Name:
New Horizons Coalition or NHC



Headquarters: The NHC maintains a military installation and monitoring station in Svalbard, Norway which serves as its Global HQ.

Ownership:

Empowered and entrusted by many of the world’s major national governments and private entities, the NHC is a group dedicated to the defense and preservation of humanity in the wake of The Visitation along with the study, containment, or elimination of the world’s anomalous zones (AZs) and the artifacts that can be found within.

History:

The NHC as an organization was founded directly following the Visitation and the tumultuous events that transpired after it. In its wake, many governments throughout the world felt helpless and completely unprepared as they grappled with a stark wake up call: our undeniably insignificant place in the universe, and humanity’s utter lack of knowledge regarding the horrors caused by the introduction of New-Langium Compounds. Fear gave way to resolve and in a joint accord governments and private entities across the globe funded the creation of the New Horizons Coalition which was to be a collection of scientists, researchers, engineers, and military assets from around the world dedicated to one goal: fighting back.

Since its formation, the NHC has expanded rapidly, with an initial explosion of funding and resources, which resulted in the creation of numerous black sites and exclusion zones across the globe under international jurisdiction. While the NHC is ostensibly a clandestine organization whose existence is kept from the general public, its continued operations are the subject of much debate and speculation amongst conspiratorial circles, most of whom are convinced it is the start of a New World Order and other nefarious ends.

Pressing Issues:

The NHC operates beyond political and national jurisdiction, and its purpose is to foster cooperation and utilize an unbiased scientific approach to the problems and opportunities brought about by The Visitation.

However, inevitably this same desire for unity and international cooperation inevitably has led to infighting and debate, as various groups and political affiliations vie for dominance of the Coalition and control of its direction. This includes the handling of exclusion zones and the artifacts recovered within. All while trying to continue to pursue its goal of eventually getting humanity to the point where it might stand even the slightest chance against whatever lies beyond the boundaries of our known universe.

While the Coalition continues to face growing internal problems, many within the NHC including its highest echelons are beginning to plan for an inevitable shift: as their loyalties now lie more with the Coalition and its goals than in the nations they previously called home.

Budget:

Name: Federative Republic of Brazil/República Federativa do Brasil
Flag:

Government: Although technically a semi-democratic federative republic, Brazil is effectively ruled by Apolônia, and minimal dissent exists due to the personality cult surrounding her. It is, however, still a bicameral legislature in which members of the lower house are elected proportionally, while the upper house, the Senate, rarely sees any senators elected that are not approved by the de-facto dictator. Much like the USSR's Supreme Soviet, the Starlight Movement has extremely wide-ranging power that allows it to legally prevent the rise of political opponents to Brazil's President.

Territory: Historical Brazilian Borders

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History:

• Pre-Visitation: Prior to the visitation, Brazil's history was mostly mundane. Like any other nation seeking to industrialize, it too exploited Langium, seeing the wonder-substance as the means through which the aspiring global power could achieve its goals. These efforts, however, remained relatively until the Vargas coup - at which point the dictator began the exploitation of Brazil's available Langium resources en-masse, taking advantage of its wondrous properties to catapult his country into the modern age. Such aspirations, however, continued to remain horribly distance, and in late 1956, Vargas shot himself in the head, having lost control of his most powerful political allies after an assassination attempt on one of the most prominent opponents of Vargas's regime, Carlos Lacerda.
  
