Hastings1984

Prologue: First Contact September, 2079. Life on Earth is a failed dream. Bureaucratic deadlocks kept us from changing our flawed ways, let alone rectifying our past mistakes. Brutal droughts, biblical floods, and furious hurricanes have taught us the true force of nature, generating billions of refugees from areas ravaged the world over; sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and the greater Middle East stand among the hardest hit. Nations tore each other apart over clean water and fertile soil like wild animals, though a nuclear disarmament pact signed by the world’s superpowers in 2050 saved us from total armageddon. By then, though, we faced the uncomfortable reality of overcrowding, and began looking at solutions offered by the lowest bidder. Instead of WW3, we kicked off the second space race, choosing in typical human fashion to abandon our catastrophic climate experiment in search of a fresh start. The Moon was the obvious first step; with the combined use of skyhooks and giant