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The year is 2052. The world is different, free of war, and it is all due to them. The Syris group, people that are committed to making the world a place that everyone can live without fear of an attack from their neighbor. Under them, the Earth has known the greatest era of peace and prosperity ever, and many of its citizens have a freedom that they haven’t felt until now. The world is far better off than it was, and nearly everyone will attest to that.

Syris began in the 1900s, although nobody is quite sure when or where. They just appeared, like so many groups, and at first nobody listened to them. They spoke of change coming, and that the only chance for the world to survive was to come together under a unified banner. Like all people with a slightly radical plan, they were largely ignored. Unlike most, though, they somehow managed to start collecting members. As the situation in the world began to deteriorate, more and more people started joining them. As the economies in one part of the world began becoming less well off than those in others, the idea of unification suddenly did not seem so bad. As oil prices started rising, suddenly everyone having access to it under a single government seemed like quite a good idea.

No matter what it was due to, by the early 2000s Syris numbered close to half a billion supporters. This began to grow even faster with the war in the Middle East and the failing economy in Europe, and even in the United States it grew, going so far as to form a political party and attempt to run for elections. They were unsuccessful, but their publicity made more and more people begin to think that their doctrines were a good idea. The idea of a world unified under a single government, with the only true restrictions being on weaponry and military equipment, was an idea that quite a few people thought would be good to try.

Despite all that, though, it wasn’t until 2016 that the events were truly set into motion. By this point, the economies of nearly every country in the world were beginning to fail, and people were beginning to lose faith in their governments. They could no longer provide for everyone, and the amount that they could care for was going down every month. Armies began dwindling, disgruntled and angry soldiers removed from a job because their salary could no longer be paid. Companies were laying people off left and right because they no longer had the money to support them, and people all over the globe were beginning to grow restless.

It was in this time that Syris began to make its move. Their message began appealing to each one of these people removed from work, and their promises of a stable financial system appealed to the ears of almost everyone, even if they didn’t understand the details. This talk was nothing new; Syris had been talking about the financial stability issues ever since they had gained enough prominence to make it onto the news. What was new was that none of the governments were able to come up with any reasonable solution to what was happening, and it was finally clear that they would never be able to.

Rallies began to emerge, people outside government buildings calling for their leaders to resign. This was not isolated to a single country, either. Nearly all of Europe, as well as the United States, China, and many others began realizing just how many people Syris had taken in. Millions upon millions of citizens started gathering in the streets of cities, shouting for a new government as their old one corroded away. The old governments tried to call in the military to keep order, but found, to their horror, that the military was more under the sway of Syris than it was under them. The military was not stupid, and it had become clear that there was not enough money in the governments to allow it to survive. It was a decision that was made across many countries, each military committed to protecting the country they served. It was for this reason that the majority of all of them joined with Syris, supporting the group’s bid for power. Most of the commanding officers saw the group as the only way their country could truly be kept safe.

Naturally, this process was not something that could happen overnight. Although the first historical record of a Pro-Syris rally was in 2016, the first country did not come under their sway until nearly 2022. After the first one did, several others followed, and by 2024 Syris was in control of most of Europe, East Asia, and North America. Assuming North America as their main base of operations, Syris began to militarize. All across their countries, the call went up for soldiers, and factories began churning out weapons, vehicles, and anything else that was needed. It was soon clear that they were truly going to attempt to go through with their plan to control the entire world under a single banner, and the conviction that they displayed spurned many others forward.

It was around this point that the head of the organization finally showed himself. On a broadcast that was shown around the entire world, the man announced himself as Darik Aren, President of Syris. His speech was brief, lasting no more than fifteen minutes, but his message was extremely clear: Syris’ goal was to unite the world under a single leadership, and they were going to accomplish that goal. He pointed to the already improving economic conditions in the countries they were controlling as proof that they could run them better than the previous governments, and told the world that the benefits from allowing Syris into their governments would be greater than what they already had. In a voice that seemed more sincere than any politician anyone had ever heard, he finished by saying that his wish was not for anyone to be hurt, and if they would at least give Syris a chance he could prove to them that he was not lying.

The response from the world was immediate, but hardly unified. Many, seeing the advantages to a unified world and optimistic that it could happen, wanted to join. Others, seeing this as an attempt to bring a tyrannical dictatorship to the world, rejected it and tried to persuade in the opposite manner. Several countries openly gave in, knowing that they could not fight the behemoth that Syris had become, and turned their governments over. The others, the ones that did not join, were either adamant in their refusal or only rejecting it because there was no consensus among either the government or the people. The latter fell easily to the Syrin war machine, unable to keep up a defense with half of their military joining the forces of the other side. The others were more difficult to bring under their sway, but, gradually, country after country was defeated and brought under the ever-increasing banner of Syris.

The war was long, but surprisingly not as bloody as one might expect. Many countries, after seeing the power that the Syrin war machine possessed, lost their will to fight and surrendered. Millions died, as casualties are impossible to prevent in war, but World War Three, or the Unification War as it came to be known, was not as deadly as either World War One or World War Two. Many of the most powerful nations were already under the control of Syris at the beginning of the war, granting them the full military might of nearly all of the world’s superpowers.

