namely the CIWS Phalanx or Goalkeeper system. The UN fleet survived.

At around the same time as the last Tomahawk missile was destroyed, the UN commenced their own attack. Having remained out of the fighter battle, the 40 MiG-29s now made their attack. Armed with the Chinese version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, named the 803-C, the MiG-29 force shadowed the retreating US fighter & strike aircraft. It is not as if the Americans did not see the MiG-29s coming, on the contrary they did, but other than the Aegis missile system which the Americans also employed, the Americans only had six F/A-18s left in reserve. These, naturally, were ordered to intercept the MiG-29s, but were greatly outnumbered. Furthermore, now with the UN AWACS aircraft on station, the MiG-29 force knew exactly where the American carriers were. At the proper moment, though, the F/A-18s pounced, albeit at extreme distance, by firing their AMRAAM missiles. But by the time the MiG-29s had to worry about the American attack, they had already launched their anti-ship missiles & had turned away. None of the MiG-29s were destroyed, although three had close calls. Being immeasurably more manoeuvrable than the A-6, especially now void of their heavy payload of six anti-ship missiles, the MiG-29s managed to evade the incoming salvo of AMRAAMs. They then went to afterburners & left the Americans behind.

At this point, the 240 Chinese 803-C missiles levelled out only a few metres above the ocean surface. Immediately, though, the Aegis radars on the American ships scanned each & every one of them. Not long afterwards, SM-2 missiles, the same ones used earlier by the Australians & Japanese, began to be launched from the American Ticonderoga & Burke class ships. If one was expecting the same result as the UN experience, it was not to be. First of all, the 803-C missile was both smaller & faster than the Tomahawk. Secondly, & far more importantly, instead of 110 missiles being involved in the attack, there were 240. Although the Aegis radar/missile system was, nevertheless, designed for exactly an attack like this, there were simply too many missiles to shoot down in time. Just as a few Tomahawk missiles got through the UN’s SM-2 missile shield, so too did a number of 803-C missiles get through the American missile shield. Certainly, some of these were dealt with by the various CIWS Phalanx systems, but many more hit their targets - essentially the three American carriers. Within an hour of the UN attack, all three were either sunk or sinking, thanks to the damage to the ships as each one had received around 20 hits. The damaged caused by this, plus secondary explosions, ensured that the American carriers were doomed. After rescuing the surviving crew members, the rest of the US Fleet quickly retreated for Pearl Harbour. In a similar manner, the UN Fleet returned to its bases in Japan should any US submarines make the UN pay dearly for its momentous victory.

Final Year Part Two - Gathering Of The Tribes

Responses

It did not take too long before reactions began to occur around the world in response to the American loss at the Battle of the Pacific. None of them were favourable to the United States. Having said that, nothing positive seemed to take place for Israel either, although in hindsight one can clearly state that it was in fact the first positive step for Israel. Nonetheless, the Americans, angered by the news from the Pacific, decided to go onto the attack. Drache gave his blessing to his general’s plans & soon the Israelis were under attack by everything the Americans had on hand.

Although it may have seemed rushed, in fact the Americans had prepared for some time to commence a large offensive. But due to the slowness demonstrated by the Syrian military, after all Syria had joined in on the hostilities late, the Americans had to place any offence on hold for the moment. That now changed. Around Jerusalem the American Air Force began a methodical bombardment of the Israeli defences. Following this action, American artillery joined in on the attack. Finally, hundreds of tanks & personnel carriers, including 100 000 infantry, advanced on the Israeli lines. But that was not all. As a diversion, the US Mediterranean Fleet, based around the old but venerable Enterprise, used its aircraft, & the land attack variant of the Tomahawk missile, to pound important Israeli assets along the coast. Needless to say, the Israeli navy ceased to exist. This took place even though, at one point, it was feared that the Israeli Air Force may strike at the Enterprise. This was soon forgotten, however, as the Israeli Air Force was too busy trying to defend the country against the combined fighter & bomber strengths of the US Navy, the US Marines & the USAF, not to mention the threat from Syria.

The Israelis, nevertheless, did what they could, but it soon became obvious that they could not hold back the American offensive forever. Combined with an expected attack anytime soon from Syria, desperate plans were made in the event of a collapse in the Israeli lines. First, the best parts of the military reserve of about 200 000 troops, which had been called out when the conflict had begun, took up positions along the coast thus freeing up much needed full-time troops. But that would not be enough as cracks had already begun to open in the defence lines around Jerusalem. As a consequence, Israel called for immediate help from the UN. The only problem was, currently the UN could not get anything to Israel other than its best wishes. Israel was totally surrounded.

In order to do so meant fighting their way to their embattled member. And to that end the UN decided to take advantage of trouble in Iran. When news came to Iran of the American defeat in the Pacific, rebellion against the CN occurred almost at once. At first the UN was focused elsewhere, but as appeals from Israel could not be ignored, it was decided at UNCOM that something had to be done. As a result of a hastily devised plan, the 500 000 strong "lost" Russian Army would become the 1st UN Army. The next day, elements of the 1st UN Army began crossing over the Iranian border with little resistance. Announcing in advance that they were here to help the rebellion succeed, most of the Iranian border guards were more than happy to help the UN forces. Thus, in full irony, the Russians achieved within a few days what they could not do a few years ago - namely the take over of Iran - but as peace bringers, not peace destroyers.

