The Daedalus Foundation, a space exploration and research sponsor created in the mid-70's accepts sponsorship from Ferrotech, a high-tech materials design company founded a few years earlier.

The new suits utilized implanted quantum controllers to control and power the new suits’ ambient energy systems through quantum arrays. During one of the last mission spacewalks, four astronauts performing EVA maneuvers were struck by a very unexpected high-energy solar flare induced by tangential gamma ray burst. The circuitry in the suits were overloaded and the suits themselves were burned and torn from the astronauts' bodies. The original Team Eagle for that mission were mission leader Pilot Captain Desmond Barrister, Copilot Captain Stephen L. J. Smith, mission Navigator Captain Ellis Drennon, and mission specialist Captain Edgar Nunez.

Engineers at NASA discovered the drawbacks that channeling this amount of energy have on astronauts. Two of the remaining Team Eagle perished within hours of each other, suffering from multiple tumors and radiation-sickness induced illnesses from unrelenting solar radiation. The members of the team dubbed “Team Eagle” gained immediate popularity as American legends and heroes. Edgars condition and powers are kept a secret by the government, and the official word is that he perished along with his fellow Team Eagle members.

The Air Force, realizing that Edgar cannot be kept secret, attempts to introduce Edgar Nunez as Alpha, but he quickly adopts the public designation of Pilot and in fact, insists on the name. In public encounters, he often only refers to himself as 'a pilot' rather than Pilot with a capital P. He bears the primarily blue uniform from his space mission, adorned with white and red decorations and piping. He is assigned to a public relations team and is folded into the command structure of the United States Military. He is given a promotion to Major, but he identifies himself by his NASA rank designation as Pilot.

Edgar Nunez becomes known as the first public superhero when he saves a falling jet airliner, Flight 308, after a malfunction that occurs while Pilot is performing top secret test flights over the Pacific. Being witnessed by scores of passengers, he is hailed as a hero, and when tasked by witnesses with his name, he merely states "I was just a pilot that happened to be flying nearby."

The hilarity of that statement also underlies his humility, and immediately endears him to the public as "the Pilot". In less than two days he is recognized as Edgar Nunez and it takes little time for the press to identify him as a recently deceased astronaut from Team Eagle.

Pilot saves eight climbers after unexpected storms on Mount Everest. His actions help prevent the deaths of a handful of other rescuers and recovery crew who would have perished when the storm grew more severe.

Pilot is assigned to travel into Iraq when inspectors are denied access. He performs and inspection and satisfies US demands for disarmament.

Pilot rescues over 120 persons from the Garley Building after it catches fire in Hong Kong. Without his intervention, the death toll would have easily been most if not all of the rescues. Hong Kong awards him their highest honors and holds a parade in his honor.

Acadia Station is completed and begins operations in research and development. Plans for four other stations are in the works and with the aid of a standing station, superpowers from around the world begin their plans to set up an international space community and research facility.

In 1998, the United States military creates Team Liberty using the infamous Project Yellow Citadel. The original team consists of Agent Exemplar (Active), Brightstar (Deceased and Replaced by her sister, Neostar), Blasthammer (Deceased), and Titanium (Retired and Disabled).

In 1999, Russia creates the Zaschitniski, aka The Guardians, using unique IPT implants. Dr. Kuratov, the genius behind the implant design and Quasar process, is killed and Russia still has yet to create a duplication of the process.

Team Liberty comes into conflict with Pilot over US military deployments in Bosnia, where Brightstar is killed and the public sees the first superpowered battle. While the death of Brightstar is obviously tragic, the news channels see a renaissance in viewership as they replay the details of the battle almost non-stop for over twenty-four hours and repeatedly program towards the aftermath for days on end.

Chinese scientists, utilizing what is theorized to have been modified prototypes of the Kuratov IPT design create the Shen, consisting of the Jade Emperor, P'ang-gu, Yangwang, Shennong, and the Monkey King.

Starbound Station, a shuttle launch and maintenance facility, is established in Puerto Rico. Further, under the AIDAT (AEGIS Incarceration, Detention, and Treatment) Act, a neutral site is established for regular flights to the Tower and other space facilities.

A border disagreement arising from the recently settled Sino-Soviet Border Agreement in 1991 leads to a military deployment by Russia, followed by a military intervention by China. Russia sends the Guardians to defend their military deployment as the Chinese send the Shen to oppose the Guardians. The conflict leads to the loss of 142 soldiers, but no Quasars. There are two more conflicts in the following months, but the human toll is but a handful of soldiers. At United Nations urging, the two countries come to a peaceful resolution, although tensions between the two teams has always been high.

With permission of the United States government and under provision of the Mulgrave Act, Acadia Station is converted into a detention facility. Pilot is transferred there almost immediately.

The United Nations Security Council creates UNCOS (United Nations Council on the Obligation of Superhumans). One of the first recommendations by UNCOS is the creation AEGIS (Alert and Engagement of Global Incursion by Superhumans) to act as an intelligence and security agency and to regulate the creation of more superhero teams.

