08-03-2018, 09:01 PM
Shopping District, Yerville
Jae Chung shielded her eyes from the sun as she wandered through Yerville's shopping centre. Half the stores were closed, their owners and staff standing in the endless evacuation queues at Yerville Cross Station. She entered a store, picked up a dress and held it in front of her in the mirror.
It occurred to her that she hadn't been looking in many mirrors lately. She couldn't imagine herself in the dress she held up. She'd positioned her hair to hide a scar she hadn't had at the start of the year, and though she'd washed before coming here she still felt a little too dirty to be in such a high-end store.
She shook her head and picked another dress off the rail, then walked in a manner she hoped was graceful to the fitting rooms. The shop assistant handed her a glittery "˜2' and she passed through into the rooms, pulling the door on cubicle four shut behind her.
"Took you long enough," the figure said, accusingly.
"Well, I would have been here faster if I had a better fake ID. Minimising checkpoints means taking the long way around," Jae flicked at the false ID card she had pinned to her belt.
"Can't believe they're making people walk around with their ID clipped to their clothes," the figure said.
"It's only in areas with a high risk of confl..." Jae trailed off as the figure stared accusingly at her.
"Don't spout their propaganda, little sister," her older brother said, grinning.
"Do you have a way for me to get to Usera?" she asked. He plucked the ID card off her waist.
"Seo-Yun Yi, born 1989. Tut, tut! Where were you hiding this all these years?"
Jae, who was born in 1993, snatched the card back off him.
"What I did in my youth is none of your business Ji-Hun Chung. We can discuss my underage drinking when we're not about to die."
"If they're going to nuke anywhere it will be Usera. You sure you want to go there?"
"They're not going to "˜nuke anywhere'. Don't be absurd. And if you had any clue..."
"I can get you to Usera, but..."
"But what?"
"I wanted to keep you out of this, little sister. Once you've seen these people, well, they're not likely to forget."
"You criticise me for underage drinking but you've been dealing drugs since before I got this thing," Jae accused, clipping the false ID back on.
"You want into Usera or not?"
"I do."
"And you know the risks?"
"Your... associates are quite low on the list of "˜risks' with what I'm doing now. More worried about the government," she shrugged.
"Father would kill me if he knew we were doing this."
"Father would be the first one up to fight against this government. And what have you been doing? Getting people addicted to bad stuff, same as ever."
"Hey, we've also been providing food to the Resistance," Ji-Hun protested.
"Just tell me the plan!"
"Fine, okay!"
Pro-Resistance Broadcast
"Good afternoon, Lauchenoiria! My name is Alex Marwick and I am joining you from an unspecified and rather wet location. Forgive the sound of rain in the background, running out of sheltered locations to run to.
So, we are at a crossroads. Someone once told me good guys can't win wars. That it's up to bad guys to defeat even worse guys so the good guys can get on with fixing what the war destroyed. That if someone is truly "˜good' then they won't be able to do what is necessary to achieve victory.
Maybe in traditional war, that's true. In which case, I hope the even worse guys are defeated soon. But there's two layers to this "“ what happens on the battlefield and what happens in the general population. Supporters of Chaher's coup still exist all across the country, along with the armies of the apathetic.
And if we can convince his old supporters they're on the wrong side? If we can convince those who don't care to start acting? Then the Junta doesn't stand a chance."
Liaville, Aeluria
"We're out," Alyssa Robinson stated, sounding rather more pleased than one ought to be in this kind of situation.
"We ought to think up some kind of solution before half the island is going through nicotine withdrawal," Keitha Noguera replied.
"That ship has sailed, First Minister," came a voice from the doorway. Inside stood Noguera's Minister for Culture, Giva Desh. Behind her stood the rest of Noguera's cabinet.
"I don't believe I asked for your opinion, Ms Desh," Noguera said, her voice sharp.
"You haven't asked our opinions in quite a while, First Minister," Nazario Macías, her Minister for Education piped up. The hairs on the back of Noguera's neck began to stand on end. She knew this kind of situation. It was the kind of situation that could easily boil over to the overthrow of a leader. It was the kind of situation Chaher had taken advantage of, the kind she'd helped him with. She didn't much like it from the other side.
"Perhaps we are long overdue a Cabinet meeting," she said, keeping her voice calm and slow to try and defuse the situation.
"'Perhaps'?" queried Giva Desh.
"If you would like, we could meet now to discuss the... situation?" she said, gesturing towards the cabinet room and trying to steady her hand.
"Good idea," Macías replied, gliding into the room. The rest of the assembled group trailed after him.
"I will join you shortly," Noguera said, nodding her head to them and entered a nearby bathroom. She shook as she looked in the mirror. She'd been foolish to support Chaher in the first place, of course. He hadn't held up his end of the bargain for longer than a day. And his death had done nothing to change their situation.