  Juscelino Kubitschek quickly took power, his presidency marked by even greater exploitation of Langium resources, general industrialization, the founding of Brasilia, and the emergence of a nonreligious cult, led by a young woman by the name of Apolônia Conceicao, a philosopher who was able to take advantage of the tumult surrounding Vargas's death to draw followers, despite her being disadvantaged in Brazil as a woman. Of course, considering Brazil's extensively patriarchal, Catholic society, the cult's growth was relatively slow and was often the target of violence, in no small part due to Conceicao's insistence that aliens were in fact real, and had brought Langium to Earth long ago. In many ways, it was simply any other new-age UFO cult, but Conceicao differed in that she prescribed no religious dogma, instead focusing on preparation for the inevitably soon-to-come alien visitors and the trials they would bring.
• The Visitation: In 1961, to the surprise of nearly everyone, The Starlight Movement (O Movimento da Luz das Estrelas) was abruptly proven right - apparently, at least. Not only did their leader seem to have been a prophet, but religions across the world were thrown into Chaos by the existence of alien life, and Brazilian varieties of Catholicism were no exception. A country that for the most part was culturally shaped by its faith suddenly found itself with far less, and in the Chaos, many turned to the apparent prophet and her message of cooperation toward a bright, new future. People across the world flocked to Conceicao even as she appeared to vanish, vanishing into the now-anomalous parts of the Amazon Rainforest.
  
  Fortunately for her followers - and unfortunately for the duelling military and civil government factions in the ailing government, Conceicao returned to the public eye little more than a week later, though she had been greatly changed, her body only narrowly recognizable as that of a human. Much like her country, she was scarred, forever changed - but, she claimed, she was far stronger too. For many, she was the only source of direction in a world that had simply stopped making sense, pervasive religious ideals completely upended along with the environmental order of South America. Anomalous zones along the Amazon River and near the Guarani aquifer system meant that vast swathes if Brazil's population were exposed to NLCs, and Conceicao's hometown, Manaus, was one of the worst affected.
  
  Kubitschek, struggling to deal with the crisis, was quickly removed in a military coup, and as increasing numbers of people began to turn to their apparent prophetess for direction, she was named President in an unexpected landslide victory, narrowly averting civil war in the increasingly disunited, directionless populace mere months after the Visitation.
  
  The solution, Conceicao argued, was obvious. NLCs and anomalous zones were a fact of life, and it was time for Brazil to take full advantage of them. NLCs could have devastating effects on the human body, but they could make a man something far greater, too, and so the Brazilian government began to pour massive amounts of funding into funding research on the impacts of the visitation and on supporting a populace that struggled to recover from the devastation.
  
  Thanks to the aid of organizations like the NHC, vast new Langium resources, and large amounts of research funding, Brazil was able to recover from the impacts of the Visitation and eventually begin to thrive. A rapidly expanded healthcare system, likewise, drastically improved quality of life, serving to help draw large numbers of immigrants to a country that had adapted to the visitation with relative ease and found itself in increasing need of workers to fuel its growth. Perhaps most important, though, was the philosophy Conceicao was drilling into Brazilian society - one of cooperation and togetherness and of bringing mankind into a new, better age. Eventually, mutation by NLC stopped being something to be avoided and gradually became a fad, whether by devout imitators seeking to follow in Conceicao's footsteps or people who simply saw the mildly directed NLC-derived mutagens available in Brazil as too tempting to ignore.
• Recent History:Brazil was not the only country that experienced trouble in South America, however, and few saw the rise of charismatic demagogues in the same manner as Brazil, leaving them unstable. Some governments had simply collapsed into civil war, while others struggled to maintain control, but, one after the other, they collapsed, often with the unwanted aid of the CIA. Numerous attempts were made on President Conceicao's life, including attempted coups, though all either failed to gain traction, were foiled by the fanaticism that pervaded the country, or, reportedly, by Conceicao herself.
  
  Emboldened by failed American attempts to depose their leadership, Brazil made increasing overtures to act as an inlet for the Soviet Union in South America, simultaneously offering industrial aid to countries in Africa and Europe in an effort to avoid total American dominance over potential trading partners and stay at the forefront of technological development. In particular, Brazil maintained close relations with a number of coastal West African states, including Nigeria, in which it became heavily involved in economic aid. The 1980s also saw the beginning of a full-fledged Brazilian space program, leading to the development of a sort of cultural cosmism that further increased government R&D funding and the country's obsession with its alien visitors. In 1991, the cultural atmosphere of the country is much the same - pervasive popular support of President Conceicao, nearly uncontrolled technological development, and an eye always gazing toward the future.

