World War III has begun. Headed by the American/British rivalry, other nations join in the fray without hesitation, spurred on by the unofficial agreement that has the war only taking place in space. With that Earthbound indemnity nations pour their resources into battling each other while Star Force protects itself and the neutral parties, looking for a way to reign in the belligerent nations before before the conflict spreads any further... "Escalation" is the 12th episode in the series. Word Count: 26,900