Timeline

The canonical Timeline of the Cyberpunk 2020 setting is a major divergence form the real world, and it assumed a future history from the outlook of the late-'80s and early-'90s.

1990

 * • Start of the first Central American Conflict. U.S. engages in interventionist actions in Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. Military forces are sent to secure the Canal Zone from an ex-U.S. puppet dictator.


 * • West and East Germany reunite. Warsaw Pact breaks up into separate nations.


 * • Breakup of Soviet state. From this point, the U.S.S.R. begins a new era of rapprochement with western Europe; by the 2000s, the Soviets are the EuroTheatre's most powerful allies.


 * • Soviet president Gorbochev appoints successor Andrei Gorborev.


 * • The US-EEC "Quiet War" begins. It will last until 1994.


 * • Fall of South Africa. For the next 4 years, there is little or no communication, although terrible atrocities and genocidal wars are rumored.


 * • Richard Night, a young partner in the Halsey, Ferris and Night construction firm, departs to found Night International and plan Coronado City on the central California coast.


 * • Jonathan Meta participates in "Operation Blind Faith", attempting to control the Panama Canal Zone.

1991

 * • EuroSpace Agency launches Hermes Spaceplane.


 * • Gorborev regime purges last of old hardliners.


 * • CHOOH2 developed by Biotechnica.


 * • First arcology built on ruins of Jersey City. 16 "Arcos" begin construction over the next 5 years, until the collapse of 1997, leaving the huge structures half completed, filled with squatters and the homeless.


 * • Artificial muscle fibers developed at Stanford Research Center.

1992

 * • The Treaty of 1992 establishes the European Economic Community. Zones of control and protective tariffs regulate the activities of member nations. A common currency unit (European Currency Unit, ECU, or, as it is more commonly known, the EuroDollar) is established, based on the average value in gold of all currencies combined. As a result of individual nations currency inflation or deflation, only Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Germany are financially fit to join the ECU-union. Trapped in paranoid isolationism, the U.S. declines to enter.


 * • In Vietnam, Doi Moi policies (and giving up on socialist economics) opens the door to foreign investment.


 * • Arasaka, EBM and Petrochem provide Richard Night with the raw cash he needs to build Coronado City. In exchange, he provides the corps with the design and construction capacities to build the urban zones they are seeking to create.


 * • The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency develops and spreads several designer plagues worldwide, targeting coca and opium plants.


 * • As a result of the creation of the ECU, economic turbulence spreads throughout Europe, especially in France and Great Britain. This results in labor uprisings and general rioting. The four core ECU countries set up a prototype "Fortress Europe", in violation of the EEC treaty. Closing their borders to European laborers looking for work results in a mass of illegal immigration. Most illegal workers are quickly found and expelled.


 * • Governments of Chile and Ecuador collapse.


 * • The Aldecaldo "clan" forms as a protection society in East L.A.


 * • As cropland dies and rainfall declines, farmers and rural populations are forced into migration to the larger cities. These "Jodes" are labeled as parasites by the media and some city governments.


 * • A savage drug war breaks out between EuroCorp-backed dealers and the DEA all over the Americas.


 * • First use of HELL (High Energy Laser Lift) arrays in U.S.S.R.


 * • Prototype massdriver established in Canary Islands by the eight member ESA (European Space Agency).


 * • Maoist Loyalist Cabal (MLC) is formed in Hunan Province (China) by Hua Yuchi.

1993

 * • First TRC (Transferred Reflex Conditioning) biologic interface chip developed in Munich, United Germany.


 * • All western European countries, save for Italy and Portugal, are ready to join the ECU-union.


 * • The EC Ministry for Economics is founded, to provide structure to advanced scientific progress and to prepare the government of the EEC for confrontation with the rising megacorporations.


 * • Interpol/Europe receives sanction to operate outside EEC borders.


 * • AV-4 aerodyne assault vehicle developed to deal with increasing riots in U.S. urban zones.


 * • Colombian druglords detonate small tactical nuclear device in New York City. The bomb is detonated in the middle of the work week, destroying Carnegie Hall and Rockefeller Center, and gutting U.N. Headquarters. At least 15,000 killed are killed in the initial blast. Thousands more die and local government collapses over the next week as the city is abandoned.


 * • The Japanese Self Defense Force (SDF) begins research and development of "Cyberwalk" legged vehicles. Foreign media and military establishments ridicule the idea.


 * • First organized Nomad "families" appear on the West Coast and in the South, and are identified by the corporates and the media.


 * • The Jodes leave Oklahoma, heading both north and west in an attempt to escape the "New Dust Bowl".


 * • The Aldecaldo Clan, because of increasing pressure from police and gangs, is forced to move out of East Los Angeles.


 * • Gangs war openly with police and each other in Miami. After a six-month siege, the government gives up, unable to commit resources which are needed elsewhere. The gang war lessens and several power structures begin to form.


 * • The Australian government announces intentions to recognize Aboriginal ownership of traditional lands. Pressure from mining and farming interests prompts government to give priority in land claims to holders of existing leases. While most Aboriginals protest peacefully, some begin quests for foreign recognition and aid for their cause.

1994

 * • World stock market crash of '94. U.S. economy teeters, then collapses. Other industrialized nations scramble for bigger markets and cheaper labor. EEC countries are not as hard hit as the rest of the west, due to internal trade. SEA countries thrive.


 * • Nuclear accident in Pittsburgh kills 257. Cancer deaths soar over the next ten years. The government declares "The Pitt" a superfund site, but no assets are allocated to deal with the problem. After a very public debate it is determined that nomad labor will be used in reclamation. The Aldecaldo Clan is hired to administer the project. The clan must travel almost two thousand miles to Pittsburgh, but accepts the contract.


 * • Coronado (Night) City, California, is incorporated in May.


 * • A new wave of immigrants hit Europe's shores. EEC uses military to enforce it's borders. As a result, many refugees are killed. Numerous new human rights groups begin to form as word leaks out. Some of these groups form terrorist cells to articulate their position.11


 * • After suffering from extensive strikes, Polands' president Walesa declares martial law.11

1995

 * • Kilimanjaro massdriver begins construction, under joint agreement between ESA and Pan African Alliance.


 * • The EEC decides to implement the "Fortress Europe" system continent-wide. A surveillance-satellite program is initiated. A totalitarian ID card system is also started. These cards are programmed with the individuals fingerprints, retina scans, DNA prints, profession, health status, and any licenses. Many civil rights groups fear a "1984" scenario and react accordingly.


 * • The MLC conquers Guangzhou Special Economic Zone (SEZ), working its way towards Hong Kong.


 * • The Bloods officially run (or own) all of Miami. Other gang structures are subsumed into the Bloods by relatively peaceful treaties or agreements.


 * • The "Grand Unification of Ministries and Agencies" is carried out in Japan. The political influence of Arasaka and right wing parties increases.


 * • Beginning of the Emergency Welfare Relocation Program in the U.S. The program is administered by the newly created Bureau of Emergency Relocation.