Israel, using technology directly analogous to the United States Yellow Citadel project creates a three-team known as the Chalkydri (mythical creatures from Jewish legend). Consisting of Golem, Saraph, and Shedim. This puts the entire Middle East into a flurry of military response and several nations accuse the United States of brinksmanship, accusing the US of sharing their technology with Israel.

Britain, France, Mexico, and Japan all field Quasar teams. Britain and France field the only real superpowered teams, with the Quasar Guard in Britain (consisting of Golden Scepter, Green Knight, Thunderball, and Peregrine) and the Chevaliers (aka Knights of Power, consisting of Wyverne, le Lutin Rouge, Avatar, and la Aspic). The Mexican and Japanese Q-teams are heightened, consisting of over two dozen members on each team, but are considered formidable enough between their arms and training to be Quasar teams.

The UAE creates the Legends, using what some believe were modifications of the original Kuratov design. Their team consists of Sindbad the Warlord, Zarqa (seer and mystic), Qutrub (were-beast), and Deadly Nasna (could kill with but a single touch). They come into direct conflict with the Clakydri multiple times within the next few months, but eventual intervention by Team Liberty sees both teams vanquished and their willingness to engage reduced greatly.

After failing to secure a sanction from UNCOS, the Legends are ordered to disband and submit to AEGIS for depowerment and incarceration. Tensions escalate rapidly and Team Liberty, along with the Quasar Guard and the Chevaliers du Pouvoir, swoop in to protect UN forces when the Legends counterattack. Eighteen members of the Legends of Arabia are killed, sacrificing themselves with a Q-battery explosive missile, killing Avatar and destroying Titanium's legs.

Canada fields a team of Quasars, deploying them to the Middle East as peacekeepers. Less than six months later, three of the team are dead after being ambushed by a combined force of the Fiery Swords and the Rolling Thunder. Later investigations show the hand of Huqana Sulba in directing the ambush.

Despite U.S. opposition to it, Canada requests approval for its Quasar team, the Canadian Champions (now commonly referred to as the Champions). The U.S. argues that Team Liberty can protect all of North America's interests, while Canada argues for its ability to field its own sovereign power. The actual politics are rooted in trade disagreements, but the Champions are sanctioned, whose members include The Valiant, Loup-Garou, Needlestorm, and the Rainbow Druid. The U.S. media mocks the Canadian team until an attack at Niagara Falls proves their skill as they save over a thousand American and Canadian citizens from an attack by a pair of Quasars known as the Cyclops and the Ettin.

Terrorists, later revealed to be Shafrat Alnaar and the Rolling Thunder (Iraqi and Syrian Quasar teams), using illegally modified Q-tech and hijacking domestic and cargo airliners, attack the World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, Boston Harbor, the Pentagon, the White House, and Capital Hill. Team Liberty prevents almost all of the attacks except for the one on the World Trade Center, and in spite of their efforts, thousands of lives are lost as the terrorists manage to slam airplanes into the twin towers.

The Shen deploy to the Middle East on AEGIS request. The Shen go on the offensive, against US and coalition direction, and kill several high-ranking officers in the Iraqi army. Their attacks impose such collateral damage that AEGIS immediately requests they cease and desist.

Germany and Switzerland also field Quasar teams, which given the recent spurt of criminal Quasar activity, meets UNCOS approval almost immediately. Germany's team, the Eisenzug (Iron Platoon) consists of Schwartzenhammer, Zeppelin, Eisstachel, and der Manschatten. Young and enthusiastic, it becomes obvious they were fielded to join up to fight the Middle Eastern Q-forces. Switzerland's team, a couple of twins, are billed purely as domestic heroes known as the Bruder Andermacht (Brothers of Power), but Switzerland's stance as a neutral nation is obvious in its need to maintain Quasars in its national defense.

Iraq, using technology and information sold by North Korea, creates Al-Kasheen Ni'van (Fiery Swords), which prompts the Iranians to field the Hosht'i Al-Sandeni (Falling Skies). These Q-gangs, while not true Quasars, are the first instances of militarily deployed Q-gangs. Their training and heightened abilities make them a challenge for conventional militaries, and their guerrilla tactics and covert warfare make them difficult to address using Quasars.
The Iran-Iraq War continues for almost five years before a united front of multiple Quasar teams is deployed to completely wipe out both groups. A number of Quasars die during these conflicts, including Blasthammer, Eisstachel, Titan (Ti

Haqana Sulba (Force of Righteousness) and Rustungkafer (Armor Beetle), extending their initial fight from the attacks on 9/11, become fierce enemies and fight each other repeatedly over a period of several weeks, turning cities in Italy, Egypt, Kenya, and even the United States into their personal battleground. Eventually, Rustungkafer captures Sulba and he is lauded as a hero by the general public, although AEGIS detains him and places him in a correctional facility.

