08-06-2018, 06:52 PM
Resistance HQ, Usera
"The Kerlians have forced us back. They're fighting with a lot more vigour than we anticipated. We still have some of the territory we gained during the initial assault, but we're losing ground with every hour. We need reinforcements," Ramiro Soto reported.
"Fat chance of that," Sonja sighed. "The Coalition are moving south and leaving us to it. It's not what I'd do, but... this has escalated out of control. And the longer this war goes on, the more support we're losing. A lot of people would rather live under a dictator than in a war zone."
"That's not what I see," interjected Leonie. "I've been watching all the social media now that we've got around the government blocks, and everyone seems to want Charissa Clarke's head now that Chaher's dead."
"Social media is not the most reliable source. Especially given that those who support the regime are far less likely to circumvent the government blocking," Sonja pointed out.
"I had an old woman grab my arm on the street and yell at me for tearing apart her city the other day," Josephine added.
"Okay, but what about..." Leonie began but was interrupted when the door opened and a frantic Oliver ran inside panting. He failed to speak but only pointed, shaking his head frantically and trying to pull Sonja outside to look at something.
The group all followed Oliver out of the room. He ran up the stairs to the top floor and pointed out the window. Soto, the fittest of the group, reached the top first.
"I don't see anything," he frowned and turned to Oliver.
"Look... harder... in... distance... here..." he panted and handed Soto a pair of binoculars. Soto looked back out of the window and swore. Sonja grabbed the binoculars off him and glanced into the distance.
"Oh hell..." she muttered. As far as the horizon, she could see Resistance troops being pushed back and fired upon by Kerlian soldiers. They would be at the city soon.
Outskirts of Usera, five hours later
Colonel Chloe Conde stood watching Usera with her back to the sunset. The Lauchenoirians and Gonhogians were off trying to round up the remaining Resistance elements in the province, while her Kerlians surrounded the city.
She focused her eyes on one of their makeshift watchtowers on the edge of what was once the suburbs. They were now surrounded by the kind of makeshift barricade any teenager with a chemistry set could destroy in seconds. Where the suburbs had once faded off into fields, there now stood a distinct boundary.
"Do not let a single person out of that boundary. Surround the city, on all sides. Nobody leaves, not even a dog. Anyone tries to exit you apprehend them. If they resist, shoot them. We attack at dawn," Conde ordered the assembled squad leaders. They saluted and marched off. She turned to walk back to one of their command tents.
"Morgan!" she said as she entered. The woman who had been hunched over a laptop jumped and almost dropped it in her rush to stand to attention. "I want to know Sonja Viratnen's precise location when we attack."
"She is still in the school building they are using as headquarters," the drone operator responded, glancing every second at the laptop as if it would vanish if she didn't.
"We can't guarantee she'll stay there. I want you watching her very closely overnight," Conde instructed.
"But every time we get closer..."
"... they shoot down our drone. I am aware of your excuses. I don't want excuses, I want results. When we take that city, I want Sonja Viratnen alive and in my custody. If she escapes, I will hold you personally responsible."
Morgan swallowed hard as Conde held eye contact. Both women knew exactly what Conde meant by that statement. Morgan mentally began planning how she'd run if Sonja escaped. But she, better than anyone, knew she wouldn't get far. She shivered. Conde spun around and exited.
Aeluria, night
Carlito Mores, Fergie Douglas and Frederic Cloutier were very careful not to be spotted by the Kivasekian guards as they snuck down to the coast.
"Hurry," whispered Fergie as Carlito fumbled with the keys to the boathouse.
"I can't find the right one," he replied. Exasperated, Fergie snatched the bundle and immediately found the correct key.
"Keep lookout... um... regardez or something?" she whispered to Frederic who nodded. Carlito and Fergie entered the small shed and began to drag out Carlito's father's rowing boat.
"You need to make so much noise?" came Frederic's voice from outside.
"You want silence or you want speed?" hissed Fergie in response.
"What?"
