A/N

Before starting, I think that it should be made clear that this isn't a standard Red vs. Blue story. For starters, it's a take on the universe's history, something that has so far only been alluded to in the series and in most, if not all of these cases, as humour. And as this is a take on history rather than the characters present in said history's later stages, the story is narrative and while there are occassional humorous snippets, don't expect anything approaching the scale of Rooster Teeth's series.

So yeah. Nothing grand, nothing out of the ordinary, but something that I had fun writing.

Disclaimer: Red vs. Blue is the property of Rooster Teeth. And I guess Microsoft too given the heavy regulations they imposed on machinima awhile back. Cockbites.

Red vs. Blue: The Changing Face of War (Section 1)

Part 1: "Earth doesn't suck! Earth rules!"

Humanity has always moved towards unification. Whether it be by diplomacy or force of arms, links between groups have always been strengthed. By the dawn of the 21st century, it was fortunately the former that would act as a means of unification. The Cold War was over between the super powers, the European Union had been formed and globalization was rampant throughout the world's various cultures. War still existed in the world, but the reasons were different. Once, war had been waged for territory and resources. Now, it was waged for reasons of ideology. At least that was case for a time…

The developed nations policed the world at will, but they either could not or would not bring the smaller conflicts to an end. War prevents societal progress, and by keeping the smaller nations in their place, their own power could be assured. Besides, they had other things to worry about. A lack of natural resources, overpopulation, climate change, the ethics of genetic manipulation… They had their problems. Let the smaller nations deal with theirs.

In this regard, neither MEDC nor LEDC could bring themselves out of the crucible. In the end, it was the superpowers that would show how the world was changing. The Oceanic Federation would seek to expand into Antarctica, claiming resources for development. China and Russia would set their sights on Alaska. The United States would increase 'influence' on Mexico. The European Union would return to its imperialistic roots and ensure that oil prices in the Middle East would be kept "fair", ignoring the ways of supply and demand. By the 2030s, popular sentiment held that the spirit of unification would give way to armed conflict. The International Dibs protocol provided a buffer against this for awhile, but no-one was under any delusions as to how long it would last.

In the end, war did come, but not in the way that anyone imagined. In the year 2040, the Bible was rewritten, featuring a chase scene and cameos by various Hollywood actors. Exactly why and how this occurred has been lost to history, but suffice to say, it had a less than desirable result. Separation of church and state was no longer a reality in some nations. It had been said long ago that "religion is the opium of the masses" and as conditions deteriorated in many of Earth's poorest nations, that opium was being used for something else. It was surprising just how many took the rewriting to heart. Overnight, Italy, seceded from the Union, acting as friendly ground for a now unified Middle East, sick of the 'policing actions' of the Unions on both sides of the Atlantic. That, and the increased use of genetic manipulation (too many half women, half sharks for their liking) was all the excuse that the new allied nations needed to assert their place in the world.

At first the superpowers paid little attention to this turn of events, but when Florida was blasted off the face of the planet, the situation changed. The war was long, the conflict bloody, but the result was inevitable. Within five years, the European Union had annexed the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand had carved up Indonesia, China and Russia had expanded throughout Southeast Asia and the Americas had become 'united'. A single work of literature had given the 

poorer nations of the world the excuse they needed to stand up for their rights. In the end, it had given the richer nations the excuse they needed to quash them.

It can be said that the result was not entirely negative. The United Earth Government (UEG), an evolution of the United Nations, now made the possibility of war non-existent. And to their credit, the superpowers did help their territories get back on their feet, healing the scars of war. However, when it came to the spoils of that war, there was no question as to who had dibs, even if the protocol theoretically still existed…

…but how long would those spoils last?

Part 2: "Which one's the hippy drive?"

2101 was a notable year, apart from being the dawn of the 22nd century. First, it was the year that English 101 was designated as the common tongue of the planet. As it was "English is the only language that kicks arse. And if you have any doubts, remember that those who kicked your arses 50 years ago spoke that language!" The second reason was that 2101 featured the unveiling of the light drive.

The light drive had grown out of abandoned projects in particle acceleration in the war that led up to Earth's unification, abandoned as it was hardly worth developing weaponry to deal with nations who were already outnumbered and outclassed on the battlefield. However, the need to expand throughout and indeed beyond the Solar System was undeniable. The light drive, allowing travel at the speed of light, could allow this.

On December 31st of that year, the Argonaut was launched, ferrying a team of scientists to colonize Mars. Earth had been stripped bare and Luna was well on its way to being in the same boat. However, within the span of fifty years, the notion of resources running low was unheard, for by this stage, humanity had colonies on every world in the Solar System, or in the case of the gas giants, their moons, along with the technology to ensure those colonies were viable. Once, long ago, it had been fashionable to argue that mankind had never landed on the moon. Nowadays, it was argued whether mankind really landed on the Sun, despite the fact that the star was providing a practically infinite supply of hydrogen.

Gradually, idealism returned to mankind's psyche. In the year 2151, all conscription was banned, peace having come to Earth's children. In addition, the desire to explore the stars for more than just material gain gave way to the hyper drive, a solution for the long voyages between star systems. Although some mistook the "one with all the knobs" for the "other one with all the knobs", a practice evolved that the light drive would be used within star systems, the hyper drive between them. Given that practice, mankind spread throughout the stars.

It had been a long road to unification and some things, like the extinction of pumas and walruses (thus becoming near mythical creatures) due to the scars inflicted on Earth, could never be returned. Now however, mankind could seize his destiny.