The people of Earth learned they were not alone when the aliens arrived, wanting to trade an incredible advancement in technology for the small price of a few shipments of common rock. Almost every country and corporation in the world seized upon the opportunity, and within a few years the massive robots known as EXOFRAMEs had replaced most forms of motorized industry. But perhaps mankind should have been more cautious of aliens bearing gifts, because in one fell swoop the precarious balance in military forces and hardware that had long separated each nation and rogue group was irrevocably altered. With the scales of power thus readjusted, many who hated their neighbors or coveted their possessions saw a chance, at last, to strike. And so, the bloodshed and the wars began as the old status quo became OBSOLETE.