_Hesh_

This Novel is based on the events of Battlefield's newest Title "Battlefield 2042".
All Rights and Credits go to Battlefield's Developers. 



A DECADE OF CHAOS
2031

Ten years is all it took to bring the world to the brink. Rising sea levels, collapsing economies, broken alliances, and the headlines keep rolling in...

October 9th, 2033.
“Hurricane Zeta. The world's first category 6 storm.”

Jan 11th, 2034.
“Global food, fuel shortages spark Second Great Depression.”

August 8th, 2035.
"European Union officially disbands following Germany’s collapse.”


THE NEW NORMAL
2037.

Humanity adapts to the new normal. Revolutions in energy, desert irrigation, hydraulic levees, and sea walls save coastal cities, reclaim farmland, and rebuild supply chains. Hope of finding stability leads to some nations re-opening their borders.

However, with no way to repatriate 1.2 billion people, No-Pats become a permanent fixture in all economic, military, and social policy making. Many No-Pats are still distrustful of the governments that exiled them and refuse calls to reassimilate. No-Pat leaders emerge, inspiring a new identity unbound to former nationality, drawing a line in the sand between the Old World and The New Normal. #WeAreNoPats becomes a rallying cry.

Amidst the world rebuilding, sparks of friction erupt between the US and Russia, as the last two superpowers both vie for control of this fast-changing world.

An Uncertain Future

London is three feet under water - the failed capitol of a failed state. Why Oz rerouted the Exodus there was a mystery, one that only heightened when Captain Kimble "Irish" Graves went ashore alone and returned with a bleeding Marine, a briefcase, and instructions for an ocean rendezvous.


It should have been a simple hand off but something made Irish change his mind.


Soon tracer fire from three Condors peppered the deck as we ran headlong into a category 5 storm for cover. Explosions ripped my ear drums as I hid. Whatever was in that briefcase was clearly worth more to Oz than the 200 No-Pats on this ship.


As our valiant Task Force fought through a hellscape of bullets and shrapnel, the watertight door shielding us below deck exploded off its hinges. A blood soaked soldier came barreling in and found what he was looking for. Leverage -- Irish's seven year old son, Omar.


"The Battle of the Exodus erupts inside the belly of hurricane Omega."


"I originally joined Oz because I agree that No-Pats need to unify if they're ever going to have a place in the world," Irish later explained to me. "Difference is, he thinks that will only happen if the old world dies. That's why he wants a war, so America and Russia will burn each other to the ground. Problem is, the No-Pats will burn with them." His look hardens, as he plays with a pair of dog tags in his hands. "When I was a Marine, I saw the cost of war on civilians first hand… There's a reason I quit.


In Oz and Irish, I saw two men fighting for No-Pat survival, but through very different means. One was trying to stay out of America and Russia's reach, and the other was actively trying to manipulate them. That's what the intel in that briefcase was all about -- coordinates to an American secret the Russians wanted -- bait to draw the superpowers into an all-out war.


"The tragic reunion of USMC's Tombstone squad."


That night during the battle, when Oz's man took Irish's son, something changed. A No-Pat - a child - needed me. I knew what Rao, or Anghel, or Falck would do - what I had to do. I'm no soldier, but I ran after him anyway. Then I heard the American soldier Irish shot in London, Clayton Pakowski, handcuffed to a gurney, promising to help. He had that same look I'd seen in the Specialists along this journey. I released him.


The sacrifice he made later saved Irish's son, but the intel slipped into the open


After a year on this assignment, I'd found the answer I was looking for. The No-Pats are everything people say they are - smugglers, sinners, saints, and so much more. The world created the Non-Patriated, and then blamed them for its problems. But now this Task Force might be the very key to saving it.


"The Exodus survives one storm heading straight for another."


When the smoke cleared, we could all see the look in our Captain's eyes. Oz had to be stopped from setting the world on fire. Irish had gone from Marine to No-Pat, but he was still just a soldier taking orders. Now, he knew he had to lead.


I watched from the bridge as Irish took the comms and put out a call, not knowing who would answer: "The only way to stop this war is to get in the middle of it... Get ready to fight."


Prelude to War