A work of fiction spawned by creativity and no factual place ever existed.
The planet M there are multiple governments. All vying for control. The population must remain under a certain percentage to effectively govern. This was agreed upon by the dark leaders. Not the ones in the spot light, the ones that never compete in elections or make news conferences.
Most crimes have to be solved in 48 hours or the time will make it harder and harder to solve. A larger population will give rise to revolutions. A missile launched started a war and the corporations kept it going. However there not enough casualties to cull the poor. Those who are the front line fighters. Even with the covert help of sources to train combatants. Government aide programs to the poor draining the pockets of those who skim the top. More automation less jobs increase pressure to create a solution.
Nukes were to destructive all heads at the table agreed that destroying the only livable habitat was inadvisable. The two largest forces didnt want to fight because neither wanted to loose. The heads searched for a way to cull the mass leaving not a fingerprint of their involvement. War was a beacon of who to blame. No one at the table wanted to be the bad guy.
The solution was medical. Something not air born yet contagious that would reduce the mobs numbers indiscriminately. Note at this time no people on the hill were affected. It floated through the valleys and into homes. Killing the young and especially the old. Key words were constantly monitored. A name for this protocol had to be labeled for those at the table to reference. They agreed the movement would be, "optic rapture". No one could blame any single member directly yet all at the table had dirt under their nails.
With the curve of the baby boom in the decline and the lack of resources the quickest way to reduce a population of polluters was implemented. Too many machines too many poor, too few positions to fill. Other heads of the table had population issues as well so they let it spread. There were too many old not enough young. Where freedom of the press was limited it allowed for additional fatalities under the guise of a sickness. It would increase the pocket stuffing for table members.
Medical for all under the weight of a epidemic creates very fat pockets. kick backs would be substantial. all table heads nodded in agreement. At the cost of the poor.