Earth

Earth was the third planet of the solar system and the homeworld of humanity.

History

At some point, due to environmental factors, the Earth began to become hostile to human life^[1] with solar storms, carbonisation, and ocean swells becoming more common.^[2] This prompted William Trust to begin the Ark Program to construct a series of Arks to ferry part of humanity to a new homeworld. Storms ravaged the Earth, with large swathes of North America being covered in raging wildfires.^[1] Sea levels began to rise, and UV storms were dangerous phenomena that could kill and badly scar.^[3] William Trust attempted to combat the environmental disaster by releasing a substance into the air that resulting in a new illness known as Klampkins disease.^[4]

By 2119,^[5] when the Ark One left Earth, all of the birds and game had been killed off,^[1] and estimates gave the planet only seventy years of viability left.^[6]

After Ark One left, the carbonization in the atmosphere got worse at a faster rate than predicted. Environmental disasters got worse as New Africa, Australia and both American continents were ravaged by wildfires so big they couldn't be controlled, resulting in the deaths of most people in the path of the flames. Europe fell into anarchy, and rising sea levels submerged Japan, New Zealand, Florida, and Hawaii. World government collapsed, and no one was capable of distributing clean water. Global food rationing was instituted. The Global Space Administration, seeing the fall, locked down and accelerated the Ark Program. By the time Ark Three left, twelve more Arks were ready to go.^[7]

The population of Earth struggled to find clean water and food, and Ark Five became the last official ship launched. As the situation worsened, forces built their own armies and tried to take the Arks by force; half of the remaining ships blew up as their crews had no idea how to operate them. In the confusion, Evelyn Maddox and her private army commandeered Ark Fifteen, filling it with art and treasures from Earth and left the planet.^[8]

However, the Ark Program wasn't the only one: the Eastern Federation created their own, with at least two Ark-like starships being launched-both heavily armed-, before Ark Three departed. Also, three more millionaires created their own program, some countries launched some ships. In all, hundreds of ships were launched or prepared.