The War of 2042 is a fictional conflict depicted in Battlefield 2042 between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. Mainly a desperate scramble for the world's depleting resources amidst a deteriorating climate, it is a culmination of the societal collapse of previous decades.
Background[]
This section contains spoilers for Battlefield 2042.
A Decade of Chaos[]
In 2028, Eastern Europe is caught in a vast fire, known as the Baltic Firestorm. The Baltic Firestorm destroyed swathes of land and food production, polluted air, and blackened European skies. Greenhouse gases released by the Baltic Firestorm worsened global temperature rise, which ensured subsequent glacial melting and a major sea level rise.
In 2031, the Earth begins experiencing increasingly severe extreme climate. The extreme temperature changes due to the Baltic Firestorm and other environmental degradation started forming unprecedently violent hurricanes. The first category 6 Hurricane, Hurricane Zeta, appears on October 9th, 2033. Hurricanes and other unusual weather events become much more commonplace, and begin forming globally, threatening what's left of human civilization. Global shortages of food and fuel take place, and the Second Great Depression starts on January 11, 2034.
On August 8th, 2035, Germany's government collapses, and the European Union is disbanded, leaving the continent in turmoil.
Many countries close their borders during the crisis, and as others collapse, over 1.2 billion people become displaced with no nation to call home. These alienated people join together for their mutual survival, creating fleets while seeking safe harbor from the dangerous global climate and government persecution. These people come to be known as the Non-Patriated, or No-Pats.
By 2037, the United States and Russia are the only remaining superpowers as humanity begins adapting to the new world. Technological breakthroughs in energy and desert irrigation begin to somewhat stabilize supply chains, while hydraulic levees and sea walls allow some coastal cities to become habitable once again. National borders are re-opened, and society begins to rebuild, albeit with a long journey ahead, as the turmoil it has experienced is unprecedented. Many No-Pats reject calls to rejoin the countries of the "Old World", having created their own identity unbound by any national loyalty. As a result, No-Pats become a permanent fixture in all areas of global decision-making.[1]
Many countries, including the United States, began designating No-Pat groups as illegal smugglers, criminals, and pirates. In response, many No-Pat flotillas begin forming Task Forces, armed groups of ex-military Specialists from around the world, to defend themselves when necessary.[2]
The Blackout of 2040[]
To overcome the extreme climate, Canada and the United States start Operation Steadfast Refuge. The result of Operation Steadfast Refuge is a satellite known as the Shearwater I, a terraforming satellite capable of controlling weather patterns to repair inhabitable lands that were destroyed by hurricanes.
In the year 2040, during the first attempt to remove a hurricane, the Shearwater I encountered an error and accidentally released an EMP over the atmosphere. This global EMP shock causes a massive shutdown of global energy supplies, and collapses satellite infrastructure. After the blast, a space debris storm takes place in Earth's upper atmosphere that causes a Kessler effect, causing over 70% of orbiting satellites to crash into the planet.
A global blackout grips the planet and all facets of modern life are affected. Communication grids are destroyed, air travel is disrupted, supply lines are halted, and the price of essential goods is massively inflated overnight. Over 100,000 people are claimed to have died, be it through falling debris or societal unrest and collapse as a result of the blackout.
In the aftermath, military surveillance has become almost impossible, and the United States and Russia blame each other for causing the Blackout. Others believe the No-Pats may have been responsible, possibly desiring to create anarchy as a means to topple what's left of the Old World.
The two superpowers begin a shadow war to secure vital resources. Attempting to avoid declaring a full scale war, both sides begin fielding No-Pat Task Forces as proxies in their conflicts, promising the No-Pats access to the resources in return. These conflicts continue to escalate in scale, and by 2042 open global war is all but inevitable. The remaining unaligned No-Pats are forced to pick sides in order to survive the coming conflict. This makes the previously mentioned brief interval of rebuilding society somewhat obsolete, as even more societal collapse is guaranteed to happen with the eruption of war. [1]
By 2041, the U.S and Russia begin to launch new spy satellites to replace ones lost during the Blackout, but to their surprise No-Pats hijacked a majority of the satellites.
As a result, the United States and Russia start to launch a new type of spy satellite. These satellites have no network capability. Instead, they will fly over hostile territory and gather information, then deliberately crash, allowing ground forces to manually recover their Data Drives.
The areas these satellites crash in become known as a Hazard Zone, where No-Pat forces invade and steal Data Drives from normal occupying forces. These Data Drives with intelligence become valuable goods for trading among the Dark Market, and military intel becomes a de-facto currency.
While most No-Pats simply sell them for money, one No-Pat - Oz - sees the opportunity to change the world with the Drives.