Coupled with this success, the UN organised a second army. Under the control of an Australian general, units from around the South East Asia region, namely Indonesia (one mixed division including light armour), Malaysia (one mixed division including light armour), Singapore (one mixed brigade), East Timor (one infantry brigade), New Guinea (one infantry brigade), Australia (one armoured division, one mixed division, one infantry brigade), New Zealand (one infantry brigade) & Fiji (one infantry brigade), were organised into a new fighting force of six divisions. Along with the troops, several air forces would likewise come together, although this duty would mostly fall to the Australians & Malaysians. As a result, the 2nd UN Air Force would deploy mostly F/A-18s, although some Malaysian MiG-29s would also come along. China also sent two squadrons of SU-27s to join the ranks.

Although much smaller than the 1st UN Army & Air Force, the 2nd UN Army & Air Force would nonetheless be added to once it got to Iran. Here four Indian divsions (one armoured, two mechanised, one infantry) , two Pakistani divisions (one armoured, one mixed), one Iranian infanty division & one Chinese armoured divsion, spared from the post-nuclear war humanitarian operations, would join it. Likewise, more aircraft would join the ranks of the air force, namely some Pakistani F-16s & Indian MiG-27s. The only problem in achieving this objective was the American presence in the Indian Ocean. Not only did America have two carriers stationed there, the Vinson & Stennis, but the US military base on the island of Diego Garcia controlled all approaches via the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Thus the UN had a lot to do in order to get the great 2nd UN Army convoy to Iran safe & sound.

A Giant Awakens

"Desperate times call for desperate measures", or so argued the Indian general at UNCOM. His plan was rather elaborate, but nonetheless straight forward. The Indian Navy would lure the US Fleet away from Diego Garcia & then attack both the fleet & the island with the combined air forces of Pakistan & India. The would rely on conventional weapons for the most part, but a small number of aircraft would be armed with a nuclear weapon should the conventional attack fail. Needless to say, there was much debate over the use of nuclear weapons.

To the Indians & their Pakistani partners, who were faced with the daunting task of taking on, not only the American Fleet but the heavily protected base at Diego Garcia as well, there seemed very little else they could do in order to secure the Indian Ocean for the UN. There was simply no way that the Indian Navy, even when combined with the Pakistani naval ships, could take on the Americans in a conventional manner. Even the combined Pakistani & Indian Air Forces would be limited in their attack due to the vast distances involved. Most of their aircraft did not have the range, even with fuel tanks added under the wings. Thus, the Indians & Pakistanis continued to argue, if the conventional attack did not succeed, which was more than likely, a nuclear one was required. Furthermore, the Indians had intelligence which said that the Americans had some nuclear free fall bombs on Diego Garcia. Come a battle in the Indian Ocean, the Americans may use them in order to ensure that a second naval defeat would not occur.

Thus, by the time the convoy carrying the 2nd UN Army approached Sri Lanka, the Indian plan went into action. The Americans, though, were not as handicapped in their surveillance efforts as in the Pacific. Having Diego Garcia meant that a forward base in the area could still have access to satellites most of the time. As a result, the American Admiral could be fully informed of the naval movements of the Indians. Once surveillance information informed him that the Indian Fleet had altered their course & were heading for Diego Garcia, the American Admiral ordered the US fleet to intercept the Indians. He was well aware of the UN convoy, although still had no idea of its location. But the intentions of the Indian Navy suggested it was not far away, as ocean distances go, & that this move by the Indians was an attempt by them to cover the convoy’s approach. In many respects he was right. But he was wrong about the Indian’s intentions.

As planned, when they got close enough to the Americans, the Indian fleet turned to the north. Behind, albeit still at some 800 kilometres distance, the American Fleet followed. The American Admiral, though, was desperate & decided to launch a long distance attack by his 48 A-6 strike aircraft whilst being covered by 24 F-35 fighters. After the results in the Battle of the Pacific, the F/A-18s were held back in reserve should the Indians try anything. In a similar move, the defenders of Diego Garcia ensured that they had plenty of air cover. Not only did they have their AWACS aircraft up scanning the sea & sky for the enemy, but forward patrols of F-15 fighters ensured that nothing would come close without being challenge. Closer in, F-16s likewise patrolled the skies. It was just as well.

Even though the Americans had their satellite surveillance this time, spotting incoming aircraft from a satellite was near impossible. The Americans would have to rely on their AWACS & Hawkeye aircraft for that. And just as a Hawkeye was the first to spot the enemy in the Battle of the Pacific, so too would it be a Hawkeye at the beginning of this battle. Out from the electronic clutter of the Indian jamming equipment, the Hawkeye soon identified a large incoming force consisting of MiG-29s, Mirage 2000s & much older MiG-23s. Immediately they were all considered hostile. The American Admiral, as a result, called off the attack mission & ordered the A-6 aircraft back to the carriers. Whilst that was happening, the F-35s covered their retreat, whilst 48 F/A-18 aircraft flew off to join up with the F-35s. Not long afterwards, the air battle commenced.

