06-20-2018, 01:11 PM
Elfwood Forest, Melissa Province, 4am
In the far north of Lauchenoiria, a lone rowboat drifted down the river through the thick Elfwood forest. No light shone from the boat, and no voices could be heard, even if someone had been around to hear them. The sound of oars hitting the water and the hooting of owls was all that broke the silence. One of the three people on the boat was asleep, and another was faking it. The third kept rowing in silence through the darkness, navigating by the moonlight and luck.
Leanna Walker lay back as the boat moved, trying to slow her breathing. The temperature was comfortable, given the time of year, but it didn't stop her from shivering. When she was safe in Laeral, coming back had seemed such a right and heroic choice. Here, in the darkness in the heart of Chaher's territory, she wished she was back hiding in a hotel room far away.
They'd almost been caught by one of Chaher's ships on their way into Lauchenoirian waters, when suddenly the ship had moved away south for seemingly no reason. Walker wondered what was going on, but it didn't change what she knew she had to do. As they floated further and further inland, her apprehension increased. Yet she knew in her heart that if she turned back now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
So she took a deep breath and tried to sleep, as the boat drifted slowly on through the thick forests of Lauchenoiria.
----------------------
Buttercity, 9:15am
Kelli Moore sat on the floor drawing a picture of her family. Her brother, Jamey suddenly grabbed one of her crayons and ran away, giggling. Kelli chased after him around the room. Suddenly, the door opened and that woman stood there. Both children immediately stopped running and looked sullen.
"I hope you two are behaving yourselves. Now, put those toys away, we are going out," the woman demanded, towering over them. The smell of her perfume was overwhelming and Kelli resisted the urge to hold her nose. That hadn't gone down too well the last time.
"Where? Are we going to see Mummy?" Kelli asked.
"Never you mind. Now, get ready or I will take that silly little teddy bear you're always clutching away."
Kelli squeezed her teddy harder, but walked over to where her shoes were. She wanted her parents desperately but every time she asked after them, that woman would scold her. She was scared, so was Jamey. When the woman thought she was asleep, she'd snuck downstairs and watched the woman, who in turn watched the TV. She'd seen pictures of her mum on the TV, where they said horrible things about her, which made the woman laugh.
Once Kelli and Jamey had put on their shoes, the woman ushered them out of the room and into the back of a car. Kelli tried the door at the other side, but like all the ones before, it was locked. She had a terrible feeling inside her that she ought to get as far away from the woman as possible, but the car started, and they drove through the deserted Buttercity streets once more.
------------------------
Aeluria, 11am
"There's another one," Alyssa Robinson informed Noguera, running a hand through her hair.
Robinson had been monitoring the waters around the island when Chaher had started moving ships into position. They were far enough out that to the naked eye they were no more than dots, but there were many. Noguera was concerned at first that this was the start of an attack, but the ships did not seem to advance towards them.
She knew Chaher, though, and he would never be quite so foolish as to try and fight a war on quite so many fronts at once. Those ships were there for another reason, and Noguera had a good idea of what.
"How long could we support the current population on the island without imports?" she asked Robinson.
"You mean including the Kivasekians and the angry, stranded tourists? Three months, tops. The current population is way above our average, and we've been reliant on agricultural imports since... wait, you think those ships are...?"
"We must prepare for all possibilities. I'm quite aware we don't have the same agricultural traditions as mainland Lauchenoiria, but my ancestors supported themselves on this island for centuries. Surely, with some careful planning we could manage?" asked Noguera
"Your ancestors supported a population of 4,000 with the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, tops. We have over 17,000 people currently on the island. We've been relying on imports to feed a population of 11,000. As I said, three months, tops."
"Then we better hope that Chaher's government falls in less than three months."
"And that whoever replaces him is any more friendly to us than he is," pointed out Robinson.
"Indeed," agreed Noguera, keeping a calm front even as the knot in her stomach tightened.
------------------------
Fleurian Forest, midday
Laura Moore yawned as the group kept walking towards Usera. It would take them weeks to get there on foot, and Moore was already exhausted after only a few days. Up ahead, Sonja suddenly stopped.
"Okay, I think it's about time we rested and ate something," Sonja said.
Standing beside Moore, Peter suddenly sat down as quickly as a child playing musical bumps, groaning with relief. Moore joined him. Rayna and Olivia also came to sit beside the pair. Sonja and Josephine sat together away from the other four.
