Brave New World

It had taken the Invid a week to destroy all organised resistance to their invasion and conquer the Earth. In the immediate aftermath, they needed to solidify their control, an act that found very little resistance. Most of Earth's cities had been devastated in the invasion (with New York City and the subterranean portions of Neo-Tokyo being the largest survivors) and many others had been damaged or evacuated, leaving the population scattered and leaderless. Pinnacle Base, the last redoubt of the UEG, had fallen in the invasion, its occupants dead or captured.

During the invasion, Invid Hives had dotted the globe. Now these became the hubs of their power, from which they would control their new empire. To support it they began building a variety of constructions across the world, ranging from smaller hives to sensor and communication towers to allow them to monitor the globe and react to any attempts to disrupt their activities. Through these structures, they were able to project their power onto their conquered population. At the centre of all this was Reflex Point, a sprawling hive complex that covered much of the region south of the Great Lakes, one so large that it was visible from space.

In many cases, the Invid coerced human populations into obeying their rule, taking offering the choice of following their orders or risk being destroyed. In other cases, there were those that acted proactively, gladly selling out any resistance fighters they had in exchange for power of their own and protection by their overlords. Others, especially in those regions with smaller Invid presences, simply buckled down and did what they could to survive, neither aiding nor hindering the invaders. This became the new law of the Earth, leave the Invid alone and do not interfere and you will be allowed to continue your lives unharmed. Soon the presence of the Invid became the new normal. The sight of Invid Scouts flying overhead was an accepted part of life that was not to be questioned.

The fragmentation of a considerably reduced population left large portions of Earth uninhabited and abandoned, with ghost towns becoming a frequent sight. The new fiefdoms that rose up in the ruins could range in size from a small town to massive stretches of countryside, all dependent on what resources their leaders had and that the Invid were willing to let them keep. For the most part, any surviving Mecha or heavy combat vehicles (aircraft, tanks, attack helicopters and so on) were destroyed outright. However, others were able to raise forces of IFVs, light vehicles and so on. Even the most limited would-be warlord had an armed mob at hand to keep their subjects in line. While most of these proto-states stood alone, others would grow through alliances or even conquest, although their rulers were always careful to avoid doing anything to draw the Invid down on them. Possibly the most extreme case was the Ethiopian Freeholds, which launched wars of conquest against other human states in Eastern Africa, while remaining careful not to anger the invaders.

While the Invid were largely indifferent to humanity when they did not resist, it was not always the case. With the Flower of Life now blooming across the world, the Invid sought to harvest the flowers and process them into the Protoculture they needed at an unprecedented level. This duty fell to humans who were pressed into service by a variety of means. In some cases, the Invid would use prisoners, while at other times they would turn to their subject collaborators for aid, who would in turn supply them with those 'undesirables' they sought to get rid of. Finally, the Invid were not above turning on those collaborators and using them as labour if needs be. For those working in the Protoculture farms, life was nothing but dangerous, backbreaking labour with no reward other than the minimal care needed to keep them alive.

Compared to their indifference towards the humans, the Invid were relentless in their drive to exterminate those Zentraedi or Tirolian groups that had been left on the planet. Already driven to the fringes, these groups retreated further and further from human civilization in order to escape the Invid threat. The Invid offered no mercy at all to those that they found, usually killing them on sight, along with any communities that offered them shelter, even unknowingly. While never confirmed, stories of Invid-run extermination camps in the Andes persisted for years.

That was not to say that there was no resistance to the Invid's rule, however. A myriad of groups existed worldwide, ranging from small bands to large, organised forces of Southern Cross survivors. One of the largest was based around the remnants of the Southern Cross' 6th Army, who had come together in the wastelands of Northern Africa and tried to pull together as much as they could in order to build an effective resistance movement. However, they were limited both by the harsh climate they were using as shelter, as well as their geographic isolation. These groups did what they could to strike back against the Invid, but in many cases their resources were limited and the damage they did more an annoyance than any real blow. In more than one case, a resistance group was sold out by Invid sympathisers who they thought they could trust. Others simply became warlords themselves, giving up the fight and taking the easy way out.

By contrast, the two largest resistance groups in the Americas were well-organised and equipped, having come together in the days before the Invasion. With the failure of the Pinnacle Base summit, Colonel Johnathan Wolfe had turned to those that he felt would be willing to listen to him and follow his lead. He found allies in the form of Major John Carpenter, another UEEF officer, and Captain Nova Satori of the GMP. Based on the assessment that fighting the Invid would be impossible, the three of them had agreed to a plan where they would instead conserve their resources to fight back in its aftermath.

That plan, however, did not work as intended. Wolfe had not expected the level of destruction that would be unleashed during the invasion and the accompanying losses, nor the sheer numbers of Invid that were on Earth. The plan for a coordinated guerilla war had fallen apart, with no party having the numbers needed. Instead, the plan had shifted more to one of resistance as needed while waiting on the vague expectation of further reinforcements from the UEEF.

Despite this, Wolfe was continuing his efforts, operating out of Valhalla (also known as 'Soldiertown'), a former Southern Cross base in South America. While a charismatic figurehead, he found that coordinating the various survivor groups to be a nightmare of differing opinions, ideologies and plans. Ultimately, Wolfe's coalition would quietly fragment, leaving him somewhat isolated, but still with a large personal following. He conducted operations against the Invid, but they were usually small-scale in an effort to keep himself and his forces off the radar. He had contact with the other two major resistance leaders, and may have also been in contact with the Shimada group in Neo-Tokyo.

He was aided in this process by Major John Carpenter, another Expeditionary Force officer who served as his second. Focusing more on conventional forces, especially Veritechs, Carpenter had built up a considerable reserve of Mecha against a possible future assault. While the pair of them had initially worked together, the relationship between Wolfe and Carpenter had become increasingly strained since the invasion. None the less, Carpenter was dedicated to removing the Invid from Earth. Furthermore, Carpenter had made several allies in North America outside of Wolfe's connections.

Wolfe and Carpenter did have one asset at their disposal. Point K had been established in the Andean foothills as a stockpile of equipment and personnel for use against a possible Invid Invasion. It was manned by UEEF personnel, both due to their experience with the Invid as well as a growing reluctance to trust anyone associated with the UEG or Southern Cross. Following the invasion, it had become a quiet rallying point for survivors of Wolfe's relief mission. As hiding Point K was impossible, the facility instead relied on the idea that not attacking the Invid would in turn do nothing to draw their wrath.

The second resistance group was the GMP, led by Nova Satori (General Nigel Aldershot had died during the Invasion, while Colonel Alan Fredricks had gone missing in its aftermath). Having absorbed a number of other Southern Cross survivors, the GMP had built up a not inconsiderable force of men and mecha that had been stashed away against future use. The focus of their actions was more on intelligence gathering, learning more about the Invid, their forces and their locations. The GMP also gathered intelligence on other survivor communities, especially those that were working with the Invid. While the GMP did engage in a number of direct actions against the Invid, they again limited their operations to avoid drawing too heavy retaliation. However, it needed to be said that Satori did not fully trust the other resistance leaders, and had spies in Wolfe's forces.

Finally, there was the moon. While the forces on ALuCE had braced for the worst, the Invid had simply left them be, apparently having no interest in Earth's satellite. Even after absorbing a large number of refugees from Earth, the moonbase continued to be ignored, with the understanding that if they did nothing to draw the Invid's attention then they would be allowed to continue to exist. While the last vestiges of the Southern Cross had formally stood down, the moonbase remained under the control of Major General Desmond Noboutu, who was doing what he could to aid those on Earth. Besides accepting refugees from the lunar Railroad, he had begun to hoard Mecha (including a large number of early block Alphas that had been placed in long-term storage) against a possible counterattack.

That time would come, but it would take far longer than anyone expected.