1996

 * • The collapse of the United States. Weakened by losses in world stock crash, overwhelmed by unemployment, homelessness and corruption, many city governments collapse or go bankrupt. The U.S. government, snarled in a staggering deficit and the machinations of the Gang of Four, is totally ineffective.


 * • First appearance of boostergangs in the U.S.


 * • The Japanese Constitution's Article 9 (renunciation of war) is suspended for an indefinite period. Due to intense outrage and riots by the public and left wing groups, no "Japanese Army" is re-established.


 * • After years of support, Portugal and Italy finally join the EEC.


 * • The Far Asian Co-prosperity Sphere (FACS) is established to counter Arasaka.


 * • Lawyer purge. Irate citizens lynch hundreds of criminal defense attorneys.


 * • The U.S. military in Japan and Korea is withdrawn to the American mainland.


 * • On August 17th, U.S. President and Vice President are assassinated in separate incidents. With the Speaker of the House undergoing cardiac bypass surgery, the Senate President Pro Tem refuses to assume the presidency. Secretary of Defense Jonathan Seward, as ranking member of the executive branch, suspends the constitution and declares martial law. The "Gang of Four" (NSA, CIA, FBI, and DEA) operate with near total autonomy within the U.S. federal government.


 * • Nomad riots (in actuality, few of the aggressors are actually nomads; the term is misused by a popular media figure and sticks). By now, 1 in 4 Americans is homeless. Hundreds of thousands riot for living space throughout the U.S. Nomad packs spring up on the west coast and spread rapidly through the nation. Millions of homeless people are killed or imprisoned.

1997

 * • Toxic spill kills off most of the salmon population in Pacific Northwest. Seattle economy destroyed.


 * • In Thailand, Rama X repeals the anti-drug and smuggling laws, making it a truly open market.


 * • Arasaka Security moves into paramilitary contracting. Training of one of the world's first "corporate armies" is begun at the Arasaka guard and agent schooling facility in the northern wastes of Hokkaido.


 * • Rockerboy Manson killed in England.1


 * • The "Bald Hill" political scandal occurs, as 60% of the members of the Japa- nese Diet (from all parties, including ministers and the Prime Minister himself) are arrested by the civilian police on charges of bribery.


 * • Conflict between Arasaka/right wing/SDF vs. FACS/bureaucracy rises to the surface in Japan.


 * • Hordes of SDF members decide to leave the hobbled forces. Arasaka quickly recruits 95% of them for their new army.


 * • A freak earthquake, with its epicenter in the Bay of Biscay, devastates part of the Basque Country. The major damage comes from giant tsunamis that sweep the coasts. The town of Bilbao, Spain is especially hard hit.


 * • The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff forms the MIC (Military Intelligence Cooperative) in an attempt to deal with the vast amount of duplication among the nine intel agencies in the U.S. military. The Gang of Four, assuming this act signals the discovery of its actions, begins sabotage efforts by delaying or withholding vital intel.


 * • Mideast meltdown. Tensions in middle east escalate to nuclear exchange. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Chad, and the Arab Emirates reduced to radioactive slag. World oil supply drops by half. U.S. military assets in the region are devastated. Moslem tribesmen flee into Western China, away from irradiated bomb impact sites. Other Islamic refugees swarm to the Islamic countries of SEA, compounding population problems.


 * • Australian economy rallies slightly as oil prices rise dramatically.


 * • In Europe, border skirmishes occur as Greek troops try to stem the flow of Turkish refugees fleeing spreading fallout from the nuclear exchange. In the suburbs of Melbourne (Australia), Greeks and Turks riot as protests get out of hand and several square kilometers of inner city suburbs are burned to the ground by a fire started during the riots.


 * • Turkey is vetoed again from the EC.


 * • The nomad and agricultural community scrambles to become less oil-dependent. Most vehicles are converted to synthetic lubricants.


 * • Hurricanes and spring tides hit Europe with unexpected force, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without shelter. The rising tides force the EEC to construct a system of dams that spans most of the coastal regions. The expected building completion time is ten years. Germany decides to abandon parts of its coastal regions. A brief moment of fear strikes Europe when Germany is slow to pull its 10000 man relief force out of flooded Gdansk.


 * • The MIC, under the direction of de facto President Seward, begins investigation of the Gang of Four.


 * • Tycho lunar colony established. A massdriver is constructed to provide raw materials for orbital platforms.


 * • Hong Kong officially reverts from Britain to China. There are no celebrations, as China is in the middle of a civil war.


 * • In the U.S., COGs (Combined Operation Groups) are formed; U.S. military reorganizes.

1998

 * • Neo-Luddites re-established in western Kentucky. Over the next ten years, the "Luds" are responsible for bombings of airports, factories, freeways and mass-transit systems.


 * • President Suharto of Indonesia dies. Factions start infighting.


 * • The Drought of '98 reduces most of the Midwest to parched grasslands. Between AgriBusiness Corps. and drought, the family farm all but disappears. American food exports end. To stabilize the New Central Europe (NCE) governments, the EEC ships food into major East European cities.


 * • Richard Night is killed on the night of September 20 while in his penthouse suite at the top of the new Parkview Tower. His killer is never apprehended and the city council renames the city "Night City" in his memory.


 * • Control of largest U.S. electro-industrial conglomerate is assumed by Dr. Gerhard Kessler and his Berliner Industrie Kapital Gruppe. This core company of the International Electric Corporation (IEC) will ultimately absorb Aerospatiale, General Electric, Fukuoka International Industries, Korea-Pacific Steel, and many other world companies.


 * • The "Nights of Fire" (KGB coup) take place in the USSR. The Russian Mafia, supported by KGB splinter groups, increases its efforts to expand into the EEC. This is countered by EuroPol, which begins its own "Shadow War" against organized crime in foreign countries.


 * • After massive aid from Spain and the EC, the independentist movement recedes in Euskadi (the native name for the Basque region). "Basque Fatherland and Liberty" ("Euskadi Ta Asakatasuna" in Basque, or simply ETA) terrorists begin an indefinite truce.


 * • Tokyo Railroad companies finish the construction of linear-rail lines.


 * • In Night City, A power struggle begins between the corporations. They control the Corporate Center and the government and the Mob, which controls almost all of the city's service-related businesses. Forced to kowtow to both Mob and corporate interests, the police become ineffective. Gangs supported by both sides, begin to establish themselves in the remaining suburbs of the old city. This results in the infamous Combat Zone of today.


 * • 10.5 quake shatters Los Angeles. Ocean inundates 35% of the city. An estimated 65,000 are killed. Northern California is untouched by the quake. Over three million Angelenos are left homeless or starving. Total economic loss is estimated at 250 billion EuroDollars.


 * • Construction of the U.S. intercontinental Maglev System is begun. In a last minute change, the western terminus is moved from L.A. to Night City.


 * • In the U.S., the Emergency Welfare Relocation Program ends in total failure.