The end of the war was recorded as September 23, 2034. With a final sweep of a pen, a gesture of an older world, the world was finally under the control of Syris. While many were bitter, angry, or confused about the whole thing, it marked a new milestone in history. For the first time, a single person was the political leader of the entire Earth, and while the transition had in no way been peaceful, a single nation was now spread across every continent.

The years that followed were much less turbulent than many had predicted. With their new control, Syris established a chain of command. First was the President, Darik Aren. Then came the heads of the continents, who were followed by the heads of countries. It continued on down in the way one typically would, all the way down to the average civilian.

In the same way, a new military force was created. Having taken shape during the Unification War, the transition was simple, and the new military was able to take shape before anything else. Named the Syrin Global Defensive Forces, or SGDF, the military was set up in a similar way to the political hierarchy.

Along with the new government and army came new bases of operation. For some reason, Syris decided that New York City, in what had been the United States of America, was going to be their seat of power. Several skyscrapers were converted to buildings that would house the SGDF for the region, and extensive reconstruction was done on them to re-purpose them to the needs of their users.

The ultimate seat of government was a bit different. About a year before the end of the war, when it was clear what the outcome would be, Syris had begun constructing a new building, out in the ocean just off of the coast of the city. Nothing was really seen of it until the construction cleared the top of the ocean, and from there it seemed to grow incredibly fast. Teams of several thousand workers labored night and day, and the building continued to stretch towards the sky. Even with advanced construction techniques and virtually unlimited resources, the building was under construction for nearly three years before it was declared complete. As no official name was given to it, people began to refer to it as the Spire, a name that eventually became used by everyone to refer to it.

At the same time, a universal system of currency was devised. It was unimportant that different countries had differing values to their national currency anymore, and as a single nation Syris could allocate resources to where they were most needed. While a universal currency was met by slight opposition, it became clear quickly that it was needed to rebuild the economies of the world. Taking a name that made sense to everyone, Syris’ financial experts decided to call the currency “credits”.

The economic rebuild took years, but Syris was slowly able to bring the world back onto its feet. Economies returned to where they were, and then continued to build on from there. There was no true competition between countries, and no need to worry about imports or exports. Only competition between companies continued, and that was seen as a good thing. The ones that made the best of their product would flourish, while the others would be unable to compete and be bought out by those that were their betters. Syris fully supported the competition, using it as a means to get the best of what was available out to the general public.

Only a few economic regulations were made, and all of them were on the subject of military equipment. Following the war, spare firearms were collected up and disposed of under the authority of martial law. The new law for the nation declared that the only ones authorized to carry weapons were those in the military sector. As you may imagine, this caused an uproar in some parts of the world, but the law was eventually carried out and every weapon the SGDF could find that they did not control was destroyed. While many civilians were able to hide weapons, the new law prevented them from openly carrying them. Non-lethal weaponry, like stun guns, was allowed, just to make sure individuals had something to protect themselves if it was necessary.

There were few things that Syris changed about the actual world. They were content to leave it functioning socially as it had been, for they knew that interfering with religions, the main dictation of social interaction in many places of the world, would be more than they could deal with. Instead, they simply made a set of laws that would apply to everywhere without issue, and then let the government of each area choose their specific laws based on what they believed was best.

One thing that they did call for, however, was a way to register all citizens of their new world. This registration took the form of an ID chip embedded in the palm of an individual’s hand. This was a procedure that they had been putting into practice since before the war had begun, a way to recognize who was part of their nation, and overall it was not an unpopular move. It gave a way of identification that was simpler than licenses or birth certificates, and made it easier for the average person to go about their life.

Syris was not without opposition, though. Insurgent groups emerged shortly after the war, the largest calling themselves Aduros. Their starting point was somewhere in the last countries that surrendered, as those that had resisted to the end had fled from country to country as each had fallen. Armed with as much pre-war weaponry and equipment as they could find, their numbers were great enough to outmatch the SGDF forces in the region. Several bloody skirmishes happened before more SGDF soldiers were allocated to keep order. Unfortunately, when the rebel groups found that they were outmatched, they fled to other countries, beginning the entire process again.

It took nearly three years before the SGDF was able to bring the problem under manageable control. Aduros, although many in number, couldn’t compete with the SGDF on the battlefield, and were losing far too many to continue their struggle in the manner they were attempting. The final downfall came not from an SGDF attack, but rather from an attack of their own. On August 12, 2045, a rebel force of aircraft flew over New York City. Even in the present day, nobody is quite sure how they managed to get that many aircraft together without detection, and Syris has been extremely tight-lipped about it.