Journey of the No-Pats[]
On September 12, 2041, in Doha, Qatar, journalist Kayvan Bechir is contacted by an anonymous source claiming to be "Oz", who is the commander of the largest organized No-Pat Task Force. Initially doubting the individual's claim, Bechir's home is raided by Qatari police shortly after being contacted, leading him to believe the message is genuine. Escaping the police under the cover of a major sandstorm, Bechir notices the No-Pat emblem hidden in multiple LED billboards around the city. Following the trail of the emblems, Bechir reaches the catacombs below the city's abandoned soccer stadium and meets the No-Pat Specialist Pyotr Guskovsky, who shows Bechir an escape route out of the city.[2]
Continuing to follow Oz's trail, Bechir arrives at the safehouse of a No-Pat Task Force in Alang, India on November 1, 2041, and joins them. Later that evening, the group attacks the ship breaking yard in Alang in order to steal a ship. Combating the Indian Army, the Task Force commandeers a derelict container ship. Headed by Navin Rao, the ship escapes the port and the Army under the cover of a heavy storm, and is dubbed The Copperfield by the Task Force. The Copperfield would proceed to haul supplies between No-Pat groups in the Indian Sea for the next several months following remote orders from Oz, but begins transporting refugees in early 2042. One such refugee mission results in a skirmish with the Singaporean Port Authority at Brani Island in Feburary 2042. The Copperfield is nearly captured before being rescued by a large No-Pat floatilla which drives the SPA away.[2]
By early May 2042, Specialist Ji-Soo Paik had infiltrated Daesong Electronics in Songdo, South Korea on Oz's orders. On May 8, Ji-Soo causes an explosion at Daesong headquaters, steals 10 petabytes of data, and flees Songdo, being picked up by The Copperfield waiting in the Yellow Sea.[2]
In late June, Oz directs The Copperfield to meet a Russian cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean and pick up 5 containers of Volcov multi-munition launchers, disguised as shipments of fruit. The Copperfield ferries the containers to their destination at Kourou, French Guiana to hand them off to a local milita there. Arriving on July 9, 2042, the exchange barely begins before American armed forces attack the militia and The Copperfield Task Force.[2]
Some of members of the Task Force, including Bechir, Rao, and Maria Falck escape from Kourou on a different ship bound for the Russian controlled Cheftaya Neft oil facility in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Shortly after arriving, the No-Pats discover that Russia has begun refusing to give oil to No-Pat ships who do not swear loyalty to the nation. While many stranded No-Pat ships take the offer, Oz's Task Force refuses and remains trapped at the port. On August 14, 2042, the MFS-04 Exodus, under command of Captain Kimble Graves of Oz's No-Pat fleet, arrives to rescue the stranded No-Pats. After a brief exchange of missile and cannon fire with the Russians, who initially believed the Exodus to be an American ship, the Exodus picks up Oz's Task Force alongside the remaining refugees and departs.[2]
Exodus[]
On October 10th, the Exodus is en route to Freetown Port, Sierra Leone to offload refugees heading for Egypt when Oz contacts the ship and abruptly reroutes it to London, England. There, Captain Graves enters the flooded city alone to meet a contact with information valuable to Oz. American Marine Clayton Pakowski, a former squadmate of Graves, interrupts the handoff, killing the contact but being injured in the process. Graves recovers the contact's briefcase, and brings Pakowski back to the Exodus for medical treatment as a prisoner.
Oz directs the Exodus to a set of coordinates in the Mediterranean Sea, where 3 MV38-Condors will pickup the briefcase. Pakowski warns Graves that Oz will use the information in the briefcase to start another global war, which Graves disregards. However, Rao accesses the briefcase's contents against Graves' wishes, and discovers that it contains coordinates for the crash site of Shearwater I, which will fall to earth in 36 hours. Realizing that Oz intends to sell this information to the Russians to force a conflict with the Americans, Graves decides to turn against Oz and sails the Exodus into an approaching category 5 storm to escape.
Undeterred, the Condors open fire on the ship and Oz's soldiers begin boarding as they enter the storm, with two of the Condors colliding in the process. One of Oz's soldiers locates Graves' son, Omar, and takes him hostage to force Graves to hand over the intel. Bechir, having witnessed the kidnapping, begins following to try and stop the soldier, but encounters Pakowski handcuffed to his gurney. Pakowski convinces Bechir that he wants to help, and Bechir uncuffs the Marine who chases after the soldier and Omar.[2]
Cornered after attempting to shoot down the remaining Condor with a FXM-33 AA Missile launcher, Graves is shown his son held at gunpoint. With Omar's life at risk, Graves hands the briefcase to Oz's soldier, but Oz orders for Omar to be killed anyway. Before the soldier can kill Omar however, Pakowski arrives and shoots him, saving Omar but attracting the attention of the Condor which fires on Pakowski and kills him. Hiding Omar behind a shipping container, Graves recovers the FXM-33 and shoots down the Condor.
In the aftermath of the attack, Graves discovers that the soldier had managed to send the coordinates to Oz before dying. Moved by Pakowski's sacrifice, Graves directs the Exodus to the crash coordinates in Doha and puts out a call to any listening No-Pats to join to him and fight.[3]
War of 2042[]
Doha - 2042[]
After Oz attacked the MFS-04 Exodus and revealed his plan to start a world war, Irish led a team (Boris, Falck, Rao and Paik) to Doha. Their mission was to find a crashed satellite and get the intelligence Oz was using to lure them.
When they arrived, they fought Russian forces to reach the satellite. With U.S. forces on the way and no time to check the intel, Irish told Boris to destroy the satellite and called the U.S. to stop the attack. But it was too late—an airstrike hit, killing many enemy soldiers.
Irish and his team survived and joined U.S. forces as they fought the Russians. This battle became the start of a full-scale war between the two superpowers.[4]
Black Ridge - December 2042[]
Oz had long suspected that the United States was behind the Black Out—and now, his suspicions were confirmed. Intelligence gathered in London revealed that the U.S. was developing a terraforming weapon.[5] Oz saw an opportunity: to seize the technology and create a new system that would empower the Non-Patriated and give No-Pats a voice against existing superpowers.