Pressing Issues: Out of all the issues it faces, perhaps the most prominent is relative political isolation. While an active participant in the international community, Brazil as it stands lacks any genuinely close military allies aside perhaps Nigeria, though this is little consolation considering that it is nearly surrounded on all sides by relatively hostile governments under the control of the United States. While this does leave Brazil able to exploit its position as a thorn in the US's side for political leverage with countries like the USSR, it still lies on a political fringe that leaves it without genuinely friendly relations with any major power blocs. Additionally, the demands of a rapidly growing populace, few trade partners, and the industry of a burgeoning world power leave it with little available liquid reserves and fewer creditos, meaning there is little available flexibility within the Brazilian budget. Additionally, as it has been ruled by its current President for decades, its direction can often be single minded, lacking diverse outside perspectives.

Budget:

Name:
Hypothetical Physics Logistics Corporation (H.P.L. Corp)
Flag:


Government:
Geniocratic Technocracy (Geniocracy- Rule by the intelligent) (Technocracy- Rule by the educated or technical experts; a system of governance where people who are skilled or proficient govern in their respective areas of expertise in technology would be in control of all decision making)

Territory:
Based in (and functionally owns) Singapore. Facilities found globally.

History:
Originally nothing more than a small, self-made tech company based in Singapore, the discovery of Langium allowed the creator, Harley Kraft, become the largest technology juggernaut in the world. Decades later, Kraft Technologies was rebranded Hypothetical Physics Logistics Corporation. Lead by a panel of experts, H.P.L. Corp is no longer concerned with wealth or competition, choosing to focus entirely on discovery for the sake of discovery.

Pre-Visitation: Before The Visitation, H.P.L. Corp's (or as they were known then, Kraft Technologies) only concern was to corner the technological market and propel it's creator into fame and fortune.
The Visitation: The discovery of Langium allowed Harley Kraft to create a new kind of computer, one much smaller and far more powerful than the wall to wall models of the time. These computers allowed for all manner of new discovery on top of what Langium itself promised. The massive success of Kraft Tech's Tabletop Computers allowed them to expand rapidly, using their newfound wealth and influence to create laws that protected their monopoly over science itself.
Recent History: Hypothetical Physics Logistics Corporation has only grown. While their abuse of law allows them to still be considered a corporation, they are functionally their own nation. Singapore's government officials are little more than share holders with targets painted on them, taking the brunt of any complaint leveled against H.P.L. Corp. Regardless of field, almost every discovery made since has been attributed to H.P.L. Corp, and when they aren't, the original discoverer almost always seems to find a job with them... or quietly disappear. With a firm grip on the planet (or so they believe), the time has come to turn their inquiries starward.

Pressing Issues:
While H.P.L. Corp loves to tote itself as the only trustworthy source of scientific discovery, the unstable and unpredictable nature of Langium makes potential outside discoveries a constant threat, as the only thing more dangerous than competition is the shattering of their grand illusion. After all, if anyone could become a scientist, why would they need a corporation? On top of that, their research and development is nowhere near as iron clad as they'd like you to think. Creating controlled testing environments is practically impossible with Langium, meaning that their experiments fail more often than not, and their products, despite being the best, are often times almost as unstable as the Langium powering them. Worst of all, morality plays no part in their manner of research, effectively turning all their "employees" (citizens) into part-time test subjects.

Budget:

Name: The French Republic (La République française)

Government: The French government is referred to as the “Fifth Republic” and was established in 1958. France splits political authority between the President who is head of state and the Prime Minister who is head of government. The President is charged with national-level decision making while the Prime Minister runs the operations of government and its ministries.

A bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the Senate pass legislative agendas. There are over a dozen political parties in France, with as few as one Parliamentary seat or as many as several hundred. They often fall into coalitions depending on election results, with the typical configuration being split between the “Presidential Centre”, “Parliamentary Right”, and “Parliamentary Left.” As of 1991, the Presidential Centre maintains a majority of 55% of seats.

