Symbiote: Book1: Caliphate Rising

The War on Terror has ended, with both sides claiming victory. The nations of Islam claim victory because they have repelled the Crusaders. The Untied States and her allies claim victory because they have destroyed or captured all the figureheads involved in the September 11th attacks. America's army is tired after a generation of war and neither side is willing to reopen hostilities over semantics.

American scientists and politicians have finally created a massive infrastructure project that breaks North America free of foreign energy sources. They have mated fusion power plants that split water molecules for their hydrogen, creating heat that is used for energy, breathable oxygen, and Helium as harmless byproducts. The fusion power grid uses a massive orbital solar collection grid to jump start the reactors with a slurry of powerful light particles. Like all new science it is not fully understood before it is unleashed upon the world. . .

The tertiary effects of the cliff-like drop-off of demand shatters the existing nation states that depend on oil revenues to maintain their vice-grips on power. The particularly fragile Islamic nation states, after decades of war with the West, even the ones that had once stood as ally and enemy alike, are plunged into political and economic chaos as their oppressive regimes are tossed off one by one in free elections.

What emerges are the Eastern and Western Islamic Caliphates; enigmatic political entities based on fierce adherence to religious doctrine and something else. The Caliphate is led by a new warrior and leadership caste, who they believe are literally touched by the hand of God. With the hand of God on their side nothing can stop them from fulfilling the orders of their blessed Prophet Mohammed, to bring the world under the guidance of their faith . . .