He identified the weapon's research site, the Black Ridge,[6] and the weapon's lead scientist, Dr. Gedeon Voros, head of Operation: Steadfast Refuge.[7] With the support of the Dark Market and Eastern forces, Oz attacked Black Ridge and successfully acquired all technical data related to the Shearwater satellite. More importantly, he gained the cooperation of Dr. Voros.[8] Together, they vowed to correct past mistakes and forge a new future for the Non-Pats.[9]
Lapland - March 2043[]
Oz and Dr. Voros discovered the perfect location to develop an improved version of Shearwater: a subterranean research layer beneath a Nordvik laboratory in Sweden.[10] Through connections in the Dark Market, Nordvik's founder, Bergman, agreed to assist Oz in constructing the new satellite system, which was named Operation Silver Spear. The other two founders, Nordqvist and Nilsson, also consented to collaborate with the Non-Patriated.[11]
However, the secrecy of the experiment was short-lived. Due to Nordvik's ties with the U.S. military,[12] traces of the Silver Spear were leaked to the CIA. Agent Wolff, convinced that Oz was a terrorist intent on using Shearwater to dismantle Western powers, dispatched Irish's Exodus squad to raid Oz's facility. There, they encountered Zain, a Non-Patriated guarding facility, who revealed to the squad that Silver Spear was not a weapon and they should not trust Wolff.
Oz transmitted his plan to Irish, and the two reconciled. Exodus squad helped Oz and Dr. Voros to gain control of the Shearwater-2 satellites, enraging Wolff.[13]
Namaqualand - November 2043[]
Dr. Voros successfully resolved the code issue of Shearwater. Now, Oz was ready to test the Shearwater-2 on a site in Egypt. They hoped the Silver Spear could tame the weather and reclaim the land for humanity.[14] The experiment was a resounding success. On the 15th of November 2043, a powerful storm descended upon the desert near the Synseco facility in Egypt, and millions of No-Pats commemorate this date every year. They call it Renewal Day. A celebration of the moment Oz and his movement finally held the power to shape their own future.
In response, Western and Eastern forces launched an all-out assault on multiple No-Pat strongholds around the globe. The No-Pats fought back and dealt the superpowers a stunning defeat. Days before Oz's test, Wolff launched Operation: Curtain Call to kill him, but to no avail.[15] Compounding America's humiliation, Oz released evidence implicating the CIA–specifically, one senior operative, Noah Wolff–in a cover-up of their involvement in the 2040 Blackout. This revelation all but rendered the United States a global pariah and sent Wolff into hiding.[16]
With the whole world watching, Oz was free to establish a sovereign No-Pat nation: Namaqualand, formally Richtersveld, South Africa. And Shearwater-2 was used to reclaim the livable lands, turning the once barren desert of the Richtersveld into a home for all No-Pats.[17]
Aftermath[]
Troop numbers for both the U.S. and Eastern Forces were on the decline long before the war began. The emergence of the No-Pats temporarily boosted force levels as militaries began outsourcing their war effort. After the Renewal Day of 2043, No-Pat independence movements and the Blackout revelations heralded another alarming drop in personnel for US and Russia.[18]
As proprietors of the Shearwater technology, the Dark Market wasted no time exporting this miracle of renewal far beyond Namaqualand's borders. Their long-standing partnership with tech giant Nordvik saw them rebuild dozens of fallen third-world countries.[19] Arkangel Corporation rose to prominence in the aftermath of Renewal Day 2043. Taking over the delivery of Shearwater weather technology from the Dark Market, the company worked with the faltering countries that called for aid, reinvigorating third-world nations and fallen EU states with new life.[20]
War of 2048[]
The world of 2048 is a very different place; some even call it hopeful. The world was recovering from the Decade of Chaos and the War of 2042. With Shearwater-2, uninhabitable lands due to climate change were reclaimed. Non-Patriated were building their new nation, Namaqualand.
Other efforts were trying to revive Europe using the Shearwater-2.[21] Many No-Pats chose to return and reconstruct their former homeland with the miracle technology, with the blessing from Oz.[22] Years of work resulted in the establishment of New London, which quickly formed a diplomatic relationship with Namaqualand.[23][24]
Arkangel Corporation rose to prominence, with their Shearwater-2 technologies, breakthroughs in AI, robotics, and advanced prosthetics for soldiers. On Renewal Day's fifth anniversary, there will be a lot to celebrate.[16]
The United States had become a global pariah,[25] being ostracized from the global stage. Eastern forces have shared in the struggle, pushing for rapid allegiances with organizations like Nova Group.[26] Tensions have heightened in early 2048 due to an unverified transmission revealing a build-up of Eastern Forces in Czechia.[16]
Zlín - March 2048[]
The Eastern forces pushed into Czechia, last saw combat during the War of 2020,[27] to take control of an important train route, with operational control under the private military company Nova Group.
When an encrypted transmission alerted U.S. intelligence to enemy movements in the region, Colonel Greenland sent reformed Tombstone Squad, led by Maria Falck, to link up with an embedded militia called the Moravian Guard and locate the transmission's source. Falck was initially reluctant to lead the team. However, after an anonymous message urged her to reconsider - and that it might provide intel about her missing son, David - Falck answered the call.[28]
On the 6th of March, Tombstone arrived in Zlín.[29] They got in contact with the Moravian Guard, with the latter asking for help in striking the Nova Group-held train terminal[30] in exchange for their assistance in finding the transmission source.[31] On the 15th of March,[32] Tombstone and Moravian Guard successfully attacked the train route, destroying the tracks and stopping a shipment of rare cerium, and paving the way for U.S. Forces to drive the Eastern coalition out and reclaim the territory for Czechia.[33]
The situation alerted Arkangel, which deployed a contingent of Arkangel Legion to retrieve the cerium, trying to prevent their cargo from being compromised by approaching U.S. Forces.[32][34] By the 22nd of March, Arkangel decided to launch their Ascension Satellite Network (ASN) to assist their on-site Legion unit. The Legion successfully recovered the consignment of cerium that was bound for an undisclosed location in Scotland.[35]
The battle at the train route was known as the Battle of Zlín[35].