Territory: France maintains official control over its European and overseas territories, the largest of which are French Guyana and French Polynesia. Algeria and Djibouti still remain officially under the control of French colonial government, and Adélie Land in Antarctica is administered as part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Unofficial or semi-official control exists in former French colonies that were granted independence in 1960, such as Mali and the Congo, although these regions are no longer represented as part of the proper French government.



History: France has a long history dating back to the barbarian tribes of Europe known to the Romans as Gaul.

Pre-Visitation: Wartime damage to France was severe, as the end of the war led to the dismantling of Vichy France and its Nazi-run institutions. The French Resistance quickly reconstituted itself into a functional government known as the Fourth Republic, aided by immense American support in the form of the Marshall Plan. Despite this, French troubles quickly turned internal during the 1950s. Decolonization became the conflict of the decade as brutal wars in Algeria and Vietnam sent yet another generation of French troops into battle. Slowly but surely, the French lost their grips on colonial possessions in Asia and Africa. The Suez Crisis ended France’s involvement in the Middle East. A coup attempt in Algiers in 1958 shook the Fourth Republic to pieces, but Charles de Gaulle regained power and enacted reforms that established the Fifth Republic.

The Visitation: Already wracked by internal struggle, the world seemed to come to an end in the fateful year of 1961. Alien life visited Earth, however shortly, and changed everything. Stunned citizens across the world watched the strange beings come and stay for a short while, then leave as quickly as they arrived. Scientists tried and failed to contact them. Yet while their visit shook institutions like the Catholic Church, the aliens would leave far more worldly and permanent marks on the world. Materials left behind, perhaps spare parts or trash from the visitors, tumbled down to Earth. Mainland France was spared the damage and chaos that much of the world experienced, but this was not the same for its African colonies. Anomalous zones and New-Langium Compounds began developing across the deserts of Algeria and other regions, forming strange and terrifying phenomenon. The world did not end, but France’s internal struggles did: its troubles with decolonization were suddenly overshadowed by the visitors’ leftovers.

Recent History: France remained alone on the European continent after the visitation, but the paradigm was shifting in their favor. As the value of NLCs became known the world at large, the old guard of French politicians recognized their opportunity for advancement. Plans to grant Algeria’s independence were thrown to the wayside as French military forces seized and secured anomalous zones. Weak governments in Mali and Congo were powerless to stop French “treaties” demanding military and scientific bases in their land. The French Foreign Legion’s latest campaign was to spearhead the probe into anomalous zones to discover their secrets. Many of these men experienced firsthand the horror of the zones, but the survivors would go on to develop the advanced technology and tactics that are now common for zone operations. French scientists spent years studying and developing NLCs into useful technologies, the windfall of which was almost reminiscent of the original Langium discoveries.

A severe break with the old world came in the 1980s, as the United States began to encroach upon its neighbors in a desperate struggle for survival. Canada became a victim of American imperialism, forcing the French into a shadow war in Quebec. Refugees were airlifted out of Montreal by French Air Force planes as forces from an American-backed coup in Ottawa descended upon the loyalists fighting there. This was the final straw for the French, who recognized that the United States was no longer an ally. NATO itself split into two blocs, and a vote of the European nations charged France with its leadership. Reluctantly forced into the world stage, France now had to come to terms with its new role in the world. In 1984, in a gesture designed to symbolically break with the United States, France directed NATO to speak in the previously secondary language of French for all further operations and utilize its Francophone acronym “OTAN.”

French influence is now undeniable as the country once again takes up its mantle in the world. For the first time since its colonial ambitions in the 18th century, the French would be a major player on the world stage. Langium and NLC-based technology fueled a boom in French and European economies, with robotics, computing, and space travel now active projects in French industrial and scientific communities. It has taken a seat at the UN Security Council and operates in the air, space, and sea with advanced technologies across the world. With the tireless work of its government institutions, France seems poised to lead the march to discover more about the aliens, visitation, and Langium itself.

Pressing Issues: From its position of strength, France is primed to research the anomalous zones and NLCs across the world. However, bad actors seek to utilize NLCs for their own goals. Terrorist groups from colonial possessions overseas, criminal syndicates, and even cultists seek to smuggle and proliferate NLC artifacts on a daily basis. Additionally, France’s status as a global power brings it into routine conflict with the US and Soviet Union both overtly and covertly. Only time will tell if the French can effectively manage their newfound responsibilities in a changed world.

