Shadow Wars: The Story So Far.

(The following is a recap of the story missions the Battlefield division have been playing. It is to be considered the definitive version of the narrative and may contain minor retcons. So dont write me, I know)

 

 

A form of battle stress, that has given rise to the persistent myths of zombies, has been known about since ancient times. However, it was WW2 before any serious attempts were made to study it. Such attempts proved difficult and costly in terms of both lives and equipment, and were soon abandoned. The research was halted, and the preliminary data stowed away and designated a state secret.

 

In the early 21st century, a South American cartel somehow stumbled across this research. With the advances that had been made in the interim, they worked out how to duplicate the effect, giving them an army of highly aggressive (and disposable) soldiers. The new technique had a drawback, in that the subjects exposed to the treatment became full zombies but were far less durable. 

 

Further research revealed that, theoretically, certain genetic sequences would not be weakened by the treatment thus creating far stronger zombie troops. A search, worldwide, was made for the rare sequence. The first one found belonged to an Arms dealer named Crawford. Soon, the cartel found three more such sequences. Combined with advanced cloning techniques, it was not long before the cartel had built a significant military force on the basis of these gene lines.

 

This was not the worst of the situation. By now, the activities of the cartel had become a serious concern to the world's security agencies. The UN authorized a task force who soon gathered some startling intelligence. Not only did the cartel have the technology to, essentially, clone super soldiers, they were also exploring the possibility of weaponizing the zombie treatment. 

 

Research had discovered that the zombie virus was not a virus, or a bacteria. Rather it was a prion disease, hard to acquire but almost impossible to cure, or even treat. The cartel was planning to use a weaponized version of the prion to blackmail the governments of the world. A version that was not difficult to acquire, but all too easy.

 

Clearly, such a situation could not be tolerated. Once intelligence suggested that the cartel scientists were moving the final version of the prion, a task force was struck to intercept them at Arica Harbor.  Despite their best efforts, the cartel scientists reached a boat and headed out to sea to rendezvous with a cartel freighter. Once they reached the freighter, a nuclear armed cruise missile struck the vessels, vaporizing everything in a half mile radius.

 

An approach that would have worked if the problem was viral, but prions aren't alive and are very hard to destroy.

 

Three months later, a new version of the prion began to be seen in hospitals around the world. It soon became apparent that the condition had a very long incubation period, that allowed a very large number of infections. Four months later, it was estimated that no human on the planet had not been exposed to the prion.

 

It had a 70% mortality rate, but it was cruel, not quick deaths but slow lingering drifts into oblivion. Those who survived found themselves suffering a long term side effect, an almost total lack of energy. Society, slowly, ground to a halt. Institutions simply stopped working. The world really did end, not with a bang, but with a long drawn out sigh. 

 

A weekly injection of a complex blend of vitamins and stimulants could keep a person, more or less, productive. However, the supplies of the ingredients for the shot became scarce as supply lines fractured.

 

Predictably, the cartel found an opportunity. Their own clone soldiers were immune to the prions weakening effects, and swiftly became the sole effective military force on the planet. Once again, what was left of the UN sought to counter the cartel. Again a world wide search was launched for gene lines that could resist the prion. Four were eventually found and, in secret, an opposing clone army was built to counter the cartel.

 

By 2042, preparations were complete. A UN task force has been sent to Noshahr Canals to established a bridgehead, in a campaign to wrest control of the planet from the cartel. Further spice has been added to the operation as intelligence reveals that a ninth gene line has been discovered and is being held at the canals.

 

 

 

This sunday, for the first time, the Battlefield division will embark on a narrative driven competitive season. Our very own (forgive me) clone wars. Come along for a unique team based competition, using a wide variety of modes, some entirely novel. 

 

The Shadow Wars have begun.