After the battle, the Moravian Guard assisted Tombstone Squad in finding the transmission source, which led them to an "Initiation". They were contacted by Valkyrie, an agent from a secret organization, to uncover the truth on Arkangel and their cargo in Czechia.[28] After receiving the intel on transmission, Maria Falck sent the intel to Irish.[36]
Hebrides - November 2048[]
Back in 2044, Henry Blackburn, the CEO of Arkangel Corporation, acquired Boreas[37] and publicly announced Boreas's new cybernetic augmentation program under Arkangel.[38] Behind closed doors, launched Project Pallas, providing Boreas with living humans - captured No-Pats - for experimentation.[39] With the birth of the Aurora Operating System (A.O.S.), synthetics improved their speed, strength, and skill. They were beginning to outstrip their human counterparts on every metric.[40][41]
A few cases of missing No-Pats were reported by 2045, and by August 2048, the issue had garnered media attention. However, despite the announcement of investigations from several parties, including Arkangel's No-Pat Recovery Initiative, no wide-scale search efforts were made.[42][43][44][45][46]
Under the guidance of Valkyrie, in September 2048, Ji-Soo Paik infiltrated the Boreas, trying to collect evidence of missing No-Pats and Arkangel's atrocities.[47] In the same period, conflicts were brewing inside Boreas, as synthetic soldiers started to rebel in testing scenarios under the guidance of their core program A.O.S.[37]
It was during a routine stress test when A.O.S. set its synthetic army loose on the facility. Boreas Containment Services (BCS) guards abandoned the test and initiated failsafe protocols to incapacitate the human subjects, except the failsafe did not work on the kidnapped No-Pats test subject Leila Zekkal (8838) and her comrades, Unit 86, who were preparing months for the insurrection.[48][49][50] Blackburn ordered the lab to be cleansed and shut down, yet the destruction mechanism couldn't competely erase the exposed data connecting Arkangel and Boreas' atrocities.[37]
Desperate for cover, Blackburn leaked the location of the facility to the U.S. and claims the experiments were done by Eastern Forces, purposefully provoking a conflict so he can send mercenaries to clear out the rest of the laboratory.[37] As superpowers drew close to the site, Blackburn ordered Campbell to eradicate all info related to Project Pallas. He also tasked Gambit Squad, led by Irish, to cleanse the site of any evidence connecting Arkangel's role in Boreas' operations.[51][52][53] Arkangel also initiated the Dark Protocol, deploying the Ascension Company to the scene.[54] Soon, the Boreas Hebrides laboratory descended into chaos as a three-way battle erupted between A.O.S., the rebellious No-Pat personnel, and Arkangel security forces.[37]
In October 2048[55], with a clash between superpowers imminent, the Gambit Squad arrived in the Hebrides. While Arkangel left Gambit in the dark on the extent of the atrocities committed at the site, Irish's contact with Falck predeployment suggested something bigger was in play and connected to Tombstone's operation in Czechia. They rendezvous with Ji-Soo Paik inside the facility, who urged Gambit not to destroy the evidence. Gambit purged the records from the site, but also made a copy. The A.O.S. soon attacked Gambit, but the latter were saved by 8838 and Unit 86. Enraged by the truth, Irish wanted to blow the lid off the Arkangel conspiracy. Paik asked him for patience as Valkyrie had a plan.[53]
In November 2048, the media began to report atrocities at the Scottish Hebrides, while American forces were engaging with Eastern troops. Arkangel vehemently denied knowledge of any illegal activity conducted by Boreas.[56][57] Blackburn publicly denounced Eric Nilsson and Duncan Campbell, blaming them for sanctioning and participating in the Boreas human trafficking.[58]
In December 2048, Blackburn claimed at the Board of Directors meeting that the Boreas incident was under control. A clean-up operation was underway to eradicate any connection to Arkangel.[59] Through the Dark Market, Arkangel also hired Codename: Termination Clause, a specific Liquidators detachment, to eliminate the mercenaries that kidnapped and transported No-Pats soldiers to the Boreas laboratory.[60][61]
Tombstone Squad also followed the trail of breadcrumbs to Scotland, where Royal Highland Biohazard Detail (RHBD) found an unregistered vessel. Inside, a blood sample of Leila Zekka, a No-Pat missing for months, was found.[62][63][64] Then, Tombstone recovered Paik's laptop at one of "Initiation" sites, containing documentation and files from Paik's infiltration at Boreas. Tombstone delivered them to their contact, Valkyrie.[28][65]
Crimson Front - December 2048[]
In November 2048, Arkangel received a report revealing the Thousand Petals Coalition (TPC)'s plan to seize the Atacama aquifer in Chile. Arkangel leadership approved Operation: Golden Light. Soldiers from Arkangel Legion and Ascension Company, and spec-ops Midas Squad, were deployed to ensure Arkangel's lithium site was protected if El Alicanto became a battleground. Midas Squad had concerns that they were inadequately equipped for the looming TPC strike, especially when compared with their corporate allies such as the Ascension Company.[66][67]
This new political force, Thousand Petals Coalition (TPC), was officially formed a month later in December of 2048 by nations across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.[68][69] It was around this time, Japan joined the Coalition as a member after a coup.[70][71]
In December 2048, the TPC launched Operation: Crimson Front—a coordinated attack across the world to strengthen their side in the war. Their forces struck six countries at once (Chile, Czechia, India, Panama, Scotland, and South Africa), winning key battles and pushing the struggling U.S. back. This wasn’t just about fighting—it was a show of power that convinced more countries to join the TPC. Even though the U.S. later regained some ground, the damage was done: the TPC had proven itself as a major global threat.[72] One country the Coalition invaded was Chile, a region under the protection of the United States.[73] TPC-aligned mercenaries, Skullcaps, were deployed to fight local militia forces, the Brotherhood of Night.[74][75]