Budget: Officially released French budgetary statistics as of Fiscal Year 1990.

Name: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord)

Government: OTAN is an intergovernmental military alliance consisting of European member states. OTAN is governed by the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which lays out multiple standards of military interoperability, cooperation, conflict resolution, and mutual aid. Key to the alliance is the NAT's clause of mutual defense, known as Article 5. OTAN leadership is represented by the the Conseil de l'Atlantique Nord at a political level, headed by the civilian Secrétaire Général de l'OTAN. OTAN forces are commanded on a military strategic level by the Comité Militaire de l'OTAN which is lead by the Président du CMO, the premier military advisor to the Secrétaire Général. OTAN forces are then commanded and controlled by a variety of lower level headquarters and task forces.

Territory: OTAN consists of the following member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, West Germany, and the United Kingdom. The QPG in Quebec is a military government administered by OTAN, with plans to integrate the country of Quebec upon stabilization of nation-building there. Its headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium.

History: NATO began in 1949 after the Second World War as a collective defense agreement between the countries of Western Europe now facing a Soviet threat from the east.

Pre-Visitation: NATO was formally established on April 4th, 1949 as a collection of twelve countries signing the North Atlantic Treaty guaranteeing formal defense against a potential Soviet invasion. The expansion of NATO's command took place during and directly following the Korean War once it became obvious that Communist nations actively sought to fight against the West. This was formalized with the adoption of the Warsaw Pact in Eastern Europe in 1955. NATO did not engage in any major combat operations, instead training and preparing for a Third World War with the Soviets. Several other countries such as Greece, Turkey, and West Germany joined the alliance during the 1950s.

By 1958, however, France sought to undermine the alliance by its full withdrawal and began the process of leaving the alliance. Charles de Gaulle, seeking to reestablish the French state's power after years of troubles brought on by decolonization, declared that they were to support themselves as a third party. Plans were made for all non-French NATO soldiers and materiel to leave the country, causing NATO headquarters and offices to relocate to Belgium. The process for withdrawal from NATO was never completed, however, with the events of 1961.

The Visitation: Along with most military forces, NATO was scrambled to full readiness when it became apparent that extraterrestrial life had suddenly arrived on Earth. Combat air patrols were scrambled and NATO forces received orders from the command to begin loading nuclear weapons in anticipation of an invasion. NATO's first war was not going to be with the Soviets, but with alien invaders. For the first and only time, NATO and Warsaw Pact planes flew joint missions in an attempt to interdict the alien ships, but none were successful. Russian and Western forces shared targeting data as nuclear weapons were targeted against the visitors. But as quickly as they arrived, the aliens left before NATO could escalate. Their leftovers, NLC artifacts, became the next issue as NATO reeled from the encounter with the rest of the world.

Recent History: NATO became an afterthought for the countries of Western Europe as The Visitation's upheavals replaced global war with a series of national free-for-alls. NATO was never officially dissolved, but NATO command was relegated to a skeleton crew with no real importance. Multinational drills and exercises, once a staple of NATO operations, ceased almost entirely to exist. Standardization of equipment slowed to a standstill as countries saw themselves in their own fights with Langium and NLC collection. Operations in contaminated "red zones" were undertaken by the national military forces of NATO member states alone, rather than alongside coalitions.

The United States, hit particularly hard with the brunt of NLC contamination, had become a massive thorn in the side of other NATO states during the 1970s. Its government turned more authoritarian and isolationist, creating feuds with its former allies as the situation there continued to deteriorate. In 1981, the unthinkable happened, as the US invaded its Canadian neighbor in the pursuit of more resources. NATO was a shell of its former self, unable to prevent infighting between two countries who were part of the same alliance. The decision was made unilaterally by France to send military equipment to oppose American forces in Canada, airlifting Quebecois citizens out of the country as NATO floundered in providing a solution. While large-scale war never broke out, combat was reported between NATO member countries in the Canadian theater during this operation.