The Indian air element was large to say the least, but that was required. Although the 32 MiG-29 & 30 Mirage fighters were equal to the F/A-18s, the F-35 was by far better. It did need reminding, though, that the pilots of the 80 MiG-23s knew that their fighter was inferior to everything else flying here today. Still, they, like the others, continued to fly at the Americans. Soon, however, the air battle commenced to the wild manoeuvres of aircraft on both sides. The Indians were in a desperate venture to stop the American getting to the next formation of attacking aircraft which included 35 Jaguar strike aircraft carrying two Exocet anti-ship missiles each. With the Jaguars were also five of the venerable Canberra bombers. If all else failed, it would come down to these old bombers to launch their nuclear armed missiles. Each bomber carried two such weapons.

At around the same time as the naval operations were taking place, the AWACS aircraft patrolling Diego Garcia airspace picked up the second UN air assault aimed for the island military base. As a result, the F-15s were ordered to intercept the incoming raid followed by the F-16s. Unlike with the US Navy’s reaction, however, the commander at Diego Garcia only had 12 F-15s & 24 F-16s to counter the incoming attack. He did, though, also have the Patriot anti-aircraft/missile system to help him defend the island. Nonetheless, the UN had 20 Indian MiG-29s, 12 Mirage 2000s & 40 Pakistani F-16s in the leading group, followed by a strike force consisting of 30 Pakistani Mirage 5 strike aircraft, 20 Indian Jaguar bomber version aircraft & 5 Canberra bombers carrying nuclear armed missiles. Diego Garcia was in for one hell of a fight. Soon the fighting had begun a hundred kilometres to the north of the island.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force attacking the US Fleet found itself in trouble. Desperate squadron leaders even thought about calling upon the Indian Navy to launch its Harrier fighters into the battle, but that would have only increased the Indian casualties, as the Harrier jump-jet was outclassed by the American fighters. Just like the MiG-23s, the Harriers would have been wiped out. As a result of the Indian casualties, however, some American fighters managed to get among the Indian strike force. In a manner similar to what the UN Pacific Fleet had done to the American air strike, so too the Indian air strike suffered the same fate. All of the Canberra bombers, along with their deadly payload, were destroyed as were all but five of the Jaguars. By the time the remaining Indian fighters withdrew, only the MiG-29s fared best losing only ten of their number. The Mirages, however, lost half of their ranks.

The battle for Diego Garcia was just as telling for both sides, but more so for the Americans. Being severely outnumbered, the Americans simply ran out of AMRAAM & Sidewinder missiles. Although the American F-15s & F-16s accounted for three times theirs in casualties, they never broke through the UN fighter line & onto the oncoming strike force. Having heard of the result of the attack on the US fleet, the Pakistani air-assault commander ordered the Jaguars to fire their anti-radar missiles at extreme range. This meant that the Patriot missile system was put under immediate threat, but the Patriot batteries began firing at the incoming attack. They got most of the anti-radar missiles, but not all. Still, even with half of the radar sets destroyed, they could still fire Patriot missiles at the incoming second wave of the attack - the Mirage 5 bombers. The Pakistani jets suffered greatly, but it was a deliberate sacrifice, as behind the Pakistani planes, the Indian Canberra bombers fired their deadly load of nuclear missiles at the US base. Although they were an old Soviet Union design, the nuclear armed missiles nonetheless almost did their did their thing. None, however, survived the Patriot shield to reach its target. But that merely forced the strike commander to order the second nuclear option on hand - the Pakistani intermediate range ballistic nuclear missiles based some distance to the north in Pakistan. Soon, five such missiles were on their way. The island of Diego Garcia, as a result, disappeared in five mushroom clouds a few minutes later. Its USAF squadron of 12 B-1 bombers & another one of 12 B-52s, not to mention the US Marines squadron of 12 A-6s were no longer a threat to the UN 2nd Army troop convoy. Furthermore, everything else on Diego Garcia was, henceforth, completely destroyed.

Now it was the Americans turn to retreat. Even though they still had command of the airspace around the surviving US Fleet, after hearing of the destruction of Diego Garcia, the US Admiral decided that it was far too risky to continue his pursuit of the Indian Navy. Drache, of course, was angered, not only by the destruction of an important asset like Diego Garcia, but that the Indian Navy had escaped unharmed. Furthermore, by the US Fleet withdrawing to safer waters off the coast of Africa, it was guaranteed that the UN 2nd Army convoy would reach Iran in time to link up with the Russians waiting there. Nonetheless, Drache was convinced that by the time the two UN armies could commence their march towards Israel, it would be all over. It was only a matter of time. Drache would then meet the approaching UN force on the Jordan River & it would bleed red with UN blood

Final Year Part Three - End Game

Bodies In Motion

Time was running out for everyone: not just Israel. Even Drache was now in trouble. Having lost the three carriers of the Pacific Fleet, followed shortly thereafter by the nuclear destruction of the island of Diego Garcia, the American Congress decided to act. Some of its members had for some time criticised Drache for the disasters & wars of the last few years, but now a majority were more than merely concerned about current events. Without bothering to even warn the President that Congress had lost confidence in his leadership, the Senate began debating whether or not Congress should indite him for crimes against humanity.

Thus, on the eve of the greatest battle ever to take place in the Middle East, Drache discovered that he was in major political trouble back home. Furthermore, the Senate indicated its thoughts on the inditement matter by passing its part of the constitutional business within a day of debate. Drache, though, would still have enough time to defeat Israel & the UN armies before having to face his inditement trail before Congress. He still had enough supporters in Washington, including the Vice-President, to ensure that it would take some time before Congress could commence with their proceedings.