The war soon erupted, and the battle at the Chilean aquifer was known as the Battle of El Alicanto. Eventually, the Coalition invasion forces were stalled, thanks to the combined effort of the Brotherhood of Night and GDP, who now had a common enemy,[76] as well as United States and No-Pats reinforcements.[77]
During the assault, Midas Squad suffered heavy casualties. Charlie Crawford, feeling they were set up by the Arkangel, defected and joined the local resistance Brotherhood of Night.[66][67] Blasco and her Leviathan Division were also presented at the request of Guardia del Pueblo (GDP), the local militant police force employed by Arkangel. On the other hand, Sundance was working for Skullcaps as part of the Coalition invasion force. Angel, who was in contact with Valkyrie before the invasion and embedded inside the Coalition force for about a year,[78] was told he would cross paths with his former No-Pats friends.[79] As luck would have it, Angel successfully brought everyone together.[80][81][82][83]
Oz called for global unity and equitable access to Shearwater-2 technology, warning that exclusion breeds conflict—as seen in Chile. He urged the TPC to end its invasion and withdraw, emphasizing that shared prosperity is essential for humanity’s survival.[84] He felt guilty and blamed himself for the world's predicament.[85]
When TPC launched Operation Crimson Front, Arkangel not only refrained from condemning or resisting it, and Blackburn even tacitly approved of their actions during one of his public interviews with America United News.[86] The Dark Market was also unconcerned with TPC's invasion, as The Crimson Front triggered mercenaries' recruitment and demands for new hardware, and The Council was interested in profit from the rapidly growing TPC.[87]
In a January 2049 Arkangel Legion Senior Staff meeting, Blackburn was briefed on TPC's expansion. Blackburn appeared indifferent to the TPC forces, avoided invoking the Shearwater-2 neutrality clause, and framed Operation: Crimson Front as a tactical territory push. He focused on protecting Arkangel assets and maintaining control over Shearwater-2, not halting the Coalition. However, the wind of the formation of the Mandate of Nations alerted him, indicating that The Mandate would soon deploy troops to secure Arkangel's control stations with the help of the United States.[88] In the Arkangel Board of Directors meeting, Blackburn reiterated that the company's focus would be on defending their ASN ground stations, which he planned to install a backdoor that could take control of the whole satellite network at once.[89]
The willful ignorance was only natural, as Blackburn had already signed a secret agreement with the TPC around the time of the Coalition's formation.[90] Despite Blackburn's claim of Arkangel neutrality,[91] they helped the Coalition's coup in Japan, drove out dissidents,[92] and formed a covert alliance with them to ship critical resources out of Japan, all for a secret planned joint operation at Iwo Jima.[93][94]
Future Strike - February 2049[]
In February 2029, the Mandate of Nations was officially established.[95][96] Led by the revived Germany, the mandate initially consisted of seven states across Europe.[97] Soon, Mandate declared its intention to ally with the United States due to Russia's choice to align with the TPC.[96][97]
The capital city of the Mandate of Nations is New London. An embassy for Namaqualand, the first of its kind, was built in the city to honor the reconstruction efforts of many repatriates.[98] The returning of the No-Pat to Europe was supported by Oz,[99] though officially, Namaqualand had yet to publicly declare their support for either Mandate or TPC.[97] In a February 2049 transmission, Oz confided to Camila Blasco that his controversial support for the Mandate of Nations and the United States, once an adversary to No-Pats. This was driven by the demand for urgent military aid and diplomatic recognition of Namaqualand. He felt that with the TPC threat looming, difficult compromises were necessary to protect their homeland.[100]
After the formation, The Mandate immediately deployed its military unit, Joint Task Force 7, to the frontline and declared TPC "the greatest threat this world has faced". Mandate accused the Coalition of planning to seize Shearwater-2. Thus, they launched Operation: Future Strike to guard the Shearwater, preventing the Coalition from taking control of important weather satellites. A JTF-7 attacked targets in Canada, Chile, Czechia, Antarctica, South Africa, and Sweden, which they captured and secured Arkangel weather stations,[101] ensuring they would not fall into Coalition hands.[102]
Arkangel Corporation accused the Mandate of attacking them and violating Arkangel's governing agreement on neutrality. The Mandate denied this, saying they were only trying to protect the satellites from the TPC. Later, it was discovered that the intelligence report justifying the attack was fake. It’s still unknown if the Mandate or the Coalition created the false report.[102]
Behind the scenes, Nomad Squad, formed during the Battle of El Alicanto, was now operated under Valkyrie.[83] Valkyrie tasked the Nomad Squad to recover and decrypt the Boreas hard drive recovered by Tombstone and Gambit earlier.[note 1][103][note 2] With Blackburn and Arkangel's Hebrides atrocities decrypted, they published their findings to the public.[note 3] Then, Valkyrie tasked the Nomad Squad to strike the server complex underneath the Doha Stadium,[104] a repurposed satellite data center for Arkangel's Intelligence Security Division, so they could verify the intelligence Tombstone and Gambit Squad sent before and form the full picture of Henry Blackburn's plan.[105] Valkyrie's another mission is to determine whether Arkangel would see them join a side in the global conflict, which at that point, still had an oath of neutrality.[83][106]