She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the meeting. She could see the unrest growing on the island. A miniature version of the situation Chaher and she had taken advantage of, but now all turned against her. When the tension broke, she would be the number one target. Unless she could find some way to diffuse this tension, her cabinet ousting her would be the least of her worries.
Kerlian-held territory, Sothern Yervia
Camino Arreola threw up again. He'd clearly caught something, and his wound looked like it might be infected. The Kerlian guard who he'd tried to tell had done nothing but slap him for "˜making eye contact'. Apparently, men were not permitted to do so. Or perhaps it was only considered rude. Kerlian culture was not his strong point.
The vomit was rather watery, though given how little food they were given he wasn't surprised. He hoped it was just the heat. This part of Yervia had a climate closer to Annatown than his hometown of Usera.
"You," a female voice said above him, and two Kerlians dragged him from lying on the ground until he knelt in front of the woman who spoke.
"What about me?" he managed to say, pointedly making eye contact. She bent down until she was at eye level with him, never breaking contact. And then spat in his face.
"Bring him," she ordered the guards, and they began to drag him out of the barn. He blinked, trying to get the disgusting saliva off his face, but they held his arms out of reach. He was pulled up into a vehicle and his stomach lurched again. He threw up on one of the guard's shoes.
She hit him so hard he blacked out.
Ulinarian Parliament, Elopolis
"Laura!" called Victoria Juárez, embracing the exhausted former Prime Minister. Laura Moore clung to Juárez, almost falling over. "Um, here, have a seat," Juárez offered, half placing Moore on the sofa in her office.
"Hi Victoria," Moore mumbled and promptly fell asleep.
*
Four hours later, Laura Moore woke up and jumped up at the unfamiliar surroundings. At her desk, Juárez also jumped in response.
"Enjoy your nap?" Juárez asked.
"I don't even remember getting into the city," Moore confessed.
"Yeah, couple of my guys found you asleep near the boundary," Juárez said.
"Good to see you, though," Moore said and the two old friends hugged once more. Juárez sat down next to Moore.
"Been a long time since we were roommates at university," Juárez said.
"A different life," Moore replied. "A better one."
"I thought you were dead. The whole country thought you were dead, I think, when Sonja started broadcasting stuff without you."
"I had to get my children to safety, after Walker shot Chaher."
"That was a month ago, Laura," Juárez said gently.
"Right, good one."
"I'm not joking."
"Seriously? God, I've lost track of time. What is it, mid-July?"
"It's the 3rd of August."
"Yeah, I think I need a longer sleep."
Jae Chung shielded her eyes from the sun as she wandered through Yerville's shopping centre. Half the stores were closed, their owners and staff standing in the endless evacuation queues at Yerville Cross Station. She entered a store, picked up a dress and held it in front of her in the mirror.
It occurred to her that she hadn't been looking in many mirrors lately. She couldn't imagine herself in the dress she held up. She'd positioned her hair to hide a scar she hadn't had at the start of the year, and though she'd washed before coming here she still felt a little too dirty to be in such a high-end store.
She shook her head and picked another dress off the rail, then walked in a manner she hoped was graceful to the fitting rooms. The shop assistant handed her a glittery "˜2' and she passed through into the rooms, pulling the door on cubicle four shut behind her.
"Took you long enough," the figure said, accusingly.
"Well, I would have been here faster if I had a better fake ID. Minimising checkpoints means taking the long way around," Jae flicked at the false ID card she had pinned to her belt.
"Can't believe they're making people walk around with their ID clipped to their clothes," the figure said.
"It's only in areas with a high risk of confl..." Jae trailed off as the figure stared accusingly at her.
"Don't spout their propaganda, little sister," her older brother said, grinning.
"Do you have a way for me to get to Usera?" she asked. He plucked the ID card off her waist.
"Seo-Yun Yi, born 1989. Tut, tut! Where were you hiding this all these years?"
Jae, who was born in 1993, snatched the card back off him.
"What I did in my youth is none of your business Ji-Hun Chung. We can discuss my underage drinking when we're not about to die."
"If they're going to nuke anywhere it will be Usera. You sure you want to go there?"
"They're not going to "˜nuke anywhere'. Don't be absurd. And if you had any clue..."
"I can get you to Usera, but..."
"But what?"
"I wanted to keep you out of this, little sister. Once you've seen these people, well, they're not likely to forget."
"You criticise me for underage drinking but you've been dealing drugs since before I got this thing," Jae accused, clipping the false ID back on.
"You want into Usera or not?"
"I do."
"And you know the risks?"
"Your... associates are quite low on the list of "˜risks' with what I'm doing now. More worried about the government," she shrugged.
"Father would kill me if he knew we were doing this."
"Father would be the first one up to fight against this government. And what have you been doing? Getting people addicted to bad stuff, same as ever."
"Hey, we've also been providing food to the Resistance," Ji-Hun protested.
"Just tell me the plan!"
"Fine, okay!"
