The Last War

"Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind."

- John F. Kennedy

The Last War is a Hard Mystery storyline in .

Overview
You must find ways to keep the tension from reaching 100%. Upon bringing tensions down to 0% the conflicts on Earth will be successfully resolved. Tensions will rise up from events that happen on Earth and are out of your control.

Strategies
A key theme of The Last War is having your colony be self sustaining. It is important to produce enough electronics, polymers and machine parts on your own to keep your colony running smoothly. Other important strategies are to have lots of space in your colony for sudden population growth and to have a means to defend yourself.

Recommended sponsors and mission commanders
There is no particular advantage to any one sponsor for this mystery. Choose your favourite!

The Last War: Before The Storm
Log: Sol X

"We have devastating news from Earth!

A chain of attacks has reduced to ruins major temples and landmarks in Southeast Asia. Preliminary estimates put the body count in the hundreds.

Despite the scale of the attacks, the perpetrators are believed to be terrorists of a new kind. So far no one has taken responsibility as tensions are high and the blame game is in full swing.

There is still a lot of confusion. We will be following the events as they unfold."

The Last War: As Tensions Rise
Log: Sol X

"In the wake of the attacks in Asia, many dormant grievances between the nations affected have been reignited - some of which go far back in time.

The UN has set out a tension meter as it warns that this situation has the potential to escalate into an all-out war if measures aren't taken. The goal of the meter is to try and give an objective representation of where things are now and to help us understand what works and what doesn't. Everyone in the UN is asked to step in and do all they can to help calm the spirits.

So far we can see no adequate way to help from here."

This is the start of the scenario. The War Tension meter starts at 10%.

You must find ways to keep the tension from reaching 100%. Upon bringing tensions down to 0% the conflicts on Earth will be successfully resolved. Tensions will rise up from events that happen on Earth and are out of your control

The Last War: Local Wars in the Third World
Log: Sol X+5

"The ripples made by the attacks on Earth have toppled governments and paved the way for opportunists to ride a wave of populist fury.

Border skirmishes are slowly spilling into full scale invasions and the major powers are so far failing to instate a cease fire. The relative peace Earth has been enjoying for the past century now seems to have been a fragile facade, beneath which grudges and ambitions have been festering in wait for the right moment.

The organization responsible has all but vanished after accomplishing more that it could have possibly hoped for.

We, on the other hand, as a symbol of what humanity can achieve when working together and not by fighting between ourselves, are in an unique position to make a statement which may be of actual merit to the situation."


 * Effect: Choice between:
 * Only united can we hope to conquer the void. (constrain War Tension increase to 5%)
 * Earth won't change. (50 new applicants; War Tension will increase by 10%)

The Last War: Peacemaker
Log: Sol X+10

"Our sponsor has informed us that it's now playing a major role in peacekeeping efforts. They are also providing humanitarian aid to vast territories that are affected by the crisis.

Millions have been displaced and food is of severe shortage.

We have been given a heads up that resource supply from Earth will soon become unavailable for an unspecified amount of time. Now all eyes on Earth are on [Sponsor] and there are those who will benefit greatly by branding them hypocritical in their commitment and intentions - hampering all progress towards peace. "


 * Effect: Resupply with resources from Earth will be unavailable after 5 Sols. Take care to order any needed resources soon.

The Last War: Resupply Cutoff
Log: Sol X+15

"The supply embargo is now in effect.

We must make do with what we can obtain by ourselves for however long a period this turns out to be. "


 * Effect: Resupply with resources is now unavailable.

The Last War: Doomsday Clock
Log: ~ Sol X+16

"Tensions are rising at a rate faster than even the most pessimistic predictions.

The UN has adopted the Doomsday Clock that the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has used since the end of World War Two - to highlight how close humanity is to self-extinction. It is now set at Two Minutes to Midnight, a level at which it hasn't been at since the early 21st century."

The Last War: Off-World Safety
Log: ~ Sol X+20

"With millions of refugees, and governments reluctant to take in any at all, a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale has developed.

Dug in our struggle to survive on Mars, we seem to have taken for granted that Earth - a place where there is enough of everything we need so desperately up here - is always there for us should we need it. Now that we have established a somewhat solid presence on Mars, and Earth seems to be in a dark place, it seems we may have the opportunity to return the favor.

 has sent a request that we start accepting refugees. They hope this drastic measure to get people to safety will highlight the absurdity of regional governments not taking in refugees and put pressure on them by their own populace."


