She shrugged, "Far enough along that this is ancient history, we call them the Rusties, because all the metal they left behind has become rusted out hulks and spires. There was a disaster, apocalyptic, really, most of the population wiped out in a matter of days." She shook her head, "Boring stuff they teach in history class. The survivors realized they had to change the way things had been run, and they did, so now there's no more war, not really, and no more plagues or anything. Just Pretties living in harmony, watched over by Special Circumstances."