Mr. Mysteries' So-True Histories Episode 24 - Threats from Every Direction

Hello Eager Learners! I am Mr. Mysteries, formerly of the Learned League, and this is my KARENcast series on the history of our Reality, Reality 69. Our last episode focused on the variety of Exos present on Earth and in the dimensions and interstellar space around it. Our episode today will look at some of the specific threats that have made themselves evident to the current state of affairs.   Let us start with the mundane threats - political instability and social upheaval. Due to the influence of the Stability Committee there have not been national wars since World War II. This has not prevented the collapse of several nations, typically due to internal conflict or absorption/annexation into other nations. Some of the most notable examples of these would be the reunification of Germany in 1990, the reunification of Yemen in 1990, the dissolution of USSR in 2000, the annexation of Tibet by China in 1951 and the independence of Tibet from China in 2010. The Famine Riots of 2002 saw a large increase in instability for several nations, almost causing a collapse of several European and African countries and leading to the creation of the European Union, the Independent Nations Coalition, and the Autonomous African Affiliation. Many nations also deal with the difficult issues of terrorist groups, both domestic and foreign, that stage attacks for a variety of purposes. The influence of the Megacorporations also cannot be discounted, although the current nation-state arrangement seems beneficial to the them, so there have been no obvious national level changes due to the influence of the Megacorporations. The positioning and integration of the Yatsuda-Mitsu megacorporation with the Japanese and Chinese goverments could be presented as a counter-argument to that statement, of course.   The still ongoing disputes of humans and neohumans is likely the most widespread and impactful social risk to the world. While the various nations of the world have done what they can to promote the integration of humans and neohumans (not to mention Exos), most experts see these racial conflicts as the most likely cause of ongoing societal problems.   These racial tensions lead directly into the next category of threat, that of independently operating vigilante or terrorist operatives. Due to the possibility of a neohuman terrorist striking anywhere, anytime, it is not surprising that tensions are high. This is not helped by the fact that vigilante action by unlicensed superheroes often results in large amounts of collateral damage and personal injury. When even those that might be able to help are careless in doing so and result in more damage, everyone is going to be nervous whenever any Neohuman abilities begin to be thrown around. Both national governments and megacorporations have instituted measures such as professional hero units and strict legal requirements of licensure before using Neohuman abilities in any offensive capacity. Wanton acts of terror or endangerment are punished severly, with sentences to Gothic being common for many Neohuman enhanced crimes.   Outside of the dangers of Neohuman vigilanties and terrorists, both foreign and domestic, there is also the risk of magical dangers. The influence of magical forces, as the major driver of the NAP (Neohuman Activation Pulse), cannot be ignored, although proficient mages are rare enough that many people may forget to give it proper consideration. If history is any guide, it seems that most mages and magical societies of great enough facility to be a significant threat prefer to operate from the shadows and through various puppets in positions of power.   We have already spoken about many of the well known threats outside of Earth. It is worth noting in this discussion, however, that many Exo threats do not come from the grand established powers of the interstellar empires or the Lord-Knights of Order and Chaos. Instead, much like the worldly threats of rogue Neohumans, magicians, or forgotten monsters from the deep, the most common Exo threat are rogue individuals that seek to utilize either their advanced technology or extra-dimensional to try to impose their will on the citizenry of earth. Often these individuals make no more of a mark that any other powerful Exo or Neohuman, although occasionally one will find a way to allow a Greater Entity from outside of our space and time. These great and terrible monstrosities are capable of doing unfathomable amounts of damage, and those that are aware of them live in fear for the day that one successfully does so.   As you can no doubt see, those alive today have no shortage of existential threats. One that is often overlooked and misunderstood is the impact of magic on the world today. Our next episode will focus on this most mysterious of machinations.