Japan enters into the collection of nations with Quasars as they introduce their Kami No Keshin (Incarnations of the Divine), a team of three heroes who have formidable powers and skill for their relative inexperience. They enter the conflict against the UAE and Syria and make significant advances thanks to their battlefield contributions. Many news analysts theorize that the Kami are as powerful, if not more powerful, than Team Liberty.

Huqana Sulba is finally trapped in Oman. A ferocious attack by Rustungkafer and AEGIS forces leads to a brutal combat between Rustungkafer and Sulba, which leads to the deaths of not only Sulba's most loyal guards but to that of Sulba himself as the building they are trapped in is collapsed. Rustungkafer is the only one left alive and is taken into custody by AEGIS.

In an attempt to increase the team size of the Kami No Keshin in a research facility just outside of Machido, researchers develop what they think is the first Omega Class 10 Quasar named Matsura. Matsura's power, the ability to create and convert objects into solid carbonized matter, proves uncontrollable as her apotheotic manifestation kills first the Kami and then the individuals in the research facility and continues on to destroy most of Machido, turning it into a purely solidified carbon fiber construct of every person and every object in the city, preserved for all time. It takes the combined efforts of several Quasar teams and even some unsanctioned Quasars to stop her. Japan's pro

After a pre-emptive attack on a Kenyan research facility led by Team Liberty leads to one hundred and thirty-nine staff at the facility and the escape of a three dozen Quasars, the South African Coalition (SACO) issues a stringent edict restricting UN intervention in South Africa. UNCOS meets with SACO leaders in Gqeberha, where they reach an agreement known as the 2004 Gqeberha Accords, outlining UNCOS Quasar interventions are only allowed by SACO approval. The agreement was approved only because of unique pegmatite veins unique to South Africa. After the creation of the artificial bonding process by Ferrotech in 2008, UNCOS attempts to rescind the agreement but fails repeatedly.

Italy creates a Quasar team, called the Confraternita di Dante (Dante's Brothers). Their quantum manifestation technique is particularly haunting, as their Quasars are deformed and monstrous in nature. Dante, their leader, appears be an ancient, aged old man but with the resilience and agility of a young man. He has the ability to regenerate, but each time he does, he appears to age more. La Pecca is a woman who can only take the form of a wolf, a leopard, or a lion. Tizzone (Firebrand) has a body that is permanently made of flame, and finally Geryon, who has the combined body of man, the head of a goat, and the arms of a serpent. They adopt the identifies of creatures and beings from

Dr. Stephen Anson, doing his fellowship work at Cambridge, publishes a radical paper on the relational nature of consciousness on the affectation of quantum phenomenon. Linking living, sentient awareness and states of observation to the phenomenon of Quasars, he defines relationships that not only induce the concept of mind over matter (in quantum expression), but further even implies such concepts are necessary to the evolution of quantum technologies.

The United States Army demonstrates the first in an array of high technology quantum-based weaponry (quickly dubbed the media as Q-tech). They demonstrate their weapons at a weapons expo in San Bernadino, where they introduce the training mechanisms and operational guidelines that are explicitly influenced by Dr. Anson's theories on quantum consciousness. The weapons market explodes as other countries and corporations are quickly following suit with new Q-tech weapons, armor, and field technologies.

Within two days, Helios Airways Flight 522 and West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 and are attacked in the skies, leading to their crashes. The attacks kill 126 and 165 passengers respectively. Shortly thereafter, an attack on a group of pilgrims on Al-Aimmah Bridge leads to the death of another 1,200 victims. These attacks make the Quasar Ace known as the Terminus one of the most sought-after criminals in AEGIS and world history.

Larger in scope and destructive force than Hurricane Katrina or Hurrican Andrew, Hurricane Wilma takes an unnatural path and perplexes meteorologists who inadvertently divulge that the hurricane is being manuevered by an outside force. Hurricane Mania takes over the coastal states, leading to panics, mass purchases, and conflicts between panicked residents.

What starts out as a minor case of illegal piracy and air smuggling grows into a major conflict. The Devas pursue a flight through not only Pakistan airspace but through Afghanistan and eventually Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. AEGIS tentatively approves their pursuit, however, the Guardians meet up with the plane and order pursuit stopped. They claim they will take custodianship of the flight and its crew. Lord Rama fires opening shots at Ler and the battle goes into a full-fledged conflict. Before AEGIS can arrive, multiple heroes are hurt on both sides. UNCOS issues a rebuke of the involved parties, but hard feelings remain.

