Storyline

The tensions already existed -- they called it the Cold War. But this war became Hot, and moved into space without anyone ever knowing. The United States formed a secret organization, the National Space Defense Force (NSDF), under the auspices of NASA. The Soviets responded with the Cosmo-Colonist Army (CCA), and a war was on. The race into space became about much more than simply planting a flag on the moon. It became about finding more of the Bio-Metal, finding that elusive source that was sure to be out there in the solar system. Each new deposit of Bio-metal that was discovered fueled the fire, providing more spacecraft, more weapons for both the NSDF and the CCA to continue the war in space. One by one, planets and their satellites fell to one side or the other, each a pawn in the war.

While the raging battle took its toll on both American and Soviet forces, scientific experiments conducted with Bio-metal continued back on Earth. The most astounding of these were conducted by Commander Armond Braddock, a brilliant MIT scientist whose skills had been co-opted by the NSDF. Braddock took the dramatic step of combining Bio-metal with human flesh, using human scientific subjects in a kind of experiment that's never been attempted before. The confidential files called it "Project Pedigree." Braddock was given unprecedented access to funds and men, operating under the directive to deliver to the NSDF a "Super Soldier" that could tear through troops with an unparalleled fierceness, thereby bringing a swift end to the war. For the final stage of Project Pedigree, Braddock brought in the Black Dogs, an NSDF squadron led by Lieutenant Frank Burns. The Black Dogs were the best of the best already, the finest physical specimens trained to the maximum capacity of their ability. Braddock took these men and literally fused them into Bio-metal ships, creating a half-man, half-machine force. It's amazing the Black Dogs even survived this process, let alone maintained the strength to return to battle and fight. This new Squadron, now called the Furies, exceed every expectation and became the decisive force in the war, ripping the Soviet soldiers to shreds on Europa.

Sole control of a force such as this could bring the world to its knees, a fact that Braddock surely must have thought of as he watched his "progeny" excel. But Braddock could not predict the one unknown in this equation - the existence of a mind, a human will. Burns led the Furies in an uprising, using their super-human abilities to rebel against the man who made these abilities possible-- Braddock. Burns led the Furies in a revolt against Braddock, destroying his lab, and eliminating the Bio-metal plants that made further experimentation possible. To retaliate, Braddock brought the NSDF and the CCA together under the banner of one cause - defeating the now out-of-control Furies and driving them off the planet. The NSDF and CCA helped push this new enemy back, sending the Furies into the farthest reaches of the solar system. They disappeared and were believed destroyed. Braddock was heralded as a war hero.

Riding on the wave of his success and his new promotion to General, Braddock spearheaded the creation of the International Space Defense Force (ISDF), which combined the NSDF and CCA together, crossing national lines to prepare for any potential alien threat to Earth. In conjunction with the ISDF, the Alliance of Awakened Nations (AAN) was created to deal with the problems of the existence of Bio-metal in modern society-- mainly, distribution of the scarce resource among all of the various nations that now wanted to get their hands on it. The AAN chose a regulated parsing method, which eventually distributed Bio-metal to all member nations in due time. Braddock, meanwhile, outside the purview of the AAN, had been secretly funneling ISDF funds in order to build a base on Pluto. Official ISDF operations had been sending out probes, policing the edges of the solar system. Until one day, official and unofficial worlds collided as the Voyager 2 probe was blown out of the sky, attacked by a fierce, unknown enemy. The attack coincided with a raid on the secret base on Pluto, and the resulting Mayday call opened Pandora's box, giving the rest of the ISDF an opening to discover Braddock's secret base. ISDF troops were immediately dispatched to respond to the distress call on Pluto, steeling themselves under Braddock's command to face a force like no other, a mysterious enemy with the power to wipe humans off Earth altogether....