Royal Space Force

The 2030's

The 30s is a real decade of change for the world. Oil is becoming difficult to source with many supposedly large wells drying up. This causes rising tensions between the worlds big oil using nations and supplying countries.
Life expectancy in the UK is over 100 with the aging process only really starting in your 90s. This has meant that many people now work into their 80s before they can retire.

Politics

A simplified system of taxation was introduced in 2031. All of the old excise duties and different rates of taxes were scrapped. You would now pay 20% tax on all income earned. It was hoped that this would stop some of the fraudulent tax loop holes used by big business, and prevent earnings being hidden amongst bonuses and perks.
The 2035 general election was the first of its kind. An independent candidate, John Smith had only a few policies;

• To keep the blockade
• To shut parliament and introduce a new national voting system
• To install the King as head of state

Many MPs laughed at Mr Smith, but the public had different ideas. They had little trust in MPs. They believed them corrupt and blamed them for what had happened to the world. The enigmatic John was different. He was gaining popularity at an astonishing rate. To win the overall vote in parliament though needed more than just one seat. John asked for anyone in each seat to stand for election and to have only his policies and then to stand down.
Election night was astonishing, John had won every single seat with an overwhelming majority! There was uproar amongst the former MPs with the Police having to arrest many for breach of the peace.
The country would be run by the civil service under the new head of the civil service. A post that could have you voted out at anytime. It took some working out, but a simplification of systems saw through. Departments improved efficiency simply by not having to adhere to wasteful government policies and just got on with it.
The new Citizenship Voting System was introduced. This computer based system allowed a citizen to pose a policy, a question, a new law even. This would be reviewed and placed on to a voting roster which citizens could vote for, against, disregard, or report. It was a quick system and allowed civil service departments to act on public opinion.
The only issue that John had was who should be allowed to vote. Any citizen should be able to vote. But what made a Citizen. John had kept his ideas hidden until now. A citizen was someone who had benefited the country. The initial list included, Military service, Civil service, NHS, Emergency services, and Farming among others. The dole scroungers, as John put it, had not earned the right of a say in running a country they had not benefited.

Artificial Intelligence

Geeks ltd, a small software company that had moved in to an old, ex Microsoft building, discovered a large cache of linked computers. These computers had been there since the blockade and were still running. The program was originally a Microsoft games engine that had been set to evolve when they were forcibly removed from the UK. The new engine had been evolving for the last 10 years. What the team found was astounding. The game engine had developed in to what could only be described as artificial intelligence.
This lead to a new generation of computer software and to enhanced robotics.

Energy

The fusion plants in the North sea and Irish sea were both working well. They supplied all of the UK energy needs and were still not running at full capacity.

Employment and Unemployment

The problem with the new rejuvenating nano-tech medicines meant that people were living longer, healthier lives. The average lifespan was now well into the 100s with people only showing real signs of aging at around 110 or more. This had a detriment to the unemployment numbers. They blamed the old for keeping them out of a job. In fact many of the unemployed just didn’t want to work as they were better off just claiming benefits.
There were a few assaults on the old and on old peoples home. The problem wasn’t just the life span but also that the working person found it very difficult financially to just retire as their pensions had been eroded away over the years.
The worst of these were some of the big companies that had simply spent their pensions budget, usually on perks and benefits for the shareholders and managers. One of the big calls for citizenship voting was when the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham went bust with their local senior management and MP disappearing having spent vast sums of council money on themselves.

Military

The three arms of the military became independent from the state after the 2035 general election. They were placed under the crown with a Commander-in-Chief in overall command. The new military saw the overall head as being the UK Citizens.
Medical nano-tech is used to enhance soldiers physical and mental abilities enabling them to link with equipment, vehicles, and computers using in-head wetwear.

