1990

Start of first Central American Conflict. U.S.

engages in interventionist actions in Panama,
Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador. Military forces
are sent to secure the Canal Zone from an ex-U.S.
puppet dictator.
West, East Germany reunited. Warsaw pact breaks
up into separate nations.
Breakup of Soviet mega-state. From this point, the
USSR begins a new era of reapproachment with
Western Europe; by the 2000’s, the Soviets are the
Eurotheatre’s most powerful allies.
Soviet president Gorbachev appoints party successor,
Andrei Gorborev.
Fall of South Africa. For the next 4 years, there is
little or no communication, although terrible atrocities
and genocidal wars are rumored.

1991
Eurospace agency launches Hermes spaceplane
Gorborev regime purges last of old hardliners
CHOOH2 developed by Biotechnica
First arcology built on ruins of Jersey City. 16
“arcos” begin construction over the next 5 years,
until the collapse of 1997, leaving the huge structures
half completed, filled with squatters and
homeless.
Artificial muscle fibers developed at Stanford
Research Center.

1992
The Treaty of 1992 establishes the European
Economic Community. Zones of control and protective
tariffs regulate the activities of member
nations, France, Britain, United Germany, Italy. A
common currency unit (the eurodollar) is established,
based on average value in gold of all currencies
combined. Trapped in paranoid isolationism,
the U.S.. declines to enter.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) develops
and spreads several designer plagues worldwide,
targeting coca and opium plants.
Governments of Chile, Ecuador collapse.
A savage drug war breaks out between Eurocorpbacked
dealers and DEA all over the Americas.
First use of high energy laser lift arrays in USSR.
Simple massdriver established in Canary Islands by
eight member Eurospace Agency.

1993
First TRC biologic interface chips developed in
Munich, United Germany.
AV-4 aerodyne assault vehicle developed to deal
with increasing riots in U.S. urban zones.
Columbian druglords detonate small tactical
 nuclear device in New York. 15,000 killed.

1994
World Stock Market Crash of ‘94. U.S. economy
teeters, then collapses.

1995
Kilimanjaro massdriver begins construction, under
joint agreement between ESA and Pan-African
Aliance.

1996
The Collapse of the United States. Weakened by
losses in the World Stock Crash, overwhelmed by
unemployment, homelessness and corruption,
many city governments collapse or go bankrupt.
The U.S. Government, snarled in a staggering deficit
and the machinations of the Gang of Four, is totally
ineffective.
Nomad Riots. By now, 1 in 4 Americans are homeless.
hundreds of thousands riot for living space
throughout the u.s. , Nomad packs spring up on the
west coast and spread rapidly through the nation.

First appearance of boostergangs.

Lawyer Purge. Irate citizens lynch hundreds of
criminal defense attorneys.
U.S. Constitution suspended. Martial law established
in u.s.

1997
Mideast Meltdown. tensions in Middle East escalate
to nuclear exchange. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Chad and the
Arab Emirates reduced to radioactive slag. World oil
supply drops by half.
Toxic spill kills off most of salmon population in
Pacific Northwest. Seattle economy crippled.
‘Rockerboy’ Manson killed in England.

1998
Neo-Luddites re-established in Western Kentucky.
Over the next ten years, The “Luds” are responsible
for bombings of airports, factories, freeways
and mass transit terminals.
The Drought of ‘98 reduces most of the midwest to
parched grasslands. Between agribusiness corps
and drought, the family farm all but disappears.
10.5 quake shatters Los Angeles; Pacific Ocean
inundates 35% of the city. An estimated 65,000 are
killed.
Nuclear accident in Pittsburgh kills 257. Cancer
deaths soar over next ten years.

1999
Federal weapons statute established.
 Millennium cults begin to appear, predicting an
apocalypse on Jan.1, 2000. Thousands migrate to
isolated communes & temples to “await the end”.
Tycho Colony established. a massdriver is constructed
to provide raw materials for orbital platforms .

2000
Millennium cults run amok on Jan.1st in orgy of suicide
& violence; most destroy themselves.
First “extended family” posergangs established.
Massive firestorms rage over northwestern U.S.,
destroying millions of acres of farm and grassland.
Crystal Palace space station begun at l-5.
Wasting Plague hits U.S., Europe, killing hundreds of
thousands.

2001
The framework of the Net firmly in place with construction
of the Worldsat network.

2002
Food Crash; mutated plant virus wipes out
Canadian, Soviet crops. U.S. agribusiness crops
survive due to new biological counteragent. USSR
accuses U.S.. of biological warfare.