1999

 * • In the U.S., the Federal Weapons Statute is established. Semi-automatic firearms may be carried openly "for protection of self and property" nationwide, without a permit or license. Urban crime rates immediately drop by 30%.


 * • The second Korean War begins, initiated by the South, which claims North Korea violated its airspace. No foreign radar can corroborate the claim.


 * • Federal government opens the bidding for a contract to salvage and rebuild Los Angeles. A bitter feud begins when the Jodes are awarded the contract over the regionally local Aldecaldo Family. A series of skirmishes between the two clans is reported; no federal action is taken. The Jodes begin reconstruction of Los Angeles.


 * • General Donal Lundee, resigns from his position as U.S.M.C. Chief of Staff, and accepts the CEO position at Armatech-Luccessi in New Hampshire. Together with Antonio Luccessi (founder of the company), they lay the groundwork for what will become the world's largest weapons manufacturing conglomerate. After a short period of rapid growth and expansion, the name Armatech-Luccessi is retired, and Militech Arms International is born.


 * • The EC Ministry for Economics forces the break-up of BASF, a large chemical manufacturer, for attempting to dictate prices for contracting firms.


 * • The Korean War brings tension, but also prosperity. Under the threat of the North's "Nodong 13" nuclear missile, Arasaka's "Family Kabuto" personal shelter makes record sales.


 * • The Bloods, formerly a Miami gang and now nomads, take over "The Greatest Show on Earth".


 * • Texas secedes from the U.S. to become the first independent "Free State". The Federal Weapons Statute is declared invalid within the state's borders.


 * • Millennium cults begin to appear, predicting an apocalypse on Jan. 1, 2000. Thousands migrate to isolated communes and temples to "await the end".


 * • Hong Kong riots. MLC agitators take to the streets in battles with crime triads and corporate security firms. Many corps pull out of Hong Kong. Martial law is declared.

2000

 * • Millennium cults run amok on Jan. 1, in an orgy of suicide and violence. Most destroy themselves.


 * • On Jan. 1, the world's biggest rave in Berlin is disrupted when a Millennium Cult floods the area with combat gases. The final body count approaches 19,000.


 * • The U.S., Japan, China, and the Neo-Soviet Union all take neutral stances towards the new Korean conflict, at least, on the surface. In reality, Cold War lines are redrawn, and behind-the-scenes aid is supplied, but sides are too evenly matched. The war becomes a stalemate.


 * • First "extended family" posergangs established.1,


 * • Sydney's attempt to stage Olympic Games fails due to bankruptcy and boycotts by nations supporting the Aboriginal cause. New Zealand is one of the boycotting countries.


 * • A Japanese government official quoted as saying "In the long run, the Korean War will only benefit us" is discharged.


 * • The Bloods leave Florida for their first "National Tour".


 * • ESA/Orbital Air purchases a large portion of the Cape York peninsula in northern Australia for construction of a spaceport. Environmental activists violently protest the destruction of vast areas of rainforest.


 * • The Aldecaldo Clan begins the reconstruction of Mexico City.


 * • Alaska secedes from the U.S., becoming the second independent Free State.


 * • Massive firestorms rage over northwestern U.S., destroying millions of acres of farm and grasslands.


 * • Crystal Palace space station construction begun at LaGrange Stationary Point L-1.


 * • Wasting Plague hits U.S. and Europe. Millions die. Germany is especially hard hit. After the first cases appear in Europe, the EEC closes its borders, finalizing "Fortress Europe". Severe immigration control and draconian measures reduce the spread of the plague in the Iberian peninsula to a minimum. Widespread racial violence erupts against illegal immigrants from Africa.


 * • U.S. President Seward is killed with touring the country. He is replaced by General William Newell, the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


 * • EBM uses its political and economic power to buy up the drowning Hamburg municipal area over the next five years.


 * • A cure for the Wasting Plague is developed at a Bioweapons lab at Newstrelitz, Brandenburg, Germany.

2001

 * • The framework for the Net is now firmly in place with construction of the WorldSat Network.


 * • King Charles III, his brother Andrew, and the Royal Marines are killed in an anti-MLA coup. Operation Cromwell is immediately launched by D.I.5 and agents begin locating and terminating all possible heirs to the throne. The plan succeeds in eliminating all but two of the most legitimate heirs, Beatrice and Eugenie Ferguson. D.I.5 learns that the Duchess of York has taken her children to the U.S. and send a squad of ARMINTAC (Army Intelligence Active Service) agents who track the three to Texas, only to find no trace of them. In reality, "Cartel" agents quickly moved the three to a location somewhere in the Carribean. Stymied, D.I.5 begins to purge any mention of the Monarchy from libraries and universities. The purge is (luckily) incomplete, with citizens and corporations hiding away a large wealth of information on the Monarchy.


 * • The collapse of the British monarchy and the imposition of martial law in England removes the last objection of the Monarchists to the formation of the Federal Republic of Australia. The new republic's constitution does little to address Aboriginal land problems. Koorie Nationalist Front becomes the first of several native groups to take up arms to fight for an independent Aboriginal homeland and the return of sacred lands to their traditional owners.


 * • The EEC ID card system comes into operation. Even the strongest opposition is defeated by vote, due to the mass of illegal immigrants in 2000. In addition, the surveillance satellite system is in working order. Still, immigrants are smuggled in through Greece and via submarines. To combat this, the EEC Council develops the plan for a "Kill Zone" at their borders, akin to the old Berlin Wall. Later in the year, following the destruction of an intruding nuclear submarine, the Council orders the construction of several submarines capable of boarding incoming vessels.


 * • Revival of Stanley Kubrick's famous SciFi movie sparks space fever.


 * • Greece suffers a sharp drop in population in the aftermath of the Wasting Plague. Following a loosening of local immigration laws, there is a strong arab migration into the country.


 * • The salvage of Los Angeles is completed. Three nomad clans successfully bid construction jobs (including small elements of the Jodes), but most of the Jodes "organization" are out of work.


 * • Western Australia secedes from the Federal Republic, declaring itself to be the Republic of West Australia. sales of mining rights and vigorous expansions (in conjunction with Indonesia) of the North West Shelf oil fields makes West Australia quite wealthy over the next decade.


 * • The Federal Republic of Australia refuses to recognize West Australian independence and declares a trade embargo against the new nation.


 * • A brief naval encounter occurs at the North West Shelf oilfield between Australians, Indonesians, and Arasaka-backed West Australians.

2002

 * • Food crash; mutated plant virus wipes out Canadian, Australian, and Soviet wheat crops. U.S. AgriBusiness crops survive due to new biological counteragent. U.S.S.R. accuses U.S. of biological warfare. Northern China becomes deserted and Southern China's population explodes as everyone from the wheat-growing north flees to the embattled, rice-growing south. Southern China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam make record profits exporting rice, seafoods, and synthetic foodstuffs.


 * • Huge sections of the Pacific Northwest are tilled over to farmland. The Jodes go back to agricultural labor for a time.