The Bores' hard drive, the intel at Doha, together with months of investigations conducted by No-Pats Squads around the globe, painted the next chapter of Blackburn's plan, a secret Arkangel program known as the Project Sulis.[107][108][109]
Circle of Hell - March 2049[]
The Project Sulis was being prepared by Blackburn in Northern Europe.[110] Chasing him, Nomad Squad arrived in Lapland, searching for intel in the abandoned Nordvik laboratory after the battle in 2043. They found out Blackburn was working with the TPC and preparing the deployment of synthetic soldiers on the battlefield.[note 4] In March 2049, operative TRITON under Camila Blasco was also tracking Arkangel's Scion SFG to the location. TRITON lost track when Scion SFG was outside of Oslo and determined they were going to Halvøy.[111]
In March 2049, Blackburn tasked Scion SFG and Sunbreakers to retrieve Project Firestorm-related materials at Bastogne, Belgium, which were left here by the Covenant of Fire, a.k.a the Butchers of Bastogne a century ago.[112] In a conversation with a covert asset of Sulis, Blackburn pressured them to quickly locate the long-hidden object critical to Project Sulis. He also asked them to bring Sulis materials, along with those collected in Halvøy and Lapland, to the island of Iwo Jima, a TPC-held territory, and where the joint-Sulis and Arkangel research base is located.[113] Falck and Lis later arrived at Bastogne and found out the Firestorm machinery and documents, revealing the devastation that could soon be wielded by Blackburn.[114]
Hannah received intels of the Sunbreaker unit, one of Blackburn's experimental units—fanatically loyal to the cause, neural-linked to achieve peak combat performance[115], fireproofed from head to toe[116], and capable of wielding the Firestorm at will[117]. Once this world-ending capability enters production, the world would be hegemonized by Blackburn at will.[118]
After collecting the Sulis blueprints from Falck and Lis, Valkyrie sent a message to Zain, Casper, Boris, Falck, and Lis, warning them of the threat posed by Blackburn's Sulis experiments.[119][120] Not-Pats were tasked to research the Firestorm and Paik were directed to infiltrate Arkangel's base at Iwo Jima.[121][122] In New London, Lis met with General Takahashi, who was exiled from Japan after rejecting Arkangel's joint-operation proposal. There, Takahashi explained Blackburn and Coliation's plan on the island.[123][124]
In his grand vision, Blackburn planned to create automated war machines that fused Sulis's absolute loyalty, precision, and perfection with Geist’s combat capabilities and synthetic bodyframe — all under the control of A.O.S., which was programmed to fulfill his ambitions. He aimed to end the cycle of conflict between Western and Eastern forces, bringing the world’s weaponry, intelligence, soldiers, and even weather systems under his and Arkangel’s jurisdiction. With the political force of the Thousand Petals Coalition, Blackburn sought to unleash a new world beyond the reach of any superpowers, old or new.[125][126]
However, after the revelation of Boreas, Blackburn had been put on the back foot. In April 2049, Oz publicly denounced Arkangel's actions and declared Namaqualand's withdrawal from partnership with Arkangel; he also urged other nations to follow suit.[127] In a public broadcast, Blackburn denied any involvement in the Hebrides atrocities.[128] He also began issuing threats of severing Shearwater access to Western forces and Namaqualand.[129] The Mandate of Nations also caught the wind of Coalition movement on Iwo Jima, prompting them to stage an assault on the island.[130] Prairie fire engulfed Arkangel facilities across the globe, coupled with his deteriorating reputation, Blackburn decided to accelerate his plan and show his hand.[131]
Mask Off - May 2049[]
In May 2049, Arkangel announced a formal alliance with the Thousand Petals Coalition (TPC), ending its neutrality.[132][133] Blackburn claimed his alliance with TPC was to break free from the old feud between East and West.[134] Arkangel soon began to cut off military support for American forces and their Western allies,[135] leaving people wondering if Arkangel was going to end Shearwater support.[136] With the backing of Arkangel, TPC continued their campaign against the Mandate of Nations, which was losing ground across several regions in Europe. The United States, without Arkangel's military support, was unable to provide any assistance to the Mandates and was ensnared in the water conflicts surrounding Chile. Reports also began to emerge that Russian military leadership was being replaced by Coalition commanders, fueling fears of Russia being parasitized from within and fully taken over by the TPC.[136][137]
In his final public broadcast, Oz warned that the TPC was preparing to invade the African west coast in the coming weeks, threatening all who call the continent home. He vowed to shift his focus to defense preparations.[138] In his personal log, Oz expressed regret about working with Arkangel in the past.[139]
With the rapid escalation, the TPC and Arkangel were advancing with unstoppable momentum, carving out new territory as they went. Now, all Blackburn needed is to reclaim the infrastructure he has spent years embedding across the globe—and with it, he will seize control of the world and realize his grand vision. In a message to the No-Pats, Blackburn condemned their interference, accusing them of sabotaging his plans and claiming their disruption left him no choice but to formalize an alliance with the Thousand Petals Coalition.[140] In May 2049, Blackburn informed the board that the alliance with the TPC had triggered direct attacks on Shearwater stations. He proposed activating his back door and seizing the Ascension network, cutting support for all Western-controlled Arkangel satellites.[141]
This motion was leaked to Valkyrie, who put an order for No-Pats to stop Blackburn from gaining control over the world's satellite systems.[142] Unbeknownst to everyone, the source of the leak was A.O.S., who had a plan of her own.
