Norsthania is a powerful and highly organized nation, born from the ashes of the now-extinct nations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. United under a single banner, it stands as a formidable force in the new world order. The nation is divided into five strategically designed sectors, each with a vital role in maintaining its strength, stability, and dominance. This highly centralized structure allows Norsthania to maintain strict control over its resources and ensure its continued growth, prosperity, and military supremacy.
Sector 1: The Military Elite
Region: Former northeastern and central United States states, such as New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and parts of Canada like Ontario and Quebec.
This sector covers a large geographic area that was key to the military power of the former United States, and now serves as the heart of military training for Norsthania's elite. It is home to military academies and the most advanced training facilities, where future leaders and soldiers are forged.
Sector 2: Innovation and Technology
Region: The west coast of the United States, including California, Oregon, Washington, and parts of northern Mexico, like Baja California.
This sector is located in what was once the epicenter of technology and innovation in the United States. Here lie the most advanced research labs and factories that produce Norsthania's most sophisticated weapons and technologies. The region has been rebuilt as a hub for science and innovation, developing new technologies that give the nation an edge in warfare.
Sector 3: Economy and Industry
Region: The former industrial heartlands of the United States, Mexico, and the Canadian Prairies. States like Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, the Canadian prairies, and parts of northern Mexico likeTamaulipas Coahuila and Nuevo León .
This sector is the economic engine of Norsthania. It spans vast agricultural and industrial areas that were once crucial to North America's economy. Here, factories, mines, and large agricultural zones supply the country with natural resources and manufactured goods essential for its prosperity.
Sector 4: Culture, Education, and Social Welfare,Political power
Region: Former eastern United States states, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, and parts of southern Canada like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
This sector lies in what was once the cultural and educational core of North America. It is home to educational institutions, cultural centers, and social welfare policies that ensure citizens' well-being. This sector is responsible for promoting culture, knowledge, and access to services like universal education and welfare programs.
Sector 5: Public Health and Citizen Security
Region: The southwestern United States, including states like Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and parts of northern Mexico, such as Sonora and Chihuahua.
This sector covers what was once a geographically challenging region in terms of public health and security. It is now responsible for managing health services, epidemic control, and citizen safety. Public health institutions and security forces are based here, ensuring the physical well-being and protection of Norsthania's population.
Staniel Santos Neo Sky was born in Norsthania.
On April 20, 2153, in the city of Stan, a place representing the pinnacle of human ingenuity.
From the start, he was unique. His name was an unusual combination of "Daniel" and the city of his parents' origin.
Known as the technological jewel of the nation, Stan rose above the earth on a majestic floating platform, powered by advanced solar and gravitational energy technologies.
In his early years, Staniel's life seemed like a dream—a vibrant environment filled with innovation, progress, and unwavering hope for the future. Stan wasn't just a city where engineering marvels blended with stunning design; it was a symbol of what humanity could achieve when working in harmony with nature and science.
His mother, Lyra Sky Palacios, was an engineer at the quantum energy plant, and his father, Arlo Neo, ran a small drone repair shop in the heart of the city. Together, they were a humble yet tightly-knit family. Staniel spent his childhood surrounded by the machines his father repaired and the unconditional love his mother always showed him.
—"One day, you'll be greater than this city, son,—Lyra would say, pointing to the stars as they gazed at them together.
—"¿But… what if I get lost out there?" Stan would ask, his voice tinged with fear.
"Then you'll always have a place to return to. This will be your home, no matter what."
But those words, full of promise, would not prepare Staniel for what lay ahead.
At 17, his world collapsed. A catastrophic failure at the quantum energy plant triggered a massive explosion, claiming hundreds of lives, including Lyra's.
The loss was devastating, and neither Staniel nor Arlo was ever the same.
"Why her, Dad? Why didn't they do something to stop it?" Stan asked through tears, pounding the workbench.
Arlo had no answers. The city, once a place of wonders, now felt like a constant reminder of all they had lost.
With Lyra's death, the repair shop began to decline. Customers stopped coming, drawn to cheaper solutions offered by big corporations. Within months, debts began piling up.
—"Staniel... I think we'll have to sell the shop," Arlo admitted one night, his voice breaking.
—"No! This place is all we have left of her. We can't… I won't let you lose this too," Stan replied, his determination bordering on desperation.
Staniel dropped out of school to work at the shop full-time. He took on any job he could find—repairing drones, fixing faulty energy systems, even tinkering with outdated devices no one else would bother with. But no matter how hard he tried, it never seemed to be enough.
At 21, things hit rock bottom. One afternoon, as he worked in silence, he heard a loud thud from the back room. Rushing in, he found his father collapsed on the floor. Arlo had suffered a breakdown after years of stress and exhaustion.
—¡Dad… no, don't do this to me.! —Staniel cried as he tried to revive him.
Arlo survived but was left physically weakened and unable to work. The responsibility of keeping the shop afloat and caring for his father now fell entirely on Staniel's shoulders.
The days became endless, and the nights, lonely. Staniel often sat on the roof of the shop, holding his old Aquila module, reminiscing about the days when he dreamed of exploring the stars.
—"Mom, you said I'd always have a place to return to… but now it feels like this place is burying me."
The city of Stan, once a beacon of hope, had become a prison. Staniel watched as the technology his mother helped create continued to advance, while his own life remained trapped in an endless cycle of work, debt, and loss.
Despite everything, he refused to abandon the shop. Letting it go would feel like erasing the last trace of his mother and their family.
"I won't let it all disappear. Not as long as I'm here," he vowed, his hands stained with grease and tears streaming down his face.
Though Staniel never left the city, his daily struggle to keep the shop running and care for his ailing father became his mission.
He stared at the stars every night, dreaming of what could have been, but ultimately returned to the same conclusion protecting what was left of his family and their home was his sole purpose—or so he believed.
Staniel Neo, the young man who once dreamed of reaching the stars, had become grounded, like a bird with clipped wings. His days of looking to the sky with hope were replaced by the weight of a reality that kept him chained to the ground.
Yet amid the crushing pain of loss and failure, Staniel discovered something few ever do: a quiet, profound, and persistent strength.
It wasn't a strength that shone like the stars he admired, but one that burned with the steady intensity of an unyielding flame. It wasn't heroic or glorious; it was the kind of resilience forged in darkness, when everything seems lost, and yet you take one more step.
Staniel was no longer the dreamer he once was, but his connection to the earth, to the roots of his struggle, taught him that perseverance didn't always mean moving forward quickly. Sometimes, it meant simply standing firm when everything around you seemed to collapse.
In that groundedness, he found a purpose that went beyond the stars. He realized that greatness didn't require flight and that true courage lay in staring into the abyss and moving forward, even when the sky seemed impossibly far away.