The Roc’s Timeline

(While this has been edited down to the bare facts to exclude glaring spoilers, some of the information may be more explicit than what has been included so far in the books)

 

Pre-Great Collapse Era:

2021: World’s population is 7.8 billion.

2050s–2165: Increasing overpopulation. Further damage to the environment, ice caps melting. Various natural and man-made disasters. Increase in crime, riots and poverty.

2070s: Boom in nanobot research as a desperate attempt to solve the crises. Later referred to as the 1st nanobot revolution.

2140s: World’s population reaches 16 billion.

2140–2165: Chaos, riots and civil wars intensify and become a global issue.

2165–2177: The Great Collapse. After over a century of chaos, civil wars and broken industries, governments and nations around the word fall one after another. By the end, the world’s population is down to approx. 10% from the 2140s.

2175, September: French government (one of the two still in existence) escapes from Lyon into a fortified position in the Alps.

2176, January: French government falls.

2176, March: Brazilian government (last in existence) officially falls.

2176, March–2177, June: Widespread anarchy, chaos, survival of the luckiest and fittest. The world’s population is even more decimated.

 

era of the World Government:

2177, June 21st: The World Government is established. A new world emerges. An ironclad rule forced upon people is met with little resistance as the surviving population welcomes guidance and hope for prosperity.

2178: The World Government’s constitution is established. It dictates how people are allowed to lead their lives in great detail. Birth rates strictly controlled.

2178–2314: The world is being rebuilt under the watchful eye of the World Government. Peace and prosperity flourish at the expense of freedom.

2250s: The 2nd nanobot revolution begins and in 2258 ends in disaster in the West Prealps (the Contamination Zone). Dams built on the Rhone.

 

Era of the Afro-European Alliance:

2314, October 17th: The World Government grants sovereignty to the Asian Coalition of Free Nations, the South American Association and a number of smaller countries, and renames itself the Afro-European Alliance (population around 100 million, approx. 2.5 person/km).

2315, February 2nd: The World Government’s constitution is ratified by the Alliance.

2315–2467: The Alliance blossoms. Golden era for peace, prosperity and science. The World Government’s philosophy remains in force.

2350s: The 3rd nanobot revolution begins.

2370s: Nanobots in widespread use begin to drastically change life and improve its quality. Creation of 1st-generation nanoboost: a genetic therapy for newborns aimed to give a long life in perfect health. Early legal documents compiled stating which conditions can be treated. Life expectancy over 100 years.

2379: Nanobots used for the first time as fully reversible birth control with no side effects. Replacement for hormonal therapies.

2440s: Early experiments in tailored genetic nano-therapies lead to creation of NanoBTher: a personalised form of nanoboost given to all newborns aimed at purifying their genome of all imperfections. Rules on what constitutes an imperfection tightened. Life expectancy reaches 150 years.

2467: Tailored nano-therapies become too expensive for everyone to afford. A child dies from a genetic defect when parents can’t afford NanoBTher.

From 2467: Wealth gap increases. Formation of a two-tier System which divides population into the Elite and Leeches. No birth control among Leeches.

2510–2540: Early development of modern VRPs. Sudden increase in popularity despite limited options and sensory imperfections.

2521: Cassandra and Marx Entertainment company specialising in all things VR is established. Later known as Cassandra.

2578: Eloise’s grand-uncle, Jaden Chandler, is born.

2607: Chandler N-suit Research Base is built. Jayden Chandler equips the facility with state-of-the-art equipment and assembles a research team of n-suit experts.

2611, November 19th: Lyon’s food farms and factories get the go-ahead (an experimental project). Influx of workers to the area reaches half a million by 2617.

2615: Jayden Chandler (37yo) makes an important n-suit/VRP interface breakthrough, greatly diminishing the difference between a real-life experience and a VR adventure.

2617–2619: Improved nano-tech leads to substantial automation of Lyon’s food farms and factories. Hundreds of thousands of workers laid off.

2640s: Leech population supersedes Elites. The fact remains unknown as most Leeches do not have a Birth Chip Certificate (BCC) implant and are not part of the census.

2638: The military fortifies the facilities in the Stubai Alps for the storage of weapons and equipment and renames them Vortex 5.

 

Freedom Wars:

2643, April 7th: The Coalition invades the Alliance, blitzing their four District capitals to the ground.

2643–2704: The Freedom Wars. A long and bloody conflict between the Coalition and the Alliance.

2651: Battle of New Delhi. The Wars heat up.

2657: Military base near Geneva evacuated. Bombings near Lac d’Annecy destroy the Duingt tunnel.

2660s: Colonel Kraskow signs off on use of nano-hells (psychotropic and hallucinogenic drugs) on Leech recruits in Delta-83 training camp in the Central Apennines.

2670s: The use of an Ω-9 nano-hell intensifies. Leech recruits kept permanently intoxicated, leading to neural degeneration, insanity and a plethora of serious injuries. As many as 50% of recruits suffer irreparable damage or death at the height of Ω-9 use.

2674: Eloise Moretti is born.

2677: Molina Ortega is born.
2680, September 19th: Mathias Larsen/Raphael Gonzalez is born.

2681: Aisha Toscano/Carlotta Ingram is officially “born”, as stated on her new BCC.

2684: Raymond Rivas is born.

2692: Battle of Balkhash. A massacre that decimates the Alliance’s forces leads to thousands of Leeches being pressed into service.

2693: Molina Ortega (16yo) enlists. First unsuccessful attempt at training for a combat role. Transferred to a weapons factory with Sergeant Dalhström’s (Louis Wagner’s) help.

2695, April 22nd: Eloise’s grand-uncle dies.

2696: Eloise graduates from university and moves into the Chandler N-suit Research Base, making it her home.

2699: Selissa Bassett/Megan O’Haress is born.

2700: Mathias Larsen (20yo) drops out of Cairo’s Nano-Tech Academy and joins the military.

2702: Molina Ortega (25yo) completes her basic training and becomes a pilot.

2703, January 13th: Battle of Ashgabat. Corporal Nathaniel Kaal, Ortega’s squadron leader, reassigned in the aftermath.

2704, May 7th: Molina Ortega (27yo) fires a missile with a nano-virus at the Coalition’s R&D facility in the Altai Mountains, ending the Freedom Wars (the Final Strike).

2704, May 16th: The peace treaty is signed.

 

Post-Wars Modern Days:

2713, May 19th: Raymond Rivas crashes his Kookoomere, killing 17 Leeches and injuring 3 Elites.

2713, June: Raymond (29yo) joins the military.

2719, December: Timothy Sagan is stripped of Elite status after an unsuccessful attempt to hack one of Eloise’s VRPs.

2721: Cassandra begins using Eloise’s illegally modified VRPs as sex brothels.

2724, October 3rd: Damaged sexual entertainment (2718SEX3) VRP is found in the pocket of a dead Leech fished out of the Rhone.

2725, February 12th: Alexa Valentino, an Elite girl, goes missing. Found dead 13 days later.

2725, March 3rd: Prologue of Rising Tomorrow (Roc de Chere Book 1).

2725, March 4th: Sergeant Carlotta Ingram reports to Lyon’s 4th Police Station.

2725, April 20th–2725, May 3rd: Main events of Rising Tomorrow (Roc de Chere Book 1).

2726, February: Main events of Vortex of Lies (Roc de Chere Book 2).