The consequences of the Canadian conflict were severe. NATO cut out the United States and its new proxy Canada from their command structures. A vote was held without the United States to censure them and remove them from the alliance, which passed in 1983. Rudderless without the United States' massive military contributions, NATO struggled to keep above water again until Europe convened to vote on a leader. France, in a unique position of strength, was voted to lead the alliance. In an ironic turn, France switched from leaving the alliance to assuming command of Western Europe's military forces. The switch was completed in 1984, with NATO finally changing its name in official documentation to its Francophone translation: OTAN. Curiously, a joint command in the United States and Canada still refers to themselves as "NATO" despite not being considered the legitimate heir to the alliance.

In light of the conflict in Canada, OTAN was once again taken seriously by the French and other member states. A process of reintegration and reorganization was undertaken, with the French government providing the new bulk of funding and military forces for the alliance. While much of this could be seen as the French utilizing OTAN as a tool for their own foreign policy goals, the alliance was strengthened immensely over the latter half of the 1980s. French soldiers began training and working with other Western Europeans, with a different focus. OTAN's old backer, the United States, became its new primary adversary.

Pressing Issues: OTAN's first true combat mission is in defense of the Quebec Provisional Government following the collapse of the Canadian government. Weakened by the events of The Visitation, OTAN is operating in a highly complex, cutthroat world with little experience in large-scale deployments. The question of global war supercharged by NLC-based weaponry is once again on the command's mind as it prepares to return to Canadian soil for another round of conflict.

Name: Quebec Provisional Government (Gouvernement Provisoire du Québec)

Government: With the deteriorating security situation in Canada and the deployment of OTAN forces to maintain control, the QPG has not been formally established in any capacity. It does, however, maintain a charter of governance for when the nation is stabilized. Quebec is planned to be governed by a parliamentary system similar to its provincial government (albeit with national decision-making power) before the collapse of Canadian sovereignty in the 1980s.

Leaders in the movement, exiled to France or other Francophone states, vary in political leanings. Time will tell if these individuals, local parties, and exiled government elements will form factions within the sovereignty movement or if they will coalesce into formal Quebecois political parties. The integration of militias and armed resistance fighters into QPG political and military organizations will require significant reintegration and moderation to return to civil society upon the establishment of a Quebecois state.

Territory: Quebec claims its former provincial territory in Canada, which represents the limit of advance for French and OTAN peacekeeping forces.

Government & Politics

> Executive Branch & Cabinet

- Antoine Renault: Minister of Economy and Finance, or Bercy. Blind and old, he still shows cunning skills to manage the complicated macroeconomics of France.
- François-Jean de Mer: President of France.
- Frank Chirac: Minister of Ecology. His struggle to balance environmental concerns with NLC contamination reaches the tipping point during the SS Faure disaster.
- Jacques Perrier: Minister of the Overseas, the French ministry for overseas territories. Politically ambitious, he seeks a stake in the production and transport of Langium materials.
- Laurent Fortin: Minister of Defense. Secretly directing the application of NLCs to military research and development and a big proponent of French military dominance.
- Richard de Normandie: Prime Minister of France. A hard worker loyal to President de Mer and his political party, keeping the ministers in line and in lockstep to run the government.
- Roxana Masson: Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation. She, along with Doctor Delacroix, manage a new era of NLC research.
- Simone Mooradian: Minister of Foreign Affairs. Instrumental to organizing worldwide cooperation via the UN with Brazil.

Industry and Economy

> Chantiers de l’Atlantique

- Paul Bernard: Chief engineer for the design of the SS Camille Alphonse Faure. An industry veteran and a strict manager.
- Pierre Laurent: Langium engineer on the SS Faure project. An old petrochemical engineer who retrained himself to get into the business of Langium-based energy.
- Mohammad Zardani: Lebanese-born electrical engineer on the SS Faure project. Young and inexperienced, he becomes central to an investigation after the catastrophic accident onboard.

