Protocol

What if international conflict was solved by a good ol' fashioned battle royale? The nations of Earth have sworn off global warfare in favor of the gladiator-esque system known as the Protocols, but when nine warriors from the forgotten micronation of Armenia are forced to battle against impossible odds for their country's survival-and for their own survival-some begin to wonder if this truly is the best way. The odds are stacked against Aurora Soto, the newest and youngest ever member of the Armenian national squad.
She's dreamed of winning this position her entire life, but with time running out and an enemy that outnumbers her more than two-to-one, she finds herself hanging precariously between an idealistic dedication to patriotism and a sickly reality that continuously reminds her of why war was abandoned in the first place. Join in the fight for independence, and follow Aurora as she battles against imperialistic invaders, treacherous winter conditions, and omnipresent hunger, all in a desperate final-hour struggle to save her nation.
Written by Los Angeles local author J. C. Hammer, PROTOCOL will invite you to the lesser-known Caucasus region, set in the near future, less than a century after the devastating Anarchy Wars. After the fall and reconstruction of civilization as we know it, the remnants of humanity banded together and made a compact to abolish gargantuan national militaries, replacing them with an international agreement known as the Squad Protocols. Now, countries are limited to maintaining no more than a nine-person military.
The games have evolved over the years into what they are today, a highly commercialized, nationalistic battle of Olympian proportions, with virtual leaguers competing for the chance to represent their country in the most patriotic demonstration of national might. But while large-scale bloodshed has been sworn off, Squad warfare has inherited many of the other twisted elements of armed conflict left behind by the legacy of more barbaric times. Aurora has always idealized the Protocols since she was little, but now that she's on the inside, it's hard to ignore the possibility that perhaps the Protocols aren't the savior of mankind as they're so advertised.