"Ooh, nice!" Rayna said, snatching a berry off of Peter and eating it.
"Hey!" exclaimed Peter.
"What?" Rayna responded, a wide eyed look on her face. Peter grumbled and shielded the rest of his food from her.
"So, what sort of plans have we already got in motion?" asked Olivia. "How close are we to winning this war?"
"There's the billion peso question right there. I mean, we're working with Skoden and Laeral, and we've got a plan to turn half Chaher's supporters against him. But beyond that, we'll have to see how things go. Chaher has the military might. I mean, thank god Skoden's on our side, else we wouldn't stand a chance," Moore answered.
"Rayna, stop it!" Peter whined as Rayna kept trying to snatch food off of him.
"Enough!" scolded Sonja from a few metres away. "Stop acting like children, and be mindful of the danger we're in. Stop shouting so loud, we don't know who's listening."
Chastised, Peter sat up straight. Rayna immediately snatched a biscuit off him with a cackle. Sonja stood up and walked towards the group.
"Uh oh," Josephine tried hiding a smile as she watched Sonja approach the other group.
--------------------
Carville, 12:30pm
The Gonhogians had surrounded the city, but had not yet attacked with their full force. There had been a little skirmishes, like when a group trying to sneak out the city through the woods had been surprised by Gonhogians among the trees, but as of yet they hadn't struggled to hold the city. The Gonhogians were clearly holding back.
"What are they waiting for?" murmured Nico Alfaro as he watched the distant lines of Gonhogians from the roof of the hospital. As if on cue, something stirred in the Gonhogian lines and Alfaro tensed. They didn't advance. He let out a sigh, and walked back inside. While halfway down the stairs to the exit, an alarm blared.
"Oh, shit," he said, running down to the exit.
Half expecting to see Gonhogian soliders storming the streets, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the small flames. A fire alarm. Except... the timing, it was suspicious. Alfaro glanced around him, nervous. Something seemed off.
He made his way back to the old police station they were using as a command centre. He greeted the Laeralite, Captain Tsai, as he entered. Tsai seemed normal, and Alfaro relaxed a little. He must just be paranoid.
Meanwhile on the outskirts, the Gonhogians were ready. Alfaro had just poured a cup of coffee when he got the news. The Laeralian gendarmes were pulling back into the city as Alfaro reached the fighting. The Gonhogian troops were giving it everything they had, and even with both his resistance and the Laeralites they were horrifically outnumbered.
Alfaro tried to call out orders to the resistance fighters, but over the artillery fire and chaos of the battle, he couldn't hear what he said himself. They were being overrun. He had a horrible suspicion that the Laeralites did not intend to stick around for the conclusion. The fire at the hospital seemed to have grown and he had the feeling it had been set on purpose. The world around him turned to hell.
Carville, 2pm
The victorious Gonhogians drove through the streets of Carville as its civilian population hid in their homes. The Laeralites had retreated. The resistance was scattered, their leader nowhere to be found. His second in command, Concha Martínez had died trying to defend their command centre. Carville was theirs.
-------------------------
Buttercity, 3pm
"Good afternoon," Chaher addressed the camera from his podium outside Parliament. "I speak to you today following the news that our allies have recaptured the city of Carville from the terrorist group affiliated with the traitor, Laura Moore. This is a joyful day for the residents of Carville, and their family members worried about their safety.
Which brings me to what I want to say. Family. It's so important to all of us. We love our families, we will do anything for our families. When I made the difficult decision to call for a vote of no confidence in Laura Moore, I did so to protect my family from her and her allies so desperate to destroy this country. And they are here today because of it."
He gestured to his wife and two adult sons, sitting on a row of chairs behind him. Alongside the trio sat Kelli and Jamey Moore, sullen, and being held in place by the foster carer he had chosen especially for the pair.
"I know that all of us want to do what is best for our families. Whatever else we have that divides us, be it gender or race or ideology, we are united by our love for our families. I would do anything for my family. And I am sure that all of us in Lauchenoiria would feel the same way, regardless of what other circumstances stand in our way.
I hope that this dark time in our nation, with the foreign invaders in the south and the terrorists in Usera will end, and I encourage the perpetrators of this violence to think: am I doing what is right for my family? Thank you."