Nevertheless, Washington was not the only place where Drache was running out of time. Back in the Middle East, the UN finally got moving. Although the 2nd UN Army was still being formed in Iran, the 1st UN Army got its orders from UNCOM to get moving. Its objective was the invasion of Iraq which was still part of the CN. Unfortunately for the Iraqis, there would be no help from the Americans. Having committed all of their forces to the struggle in Israel, the Iraqi army of 100 000 was left facing 500 000 well motivated Russians. Furthermore, most Iraqis now wanted nothing to do with the CN & thus, when the first Russian stepped foot on Iraqi soil, most of the Iraqi army immediately defected to the UN.

That was everywhere except for Babylon. Although the CN city was far from complete, it had nonetheless been in operation for a few years now. In that time it had grown & various industries had established themselves there. Profits were made. Life had quickly become grand. And pleasures of all descriptions could be found. It had become a living city of just under 1 000 000 people albeit an artificial one. It was, nevertheless, a showcase to the world for the CN. As a result, its garrison of 15 000 troops had been hand picked & was loyal to the CN. Babylon would, unlike elsewhere in Iraq, offer resistance. To the invading Russians, though, that was fine with them as the 4th Army Corps was given the task of taking the city. After three days of battle, this was finally achieved. The commander of the 4th Corps, after the surrender, then turned a blind eye to his soldiers activities. In doing so, they understood immediately that they were to ransack & destroyed the city. Within two days, this had been achieved. UNCOM was not happy with the end result, but no one was ever charged over the destruction of Babylon either.

Even if UNCOM wanted to hold an inquiry into the fall of Babylon, they could not do it immediately anyway. Time did not permit it. Having taken Iraq, the now formed UN 2nd Army was sent to catch up with the 1st Army. Whilst that was being done, Drache had heard of the destruction of Babylon & demanded that the Syrians launch their offensive against northern Israel. Although Syria was becoming concerned about their eastern approaches, they nonetheless confirmed that they were ready to commence major operations the next day. As a result of their commitment, the offensive would be coordinated with the Americans in southern Israel who, likewise, would launch their own offensive. It was planned that the main Israeli field army of about 300 000 troops would be encircled in the middle of the country somewhere north of Jenin. The Israeli forces along the coast, by now mostly reservists numbering a further 300 000, would be dealt with later. For them, defeat would be inevitable, albeit delayed.

The UN, however, were trying everything to stop an Israeli defeat from happening. Even before the 2nd UN Army made it to its positions along the Iraq border with Jordan, the 1st Army sent its 1st & 2nd Corps across the border to secure the routes to be taken by the rest of the UN forces. This move by the UN went unchallenged by the Jordan Army which had no intention of being destroyed whilst trying to protect Drache. Another country of the CN thus defected without a shot being fired. By this stage Drache could not care less about events elsewhere, but on the morning of the great CN offensive against Israel, he should have as the Russian 3rd Corps received orders to move to the Iraq border with Syria. This sudden move thus caught the Syrians out.

Of Mice & Men

Regardless, however, of what the UN was up to, the great CN offensive began on schedule. In the south, the main part of the Israeli army did everything it could to repulse the attacks. But it simply came down to firepower. The Americans had too much of it. Within a few hours, the Israelis began a fighting withdrawal to the north. This had been somewhat planned previously as a precaution should the Americans succeed in their attack, so the Israeli generals were not overly concerned when they had to issue the withdrawal orders. Alas for Israel, this was exactly what the CN generals wanted.

At the same time the Americans attacked, so too did the Syrians. Deploying 250 000 troops against the 50 000 Israelis defending the Golan Heights, the Syrians inevitably broke through at several locations along the Israeli defence line as they did in a previous war in 1973. Some Israeli positions, however, fought on gallantly in an effort to slow the Syrian advance, but in the end this heroic effort on behalf of the Israelis did little in the overall scheme of things. By the time Israel could move reserves to the Golan Heights, several Syrian army units had already reached the Jordan River. From there a frantic defence began, & even though the Syrians had suffered a high number of casualties, they nonetheless continued with their advance.

After two days, hence, of continuous heavy fighting, the Israelis found themselves surrounded at a location called Megiddo. Megiddo has a very long history of warfare. Being a hill which commands the entire valley around it, it is also the cross roads for land travel between Egypt, Syria & the Middle East beyond. It is no wonder then, that the first of many battles at Megiddo took place somewhere before 1400BC. On that occasion the Ancient Egyptians & Syrians fought a great & horrific battle. Since then in every age, even in the Twenty Century, pitched battles have raged around the hill. And once again, in a new century, the hill would become a witness to yet another great & dreadful battle.

But before that could be done, UNCOM decided to act in an effort to relieve Israel from some of the pressure of the war by opening new fronts. The first would be immediate, whilst the next would take a few more days in order to get the armies in place for future battles. The 3rd Russian Corps was thus ordered to advance into Syria. It was hoped that such an action would force Syria to halt its advance into Israel & rush troops back in order to defend itself against the UN invasion. This occurred to some degree, but the Syrian forces back home were already alerted by their border guards. Although these border guards were quickly overrun, the warning had nonetheless gotten out. Soon, a mixed force of 80 000 Syrians were on their way to intercept the 125 000 Russians heading for Damascus. Although Syria itself was now a battlefield, only a handful of Syrian units were transferred from the Israeli front to the new one back home.