Military

> Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris (Paris Fire Brigade)

- Alex Lejeune: Officer of the BSPP emergency response unit, a first responder to the SS Faure disaster.

> 2e REI, Légion Étrangère (2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment)

- Charles Zalewski: ZR-23 patrol drone operator. Hailing from Eastern Europe, he escaped to the West as a teenager and, being unable to hold down a job, joined the Legion.
- Jacques Dumont: ZR-23 patrol master driver. A former Quebecois resistance fighter who fled after the Canadians capitulated to an American invasion.
- Patrick von Möller: ZR-23 patrol systems operator. Not much is known about his childhood, besides mentions of trouble with West Berlin street gangs.
- Gerard Lemas: ZR-23 patrol NCOIC. Natively French, he is a stern no-nonsense adjutant and a veteran of many deployments to the Zone.

> 3e REI, Légion Étrangère (3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment)

- Leon d'Avout: ZR-10 patrol NCOIC. Another French NCO, accustomed to the violent and brutal realities of the mutated South American jungle.

> Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

- Arthur Kohl: West German attaché to the OTAN Canada operations staff.
-Clara Fillion: Staff officer in OTAN headquarters. Operations officer heavily involved with the OTAN task force deployment to Canada.
- Guy Depree: Senior OTAN staff OIC for Canada.

Science & Academia

> CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

- Arthur Delacroix: Head of Langium research. The utmost subject matter expert of French Langium research, with an important chair position in CERN and an advisory role to the top levels of French government.
- Émile Verne: Chief of Langium space science applications. An up-and-coming veteran of the French space program, focused on the application of Langium physics for power generation and propulsion.

Consumer Electronics

> PDAs: PDAs and palm-pilots remain popular sources of personal data management. Able to interface with computers both at home and work, PDAs are common amongst the general population. This explosion in popularity has led to advancements in internet-based personal communication including electronic mail and SMS messaging. PDA technology featuring navigation aides and maintenance assistance are even featured in personal automobiles.

> Robotic Pets: Robotic pets have become popular amongst French urbanites as technology allows for increasingly lifelike behavior. They began as replacements for service dogs, with robotic animals able to provide more robust aid to the blind or sick. Over time, they have been adopted as mess-free and talkative alternatives to traditional pets.

> Smart Homes: A frequent amenity available to French homeowners or renters is the adoption of smart home technology in an "Internet of Things." Smart homes are able to link every facet of life together through a miniature central mainframe per apartment or house. Air conditioning, telephone and internet communication, scheduling, personal data maintenance, and even appliances are able to be linked to a primitive artificial intelligence that automates daily life. Often assigned personas by their owners, these AIs are able to take telephone messages, make coffee, and wake up their homeowners in case of emergency.

Ground Vehicles

> Hovercars: A top secret, experimental program of record within the French Armée de Terre to produce an armored vehicle capable of hovering over mines and explosive hazards on the ground. While NLC compounds can produce lift in specific vehicles, French engineers have been unable to develop sufficiently agile control of antigravity technology. The hovercar project has stalled and is in danger of cancellation, pending outside assistance in its engineering challenges.

> Red Zone Cruisers: Massive, twelve-wheeled armored all-terrain vehicles that function as mobile bases for French forces in permissive Red Zones. Inside, crews of eight are able to live and patrol limited only by the food they can bring with them in a cruiser's storage compartment. They exist in several variants designed to accomplish any mission in NLC-contaminated zones. They are heavily armed and armored against extraterrestrial threats, weather, and disturbances. These vehicles are easily three-to-four times as large as contemporary MRAP-type vehicles like the South African Casspir.

> Red Zone Unmanned Ground Vehicles: Derived from rovers sent to explore extraterrestrial planets such as Mars, the French forces in Red Zones frequently utilize robotic vehicles to exploit and analyze NLC artifacts. Capable of being equipped with any permutation of sensor and manipulator, the UGVs are piloted remotely. There are often one or two in a Red Zone patrol driven out of a cruiser's drone terminal.

