History
Foundation of the Asia Pacific Interstellar Federation (APIF)The APIF has its roots in the old political organization of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its Military Arm is the spiritual successor of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
In the year 2030, tensions in the South China Sea were at its peak. The People's Liberation Army had already seized and established a large number of bases in the Spratly Islands. The Filipino, Vietnamese and Malaysian Navies had likewise secured a number of Islands among the Spratly's and neither side was willing to budge.
The spark that ignited the Asian Pacific War of 2032 came about when a stray Philippine Frigate strayed too near one of the Chinese Naval Air Fields and was promptly sunk by a Chinese WU-14 carrying ASBMs. This resulted in a combined Philippine and Vietnamese response that forced the United States to launch a Pre-emptive strike on multiple high value Chinese Naval and Air Force targets in order to protect its weaker allies. In response to the destruction of most of their bases in the Spratly Islands, the entire PLA Navy's South Sea Fleet and East Sea Fleet was deployed in March 2032.
A Joint Naval Task Force involving the Filipinos, Vietnamese and the United States was scrambled to counter the Chinese Fleet, and the ensuing engagement resulted in one of the most brutal naval battles in human history. Altogether the Chinese lost 49 ships including 2 Aircraft Carriers and multiple Frigates. The United States suffered a staggering loss of the USS Abraham Lincoln and 4 Arleigh Burke Destroyers. The Philippine and Vietnamese Navies lost a combined total of 67 Ships, the vast majority of them being Patrol Vessels and Frigates.
The Chinese Navy pulled back to regroup, however it was a pyrrhic victory as the battle had left the Vietnamese Navy reeling and the Phillipine Navy in shambles.
An emergency ASEAN meeting was convened on April 3rd 2032 with United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in attendance. The ASEAN Nations then declared that any further military action carried out by China against any one nation will be considered an act of war against the entire ASEAN with the United States and other allies potentially entering the fray against the People's Republic of China.
On the 7th of April, pending several days of sabre rattling and an endless war of words, the Chinese finally relented as they knew a protracted war would destroy their economy which would destabilize the social fabric of China. A treaty was then signed with the combined ASEAN nations formally giving up claim of the Southern half of the Spratly Islands. This was a major diplomatic victory for Southeast Asia and the United States.
Drawing from lessons learnt from this brief but brutal confrontation, on 15th of March 2033 the combined ASEAN nations signed into existence what would become predecessor of APIF, known initially as Asia Pacific Union. This later expanded to include The Papua New Guinea as well as Australia and New Zealand. Almost all Oceanic States joined the Union as protectorate States. Bangladesh, India, The United States, The United Kingdom and France attained Observer status in the new Union.
APU proved to be a powerful counterbalance to Chinese Influence in the region and it eventually rose to become a major economic powerhouse surpassing the economies of Brazil, The United Kingdom and France by 2038 and China and Japan in 2039. However trouble was brewing over the horizon.
Over the course of late 2039 and early 2040, the People's Republic of China had been wary of the Asia Pacific Union's economic and military growth and was itself having internal unrest with growing cries for independence by separatists groups in the west in Xinjiang and Tibet and even in the southern formal British Colony of Hong Kong and formal Portuguese Colony of Macau. The PRC needed a reason to unite its people in the face of a common threat and it needed to act fast.
In February 2040 following several devastating terrorist attacks over the past months in the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world was in a state of fury as accusations were thrown at one another. The stage was set for a major war that would sweep across the world as Saudi Arabia and its Gulf State Allies prepared for war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Ukraine backed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) looked set for a major invasion by the Russian Federation and its Allies in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Seizing the opportunity with growing tensions in Middle East and a war looming between the NATO/European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States, The People's Republic of China started mass conscription and production of Armoured Vehicles, Tanks, Artillery, Aircraft and Small Arms.
On August 9th 2040, China launched a massive land assault involving 600,000 men and tens of thousands of Armoured Vehicles and Tanks on Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. In a simultaneous assault the PLA Navy and Air Force launched several strikes on APU military targets based in Phillipines, Spratly Islands, Malaysian Peninsula, Borneo and Singapore.