 * • SovOil privatizes the Soviet state-owned petroleum industry.


 * • California becomes the third Free State to secede from the U.S.


 * • A bioplague strikes Lockerbie, Scotland.


 * • In an effort to decrease Spanish influence in the country, the Portuguese government contracts all police and defense services to two foreign corporations: Amazonian Security and Arasaka. This "Sell Out" initially does not concern the EC.


 * • The Parliamentary system breaks down in Spain when most of the professional politicians are shown to be corrupt. As all of the traditional political parties collapse, there is a movement towards "amateurism" in politics, which, when combined with yearly elections, makes any long-term government decision nearly impossible.


 * • In New South Wales (Australia), Angus Youngblood, anticipating the development of virus-resistant strains of wheat, buys vast areas of farmland at bargain prices. At the same time, Tasmania is quarantined in an effort to keep the virus from spreading there. New Zealand begins a "self-sufficiency" program, and stops importing or exporting food.


 * • Honda merges and reorganizes with several other car companies.


 * • Second lunar colony founded at Copernicus.


 * • Renewed vigor in the Chinese civil war, as both MLC and the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) make money selling rice, seafood, and artificial foods at inflated prices.


 * • The PLA forms a bio-research center to try and neutralize the Food Crash plague.


 * • With the aid of FACS, JAB (Japan Space Bureau) is established, based on the remains of the previous NASDA (National AeroSpace Development Agency) from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

2003

 * • Second Central American war. U.S. invades Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The war is a disaster that costs thousands of American lives.


 * • Many EEC weapons manufacturers record giant profits selling weapons to South American governments.


 * • The Cambodian army drives the Khmer Rouge out of Cambodia, into Laos. The Khmer-Rouge immediately deposes the legitimate Laotian government.


 * • In the Agean Sea, the Santorin volcano erupts. Many surrounding islands are hit by massive tidal waves.


 * • Nevada becomes a Free State.


 * • Refugees from Hong Kong begin flooding into New Zealand. This continues for the next four years.


 * • Sugo Manufacturing merges with Mitsubishi-Koridansu and emerges as Mitsubishi-Sugo. The new corp starts building AFVs and tanks, as well as cars.


 * • WNS media star Tesla Johanneson exposes secret NSA transcripts of the First Central American Conflict.

2004

 * • First human cloned tissue growth in-vitro at Johns Hopkins by a young Ph.D. candidate named Francis Holliday Young. Only Stage Two is achieved.1,7,8


 * • General I (pronounced "Ee") Ryong Yon gains control of South Korea in a coup. I declares his military junta "United Korea", and his private army takes control of the sympathetic national army.6


 * • Microsutures and sterilizer fields developed.


 * • Tesla Johanneson assassinated in Cairo.


 * • Thomas Matthews, WNS Special Correspondent, reports participation by Arasaka troops in the 2nd Korean War. Both the Japanese government and General I deny the reports.


 * • In Europe, campaigns begin to legalize certain crime syndicates, like the Sicilian Mafia or the Neapolitan Camorra. Instead of working indirectly in politics through bribery and blackmail, they enter it as overt political parties. As these criminal organizations try to clean up their public image, new movements (like the Nuova Mafia) begin to appear.


 * • The Gang of Four is wiped out in an Army-CIA counter-coup.1,8


 * • The European "Kill Zone" and associated submarine fleet are operational.


 * • Golden Triangle drug plantations nearly wiped out by DEA virus attack.


 * • I HoTong, General I's brother, leads a bombing raid on Subunho dam. Its destruction cripples China's ability to aid North Korea.


 * • First Corporate War begins. EBM attempts hostile takeover of financially crippled Transworld Air. Orbital Air enters conflict in September as major player, bailing out Transworld Air.

2005

 * • CyberModem invented.


 * • Second Korean war ends when Hanguk wins, depriving China of one of its markets.


 * • The Mob is effectively "King of the Hill" in Night City. The corporations hole up in the surrounding suburbs and their loft Corporate Plaza fortresses, pulling the strings of the civic government.


 * • EBM completes its acquisition of Hamburg and begins building the Hamburg Wall. Peacefully, they declare Hamburg to be an independent nation in association with the EEC. Closely monitored by Europol, they divide the economic interests of EBM Corporation from the nation, EBM Hamburg.


 * • Victory for General I. The United Republic of Korea is born. General I is elected as the first president of the new country by a landslide.


 * • EBM solos attack Tokyo office of Kenjiri Technologies, killing 18.


 * • The Los Angeles construction contracts are completed and most of the nomad community leaves southern California.


 * • The MLC effectively controls all of Southern China. The Portuguese colony of Macau is burned to the ground.


 * • During a press conference (to deny rumors of an Arasaka alliance) at Ch'ongwat'ae palace, President I and hundreds of medias (and others) are killed by a bomb blast that levels the building. The same day, I HoTong is shot down in his F-16 by Korean Air Force pursuers, on his way to China. His F-16 crashes on Chinese soil and his body is never found. His reasons for fleeing to China remain a mystery.


 * • Strong corporate pressure to acquire land and concessions begins. The Greek socialist government threatens nationalization of assets in retaliation.


 * • Operation Big Stick (Nov.) : first military destruction of a corporation. The Mantoga Corp is wiped out by April 2006.


 * • Korea elects national war hero General Park as the new president.


 * • Gang activity reaches an all-time high with the Blood Razors and Slaughterhouse gangs making their debut. The Mob War begins. This will continue until 2009.


 * • An Italian research team publishes a paper announcing the pre-morphogenesis of cloned human tissue.


 * • First Corporate war delays construction on Crystal Palace as Orbital Air plunges resources into defense of Transworld Air against EBM.

2006

 * • First morphogenic human clone grown in vitro. Mindless, Stage Three(a) gastrulae, they only live for 6 hours.


 * • Vietnam joins ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations).


 * • First Corporate War ends in January. EBM concedes full control of Transworld Air to Orbital Air. By the end of the war, ARC, ZetaTech, Advanced Developed Research, Militech, TTA Properties, Bronleigh Development, TechnoStations, First Continental Bank, Xoma Corporation, Applied Technisystem, Dynamic Media, Orbital Metals Partnership of Jamaica, and Nakamura-Mamoru LTD have all contributed to one side or the other.


 * • In preparation for the planned Euro/Sov mission to Mars, EEC scientists begin experimenting with human genes. The goal of Operation "Green Man" is to create a human fit to colonize the red planet. The operation uses breeding and cloning techniques with an eye towards producing hardier and more intelligent humans.


 * • A military coup d'etat topples the government of Greece. Prime Minister Ioannis Lacanos is murdered. The Greek National Reconciliation Caucus (GNRC) (consisting basically of the former Greek Joint Chiefs of Staff) takes power, with corporate backing. The surviving elements of the former Greek government and parliament take refuge in Rhodes, with support from Turkey.


 * • Col. Emile Lazarus, U.S. Army, Congressional Medal of Honor winner, resigns his commission and leaves the service.


 * • The Korean military and police are reorganized along the lines of the new American military.


 * • Full cyberlimbs are now in use with all U.S. military forces.

2007

 * • New Zealand legalizes marijuana. Widespread use in medicine, textiles, fuel and other areas begins immediately.


 * • BrainDance developed at U.C. Santa Cruz.


 * • The MLC enters Hong Kong in force and starts the pogroms.


 * • In Mongolia and Northern China, food riots break out among those who were prevented by the government from relocating.


 * • Funds for the quake-damaged town of Bilbao, Spain are re-routed by the Spanish government to Madrid for preparation of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Basques are outraged.


 * • Corporate leaders from SovOil and PetroChem convene a conference in Djakarta, Indonesia, in an attempt to settle the dispute over the Spratly Islands oilfields. After a week of discussion, an agreement is reached. A line of demarcation is established along the 10th parallel. SovOil will explore the area north of that line, and PetroChem will do the same in the area to the south. Both companies sign the agreement, which is also a non-aggression pact.

2008

 * • U.S. assault on Soviet weapons platform Mir XIII. EuroSpace Agency intervenes and orbital war breaks out between the "Euros" and the "Yanks", lasting only a few weeks until Tycho colony massdriver drops a rock on Colorado Springs and other strategic U.S. sites worldwide. An uneasy peace is reached.


 * • One of the Tycho massdriver strikes occurs in Australia. A near miss at the Pine Gap Space Tracking Facility (in the Northern Territory) destroys the town of Alice Springs. 25,000 lives are lost.


 * • On Tuesday, March 18, at 2:34 AM, PetroChem off-shore oil platform Sabina Bravo (in the S. China Sea) explodes, killing all 173 personnel on board and destroying 22 well heads. A 300 meter geyser of flame is visible from Palawan Island in the Philippines, 240 kilometers away. While the true cause of the explosion and fire will never be discovered, PetroChem accuses SovOil of sabotage Second Corporate War begins. Even though the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, it is too involved in the MLC war to do anything. Pollution fallout destroys thousands of miles of coastline in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as destroying millions of people's livelihoods.


 * • At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Madrid, Spain, ETA terrorists fire a rocket-launched grenade at the authorities tribune. King John Charles I is among the 12 casualties, that also include other members of the royal house. The future king, Philip VI, survives unharmed. Renewed support for the monarchy and strong anti-Basque sentiment sweep the country.


 * • The Lazarus Military Operations Group (or simply Lazarus Group) is formed, with Nelson Katzadoulos as a silent partner and financial backer. Construction of a training facility is begun in Fort Powell, Montana.


 * • Taiwan officially declares permanent independence from the mainland, and hires Arasaka to retrain its military. Again, China is too involved in internal problems to react.


 * • In southern Europe, agricorps begin to apply strong pressure to acquire arable land. This will continue for the next 2 to 3 years. The chaotic Spanish government and the resistance of the small landowners blocks most attempts, but the Portuguese government, in effect, begins to sell its country.


 * • "Reformation"/Reorganization of U.S. government. First post-martial law elections are held.


 * • General Jiang Xiaxi is elected to the head of the Chinese Communist Party, and signs the 2008 China-US Mutual Aid Pact.


 * • The new Greek "military" government attempts to annex both Cyprus and Macedonia. Both attempts fail. Most other governments support the Greek government-in-exile in Rhodes, impeding military action against it. Rhodes becomes a free port.


 * • The U.S. Transcontinental Maglev System is completed and begins service.


 * • Militech buys into a joint-venture with China International Trust and Investment Company (CITIC) to form CCMMC (Combined China/Militech Manufacturing Corporation).


 * • The Second Homestead Act begins as an attempt to repopulate the abandoned Southwest. Some nomad families see this as another government attempt to shut down their life-style.

2009

 * • Second Corporate War ends with SovOil in total control of petroleum resources in the South China Sea.


 * • Joint ESA/Soviet mission to Mars departs.


 * • In Night City, Arasaka-trained paramilitary troops and armored support lead corporate troops in a campaign of death and destruction against the Mob's cadres. The campaign destroys the Mob's influence in the city, allowing the corps to place a puppet mayor in power.


 * • Internet Corp. "extracts" Nobuhiko Ihara from Zetatech's Night City office.


 * • Indonesia invades and conquers Papua New Guinea, renaming it "East Irian". The Australian government decides not to send troops, favoring diplomatic means of persuading Indonesians to leave. Larger military forces are moved to Darwin and North Queensland in case of Indonesian invasion of Australia.


 * • Following the example of Portugal, the north-controlled Italian government begins to cede wide areas of southern Italy to corporate interests.


 * • Abortive takeover attempt by U.S. "terrorist group" of Crystal Palace construction. ESA discovers Defense Intelligence Agency plot and drops 12 ton rock off Washington as a warning.


 * • "Net Wizard" Janice A. Grubb is enticed away from Kenjiri Technologies by Internet Corp.


 * • A Korean terrorist group, led by someone using the name "I HoTong", starts attacking Japanese corporate installations.


 * • Instituting draconian policies, the corps begin cleaning up the city, forcing many people out of their homes.


 * • Papua New Guinea's government-in-exile sets up in Wellington, New Zealand.


 * • Francis Young quietly leaves academia for a job with Biotechnica, which promises unlimited funding and resources, and full credit for his achievements in return for patent rights on his successful work.


 * • ASEAN disbands.

2010

 * • End of Second Central American Conflict. The U.S. government, almost totally bankrupt, simply maroons half a million nomad workers and so-called "civilian contractors" in South America. They begin the "Long Walk" back to the U.S. A little over 10% are still alive with they reach the States in 2011-2012.


 * • Network 54 now controls 62% of all media broadcasting in U.S.


 * • Food riots in Denver kill 52.


 * • Mitsubishi-Sugo develops prototype ACPA (Assisted Combat Personnel Armor) for the SDF. Soldiers nickname it "Kakashi" (Scarecrow).


 * • Southern Romania is devastated by a powerful earthquake. 267 people are killed in Bucharest alone.


 * • The Ecoterrorist group EcoAction starts a campaign against spaceports and other large construction projects.


 * • The New Homestead Act is shut down and considered a failure. Most areas opened to the public required vastly more infrastructure than could be provided.


 * • Corps and Triads in Hong Kong-Victoria make an alliance against their common foe, the MLC, which has complete control of the former colony up to Kowloon Bay.


 * • Construction of O'Neill One orbital colony begins.

2011

 * • Crystal Palace is completed. ESA now has a permanent hold in high orbit zone.


 * • ESA/Soviet mission reaches Mars.


 * • President Ramos of the Philippines is killed; President Aguilar is elected. He promises a new constitution.


 * • An experimental nanotech package designed to clean up radioactive contamination grows out of control at Maralinga in South Australia. European nanotech engineers go back to the drawing board, but don't offer any solutions to the massive and potentially dangerous growth in the desert.


 * • Compulsory land sales in Portugal begin in ernest. If productivity falls below the level marked by the government, landowners are required by law to sell to bidding agricorps. As agricorps increase their own productivity (by means fair and foul), small landowners are forced out of business.


 * • Most productive land in southern Italy is transferred to corporate control. The northern regions, richer and more industrialized, are much less effected.


 * • Construction of L-3 and L-4 colonies begins.


 * • In Japan, opposing corporates take their warfare onto the main roads that link their cities. Along with corporate sabotage, many Bosozoku gangs raid long-range trucks and mail transports. People begin to rely entirely on the Net or on fax machines for personal mail.


 * • A large group of renegade "civilian contractors", under the leadership of John Meta, hijack several ships and an abandoned oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Pirates call the flotilla MetaKey.


 * • The Greek military government, economically crippled, begins a new taxation policy in an attempt to generate desperately-needed funds to fight against the recently-formed partisan movements. The EC does not intervene, but many megacorps begin removing their operations from Greece in response to the taxes.


 * • Respected biochemist and Nobel laureate Edwin C. Poole publishes a monograph in which he states that there will never be Stage Seven(a) human clones.

2012

 * • Bioplague kills 1,700+ in Chicago. Most of the downtown area and Lakeshore Drive become a hopelessly contaminated death zone.


 * • Concert riot in Night City kills 18, wounds 51. Arasaka complex gutted.


 * • In the Philippines, President Aguilar is killed for cheating in the election. President Lopez is elected and is killed on his way to the inauguration.


 * • D.I.5 discovers evidence of "the Cartel", a group operating to hide the princesses and their mother. All attempts to trace back rumors of the group's activities were stymied, however. In reality, the Cartel is the result of secret cooperation between Imperial Metropolitan Agriculture, (IMA) and the Hillard Corporation, to protect their profits. Based in the Carribean, Cartel members brief Princess Beatrice, later known as Queen Victoria II, on events in the U.K.


 * • Northern California and Southern California separate to become the Free State of Northern California and the Free State of Allied Southern California. Separate capitals are established in Sacramento and San Diego.


 * • In response to the land sales and public agitation, Italy federalizes in four states: North, Center, South, and Insular. Although autonomous, the central government remains strong. The Carabinieri, under government control, become its main enforcement arm.


 * • The first viable nanotech is developed jointly by European and Japanese labs.


 * • Nagoya Transportation begins to use taser-equipped armored trucks and AVs for business.


 * • Operation "Green Man" is uncovered when news of a living altered foetus leaks to the general public. The original project is disbanded, but Europol and the ESA continue research in secret.


 * • The Federal Government begin construction of the Chicago Port Facility, south of Old Downtown Chicago. For the first time, the structure is totally designed by, and built by, nomads.


 * • The "Great Drought" begins in southern Europe. In Spain, Andalusia becomes a desert. Corporate war is incited by conflict over water rights, only to be stopped forcefully by EEC intervention.


 * • A large shift in clone research occurs, away from academic institutions and into the private sector.

2013

 * • NetWatch established by joint U.S./EuroTheatre treaty.


 * • Philippine President Taipan is elected and stays in power.


 * • Treat-Davies Act is signed, re-establishing diplomatic relations with most Central and South American countries.


 * • First true artificial intelligence developed at MicroTech's Pasadena facility.


 * • In Europe, the Great Drought occurs. Portugal sells itself to avoid bankruptcy. In Spain, Andalusia becomes a desert, with thousands of displaced people. A Water war begins between Aragon and Catalonia, over control of the Ebro River. A political problem transforms into a corporate war, and only EC intervention avoids further bloodshed. The population of each region support its claims, and tensions run high.


 * • In Australia, the Youngblood family sells its land holdings to PetroChem in exchange for a huge amount of PetroChem stock, a seat on the Board of Directors, and an undisclosed (but astronomical) amount of cash. PetroChem begins mass purchasing of farms and unoccupied land in outback New South Wales for CHOOH2 production.


 * • After pressure by FACS, the Japanese government grants special licenses allowing Express Mail companies to use live ammo for defense.


 * • The rebuilding of Mexico City is completed.


 * • Hua Yuchi, founder of the MLC, is assassinated in China by a Cyber squad.


 * • A brief dispute between Arasaka and Sun Yee On Triad boss Big Len, over the ownership of a shipment of Arasaka weapons, is quickly resolved just prior to the counter-invasion of Kowloon by a force lead by Ghurka Colonel Gaje Gurung.


 * • The retaking of Kowloon is a success, although pockets of resistance will continue to cause problems into the next year.


 * • The years 2013-2014 are called "the Tribulations" by the nomad community. The combination of a more competitive nomad economy and the influx of new nomads from the Long Walk leads to increased government attention (and pressure).


 * • Showa-Tenno (the God-Emperor of Japan) "travels to the eternal world". Shinka-Tenno ascends to the throne, and the "New Age of Nippon" begins.


 * • Stage Four(a) cloned limbs are perfected, but the techniques used are inadequate for the creation of self-viable human clones, as the drugs used to accelerate growth create non-functional brains.


 * • Scottish uprising begins; the Martial Law Authority (MLA) tightens its grip, only to find resistance increasing. British citizens begin to conscientiously dodge the military draft.

2014

 * • Ihara-Grubb Transformation Algorithms (IGTAs) are released into the net in September, with only one day's advance notice. The net is completely redesigned in 10 hours.


 * • ASEAN reforms at the diplomatic urgings of SovOil.


 * • The Brain Drain begins in Portugal (this will continue until 2018). Many displaced landowners and rebels against the corporations flee the country. Strong Portuguese communities form in Spain and France.


 * • In Australia, Stage 1 of the Cape York spaceport is completed.


 * • A major portion of Houston becomes the property of Kizamasu Inc., and is transformed into a corporate city.


 * • "Metal Wars" begin in Night City as gangs battle for turf.


 * • Utah becomes the fifth (and final) Free State.


 * • In Japan, SegAtari develops virtual reality interface for the "Super RoboWrestler" and "Mekton Warrior" toys.


 * • In China, the PLA retakes Canton, and is well on its way to victory over the MLC.


 * • In Japan, Shinka-tenno is "removed", causing a period of Imperial disorder which lasts until 2019.


 * • Amnesty International is bombed out of its London office. It moves and sets up shop in Christchurch, New Zealand.


 * • In Japan, a team at Nippon Seimei Kogei Associates announces Stage Four(a) human clones with neural development and activity.


 * • Vatican III : neo-Catholic Reformation. Celibacy is abolished and women may finally be ordained priests. In Poland, the Church of Poland is founded, splitting off from the Vatican. Various splinter-sects form world wide in response.

2015

 * • Rise of the Cyber-Mercenaries; Lithuania hires cyber-soldiers to repel invasions by Latvian nationals.


 * • After 10 years of mutual sabotage and deception, Japan is kicked out of the EEC (European Economic Community).