The next step in the UN plan was to send the 2nd Army towards Jerusalem in an attempt to force American units to withdraw from their current positions around Megiddo, thus forcing them to defend the Holy City from the UN advance. Apart from the obvious reason why Jerusalem was an objective for everyone, there was also the supply lines of the CN to consider. Jerusalem acted as an important gateway for supplying the American army now at Megiddo. If the UN could hence take Jerusalem, then it would be the Americans encircled & cut off in central Israel instead of the Israelis. Needless to say, this was unacceptable to Drache. And this was besides the fact that Drache was currently located in Jerusalem whilst World War Three raged around him.

Finally, the remaining three Corps of 1st UN Army would, meanwhile, fight its way through to the embattled Israeli Army, which was now down to 144 000 troops dug in around the hill at Megiddo. Great emphasis was placed upon 1st UN Army by UNCOM to achieve this as quickly as possible, because it was not known how much longer the Israelis could hold out. The Israeli Prime Minister, who had joined his army at Megiddo just before they were surrounded, suggested that they could last for a week. Then he told the UN leadership, "Even if we do fall, Drache will pay an extremely high price for such a victory". The Prime Minister did not elaborate any further, whilst the UN leadership simply thought that the leader of Israel was merely keeping up a defiant stance.

And He Gathered Them Together Into a Place Called Armageddon

As a result of the UN strategy, even Drache had to accept the advice of his generals & change his plans accordingly. Henceforth, about 150 000 American troops were rushed back to defend Jerusalem. This meant that those units which remained facing the Israelis were significantly reduced to a force of about 50 000. Nonetheless, this was enough for a defensive posture & would continue to ensure that the Israelis were surrounded. It meant that the continued assault upon the Israeli positions would fall to the Syrians to the north & they had more than enough in both troops & ammunition to achieve victory.

The Israelis at Megiddo were, however, grateful for the reduction in CN firepower. Although they knew that they were still in a bad situation, the withdrawal of the Americans meant that they could concentrate their numbers in the northern sector & thus deal with the Syrian attacks which were bound to come. But due to the fact that the battle had been so horrific to date, their supplies of ammunition were perilously low. In the end, hence, even though the embattled Israelis may have the numbers to hold back the attacks, it would not have the bullets & shells to do so. Instead survival came down to time. And time was running out for the relief efforts being attempted by the 1st UN Army.

On the Jerusalem front, things were not all that much better for the UN war effort. The UN 2nd Army was forced to slow down in its advance. Having come under sever air attack, it was immediately discovered that, due to the pace of the advance, the UN 2nd Air Force could not adequately support & defend the 2nd Army from the sky. As a result, 2nd Army had to slow down in an attempt to ensure that the Air Force did its job. This remedied the air attack situation, but the longer it took to get to Jerusalem, the better prepared the CN forces were.

Only on the Syrian front did the UN enjoy success. Before Damascus, though, the Syrian home army gave battle to the Russian 3rd Corps advancing on the capital of Syria. It was a dreadful slogging match where the Syrians gave as good as they got. The fact that they were defending their capital city seemed to give the Syrians extra vigour & it was with much effort that the Russians eventually won the battle. However, that did not mean that the UN simply walked into Damascus. On the contrary. After the Syrians withdrew from the battlefield, they immediately took up positions in Damascus itself. They were clearly determined to defend their capital.

The next day would witness three different battles, which although separate, all would be intertwined as the events of one battle would effect events happening at the others. But although events taking place in Syria were important, the focus would be on Megiddo & Jerusalem. It is probably fair to say that fighting began at Megiddo first, so this is where we will concentrate for now. The Syrians, knowing that they were in trouble back home, launched their final effort to overrun the Israelis at Megiddo. Starting at first light, the Syrians threw everything at the Israeli Army. To further aid in this endeavour, the Americans to the south also launch an assault of their own which somewhat surprised the defenders. Within a few hours, the Israeli Prime Minister could see for himself that the end was near. At that point, not knowing where the 1st UN Army was, he made an all important radio call to MOSSAD headquarters in Tel Aviv. Operation "Divine Intervention" was to proceed immediately.

Around an hour or so before this moment, though, the 2nd UN Army finally commenced battle to the south of Jerusalem. The CN forces, mostly American, but now including some 10 000 Palistinian extremists, were lined up in a valley between the Old City & the Mount of Olives. Drache, in order to watch the Battle of Jerusalem, had positioned himself on the Temple Mount. It did not need, however, Drache’s presence for combat to begin - that seemed to happen all by itself. Hennceforth, it was not long before the valley turned into a terrible scene, as helicopter gunships, like the American Apache, were swooping over the hills firing wildly at UN tanks & personnel carriers. Higher above in the skies, aircraft from both sides fought desperate battles in an effort to gain control of the air space. Soon artillery from both sides began to pound the other. Finally the American Abram M1 tanks joined the madness.

