Author's Note: This is my first story here on , so any comment on how I could improve, whether it be formatting, grammatical suggestions, general direction, or even plot inconsistencies, would be much appreciated, though ultimately I decide what I write and incorporate. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: This story is a work inspired by "GATE: Thus, the JSDF Fought There," which I do not claim to own in any manner.
Introduction:
January 1rst, 2100 CE
Nearly 6 decades ago, January 1rst, 2036 to be precise, the world itself was baptized in nuclear fire. In the span of a few days, several thousands of nuclear warheads detonated over the earth. The unprecedented chaos and destruction was devastating for everyone.
Thousands of urban cities and major military installations were vaporized or reduced to rubble. Although only a billion died in the first week, the ensuing nuclear winters and radiation dust storms ensured that a couple billion more would die of famine and toxins. In the following aftermath, civilization and societal norms broke down for several years until governments managed to re-establish control. During those several years, unspeakable acts were committed by both civilians and the government: rapes, murders, genocides, and robberies were a common occurrence in rural communities.
As a result of the apocalypse, the survivors set aside their differences and formed one global confederation of states, rather than rely on a loose coalition which has proven ineffective in preventing the literal hell they went through. Currently, due to the reconstruction efforts and expansive repopulation programs, the global population steadily rose to 7.5 billion people (1.5 billion less than the population at the onset of WW3). Hundreds of cities were resurrected with the help of old videos and photographs taken of them prior to their obliteration. Of course, this was only possible due to the efforts of remote controlled robots.
Seeing how prone to disasters the earth was, natural or otherwise, support for space colonization exploded in popularity and funding. Naturally, the funding allowed for many breakthroughs to occur in space faring technology: cryogenic chambers for lengthy travels, industrial mining drones for mineral rich asteroids, construction of space elevators and orbital shipyards for affordable ship manufacturing, and the settling of hundreds of thousands on celestial bodies like the moon, mars, and venus. The capabilities of current space travel extend to the asteroid belt, as the lack of habitable planets or density of valuable minerals are either nonexistent or unobtainable.
Despite the apocalypse happening, the standard of living unexpectedly rose since then; Through the legalization and following capitalist exploitation of human genes, rates of terminal diseases and cancers decreased considerably, thus raising the average lifespan to 120 years. Advancements in automation for manufacturing and assistance in the workplace balanced out the loss of 3 billion people, allowing them to pursue their individual passions further while being paid even more, as nearly everyone now had a tertiary education.
However, all these advancements in society came at the cost of billions of lives. Therefore, before each new year's eve, billions of people would gather together to mourn the many dead. Right after its passing though, the gatherings would turn to a celebratory mood to represent how they will continue to move forward. Unbeknownst to them however, their happiness is not to last, for an event in very, very near future will occur.