[Lauchenoiria]

"... and the decline of the Spotted Purple Butterfly is far from over."

"Thank you for that, Mr Sanchez. And after the break, we will have some more guests on to discuss the current political situation unfolding in Lauchenoiria."

Theme music.
Five minutes later.

"Welcome back to Breakfast in Buttercity, I'm Kathy Thompson. Joining us this morning is renowned political commentator, Luis Delaney, Professor of Political Science at Yerville University, along with former government minister Howie Hall and our political correspondent Olivia Quirós. Professor Delaney, what are your thoughts on the current situation unfolding in Buttercity?"

"Well, Kathy, I am concerned that events appear to be moving exceptionally quickly in an unprecedented direction. From the arrests of Foreign Secretary Josephine Alvarez to the manhunt underway for Laura Moore, it is clear this was no peaceful transition of power. President Walker is still in exile and it seems increasingly likely the impeachment will be successful, despite having no legitimate cause. I would argue..."

"Sorry, let me interrupt you there. As a former member of the Cabinet from the previous Communist administration, I have to object to your statement that there is no legitimate cause. President Leanna Walker signed the capitalism bill, which is a crime against this nation. The electoral irregularities in that referendum were considerable..."

"Those 'electoral irregularities' were not noticed by any international observers or the neutral electoral commission. They are a conspiracy created by the Communist Party to delegitimise the Private Sector Legalisation Act. Now, if Walker had refused to sign, it could then have been argued as grounds for impeachment..."

"Thank you both for your views Olivia, can you please remind our viewers what the current situation is in Buttercity?"

"Well, Kathy, Prime Minister Chaher has announced an exceptionally well-funded operation to hunt down former Prime Minister Laura Moore, and so-called 'resistance leader' Sonja Alvarez, wife of Josephine Alvarez. He has also... Howie, no need to wrinkle your nose, we all know your views on same-sex marriage (laughter). As I was saying, he has also arrested several prominent businessmen, of various nationalities. Flights out of the country are fully booked, and given the delays caused by the enhanced border checks for so-called fugitives, there are delays of days for departing flights.

The so-called resistance movement has undertaken a variety of activities, from graffiti to the destruction of property in Melissa City, in a reversal of scenes earlier this year when communist protesters rioted. It is unclear if this is the work of an organised overall movement or disparate individual groups. Meanwhile in Parliament, impeachment proceedings continue. Several Members of Parliament have been arrested for a variety of crimes ranging from 'treason' to 'terrorism', and all of these MPs were against the impeachment."

"Thank you, Olivia. I'd like to move on to discussing the situation in Aeluria. As you all know, First Minister Keitha Noguera was the victim of an assassination attempt following Aeluria's declaration of independence. Mr Hall?"

"As much as I support Chaher's economic policies, this assassination attempt has greatly disappointed me. Noguera is no threat, in fact she is very sympathetic to the communist cause. I would urge Prime Minister Chaher to refrain from targeting Noguera."

"And what makes you think Chaher was responsible?"

"If I may interrupt, all the evidence points towards Chaher's guilt. Some of his goons were on Aeluria, watching Noguera at the time of the assassination attempt. There is photographic evidence that places one of them in the location the shot was fired from. Chaher ought to be arrested for attempted murder!"

"Luis, the evidence is far from conclusive, and you certainly cannot prove they were acting on Chaher's orders. I do not accuse Chaher of ordering the assassination, merely that Chaher's anti-Aeluria rhetoric may encourage others to act in ways that are not appropriate or necessary."

"Suleman Chaher has stated several times in Parliament since the declaration that if Keitha Noguera did not surrender he would consider going to war to keep Aeluria. Seems to me, he found a less costly option to achieve the same result."

Thumping.

"So, Olivia, what are your thoughts on the situation?"

"Well, Kathy, Chaher's grip on power is failing, and with the Aelurian incident, I anticipate foreign powers (Louder thumping) will be standing up to Chaher and demanding he faces justice..."

Loud crashing.

"Apologies, we appear to be having some kind of disturbance in the studio. Olivia, if you would like to..."

Extremely loud crash and then the sound of running footsteps.

"Stop the broadcast. Now."

"For those of you at home, behind the camera right now are several soldiers, who are demanding we stop broadcasting..."

A soldier appears on screen and drags Kathy from her chair. She screams. A face appears in front of the camera and then static.