PROLOGUE

 At the beginning of the 22nd century, the world became rapidly concerned with competing ethics and universal morals. Isolationist groups declared their sovereignty in the growing turmoil, claiming their superiority of principle. Fortified cities sprung forth with idealistic leaders at the helm and small nation states formed around them. With a focus on maintaining unity and an ethical structure for its people, these newly founded Principalities began a crusade for moral authority.

Acknowledging the paradise beyond the fortified cities, the world around them turned envious and clamored for entry. The clamor became a frenzy and the frenzy became a demand. The world broke out into several wars of fractured alliances and newly formed coalitions. Several decades passed and so did many of the world’s inhabitants. New technology fueled the war forward and dared for one side to declare themselves the winner.

Finally, after several decades of ceaseless fighting, a decisive breakthrough in defensive technology was found. The young eighteen year old leader, Siegfried Schraeder, seized the initiative for the Principality Alliance. The newly created Molecular Barrier allowed for the formerly-banned nuclear weapons to once again be unleashed. Mutually assured destruction was no longer considered. The Barrier went up and the bombs came down. The Alliance’s surrounding enemies were decimated overnight.

Siegfried became a hero and was worshipped like an emperor. His peace-time policies grew the Principality Alliance to what he perceived as the ultimate moral end. The achievements of the benevolent monarch never went without notice. He took several wives and sired many children. He raised his children with diligence, knowing one day his time would end, and so too would the fearful passivity of the remaining outside world.