The Terminus uses his powers to guide and amplify a hurricane in the Gulf, guiding it towards landful in the southern United States. Hurricane Katrina, as it comes to be known, is worsened by The Terminus and his weather-controlling powers. Multiple attack strategies are utilized to stop him, including orbital weapon strikes, but the hurricane provides both defense and cover for the powerful Quasar. Eventually, two Quasar Teams, Team Pourvoi Necessite and Team Shiang-Wu come up with a unique strategy to attack The Terminus. Although Terminus dies, so does the entirety of Team Shiang-Wu and additionally, all members of Team Pourvoi Necessite suffer irrevocable damage such that they are re

The first HOURGLASS (High Output URanium-Gold-Lead Almagamatic Self-Sustaining) reactor is built using quantum-induced catalyst reactions stabilized by array-bridge technology. Seeded by quantum-level technology processes, they operate on small amounts of Uranium. Far less radioactive than classical nuclear reactors, they provide remarkable energy output with almost zero waste or pollution after seeding. The reactors are met with suspicion in the United States. Opponents backed by traditional power industries sell the narrative that the possibility of quantum field collapse can create kiloton-level explosions. These fears, along with radioactive waste during seeding, became a focal point

The next generation of Quasars are introduced onto the world stage. Based out of Mumbai, the Devas are improved Quasars, created as a team and using more customized generation technologies, giving them more commonality with a greater variety of powers. Where previous Quasar resonation was relatively unstable and not always reliable, Team Deva, as modern media dubbed them, were more sophisticated in both their public media presence and in how they used their powers. They were the first publicly stylized superhero team and their natural team design, based on the incarnation of Brahman deities and giving them a cultural identity make them rivals to even Team Liberty. Led by the charismatic Sh

The Machtgruppe was formed after when a powerful supervillain organization known as "Schattenreich" (Righteous Shadows) began to operate more actively in Germany. Recognizing the need for a united front against this growing menace, a group of individuals were chartered with UNCOS approval. Die Machtgruppe, originally consisted of five members, Der Schwartenkatz (The Black Cat), Todklingen (Death Blade), Eisenfaust (Metal Fist), Wiedergeburt (Rebirth) and Voidsunder (Leerspalten).

Team Liberty gets into a superpowered battle with the Annhilation Alliance over the Navajo town of To Naneesdizí (also known as Tuba City) in the skies over Arizona. The battle is particularly destructive, given the AA's particular mix of powers that involve acid, wind powers, and flame generation. The AA's, whose previous destruction included the ambush and near destruction of Die Machtgruppe, have been systematically attacking and killing Quasars, both heroic and criminal.

Because of the destruction of Tuba City, the United States petitions UNCOS to allow the formation of Team Thunderbird, based on American Indian mythos and sanctioned to operation solely on tribal lands (where approved by the tribes). The major five tribes, including the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Pueblo, and Lumbi tribes all agree to the protection of The Thunderbirds. While not a truly powerful team, they are uniquely cultural and not beholden to the US Government while on tribal lands. They are considered among the more flamboyant of teams, often performing high speed aerobatic stunts at airshows and public events.

The Machtgruppe gets attacked and ambushed by the Annihilation Alliance just outside of a small manufacturing town in Ostfreisland. Four out of the five members of the Machtgruppe are killed, with Leerspalten being the only survivor of the attack. The Alliance was destroyed and disbanded after this attack, thanks to the combined efforts of the Guardians and a group comprised of the the earliest membership of what was to become shortly afterwards, Team ASTRA.

The Thunderbirds are ambushed by Gothmog, a powerful supervillain. The kills most of them, and severely wounds the remainder. While there are no witnesses to the crimes apart from the remaining members, the two survivors, Gyrfalcon and Quetzel, both retire and refuse to speak openly about the attack or why they chose to retire.

A coalition of tribal governments, led by the major five tribes, moves to ban all Quasars from tribal lands. It is the first such law that bans Quasars from traveling through, over, or under any tribal territory and while criticized as an overreaction, the U.S. government agrees, with pressure from UNCOS, to support the tribal governments initiative and work to protect the tribal lands from Quasar incursion.

AEGIS completes their detainment facilities, one being the Pit, located in Antarctica, and the other being the Tower, located in what used to be Acadia Station at the L3 orbital point. Acadia, converted from an early research point to the detainment facility, is for the most dangerous and hardened of Aces, Kings, and Jacks. While the Pit is designated for Trumps and lower level Q-gang offenders. At this point, the Tower has eight detainees (including Pilot), while the Pit has over 120 detainees.

UNCOS works with AEGIS to create a multi-national, AEGIS-directed team known as Team ASTRA (AEGIS Superpowered Threat Reaction Alliance). Comprised entirely of Aces, Team ASTRA is considered the penultimate super team and only invoked when the most dire threats arise. The initial team members included Agent Exemplar, Neostar, Shiva, Vetra, Monkey King, and Rustungkafer. Rustungkafer, who used to be a villain created by German Right-Wing revolutionaries, is included in the team because of the extreme risks and dedication he took in helping defeat them. Rusty is popular with a large cross-section of world cultures because of his natural charisma and down-to-earth trustworthiness.

