Epilogue Part 3: We'll meet again
On September 12th 1990 The California held a second referendum this time for independence from the Continental Union. If it would succeed, the Californians were expected to take with them a large percentage of the American Nuclear Stockpile with them and would resume it's status as an Independent Nation, excluded from Union rights and privileges. The Holy Roman Empire and India supported such a move and in the case of the Empire, not just through words but promises of military intervention should the Continentals not abide.
The Empire, at this point was a far different beast than what had survived the crucible of the second world war. The Military's increasingly influence the country had led to the traumatic African revolution, and harsh occupation policies in France and Greece. The Backlash was pronounced as the military lost public faith in the 70's, losing support and much of it's influence in the Empire by 1980.
Meanwhile Occupied China had only grown in power as it steadily rebuilt, not slightly influencing the Austrian colonial tree, but completly bending it through the sheer weight of it's population. By 1980 Hong Kong has becoming a bustling metropolis as large as Venetia or New Orleans. The more Industrial Northern Area's had led to a massive decrease in the demand for low skilled labor the world over. Even among the royal family Chinese influence had been felt, as like the mongols before them whispers had begun to be passed around Vienna that Emperor Claudius' children were more Chinese than European.
(Flag of the Imperial Chinese Dominion, 1988)
By 1984, The United States of Central China had agreed to reunify with the Austrian half, on one condition, the Chinese Empire be restored and given special privileges under the Holy Roman Dominion system. The Americans, were less than thrilled, but trouble at home was far more cornering, and so the Chinese restoration had happened, a great day for the Chinese, but it had only accelerated the coming Imperial identity crisis.
(Scene from the 1988 Movie Star Wars sequel 'Return of the Jedi')
Outside of the protests in the street the other valuable parts of Californian culture had flipped back to independence movement. In a notable example the widely popular 'Star Wars' films had originally drew parallels to California's fight for independence against the Empire. By the time the third movie, public opinion had shifted and so had Hollywood. 'The Empire' previously a caricature of the Holy Roman Empire mixed with several fascist governments such as Sudamerika in space had been portrayed in a much different light, that the Emperor was perhaps not so evil, and that 'Luke Skywalker''s suspected father had rebelled before and come to the side of order.
By September 13th the results of the California referendum had finished, 60-30 Percentage in favor of leave. The Americans were none too thrilled and immediately demanded California turn over its entire nuclear Arsenal and pay for reparations from the welfare money paid out to the Country while under the Continental Union. The Californian Government refused, troops had been raised to the border and the Holy Roman Empire had stood up to intervene.
Ultimately however the world could breath a sigh of relief, as the Americans backed down, so long as the Nuclear weapons were returned. They were, though it was strongly suspected that the Holy Roman Empire made assurances to rearm the Californian missile bases after the American nukes had left the country.
Similarly in Africa, the Dominion of South Africa had successfully won it's own independence from the Empire in the early 1990's. Economically the country remained very much within the Empire's sphere of influence as the rest of Africa that had been fought so viciously over decades before had devolved into a mess of feuding warlords and Ethnic groups trying to gain superiority over the others.
By the year 2000 UNAP had successfully gathered the funding and support to successfully land a four man team on Mars as well as prepare missions for a permanent settlement on the moon. Many attributed the staggering success of the program to China's entry as the International Space Station alone was a great feat, the mars mission was nothing short of a miracle.
The reality was less simple. In the late 1970's an unidentified spacecraft (Later known as 'Gabriel') has crashed in the middle east. While the crew had been vaporized by the heat, UNAP had been given the burnt craft under heavy secrecy stating that the craft was an 'experimental design' stolen from the Chinese Union State during the war. By the 1990's advances in computers had allowed UNAP to read the data files and discover that this particular craft had been observing the earth since 700 AD. The Aircraft's thruster design had also been reverse engineered, and though the original craft used some sort of high energy material, Imperial Engineers figured out the design would still boost conventional thruster efficiency by 300%.
(Nomad I Class Arc Ship Design, 2009)
In 2004, UNAP revealed the Nomad I an 'Arc Ship' and had used technology from the Gabriel, such as Cryosleep technology to allow for interstellar travel. Not expecting to find much funding from World governments, UNAP turned to the rising importance of the internet crowd funding for those brave enough to seek out new worlds capable of supporting human life. To better increase credibility with the Plan, an smaller Arc Ship the 'Noah' had been used to set up a terraforming outpost on Luna, and a Second ship had already landed on Mars for a similar operation.