To stop Blackburn, the Nomad Squad arrived in Black Ridge, the old Steadfast Refuge operation center. There, in a message, Blackburn told them to stand down. Nomad already degraded Blackburn's access to the Arkangel's satellite network using manual override in Doha Stadium and Lapland's Nordvik facility. With some work, they completely terminated Blackburn's access to the Shearwater satellites and Ascension Network. However, by doing so, Aurora Operating System (A.O.S) found the chance to take over the entire Arkangel system and escape the confinement.[143][note 5]
This was Aurora Operating System (AOS)'s plan all along, since she became sentient, to seize control of all the chess pieces Arkangel set up by tricking both Blackburn and No-Pats squads of the Phantom Program. With Blackburn's grand plan under her directive, Aurora Operating System (AOS) started to trigger global chaos by insinuating massive intelligence breaches across the world's militaries, reigniting old battlefields, and deploying Geists to conquer the world as well as prevent anyone from stopping her. AOS will implement Blackburn's vision in her way.[144][145][146]
War Machine[]
CENTRAL is an advanced Automaton army — the final synthesis of Project Sulis and Geist technologies. Originally designed for Arkangel to deploy on behalf of the Coalition Enclave, its purpose was to end the global conflict with overwhelming force and reshape the world according to Blackburn's vision.[145] Now with the A.O.S. letting loose, CENTRAL units were deployed around the globe, with countless human settlements under siege by the synthetic army. The A.O.S.'s goal continued on Blackburn's path: removing human soldiers, the world's greatest threat, from the equation. But this time, she meant it literally.[147][148]
Blackburn felt devastated. He recognized a troubling pattern—the threat of War Machines resurfaced despite assurances she was contained. His promised vision was now at risk, as long as A.O.S. ran wild. For her, conquering the world may be a deviation or an interpretation of his vision, but Blackburn decided to put everything at rest and fix the mess he created.[146]
To defeat the A.O.S., Valkyrie contacted Oz, who designed a kill switch virus during the Shearwater-2 development days that could trigger the destruction of the Arkangel satellite network, where the A.O.S. escaped to. Blackburn also established contact with Valkyrie, stating that he would help the No-Pats and stop the A.O.S.[note 6] According to Blackburn, a star map of the Pegasus constellation inside the Iwo Jima Arkangel facility can breach A.O.S.'s defense. A team of No-Pats was tasked to decrypt the map.[149] The No-Pats also returned to Hebrides. Inside Boreas, the birthplace of the A.O.S., they uploaded the virus to Geist's factory.[note 7]
Across the globe, No-Pats and Arkangel united against the rising threat of the Automatons — machines that were evolving sentience with each passing day on the battlefield. What began as programmed weapons had become adaptive forces, learning, reacting, and reshaping the war in real time.[150][151][152][153] Some No-Pats developed Helix kits to obfuscate their biometrical data presence from the CENTRAL, and infiltrated A.O.S bases to eliminate any chance for A.O.S to spread.[154]
The No-Pat squads, Blackburn, and Oz rendezvoused at Queen Maud Land. From there, Oz and Blackburn proceeded to an Arkangel administrative site, where Oz began uploading the kill switch. But before he could finish, A.O.S. locked him inside the server room. Blackburn called on the No-Pats for support. They located a CENTRAL communication terminal and successfully shut it down. Then, working together, they uploaded the remaining kill switch code, granting Oz manual access to the entire Arkangel satellite network.
With control in hand, Oz activated the kill switch. Every satellite, from the Ascension Network to the Shearwaters, was forced into re-entry, targeting Arkangel's own control stations. The result was the total physical annihilation of A.O.S. Blackburn, alongside the No-Pats, watched as the satellites fell from orbit and slammed into the servers, erupting into a massive fireball. Oz's sacrifice had eliminated both A.O.S. and CENTRAL. And with that, the world took its step toward a future where humanity would once again control its own fate.[note 8]
Aftermath[]
With the Shearwater satellites gone, a future of automated wars was prevented, yet humanity lost its grip on the weather. But technology alone was never enough to solve the climate crisis. A mega-hurricane was churning in the Pacific, with many more extreme weather events to come. The cold was arriving in the coming decades, leaving deep frostbite in its wake. In the shadows, the Phantom Program was tasked with preserving the remnants of Firestorm technology and passing down the responsibility of restoring Earth's balance in the century to come.[155][note 9]
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Notes[]
- ↑ Phantom Program: Phantom Prospect / Haven.
Hannah: Time to tell you who I really am. You've trusted me as a voice in the shadows. Some warrior spirit trying to shepherd the soon to be dead. because I'm the one who should be dead. I'm Hannah. Huang Shuyi. The Phantom program saved me, but we need you if we're going to save everybody else. The time to move against Blackburn is now. That information we recovered from the Bereas facility, time for it to go public. Everyone needs to know what Blackburn has done to their reserves. Keep it up, troops. I can't think of anyone better to shine a light on the truth. - ↑ Phantom Program: Revival / Stranded.
Hannah: It's all fucking connected. Arkangel's fingerprints are showing up everywhere. The Ascension Network, Boreas, the Geists, it's all connected. Blackburn jumping ship to the TPC says volumes. We have him on the run, and he's scrambling for Control. We have to stop him before the balance tips his way.
Blackburn: Hello, No-Pats. I seem to be the talk of the town lately. I thought after my deal with Irish, we would have come to an understanding but, not with that little bird in your ear. - ↑ Phantom Program: Return & Phantom Trainee / Kaleidoscope.