The UN army, from the start, did not fair well. Having only a limited number of gunships, the Americans soon controlled this aspect of the battle. Thus giving cover for their own tanks, the tanks of the UN army were soon being destroyed by the dozen. It did not matter whether they were Australian Leopard I tanks, Indian T-72s, or Chinese Type-85s, the American armour was far, far better. Having said that, the American Apache squadrons paid dearly for their initial success. Infantry fired SAM rockets began to find their targets. Soon fireballs could be seen over the battlefield as helicopter gunships began to explode in mid-air. Other helicopters fell from the sky as the damage which they received forced them to crash land. Meanwhile, the infantry on both sides hugged the ground in a vain effort to survive the mayhem around them.

Yet, at around about the same time as Megiddo was about to be overrun, a similar defeat appeared to be in the making for the 2nd UN Army. Drache was, naturally, delighted to see the beginnings of a UN withdrawal. He immediately ordered a pursuit of the UN force, but that was not to be. Due to the carnage, let alone the perfuse amount of ammunition used, the CN attack ordered by Drache would have to wait. There was also the fact that CN units were currently disorganised & would have to be reformed if any attack could succeed let alone take place. And last, but not least, there was the dead & wounded to care for. And even though all this was taking place across the CN army simultaneously, it would nevertheless take an hour before any pursuit could begin. It, though, would never happen.

Operation Divine Intervention, ordered by the Israeli Prime Minister, was the most desperate of ventures. It came about, however, by pure accident. As part of the original "Holy Treaty", Israel had to destroy all of its nuclear weapons. At the time, everyone believed that this had been achieved. And so it had. But last year, as MOSSAD was conducting a routine investigation into a security leak at the Ministry of Defence, it discovered the possibility that one nuclear weapon had gone missing in Israel somewhere in the early 1980s. The Prime Minister immediately ordered MOSSAD to investigate the matter further, fearing that someone else, other than Israeli security, may find its location & use it against Israel. MOSSAD eventually discovered its location & the reason for its disappearance.

The Prime Minister, inturn, now aware conflict was coming with the CN, decided to reactivate the original purpose for the Bomb just in case things became dire for Israel. And that time was now. The Bomb, one of the first ever made by Israel, was deliberately hidden in Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967. Should Jerusalem fall, & thus it was thought Israel had fallen with it, Jerusalem would be destroyed in an atomic fireball whereupon no one would have the Holy City. Again in 1973, during the Yom Kipper War, the bomb was activated for the same mission. But later during a time of peace, due to security & political reasons, the Bomb had been conveniently forgotten. Nonetheless, it had been left in place should it ever be needed some time in the future. Now, many years later, before the Israelis had withdrawn from Jerusalem a few weeks earlier, the Bomb had, for a third time, been activated & placed under MOSSAD authority. Now having its mission called Operation Divine Intervention, the Bomb would finally complete its objective which it had begun all those years before.

The nuclear explosion caught everyone by surprise. Thankfully, for the sake of humanity, not that many people were killed by the detonation. Most citizens of Jerusalem, except for a few thousand extremists, had left the city thanks in part to the previous fighting there & the expected battle currently taking place. For the CN Army, they suffered a few thousand casualties, but for the most part, they had more to worry about from UN weapons than they had from the nuclear explosion behind them. The Bomb’s greatest casualty, however, was Drache himself. Being no more than a kilometre away from ground zero, he had enough time to realise that there was a bright flash of light behind him before he was vaporised by the force of the atomic explosion. Needless to say, those who were with him did not survive either.

The physical damage done to the city was, though, far more horrendous than the death rate. For a kilometre or two around ground zero, little remained. Even the Dome of the Rock, & the recently built Temple of Israel, were destroyed & laying in ruins. Further out, the damage continued, although it was not as sever as closer in. Yet, whatever was located within a 10 kilometre radius was now useless & beyond repair. And needless to say, the radiation would ensure that Jerusalem would remain in ruins for decades if not centuries to come.

Nevertheless, World War Three was, for all intents & purposes, over. The destruction of Jerusalem not only took the spirit for further warfare out of the CN forces, milling around Mount Olive, but news spread quickly to Syria as well, where the battling Russians had partly forced their way into Damascus. As more news came to hand, it was realised that President Drache had been killed in the explosion. The Syrian leadership, now without any support of any kind from the CN, with Russian UN troops fighting in their capital, decided to offer a cease-fire as soon as one could be arranged. This same offer was immediately offered to the Israeli Prime Minister who accepted it just as quickly as it was offered. Israel, except for Jerusalem, was saved - as was the Human race.

Final Year Part Four - A New Hope

A Wounded Earth

With the conclusion to the Third World War, the CN collapsed. Its remaining member countries seemed to be more than willing to see it die. The damage that the CN had done to the planet, however, was immeasurable. Nothing could compare to the death & destruction which the Earth had recently experienced. It was with this in mind then, that the UN decided not to pursue a witch hunt & prosecute the leaders of CN member nations. Having said that, individual nations, namely Syria & the USA, decided bring justice to its leaders themselves for their decisions of the past.

The most vengeful of these prosecutions was in Syria. Its parliament, usually a mere rubber stamp for Syria’s President, acted almost immediately after the cease-fire with the UN. Charging the President with numerous crimes, as well as treason, the President was removed from office & was dead a month later. To ensure that no legal appeal could be launched, or any other method of overturning parliament’s decision such as a coup, the President was executed the day after the trial. The Syrian parliament then pushed through many reforms in order for that country to join the ranks of democratic states. And like everyone else who were members of the CN, Syria then rejoined the UN.