The force of aircraft flew over the city at daybreak, right as the SGDF air patrols were changing shifts. No SGDF forces met them, something that has been speculated about quite a bit due to what happened next. Many people believe that the President gave an executive order to not disturb the rebels, while others insist that the SGDF didn’t have time to mobilize. There are many more theories, most as crazy as your average conspiracy theory, but those two are the main ones people argue. In any event, the aircraft went for the Spire, and proceeded to attack it with everything they had. Bombs were dropped, missiles were fired, and bullets rained down on the newly constructed seat of Syrin power.

The assault continued for several minutes before any response came from Syris. Up until that point, no matter what had been dropped on the Spire, nothing had happened. Even the bombs and high-powered missiles had struck the side and exploded without even leaving a visible dent. As soon as a lull came in the firing, though, hundreds of panels suddenly opened up on the Spire’s walls and a massive hail of counterfire began pouring from the building. The targeting was so exact and the event so unexpected that, within seconds, nearly half of the attacking aircraft had either been outright destroyed or damaged enough that they had been forced to crash. A rally was attempted with the remaining ones, but it proved to be the last thing they tried. The Spire’s defenses were far too powerful, and within a minute the entire attacking force was destroyed.

While this was a stunning defeat for the insurgent forces, it was also a wake-up call to those that remained. It was clear that Syris could outmatch them in any combat situation, and that conventional warfare would be impossible to wage. From the wreckage of Aduros came a new group, calling themselves the Vespa, and before long they had brought together nearly every rebel group in the world. They worked in the shadows, careful to never trigger an open response from the SGDF. They would strike a target and vanish, never staying around to witness retribution. In time, they became just as much of a thorn in the SGDF’s side as Aduros had been.

What was strange, though, was that the Vespa seemed to have some kind of goal in mind. While they would undermine the SGDF where they could, their focus was not on simply removing the SGDF from power. It was clear that this was what they wanted, but there was something else that wasn’t clear about their actions.

Even with the rebel groups, however, the world began enjoying one of the longest stretches of peace that it had known. There were no countries to fight wars, and all disputes were settled by Syris before they could become issues. Better economies led to lesser unemployment, and standardized healthcare allowed everyone to have coverage available to them. Under Syris, the world had become a better place to live, and the only cost appeared to be the war. Even that now seemed like a small cost, as rebuilding was complete and the advantages far outweighed the issues that had arisen.

The technology of the world has advanced significantly over the last 40 years. There have been significant advances in medical, social, and military technology. The average person can now live longer and live healthier, and effective treatments exist for nearly every known disease. Synthetic body parts have advanced to a point where they can be a replacement for a limb with a perfect normal appearance and functionality, although organ cloning has become the most popular treatment for most body issues. Cybernetic augmentation to the human body is possible, but at this point it is not widespread and usually caps at cybernetic limbs, organs, or eyes.

Social technology has advanced to a point where wireless internet is available at any point in the world on your most basic device. Smartphones have become full-fledged portable computers, even more so than they were in the early 2000s. “Traditional” computers still exist, and they are more powerful than the portable ones. Nearly all transactions are carried out electronically, a system that made the switch to a standard credit system much easier to carry out.

A very important part of society is the identity chip an individual must have if they wish to be a legal citizen. For those that were around before the war, it was mandated that they have one implanted in their palm, and for those born after, it is automatically done at birth. The chips keep an active database of the individual’s registered name, gender, a photograph constructed from biometric data, blood type, date and place of birth, registered occupation, a view-only criminal record/warrants, place of residence and family members. The chip is scanned for anything that requires an identity confirmation. For more radical individuals, a device called a Control Chip was devised. Unlike a normal chip, it keeps tabs on their geographic location and more invasive information like their vitals, and can also administer a paralytic shock on remote command. These are for individuals such as sex offenders, individuals deemed a threat to society.

As always, firearms are one of the more important bits of society. While more powerful and more accurate than they were in the early 2000s, the average shape, size, and projectile has not changed all that much. Guns still fire bullets, as weapons that fire projectiles of energy are not stable or reliable enough to be used in open combat. The ammunition used by the SGDF is caseless. When it comes to vehicles, the vehicles used are largely the same as the early 2000s, just more advanced versions. This includes unmanned vehicles.

Nearly all electric power is now generated by renewable energy sources, such as Nuclear Fusion or Solar. Fossil Fuels were done away with as soon as it was possible, much to the happiness of a lot of the world's population. On a similar note, most motor vehicles are electrical or hydrogen powered, and there is the option to have them self-driving. That is still left up to the consumer, although many are pushing for it to be mandated.

Although technology has progressed to the point where an Artificial Intelligence can be created, Syris restriction state clearly that no AI with intelligence equal to or above that of a human can be created. Lesser AIs run all of the large stock exchanges and financial computer networks, and keep track of all records in most corporations. They are also in charge of systems such as those that run training programs, as the increased reaction time is far superior to that of a human operator. Many vehicles are either run or monitored by an AI, including all of those that drive themselves. Development is allowed, but it is kept closely monitored.