In the far north of Lauchenoiria, a lone rowboat drifted down the river through the thick Elfwood forest. No light shone from the boat, and no voices could be heard, even if someone had been around to hear them. The sound of oars hitting the water and the hooting of owls was all that broke the silence. One of the three people on the boat was asleep, and another was faking it. The third kept rowing in silence through the darkness, navigating by the moonlight and luck.
Leanna Walker lay back as the boat moved, trying to slow her breathing. The temperature was comfortable, given the time of year, but it didn't stop her from shivering. When she was safe in Laeral, coming back had seemed such a right and heroic choice. Here, in the darkness in the heart of Chaher's territory, she wished she was back hiding in a hotel room far away.
They'd almost been caught by one of Chaher's ships on their way into Lauchenoirian waters, when suddenly the ship had moved away south for seemingly no reason. Walker wondered what was going on, but it didn't change what she knew she had to do. As they floated further and further inland, her apprehension increased. Yet she knew in her heart that if she turned back now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
So she took a deep breath and tried to sleep, as the boat drifted slowly on through the thick forests of Lauchenoiria.
----------------------
Buttercity, 9:15am
Kelli Moore sat on the floor drawing a picture of her family. Her brother, Jamey suddenly grabbed one of her crayons and ran away, giggling. Kelli chased after him around the room. Suddenly, the door opened and that woman stood there. Both children immediately stopped running and looked sullen.
"I hope you two are behaving yourselves. Now, put those toys away, we are going out," the woman demanded, towering over them. The smell of her perfume was overwhelming and Kelli resisted the urge to hold her nose. That hadn't gone down too well the last time.
"Where? Are we going to see Mummy?" Kelli asked.
"Never you mind. Now, get ready or I will take that silly little teddy bear you're always clutching away."
Kelli squeezed her teddy harder, but walked over to where her shoes were. She wanted her parents desperately but every time she asked after them, that woman would scold her. She was scared, so was Jamey. When the woman thought she was asleep, she'd snuck downstairs and watched the woman, who in turn watched the TV. She'd seen pictures of her mum on the TV, where they said horrible things about her, which made the woman laugh.
Once Kelli and Jamey had put on their shoes, the woman ushered them out of the room and into the back of a car. Kelli tried the door at the other side, but like all the ones before, it was locked. She had a terrible feeling inside her that she ought to get as far away from the woman as possible, but the car started, and they drove through the deserted Buttercity streets once more.
------------------------
Aeluria, 11am
"There's another one," Alyssa Robinson informed Noguera, running a hand through her hair.
Robinson had been monitoring the waters around the island when Chaher had started moving ships into position. They were far enough out that to the naked eye they were no more than dots, but there were many. Noguera was concerned at first that this was the start of an attack, but the ships did not seem to advance towards them.
She knew Chaher, though, and he would never be quite so foolish as to try and fight a war on quite so many fronts at once. Those ships were there for another reason, and Noguera had a good idea of what.
"How long could we support the current population on the island without imports?" she asked Robinson.
"You mean including the Kivasekians and the angry, stranded tourists? Three months, tops. The current population is way above our average, and we've been reliant on agricultural imports since... wait, you think those ships are...?"
"We must prepare for all possibilities. I'm quite aware we don't have the same agricultural traditions as mainland Lauchenoiria, but my ancestors supported themselves on this island for centuries. Surely, with some careful planning we could manage?" asked Noguera
"Your ancestors supported a population of 4,000 with the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, tops. We have over 17,000 people currently on the island. We've been relying on imports to feed a population of 11,000. As I said, three months, tops."
"Then we better hope that Chaher's government falls in less than three months."
"And that whoever replaces him is any more friendly to us than he is," pointed out Robinson.
"Indeed," agreed Noguera, keeping a calm front even as the knot in her stomach tightened.
------------------------
Fleurian Forest, midday
Laura Moore yawned as the group kept walking towards Usera. It would take them weeks to get there on foot, and Moore was already exhausted after only a few days. Up ahead, Sonja suddenly stopped.
"Okay, I think it's about time we rested and ate something," Sonja said.
Standing beside Moore, Peter suddenly sat down as quickly as a child playing musical bumps, groaning with relief. Moore joined him. Rayna and Olivia also came to sit beside the pair. Sonja and Josephine sat together away from the other four.
