Prologue: Rome's Unbroken Empire in the 21st Century

  Imperial Historical Bureau – State-Approved Lecture

  Professor Marcus Valens, University of Roma

  Imperial Year 2082 (Julian System)

  "I was only a boy when Vetera was attacked. I remember the ash drifting green in the air, the shattered streets, the cries of the dying. But today we mark the fiftieth year since that moment, a moment in which the very foundations of our Empire were tested and which proved; beyond all doubt, that Rome endures."

  "So today, as your professor, I will speak not only as a historian of that fateful attack, but as a survivor of it. But let us go further back, back to a time when Rome was not as strong. A time when we stood on the edge of oblivion, but not by the hands of our enemies, but by our own failures."

  "Rome in its youth was the vast empire of antiquity, stretching from Britannia to Egypt. Yet it crumbled under the weight of its own excess. Senators quarreled among themselves, provinces drifted apart, and Rome…shrank."

  "In 476 A.D., the map of the known world had changed, and Rome became a shadow of its former self. By this time, our ancient conquests had faded into memory, and we fell behind as new powers seized the mantle: the Byzantines in the East, the Caliphates across the deserts, the Franks and later the French, the British and the Spanish, and finally the Americans on the far continent. For centuries, Rome clung to its heritage, yet it lacked true power. Rome was too proud to fall, but too weak to rule as it once had. This is why history likes to move in cycles, does it not?"

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  He pauses a moment, letting his gaze sweep across the lecture hall. Young students watch him intently, his eyes still sharp despite his years.

  “And from the ashes of old, Rome found a new spark, a spark that was driven by generations desperate to reclaim their dignity and honor. However, as we attempted to modernize our nation, the civilian industry became the backbone of our Empire. This same industry would forge our steel, machinery, and eventually the advanced technologies that sustain today’s world. Yet, it wasn't enough. We needed some kind of catalyst to unite us, something that could reignite the flame of the legions, and our national pride.”

  “That catalyst came in the mid-20th century: the War of Restoration. While much of Europe fractured and turned on itself, Rome forged alliances. At times we fought beside our allies, and at other times we marched alone across volatile regions. Each victory brought renewed confidence at home, and the Senate wasted no time in reasserting control over lost provinces, proclaiming a New Era. For the first time in centuries, the world once more looked to Rome as its guiding star.”

  "Over the next half-century, Rome consolidated its strength. With Europe firmly under our rule and the East mired in wars against the Mongolians, our gaze turned west, across that vast ocean to the fractured lands of the Americas. The northern continent was weakened by a deadly civil war, unrest, and economic collapse. We took full advantage and they fell swiftly to our legions without much of a fight."

  "By the dawn of the 21st century, Rome stood as the world’s sole superpower, with only the Sericans and the Mongolians posing any true challenge. The Sericans commanded much of the Pacific and Asia, while the Mongolians, though only a shadow of their ancient empire, still held sway over the deserts of the Middle East and the Ural Mountains."

  “Yet, despite the triumphant campaigns of the 20th century, a far greater storm would gather on the horizon. It would not be a war of nations or of politics, but survival itself. This was why the first half of the 21st century would become our greatest trial, it would decide our existence, not only as a great power, but as a people. It tested not only our strength, but our very identity. And in the end, it was a war that changed everything.”