Italy had been unhappy with Austria-Hungary since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, their aspirations to acquire Italian-inhabited territory across the border. They declared their alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary defensive in nature, and sat back as war began. Then they negotiated with England and attacked Austria-Hungary in a righteous nationalistic fervor. Trenches soon ruled the unmoving Italian Front, and three million people paid the price of war.
You know, most people still think the Peloran brought us effective immortality. I suppose that’s more right than not, but not as right as people think. Their treatments boosted our immune systems and helped stop us from getting sick. And in some very small numbers, resulted in people like me. But for most people, their treatments don’t stop a heart or liver from wearing out if you abuse it. That’s what organ banks are for.
What most people don’t realize is that Earth built their first artificial intelligences during the late 20th century. They were idiots compared to modern AIs, but in controlled situations they could interact with people. Some could beat grand masters in chess, and some won on Jeopardy. In general though, they were no where near as capable as modern AIs. It takes a lot of code to design a program that can operate in the wild. Some very few excelled at it though.
Some people say that writers are disconnected from the real world. For certain definitions of reality, that is true. I spend most of my life with at least one foot in other worlds. I grew up reading about Narnia and Middle Earth, watched Bonanza, Star Trek, and Star Wars. Those worlds and characters are real, if only in the minds of their writers and fans. To me, Jack of Harts is as real as any of those worlds, and I cannot help but write the stories I find there.
My stories can be found here:
The Ottoman Empire had seen centuries of decline since the height of Constantinople’s prime as a seat of the Roman Empire. Numerous attempted revolutions and cessations mixed in with wars against Russia, Italy, and the Balkans to bankrupt the powerful nation before The War. Alliance with Germany was their last hope. If they won The War, they could retake the lands stolen from them by opportunists. If they lost, they would be forgotten to history. They lost.