Syris is the group of people that, in essence, run the world. They are spread across many countries, and have their people leading nearly everywhere. While it is known that Syris is run from the Spire, the heads of countries run the countries from within the capital cities of the countries themselves. It is much easier to keep each country under control if you actually command it from within the boundaries, a philosophy that they put into practice since before the Unification War. Although they govern the U.S. from DC, though, their main operational HQ is in New York City, within sight of the Spire. They have multiple buildings there that they run operations from, the Military building being the most prevalent one.

The main reason Syris is in control, though, is the fact that they hold all of the weapons. Under laws passed by them, nobody except agencies of themselves are allowed to carry weapons. Of course, this hasn’t stopped people from doing so, but as long as they never carry them in public, and are never found in possession, they will be fine. Still, Syris holds all the weapon technology, since they purged the globe of independent firearms producers or brought all of the under their control.

Syris has, in essence, a monopoly over the world. They control all trade routes, enforce all laws, and keep peace in all sectors of the globe. The laws they enforce are the same in every country. However, they are not cruel rulers, and are, in reality, some of the most fair in the history of the world. Since they enforce everything, and take the peace of the world seriously, the average civilian does not have to worry about corrupt military police, or anything like that. As long as you obey the laws, you really have nothing to worry about.

-Syrin Global Defensive Forces-

The Syrin Global Defense Forces are the only militarized group allowed to carry weapons, and as their name implies, they defend the average person, as well as the government and the stability of the world. They do not cause problems with anyone, and do not use their weapons unless someone threatens them. Nobody really bothers them either, except those looking to cause trouble, and those are usually small groups that are easily gotten rid of. The forces may defend, but they are still an army, and their combat strength is not insignificant, considering they have all the best technology. Like a normal army, they have access to combat vehicles like tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets. They are also organized like an average military, with the ranking system being the same. As a military, they try not to kill civilians, since that would turn the population against them, but sometimes it happens, and there are some that care and some that do not. Most do, because they know that they are fighting to protect those people, but there are always the few that just want the enemy annihilated no matter the cost.

The SGDF is set up in the same way as the modern militaries as the countries that it takes place in. Syris did not change much about the military process, since they just took the armies that were there before and customized them to their own use. While the training is a bit different everywhere, the basics are all the same. Syris takes the most effective weaponry and distributes it to every country, so every SGDF trooper is equipped the same, in the way that is most effective. Worse equipped countries were given better weaponry, and those without proper military training had instructors provided to them. Everything in each country is optimized to be the most effective.

While there are different disciplines to the SGDF, like the Army, Navy, and Air Force of today, all soldiers are considered part of the same organization. Recruitment is not done by multiple branches, and the way that soldiers are placed is due to their particular skill set, which is analyzed through a series of tests upon their recruitment. Even then, unless there is a specific reason, SGDF cadets are all required to go through nearly the same training regimen. The idea is that, while one might specialize in a specific field, they should be able to act as a regular soldier as well, as a precaution against unforeseeable events.

The SGDF is far better equipped than any insurgents, and the SGDF has nearly unlimited authority when it comes to protecting the peace of the world. Officers only answer to SGDF HQ, which is where their superiors are located, and are, in practice, given complete authority to deal with a situation as they see fit. This can involve anything minor, like taking prisoners, to something like ordering an air strike on what seems to be a potential insurgent nest.

While they are not technically part of the SGDF, civilian police are essential to the running of society. They are authorized to carry stun guns only, and are not authorized to deal with any live-fire situations. Civilian police take care of situations that are not hazardous, such as speeding tickets and fines for various misdemeanors.

All weapons used by the SGDF now are biometrically sensitive. For each one, the biometrics of a single soldier are coded into the weapon, and only that soldier can operate the weapon. In some cases, the biometrics for an entire squad are encoded into the weapon, allowing the entire squad free usage. Effectively, it makes it impossible for anyone other than the authorized personnel to use the weapon. All weapons are also built with a nanocompound in the material of the rifle. This does absolutely nothing until a very specific electromagnetic signal received by the nanomachines, upon which they will ignite and turn the entire weapon into a carbon husk, destroying it. This extra precaution is to prevent any rebel groups from obtaining SGDF weaponry and using it by disabling the biometric scanner.

As a general rule, the SGDF favors advanced non-lethal weaponry. Lethal weaponry is by no means discouraged, but most situations will end better if the opponent is still alive at the end of it. While caution must be exercised due to the adverse effects some non-lethal weaponry has on cloned organs and cybernetics, it is no less dangerous to the target than a bullet through the chest. The only issues arise when an innocent is subdued in this manner and there are long-term complications, but those situations are uncommon.

The standard SGDF combat apparel consists of two pieces. First, there is the bodysuit, which is a neck-to-toe suit, excluding boots and gloves, that has armored skin on top of a suit of synthetic muscles. This assists with manual labor and provides basic protection from weather, injury, and chemical weapons. For power to various systems, there is an integrated battery sewn into the suit. On top of this suit is the second piece, which consists of a tactical vest and any other extra equipment. The HUD of the SGDF helmets plugs into the suit’s battery, as do any other electronics that they may be equipped with.

