User:BaconShelf/Torch Wars

Collated notes for the Torch Wars and general mid-late 23rd century shenanigans.

Etymology

 * No actual open wars or conflict, but lots of small-scale and low-key hostilities without attracting the ire of the UEG
 * Torch is commonly speculated to refer to the proliferation of fusion drives in the conflicts - such drives known as "torchdrives" or "torchships".
 * alternate suggested theories claim the "torch" aspect refers to the widespread installation of laser-based spacrcraft propulsion systems - well above the levels of ships ever produced that could use such a propulsion system. Rather, investment in lasers as weapons (need to figure out why this never ultimately became used by UNSC military ships tho)
 * Most conflict involved the use of ships using their torchdrives as weapons to slag other ships/stations

Technology

 * Proliferation of nuclear fusion drives among the solar system's private corporations outpaces the ability for the UNSC to equip similar such vessels on their own craft - corporation and government become a highly intertwined entity (cf. nobility vs. religious clergy in Medieval times - both had different duties and powers but were equally reliant on one another)
 * part of a larger trend toward technological revolution - AI, transhumanism, augmentation etc

Jovian Moons

 * The centrepiece of the Torch Wars, the Jovian Moons and their various corporations
 * Not insignificant - though reduced due to Inner System troubles - UNSC presence keeps large-scale peace
 * Corporate shadow wars fought inside tunnel-cities discreetly (very cyberpunk)
 * Dissolution of the Friedans saw the Jovian moons divided into more constituent entities and colonies, with their colonial govts intertwined with the corporations in the system - lots of balkanisation
 * Lots of immigration from Mars to set up new colonies
 * Aforementioned tension + some lingering sentiments from the IPW cause the melting pot for rife tension - though a UNSC boot on the Jovian system's neck ensures no active wars

Saturnian moons

 * Development of fusion sees the Saturn frontier truly open up, as helium lifter fleets prepare to skim the atmosphere for fuel
 * Chronian land rush - settling the frontier
 * Waves of immigration (especially Martians fleeing the Martian collapse)
 * Saturn's dense rings, easily accessible fusion drives and a fairly small/contained system = space wild west frontier
 * Corporate competition to establish industry on/around Saturn and on Titan (computing centres, hydrocarbon industries etc)

Mars

 * Undergoes economic collapse in the Traxus Crash and ensuing Troubles period; mass emigration by those companies and individuals who can, sees a wave of immigration to the newly-opening frontier of the Outer Solar System (esp. Saturn)
 * UNSC occupation on Mars and MIDA conflict sees the UNSC have to pull back much of its forces from the Outer System to secure the Inner System
 * Recovery of Mars from Traxus Crash sees many outer system corporations invest heavily in the planet; organisations like Misriah, Traxus, SinoViet (etc) become heavily embedded in the UEG

Earth

 * Somewhat parallel to Mars conflict, the UEG on Earth battles with the prospect of potential breakup as member nations view the IPW as done with and want their sovereignty back
 * This dies out toward the mid-23rd century partially bolstered by ongoing successes in containing Mars and initial successful efforts in organised international climate change prevention (and reversal, in some areas)

=Writeup= The Torch Wars (2242-2256) were a period during the mid-23rd century, heavily characterised by the spearhead advancements in fusion drive (referred to in the era as a "Torch Drive") technology made and the opening up of the outer Solar System to human exploitation. Although referred to as a War, the period did not see any significant military conflicts and instead refers to the corporate wars, subterfuge and espionage rampant in their exploitation of the Jovian and Saturnian planetary systems - propelled by an arms race fuelled by the breakneck development pace of torch drive systems.

Background
The dismantling of the Frieden movement at the conclusion of the Interplanetary Wars saw the Jovian moon habitats forcibly split up into a number of smaller states with the goal of preventing potential Frieden hardliners from rallying together and reforming their movement. To assist in this process, new governments were set up and a permanent United Nations Space Command presence was installed in the Jovian system to help prevent the buildup of military forces in the system again.

Nonetheless, as the 22nd century drew to its close the United Earth Government soon found itself turning inward as its member states began asking questions about the need for a world government. Questions about the legitimate reach of the UEG and whether it should control offworld bodies, or even if states on Earth should be required to stay within the union. A handful of small regional conflicts arose on Earth, soon followed by a neo-Frieden uprising on Luna and the Traxus Crash on Mars. This instability in the inner Solar System, while not an interplanetary war-level crisis, saw the resources of the UNSC stretched thin as their now-relatively aged ships continued to crawl across the interplanetary void on as efficient a delta-V budget as possible in an era in which the military had been considerably downscaled from its Interplanetary War heights. With this in mind, the UNSC garrison in the Jovian system was considerably reduced, and the regional corporations given substantial grants into fusion research. While breakthroughs in such technology had occurred in prior decades, the early 2200s saw an acceleration in fusion drive prototyping and research that ultimately culminated in the first-generation drives being put to use in the 2220s - a breakthrough in-part credited to the decision to relocate the primary testing facilities of SinoViet Heavy Systems to the Jovian system in the wake of the Traxus Crash, allowing engineers increased leeway to test their designs with less government oversight,

Over the 2220s, a small handful of corporations began outfitting fleets of interplanetary ships with such drives, allowing them to pick up lucrative contracts for shipping and exploration of Saturn and even the ice giants. This ultimately culminated in the Jovian corporations gaining considerable economic influence in the outer Solar System. By the 2230s, this had escalated into all-but active hostilities as the corporations pumped money into their fusion drive-equipped fleets