UN

The Russian military attempts to create a new version of the ITP implant, they create a Quasar known as Vestnik Nochi (aka The Bringer of Night). He aborts light energy and converts it into radiation. He irradiates the city of Argun when he escapes a nearby facility during his apotheosis, killing almost every person in the city within minutes. The Guardians battle Vestnik Nochi, but they barely escape with their lives. Reports are the that the radiation exposure nearly killing two of the Guardians and they reportedly spent weeks recovering. Team ASTRA is called in by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The battle over the city of Odesa led to another 18,000 casualties, but fortunately

On Christmas Day of 2007, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) utilized Q-gang members and technologies to attack Bujumbura, in the Central Congo. Comprised of the Primevals and Q-gang members of the EIJ, they systematically destroy over forty standing structures before they are forced out by a combination of the Congolese military and Team ASTRA.

The Primevals, in response to the deaths of two of their members, stage a suicide attack on Foxborough during the AFC Divisional Playoffs. New England MVP and OPOY Tom Brady is among the NFL players killed in the attack. Tom Brady is hailed as a hero, sacrificing himself by using a thrown football distract Emerald Inferno so that Titanium can attack him using a container of liquid nitrogen. Posthumously, Tom Brady is awarded Athlete of the Century by Time Magazine and many point to his sacrifice as one of the greatest (and publicly viewed) acts of heroism in the world.

AEGIS introduces a set of guidelines in the form of the Civil Limitations on Authorized Monitoring and Public Reporting (referred to later as CLAMP Reporting Guidelines), which outlines restrictions on public reporting of supervillain behaviors. Most news organizations openly endorse the new guidelines, although they do grow liberal in their intent when new disasters and stories loom on the horizon. AEGIS claims they are not censoring the media, but instead are "asking the media to censor themselves for the greater good of all societies". Several extremist groups point to the CLAMP Reporting Guidelines as another step toward a one world government.

Despite U.S. opposition, Iran discloses the Revolutionary Guard Black Guard, a squad of Q-tech enhanced soldiers. The U.S. demands that AEGIS act to disarm this unit, but UNCOS declares their actions legal and supports the unit. The unit conducts multiple exercises over the next few years in exercises that look to be designed to defeat U.S. based team compositions.

CNN, with the aid of a number of high-level AEGIS internal documents, breaks the story of how Apotheosis works in the creation of powerful Aces. They reveal that AEGIS intelligence indicates that over three hundred Quasars were created and killed in underground cavern facilities in Afghanistan in an effort to create the powerful Primevals. Using zealots who were loyal to their cause, they repeatedly and intentionally sacrificed lives to create superheroes. Other stories arise that more powerful nations, specifically China, the U.S., and India, also willingly killed Quasar subjects to create Aces. AEGIS assures that the oversight of the major superpowered Quasar programs ensures this did

Dozens of corporations band together to create a super event known as the Q-Games. Originally intended as a promotional event, competition quickly seeps in and the events work to quickly transform the shock of recent Quasar catastrophes into a new phenomenon. Neostar, Sun-Boy, Agent Exemplar, and Giga-Fox became popular winners in the areas of energy projection and speed, while The Devas prove insurmountable foes in the head-to-head scenarios. At this time, original Q-Game trading cards are valuable collector items, as are any items signed or once owned by Quasars. The success of this event leads to yearly Q-Games, hosted in Arizona and open to all Quasars and non-Quasars using Q-tech dev

During an NFL playoff game, the halftime introduces a little-known band of corporate Quasars known as The Quakes. With minor powers, ranking somewhere in the Beta to Gamma range, but their unique music, great showmanship, and use of powers within their act makes them a flyaway hit. They explode in popularity and become megastars overnight, garnering huge appearances on every major network and television show and selling out huge venues all over the globe. Later groups such as the PRS, the Shadows, Cerulean Grey, and the Fantoms all feature Quasar performers and all benefit from the huge surge in Q-Age popularity.

A serial killer known as Tragic (Tragicheskiy) brings terror to various cities in Kazakhstan for several months, but is eventually hunted down and killed by the Guardians. By the time he is stopped, he is found responsible for almost thirty deaths, many of them done in such brutal and horrific fashion that he gains incredible notoriety. He has a tendency to leave bodies in the open, placed in locations where there is high public traffic.

AEGIS submits public reports that 2009 represented a peak in illicit Quasar and Q-tech interventions. AEGIS states that the number of intervention missions reached 1,094 for the year, which were addressed by a combination of national, corporate, and in-house Quasar and Q-tech equipped personnel. This number dwarves the previous ten years by over double and represents a trend in illegal, underground Quasar technology activities.

On 12 January 2010, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, leaving its capital Port-au-Prince devastated. About 120,000 people were reportedly killed, among them, 102 United Nations staff who lost their lives when the building housing the mission there, known as MINUSTAH, collapsed. While many Quasars were called in to help with rescue efforts, many were not allowed to enter the country because of restrictions on their status as military personnel.

Designed for the Q-Games, the first introduction of the formalized Q-Rank System, a numerical scaling system for measuring speed, strength, and scale of volume and space affecting powers along with an Elo system. The ranking systems provide an expansion in competition to the point that the games extend from their original two and a half days to a full six days. The system becomes adopted so openly that AEGIS modifies it to the class and ranking methodologies for evaluating Quasar power levels, where AEGIS Classification and Ranking is derived.

