Phelia - Prologue

When did the tweaking of one's genes first become popular around the world?

A. 2058


List three examples of how people chose to modify their genes.    

People modified their genes by changing their eye color, changing their hair color, and, though the procedure was faulty, changing their facial structure.  The changing of one's facial structure sparked controversy, for modifying such a significant category of genes made the person having the procedure done less related to his or her parents, in a sense.


Why were purple eyes not allowed?

Maius Centric, the man considered the father of genetic mutation, made the wealthy business owners he sold his research to swear an oath to never manufacture the gene for purple eyes, else his offer is withdrawn.  He claimed to have dreamt of terrible devastation at the hands of pale skinned soldiers with purple eyes.  The business owners honored their promise.  Besides, purple genes were difficult to construct in the first place.    


Specifically in the time frame of 2058 to 2063, what were some problems this trend of genetic mutation led to?

The first problem is obvious:  mutating your genes had side effects.  Some went blind after having their eye color changed.  The biggest side effect came from the permanent modifying of one's features.  An extremely rare few who had the modification done died from their skin collapsing in on itself.  Although this procedure was rapidly growing in popularity and racking in so much money it was boosting the economy, the government decided to ban the practice to prevent companies from being sued and, most of all, rebellion.  

Secondly, people with lower levels of melanin were less susceptible to popular genetic mutations, such as the changing of their hair and eye color.  These people were known as Pallids.   Although Pallids could have their melanin levels boosted, they were unable to pass any of their altered genes on to their children.  In fact, quite the opposite happened--people with originally low melanin who had their genes mutated born children with defects.  This was labeled a heinous injustice by the media.  As a result, a peaceful war was raged by the Pallids against the government to ban the practice of genetic mutation.  

Finally, the issue with most impact was that many religious groups strongly opposed genetic mutation.  The government tried to silence them with secret donations, but was unsuccessful.  Religious extremists went as far as killing people with silver eyes and blue hair to save them.  This sparked government action, and by 2063, almost all the religious groups around the world had become inactive.  The people who practiced religions that were against genetic mutation had also disappeared.


What was the major cure that was discovered in the year 2071?

D. The cure to cancer


What was the catch to this cure?  Explain in depth.

Just like the altering of eye color and hair color, the cure worked perfectly for the majority of people and didn't work at all for a few--or so the government claimed.  The cure dealt, once again, with a person's genes.  The media preached that the cure was incompatible with Pallids.  Smarter people knew that that was nonsense.  They suspected the government denied Pallids cures because they didn't want to spend money on a population of people who barely took part in genetic mutation for the past thirteen years.  At the time, the economy was in even deeper decline than in 2012, the year known as "when the economy came to an end".


What other cures were found in the subsequent year of 2072?  How did these cures work?  What problems arose from these cures?

The cures to Alzheimer's, autism and nuclear radiation were found.  The word cure is used loosely.  Doctors and scientists would engineer embryos which were unreceptive to these diseases for parents who gave them the permission to do so.  Though this was practiced worldwide, only half the population could afford it.  The idea that Pallids were unsuited for procedures like this had begun to waver; people found it hard to believe that scientists couldn't tweak an embryo to make the child it develops into have sufficient melanin as well as no defects.  Though no one invocated it, it was common belief that doctors, scientists and the government alike were getting back at the Pallids for the peaceful war of 2060; Palliden propaganda during the war caused countless doctors and scientists to lose their licenses, and a few government officials to be kicked out of office.  On another note, there was still the uncertainty of whether or not having these "cures" executed was right.  Yes, religious groups were out of the way, but most people had some sort of faith in a higher power.  They believed they were going against the meaning of life tampering with once incurable diseases.  So, to avoid being persecuted as well, they declined the procedure on grounds of not being able to afford it, which was also true.


In what year did The Ambush take place?
C. 2085


What was The Ambush?  Explain in detail.

The Ambush was a secret attack carried out by the leaders and followers of the religions that had become inactive in 2063.  It turned out that these people had gone underground to prevent being hounded by the government. They called themselves the Theoladins.  During the previous twelve years, the Theoladins had been biding their time and sending spies into government headquarters.  The government at the time was so absorbed with saving the crumbling economy they didn't see what was happening right under their noses.  

By the time they figured out what was going on, most of their genetic technology was demolished.  Or so they thought.  The Theoladins had salvaged some of the basic resources needed for genetic manipulation and kept them for themselves.  The government spent ample time and effort searching for the Theoladins, who had gone into hiding once more, but were unsuccessful.  Again, it seemed that these people had disappeared.


What did the Theoladins do with these resources?  How did their actions lead up to the Washington Massacre?  Describe.

