Earth is a wasteland, a shadow of its former self. Vast cities that once teemed with life are now silent, in ruins, their skeletal remains a testament to a world ravaged by centuries of environmental neglect and nuclear conflict.
The human population on earth now stands at 300 million inhabitants, down from the peak of 21 billion. The remaining inhabitants now live mainly in the far north. Huge sections of the planet became too hot to sustain human life. The heat caused huge water shortages and the mass migration north was impossible to stop. Borders fell due to the sheer scale of people attempting to flee to cooler climates and access to fresh water. A lack of supplies overwhelmed humanitarian services in France, the U.K, Canada, Russia and Scandinavia. The population of these countries swelled rapidly.
The existing infrastructure, including housing, healthcare, and transportation systems, toppled and the growing population caused a rapid depletion of resources like food and clean water, leading to shortages and mass panic. The sudden population increase leads to a spike in unemployment and the economies of these regions, unable to adapt quickly to the massive influx of people, begin to collapse. This exacerbates poverty and leads to widespread economic instability.
Severe overcrowding in the now huge migrant camps and lack of adequate sanitation lead to the outbreak of diseases. Healthcare systems, already overstretched, struggle to cope with the increase in patients, leading to a huge healthcare crisis.
Over 5 million people a day attempt to cross into Europe from Africa, the blockades were useless. In order to protect the inhabitants of Spain, France and Italy, the governments initiated the ‘Absolute Boundary Initiative’ with a zero tolerance, shoot on sight policy to illegal immigrants crossing the sea trying to escape Africa.
The fight for water and land set off a chain reaction across the globe. As resources like water and food became even more scarce, conflicts erupted. These conflicts ranged from local skirmishes to large-scale wars over control of resources and territory. The fight for survival becomes a primary concern, overshadowing any collaborative efforts to try and address the underlying crisis.
Russia with one of the largest freshwater supplies in the world is invaded by China.
For years there had been escalating tensions between Russia and China over shared water resources that cross their borders. Climate change had exacerbated these tensions by reducing water availability, leading to disputes over water rights and usage. Efforts at diplomacy and conflict resolution fail as both nations are unwilling to compromise on their water needs, considering it a matter of national survival. Tensions escalate into military standoffs along the border.
Attempts at diplomacy by other countries fail and Russia send 5 tactical nuclear warheads into China to gain a strategic advantage. Seconds later China retaliate. Both countries, possessing significant nuclear arsenals, engage in a full-scale nuclear exchange. The devastation is immediate and overwhelming in both countries, with heavily populated major cities being primary targets. In less than 30min over 4bn people are killed.
The nuclear exchange triggers a global environmental catastrophe now called ‘The Great Desolation’. It caused widespread destruction, fires, and radioactive fallout. Global infrastructure is decimated, leading to a breakdown in communication, transportation, and governance. The impact on healthcare systems is catastrophic, unable to cope with the scale of the humanitarian crisis. International trade grinds to a halt, and global financial markets collapse.
The blue oceans had turned murky, the skies perpetually gray with the smog of industries long gone. The last of humanity clung to life in scattered enclaves, seeking a salvation that Earth could no longer provide.
The U.S/Canadian combined leadership-initiated project Phoenix in 2320. Its sole purpose was to accelerate the search for a new home for the human race. What was left of the worlds top scientists and astrophysicists were sent to heavily guarded aerospace facilities in Canada.
All existing satellite exploration missions were redirected to the new focus of finding a planet with the potential for human life. The satellites were dispatched in all directions, hurtling through the void in the hope that they would come into contact with something, anything that could signal hope.
After nearly 20 years of searching, the satellite ‘Stellar Nomad’ disappeared from scanners. A few weeks later it suddenly reappeared. New data files were found in the satellite’s hard drive and were made visible to leadership back on Earth. Initial excitement was dampened as the files gave coordinates to a seemingly empty area of space…
The ‘Odyssey Ark’ and a crew of 12 explorers left Earth two years later to travel to those coordinates. The mission was a desperate attempt to make contact with whomever or whatever had sent the message back to Earth. After 6 years onboard the explorers reached the area of space and waited.
After months of waiting a portal suddenly appeared. Feeling they had no other choice, the brave explorers flew into the portal and vanished.
The portal transported the explorers to a distant galaxy named ‘Ventura Nexus’. The crew of the Ark were brought to the planet Arion where contact with new lifeforms was established. Arion is a terrestrial planet with a diverse geography featuring expansive deserts, lush forests, and towering mountain ranges. Its temperate climate and breathable atmosphere support a rich biodiversity. The Arion race was tall, with a superior intelligence relative to humans.
The crew were welcomed by the Arion leadership and spent time building strong bonds with the inhabitants. The civilization on Arion emphasizes unity, and quicky established a plan to help the remaining population of Earth.
Arion brought the first wave of settlers to a newly constructed star base on the nearby planet of Naron. They started to create a home on the star base, a beachhead for humanity's new beginning. They were then allowed to send back new messages to Earth to initiate the call for the next much larger wave of settlers. The news of Naron sparked a wave of euphoria back home. For the first time in generations, humanity dared to hope
The settlers also quickly recognized the need to establish strong relations with the inhabitants of this new galaxy. Naron’s first ambassador Dr Lucile Green was voted in and she joined a newly formed council of Ventura Nexus planets. The council was established to create a coordinated bond between planets that had been fighting for centuries. Planets had previously been divided into two rivalling factions. Celestria and Fangora. Tensions between the planets were still evident and a number of the planets affiliated to Fangora had held out on joining the council.
In an attempt to foster unity and bring the planets together, the council concocted the idea of establishing a new interplanetary sport. Each planet would field a team a compete in the tournament. Humans were also invited to join and represent their new home of Naron in the tournament. The team sport would be played in new purpose gladiatorial style arenas and simple rules established.
The game was named Starball.