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The last Central African Republic (CAR) troops are ejected from Biafra.
Dr Destroyer attempts to mind control the entire central committee of the Chinese Communist Party as a prelude to doing the same to other governments around the world. An unknown mentallist learns of the plan as it is set in motion and telepathically alerts Dr Hiroshima. He immediately travels to Peking and summons the Doctor to him above the Forbidden City. They fight and while they do so the mentallist frees the Chinese leaders from the mind control. Once this is done Dr Hiroshima informs Dr Destroyer that he has lost. On realising this Dr Destroyer manages to escape by distracting Dr Hiroshima with an attack on a large number of civilians. In the aftermath an international incident over Dr Hiroshimas invasion of Chinese airspace is avoided only because the Chinese leaders realise what happened to them and are grateful. Who the mentallist was is never discovered.
The superhuman Lux, a member of Cloud Nine, disintegrates in a Berlin hotel room.
After years of wrangling with the US government, English Rose obtains permission to enter South Vietnam, where she uses her healing powers to aid victims of the war despite several unsuccessful attempts by North Vietnamese agents to convince, coerce or kidnap her to their side.
The Four Horsemen, a group of oriental supervillains consisting of Leiting (Thunderbolt, Chinese, male), Tengu, Jingshen Xiongshou (Mind Slayer, Chinese, female) and Tsuchi (Earth, who is recognised as the ex-Sumo wrestler Kajita Takeo), appear when they rob a series of Hong Kong banks, making off with over 100 million dollars in cash and bullion over several days. The local police can do nothing to stop them.
Idi Amin comes to power in Uganda after a bloody coup in which Terror Inc., who have been hired by the rebels, are heavily involved.
Space forces from the SAU attempt to take over the Chilean asteroid. The Chileans there are better armed than the SAU thought and a stalemate develops when the SAU shuttle that delivered their troops is destroyed. Chilean and SAU forces on the ground go onto a state of high alert. El Libertador demands the immediate surrender of all the nations of the world to him or he will drop the asteroid. Military forces the world over go onto high alert and many nations consider carrying out a massive first strike on the Chilean Empire. As the Chilean deadline ticks away Solar Angel appears once more. She destroys the Chilean facilities on the asteroid, and also disarms the SAU forces there. Firing from orbit she forces the Chilean and SAU forces away from their border and appeals for the world to calm down. As it becomes obvious the Chilean threat has been ended and Solar Angel is watching to see what happens the world does indeed calm down. The Chilean asteroid is placed under United Nations jurisdiction, and several companies are licensed to mine it. Chile becomes almost totally isolated from the rest of the world as the embassies of most nations are withdrawn in protest.
The superhuman known as Feur appears, working as a super-mercenary in South-East Asia. He works both for and against the Americans there as the circumstances of the war change.
India and Pakistan wage a second short war over the disputed state of Kashmir, this war too ending in a stalemate, despite the actions of the superhuman Agni in support of the Indian army.
The super-assassin/mercenary Fantasia appears for the first time in New Orleans.
White Heat and Dr Beat die in a car crash while holidaying in Europe. Their infant son is taken in and brought up by his grandparents.
A mysterious illness causes the surviving members of Cloud Nine to lose their superhuman powers.
The European Community begins construction of a maximum security facility in the Mont de la Margeride region of the Massif Central for the holding of superhuman criminals. Despite its use of Minervan technology it does not prove totally effective.
East Pakistan rebels against the Pakistani government and after Indian intervention gains its independence as the new nation of Bangladesh.
On what becomes known as Bloody Sunday, British troops kill thirteen Catholics in Londonderry.
The US government buys ten suits of Paladin combat armour from the British government.
British researchers announce the development of the first experimental limb and organ regrowth techniques, based at least partly on studies of the powers of the Overman English Rose. However, regeneration of sense organs and central nervous system tissue eludes them and the process, although it becomes widely used, remains very expensive. This forces most people to rely on bionic limb replacements, and means that bionics still provide the only means of sense organ replacement.
After Colonel Ojukwu proves himself to be an ineffective leader of the new Biafra, Dr Biafra and Silence kill him, and with the support of the army take control of the country in a fairly bloodless coup, renaming it Neoteris to indicate that it includes all of what was Nigeria, not just the Biafran part. They institute a strict Marxist regime, working to modernise and industrialise Neoteris with only minimal outside aid.
