Crowdsourcing the Timeline

[Mark Skarr]

For the IST 2K Seoul game, these are the events that I’ll be using before the March 19th start date to the game:

A massive explosion (1.5-2 kilotons) in the upper atmosphere in the Yukon, puts all of America and Canada on alert.  Identifying meteoroids falling on Tagish Lake, in British Colombia Canada does little to allay the fears of the two nations.

Alaska Airlines flight 261 declares an emergency over the Pacific near Point Mugu, California.  Quick response from IST Los Angeles and local rescue teams manage to assist the plane into making an emergency landing in the ocean and rescue all 88 persons onboard.

Confederation representatives are interested in human technology, but, due to the vast distances involved are only willing to make agreements for information and media exchange as their trade ships would take over 4 years to reach Earth if it was within range.  The trip is untenable for even the fastest Meeranon vessel.

The American-designed, New York City Fusion Reactor becomes unstable and has to be taken off line.  A small amount of unidentified radioactive material escapes.  Allegations run wild as to the safety and source of American Fusion power.

The Doomsday Cult “Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God” summons the Blue Demon to bring about the end of the world.  The Blue Demon appears, devourers all of the cultists, then moves on to ransack nearby villages.  IST Kampala and local forces are in pursuit of the creature to stop its reign of terror.

This will be the first major event during the game, leading to a skirmish with North Korean, exchange-hired mercenaries:

President Kim Dae Jung of South Korea and U.N. negotiator Dr. Jillian Michaels travel to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il and members of the Chinese government to see about de-escalating the stand-off at the DMZ.

This will happen at the beginning of the second session:

During a break in the negotiations, Jillian reports to her superiors that, while slow, the negotiations are progressing—the Chinese delegation do appear to be genuinely interested in peace and stability in the region. Her report is cut short by a massive explosion devastating the palace. China quickly secures the ruins, refusing any outside, including North Korean, assistance.

A number of skirmishes between North and South Korean forces will ensue, and by the beginning of April:

China declares that Kim Dae Jung had smuggled a powerful explosive device into the meeting and detonated it in an attempt to murder Kim Jong-il and his family. They accuse the U.N. of assisting in this assassination. China seizes control of North Korea and attacks the DMZ.

A stunned world condemns China and demands an unbiased investigation.

And from there, we'll see where the war takes us.