The United Nations , and specifically UNCOS, draft the Operations Regulations stating the military and non-military boundaries of Quasars. Driven by the issues during the Haiti earthquake at Port-au-Prince earlier in 2010, the regulations are intended to make clearer the definitions of Quasars and their roles in international relationships. One specific regulation of the UNICORN (United Nations International Code of Regulations for Non-Members), known as Regulation 17, makes it legal for non-UNCOS governments and contracted agents of entities qualifying under the regulations to hire Quasars and thus grant them legitimacy in UNCOS.

While the provision was originally intended as an t

Backlash against constant attacks by Quasar and Q-tech equipped criminals combined with fear of the growing Quasar threat leads to the Nequality Movement -- a combination of the backlash of power of corporate money and influence in politics and police combined with the increased amount of AEGIS and Quasar intervention against more mundane crimes. The phrase Normal Equality becomes a rallying cry (shorted to Nequals). The chant "Nequals are Equals" becomes a powerful slogan as riots spring up all over the world, from Wall Street Occupiers to Hong Kong freedom activists and movements throughout Europe and parts of Africa. A specific riot in Mumbai sees direct attacks against the Devas, lead

Rustungkafer, responding on behalf of Team ASTRA, is attacked by rioters. He is attacked by multiple flash bangs and Molotov cocktails, and his instinctual response is to fire weapons into the crowd. Eighteen people were wounded and four were killed in the event, although police cleared Rustungkafer of any direct homicides (the deaths were due to careless returned fire and thrown Molotov's). AEGIS bans Rustungkafer from active duty, and Rustungkafer retires shortly thereafter. Later evidence in the investigation found the ambush was planned by right-wing extremists who were intent on inciting violence. Transferred to the Tower for a period of time, Rustungkafer is later released from AE

Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Basescu's economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers. Sine Nomine makes an open call for Quasars to join them against the establishment. Qutrub, aka Man-Beast, joins the protests and comes into conflict with the Guardians, leading to the destruction of Ruzica (Little Rose) church, one of the oldest churches in Europe.

The Akili Moja make their first appearance in Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, at an arms dump. While attempting to secure arms and materiele for terrorist operations, the Akili Moja are encountered by the Yamaguchi-gumi Yazuka team who were also seeking to rob the Regiment Blinde of heavy ordnance. By the time the battle and ensuring fire are settled, over 400 people are dead and hundreds more injured. AEGIS sends aid and security operations to investigate, and is met with staunch resistance from angry locals who do not distinguish them from the Quasars that caused the disaster. Commander Dierder Orikobo of local Republic of Congo forces orders AEGIS forces to leave in order to

Team Quantek takes on landowners in Cote d'Ivoire (The Ivory Coast) who they discovered were importing children to work on cocoa plantations. Nestle immediately decries the accusations while simultaneously distancing themselves from their largest supplier. It is later revealed on a France 2 documentary that Cargill Corporation was organizing the shipment of children to Cote d'Ivoire, where they knew children as young as seven and eight years old were being forced to work twelve to fourteen hour days.

The United States Congress, after seeing numbers of Quasars and AEGIS personnel "doxed" and targeted by public media, quickly acts to pass the Q-POSSE Acts. These laws are designed to protect those that expose or target Quasars or AEGIS personnel with invasions of privacy or property. While the acts are intended to protect those who are targeted, they are inflammatory, inducing more activity against Quasars and AEGIS personnel. The public perception of most Quasars has grown considerably more hostile, with the phrase AQAV (All Quasars Are Villains) becomes popular graffiti, both in the public and in social media.

A superbattle over the city of Chelyabinsk damages over 4,000 structures and causes nearly 1,400 deaths. The Death Knell were attempting to use stolen technology to draw an asteroid strike onto Moscow, but the Guardians managed to change the location to the outskirts of Chelyabinsk.

Bremsstrahlung is surprised by the Devas during a robbery at a laboratory in the manufacturing plazas in Savar, Bangladesh. The battle quickly becomes destructive and collateral damage escalates. Bremsstrahlung manages to escape after destroying a building and leaving several others dangerously close to collapse. Although the death toll was a little over 732 people, it would have been much higher had it not been for the efforts of the Devas.

Voskhodyashchiy (the Ascendent) arise as a newly created Q-gang whose mission is to attack the Russian forces stationed in Gudermes, Chechnya. The battle with Russian troops lasts for weeks, with the Ascendents utilizing advanced guerilla tactics. The Guardians attempt to engage them, only to be ambushed multiple times and stymied by their ruthless tactics. The Ascendent make multiple references to the attack on Gudermes, where the smaller city was sacrificed for the benefit of Russian oligarchy in Moscow.