President Marcos of the Phillipines imposes martial law after a supposed communist plot to overthrow the government is uncovered.
Idi Amin expels the large and prosperous Asian community from Uganda.
The PLO set up Palestinian Government in Exile.
At the Munich Olympic games Terror Inc., apparently working for the PLO, kill two and take hostage nine Israeli athletes to try to force the release of Arab prisoners in Israel. When the Israeli government refuses to negotiate with them, the German police, refusing offers of help by the Protectors attempt a rescue, but they fail and all nine hostages are killed by Terror Inc. before they escape.
A massive North Vietnamese offensive is only stopped by South Vietnamese troops aided by US air power and bombardment from off-shore warships and space platforms. The seventy thousand US troops who remain in Vietnam do not become involved in the fighting.
In the confusion of this attack, Bloodletter is seen again when he attempts to kill the superhuman Feur in the jungles of Vietnam.
The supervillain Dark Aura is released from prison after reforming and turning to the church. He marries and becomes a minister in an immigrant ghetto of New York.
All over the Far East, and in many western cities with large numbers of oriental immigrants, small independent cells of terrorists, all answerable to the Four Horsemen, are set up with the aim of causing the collapse of the world socio-political structure. During this time the Horsemen appear at irregular intervals around the world to personally oversee certain operations, mainly the assassination of their opponents.
By 1980 three other members, Beamline (North Korean, male), Yajiri (Arrowhead, Japanese, male) and Dongfeng (East Wind, Chinese, female) have joined the Four Horsemen, causing them to change their name to simply the Horsemen.
A cease-fire is finally called in Vietnam after the last US forces leave the country.
Feur is approached by Professor Muerte and soon afterwards joins Terror Inc.
The supervillains known as the Iron Lords, consisting of four siblings - Firehand (male), Windstroke (female), Stonedeath (female) and Stormwatch (male) appear in Japan when, with the aid of several right-wing terrorist organisations which they have banded together into an army, they try to take over the island of Hokkaido. They are opposed by the Japanese armed forces who destroy their army within hours, and Dr Hiroshima, who fights the Iron Lords themselves, forcing them to flee in disarray.
A massive famine devastates West Africa, prompting relief efforts from nations around the world. Only in Neoteris are the effects of the famine lessened due to the efforts of it protector, Dr Biafra.
Mozambique becomes independent after years of violence leave the country in ruins. Shortly afterwards English Rose visits the country and uses her powers to aid victims of the fighting.
PRIMUS introduces the Iron Guard combat armour, an upgraded version of the normal US Steelback combat armour, which it shortly replaces.
The Patriot is shot and killed by the SAS when he and Scorpia are ambushed in Northern Ireland. When the body is unmasked The Patriot is found to be the great-grandson of the Overman Shamrock. Scorpia escapes and despite a massive police manhunt she cannot be found.
Egypt and Israel go to war.
Two French superhumans, Mal (Mischief) and Degat (Havoc), sister and brother, appear in Minerva when they prevent Terror Inc. from kidnapping Minerva Montpellier. However, Terror Inc. manage to escape before they can be questioned as to who hired them to perform the kidnapping. Both Mal and Degat then go on to work for the Minervan security forces.
President Nixon is removed from office after the Watergate conspiracy is uncovered.
The American Super-Soldier Program culminates with the creation of the Golden Avenger, and later, the Silver Avengers.
Neoteris becomes the first African nation to take real steps towards establishing true equality for women.
Rumours of super-mercenary activity begin to drift in from various parts of central and southern Africa.
Persistent rumours about an artificial intelligence which supposedly runs much of the US's defence systems are consistently denied by the US government.
The superhuman Ghost Wind appears in various parts of South-East Asia where she appears to work as a highly-paid super-mercenary, mainly for Communist causes.
PRIMUS becomes a civilian agency under the control of the Justice Department. The Golden Avenger becomes Head of Operations, and de facto Head of the whole organisation.
Sunwarrior leaves the Protectors after political differences arise between him and the other members, and he resumes an independent career in Washington D.C.
Azanian forces move into Namibia in an attempt to take control of its lucrative mining areas. Alarmed by Azanias actions, Botswana and Mozambique declare war on Azania, pushing forward in the north-east of the country.
King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is overthrown and a communist regime installed.