 * Effect: 20 Refugees want to join the Colony. Accepting them will decrease the War Tension, but could the colony support this additional population?

The Last War: Closer to Home
Log: ~ Sol X+25

"A blatant lie is gaining traction on Earth.

A faction in the wars on Earth, an alliance of smaller states, has come out and outright accused  of using the Mars project as a backdrop for developing and testing forbidden weapons, whih care then used on their people.

''The UN has requested that we allow a probe to be made so this nonsense is cleared, although we fear that instilling such doubts in our colonists may have an impact on morale as a whole.

What do we do?"


 * Choices:
 * Submit to UN inspection. (-10 Morale to all colonists)
 * Deny allegations. (+10% War Tension)

The Last War: It Has Begun
Log: ~ Sol X+30

"It has begun. The moment that seemed unthinkable less than a year ago.

Regional conflicts have dragged the major powers on Earth to declare war on one another. Earth is now officially going through its Third World War.

So far no nuclear weapons are reported to have been used, and we pray to whatever gods are listening up here on Mars, that none will be used. But somewhere in the now abandoned halls of the UN building in New York, the Doomsday Clock sits in the dark - with its warning having fallen on deaf ears and its hands perilously close to midnight."


 * Effect: All rockets are unavailable due to chaos on Earth.

The Last War: Supply Line Back
Log: ~ Sol X+40

"We have received some good news, for a change!

Among the chaos on Earth, our sponsor hasn't forgotten about us. They tell us that bad PR is the least of their concerns right now and we can once again request supply rockets from them. However, all resources are very scarce on Earth and will remain unavailable for us."


 * Effect: Rockets from Earth are available once again. Resources are still unavailable.

The Last War: Feeding the Hand That Feeds
Log: ~ Sol X+45

"It may seem that Earth has been engulfed with slowly spreading madness, but there are those who haven't lost their minds to the war craze, and are actively working to restore peace.

As major mining operations on Earth are easy targets for today's weapons,  believes that a supply of Rare Metals from Mars will greatly help their peacekeeping efforts."


 * Effect: You can now send Rare Metals to Earth to decrease War Tension, instead of receiving Funding. Rockets for the shipments will arrive regularly.

The Last War: Earth Attacks!!!
Log: ~ Sol X+50

"Our support for our sponsors has brought attention to us once more and now retaliation is imminent!

Several objects that were in unspecified orbits around the Sun and not far from Mars have suddenly changed trajectory and are heading our way. All gathered observations point towards old dormant weapons from the time before the space weapon bans came into power."


 * Effect: Our colony is being bombarded! MDS Lasers can protect the surrounding area from bombardment.

The Last War: Embracing the Void
Log: ~ Sol X+55

"From out here, Earth is indeed a pale blue dot. It seems so peaceful and tranquil, yet the harrowing stories of those who have witnessed the recent events there point to a reality which is anything but.

Millions of people want to flee Earth for the - what now looks like - relative safety of Mars. It is impossible to help them all, but we might endure the extra strain and save some more souls from the war and bring hope to all those we can't."


 * Effect: Even more refugees want to join the Colony. Accepting them will decrease the War Tension, but could the colony support this additional population?

The Last War: Comet Sighted!
Log: ~ Sol X+60

"A comet suddenly lit up night skies above Earth, visible from all over the globe.

Although the comet is well known and talked about by most space agencies, in the current atmosphere on Earth people have little time for space news and have chosen to see an omen in it.

Most interpretations have been that victory is imminent for the interpreter, but more alarmingly many believe this is a sign of the end times.

''Some have chosen to embrace it... risking this becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We have to talk some sense into the Earthlings."


 * Choices (all of which yield +10% War Tension):
 * I thought we lived in more enlightened times.
 * You do know this comet was predicted to come this close to Earth 50 years ago, right?
 * Earth has changed a lot since we departed for Mars, and not for the better.
 * Of course it's an omen. How could it possibly be anything but?

The Last War: Noah's Ark
Log: ~ Sol X+70

"We have been informed that even more refugees are being sent our way.