The Vespa are the main group of terrorist insurgents, as they have been labeled by the SGDF and every media source in the world. Run by someone calling himself “Archangel”, the Vespa are the most effective, as well as best trained, group of insurgents. That does not mean they are superior their opponents, however. The Syrin Global Defense Forces have the advantage in both numbers and armaments, and their training is above that of the Vespa because of the secrecy the Vespa have to operate in. The Vespa mainly operate in covert operations, lots of stealth, and never engage in open combat unless there is no other alternative. They simply don’t have the numbers to wage open war, nor do they have the vehicles. It is also a lot harder for them to carry out operations because of the surveillance tech that Syris has, although they do manage with their own technology that some have come up with to block SGDF equipment.

Obviously, they are a highly secretive organization, and have nothing operating out in the open. They have various “safehouse” areas around the globe, usually at least one within a few hundred miles of another. Although this may not seem like a lot, any more would likely get detected. Even now they run a high risk of detection, and usually get found every once in a while. While the safehouses are there, though, it does not mean that everyone lives there. Most Vespa appear to be civilians, living a normal life. They each have normal jobs, some have families. This is because they cannot afford to act suspicious, or be detected. Vespa members can be anything, from ordinary construction workers to the CEOs of notable corporations. While there are more of them that are middle-class citizens, pay grade is not a factor when it comes to members. Many move from town to town, job to job, just so they don’t stick out in a single place too long. Those that do live in the safehouses rarely leave, as their job is usually that of a technician or overseer. Approximately .05% of the Vespa live in the safehouses, while the rest is scattered across the world. The total number of active Vespa members is around 703 million, while those that occasionally help them and take part is around 500 million or so. Considering that the world’s population is around 9.5 billion, and around 7.4 billion of them fully support Syris or are part of the organization, this is a small number.

While some of the reasons for people deciding to join when the offer came are undoubtedly selfish, overall people are part of it because of a few things. For one, there have been reports of people vanishing since before the war started, but also at around the same time Syris came to power. This is all condemned by Syris and the SGDF, and according to statements they have been attempting to deal with it for years, but since there haven't been any results, and people, mainly people that don't seem too happy with their society, keep vanishing, from what anyone can tell it's the work of some kind of government organization.

Also, there have been reports of secret executions for insurgents, although there is also no way to confirm these. Usually Syris will make an announcement when something like that is going to happen so that everyone is aware and can protest as they please, but there have been occasions where some SGDF member has spoken out, saying that they were told to carry out an execution on an insurgent to keep them out of the public's eyes. These were a lot more widespread near and after the end of the war, but reports still pop up every once in a while. The same goes for interrogations that utilize torture. As with the vanishing people, Syris condemns both of these acts and will supposedly punish anyone they catch performing such a thing. Since there is almost nothing that comes to light that says they actually have done this, though, it remains a bit suspicious.

Then, of course, are acts of unnecessary violence carried out by soldiers. Most of them are good, or so it seems, but there are always those that want to complete whatever their mission is at any cost, even if it means taking the lives of a civilian or two. As I'm sure you can imagine, something like this is always a cause for the public to get riled up, and since it happens more than people might want, there are a some that think some of the SGDF doesn't necessarily care about the safety of the people.

Apart from things that actually have to do with people getting hurt, killed, or vanishing, there's the whole money thing. Since Syris has control over the world's economy, they have control of the money, and it came to light a few years after the end of the war that a great deal of money appeared to be getting funneled to Syris accounts.The official story is that this is being used to pay all of the government employees, including SGDF members, but when the reported amount going is compared to the average salaries of the people it is supposed to be paying, it didn't really add up. When the inquiry came up, it was also added that it was used for "special projects", but when asked what those were the only answer that really came up was the Spire. Given what it could do in something like the 2045 attack, the thought that Syris might be constructing something else like it made a large number of conspiracy theories spring up, most of them detailing some kind of military takeover of society by as early as 2070.

Like all organizations, nobody in the Vespa is perfectly moral, and many don’t care who dies, as long as their goal gets accomplished. While it is not common practice, they have killed civilians before, although it is not a common occurrence and is typically frowned upon.

Vespa does not have a set ranking system. Most “ranks” are determined by the one who is in command of the Vespa cell in each specific area, although what they normally do is just assign titles according to what the person can do.

Most Vespa insurgents fight with either old, pre-war weaponry or weaponry that has been put together by a member that is specialized in making custom weapons. This is not as good as it sounds, for custom simply refers to making weapons out of whatever is available. Such weapons are usually effective, but they have the downside of breaking more easily than regular weapons. Nevertheless, the majority of weaponry used by the Vespa are either these makeshift ones or older models. SGDF weaponry is nearly impossible to get their hands on, which means they are severely outgunned by those they are opposing.