If the political fallout in Syria was deemed harsh, however, it was nothing compared to what happened in the United States. Congress, having already started impeachment proceedings against Drache, decided to continue with them. This was besides the fact that he was dead & Vice President Michelle Harvey had replaced him as President. Yet, after two days of impeachment hearings, Congress overwhelmingly found Drache guilty as charged. Needless to say all of the proceeding wars of the last three or so years were blamed on Drache. Not only was he, thus, removed from the record books as the American President, he was furthermore found guilty of treason. As a result of this charge, he was given the death penalty. Although this seemed ridiculous to many, it was nonetheless a message to the world for reconciliation.

To further this attempt in foreign relations, the new President achieved two records. The first was President Harvey was the first woman ever to become President of the United States. Having joined the Drache ticket for his second term, Harvey had served as a loyal deputy all through Drache’s Administration until his death. Unfortunately this lead to Harvey’s second historical achievement. After Congress had finished its business with Drache, it then turned on President Harvey. After being in the White House for barely a month, Congress found Harvey guilty of numerous crimes, the leading one being "crimes against humanity". She was thus removed from office to be replaced by the Speaker of the House one Peter Goodwin (as a new Vice President had not been appointed yet).

The new President immediately committed America to the UN & world peace. In doing so, Goodwin released $500 billion in funding to the UN in order to help with the massive problems several countries still faced thanks to the recent wars. This was besides the fact that the United States needed ever cent it had in order to rebuild itself after the destruction it suffered from the First World Nuclear War. Having said that, this gesture by Goodwin helped enormously in easing the hate many countries had towards America.

Picking Up The Pieces

Even though America had rejoined the UN, the United States could never retake its previous prominent position. Other than the fact that New York had been destroyed & was far from being rebuilt, the rest of the world simply would not allow it. Times had changed dramatically & the UN was no longer the body which it once was. In fact it had changed so much, no one was certain of anything UN any more, apart from the fact that it was now headquartered in Geneva. Other than that certainty, little else was as it had been transformed into a defacto world government. As a result, it did many things akin to a national government including the authority to run armies as it saw fit. And it still had these armies too.

Even though the 2nd UN Army had taken a beating around Jerusalem, it was still an impressive force numbering around 150 000 troops. The 1st UN Army, on the other hand, was in much better shape. Unlike their CN counterparts, though, they remained operational after the conclusion to the Third World War. Whilst the Americans were sent thankfully home, the UN forces remained. And it was just as well. Trouble began brewing in Africa, which thankfully had missed much of the destruction suffered elsewhere. But it seemed that the situation there might change.

The UN, however, were fast to act, unlike in previous times when it never had the power to act. Immediately the 2nd UN Army was sent to the African trouble spots along with two corps of the 1st UN Army. Furthermore, in recognition of the splitting up of the 1st Army, the part left behind in the Middle East was renamed the 3rd UN Army. This new army would take over, more or less, the duties which the CN border guards conducted previously, although local involvement by the various nations "guarded" was requested. As a result, not only were Russians deployed in the 3rd UN Army, but nations such as Israel, Jordan, Egypt & even Syria were worked within its ranks.

Thankfully, the UN’s operations in Africa were highly successful, as were their other operations around the world. Of the military ones, Korea proved to be the showpiece. Here, 80 000 Americans were still trapped & now had nowhere, but home, to go. Not really knowing, though, what their intensions where, or Korea’s for that matter, the new 4th UN Army, mostly made up of Japanese, but included some Thai, Vietnamese & Chinese troops, landed on the tip of southern Korea at the port of Pusan. The Koreans wisely offered no resistance as likewise the American troops. Soon thereafter, 80 000 thankful troops were on their way home.

Other UN operations were also as important, but involved far more time, effort & resources. The environmental damage caused by the numerous wars, especially the three nuclear conflicts, was simply unimaginable. Furthermore, no one really knew where to begin. Whether it be a massive unprecedented clean-up at the sites of the nuclear explosions, to dealing with the nuclear winter, no one knew. Having said that, the UN was not paralysed. Utilising the resources of its members, countries went to work around the globe doing what they could, whether it be like Australia supplying foodstuffs, Japan supplying electronics or America supplying money, each did what they could. Through accident more so than design, decontamination & reconstruction gained the higher attention than nuclear winter, but at least the nuclear winter was not as bad as first feared.

When the issue of nuclear winter was first raised back in the 1980s, a number of factors were in place which influenced the scientists at the time. Basically it was because of the Cold War & the number of nuclear weapons around. Since the 1990s, however, the Cold War was over & numerous treaties had been signed between previous enemies. These treaties, thankfully, began to limit the number of nuclear weapons & delivery systems the signatories could have. By the new century, the nuclear arsenals had dropped dramatically, although the ICBMs themselves had become more accurate, not to mention the fact that the latest nuclear devices themselves involved technology which reduced the amount of radiation created upon detonation whilst keeping the same destructive force. Thus, although a nuclear winter was created, come the three nuclear wars, it was never on the scale previously theorised during an earlier time & circumstance.

