Present day, Earth, Timeline 128* (As recorded by Time Keepers)
On the surface, the multi-national organization of independent states called the League for Humanity fights to prevent further human mutations. The League for Humanity strictly enforces imprisonment and sometimes killing of known mutants. Using ancestry and genetics database created over the last decades, the League has been somewhat successful at systematically eliminating mutants, but they have failed to prevent the spread of the mutant disease or discover the cause of the mutations.
Meanwhile, many mutants continue to fight the League leaving utter destruction in the wake of their battles. Even more mutants flee hostile nations and seek shelter in a few remote countries that accept mutantkind.
Two years ago, a handful of mutants found refuge within the underwater city of New Atlantis. The matter to provide shelter to the mutants came at a high political cost to the King. Acting without approval of the civic council, King Opar Bal offered shelter to a handful of mutants who were nearly dying after a battle against the League. This was seen as act of war by the League for Humanity and has put all Atlantians in the League's crosshairs alongside the mutants.
Not all Atlantians agreed with their King and, in fact, most opposed taking either side in the surface war and oppose showing any signs of support to either side. Others believe that it is their responsibility to put an end to the human wars. While the majority of the Atlantians seek to continue their many generations of isolationism away from the surface dwellers.
In comparison to Atlantian technology, the humans remained quite underdeveloped until last year when they were able to achieve remarkable success with unmanned aerial drones known as SENTRYs. These drones were pioneered and put to use by the League for Humanity in tracking and killing mutants. To the scientific minded Atlantians and super-genius mutants, the artificial intelligence used in the SENTRY Mark 4 models appear to be exponentially greater than humanity's expected gains in technological capabilities. In fact, the Mark 4 models were a complete redesign with improved weapons and shielding technology. Although, the humans are still somewhat inadequate compared to Atlantis, it is the human ability to adapt and overcome that has caused concerns among many Atlantians.
Atlantis has always been much more technologically advanced than the humans. In fact, the Atlantians were space faring before many of the human civilizations had discovered how to use metal. After a bitter civil war, the Atlantian capital city was destroyed. Years later, they decided to remove all traces of their civilization from the surface and gather their people into a single city in the south Pacific. Only stories and rumors persisted for over three thousand years before they returned to the surface during World War II.
During the human's World War II, King Bal's father, the former King, believed Atlantians could use their advanced technology and science to prevent the humans from continuing their world wars. Many Atlantians continue to believe that King Bal's father had a vision of the destruction of New Atlantis showing humans joining a faction of Atlantians in a new Atlantian civil war. The former king hoped that by preempting the vision by establishing contact with humans, he could befriend the humans before the Atlantis suffered through another devastating civil war. His contacts with the humans were against the advice of the civic council. Although, the second great Atlantian civil war has yet to occur, many believe it was an omen to stay away from the humans while others believe they must continue with King Bal's father's wishes of establishing a long lasting peace arrangement with the humans in order to co-exist.
In the civic coliseum of the New Atlantis, the civic council hears testimony from a high ranking military scientist named Kalta Jel along with other political and military strategists. In a civic hearing many years ago, much like this, Alton Zet testified that Atlantians should have increased surface involvement regarding the human's wars against each other and the mutant humans. He argued that the fallout between the human's wars would eventually destroy the natural ecosystem of the planet. Furthermore, he stated that even if the ultimate destruction of the ecosystem could be offset for a few generations, the fallout from the weapons of mass destructions and chemicals produced by the military industries would wreck havoc on the ocean's ecosystem to the detriment of Atlantian society. Alton Zet's argument eventually led the civic council to give way and allow for the creation of an Atlantian military and provide increased resources for research and development of defensive measures to protect their homeland and ocean resources.
Alton Zet's testimony and determination caught the attention of the Atlantian King Opar Bal. King Bal also agreed that it was the duty of Atlantis to protect the earth even if it meant returning to the surface and dealing with the less technologically advanced humans. However, the royal family's involvement in the kingdom has been reduced to more of a figure head role since the fall of Atlantis, many generations ago.
Even with the support of the King, Alton Zet has not received any more support from the civic council compared to any other scientist with similar pursuits. The civic council's primary concern has always been to develop a cure for the Atlantian birth disease that has decimated the population for thousands of years. At one point in history, there were one hundred cities the size of New Atlantis and now there is only one city. Many Atlantians feel that their race is slowly dying off and even with all of the technology and scientific research; they still cannot stop the disease. Dealing with surface dwellers has always been seen as a low priority for the proud people as they continue to come closer to extinction.
Kalta Jel testifies stating, "We sit on the sidelines as humans destroy our planet. We cannot stand idly by when our lives are as much at risk as the humans. We must take a side in their war, so that we can put an end to it. Once their war is finished, we can reclaim the surface as our domain and the humans will serve us as they did our ancestors. Earth has only suffered since we've retreated into isolation. It is our duty to protect the earth and it is our duty to put an end to the surface wars."
"If we ally ourselves with the humans, we can provide them with weapons that could counter the powers of their genetic mutants. Once the mutants have been eradicated, then we can easily assume control of the surface and put a stop to the humans' destructive ways."
The supporters of the King's mutant refugee policy shakes their head at Kalta's statement and begin to converse between themselves. Many of the supporters do not want to get involved in the war, while many others see that the League for Humanity has already declared war against Atlantis so if either side is taken, they believe they should side with the mutants.
For another hour or more, the civic council hears requests concerning research budgets and other matters of politics. Then at the end of the civic council meeting, all within the coliseum rise for the traditional reading of the state of the people. This reading has gone on for countless generations since the civic council prioritized research to the birth disease as a reminder of their greatest struggle. This reading reflects the current population of Atlantis. After the reading, there is a moment of silence as some reflect on the population count.
Alton Zet sits alongside the King in a secluded section of the coliseum along with other various scientific, political, and military advisors. After the moment of silence ends and the civic council's hearing is officially adjourned, the group stands and begins to converse within themselves about the proceedings and general topics. King Bal seems to be contemplating the testimonies and new information concerning the humans when he turns to Alton and asks, "What is your opinion of Kalta's testimony?"