The Daesh movement manages to trap and killing hundreds of Yazidi tribesman as part of Syrian ISIS operations. Many more would have been killed were it not for the intervention of Goliath the Champion, a South African hero and protector of the people.

A combination of efforts leads to the establishment of Meridian Station at L2 Legrange Point. The efforts of members of Team ASTRA are instrumental to speeding up the development of the research station. Housing over a dozen full-time astronauts and researchers, the station is maintained by AEGIS operations under direction of individual national operations groups.

A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people. Team ASTRA moves in to stop further hostilities, engaging Boko Harem forces in multiple encounters throughout Nigeria and Chad.

The NASA New Horizons manned space vessel, occupied by Team NASA consisting of Liquid Steel, Rosethorn, and Shadow Sentinel. The spacecraft, thanks to Liquid Steel's powers, can be rendered to a fraction of its original mass, making it possible to reach acceleration speeds of almost two million kilometers per hour, making their travel time a little over seven months there and back. Rosethorn, the flight command specialist, refers to the

Team Pepsi, during a promotional tour in Nashville, Tennessee, is attacked by a new villain named the Violet Plague. His infective mind-control powers lead to the deaths of several members of the Beta and Gamma levels heroes, several of whom were winners in the 2014 Q-Games, are forced to attack each other in a brutal display that is both shocking and horrifying. Violet Plague taughts the police and declares his attack is a strike against major corporations like Pepsi. Sine Nomine posts copies of the attack on every available medium, including hacking corporate sites embedding the video on their intranet sites.

Dr. Stephen Anson, working with Quasars on assignment to the Daedalus Foundation, publishes a paper on the observation and manipulation of gravity waves. This is one of the first comprehensive works on antigravity technologies, which Dr. Anson states "are contained by the limitations of current superconductor technologies."

The Omegas, a team of Swedish criminals, attacks the Karnaval Festival in Tilberg, Netherlands, attempting to hold one of the band hostage. They are thwarted by the Pourvoi Necesssite. The Omegas commit a handful of other crimes around Europe before they are

Under AEGIS advisory, the United Nations attempts to back out some of the provisions of the UNICORN Resolution, specifically Regulation 17, stating that it restricts their abilities to slow the propagation of Quasars.

Rustungkafer, aka Ervine Ritter, is elected as President of the United States, running on the platform of the Normal Party. Rebuking his previous powers, he speaks to their destructive nature and comes out as virulently anti-Quasar in all ways. His distrust of AEGIS and other Quasars strikes a chord with the current social movements, and in spite of running as an alternative party, he ekes out a thin margin of victory against the established candidates -- both of whom discounted Rusty's chances. Rusty is far from a polished President, but he does have good advisors, and they work with both parties to pass the QUIT (Quasar Utilization and Inference Technology) Acts.

Nightquake, a new villain, attacks members of the Juárez Cartel and the ensuring fight between Q-tech equipped gangsters and the supervillain leave the city of Puebla in ruins.

The most popular and oldest Q-Rock band, the Immortals, disbands after a falling out. Rumors are that it is related to Athena's affairs with Dagda. The tensions come to a head during a concert in Belgrade in May, with the press covering the canceled tours and Athena's public arguments for weeks.

Violet Plague attacks a corporate outing in Wilmington, Delaware, infecting all of the staff of a local software company with an invasive virus that causes them to attack each other. Out of the several dozen victims, six of them disappear with Violet Plague, later learned to have been allies of the dangerous villain.

Geometrika comes onto the scene, seeking out members of the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen (HM). She kills over a dozen members of their local cells and leads to the capture of over four dozen others through her targeted attack on their operations teams. While hailed as a hero by some, AEGIS classifies her as a major unilateral security threat.

The 2018 Q-Games, which overlap the Winter Olympics, outranks the Olympics by double on both Neilsen and Comstore reports. It leads to major changes to contract ratings for major networks, favoring Q-Games over any other competitive event apart from the NFL.

Matar Sanguo, aka Killblood, is granted asylum by the Bolivian government. AEGIS has issued an arrest and seize on sight (along with a worldwide ongoing BOLO) for him or his operatives. The political reasons for his protection are multiple, but as such, he is by far the most accomplished and public criminal on record. As of 2021, he was teaching medicine at a university in La Paz.

While fighting members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Argentina, Surge destroys a major power station which takes out the power grids in Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Paraguay, affecting nearly 50 million people. The power outage also has effects on the local gubernatorial elections and creates political disruptions in Argentina.

President Rusty, utilizing a growing third-party sentiment and following the advice of a savvy VP, champions the QUIT (Quasar Utilization and Inference Technology) Acts to ban the creation of Quasars and highly restrict Q-tech, citing that the benefits are dwarfed by the liabilities inherent in possible immeasurable and uncontrollable power. The U.S. still maintains the agreements set forth by UNCOS and AEGIS, while corporations such as Quantek re-organize and re-structure their ownership in other countries that are "Q-friendly". The creation of new Quasars has always been considered illegal, but now the U.S. strictly governs the development or deployment of new Q-Tech and Quasar technologi

As part of the QUIT Acts, HOURGLASS reactors are banned. This enforcement is met with popularity with a large segment of President Rusty's supporters, who see any technology remotely linked to Q-tech as dangerous and destructive.