Personal Equipment

> CED Suits: Officially designated the Combinaison pour Environnement Dangereux, or Hazardous Environment Suit, the CED suit was developed for Legionnaires operating dismounted in the Red Zones. The design has matured since its initial introduction in the 1970s to become a sleek exoskeleton and survival suit for a variety of tasks. They are mostly seen equipped by military units or civilian rescue personnel operating in contaminated areas, and provide protection against the elements. Armor plating is able to protect personnel against mutant creatures and physical attacks inside a Red Zone.

> FÉLIN System: The FÉLIN program is the formal grouping of all French future soldier technologies. Various technologies involving the integration of data with the infantryman exist in various forms, from heads-up-displays to soldier-worn sensors. The most iconic implementation of the FÉLIN system enables a CED suited soldier to combine data from across the battlefield and utilize his PAPOP rifle to outmatch any foe in range.

> PAPOP Rifle: The PAPOP rifle is a radical new fusion of small arms and direct-fire explosive projection. Inspired by the American OICW program, the PAPOP rifle combines a standard OTAN rifle caliber with a 25mm smart grenade launcher that directly links to FÉLIN infantry computers. This allows the operator to effectively engage targets in the open and behind cover. It is considered the most cutting-edge infantry weapon in the French inventory and is typically only issued to CED suit-equipped elites.

Space Infrastructure

> GALILEO GPS: GALILEO is the OTAN global positioning system. Developed initially for military use, GALILEO powers everything from blue force vehicle tracking to personal FÉLIN soldier sensors. GALILEO has been further developed and refined to provide unclassified but less precise data to consumer markets, which frequently are used in all modes of transportation from the personal to the industrial scale.

> SÉMAPHORE COMSAT: SÉMAPHORE is the codename for the French government's orbital network of satellite communications and satellite internet. While its name is derived from the French invention of the optical telegram, SÉMAPHORE allows for French and OTAN communication in a near-instant fashion across the entire globe.

> Space Stations: France operates space stations of varying size in both military and civilian capacities. While the true number and nature of the stations, nicknamed Les Quais, remains classified, it is estimated that France maintains a number in the teens with sizes varying from small research habitats of less than a dozen crew to a handful of massive stations with upwards of 100 personnel aboard. These represent the pinnacle of French aerospace engineering and are her foothold in space.

Name

Flag

Government

Territory

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History

Post-Visitation Through Now

Pressing Issues

1 ) Extremist Islam activities over in Pakistan have also have garnered even greater hatred of such things, but have also been used by India's current Muslim minority to basically make their differences known and distinct and preached aloud in attempts to help improve and curb their own perceptions locally. This "Indian brand of Islam" has been on a rise, at least, though still remains a small minority among other religions that have found their way into India. Even so, anti-Muslim violence is a shadow of what it was in the climax of the 70s, but is still something that is present and continues to go on the decline within India.

2) Whilst issues such as sanitation and education and gender issues have been improved from before, at least, and are still improving, they still linger even in current times. Meanwhile urbanization and issues like water scarcity have been better improved than this along the path of this India's development, at the very least. Finally the issue of medical health is by far the most minimized in an India where the nation has become top-dog #1 in regards to biomedical technologies and practice. Governmental health programs have at least been able to push this last issue to the 'least' among the ones India has internally thus far, and which are still being worked on over the years.

3) Pakistan still existing. Aside from its conflicts with Pakistan in the past, and current measures of sanctions and such leveled very hard against them outside of conflict by India, the desire of many Indians and their government is to one day basically turn Pakistan into a red paste, root out the extremists and get rid of them, then retake and resettle and modernize the land. Especially after refugee tales of extremist actions, anti-Hindi issues, and other such rumors and tales and stories that have passed over into India since post-Visitation and the 70's.

4) The nation has a grudge against China for attempting to spark revolts or communist influence it in the past, which has led to basically a modern-day 'rough border' situation where the Indian border with China has been reinforced and built up and fortified over the decades with occasional 'scuffles' and constant attempts to intimidate by both sides...but nothing to provoke all-out war or MAD or WW3 or the like at least. No one, in reality, would probably want that to happen.

Budget