Pro-Resistance Broadcast
"Good afternoon, Lauchenoiria! My name is Alex Marwick and I am joining you from an unspecified and rather wet location. Forgive the sound of rain in the background, running out of sheltered locations to run to.
So, we are at a crossroads. Someone once told me good guys can't win wars. That it's up to bad guys to defeat even worse guys so the good guys can get on with fixing what the war destroyed. That if someone is truly "˜good' then they won't be able to do what is necessary to achieve victory.
Maybe in traditional war, that's true. In which case, I hope the even worse guys are defeated soon. But there's two layers to this "“ what happens on the battlefield and what happens in the general population. Supporters of Chaher's coup still exist all across the country, along with the armies of the apathetic.
And if we can convince his old supporters they're on the wrong side? If we can convince those who don't care to start acting? Then the Junta doesn't stand a chance."
Liaville, Aeluria
"We're out," Alyssa Robinson stated, sounding rather more pleased than one ought to be in this kind of situation.
"We ought to think up some kind of solution before half the island is going through nicotine withdrawal," Keitha Noguera replied.
"That ship has sailed, First Minister," came a voice from the doorway. Inside stood Noguera's Minister for Culture, Giva Desh. Behind her stood the rest of Noguera's cabinet.
"I don't believe I asked for your opinion, Ms Desh," Noguera said, her voice sharp.
"You haven't asked our opinions in quite a while, First Minister," Nazario Macías, her Minister for Education piped up. The hairs on the back of Noguera's neck began to stand on end. She knew this kind of situation. It was the kind of situation that could easily boil over to the overthrow of a leader. It was the kind of situation Chaher had taken advantage of, the kind she'd helped him with. She didn't much like it from the other side.
"Perhaps we are long overdue a Cabinet meeting," she said, keeping her voice calm and slow to try and defuse the situation.
"'Perhaps'?" queried Giva Desh.
"If you would like, we could meet now to discuss the... situation?" she said, gesturing towards the cabinet room and trying to steady her hand.
"Good idea," Macías replied, gliding into the room. The rest of the assembled group trailed after him.
"I will join you shortly," Noguera said, nodding her head to them and entered a nearby bathroom. She shook as she looked in the mirror. She'd been foolish to support Chaher in the first place, of course. He hadn't held up his end of the bargain for longer than a day. And his death had done nothing to change their situation.
She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the meeting. She could see the unrest growing on the island. A miniature version of the situation Chaher and she had taken advantage of, but now all turned against her. When the tension broke, she would be the number one target. Unless she could find some way to diffuse this tension, her cabinet ousting her would be the least of her worries.
Kerlian-held territory, Sothern Yervia
Camino Arreola threw up again. He'd clearly caught something, and his wound looked like it might be infected. The Kerlian guard who he'd tried to tell had done nothing but slap him for "˜making eye contact'. Apparently, men were not permitted to do so. Or perhaps it was only considered rude. Kerlian culture was not his strong point.
The vomit was rather watery, though given how little food they were given he wasn't surprised. He hoped it was just the heat. This part of Yervia had a climate closer to Annatown than his hometown of Usera.
"You," a female voice said above him, and two Kerlians dragged him from lying on the ground until he knelt in front of the woman who spoke.
"What about me?" he managed to say, pointedly making eye contact. She bent down until she was at eye level with him, never breaking contact. And then spat in his face.
"Bring him," she ordered the guards, and they began to drag him out of the barn. He blinked, trying to get the disgusting saliva off his face, but they held his arms out of reach. He was pulled up into a vehicle and his stomach lurched again. He threw up on one of the guard's shoes.
She hit him so hard he blacked out.
Ulinarian Parliament, Elopolis
"Laura!" called Victoria Juárez, embracing the exhausted former Prime Minister. Laura Moore clung to Juárez, almost falling over. "Um, here, have a seat," Juárez offered, half placing Moore on the sofa in her office.
"Hi Victoria," Moore mumbled and promptly fell asleep.
*
Four hours later, Laura Moore woke up and jumped up at the unfamiliar surroundings. At her desk, Juárez also jumped in response.
"Enjoy your nap?" Juárez asked.
"I don't even remember getting into the city," Moore confessed.
"Yeah, couple of my guys found you asleep near the boundary," Juárez said.
"Good to see you, though," Moore said and the two old friends hugged once more. Juárez sat down next to Moore.
"Been a long time since we were roommates at university," Juárez said.
"A different life," Moore replied. "A better one."
"I thought you were dead. The whole country thought you were dead, I think, when Sonja started broadcasting stuff without you."
"I had to get my children to safety, after Walker shot Chaher."
"That was a month ago, Laura," Juárez said gently.
"Right, good one."
"I'm not joking."
"Seriously? God, I've lost track of time. What is it, mid-July?"
"It's the 3rd of August."
"Yeah, I think I need a longer sleep."
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax