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WORLD INFO.
THE YEAR IS 2032... Space travel has broken more boundaries than ever thought possible. While conditions on Earth are not optimal, advancements in technology have improved people's lives and well-being considerably. Besides, most people are just happy to be still alive after the aliens showed up.
THE FATE OF HUMANKIND... The aliens are uniformly hostile, silent, and unique from one another. Their appearances vary wildly, and their bodies can only be preserved for a maximum of two days after death. They may range in size from 0.25 to 100 meters. Some are more dangerous than others, but any sighting should be reported to the police. Small aliens can be dispatched by local law enforcement.
In 2001, Earth made contact with alien life for the first time. Strange, tentacled forms landed, surviving descent through the atmosphere by virtue of their astoundingly thick shells that burned away and then cracked open when they hit the ground. The day so many had been dreading had arrived. Aliens were on Earth.
But things didn't go so badly, in the end. The biggest aliens in the first wave were about the size of a large dog. They were not adjusted to the many biomes on earth, and those that weren't killed by frightened humans or animals died within a week or two of exposure. Research on them began in earnest. Although they had DNA, it was strangely mutated and impossible to sequence.
Humanity was smart enough to brace for impact. They expected more, and within the next three decades, they had more company than they ever wanted. The rate of the aliens' evolution was slow, as expected, but certainly faster than any evolution or adaptation seen on earth. Although they all had the same kind of genetic code, there was little similarity between or even within each wave. Each wave was destroyed—all they had in common was an instinct for killing animals on earth.
Each wave grew in size and threat. Fortunately, the threat of war pushed scientific development and research into overdrive, and technology in all fields advanced at a breakneck pace as a ripple effect. Medication based on new compounds found in alien bodies cured diseases, creating new weaponry to fight these strange beasts pushed technology to new frontiers, and countries began to put aside differences (if only temporarily) when in 2013, the first Class 6 'intruders' (40m to 60m) appeared off the west coast of the United Kingdom.
Humanity managed to keep ahead of the game, but no matter what they tried to find the source of the intruders, nothing could be found. Space seemed as empty and lonely as before; the intruders' eggs seemed to appear out of nowhere. But for the most part, humans adapted to their lives. More people had access to technology than ever before, and even when intruders appeared in populated areas most could be handled by local enforcement.
As time continued to pass, and humanity continued to beat back the waves with only moderate difficulty, some people began to feel that events were too... scripted.
They were right, as it turned out. The introduction of alien life to good ol' Planet Earth was part of an eons-long competition between enormous beings of indeterminable sentience (or whatever passes as a competition between those guys, anyway). One would introduce a stressor (in this case, the intruders), and the other would place a bet on the other side of the conflict. The others spectate. Beginning with small engagements, the conflict steps up as time goes on. And with things as old as these, a 'long time' is somewhat longer than humans can understand; this war has yet to truly begin. And in the process, if making a conflict of this level requires opening a few dimensional wormholes, well, so what? If the universe collapses, they'll find another one.
In 2001, Earth made contact with alien life for the first time. Strange, tentacled forms landed, surviving descent through the atmosphere by virtue of their astoundingly thick shells that burned away and then cracked open when they hit the ground. The day so many had been dreading had arrived. Aliens were on Earth.
But things didn't go so badly, in the end. The biggest aliens in the first wave were about the size of a large dog. They were not adjusted to the many biomes on earth, and those that weren't killed by frightened humans or animals died within a week or two of exposure. Research on them began in earnest. Although they had DNA, it was strangely mutated and impossible to sequence.
Humanity was smart enough to brace for impact. They expected more, and within the next three decades, they had more company than they ever wanted. The rate of the aliens' evolution was slow, as expected, but certainly faster than any evolution or adaptation seen on earth. Although they all had the same kind of genetic code, there was little similarity between or even within each wave. Each wave was destroyed—all they had in common was an instinct for killing animals on earth.
Each wave grew in size and threat. Fortunately, the threat of war pushed scientific development and research into overdrive, and technology in all fields advanced at a breakneck pace as a ripple effect. Medication based on new compounds found in alien bodies cured diseases, creating new weaponry to fight these strange beasts pushed technology to new frontiers, and countries began to put aside differences (if only temporarily) when in 2013, the first Class 6 'intruders' (40m to 60m) appeared off the west coast of the United Kingdom.
Humanity managed to keep ahead of the game, but no matter what they tried to find the source of the intruders, nothing could be found. Space seemed as empty and lonely as before; the intruders' eggs seemed to appear out of nowhere. But for the most part, humans adapted to their lives. More people had access to technology than ever before, and even when intruders appeared in populated areas most could be handled by local enforcement.
As time continued to pass, and humanity continued to beat back the waves with only moderate difficulty, some people began to feel that events were too... scripted.
They were right, as it turned out. The introduction of alien life to good ol' Planet Earth was part of an eons-long competition between enormous beings of indeterminable sentience (or whatever passes as a competition between those guys, anyway). One would introduce a stressor (in this case, the intruders), and the other would place a bet on the other side of the conflict. The others spectate. Beginning with small engagements, the conflict steps up as time goes on. And with things as old as these, a 'long time' is somewhat longer than humans can understand; this war has yet to truly begin. And in the process, if making a conflict of this level requires opening a few dimensional wormholes, well, so what? If the universe collapses, they'll find another one.
THE CURRENT STATE OF THE WORLD... As a whole, people are so confident in their ability to fend off intruders that they've made celebrities out of the mecha pilots and fighters who protect the planet. They're on talk shows, do charity work, and remind people to close their doors at night and keep their protective force shields on in case another wave arrives over a residential area. Those shells can break concrete if the aliens are big enough! Pilots usually have a corporate sponsor or work directly with their country's government to fund the deployments of the units, either on earth or to just above the earth's atmosphere. Thoughts of conspiracy are far from people's minds, except for the suspicious and paranoid few. While scientists continue to research and engineer furiously, they have come no closer to finding the source of the intruders. Massive robots and massive guns prevent the attacks of the largest intruders yet (Class 14, 80m to 100m).
While people still die from preventable diseases and conditions, things are slowly and steadily improving. There's still a huge wealth gap between people and countries. Technology has advanced far enough to make some pretty good virtual reality games (think OZ from Summer Wars). The new generation of mobile devices involve combining ever-more-demanding computer processes with phones. People are more connected than ever, and pop media is more important than ever, too.
While people still die from preventable diseases and conditions, things are slowly and steadily improving. There's still a huge wealth gap between people and countries. Technology has advanced far enough to make some pretty good virtual reality games (think OZ from Summer Wars). The new generation of mobile devices involve combining ever-more-demanding computer processes with phones. People are more connected than ever, and pop media is more important than ever, too.
BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS... The robots (basically huge weaponized mecha) run on an operating system derived from someone's neurological processes (usually the chief engineer of the unit) and piloted by another person. Less advanced units may act as backup if there are multiple intruders, but one is usually enough. Pilots are chosen based on their responses to an aptitude test, which is required for every person to take at the age of 18. The test measures what's basically problem-solving and reaction time, and each year, compare the test-takers' "mental" profiles to those of the engineers then in charge of new units.
Those who rank high in the test are encouraged to join; though it isn't exactly mandatory to join after passing, there are many benefits to being a pilot. Usually, about ten new pilots join every year because the fatality rate is low and the individual efficiency rate is high, though many pilots retire once they've made enough money off of publicity or appearances to live comfortably. To be a pilot is to be in a position of fame and influence, to say nothing of the thirty-story robot under your control.
In addition, the operating system 'profile' of each unit is linked to an AI that can override the pilot if they are incapacitated. Pilots link to the AI each time they pilot in order to have all of the systems running properly; doing so is called entering "flightspace". Some pilots have reported hearing voices in flightspace, but so far those reports have been dismissed as people imagining things.
The units are in fact limited in their power by certain regulations that are only known to a few. All of them have an override system controlled by either the sponsors or the military officials in command of that unit; the pilots have thus far been able to handle most their engagements with relatively little difficulty, and no unit has been forced to use the override yet. The few pilots that have died were caught in situations that were not properly analyzed before deployment and in the early stages of the intruders' invasion. No pilots have died in action in the last twenty years.
Those who rank high in the test are encouraged to join; though it isn't exactly mandatory to join after passing, there are many benefits to being a pilot. Usually, about ten new pilots join every year because the fatality rate is low and the individual efficiency rate is high, though many pilots retire once they've made enough money off of publicity or appearances to live comfortably. To be a pilot is to be in a position of fame and influence, to say nothing of the thirty-story robot under your control.
In addition, the operating system 'profile' of each unit is linked to an AI that can override the pilot if they are incapacitated. Pilots link to the AI each time they pilot in order to have all of the systems running properly; doing so is called entering "flightspace". Some pilots have reported hearing voices in flightspace, but so far those reports have been dismissed as people imagining things.
The units are in fact limited in their power by certain regulations that are only known to a few. All of them have an override system controlled by either the sponsors or the military officials in command of that unit; the pilots have thus far been able to handle most their engagements with relatively little difficulty, and no unit has been forced to use the override yet. The few pilots that have died were caught in situations that were not properly analyzed before deployment and in the early stages of the intruders' invasion. No pilots have died in action in the last twenty years.