Typically, there is little armor for Vespa members. Many have tactical vests or other various equipment that they have kept since before the war, and there are others who have managed to steal some from the SGDF. For the most part, though, members actually tend to go unarmored. This gives them an easier time of moving around, an easier time in blending in during an escape, and the drop in protection is almost negligent due to the power of SGDF weaponry. Older armor can block something like a tranquilizer dart or a knife, however, and that is why some members choose to wear it. Most do not wear more than a concealed vest.

Mission is the only child of world renowned engineer and scientist Sir Ayr Sterling, noted for sharing her father's intelligence and having been one of the first “New Era Children”: the first of a generation born into the Syris-operated world after the Unification War drew to a close. Her mother died from cancer two years after she was born, leaving her to be raised alone by her father, the man at the helm of world-famous Sterling Industries. Founded in the 1980's by Mr. Sterling's father, William, the company flourished well into the new millennium despite the global unrest by designing and popularizing the fundamental electronics and computer software that would shape the next few decades in technological advancement.

William Sterling passed the reins down to his son in the year 2016, when the phenomenon of Syris had begun to launch itself upon the world without restraint. Sensing the impending disaster and teeming with a myriad of genius ideas, Ayr steered the company – which, previously, contracted only modestly to government customers – in the direction of weapons and defense, selling sophisticated small arms, armored vehicles, aircraft, smart ordnance, radars and sensors, stealth technology and sophisticated electronic and cyber defense arrays to the only superpower with the resources to buy them: Syris. It was this genius strategy that allowed Sterling Industries to flourish as the new world began to take shape.

Competition was quickly eliminated or absorbed by Syris' global conquest, the new regulations of the defense industry and Mr. Sterling's shrewd exploitation of the political climate, making the company's stocks and finances explode to unprecedented levels. By the time the last slate of treaties were signed in 2034, Syris' faith in Sterling as the most reliable source for the new weaponry and technology that would be needed to fuel their behemoth military's technological edge had secured him a place as one of the most powerful men in the world: his connections to the SGDF were numerous, and with most of his competition having been slain due to Syris' distrust of them, Sterling Industries sailed.

Sterling's ideas won him awards, honorary degrees and international clout as an engineer and scientist of unprecedented caliber, including a knighthood from the Queen of England in the year 2035 for his strong moral principles in his efforts for his weapons to be used to preserve peace. The world he had helped Syris create was a tranquil one as history had ever seen. It was the perfect place to raise his young daughter.

But unlike her father, who was present in scientific journals and internet articles ever since the dawn of the new world, Mission was a sort of recluse who never expressed an interest for fame, preferring to hole up in her room and explore the depths of the internet for research or tinker, destroy and create inside her father's workshop. From a young age, she radiated a keen intellect and thus was enrolled in prestigious private schools to educate her. While she ranked consistently in the 99th percentile, she never liked the uptight classrooms and thus always felt herself most at home, in the comfort of a lab or under the dim glow of a computer.

It was at the modest age of 12 that her thoroughly-known nickname, “Mission”, came to be used as her online handle to post a slate of anti-Syris propaganda as she went through a rebellious phase from there to age 14. When her father diverted time from weapons development to open Sterling Medical, a new branch of his powerhouse company, Mission was quick to relieve some of the doubled burden and thus found herself assisting her father in designing new technologies, although was rarely publicly credited. Sensing her ennui and lack of discipline, though, her father suggested that she join the army cadets to improve her discipline and focus. Mission resisted at first, but relented at the age of 13.

It was there she realized that she was hungry for the structure and guidance the SGDF's youth programs provided. The girl had numerous chances to operate the weapons, vehicles and technology she was only familiar with on blueprints, and she made many friends. It was no surprise, then, that she would be compelled to join the SGDF at age 16. Basic training flew by, and her unprecedented aptitude tests had the R&D and Intelligence sectors of the SGDF clamoring for her talents. But, feeling like she would again be confining herself to a stuffy lab, she opted instead to join the infantry. It was debated by her father; after all, she wasn't the tallest, quickest, or strongest, but she pulled through with persistence.

Upon finishing high school at the age of 17 after her intelligence pulled her ahead a few grades, she enlisted as a full-time reservist before at the age of 18 she was allowed into active duty and given full credentials. Knowing her talents, her superiors assigned her to jobs of technical importance in addition to her usual duties. Her contemporaries considered her an oddity for her young age and reputation as the daughter of one of the world's most fearsome men, so her “friends” in the SGDF were few. Although the Vespa's stubborn hostility against the new world drove her to think they were out of their minds, her maturing mind remained confused with the ideologies of the people she was deployed to contend with.

To this date, she has never killed a human, but often finds herself wishing she was present in those grim operations where a bullet could have saved more lives than it took.