One would argue this is an extreme and unpractical plan, not to mention the extra weight risks dooming the entire Mars project altogether.

However, there are those who believe this is an effort to save as many people as possible from what some predict to be a war that ends humanity on Earth. "


 * Effect: Even more refugees want to come to Mars.

The Last War: The Grand Push
Log: ~ Sol X+75

"There seems to be little time to stop the war from reaching a point of no return, yet time is all we have.

After doing their best to avoid the war from happening, and ultimately failing to do so,  are now determined to see it through.

A final desperate push to complete several separate projects is underway. The projects aim at dramatically shifting the projected direction of the war and bringing everybody to the table to discuss ending it once and for all.

As the war has ravaged most of Earth's resource infrastructure,  is asking we contribute resources they are short on and urge haste, certain they do not need to explain why."


 * Effect: Supply the requested resources to decrease War Tension significantly. Be careful - the conflict on Earth is escalating and we have a limited time frame to resolve it.

The Last War: Time Passes
Log: ~ Sol X+90??

"The narrow window of time we have to act will soon close and the fate of Earth, with which our own fate is very much intertwined with, will be out of our hands.

We must send the requested supplies to Earth as soon as possible! If we do not act with all haste, there may be no living soul left to receive them very soon."

The Last War: Dire Situation
"The end of human civilization on Earth has never been closer.
 * This event fires when War Tension first reaches 80%.

We are 80% on track and are still going at full speed on this downhill race towards Armageddon. Right now it seems we might be Earth's only hope.

We must step up our game and help our sponsor bring things to a conclusion in which the Earth is not scorched by a thousand nuclear detonations.

Make no mistake - although we live our lives on a different world, our fate is very closely tied to that of our mother planet."

The Last War: The Day After Tomorrow

 * This event fires if War Tension reaches 100%.

"Silence... After a brief increase in brightness, everything has fallen silent.

We are scrambling to re-establish communications with Earth, but for the first time no one seems to be listening. Deep down, everyone knows that the unfathomable has happened.

There is denial, there is depression, yet we all know,for the nature of the luminosity spike can be one thing and one thing only: utter nuclear devastation spread all over the globe.

We will keep on listening, maybe someday someone will talk back."


 * Effect: Earth was devastated by the war. Export, Resupply, Research Outsourcing and Applicants have been disabled indefinitely. We are truly alone now.

The Last War: New World Order

 * This event fires if War Tension reaches 100%, and another 50 Sols have passed.

"There are humans left on Earth and they are reemerging to form a new society.

They inform us that things are very different now and Earth will never be the same again. Things are much more difficult; the environment is harsher and sunlight is scarcer; there is little resource to go around and most technological advancements have been lost to nuclear fire.

But they see this as a means of a new clean beginning and have expressed their desire to cooperate with us, this time as true equals."


 * Effect: Contact with Earth has been re-established. Rockets are available once again.

The Last War: Cold War 2.0

 * This event fires if 100 Sols have passed since the start of the war, and the War Tension is between 0% and 100%.

"Mistrust and disbelief is rampant and while the guns are finally silent, the road to healing the wounds of war will be longer than anything Earth has ever experienced before.

Millions have perished and those who survived will suffer a divide so huge, it seems impossible to fill.

In what almost seems as an apathetic effort to move on,  has informed us that we are to continue the project and its business as usual - with the exception that now everything costs more after the devastation on Earth."


 * Effect: Resupply prices increased by 50% for the next 50 Sols.

The Last War: Peace-keepers Prevail!

 * This event fires if War Tension is reduced to 0% before 100 Sols have passed.

"The Drums of War have ceased their relentless beating and those who survived the wars are looking at the death and destruction it caused.

Never has it been so obvious how little a spark can wipe out our race once and for all and this has reached the heart of every human soul on Earth.

As the dead and fallen are being honored, pacts and treaties, forged with compassion and good will, are being signed all over the globe. Our colony on Mars and  have been identified as champions of this peace.

We have received the Honor of Hope and have become the symbol of humanity, closer to everyone's hearts and minds than ever before. Every nation wishes to repay us in any way possible."


 * Effect: A spike of applicants and a dramatic reduction in prices are the short term benefits we are promised to expect.
 * Effect: Gained a new Technology.