Earth

Earth is the birthplace of mankind and current stronghold of the Scourge. As of 2672, the planet is host to the largest and most important conflict of the Reconquest, with forces from all five major factions making an appearance.

## History

### Pre-Scourge

The perfection of nuclear fusion technology in the year 2200 ushered in the Age of Discoveries for mankind, ending one hundred years of war, overpopulation, and unsustainable resource consumption. A mere 66 years later, Earth unified as a single nation, adopting the Earth Administration Authority as its ruling government.

The 2300s saw the development of foldspace technology, allowing for faster-than-light travel and ushering in the Star Age. In 2342, humanity would make first contact with an extraterrestrial race, the Shaltari. These capricious aliens shared their technology with humanity and led them to the planets that would eventually become known as the Cradle Worlds; however, once it was realized that the Shaltari were grooming mankind to become their foot soldiers in battles with other Shaltari tribes, diplomatic relations were broken off. In 2350 the Shaltari fought their first-ever battle against mankind's forces, and would remain a constant threat to human spacefarers for centuries to come.

The 2400s are known as the Golden Age, and saw the rapid expansion of humanity throughout the galaxy. The Cradle Worlds were settled by billions, transforming into beautiful and productive planets to further human interests, and hundreds of smaller worlds were colonised to provide humanity with the raw resources necessary for such development. Earth, long devastated by the wars of its early years, was restored to the rightful core of mankind's domains.

The Golden Age would come to an end in 2506, after the arrival of the mysterious White Sphere. It warned humanity of impending doom in a year's time, precipitating the Abandonist movement and the eventual Battle of Vega, crippling the EAA's fleet.

### Scourge Occupation

On May 3, 2507, thousands of Scourge ships leapt out of foldspace, sweeping aside Earth's battered Guardian Fleet and laying siege to the planet itself. The fighting was over within hours, with only 1% of Earth's population escaping the invaders. Some of those trapped on the surface were able to flee to outlying areas or subterranean safe zones; however, the majority of humans on Earth would be claimed by the Scourge as new hosts.

The next 160 years of Earth's history are poorly known; however, its clear that the Scourge were able to fully exploit their prize, subjugating the population and turning Earth's immense resource engine to their ends. Breeding hives, cloning facilities, and other nightmarish structures were constructed across Earth's surface, while the planet's orbital facilities were turned towards the maintenance of Scourge warships. Within a few years of the start of the Reconquest, the Scourge also began building seed ships on Earth's surface, intending to scout new races to subjugate.

### Reconquest

Due to the vast Scourge defence fleet deployed in the Solar system, Earth was regarded as unassailable by the United Colonies of Mankind's military planners. Despite this, scouting patrols were regularly deployed to the system to monitor Scourge activities for any possible attack of opportunity. The siphoning of Scourge forces from the system in May 2673 led to discussions about opening a new theatre on Earth by the UCM High Council, but no actions were taken until the sabotage of Earth's orbital defence grid by local Resistance forces.

With a hole in Scourge orbital defences opened over North America, serious arguments were made for an invasion of Earth by UCM leadership. The offer of support from both Kalium and the Post-Human Republic would eventually cement the decision to launch an assault, leading to the ongoing Battle for Earth.

## Geography

### North America

Though North America had declined in prominence towards the end of the oil age, the advent of fusion power saw the continent undergo a massive resurgence. Prior to the Scourge invasion, North America's cities were some of the most prosperous and advanced on the planet. Perhaps as a result, the continent became the Scourge's military and industrial heartland - the entire region was regarded as unassailable until Resistance nuclear strikes left a hole in the defence grid over it.

Washington D.C., New Detroit, and New York City are the biggest hotspots of the Battle for Earth on the continent. The latter in particular has the interest of the Triumvirate, due to the presence of the Tartarus - a massive edifice that the Scourge constructed for unknown reasons.

### South America

Though South America once had a higher population than North America, it never recovered from the wars of the 22nd century. Those conflicts resulted in the destruction of Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, though the advent of the fusion age would lead to several of its cities bouncing back.

Rio de Janeiro and Lima are the primary two Triumvirate targets on the continent, with the former possessing major Scourge breeding hives. The latter meanwhile is host to the Caldera - a vast subterranean complex packed with pre-war assets that would be invaluable to the Vega Scrapfleet.

### Europe

By the end of the 22nd century, Europe had become a battered shell of its former self, hit hard as it was by climate change. Despite this, the rich histories of European cities have made them enticing targets for the Triumvirate, which is attempting to reclaim them with minimal loss of infrastructure.

London and Moscow are the most important targets on the continent, with Rome, Paris, and Berlin also being subjected to small-scale operations by Triumvirate forces.

### Asia

Asia's populous cities were thriving centres of progress before the arrival of the Scourge, and the continent as a whole had become the planetary capital of orbital construction. Humanity's first starships were built there - simple ferries that hauled raw materials to the orbital construction sites, forming the basis for the grid that would eventually encompass the planet. As a result, Asia is the most heavily-defended region in terms of grid coverage, making Triumvirate assaults there costly.

Despite this, landings have still proceeded in Tokyo, Beijing, and Hong Kong. Hong Kong in particular is of interest to the Triumvirate, as it is theorized to be the Scourge's planetary administration centre.

### Africa

Even after the colonisation of the Cradle Worlds, Africa remained an important bread basket for Earth, producing billions of tons of crops year-round to support the planet's population. These agricultural systems supported the development of several modern cities, most of which were built almost exclusively from the 23rd century onwards.

The continent as a whole is a secondary objective for the Triumvirate; however, efforts are ongoing to capture the city of New Cairo. The city of Nairobi meanwhile was unfortunately lost after the UCM dreadnought *Firelord* lost its drives and crashed into it from orbit, vaporising everything within a one-mile radius.

### Antarctica

Despite a general rise in global temperatures during the 22nd century, Antarctica remained virtually uninhabitable due to its extreme cold. The advent of fusion power - and more importantly, space exploration - led to interest in the region as a test bed for extraterrestrial human settlements in harsh conditions, eventually resulting in the city of Amundsen being built to facilitate these experiments. Later in history, the city's focus shifted to military, after the south pole's orbital control nexus point was established there.

The city was taken almost completely intact by the Scourge, with no possibility of Resistance forming due to the harsh conditions outside.