She was born into a Military family, but after the "End of War" people like her father and mother had found that they could not help there daughter get into the marines, simply because it didn't exist any more, so her parents did the next best thing, begin attack SGDF, but they before they left their daughter to the care of her Uncle, she was trained on how to use her dad's old pistol from back in the day. a few weeks later, her parents were publicly executed with several other rebels, from this day Isabella vowed to avenge her parents deaths, she trained until she had mastered the handgun, and finally considered herself worthy of donning her father's military Dress uniform (as seen in appearance picture) she wears it proudly and even in public she is not afraid of being stopped for wearing a military uniform. She found out about a Vespa cell and went out to join it, after demonstrating her military training they accepted her

Sladen doesn't talk too much, but when he does, it's a short sarcastic remark. Sladen doesn't take anything seriously, and he does what he does not for self enjoyment, but for revenge. He doesn't have noble intentions. His parents were both in Vespa, but they died during a raid. Colonel Brooks was responsible for their deaths, so he joined Vespa to hunt him down and give him a very painful death.

His parents taught him right from wrong at an early age, but when they died, he was left to fend for himself. His childhood friends all left him, not wanting to be dragged down with him. And so, without support, friends or family, Sladen slowly went mad. He didn't speak to anyone for years, as he had no real reason to. He survived by scavenging from garbage and stealing when he could. He witnessed some members of Vespa sabotaging a radio station. After Syrin troops arrived, they fled, and Sladen followed them. He managed to track them all the way to their safehouse, even though they were practiced in throwing off pursuit.

Some of the Vespa members wanted to kill him, as he knew where their hideout was, but more wanted him left alive. He joined them, and slowly regained the will to speak. He told the other members about his parents, and some of them remembered them. They told Sladen about the man, Colonel Brooks, and how he had sprung the trap that had killed his family. They gave Sladen a picture of him, and since he was a high priority target anyway, they thought that allowing him to have some hatred towards him was ideal. Little did they know that this was Sladen's sole purpose in Vespa. He didn't care about their motives, their ideals. He only cared about that smiling face staring up at him from the small photograph that he kept in his wallet.

On the surface, Ciel is just any usual school girl. Born into a rather unremarkable family, she would've probably grown up just as normal as you could get. If it all wasn't for Terris. If it all wasn't because of him..

They had been childhood friends, as far as she could remember. Ciel's parents were always busy with work, aiming for that so-called higher class of living that wasn't only a dream now that Syris was boosting the economies of the world. Terris' father, on the other hand..he was abusive and an alcoholic. Rude and surly at the best of times, he wasn't exactly the best father. Between uncaring parents and one that hit you all the time, Ciel much preferred her own. She still came home to four empty walls, but at least no one hit her. Still, she wasn't lonely. Terris frequented her home, cheering her up with little presents all the time. It let him stay away from his father, but when night eventually came and he had to go back home, there was always this rather haunted look in his eyes that Ciel never forgot.
Another thing she could still remember about Terris...it was his hair. It was a flaming red, standing out everywhere. They used to joke about his head being on fire..when he was alive, that is. He had once revealed to Ciel that his father had been one of the politicians that had opposed Syris back in the day, shedding some insight into why his father was currently like this, an abusive alcholic of a parent. Yet as Terris shared more about himself, she found out that Terris' father seemed to be very pro-Aduros, the rebel group that was still operating during those days.

This continued on for several months, their lifestyle mostly never changing until that one day. Terris' father had apparently caused a huge ruckus in a bar while drunk over Syris and Aduros and now..the civilian police were paying him a little visit. Somehow, the drunk had managed to get his hands on some old but workable pre-war firearm and had fired indiscriminately upon the civilian police, wounding one and killing another in the process. SGDF soon arrived at the scene, but Terris had been at his own home at the time and had been taken hostage by his own father. She watched the SGDF storm the building and shoot, cutting right through the boy to hit the man behind him. Terris didn't die immediately as his father had, having time enough to catch Ciel's eyes and mouth a last farewell to her.
Ciel doesn't remember much of what had happened next, but she woke up in hospital about a month later. Apparently upon witnessing Terris' death, she had gone berserk and charged a SGDF soldier, attacking him with whatever she got her hands on. She had been knocked out by the soldier, hit upon the head with his gun butt. The month-long coma that followed also had another effect. Amnesia. Ciel struggled with amnesia right after her awakening. She only remembered Terris, his death. That flaming red hair, matching his blood that flowed from the many bullet holes riddled upon his body.

Years later, it would seem that Ciel has gotten past this particular tragedy. Her parents were still busy, but they now lived in a better house than before. She seemed just like any normal girl preparing to go into college at eighteen. And her hair...it was dyed a flaming red..

At an early age, Andrew developed a hate for Syris. His father and mother had both severed for Canada against Syris, and died two days before Canada surrendered. Angered by his loss, Andrew was mortified to learn that the men who had killed his family would be sticking around, watching over his shoulder, and doing the same to millions of other around the globe. At the age of 17 Andrew received his father's will: all that was left to him was a pistol, and a note saying "Give 'em hell". Andrew knew what he needed to do.

Finding himself an old but working hunting rifle, Andrew spent the next year training himself in secret. He spent all day inside, shooting at targets, taking apart, cleaning, and putting his rifle back together. During the night time, Andrew was talking his way into night clubs (being underage), getting into fistfights and being a general hoodlum. He enjoyed the life of secrecy, hiding during the day, coming out at night to play his little high risk games, but he was missing something. Andrew had been just waiting for some plan or moment to strike. Andrew needed direction, he need purpose.