"Ooh, nice!" Rayna said, snatching a berry off of Peter and eating it.
"Hey!" exclaimed Peter.
"What?" Rayna responded, a wide eyed look on her face. Peter grumbled and shielded the rest of his food from her.
"So, what sort of plans have we already got in motion?" asked Olivia. "How close are we to winning this war?"
"There's the billion peso question right there. I mean, we're working with Skoden and Laeral, and we've got a plan to turn half Chaher's supporters against him. But beyond that, we'll have to see how things go. Chaher has the military might. I mean, thank god Skoden's on our side, else we wouldn't stand a chance," Moore answered.
"Rayna, stop it!" Peter whined as Rayna kept trying to snatch food off of him.
"Enough!" scolded Sonja from a few metres away. "Stop acting like children, and be mindful of the danger we're in. Stop shouting so loud, we don't know who's listening."
Chastised, Peter sat up straight. Rayna immediately snatched a biscuit off him with a cackle. Sonja stood up and walked towards the group.
"Uh oh," Josephine tried hiding a smile as she watched Sonja approach the other group.
--------------------
Carville, 12:30pm
The Gonhogians had surrounded the city, but had not yet attacked with their full force. There had been a little skirmishes, like when a group trying to sneak out the city through the woods had been surprised by Gonhogians among the trees, but as of yet they hadn't struggled to hold the city. The Gonhogians were clearly holding back.
"What are they waiting for?" murmured Nico Alfaro as he watched the distant lines of Gonhogians from the roof of the hospital. As if on cue, something stirred in the Gonhogian lines and Alfaro tensed. They didn't advance. He let out a sigh, and walked back inside. While halfway down the stairs to the exit, an alarm blared.
"Oh, shit," he said, running down to the exit.
Half expecting to see Gonhogian soliders storming the streets, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the small flames. A fire alarm. Except... the timing, it was suspicious. Alfaro glanced around him, nervous. Something seemed off.
He made his way back to the old police station they were using as a command centre. He greeted the Laeralite, Captain Tsai, as he entered. Tsai seemed normal, and Alfaro relaxed a little. He must just be paranoid.
Meanwhile on the outskirts, the Gonhogians were ready. Alfaro had just poured a cup of coffee when he got the news. The Laeralian gendarmes were pulling back into the city as Alfaro reached the fighting. The Gonhogian troops were giving it everything they had, and even with both his resistance and the Laeralites they were horrifically outnumbered.
Alfaro tried to call out orders to the resistance fighters, but over the artillery fire and chaos of the battle, he couldn't hear what he said himself. They were being overrun. He had a horrible suspicion that the Laeralites did not intend to stick around for the conclusion. The fire at the hospital seemed to have grown and he had the feeling it had been set on purpose. The world around him turned to hell.
Carville, 2pm
The victorious Gonhogians drove through the streets of Carville as its civilian population hid in their homes. The Laeralites had retreated. The resistance was scattered, their leader nowhere to be found. His second in command, Concha Martínez had died trying to defend their command centre. Carville was theirs.
-------------------------
Buttercity, 3pm
"Good afternoon," Chaher addressed the camera from his podium outside Parliament. "I speak to you today following the news that our allies have recaptured the city of Carville from the terrorist group affiliated with the traitor, Laura Moore. This is a joyful day for the residents of Carville, and their family members worried about their safety.
Which brings me to what I want to say. Family. It's so important to all of us. We love our families, we will do anything for our families. When I made the difficult decision to call for a vote of no confidence in Laura Moore, I did so to protect my family from her and her allies so desperate to destroy this country. And they are here today because of it."
He gestured to his wife and two adult sons, sitting on a row of chairs behind him. Alongside the trio sat Kelli and Jamey Moore, sullen, and being held in place by the foster carer he had chosen especially for the pair.
"I know that all of us want to do what is best for our families. Whatever else we have that divides us, be it gender or race or ideology, we are united by our love for our families. I would do anything for my family. And I am sure that all of us in Lauchenoiria would feel the same way, regardless of what other circumstances stand in our way.
I hope that this dark time in our nation, with the foreign invaders in the south and the terrorists in Usera will end, and I encourage the perpetrators of this violence to think: am I doing what is right for my family? Thank you."
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax