Terra Nova is a planet much like Earth. In fact, the art, culture, events, and people were identical in every respect until the late 16th century. For some reason, intelligence among the population began to shoot up, and the economy began a historic increase. An industrial revolution occurred in 1625. In 1640, The Americas were colonized by a crew from England, who traveled the Atlantic in steamer boats. 1705 saw the first manned aircraft fly across the Atlantic from London to Virginia city, the capital of the American Alliance. In 1776, the Americas brought an end to the First World War of the modern era of Terra Nova. 1806, the microprocessor was invented in Geneva by Cornelius Franco, of the Polish Empire. 1865 saw the formation of WTPDC, The World Technology Production and Distribution Corporation. 1874, the first personal computer, the “Globe†went on the market. In 1900, a computer guided nuclear fission missile, fired by anti-capitalist radicals struck New Amsterdam, destroying the main headquarters of WTPDC. WTPDC responded with an announcement of nuclear fusion weaponry, and the CEO announced a bid for Prime Minister of the American Alliance. Soon after, the CEO, the great-grandson of Cornelius Franco, brought the world's governments under one ruling body, with the heads of state forming the world's first global parliament.
The first major act of the Parliament was a manned mission to Phobos, the fourth planet from the sun. 10 years after the first successful mission, the Corporation began to send colonists. In 1935, the corporation presence in Phobos was eliminated, and a new government was established by the New Phobos Objectivist Party, known to Terrans as “offworlders.†The NPOP converted the mining equipment they had been issued by the Corporation into weapons. As a response, Franco turned the parliament from a representative republic to a fascist dictatorship. Until the 70's this government went unopposed. In 1968, the oppression of the people finally reached a boiling point; a rebel party began striking at the major WTPDC company founded cities with improvised nuclear weapons. The corporation began the training and mobilization of an elite military branch under its direct control known only as the “Government.â€
From then on began a full scale war waged in the streets of all major population centers. At the same time the NPOP discovered a mineral with endless military, agricultural, and commercial possibilities which they dubbed “Pyris.†the discovery of this extremely valuable mineral enticed the Corporation to return to Phobos, the NPOP, still at odds politically with the Corporation, responded by completely annihilating the first landing craft from Terra Nova, starting an interplanetary war with the Government. Meanwhile the street warfare on Terra Nova escalated at a sickening rate as rebel forces were systematically hunted down by roving death squads in the major cities of the planet. As their forces dwindled to all-time lows, the rebels sent out a desperate plea to the populace of the world in the form of propaganda hoping to bring forth the already rampant discontent among the people and whip them up into a fury which they could direct at the present government.
Coming as a surprise to both opposing parties the plan worked to an astounding degree and the rebel forces now had many bodies to spare. In response, the Government began their own propaganda counter-campaign, strange as this may sound. They formulated a 3-pronged attack: Broadcasting fictional victories over the radio, a poster campaign advertising the benefits to working for the government, and the covert killing of anyone suspected of rebel sympathy. Your legacy begins in the Slums of New Amsterdam as an overworked, underpaid employee of some backwater Governmental program and your status will soon change because of the single most important experience of your life... Good luck, you're going to need all you can get.
