Before we begin our journey together, you must know what has happened to bring us where we are today. 

The year is 2125. Earth is a very different place. After generations of trying to save it, the land, waters, and society have reached their breaking point. You might think things would have turned out differently. After all, we were warned. 

In the 21st century, it was predicted that there would be significant shifts to the climate that would change the face of the Earth and the quality of life for those who lived on it. The world's governments tried to adjust policies and behaviors, hoping to improve conditions so the predictions would not come true. Still, focusing on societies with a common genome but very different beliefs was difficult. The truth is, there never was a true coming together of nations and minds to make any real change. There were attempts and some actions here and there, but they were outweighed by political standoffs and the rise and fall of dictators and social machines. Nations locked into decades of debate over climate action, yet nothing substantial took root. Climate accords were signed, but implementation was half-hearted. Some world leaders shouted from their podiums, only to have their voices drowned out by corporate interests that controlled the flow of information. As crops began to fail and temperatures reached unlivable extremes, leaders realized they had been chasing their own tails, all while the world buckled under the weight of the unchecked global change. 

By the end of the century, Earth's environmental shifts started to impact how the world fed, housed and managed its population. Government powers shifted as countries controlling essential goods like grains, livestock, and fuel sources began to shift as regional climates changed. This wasn't enough to cause a significant decline, only an inconvenience, tightening the threads that held society together. What brought man and Earth to a point of threshold was population. 

Despite the clear signs of decline and decay, no steps were taken to plan for the increase in population. Some leaders would stand to push through policies to help decrease population growth, but their plans would be discredited and be declared genocide and they, madmen. So, there would be no relief. By the early 21st century, scholars predicted the world's population would peak at 10 billion and then begin a slow decline. These were brilliant scholars, as they always are. Their theories sound, filled with common sense and mathematical genius. The problem was that while their theories were sound and unbiased, they failed to account for the shift in the global crop economy. Nations near the equator and the southern poles became more fertile as the water table rose, increasing the need for labor and growth in commerce in regions that were underpopulated in previous years. Populations surged at a remarkable rate. Places like the Amazon forests, the African Sahara, and the Australian plains became the new backbone of wheat, corn, and livestock. Powerful nations began to vie for footholds and control of territories that had never been in the geopolitical arena before and became pawns of barter and even war. 

As the century grew closer to an end, organizations that brought the nations into discussions of peace and human rights began to decay and lose their significance. NATO became insignificant quickly, and in 2075, the United Nations adjourned for the final time and was disbanded, leaving foundling nations and people in unsupported regions at the mercy of more powerful countries. Nations in the Northern Hemisphere began closing their borders to immigration, placing armed camps to defend against invasion and occupation. Creating an environment of isolation and distrust. As new fertile lands emerged, desperate countries encroached on each other's territories, initiating border skirmishes that snowballed into full-fledged resource wars. Countries that had once thrived on the global trade market, like Brazil and Indonesia, now found themselves struggling to defend their newfound wealth. The once-stable Middle East became a hotbed of conflict as nations fought for access to new resources in Africa and the northern reaches of South America. The world, at this point, was on the brink—not from the climate alone, but from the havoc of nations clashing to secure their futures. 

As Earth reached its breaking point, nations scrambled for solutions to avoid war as the Asian, Eastern European, and South American factions began to press their superiority on their surrounding regions. The governments that once held power found themselves overwhelmed, unable to manage the massive surge in population, the shift in resource control, and the escalating tensions between territories. With borders closing and resources running thin, the world needed more than political promises—it needed action. Amid the chaos and uncertainty, a new coalition was formed—not to save Earth but to secure humanity's future. And so, the ICN was born. 

The International Coalition of Nations. 

The formation of the ICN marked a pivotal shift in global power. The first step was the consolidation of the most powerful nations. With their advanced technologies and military might, these nations quickly assumed leadership in the ICN. The larger nations, now in control of critical resources and infrastructure, focused on securing their own survival. 

However, the shift in power left the smaller nations—many of which had once thrived off global trade and cooperation—vulnerable. Countries in Africa, Latin America, and parts of Southeast Asia found themselves increasingly isolated as borders hardened and resource control tightened. As tensions reached their peak, this coalition of world powers gathered in the final days of Earth's aging institutions. The United States, China, and the powerhouses of Europe were joined by emerging global players, their unity forged by necessity rather than mutual trust. Yet, for the smaller nations, this was less of a partnership and more of an imposition. The formation of the ICN wasn't a choice—it was a lifeline for the few and a sacrifice for the many. In the growing shadow of these newly empowered governments, the masses watched helplessly as borders became increasingly militarized and the gates of their homelands closed. Without the economic power or military strength to defend themselves, these nations were forced into an economic subservience, becoming what many began to refer to as "immigrant" and "forgotten" nations. 

As the larger nations solidified their control, the smaller countries were left to manage their growing populations in any way they could. Overcrowded cities became the norm, as entire regions were forced to house millions of displaced people. Refugee camps began to spread across these regions as people fled from environmental disasters, political unrest, and resource shortages. These camps quickly became breeding grounds for poverty, crime, and disease, but they also represented a staging area for labor and brute talent. In the refugee camps, the world's displaced people lived in tents made of scraps and woven plastic, their survival a daily fight against disease and starvation. Once proud nations now struggled to feed their own as waves of immigrants poured into overcrowded slums and makeshift shelters. Outside the camps, armed guards stood watch, keeping a tight grip on the influx of people from broken, forgotten lands. 

The ICN responded to the growing refugee crisis with brutal force, sending in military units to maintain control over the camps. As tensions mounted and the population surged, these zones became militarized, ruled more by force than by compassion. And so, the world began to fracture: the haves and the have-nots, the powerful and the powerless, the privileged and the forgotten. Within the camps, survival was a quiet rebellion—a defiant refusal to disappear from history. As the refugees fought to survive, some stood out and became gladiator-style fighters in makeshift arenas for the entertainment of the elite class. For some, the arena was the only way out—a brutal system where survival meant being more than just a body. Gladiator-style fights became the only avenue for refugees to break through the grim barriers of the camps. The elite watched, their hunger for entertainment matched only by their disregard for the lives being played out before them. 

It became clear to the governing council of the ICN that solutions for global issues had to come from more creative sources. The population was growing faster than resources could support. The larger nations, under the banner of the ICN, began to focus outside of Earth...on the stars. Colonization of new worlds became the ICN's driving force, with the ambitious goal of finding new homes for the growing population. With Earth's resources exhausted and its future in question, the ICN's ambitions grew. Colonization of new worlds became their sole focus. The clock was ticking. Humanity's last hope rested on finding a new home somewhere beyond the fragile cradle of Earth.