Minerva moves another asteroid, Roche 2 into high Earth orbit.
As the last remnants of the Cameroon army are crushed, the Central African Republic takes full control of the devastated country, incorporating it into the CAR.
After a revolution overthrows the old government, Portugal becomes a democracy.
The terrorist Scorpia reappears, training terrorists and eluding Mossad in the Middle East.
The Iron Lords resurface when they take over an experimental antimatter power station and threaten to blow it up unless the Japanese government hands control of the country to them. Dr Hiroshima distracts the Iron Lords while a Japanese special forces unit sneaks technicians inside to shut down the plant. As soon as Dr Hiroshima appears the Iron Lords begin a pre-programmed self-destruct sequence which is only stopped with seconds to spare. Dr Hiroshima captures the Iron Lords, who are imprisoned, but vow vengeance on him, and escape within days.
As a reward for what she did, Dr Hiroshima grants the technician who halted the stations self-destruct sequence superhuman powers (at her request). She becomes known as Kami no Hayashi (Woods-Spirit).
North Vietnam finally takes over South Vietnam, installing a hardline communist regime there as the two countries unify. Many South Vietnamese are sent to re-education camps, and many also attempt to escape the country, a process that continues until the liberalisation of the Vietnamese government in the late 1980's.
The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot comes to power in Cambodia, renaming it Kampuchea and cutting off the country from the outside world.
Azanian forces consolidate their control over the southern part of Namibia, incorporating it into Azania and forcing a peace with Namibia. With some of their forces freed from Namibia, Azania is able to push back the invading Botswanan and Mozambiquan forces somewhat, but after several months a stalemate is established with opposing lines taking shape somewhat inside the borders of Azania.
General Franco dies and a new democratic Spanish regime under King Juan Carlos takes control.
The sculptress Gillian Umberto stages a very successful first show in Rome.
Portugal begins to grant independence to its colonies around the world.
Laos comes under communist control.
The superhuman known as Avatar attempts to kidnap Minerva Montpellier. However although she has taken Minerva's powers into account she underestimates Minerva's intelligence and resourcefulness, which allows Minerva to escape and raise the alarm before she can be captured, forcing Avatar to leave empty-handed.
Bloodletter is seen again when he attacks a couple in New York. Both the couple exhibit superhuman powers when they attempt to stop him but with a combination of strategy and luck Bloodletter manages to trap and kill them both. PRIMUS launches a nationwide manhunt for Bloodletter, but he is not found. Neither of the couple are identified as previously known superhumans.
Violent clashes occur in Amsterdam between squatters and Police trying to evict them.
Saudi Arabia buys Paladin combat armour from the British government.
Indonesia invades the Portuguese colony of East Timor, which was mid-way through the process of becoming independent, and takes it over within months. By the present day more than two hundred thousand of East Timors population of seven hundred thousand have been killed at the hands of the Indonesian government.
Michelle Montpelier, the Amazon, is awarded the Nobel Prize for her many and varied contributions to science and society.
The United States begin the construction of Stronghold, its own specialised containment facility for holding superhuman criminals in the Appalachian Mountains to be run under the auspices of PRIMUS.. In the main it is very much like the similar European Community facility but with slightly inferior technology as the US and Minervan governments refuse to cooperate in building it.
The superhuman Atalanta appears in Europe when she stops a terrorist attack by the villainess Bora on an Italian military base. Shortly afterwards she and the superhuman Legione start to work together.
Mao Tse-Tung dies after ruling Communist China since its formation.
Neoteris dismantles its Marxist economy after it proves ineffective in solving the nations problems, and rebuilds itself along more capitalist lines.
Shortly after being approached by Professor Muerte Scorpia joins Terror Inc.
The Iron Lords reappear when they are hired by the Khmer Rouge as enforcers. They appear to have given up their political ambitions and are now purely a supervillain group for hire. They are seen very little outside Cambodia until 1981, when the Khmer Rouge falls.
The Shah of Iran purchases thirty suits of Iron Guard combat armour from the US government.
Over several days, an entire Yakuza clan in Tokyo is killed by an unknown assailant, who from the method of killing (crushing blows of great force) is assumed to be a superhuman.