Conflict

2nd Falkland Islands War

2038
The world was suffering with a fuel shortage. Oil had dried up at many wells with many countries paying vast amounts for oil and gas. Around the Falkland Islands is a large oil reserve. Not used by the UK due to their Fusion reactors.
On 20th April, 2038 the Argentinian military once again invade the islands. As before they quickly subdue the local inhabitants and either shot or incarcerate the local British Forces. This seemed a bit of a folly as the Royal Navy had two aircraft carriers, The Queen Elizabeth, and the King Charles, within striking distance of the Islands. These carriers were backed up by the Atlantic fleet of 4 Destroyers and 4 Frigates.
Most of the world just accepted that the Argentines were right, and that the oil should be ‘shared’ amongst them. Only Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Korea, Mongolia, and South Africa disagreed. They argued that the UN should stand up for Britain and protect the Falkland Isles.
The North American 1st Fleet, in transit from the Indian Ocean back to the US diverted towards the Islands. The world thought that they were going to their old allies assistance. It was only when 8 missiles launched from 2 US Guided Missile Destroyers at the British fleet did everyone understand their intentions. The US were going to the aid of the Argentinians.
Unfortunately for the Americans the British fleet was not what they expected. As the missiles approached, the British fleet activated their missile defence system, and simply shot the missiles out of the sky using their laser point defence system.
The US made matters worse when they accused the UK of attacking their fleet. They threatened the UK with all manner of retribution. From invasion to nuclear strikes. Calls to the UN to impose strict reprisals to the UK were called for but none were upheld. The UN had an inclining that something was wrong.
The situation worsened for the US when an object moving at extremely high speed broke away from Gibraltar and started heading their way. A second object moving at some 300 knots underwater also started heading their way from the Falkland Isles. To make matters worse, another large object also started moving in the Northern Irish Sea. This object cleared Northern Ireland and started to cross the Atlantic. It was on a direct course towards the US.
The US fleet prepared torpedoes and undersea defences as the first ‘submarine’ approached. Suddenly its speed dropped and it disappeared from their screens. Sensors screamed. Two incoming missiles had been detected! They detonated someway off, and above the fleet. The US thought they were safe until a graphene nanocarbon net engulfed the entire fleet. communications went down, sensors, electronics, everything was shorted out. The ships started being dragged towards one another, wrapped in an ever tightening net. The US 1st Fleet was out!
The Argentinian invasion force was also in for a shock. From out of the ocean men started to appear. They made no effort at concealment or evasive tactics. They just walked up the beach. Weapons in hand wearing what could only be described as a full suit of armour. Impervious to the bullets being fired at them they promptly subdued the Argentinians without a single loss of life. Buenos Aires didn’t escape attack either. It was smothered in the same graphene superconducting net as the American fleet. Electrical installations short circuited disrupting massive areas. Governmental control was lost. Promptly followed by disorder and unrest amongst the Argentinian populace. The war in the Falkland Isles was won. But the UK had far more to say.
Less than a day later the large object crossing the North Atlantic was approaching the Washington coastline, still underwater it started to rise to the surface. US warships had to run for safety when the large 15km diameter disc didn’t just surface, but continued into the atmosphere. Water rushing in to fill the space where it was. The large disc continued over Washington and stopped directly above the White house. It was like a scene from a movie. The massive disc just hovered, soundlessly above the White House.  The large Union Flag and Irish Tricolour emblazoned on its side told all who saw this ship who it belonged to. No communications were forthcoming. It didn’t need to, it’s intention was clear.
The US didn’t want to back down. After being a world power for decades it hated being threated by what it considered an inconvenience. Two missiles were fired from a Destroyer just off the coast. The UN was not happy with this as should the craft be shot down it would cause untold destruction to the city below. That wasn’t going to happen. The large craft simple diverted the missiles up above the hull. When they were safely diverted above the city the two missiles were destroyed. The wreckage falling on the crafts hull, protecting the city below. The US had lost, but could not accept it.
HMS London fired two super cavitating torpedoes at the US coast. at 1km off the coast the torpedoes exited the water and went supersonic. The first missile detonated a massive EMP blast over the Pentagon, the second over Cheyanne mountain. The US armed forces had been neutralised.
The UK contacted the UN and informed them that the war was over. The blockade was finished and that the UK would negotiate technology. To prove their point the large craft, now know as RAF SOL accelerated directly upwards and entered orbit. The world had entered the space age.

World News

The 2nd American Civil War

The early years of the 2030's saw the start of America's 2nd civil war. After years of lobbying for gun control the Supreme courts agreed the President's new restrictions on gun control. Protesters from both camps were at the courts in all of the states. Many carried firearms that at that time were legal. At the time of agreement on the amendment to the US Constitution the Police were instructed to seize all firearms that were in the protesters possession. The first signs of trouble was when many of the Police officers refused to carryout the order. In fact many of the courts refused to accept the Supreme courts decision and instructed the Police to do the same. The President, Glen Snowfell, instructed the military to uphold the law. But again this didn't bode well. Many of the commanders refused to carry out the orders and many soldiers also deserted and refused the orders. The country was split in almost the same states as the previous civil war but also included many of the western and central states. Fortunately there was very little blood loss during the short 3 month war to overthrow the supreme court and the President. The new President, Adele Trump, was America's first female President. Pro gun and the constitutional rights of a US citizen. She was also anti-Muslim and extremely evangelical. Starting a new era of the Crusade. 

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