THE REED REPORT

A Light in the Dark

[transcript excerpt from Reed Report broadcast, No-Pat News Network, February 2049]

MANDATE OF NATIONS [recording]: In 2035, as our economies fell and superstorms spread, the unthinkable happened. We watched for years as nations crumbled, until, finally, the  dissolution of an organization that held many of us together: the European Union. 

Today, thanks to technological advances made over the past several years, everything changes. We begin the road to restoration, and it starts with the formation of the Mandate of Nations. For No-Pats everywhere: this is your moment. Raise our banner and join us as we forge the path back to a united Europe.

MITHALI REED: That was a spokesperson for the Mandate of Nations moments ago, as a day most believed impossible has arrived. After the Baltic Firestorms in 2028, we watched in horror as nations fell like dominos. A new class of citizen was born out of the fallen nations: the Nonpatriated. The No-Pats. All of you. 

Now, all of that could change. A flame has been lit in the darkness. 

What the future holds now remains uncertain. Over the last 15 years, No-Pats have established new lives in new lands the world over. No-Pat settlements, cities, and of course, the nation of Namaqualand, have welcomed all with open arms. If they embrace the opportunity to return to their homelands, only time will tell. 

But now, the Mandate goes to work and we’ve learned that troop deployment has already begun. A member of the Mandate spoke with us anonymously about the movements of one of their units, Joint Task Force 7. 

[REDACTED]: The Coalition represents the greatest threat this world has faced in many years. We’ve learned they plan to break Arkangel’s neutrality agreement and seize Shearwater ground stations. We will not let the Coalition take control and use our weather systems against us. JTF-7 will be there to ensure this doesn’t happen and remains in the hands of the people.

Future Rising

[transcript excerpt from Reed Report broadcast, No-Pat News Network, December 2048]

HAMASAKI [recording]: We speak for the nations the superpowers choose to ignore. We will make our voices heard and you will listen. The Thousand Petals Coalition will no longer stand idly by as others dictate our fate. The future of this world is ours to make. Chile is only the beginning. 

MITHALI REED: That was Hamasaki Nayomi, leader of the Coalition Ground Forces 9th Battalion, from a broadcast yesterday. Early this morning, Coalition forces reached Chilean shores and began the push inland. They’ve made no illusions over their intended target: a lithium mining town in the Atacama desert. At first seemingly innocuous, the village of El Alicanto harbors a secret – access to one of the largest aquifers in the world. 

If Coalition forces were to seize this territory, the ramifications across the Americas – the West as a whole – would be disastrous. Water, perhaps truly the world’s greatest, most definitive currency, would be held for ransom.

A storm rising out of the East, the Coalition has quickly gained allies from nations across the globe, unified under a rallying cry that may sound familiar to our No-Pat audience: the belief they’ve been left behind, even betrayed, by the world at large.

We’re not here to speculate over the Coalition’s rapid ascension, there’s been plenty of leaked documentation to suggest this initiative was well-organized and years in the making. Today, we’re joined via radio by a representative from the local militia that’s fighting for their home. For security reasons, their identity has been concealed. I believe you have a statement prepared?

[REDACTED]: To all those listening. You may see this battle as just another in your never-ending war. But to us, the people of the Atacama, this is a war for our very survival. East and West will say this is about resources. For us it is about life. Our families. Our home. And we will fight to protect it until the last guardian falls. 

Superpowers come and go. The desert is forever. We were here before you, and we will be here after you. Viva Chile, Mierda!– [static]

MITHALI REED: Hello? Are you there? [long pause] No-Pats, I’ve just been informed of a communications blackout in Chile. The Coalition’s attack has begun.

Dustwun

No-Pats don’t vanish overnight.

At least, that’s the common wisdom. They leave for new contracts, for family, or even out of boredom, but they don’t disappear for no good reason.

But over the last three years, dozens of reports have suggested otherwise. Loyal soldiers, good friends, seemingly walking off in the middle of an operation, never to be seen again. They have nothing in common beyond being nonpatriated.

This is a beacon, a distress call. If you have any information on these missing No-Pats’ condition or their whereabouts, please contact the Reed Report. I’m collecting their names, and their stories will be told. We keep each other safe.

Tonight, we’re interviewing a squadmate of one of the missing over radio. Whenever you’re ready, soldier.

NO-PAT
Good to hear your voice, Reed.

MITHALI REED
You too. It’s hard to keep in touch these days. How can I help?

NO-PAT
By listening. You’re the first one to listen. We went to the ERF, the commanders, hell even the Dark Market but no one believes us. No-Pats go missing all the time, right? Why should they care?

MITHALI REED
Do you have any idea where they might have gone?

NO-PAT
No. But who leaves their gun and radio behind in the middle of an op? We all talk to each other. We know when someone quits or gets killed. So why don’t they want us to–

NO-PAT
…

MITHALI REED
Hello? Are you there?

NO-PAT
Months of remembering seeing him dragged into the dark and–[static]

MITHALI REED
We lost signal. Tech, can you get us back online?

RENEWAL DAY

The 15th of November 2043. A powerful storm descended upon the desert near the Synseco facility in Egypt: Shearwater-2 had worked. Millions of No-Pats commemorate this event 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. 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. His whereabouts are still unknown.

With the whole world watching, Oz was free to establish a sovereign No-Pat nation: Namaqualand. Over the last five years the Shearwater technology has been deployed across the region, turning the once barren desert of the Richtersveld into a home for all No-Pats.

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. Their latest effort in the Northern Hemisphere has even led many to speculate a return of the European Union.

Now with the rise of Arkangel Corporation and their breakthroughs in AI and robotics–not least their work on advanced prosthetics for soldiers–the world of 2048 is a very different place. Hopeful even. On Renewal Day’s fifth anniversary there will be a lot to celebrate. 

But as we take stock of humanity's progress, one cannot help but reflect on the conflict that has endured. 

Tensions have heightened in recent days since an unverified transmission revealed a build-up of Eastern Forces in Czechia. Heading up their effort is elite division Nova Group who are attempting to secure a vital train route in the region. Local resistance fighters, the Moravian Guard have been all that stands in the way of a new push west. With their suspected links to Western forces, many fear it is only a matter of time before this escalates into all-out war.