Dr Destroyer abducts The Protectors from their base in San Francisco and clones them. He then releases the clones into the world with their original personalities re-programmed to be evil and destructive. However, the real Protectors free themselves and escape. They fight their clones, after avoiding PRIMUS who wish to arrest them for the actions of their clones, but they are too evenly matched, resulting in a stalemate. As they fight, the real personalities of the clones re-assert themselves and they surrender to the real Protectors. The clones lead the real Protectors back to Dr Destroyer, and a fight ensues, the clones sacrificing themselves to destroy Dr Destroyer, who is apparently killed in an explosion which destroys his whole base complex. After the situation is explained and the evidence of what happened shown The Protectors are cleared of the actions of their clones.
A Japanese fishing boat hauls the carcass of what appears to be a plesiosaur from the waters near New Zealand. Although photographs are taken the carcass itself has to be thrown back due to its advanced state of decomposition, and its true identity is never discovered.
Peter St John, who was a member of Cloud Nine under the name Mandala, is elected as a Conservative MP.
British forces are moved into the ex-colony of Belize to protect it from Guatemala in a long-standing sovereignty dispute.
After two years of stalemate, Azania, Mozambique and Botswana agree a cease-fire under the auspices of the UN. The border between them is redrawn at the by now heavily-fortified stalemate positions.
Illyana Grigorieva, a defector from the KGB is killed in Washington D.C. by agents of the Bulgarian secret service. Three weeks later a Bulgarian safe house in Washington is attacked, and all the occupants killed, by a superhuman calling herself Dark Angel. From descriptions given by witnesses Dark Angel is recognised as Illyana Grigorieva. However exhumation of the grave reveals that her remains are still there. An elaborate hoax is suspected, but no-one can discover any motivation for doing so.
The governments of Kuwait and Oman both equip their armies with British Paladin combat armour.
The USA supplies the Philippine armed forces with Iron Guard combat armour.
After the establishment of several small settlements in the Asteroid Belt, Minerva licences out mining operations to various commercial enterprises.
The Huntsman joins the Protectors after Dr Wraithe rescues him from custody in Eastern Europe.
The superhuman who becomes known as Sabre appears when he is attacked by Bloodletter in Dublin. Sabre manages to drive him off, but although he is injured he manages to escape before he can be questioned. Since then Sabre has occasionally been seen fighting crime in various parts of the world.
Israel introduces powered Star of David combat armour for a large percentage of its combat troops.
An accident in a chemical laboratory at the University of Paris causes the creation of a huge amoeboid creature of pseudo-living polymer which continues to grow and threatens to overwhelm the city. The Protectors are called in, but can do little until they take advice from one of the researchers involved in the project. Following her instructions they manage to penetrate to the laboratory where the creature was formed and once there use chemicals which cause the creature to become inert. After the university is cleared of the creatures remains, investigation of the accident leads to the synthesis of an almost indestructible polymer material with limited self-repair capacity. This finds application in many fields, including heavy industry and costumes for superhumans, becoming known as 'unstable molecules' (to the exasperation of its inventors).
The first of the Chilean Iron Legion cyborgs is constructed. Over the next ten years the Iron Legion expands to over sixteen thousand strong, many of its members being convicted criminals given the choice of death or service as a cyborg for the rest of their lives.
Religious cult leader Jim Jones and 900 of his followers commit suicide in Guyana.
A superhuman calling himself the Steel Tiger appears in Burma, working alongside the security forces there, mainly against the sporadically continuing Karen uprising.
Stephen Ross, the head of the European electronics company Ross Industries, is crippled in a road accident.
After years of increasing megalomania, Agni announces his desire to conquer the Earth and leaves the service of the Indian government, killing a large number of people when the Indian Army attempt to stop him leaving.
The Amazon announces the formation of Minervas own superhuman team, called The Defenders of Minerva, comprising the Amazon (who due to her other duties never takes more than a nominal role in the team), Blackheart, Mischief, Strobe and Havoc (who is generally considered the teams token man).
Shortly afterwards Solar Angel is seen several times on Starholme 1, but then she vanishes and is not seen again for ten years.
The reign of Idi Amin in Uganda ends after armed intervention by Tanzanian forces aided by the mercenary team Terror Inc. Among the many atrocities committed during his rule evidence is found of experimentation on human beings, apparently in an effort to create superhumans and also the use of (mainly political) prisoners as unwilling organ donors.
The geneticist Timothy Blank is expelled from the Book of Man project to fully map the human genome after his illegal laboratory practises are discovered. Soon afterwards he reappears transformed into the supervillain King Cobra leading an organisation known as The Coil.
The Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia is toppled by Vietnamese forces with the help of the superhuman Ghost Wind and against the opposition of the Iron Lords who, when they realise they have lost flee the country and go underground with many of the countries riches. With the opening of Cambodias' borders the full scale of the atrocities committed there comes to light. English Rose and Dr Hiroshima attempt to aid the people of Cambodia in rebuilding their country, but its problems prove too great for a quick cure, and the slow rebuilding of the country begins.
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to worldwide condemnation.
A flash in the South Atlantic resembling a nuclear blast is detected by several surface ships and observation satellites, causing both the SAU and Chilean Empire to go to a state of high alert as each suspects the other of some trickery. However, rapid examination of the scene reveals no trace of radioactivity or other signs of an atomic blast and both sides stand down their forces. The origin of the flash is never discovered, although several theories of a meteor impact are put forward.
The United Arab Emirates buy Paladin combat armour from the British government.
The Shah of Iran is ousted from power by the Ayatollah Khomeni and a fundamentalist Muslim regime installed.
The American embassy in Tehran is taken over by the new Iranian regime and all the staff inside taken hostage.
The Iranian Embassy in London is taken over by supporters of the new Iranian regime and the staff held hostage for a week until the SAS, using Paladin combat armour storm and retake the embassy.
The Danish Euro-politician Danar Nicole is forced to resign from office after evidence of his involvement in several massive scandals is leaked to the press.
The hero Sunwarrior is murdered by an unknown assailant in Washington DC.
Danar Nicole is cleared of all involvement in the scandals which caused him to be removed from office when it is found that they were all engineered by a rogue KGB Political Action Unit. Despite this knowledge being made public his political career is ruined, and he retires into embittered seclusion.
An attempt is made on the life of US president Ronald Reagan but he is only injured and takes up his duties again soon afterwards.
The USA boycotts the Moscow Olympiad in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The American hostages in Iran are freed when US marines in Iron Guard armour storm the Tehran Embassy and hold off the Iranian military long enough that a large grav-thrust transport can come in and remove the troops and hostages. In retaliation Iran-sponsored terrorists bomb US military targets around Europe in a campaign that lasts for months.
Mount St. Helens in the north-west USA erupts explosively, killing many people and devastating a wide area. The Protectors and local PRIMUS Iron Guard units and Silver Avengers aid in the rescue process, saving many lives between them.
The Horsemen assassinate several high ranking members of Unterwelt in Holland. Almost immediately retaliation occurs, in the form of the murder of most of the Horsemen's Dutch terrorist cells. Within days Unterwelt facilities across Europe are attacked, and again retaliation against the terrorists is swift and violent. Several days later the Horsemen themselves appear when they attack a building in Vienna later identified as an Unterwelt nerve centre. Unfortunately it is empty, and the Horsemen are attacked and driven off by an unknown black-clad female superhuman. Next day a document detailing all the Horsemen's activities in Europe, and outlining them elsewhere in the world appears in the post at most main police headquarters around Europe, effectively crippling the Horsemen's European activities at a stroke, and severely limiting them elsewhere in the world.
The AIDS virus is first identified by Doctors in the USA.
An attempt is made on the life of Pope John Paul II by the super-assassins known as Fantasia and the Ninja. Despite the severity of his injuries the Pope makes a full recovery.
The superhuman known as The Fool appears for the first time.
Unrest and calls for democracy in Poland lead to a general strike.
The superhuman who becomes known as Durak appears when he goes on a hugely destructive rampage at the Moscow Central Scientific Institute. Following this he begins to smash a path westwards out of Russia. As he smashes his way across country only the efforts of the 26th Guards Tank Division and another previously unknown superhuman calling himself Krasnyi Shchit (Red Shield) divert him away from the city of Minsk. For their heroic efforts in the fight against Durak, Red Shield and several other members of the 26th Guards Tank Division are made Heros of the Soviet Union.
Iran and Iraq go to war over the long standing Shatt al-Arab Waterway dispute. Iran uses its Iron Guard combat armour against the Iraqis with some success but after a few weeks lack of maintenance since the revolution takes its toll so that by the end of the year only about four suits are still operational.
Carlotta Parrinello, the winged woman who becomes known as Peregrine, joins the Defenders of Minerva.