Initially, the Theoladins used the genetic technology they'd stolen to find cures for "diseases" they considered anti-God, such as the desire to kill and, under the Christian belief, the love of the same sex.  At first, the Theoladins used people in their community as subjects.  Later, they moved on to testing their "cures" on various prisoners from impoverished towns where security was low.  The government, however, eventually took notice of the disappearing prisoners.  Fully aware it was the Theoladins behind their disappearances, they sent out a worldwide message proposing a peace treaty.  The Theoladins returned the government's message, agreeing to sign the truce.  However, not all the religious leaders of the Theoladins intended to actually show up at Washington DC, the place of signing.  The ones who stayed behind did not believe the government offering a peace treaty was at the hands of God; they suspected deception, and they were right.  

When the four Islamic priests, five Christian priests, the catholic pope, and over three hundred followers of the different religions arrived at DC, they were massacred by a legion of soldiers called Geneva.  Enraged, the remaining Theoladins swore brutal revenge.


What took place in the ten years that followed?  Toward what means did the Theoladins put their technology now?

In the ten years that followed, the Second Cold War took place.  The Theoladins had threatened nuclear warfare, and the government promised to be ready.  Although the government had access to more resources, they were starting from scratch.  Because of the amount of money--and power--genetic manipulation brought to specific companies, the details behind how it worked was top secret and scarce in copies.  The Theoladins, on the other hand, weren't starting from scratch.  This, government officials knew, gave them an advantage.  

Seeing Geneva grow in strength and numbers, the Theoladins put their efforts toward creating their own legion of soldiers, which they named Genesis.  They set their sights on creating "angels", or super soldiers modeled after religious icons.  For their experiments, they used Pallids as test subjects.  The Theoladins knew that if the Pallids were to disappear, nobody would dare say a word--some might not even care.  Because of the government's abhorrence toward them, the Pallids were at the bottom of the social hierarchy.  There were no Pallids within the Theoladin party itself.  This was for reason that, before they were forced into hiding, the religious groups that made up the Theoladin party wanted nothing to do with the Pallids.  They were afraid association with the Pallids would turn the government's hatred toward them and lead to their persecution.  History has proven them right. The Theoladins marked each of their super soldiers with purple eyes, knowing that none of the general public sported that hue.  It made it easier to discern them from the enemy.  


What were Archangels?  What led to their creation?

Most of the Pallids the Theoladins experimented on died in the process.  They killed the few who survived for fear that they would turn against them.  Instead, the Theoladins turned to their own people.  They already had all the information and materials they needed to create super soldiers--they just needed the right subjects; the Pallids were too weak.  The Theoladins called these new and improved soldiers Archangels.


In what year did the Death War take place?

b) 2124


Who fought against whom in the Death War?

Ultimately, the Death War was a ten year battle between the government and the Theoladins.  Genesis overpowered Geneva, but the government had nuclear paraphernalia on their side.  Nonetheless, the Theoladins, with the help of their Archangels, had managed to plunder a fair share of nuclear weaponry from government headquarters and put up a good fight.  In addition, there were also numerous battles occurring within each of the parties:  people from both sides were questioning what it was they were fighting for, and whether such a fashion of fighting, no matter what the cause, was moral.  There was tremendous upheaval among the Theoladins especially, for the clashing religious and ethical beliefs of its members had been brought to light during this time of war.


What occurred on October 15th, the day presently known as "The Morning of the Fallen Angels"?

On October 15th, a group of twenty seven of the Theoladins' Archangels committed mass suicide.  They were said to have been seen falling from Phelia's tallest cathedral, "a flurry of white feathers; the result of religious science".  


How did this lead to the end of the Death War?

With but a few of their Archangels left, the Theoladins were weakened.  Both the Theoladins and the government had little to none nuclear weaponry left; much of it had been stolen by Archangels and dropped into oceans and deserts prior to The Morning of the Fallen Angels.  Despite this, nuclear weaponry had done its damage:  countless cities--even entire countries--were blown to nothingness.  The world's population was dwindling.  By 2134, there seemed to be nothing worth fighting for, much less fighting with.  


How does the Death War affect our way of life today?

After the Death War, Earth began to look more and more like an uninhabitable planet.  We'd lost numerous sources of fresh water, and there was little plant life.  For a while, it was common belief that the death of the human race was imminent--we would either die from dehydration, or suffocation, for without plants oxygen couldn't be distributed.  Hope came in the form of a company called Aiden in the year 2137.  For three years, Aiden went around the world collecting soil and plant samples.  They used some of the same technology used to create super soldiers to drastically speed up the growth of these plants in their underground warehouses.  By 2240, Aiden was harnessing the oxygen produced by over 300,000 varieties of plants and distributing it around the world.  On top of that, Aiden manufactured most of the world's drinking water.  In the basement of the Aiden Corporation was all the water needed to sustain the world's population of around two million.   Aiden continues to serve us today.  

The end of the Death War also instigated the beginning of the Anti-Renaissance.  The Anti-Renaissance, despite its name, is not a movement set out to eliminate free thought, but rather a movement set forth to eliminate free innovation.  Technology is dangerous; anything that can lead to its rebirth, therefore, is also dangerous.  Preceding the Death War, a seven year raid was instituted by the government to confiscate and permanently destroy all scientific equipment.

But it's not true.  None of it is true.   


Test failed.  Student's opinion not warranted.