Having said all that, it did not mean things were all that great for the inhabitants of planet Earth - especially for those in & around the war zones. Apart from radioactive contamination, which usually lead to sickness if not death, there were other after effects which lasted for decades. The first one was sterilisation of millions of people. Thus the first post-war generation was not overly large as millions of people could no longer reproduce. But that was not the leading trouble - it was cancer. This would become a global problem within five years after the war, with rates skyrocketing for a further five years afterwards. The UN, though, poured billions of dollars into medical research &, fundamentally for future generations, various cures were discovered. And it was just as well, for the ozone layer had suffer tremendously from nuclear contamination. Hence, just as the radiation caused cancers had been brought under control, skin cancers began to rise quickly. Thankfully, by the time skin cancer increases became an epidemic, a cure had been discovered.

A Brave New World

Due this global rebuilding phase, it should not come as a surprise that reforms swept through many nations & the UN. Having already been transformed by the period of the Seven Years, the UN continued to reform itself. Basically, due to the massive projects being conducted around the world, it simply had to change & keep changing. Countries everywhere had to, not only coordinate & cooperate in their efforts, but a body was required to at least oversee what was happening globally. The southern hemisphere, due to the fact that it missed most of the war, did little if any rebuilding, but as suggested before, it became the resource supplier for the damaged countries of the northern hemisphere, as in Europe, Asia & North America, all sorts of rebuilding programs were under way.

Most of the rebuilding programs were, without doubt, in Europe. Even though a large proportion of the European Union had survived intact, Britain, France & Germany had suffered greatly. Furthermore, Russia had more or less been destroyed. As a result, it was to these countries which the UN was mostly involved. Nonetheless, China too had, by necessity, been forced to get involved with various UN programs due to the damage which it had suffered from nuclear attack. The United States, on the other hand, suffered the least from the nuclear wars &, due to its massive industrial capability, needed the least help from the UN. Having said that, it still, by the huge rebuilding task ahead even for the USA, required UN assistance with its rebuilding programs.

Out of all this, though, the most symbolic rebuilding project was Jerusalem. Destroyed by an Israeli nuclear bomb at the end of the Third World War, countries from far & wide sent contingents to the city in an international effort to rebuild it. Regardless of religion, countries saw the sacrifice of Jerusalem as a reminder to the world of what can take place due to hatred, suspicion, intolerance, ignorance & racism. Everything that was an enemy to the human race was symbolised by the Holy City’s destruction. The UN hoped, that by having the entire world involved with rebuilding Jerusalem, then the evil’s of the past may well be left in the past.

As a consequence of all this international activity involving the UN, the international body, as said, changed. At first they were little changes, but as the nations of the world cooperated in peace & trust, a new hope grew among the peoples of the Earth. Most no longer hated their neighbours as many saw for the first time that they had, by far, more in common with them than otherwise. Various cooperative regions, somewhat similar to the EU, began to emerge, but the most fundamental step for everyone was the transformation of the UN into The Commonwealth of the Federation of Earth Nations, or put more simply, the Earth Commonwealth. At its most fundamental core, a new central government, albeit in a federation structure where individual countries still enjoyed their sovereign rights, came into being on 1 January 2050.

The underlying ethos of the Earth Commonwealth was basically summed up by its first President Ismal Gideon. Born a day before Jerusalem was destroyed, Gideon was born into a family of Arab-Jewish Christians in a hospital on the outskirts of the Holy City. The family, including the baby boy, survived the explosion, although they had to, like so many others, endure the post-nuclear war world. And like many others, the family realised that the ways of the past were over & came to believe in peace for all peoples of all nations. As a result, Ismal joined the UN at the age of 18 & his career never looked back. And just like Gideon’s rise to the UN Presidency was truly a golden moment in history, so too the Human Race would enter the greatest golden period of its existence - one thousand years of peace, prosperity & above all love.

Epilogue

The Age of Peace lasted for one thousand years. In that time the Human race achieved a great many things, from managing the Earth wisely, to faster than light speed space travel. But there was much more. Racism, poverty, & hatred had been vanquished. War was no more. Profits were sought for in good kind deeds rather than in material gain. No one starved. No one suffered. All were loved. The Truth had set Humanity free.

Humans had, though, endured much over the ten centuries since the seven long years of the Tribulation. Of course not all of these achievements were made at the very beginning of the Age of Peace. In fact some had only just been achieved. Yet, during this Age, Humans had established a flourishing empire in space. And this great Human civilisation was not just your average empire, but one based upon enlightenment and above all peace: even though many of these achievements were far from being practiced at its establishment. It had, nonetheless, become the civilisation cherished by all others throughout the known galaxy.

Nothing, though, stays the same. All things change. So it was at the beginning of the Human story & so it was at the end. No one had expected it, least of all the Humans. Yet they had changed so much since the dark days of the Tribulation. But that was long ago. The Humans had passed their Rubicon: their Catharsis in a time of pain & suffering. The Human race had left all their waring troubles behind long, long ago. They had truly changed. Even the Ancients gave them much hope.

Then it suddenly happened. All Humans experienced it, save for a few rouges. They, however, no longer mattered, for they had left behind long ago what it meant to be Human. Nevertheless, to this great empire, numbering numerous planets, an attacker unwisely came. This attacker would not be, however, victorious. Instead, he would be defeated through mysterious means. Furthermore, the great attacker was obliterated for eternity. Meanwhile, the Human race, at the zenith of its most magnificent moment, simply vanished.

No one knows where they went.

No one knows if they will return.

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