A growing infection, the SARS-CoV-2 has spread to dangerous levels, taxing all industries and crippling the healthcare industry. While the mandate is already out to create a COVID vaccine, Quasar teams are engaged to help manage emergency measures and to help in creation and distribution of protective gear.

After years of petitioning to create a Quasar team only to be thwarted by US influence on UNCOS, the bad blood between Tehran and Washington comes to a head. On January 3, Agent Exemplar working with Team ASTRA, kills Qasem Soleimani during a strike on an illegal Q-tech facility run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran retaliates with multiple rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, injuring dozens of U.S. troops and killing many Iraqis. Tensions flare again when several Iranian speedboats harass U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, prompting President Rusty to declare that he had issued orders "respond in kind" to Iranian gunboats if the harassment continued. Iran responded by threat

Working together, Shiva and Dr. Valko work with the retired French hero from Team Pourvoi Necessite to help finalize a COVID vaccine. Within weeks, mass doses of vaccine are being distributed.

The Ritter administration announces its efforts in brokering a deal in which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recognized Israel in return for Israel’s pledge to forgo, for the time being at least, annexing territory in the West Bank. On September 11, Bahrain announced it would join the deal.

Vaccines and protective measures manage to take COVID infection levels down to very manageable levels. The sure handling of the COVID crisis creates a great deal of positive popularity for President Rusty and the current administration.

President Rusty is re-elected, again barely edging out both major party candidates. Utilizing savvy political moves and still riding the ethical high ground, Rusty is considered "the peoples' champion" and uses his role to maximum effect. The Democrats and Republicans, both battling to regain power, only seek to damage each other and hurt themselves when they attack Rusty directly.

The Daedalus Foundation intervenes in Kinshasas, an interdicted state as designated by UNCOS. Daedalus Foundation deployed several of its newly designed Ibis Q-drive Hovercraft and under cover of night, rescued several dozen hostages and delivered a large amount of relief. Retaliation from the Yadama gang would have destroyed all vehicles and staff involved, but UNCOS lifted their Interdiction and in short time, several Quasar teams along with AEGIS forces arrived to capture all twenty-one of the enhanced members of the Pesa Yadama and restore the region to order.

Tonya Sunset, one of the infamous SSA, releases the iconic 'In Your Soul' as well as an on-line video in a viral marketing campaign. She becomes an instant hit, and gains popularity as a mysterious pop icon. She gets a recording contract and in spite of her At Large status, still finds a way to release three more singles and two more videos.

Chimera, a colorful shapeshifter and power thief who has made it a mission to embarrass a number of heroes in public situations. Chimera is seen as a peoples' hero, turning the tables on Quasars and using her powers to show them out publicly. Shimmer captures Chimera as she was attempting to steal Shimmer's teleportation powers at a high-profile party being held in upstate New York.

Team LA, during an appearance at a local music festival, gets into a public brawl. The conflict starts with Blue Manta taking offense to off-hand insults by Moonshadow and Metaknight. The entire scuffle ends with the destruction of the stage and Courtney Love being thrown into a concession stand. The entire event is recorded and posted repeatedly on social media and becomes a gold mine of memes ranging from 'I'm not Blue!' to 'Raven mad' and 'Moonshadowmoon'. Team LA cancels several upcoming public appearances and Team Big Apple also finds themselves canceled from several appearances after fears of Quasar infighting is brought up as the reason.

During a Paris musical festival, the Chevaliers du Pouvoir and the Quasar Knights come to blows over a misunderstanding brought about by pranksters calling in bogus terrorist threats.

AEGIS publishes a report noting the increasing trend toward Quasar proliferation, including notations on the increase in Aces, Jacks, and Kings and the overall trend towards higher level AEGIS Classification powers (Delta and Omega level).

The Akili Moja, operating in a rare public strike, attacks a military facility in McAlester, Oklahoma. Killing eight and injuries dozens more guards and workers, the Akili Moja gets away with what the United States GAO calculates is over 32 million in high-power and high-tech arms and armor.

A previously unknown Quasar named Lunotar attacks the Willis Tower and takes several people hostage. Lunotar is killed by Agent Exemplar and although most of the hostages are rescued without incident, casualties and injuries are kept to a minimum.

In the late hours of December 2021, the SS Masterford, part of the Star Lake Ferry line, was traversing Milwaukee to Muskegon and was struck by a volatile object just below its waterline. The ferry began taking on water and while first response entities were quick to respond, the SS Masterford quickly sank, but retained a number of individuals who were still trapped inside with a limited supply of oxygen. Their plight was brought to the attention of first responders thanks to the efforts of BINAJ, a computer and communications array located in GILEAD base also located in Lake Michigan.