Two Regiments of Fighter/Attack and Bomber Aircraft attempted a strike on Changi Naval Base and several Air Force Bases. This deliberate attempt to strike during Singapore's National Day Celebrations to catch the SAF off guard failed as the Electronic Detection and Warfare Gulfstream Aircraft as well as Early Airborne Radar in Spratly itself had been triggered, and Singapore's Iron Dome and Iron Beam Air Defence Network had been activated along with the scrambling of several Fighter Squadrons. This was a major victory as the Chinese had lost more than half of their Aircraft in the ensuing engagement and several Chinese Aircraft even surrendered and were forced to land. Only 2 Chinese squadrons survived and these were intercepted by the Malaysian Air Force which ambushed them on the journey back.
However while the Air engagements were going on well thus far, the Land fighting was not going in APU's favour. There had only been six Divisions on standby on the Chinese border as the APU Ground Forces were still undergoing major restructuring due to technical and logistical difficulties in merging so many different ground units from so many countries. Hence the surprise invasion by the Chinese took APU Ground Forces off guard and the five Divisions fought hard against the Chinese incursion of thirty-six Divisions.
APU Commanders representing the different nations were in an uproar over the next course of action. They were split amongst those who wanted to make a stand in Indochina and reinforce the borders and those who wanted to carry out multiple strategic retreats with delaying actions in order to slowly deplete the Chinese Forces and to disrupt enemy supply lines.
After several days of heated debate, the Asia Pacific Union Council was convened and given Emergency Powers, and the first general orders were for the combined Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laos Militaries of the APU to deploy 500,000 troops to reinforce the border. The Thai, Malaysian and Singapore Militaries then provided an additional 200,000 men and heavy firepower in the form of advanced artillery that Singapore had developed and acquired, Heavy Main Battle Tanks and Air Support.
Over the next 4 months (August – November 2040) China deployed another 400,000 men to support their slowing offensive. At this point they had already taken Hanoi and most of Northern Laos had been overrun. The Asian Pacific Union had no choice but to pull back and shore up their defences along the borders of Thailand and the 19th Parallel of Laos and Vietnam. The situation looked grim and losses on both sides ran high (Estimated Casualties including all KIA, Wounded and MIA; PLA: 112,700, APU: 105,400).
In an unprecedented turn of events, the Myanmar Military (500,000 Strong at this point) reinforced with almost 300,000 troops from Indonesia with intelligence and supply aid from India launched a massive counteroffensive at Dehong and Pu’er with the objective of capturing Kunming and recapturing Hanoi in order to envelop and surround the Invading Chinese Forces, thus cutting off their supply chain.
On 7th November 2040 at 0400 Hours, the Chinese Forces awoke to the sound of thunder and awe, as the ground shook due to a continuous creeping bombardment of Artillery and Airstrikes. This was followed by a sure by a huge Mechanized and Motorized Infantry Column supported by Indonesian and Myanmar Battle Tanks. At first this counteroffensive seemed to gain steam as PLA Forces rapidly gave ground in Pu’er, Dehong and Lincang. But as APU Forces reached Kunming the counteroffensive ground to a halt as the PLA had withdrawn their forces from Hanoi to focus on the defence. APU Forces spent a grueling 5 months wearing down the PLA defences at Kunming and eventually PLA Forces withdrew from Yunnan, regrouping at the borders of Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. A second offensive saw China give ground in parts of Sichuan and Guangxi.
The PLA and APU then spent the next 9 months trading one piece of territory for another and the fighting fell into a general stalemate. Finally on New Year’s Day of 2043, a general ceasefire was called for, and delegates from both sides met to discuss a resolution to the conflict. By this time the estimated casualties were appalling; PLA: 449,400 KIA, 626,200 Wounded, POW or MIA; APU: 287,000 KIA, 653,000 Wounded, POW or MIA.
During the course of the Southeast Asian War, China faced massive problems including a second front when India & Nepal declared war on China on the 21st December 2041, as well as open rebellions in the province of Qinghai and Gansu and the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. There were massive protests in the major cities of China and the Special Administrative Regional Governments of Hong Kong and Macau were both very unhappy with the central Government in Beijing as they were forced to pay for a war which they did not want to be a part of. Taking full advantage of the People’s Republic of China’s current state of chaos, the Republic of China (aka Taiwan) formally declared its independence in January 2042, which resulted in a formal declaration of war by the PRC. This dragged both the United States as well as Japan into conflict with China.
While the PLA had suffered staggering losses compared to the APU and lost the Province of Yunnan, APU Leaders knew that their forces had been spread thin after heavy losses on their side as well. Both China and APU were desperate for peace as both sides knew that continued fighting would only result in further casualties with no additional gain. Furthermore there was great impetus for a peace treaty as China was fighting a war against India and Nepal on one front and against Taiwan, United States and Japan on another. Therefore a trade was made for all areas captured in Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi to be returned to China, to end all support for rebels in Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai, and in return APU was given the territory of Yunnan. The Treaty was then signed in Nanning and the Southeast Asian War of 20402043 officially came to an end on 4th of February 2043.
This Victory gave credibility to the Asia Pacific Union Council as a Governing body, and popular support for this Government grew, and eventually the old Governments of the individual Southeast Asian Nations gave way to form one single entity with absolute sovereignty, the Asia Pacific Union Federal Government. Today we recognize this entity as the Asia Pacific Interstellar Federation. However this is just the background story of the founding of APU and the following is a timeline of events that followed.
Timeline
2033 ASEAN signs a treaty bringing the Asian Pacific Union (A Monetary and Military Union) into existence
2040 World War III begins. Huge technological advancements, major loss of life, dreadful environmental damage. The People's Republic of China carries out simultaneous land, air and naval strikes on various military and strategic targets in the Asia Pacific Union signifying the start of the South East Asian War of 2040
2041 South East Asian War of 2040-2043. India and Nepal declares war on the People’s Republic of China.
2042 South East Asian War of 2040-2043. Republic of China (Taiwan) declares Independence bringing them, The United States and Japan into war with the People’s Republic of China.
2043 End of the South East Asian War between PRC and APU, Yunnan is annexed by APU and PRC focuses its attention on its war against India and against various internal uprisings in Tibet and Xinjiang. APU Emergency Council gains recognition as an effective governing body and its authority finally supersedes the individual Southeast Asian Nations Governments. The APU slowly transforms from a Confederation to a Federation of Southeast Asian and Oceanic States
2044 The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation formally merges with Khazanah Nasional and the Brunei Investment Agency to form the Southeast Asian Investment Corporation (SEAIC)
2046 APU acts as a mediator between China and India in order to broker a ceasefire and in November 2046 a peace treaty thus bringing the Second Sino-Indian War to an end
2048 National Ignition Foundation (NIF) in the United States and the Joint European Torus in the United Kingdom work on the final piece of the puzzle in order to make Fusion Power feasible
2050 World War III comes to an abrupt end after a series of rebellions topple the remaining Governments at war including but not limited to Russia, The United States, Japan, People’s Republic of China, The United Kingdom, European Union, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Death Toll is horrendous with an estimated 450 Million Deaths. Rebuilding effort takes the next 5 years to bring the World back to near 90% of its pre-war state.
2056 First Fusion Power Plant is constructed and operates successfully, one hundred years after Fission Power was first used commercially (Calder Hill Nuclear Power Station)
2057 Founding of the Asia Pacific Conglomerate
History of the Asia Pacific Conglomerate (AP Conglomerate)
The Asia Pacific Conglomerate was born just prior to the Golden Age of Corporations on the 13th of March 2057. It was established as a joint venture by Temasek Holdings, Southeast Asian Investment Corporation and the Charoen Pokphand Group and soon became Southeast Asia’s largest Conglomerate. Along with other Mega Corporations of the time such as China Investment Corporation, SAFE Investment Company, Berkshire Hathaway, General Electric, Samsung Group, Citi Group, etc. AP Conglomerate helped to shape the world and the future into the Universe that we know today.
During its inception, AP Conglomerate invested a great deal in the development and improvement of existing and newer sources of energy including Solar Energy, Biofuel, Antimatter Technology and most notably Nuclear Fusion through one of its many subsidiaries: AP Energy. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell used in many ships that we have today are based on a successful prototype developed by AP Energy in 2066, and later the Fuel Scoop as a means of replenishing the Hydrogen Fuel in 2092.
The second subsidiary established was AP Aerospace which was notable for being among the first developers of Spaceflight capable Aircraft in early 2070s as a second race to put another man on the moon as well as the first man on Mars became reality. Currently AP Aerospace serves as one the key Manufacturers in the production of chassis and parts for the production of Core Dynamics and Faulcon DeLacy Designed Spacecraft.
AP Kinetics is the main Defence arm of AP Conglomerate and is responsible for designing and manufacturing small arms, personal body armour, armoured vehicles and artillery, as well as weapon and defence systems mounted on spacecraft including Kinetic Weapons (such as the Multi-cannon and Fragment Cannon), Missiles, Torpedoes and Mine Launchers, and various Railgun models. It is currently one of the Top 20 Largest Defence Manufacturers in Federation Space.
AP Infodyne core mission works on AP Conglomerate’s belief that Knowledge and Information is power. Hence they work as AP Conglomerate’s main Data Gathering Agency and Intelligence Unit. It even began engaging in Industrial as well as National level espionage from time to time in order to protect and further the interests of AP Conglomerate. In the present day, AP Infodyne is also the main Exploration Firm and operates several well established Exploration Wings/Squadrons including: “Robert’s Rangers”, “Northern Lights” and “The AVT Explorer’s”. The AVT Explorer’s named their Exploration Wing after a famous Cyborg Explorer who was determined to find out what was at the centre of The Milky Way Galaxy and flew off on his Cobra Mk I in 2885, never to be seen again.
AP Conglomerate also own many manufacturing firms spanning light to heavy industry. These include: AP Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals produces polymers, synthetic materials and plastics as well as production of various medicines. AP Heavy Industries deals in mining, refining and processing of Metals and Minerals, and produces semiconductors and superconductors for the manufacturing of machinery and other electronic equipment. AP Electronics produces many of the machinery that we use today including Atmospheric Processors, Crop Harvesters, Mineral Extractors, Power Generators and Water Purifiers. AP Technetics focuses on research & development of new technologies and has been involved in the advancement of robotics, auto-fabricators, nanotechnology, computers and terraforming of planets.
Other subsidiaries include AP Engineering which is responsible for the construction of the giant space stations and outposts that we live, work and play in today. AP Investment & Trading is the main financial hub of the Conglomerate and holds shares in many firms throughout the Galaxy. AP Life which is one of the largest Insurance Providers in Federation Space selling Life Insurance and Spacecraft Insurance among other Insurance products.
However the most secretive of all the subsidiaries owned by AP Conglomerate is Olympus Corporation. The Olympus Corporation was founded in 2080 as a Private Military Company. Its initial function was to provide security to various AP Conglomerate installations around the globe but eventually expanded to provide security to other firms especially the Banking and Financial Sector and the Energy Sector. It wasn’t until 2100 when Mars as well as various Moons in the Solar System became heavily colonized when it eventually took on an additional role as the Private Defence Arm of AP Conglomerate as well as the Asia Pacific Union, helping to secure and defend their assets and key interests within the Solar System. Other projects and divisions of Olympus Corporation include the Spartan Initiative, a Special Forces Unit dedicated to Direct Action and Counter Terrorism; the Atlantis Agency which operates individuals and pilots highly skilled in the arts of Bounty Hunting and sometimes Assassination, and finally the Titan Corps which is a Rapid Deployment Force ready to react to any threat within Federation Space in a matter of 24 Standard Earth Hours. Among the Titan Corp's most infamous Fighter/Exploration Wings is its Garuda Wing, named after a large legendary bird, bird-like creature, or humanoid bird that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology
The current CEO and Chairman of AP Conglomerate is Mr Alexander Lee, a fifth generation pioneer and entrepreneur who was groomed from young to take the reins of the company. It is the year 3301, and it is your turn to take over and write the next chapter in the Annals of AP Conglomerate’s glorious history.