By 2009 4 Arc Ships were constructed, and finally World Governments had taken notice, India would find two, The Holy Roman Empire would subsidize the construction of 4 and fund two. Russia and Scandinavia would fund the construction of one, and the Continental Union would ultimately fun 3 over the course of the program.
The Arc ships all had pre-programed destinations of Inhabitable planets taken from the 'Gabriel', they would hold almost a 100,000 passengers each with 80% of all passengers being in Cryo sleep at a time. Two more 'Mars' Nomads were built as glorified shuttles between earth and the red planet, dropping off terraforming supplies and passengers.
Of course, the good as it always has, came with the bad, by 2010 Emperor Claudius III's health had worsened and by 2016 he had passed on. For such a controversial time in the Empire House Anniona had remained somewhat above it all, and detached as Claudius' eccentricity and hands off style of ruling had led to great projects such as the space program, and also great failures such as the African civil war. His legacy would be tarnished however by a true succession crisis, the first in hundreds of years as Claudius' children had died and his grandchildren were the ones now vying for the throne.
(Crown Prince, Christopher Anniona 2015)
Prince Christopher was the eldest, the designated heir and thoroughly Chinese in culture. He had notably stated that he wished to move the Capital of the Empire to Beijing and that due to China's great population it would better off being served as the heartland of the Empire. While some in fact much of that was probably rumor it had scared the German aristocracy enough to crown his cousin, Princess Eva Anniona.
(Princess Eva Anniona, at university in Vienna)
Like her great Aunts, Princess Eva had not desired the Throne, and in fact avoided it as much as possible. The Imperial Council however was thoroughly terrified of allowing China to replace Austria as the centerpoint of Imperial politics. In the weeks following her father's death Eva had been shown a fabricated letter naming her the Heir, to the Empire. Not wanting to defy her father's last wishes Eva accepted the crown, and from that point, things were only going to get worse.
The Military, which had becoming increasingly Chinese in the years following the African Civil War supported the Crown Prince and perhaps pushed him further in pressing his claim. When the Imperial Council, and Senate openly refused it went against the founding principles of Octavia's new government and Christopher ordered both arrested, only for the order to fall silent and for Prince Christopher to escape China as the Senate crowned Eva in his stead.
(President Kevin Ramirez of the United States and leader of the Continental Union, 2016)
The Americans had been waiting for such an opportunity for some time. With the Empire now set against itself it's allies were vulnerable. President Ramirez had campaigned on the promise of bringing America back into prosperity, and had outright stated he wished to punish California for leaving the Union so soon as Calexit had led to massive recession across the entire continent.
American troops pushed into Nevada, and into the Valley, drawing a conventional response from Californian Troops. Japan promised to rush to the Aid of California, things were only getting started. Revolutionaries rose yet again in South America, and by 2018 the war between Austrian siblings had started.
Nobody knows quite who started it, whether it was the Californians acting in self defense, The Americans acting in a first strike capability, Perhaps even India attempting to incapacitate the Empire before a planned invasion. What mattered was the results were catastrophic the world was Aflame. Ultimately if there would be any winner it was the Holy Roman Empire, as it had so many people and a supply of nuclear weapons so large that it had successfully bombed the Americans, Indians and all others into the stone age twice over. A bitter victory however as there was nothing truly left to inherit.
Amidst it all the Empire activated its contingencies, sending valuable nobles and government personnel to Mars in its last remaining Arc ship, included were some of the Bonapartes as well as the last surviving Anniona of the Main line, Prince Julian (Crowned as Emperor Julius) the youngest brother of Empress Eva.
Humanity's' Time on Earth had been a turbulent one, Filled with conflicts ranging from dynastic to religious to economic. Earth had served as the Cradle to a population of 6 Billion People, but was unable to stop it's children from turning their own technologies against one another. But it was not the end Humanity had managed to leave that small blue marble. Irony being it would be the Planet named for the Roman God of War, Mars that had rescued humanity from such a fate and given them a second chance, not on just earth, but in the stars.
After all ruling the universe is not a choice, It's only destiny. The Empire now looks again to the future, the words ring out for the Emperor's chosen hear them. Deus Vult!, Imperia Universalis!, Blood and Iron!, Imperial Hearts!