Andy Moralee's story is told against the backdrop of a conflict between two colonial powers, the European Union and China. This has nothing to do with any kind of political alignment of my own, I would like to stress. The point of the novel was to paint a grim picture of war, and a non human enemy can desensitise the reader. I chose China as the foe because it is clearly capable of a dominant future role in space, and although there are others, such as India, Brazil and Japan, China was the most believable at the time. I don't have a problem with the Chinese, honest!
          As for the European Union, I can honestly say that my book is neither pro-Europe or euro sceptic! I chose the European Union for several reasons. I wanted my book to involve British soldiers, and a British perspective. I didn't want to involve the United States, not because there's anything wrong with that, just because I wanted my book to be different. Unfortunately Great Britain will never be a major player in future space exploration in the coming centuries, it simply doesn't have the money or the infrastructure to do it on its own. The Union was the most obvious solution, a large block of countries which- if they worked together as one- would be quite a powerhouse indeed.
          Whether or not the Union would ever become a 'United States of Europe' or China would ever become a war-crazed interstellar superpower is irrelevant. The point of the book is to highlight the hardships endured by soldiers on the ground, and the effect that war has upon them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008S1VH5K