One night, while practicing some lock picking skills he had acquired, Andrew had accidentally stumbled into a Vespa safe house. After much explaining, smooth talking, a requesting that the guns be put away, Andrew listened to the Vespa members there, and their purpose. Agreeing to help them, Andrew went home with more than he had hoped for when he left: direction, a sense of pride, and the knowledge that he wasn't alone.

Leo was born during the major expansion in 2024, when Syris just seized control of most of the powerful nations. Leo's father was a soldier in the SGDF and his mother was a military doctor both preparing for the war to come. When the war started, Leo's father left home to join the fight while Leo and his mother stayed in the UK. Leo's father did not survive and least to say it had a major impact on Leo and his mother. This event however, made young Leo want to join the military as his father did.

At the age of 18, the year being 2042, he joined SGDF and joined the fight to wipe out the insurgent groups after the war. Starting off as a plain marine, he worked his way up the ranks to Sergeant. He lead a small squad of men during a major battle against the Aduros in February, 2045. Although their mission was a success his entire squad got wiped out and himself gravely injured. Both of his arms and many other parts of his body were damaged, some parts missing. The nearest military hospital took him and fixed him up with synthetic and cybernetic body parts (most of which were cybernetic).

After a full year of rehabilitation, and after Aduros was wiped out he went back to the military. SGDF, seeing how impressed they were buy Leo's military accomplishments up to this point asked him to join the SGDF Special Task Force. Leo accepted and had to go through 6 mouths of intense training to get in.

SGDF Special Task Force taught Leo many new things to use on the battlefield and SGDF-STF allowed Leo to use equipment only certain personnel were to use (more lethal then the average SGDF weaponry). Receiving the toughest military training known, his ability and skills are above the average solider on the field.

SGDF-STF are tasked with the more "suicidal" and spec ops missions most soldiers can't perform. They are also tasked with the secret executions of insurgents. Usually these executions are more like "assassinations," taking out the target from a distance or up close if needed.

Leo has been nicknamed "Reaper" for he has performed more Vespa sniper kills then anybody else in the SGDF-STF. When SGDF need somebody taken out, they go to Reaper.

Kendrick looks and acts like your average citizen and has his entire life. The only thing one might consider odd about him is his love for technology, but one could merely place that as the fuel to the fire that caused him to get into his profession as a technologic specialist. Networking? He does it. Hardware issues? He can fix it. Software bugged? He can troubleshoot it. If it has to do with technology, he’s studied it for at least a year or four. All this while being blessed with outstanding looks, allowing him to network among the female owners of major technologic companies or the wives of the same companies, almost guaranteeing him a job anywhere he wants and at least 6 millionaires to fund a company if it so irked him to do so.

But he doesn’t. He stays under the radar so that on the off chance that Vespa looks his way, they won’t hesitate to pick him up. He doesn’t have some revenge story on how Syris killed his parents or his adopted sister; his parents are both alive and doing well for themselves, proud of their son, the self-made technology guru and his sister actually works for SGDF. They haven’t slighted him in some way either; he’s actually quite happy under Syris’s rule and wouldn’t change much about it. The reason why he wants to join Vespa is simple actually: He wants to get his hands on Syris weapons technology and take it apart without getting into trouble for doing so. There’s no scheme for selling the technology to the highest bidder if he succeeds or lording it over Syris’s head. No, he just wants to study it, to learn from it, to glance every possible innovation from it and improve on it in his own style. Even if that means teaming up with people he pretty much considers terrorists to do so.

Melody is a child of justice. Up until age 14 she was drilled in combat by her parents, made to love the idea of going into combat to protect everyone she could. She was given theoretical knowledge in weapons of all kind, only missing out on the real thing because her parents respected the law and could never bring themselves to own a weapon not based in self defense. If only all people did so. They were killed by an Anti-Syris gun nut on a rampage, not even on purpose, just caught in the crossfire of an automatic weapon while he shot at a SGDF unit sent to take his weapons from him. She didn’t begrudge the man, though she did take a small pleasure in seeing the SGDF gun him down, as her parents taught her that evil people are people to be pitied, people she needn’t feel bad about putting out of their misery if need be. Grudge or not, her parent’s death left young Melody alone since her parents had isolated themselves from the rest of the family for their strong Pro-Syris beliefs.

She wasn’t alone for long before she found herself adopted by the Mendoza family, a family almost opposite of her own. Where her parents espoused peace through violence, they taught peace through diplomacy. Where they taught her weaponry, the Mendozas taught her civility. Their son even taught her a little of his encyclopedic knowledge on technology. For the 8 years she was in their care, she learned more about life than upholding justice, actually gaining a reason to do so through them. So when she joined the SGDF, she did so not with her biological parents in mind, but her adoptive family, her desire to see them safe even if it took her own life to do so.