2003
Second Central American War. U.S. invades
Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela. The War is a
disaster that costs thousands of American lives.
Eventually, the remainder of the Gang of Four is
swept away on a wave of reform.
WNS media star Tesla Johanneson exposes secret
NSA transcripts of the 1st Central American conflict.

2004
First cloned tissue growth in vitro. Microsutures,
sterilizer fields developed.
Tesla Johanneson assassinated in Cairo.
First Corp War. 12 multinats, (including EBM & OA)
battle for control of Trans-World Air.

2005
Cybermodem invented.
EBM solos attack Tokyo office of Kenjiri
Technologies, killing 18.
End of 1st Corp War.

2006
First Human clone grown in vitro. Mindless, it only
lives for 6 hours.

2007
Second Corporate War: Involving a number of firms
including Petrochem, the dispute is over oilfields in
 the South China Sea.
Braindance developed at UC Santa Cruz, California

2008
U.S. assault on Soviet weapons platform MIR XIII.
Eurospace agency intervenes. and Orbital War
breaks out between the “euros” and the “yanks”,
until Tycho colony massdriver drops a rock on
Colorado Springs. An uneasy peace is reached.

2009
Joint Euro-Soviet mission to Mars departs.
Corporations eradicate mob rule in Night City.
Abortive takeover attempt by U.S. “t e r r o r i s t
g r o u p”of Crystal Palace construction. ESA discovers
Defense Intelligence Agency plot and drops 12
ton rock off Washington as a warning.

2010
End of Second Central American Conflict.
Network 54 now controls 62% of all media broadcasting
in U.S.
Food riots in Denver kill 52.

2011
Crystal Palace is completed. ESA now has a permanent
hold in High Orbit zone.
ESA/Soviet mission reaches Mars.

2012
Bioplague kills 1,700 in Chicago.
Concert riot in Night City kills 18, wounds 51. Old
Arasaka complex gutted.

2013
Netwatch established by joint U.S./ Eurotheatre
treaty.
First true Artificial intelligence developed at
Microtech’s Sunnyvale, CA. Facility.

2014
I-G transformations redesign the Net. During this
time, renegade netrunner Rache Bartmoss plants
the DataKrash virus into the architecture of the Net.
“Metal Wars”begin in Night City as gangs battle
for turf.

2015
Rise of the cyber-mercenaries; Lithuania hires
cyber-soldiers to repel invasions by Latvian
nationals.

2016
Third Corporate war is fought in the Net, as rival
 corps attack each other’s data fortresses.

2017
First self-aware human clones created.

2018
Brushfire Wars erupt in Eastern Europe.
ESA mission launched to Jupiter
2019
Orbital colony revolt at L-3.

2020
Carbon Plague incident. A corporate AV crash
releases a nanotech plague on the outskirts of
Night City. Adults die, while children under the age
of 18 are affected with a variety of nano-based
mutations. The plague ravages the city for two
weeks, then mysteriously stops.
Chicago Rebuilding Project begins. Financed by
visionary Dr. Richard Storm of Storm Technologies,
project joins Nomad groups under the unifying
banners of the Aldecaldo and Jode Families.

2021
Euro aquacorp CINO attempts to acquire bankrupt
aquacorp IHAG. Rival aquacorp OTEC attempts to act
as “white knight”in the hostile takeover. As both
corps line up allies, a dangerous war at sea begins.

2022
Covert operations expand as Arasaka Security and
Militech spar to see who will control the outcome
of the CINO/OTEC War.
Rache Bartmoss, rabid Netrunner supreme, is killed
in a corporate raid. Two weeks later, the deadman
switch for the DataKrash activates.
Fourth Corporate War: Covert operations explode
into a shooting war as Arasaka and Militech move
front line troops into battle. The ensuing conflict
involves operations all over the globe, with heavy
combat in major cities.
The Chicago Rebuilding Project collapses as
Arasaka Corporate factions detonate virus bombs
in an effort to deny the city to the Militech side.
DataKrash virus now infests 78.2% of the Net.
Aware of the virus’ potential, Saburo Arasaka sets
out to create a secure database in the new
Arasaka Towers facility in Night City.
As war rages, most of the command and control
elements of the United States Military begin to
break down.
Seven Hour War: Fed up with the fighting, Highriders
at O’Neill 2 declare independence, using deltas and
scavenged massdrivers. U.S.and Japan officially
recognize the new government.
 In an attempt to cripple its enemies’ datastores and
gain control over history, Arasaka Corp releases
Paper Viral V524 —an engineered bacterium that
consumes acid-free papers.
Militech is nationalized by U.S. President Elizabeth
Kress by the expedient of reactivating Militech CEO
Gen. Donald Lundee’s reserve commission.
Night City Holocaust. An incursion team led by solo
Morgan Blackhand and rocker Johnny Silverhand
attempt to steal/destroy the Arasaka Secure
Database in the Arasaka Towers facility. In
response, Saburo Arasaka detonates an area
denial nuclear device which destroys most of central
Night City. Over a million people are killed,
another million and a half die in the resulting aftere
ffects.
Saburo Arasaka flees back to Japan. His son Kei
follows after seeing to evacuation of troops from
U.S.
Kei Arasaka commits suicide via Soulkiller
Returning Arasaka troops take over Japanese government.
Infiltrated Japanese Defense Force collapses,
unable to turn back the Arasaka troops. The
Japanese Self Defense Fleet remains at sea, fighting
Arasaka fleet attacks.
Night City’s center is a radioactive wasteland. The
Arasaka nuke has cracked the city water table,
flooding lower regions to depths of over 50 feet.
The nuke’s enhanced EMP effect has also fried
most of the cyberware in the City, rendering thousands
deaf, blind, or functionally limbless.
Escaping Chicago, Santiago’s convoys are
attacked by Raffen Shiv, but are rescued by a large
force led by Richard Storm of Storm Technologies.
Storm gives Santiago 20 liters of transform virus,
allowing the nomads to survive in the middle of the
corporate bio-plague.
Trapped for two weeks in the wreck of his combat
sub, John Neptune formulates theories of Aqua
Genesis. Escaping, he begins to gather followers,
who are nicknamed “The Locker Crew."
Cyborg Samantha Wilder leads a party of fellow
“b o r g s”out of the wreckage of Night City. Several
corporate and military groups try to stop their
members from deserting, but many are freed and
join Wilder’s “C r u s a d e .”
U.S. President Elizabeth Kress demands return of
Saburo Arasaka as war criminal and terrorist.
Arasaka-controlled Diet refuses.
Desnai Park Mgr.. Kensi Morimoto rescues Dr.
Lauren York (a Raven Microcyb cyberneticist) from
a boostergang. York has figured out how create
“telepresence modules”that allow humans to
manipulate simple machines by thought alone. By
combining York’s technology with his Park’s
 “m e c h a”, Morimoto creates a newtech he dubs
“m e c h a p r e s e n c e .”
U.S. goes to war footing with Militech leading the
attack. By now, Militech is pretty much the U.S. military.
The remaining U.S. military COGs (Combined
Operations Groups) are mobilized to invade Japan.
China demands Saburo Arasaka be turned over to
World Court.
The returning Nomads encounter Dr. Richard
Chiang, who plans to use Chicago to test his new
nanobuilders. Santiago makes a deal to protect
Chiang’s team from the Raffen Shiv and the
Corporates if they give the Nomads access to the
nanobuilders.
After several weeks of walking, cyborg Samantha
Wilder’s “Cyborg Crusade”reaches the high
deserts of New Mexico. They take over Los Alamos
Atomic Labs complex, which has been abandoned
in the wake of a corporate biostrike.
Arasaka reveals a secret alliance treaty with North
Korea. North Koreans threaten to attack U.S., Japan
with nukes unless the U.S. stands down its mobil
ization.
JSDF Admiral Hiroyuki Hattori returns with JSDF
fleet. Unable to defend the vast floating cities off
the coast, he cuts them loose with as much escort
as he can spare.
Hattori and JSDF fleet confront Arasaka fleet off
Yokahama. Arasaka fleet is destroyed, but at a
heavy cost to the JDSF.
Hattori establishes military rule for the duration of
the conflict and demands N.Korea stand down.
15 Minute War: Pushed by Arasaka, the N.Koreans
attack China, South Korea, U.S. in a flurry of nukes.
Beijing, Seoul are hit. While most U.S.-bound missiles
fall short or are Ortilleried by USAF, one manages
to hit the U.S. 7th Fleet enroute to Japan. Nine
missiles are targeted at Japan, but are deflected in
low orbit by JSDF’s secret “particle ablation
f i e l d .” The nukes go off without damaging any
cities, but the EMP pulse wipes out much of the
electrical infrastructure of urban Japan. Japan, U.S.
and China retaliate by rocking/nuking most of the
North Korean peninsula into oblivion.
DataKrash virus is now in full dispersal, decimating
systems worldwide. Netwatch has only just begun
to learn of it’s existence,
Kanto typhoon of 2024 strikes Japan and the North
Pacific. Hailed as the second “Divine Wind,”t h e
storm batters an already damaged Japan. The
“K a n t o”cities are scattered across the Pacific; in
the aftermath of the 15 minute War, they are unrec
overable.
JSDF Admiral Hiroyuki Hattori captures Saburo
Arasaka in his mountain compound in Hokkaido. In
 a televised military trial, he condemns Arasaka and
personally beheads him with his own sword.
Hattori subsequently sends the head back to U.S.
President Elizabeth Kress to express the profound
apologies of the Japanese people.

2023
In the overthrow of the Arasaka compound,
unearthed files reveal that in 2010, a secret Orbital
program developed a near FTL fusion engine.
U.S. military forces attempt to attack Wilder’s community
at Los Alamos. They are driven off by the
cyborg squatters, who announce that they are
nationalizing the lab and establishing a “f r e e
s t a t e”open to any full cyborg who wants to join.
A DataKrash dump to an ESA workshack reveals
that the High Frontier Colony under construction at
L5 is NOT a colony at all, but a group of powerful
fusion drives designed to move colonies out of
their orbits.
Gathering of Angels: Tired of ongoing corporate
strife, the L colonies decide to declare their separation.
The High Frontier Colony is mobilized and
moved into position to tow key colonies out of
orbit.
On Drift City 1, Dr. Satterjee Pandat develops first
bioforms. These are test subjects, but end up being
given to Pandat’s son and friends to distract them
from the Drift Cities’ exodus.
The four major L zone colonies, now lit by minifusion
suns, break orbit and begin accelerating out
of the solar system. To cover their escape, the
colonies rock parts of Europe from orbit.
The Run to Alpha C. The L colonies are attacked by
elements of the ESA and Soviet Rocket Corps trying
to stop them from escaping the Solar System.Orbital Mirrors are cut loose and aimed at the
polar
icecaps. Billions of joules of microwaves melt the
icecaps, raising sea levels and causing massive
storms. The ESA, USAF and SRC band break off pursuit
of the colonies and band together to shut down
the arrays. However, vast ecological damage is
unavoidable.
Rising seas threaten to obliterate the Gulf Coast.
Thousands take refuge in the OTEC city of Atlantis.
Richard Storm (of Storm Technologies) and OTEC
President Amanda Russell agree to join Atlantis
with Storm’s undersea colony of Reef. A permanently
joined structure is established.
Kanto Drift City One encounters OTEC floating city of
Aqua Delphi in mid-Pacific. Over the next month,
Aqua Delphi MHD towboats and combined
JSDF/OTEC forces round up the remaining Kanto
Cities.
Atlantis is about to be overrun by attacks from
 pirates and CINO (OTEC’s corporate enemy) fleets,
when John Neptune’s merc navy shows up to help
ex-employer, Amanda Russell. The savage
“Locker Crew”speedily dispatches both
armadas.
Drift city philosopher Mysake Ono writes The Book
of Riptide, a series of meditations similar to the T a o
De Ching. the Book sweeps through the war weary
Cities, creating a powerful new social movement.
With Chiang’s help, Santiago’s Nomads build a
gigantic rolling caravan the size of a small aircraft
carrier, powered by a looted fusion plant and
mounted on gigantic tracks. The first Roller City, it
is christened Chi-Town.
Neptune realizes Storm’s transform tech can save
millions displaced by the rising seas, as well as the
culmination of his Aqua Genesis philosophy. They
begin a drive to transform refugees into sea
dwelling “n e w - m e n”who can live in the selfsustaining
Reef colony.
Dr. Chiang releases first nanobuilders in Night City.
At first, the project is a success, but it soon
becomes apparent that radiation in the Night City
soil has caused the nanobuilders to start tearing
down undamaged structures in an uncontrolled
building frenzy, stopped only by bodies of water
and certain types of rock.
Dr. Chiang hangs himself from the top of the new
Night Central Starscraper.
United States Government relinquishes control of
territory west of the Rockies. This region becomes
the Unfederated States of America

2025
The DataKrash virus now infests 98% of the Net and
has taken on extremely lethal qualities. Netwatch
reluctantly cuts the backbone of the network. The
Net goes dark.

2026
The Diaspora: The new Altcults began to take root
and spread out across the Unfederated States.
Roller City (Gary, IN) constructed
Solar Farms at Los Alamos started.
Lamilar Nu-Cybe developed in New Night City.
Modified bioform matrix allows regeneration of lost
limbs.
Wild Return Coalition releases hypervore bioforms
into the Northwest forests.

2027-203X
Interregnum. New Altcult enclaves established in
Night City
Wild Return Coalition releases hypervore bioforms
onto Great Plains.
Night City now reaches from Sacramento to Santa
Tijuana