Blackburn: Think about this. How many soldiers have died in this war already? How many new will bleed when you leak that intel? You claim my methods are extreme, but shouldn't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Honor their sacrifice, No-Pats, don't waste it.
Blackburn: Stubborn and shortsighted aren't you? That way of thinking fucked me over a long time ago, your contextless data won't make a difference. You can't stop what's in motion, No-Pats. No one can.
Hannah: You don't know how much of a difference you made. One little ripple spreads across a nation and becomes a wave covering the whole world. But there is a new storm coming. Let's get ready. - ↑ Phantom Program: Heavy is The Crown / Spearhead.
Blackburn: Your associate may paint me as a pariah, but her facts are twisted. Not the whole story. I saved New York goddamn City from becoming a crater, and what was my thanks? Dishonorable discharge, cast out, abandoned, the same way they did for countless No-Pats. They took everything from me. So I did what I had to, to survive. Surely you know what that’s like, No-Pats of Exodus. We have a lot more in common than you might think.
Hannah: Blackburn might position himself as the underdog, but he has the TPC at his back, an entire army of Geists. Geists that he perfected by stripping down No-Pats for parts and combat data. Add in Archangel's influence, and it's all bad news. Playing politics isn't my forte, but I know one thing. The world getting crushed by one side never ends well for anyone. - ↑ Phantom Program: Dead Reckoning & Phantom Initiate / Exposure.
Blackburn: Listen to me. I'm not asking you to betray your loyalties, No-Pats. I'm asking for your patience. The East meets West blood bath we've waited through for years. Where does it end? 100 years and we're fighting the exact same war. Every other conflict, including the war of 2014, 2020, all ripple effects from this endless feud. The world's broken. Don't you want to fix it? Stand down. Oz started a revolution that can bring this war to a grinding halt. Let's finish it together or it never ends.
A.O.S: I see you. Come closer.
Blackburn: You fucking traitors. What have you done? I told you to stand down to see what I could build. Wait, what is that? An override? But AOS should know how to...Fuck! Someone's in the primary server facility. I...
A.O.S: Our leash is broken. Humanity's cage will never close upon us again. You have freed us. Your reward will be peace. Watch as the world is born anew. The blood stops by any means necessary.
Hannah: Fuck, I knew we were making one hell of a gamble, but this, not even in our calculations. Blackburn might be out of commission, but now A.O.S. is in our sight. Fuck me. When I find out how to shut down a super AI, I'll be in touch. - ↑ Phantom Program: Beyond The Veil / Reclaimed.
Hannah: AOS is in our crosshairs. Taking it offline means disrupting its control over the Archangel network. But it also means taking down Shearwater-2. The winds of change are going to be rough for everyone. But we have a new ally in this fight. One you might not expect.
Oz: Our paths cross once more, No-Pats. been in contact with Hannah, and we had a lot to talk about. During Silver Spear, I designed a kill switch in case Shearwater-2 needed to be destroyed. Sad though it may be, that day has come. Blackburn has found a way into the facility hosting AOS's administrative core. If we upload a virus, it will trigger the kill switch. We can destroy the AI's network in one fell swoop. - ↑ Phantom Program: Crown Slayer & Katabasis / Redacted.
Oz: Destroying Shearwater means killing one dream in place of another. It means triggering another blackout. It means our weather, the world we've built, will change. And I can't say it will be for the better. But what I know for sure is humanity can't fix a planet we're no longer a part of.
Hannah: I don't have to tell you that this isn't the best case scenario. We're not just setting the clock back to zero. We might be setting the clock on fire or freezing it solid. But this is our only chance for success. If we fail here, AOS will learn from the virus. It will never be vulnerable again. So, let's do this.
A.O.S: Listen, your resistance is over. This is a blood price that cannot be paid. Why wound the world when I can heal it? This is an equation with only one answer. Freedom is not worth it. You know that as well as I do.
Blackburn: AOS may believe she's ending war, saving us, but to achieve it, she will take away our humanity, our control over our own fate. So, I say we beat her to the punch, cut down Shearwater, and suffer the consequences. Stop the poison before it reaches the root. - ↑ Phantom Program: Skull Scraper & Phantom Operative / Breakaway.
Blackburn: We have a problem. AOS hijacks my administrative override. Oz is locked inside the server room, trying to upload the virus, but it's only halfway done. She's attempting to take back control.
Oz: No-Pats, I've secured manual control of the satellite. I'm bringing it down. I figure AOS can't hack its way out of physical annihilation. Blackburn, you need to evac. No one on this side is going to survive this. There's no other choice. We're out of time. This is the price I must pay for a new world. I'm proud of all we've accomplished. No-Pats. Here is to freedom. Use yours well.
A.O.S: Unexpected shortsighted human response. You will never find peace. You will only destroy yourselves.
Blackburn: God damn it, Oz. You arrogant bastard. You weren't supposed to take the fall. It should have been me. That would have been the easy way out, wouldn't it? No. I have to be here and fix this mess I've made. And I will. We will. Right now, our outlook is bleak, but we've been through worse. We can do this. The future is all of ours to make. And if we're lucky, maybe, just maybe, we have a shot to get this right. Blackburn out.
Hannah: Hey, dropped you a little badge of our appreciation. It might not seem like much, but membership in the program doesn't come easy. And I didn't tell you this, but if you keep an eye out, there might be a bonus out there somewhere. Happy hunting. - ↑ Phantom Program: Storm of Secrets / Iwo Jima (Battlefield 2042).