 * • Nippon Seimei Kogei scientists complete a cloned body with a full-sized brain, but they are unable to marry it to a Stage Six(a) intellect (this is probably just as well, since the body was amorphous and lived in a vat).


 * • The EEC outlaws the possession of military-grade cyberware by private citizens. All existing cyberweaponry must be registered and may only be retained if the individual passes a psychological evaluation. This does not stop European military forces from creating numerous cyber-soldiers.


 * • Judge Lawrence J. Hick, while visiting Night City, is killed by posergang members resembling Harold Meech, a cyberpsycho whom Hick had sentenced to Death Row.


 * • Nanotech becomes a viable commercial reality. New nanotech products explode onto the market worldwide within months.


 * • Agricultural subsidies are suppressed in Spain. The money is spent instead on supporting the cities and the coastal tourist zones. First groups of highwaymen appear as a reaction in Andalusia.


 * • In the USA, Balsam city and tunnel project begun in North Carolina.


 * • In Japan, the "New Yen" is established to counter the EuroDollar. The exchange rate is 200 N¥ for 1 Eb.


 * • Europa Sur appears. This alliance of illegal groups throughout the Mediterranean basin forms to defend against the EC and Interpol. Soon they control most smuggling and illegal traffic in souther Europe.


 * • In the U.S., MetaCorp, the only nomad-owned corporation in existence, is formed.


 * • Northern California is finally recognized as a Free State by the United States.


 * • Mitsubishi-Sugo develops the first Japanese ACPA (Assisted Combat Personnel Armor) using the SegAtari VR interface. The MSAS-15 is nicknamed "The Trooper".

2016

 * • Third corporate war is fought in the net, as rival corps attack other's data fortresses. As a result, Europol 3rd Directorate is finally granted the necessary funds to take an aggressive stance towards netcrime.


 * • The Japanese SDF secretly develops a biopod-controlled heavy battle tank (a tank with a human brain control unit, similar to full cyborg conversions). During tests, the tank brain goes mad and flees from the SDF Fuji training grounds. The tank rampages from Fuji to Yokohama city before an Arasaka Special Forces unit finally kills it. 31 are killed in the carnage (8 SDF soldiers, 6 Arasaka solos, 4 police, 8 members of the media, and 5 civilians). The government blames the deaths on Korean terrorists.


 * • Space colony O'Neill One is completed.


 * • Bioware becomes available to the general public.


 * • Water Riots begin in Adelaide (Australia) as drought, industrial pollution, and river salinity reduce the city's water supply to a brackish, muddy trickle. Construction of a desalination plant is financed by Arasaka Bank.


 * • Bermeo Incident takes place: 127 eco-protesters are killed by corporate security in the Basque tourist town of Bermeo. From this point forward, ecoactivists begin to carry weapons and true ecoterrorism is born.


 * • The Sino-Euro-American Treaty is signed, allowing visitors in the various countries to drive using their existing licenses for up to six months. Hong Kong is exempted because of a need to keep the number of cars down (and prices of local licenses high).


 * • Rhodes, with the support of most foreign countries, declares its independence as the Hellenic Republic of Rhodes. The EC ignores complaints from Greece and recognizes the new country. In Greece, the partisans become more bold and now control most of Thessaly.


 * • Rare metal deposits are found under an Arasaka training ground in Southern Africa. The local warlord tries to claim rights, but is ignored by Arasaka, which begins mining. South African natives begin agitation against Arasaka guard units.


 * • Nippon Seimei Kogei's clone division is wiped out in a black operation by parties unknown.

2017

 * • Francis Young successfully grows three full-sized Stage Three(a) human bodies. The bodies are twisted and imperfect, and rely on drugs to survive, but they have complete, functional brains. Young attempts to imprint intellects into the clones with a new AI/Braindance process developed by MicroTech scientist Pritap Suwarti. The process is partly successful. The clones become self-aware, but their intellects are stunted by their imperfect brains.


 * • The Burp Cola Incident occurs in Denver. Burp Cola researchers, experimenting with subliminal advertising, crudely splice the emotions of thirst and desire for Burp Cola into a braindance program in an attempt to use subliminal advertising in the new technology. Using a "well-chromed" candidate, the scientists were too successful. The test subject assaulted two of the scientists and ripped apart a Burp Cola machine. His rampage ended when Denver Police took him down with extreme prejudice after he tore apart three Com'n'Go convenience stores.


 * • New ACPA units are rolled out simultaneously by Mitsubishi-Sugo and Arasaka (for the SDF and export, respectively). Both use the SegAtari VRI. The Mitsubishi-Sugo MSAS-17 Trooper is designed by popular Japanimation artist Inoue Keuma. The media provides fantastic coverage, and the SDF receives many applicants for Trooper positions.


 * • Germany signs a deal with Hungary, allowing the German army to train its troops in Hungary in exchange for military assistance.


 * • One-hundred three people are sentenced to death during the Weymouth bombing trials. Senior Justice Louis Graves earns the nickname "The Undertaker" from this trial.


 * • L-3 orbital colony is completed and named Galileo Cylinder (O'Neill Two).


 * • The Seven (nomad) Nations are established: the Snake Nation, the Blood Nation, the Folk Nation, the Jodes, the Thelas Nation, the Aldecaldos, and MetaCorp.


 * • John Dawson is arrested on Nov. 28, 2017 for multiple murders and conspiracy to commit multiple fraud. Dawson, the surviving half of the "Net Killers" was partially responsible for luring unsuspecting victims to his home with promises of love and sex. His accomplice, Catherine McKeever, was killed in the firefight prior to Dawson's arrest. Dawson is sentenced to death and his execution becomes the first "interactive" execution in the history of the U.S. Net54 wins the rights to broadcast the event, charging close to $3 million euro for one minute advertising spots during the broadcast. Citizens vote by 1-900 numbers and at 10 p.m., the results were tallied: 9.5 million for Dawson's execution and only 500,000 against. Dawson dies in front of a firing squad at 10:14 p.m.


 * • Militech supports African locals for "friendship reasons" (i.e. free). Neighboring governments declare Arasaka's lease to be valid until Jan. 1, 2018. Militech attacks Arasaka tank units, but Arasaka fends off all attacks. Shortly thereafter, the strongest warlord in the region is assassinated by a heavily-cybered black terrorist gang using new Militech weapons.


 * • NASA Mars mission departs.


 * • MetaCorp sells the JackSuit to Militech.

2018

 * • Brushfire wars erupt in New Central Europe.


 * • A coup is carried out in South Africa, giving regional power to the "Black Liberation Army". James Miyahara of Network 54 reports Arasaka support of the BLA. Arasaka buys the title and mining rights for their (already occupied) land for 5 million Eb, paid to the BLA.


 * • As a consequence of the terrorist strikes of the Nuova Mafia, many areas of southern Europe, especially Calabria, come under martial law. They remain so to present day.


 * • The Japanese government unveils their "Ground SDF Plan for 2020" which will use ACPA, one-man tanks, and AVs. The SDF introduces the Mitsubishi-Sugo MBT-18 as the MBT (main battle tank) of the 2020's. The National Police Agency starts to use the agile and light MSLT-17 ACPA. It is rumored that Mitsubishi-Sugo and Arasaka have developed a semi-humanoid "walking tank" the GSFD trials in 2021.


 * • Pritap Suwarti leaves Microtech for Biotechnica. A covert legal battle ensues. Suwarti is assassinated, presumably by Microtech agents, but his protégé, Moira Kelly, stays with Biotechnica. In an unrelated tragedy, Francis Young's twenty year-old daughter Amelia is killed in a traffic accident.


 * • L-4 orbital colony is completed and named Paradise Station (O'Neill Three).


 * • Second ESA/Soviet Mars mission departs.


 * • The DMS Incident. DMS sends a Black Ops team to extract Net54 news division VP Daniel Jung after he contacts DMS, stating he was unhappy with his current position and wants to join DMS's news division. The team encounters low resistance, but becames overeager and kills the two bodyguards assigned to protect Jung. The "extraction" is later broadcast on Net54's news magazine, "Looking Glass". The result is a PR nightmare for DMS and an investigation of DMS by the FCC and the rest of the federal government.


 * • Scottish nationalists meet the English forces two miles north of Buckton. The battle starts at 6 am, February 21 and finishes 23 hours later with 2/3 of Scotland's 32,000 resistance fighters dead. All but one of the movement's leaders are captured and executed for high treason. Colonel Malcom Douglas-Campbell, the sole survivor, flees to Belfast and receives asylum among the Irish. The nationalists resort to terrorist hit-and-run tactics while Douglas-Campbell liases with the IRA.


 * • The Buckton Treaty is signed in Buckton, Scotland. After a month of debate, Scotland is finally independent and agrees to elect its own national assembly to govern the newly independent land. The English, in turn, agree to withdraw all troops except those designated as reserves, who would follow in a period not exceeding 10 years.


 * • MetaKey moves near Tampa, FL. Salvage of the city begins.


 * • ESA unmanned probe is launched to Jupiter.


 * • The MLA collapses; Victoria II is crowned Queen of England.


 * • First (preemptive) laws that prohibit human cloning at the sentient level are passed in Europe.


 * • With Albanian support, Greece finally manages to annex Macedonia. The Serbs react by occupying half of Albania. Turkey does not intervene.

2019

 * • Orbital colony revolt at L-5. Highriders successfully repel ESA forces and announce independence. L-4 colony placed under martial law.


 * • Jinkyoku Tenno ascends the throne in Japan, ending the period of Imperial "disorder", and Jinkyoku Year 1 begins.6


 * • British Pirate Cassandra King, alias Sandra Royale, is arrested after leading the pirates in an attempt to restore the Monarchy. King is incarcerated in the Isle of Wight Penal Colony and spends two years there before receiving a royal pardon.


 * • The ESA begins full-scale construction of an orbital lift launcher on the Canary Islands. When completed, it will replace the prototype built at the same location in 1992. Spain, a loyal ESA member, is set to receive an enormous influx of money and work opportunities. It may offer a last chance to climb back from economic near-ruin.


 * • NASA Mars mission reaches Mars.


 * • Storm Technology begins operations in New South Chicago.


 * • The Harumi International Convention Center Comic Market is raided by a solo team; 302 are injured, 17 are killed. 7 solos are captured and 3 are killed by Metalmax and Grappler posergangs. The solos are identified as an Arasaka security team. It is rumored that Saburo's BlackBook was being traded as game software.


 * • Friends of the Earth bomb PetroChem offices in Dallas. 430 people are killed and a 4 block area is destroyed.


 * • South China Golden Triangle drug lords begin limited production of opium and heroin again from new, virus-resistant plants.


 * • Francis Young grows a perfect human body, cloned from samples taken from his daughter while she was still alive. The clone grow in ten months, and looks like Amelia. It is devoid of intellect, however. The body languishes in a vat while work on the intellect implanting procedure continues.

2020

 * • Third Central American Conflict begins. Ostensibly an attempt by the U.S. provisional government to crush the rise of new drug lords and their "designer" synthetic drug labs, it rapidly becomes a corporate circus, with the jungles of Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Columbia, and Venezuela being used as showrooms for the latest in military hardware. Hundreds of locals die every month in what are termed "raids on drug cartel strongholds and sympathizers".


 * • Storm Technology signs a contract with the Aldecaldo and Jode Nations for salvage/rebuilding in Chicago.


 * • Francis Young and Moira Kelly, in a groundbreaking experiment, implant a constructed personality in the cloned body of Young's deceased daughter Amelia, using a combination of cybernetic and organic technology to hold the implant in the blank brain. The clone becomes self-aware, and is named Adriana. Is it the first Stage Seven(a) clone in history. Shortly after its completion, Executive Memo 801 is handed down by the Directors of Biotechnica, ordering the clone's vivisection and study, to aid the refinement of second generation Stage Seven clones. Immediately following the issuance of this memo, Adriana is kidnapped from Biotechnica's New York research facility and disappears.


 * • Two rival candidates compete for the Presidency of Portugal, which signals a major breakdown of corporate alliances.


 * • Elements of the Snake and Folk Nations are contracted to begin to build the New York-Boston extension to the Intercontinental Maglev System.


 * • Second ESA/Soviet Mars mission reaches Mars.

2021

 * • Third lunar colony construction begun at Clavius by ESA/Soviet combine.


 * • The interactive execution of serial rapist Tom Alexander is carried out in March.


 * • NASA's Chryse Planitia/Mars Base is completed.

2022

 * • Third Central American Conflict ends. No decisive victories are claimed.


 * • First automated factories appear in orbit around Mars.


 * • The British government repeals the Criminal Law Act of 1978 and replaces it with the Civic Order Bill. The bill reclassifies offenses into five bands ranging from Drunk & Disorderly at the bottom of Band I to Industrial Espionage at the top of Band V.


 * • O'Neill Two declares independent status. The "O'Neill War" between ESA and the Highriders occurs, lasting approximately 7 hours. Due to numbers, and the inherent cooperation between workgangers and spacepilots, ESA is forced to rescind control of O'Neill Two. They (ESA) retain Crystal Palace and L-4 (O'Neill Three).


 * • ESA/Soviet Isidis/Mars Base completed and a formal colonial government is introduced.

2023

 * • NASA begins regular flights to Mars, initially every fourteen months.


 * • The New York-Boston extension to the Intercontinental Maglev System is completed and goes online.


 * • Major manned survey effort by NASA leaves for Jupiter.

2025

 * • Clavius colony completed. Three times larger than Tycho, it is described as being totally self-supporting.


 * • NASA manned mission to Jupiter arrives.


 * • ESA/Soviet manned mission to Jupiter departs.


 * • Joint JAB/NASA Saturn study set for launch.

2026

 * • Texas/Mexico Nomad Border War begins.