She snarled slightly as the eventually got the boat out of the shed and onto the beach. The trio paused for a moment and kept watch on the forest behind them. Nobody came. Carlito lifted the bags the three of them had packed onto the boat and then with Fergie dragged it down into the water.
The three clambered inside the boat.
"Next stop, Laeral. Don't worry, you'll be home soon," Carlito assured Frederic. He looked rather sceptical. "Wait, Fergie, what are you doing with that?"
The young girl looked up from where she had been sitting loading a gun.
"Just in case," she said.
"Where did you get it?"
"Can't tell you that."
"Could be we should go," Frederic interrupted.
Fergie picked up the gun.
"One rows, one guards, one sleeps," she said, more in the style of an order than a suggestion. Frederic picked up the oars. Carlito turned away from Fergie and the offending object.
"Wake me up if you reach the blockade," he muttered.
*
From: William Jones
To: Yousef Chaher
Subject: Re:If you do this, I'll wash your dishes for a year
Yousef,
What happened to "˜keep me out of your family's political stuff'? I think I was pretty clear. You know fine well your email was intercepted, and I don't appreciate you involving me in this stuff. It'll take a lot more than free dish washing to make up for it.
That said, I'll do it. But if someone, regardless of which side they're on, comes knocking on my door demanding I stop, or hand over the results, I'm doing it. You're my friend but I'm not dying for you. Sorry.
If you can find some way to send the sample, go ahead. But this city is surrounded by armies shooting at each other, and nobody's delivering the post. So good luck with that.
Will
PS: you left a bunch of your laundry in the machine when you ran off, I've dumped it on your bed. Incidentally, if I do this, you're doing my laundry, dishes, and any other household chores I can think of. For TWO years.
"The Kerlians have forced us back. They're fighting with a lot more vigour than we anticipated. We still have some of the territory we gained during the initial assault, but we're losing ground with every hour. We need reinforcements," Ramiro Soto reported.
"Fat chance of that," Sonja sighed. "The Coalition are moving south and leaving us to it. It's not what I'd do, but... this has escalated out of control. And the longer this war goes on, the more support we're losing. A lot of people would rather live under a dictator than in a war zone."
"That's not what I see," interjected Leonie. "I've been watching all the social media now that we've got around the government blocks, and everyone seems to want Charissa Clarke's head now that Chaher's dead."
"Social media is not the most reliable source. Especially given that those who support the regime are far less likely to circumvent the government blocking," Sonja pointed out.
"I had an old woman grab my arm on the street and yell at me for tearing apart her city the other day," Josephine added.
"Okay, but what about..." Leonie began but was interrupted when the door opened and a frantic Oliver ran inside panting. He failed to speak but only pointed, shaking his head frantically and trying to pull Sonja outside to look at something.
The group all followed Oliver out of the room. He ran up the stairs to the top floor and pointed out the window. Soto, the fittest of the group, reached the top first.
"I don't see anything," he frowned and turned to Oliver.
"Look... harder... in... distance... here..." he panted and handed Soto a pair of binoculars. Soto looked back out of the window and swore. Sonja grabbed the binoculars off him and glanced into the distance.
"Oh hell..." she muttered. As far as the horizon, she could see Resistance troops being pushed back and fired upon by Kerlian soldiers. They would be at the city soon.
Outskirts of Usera, five hours later
Colonel Chloe Conde stood watching Usera with her back to the sunset. The Lauchenoirians and Gonhogians were off trying to round up the remaining Resistance elements in the province, while her Kerlians surrounded the city.
She focused her eyes on one of their makeshift watchtowers on the edge of what was once the suburbs. They were now surrounded by the kind of makeshift barricade any teenager with a chemistry set could destroy in seconds. Where the suburbs had once faded off into fields, there now stood a distinct boundary.
"Do not let a single person out of that boundary. Surround the city, on all sides. Nobody leaves, not even a dog. Anyone tries to exit you apprehend them. If they resist, shoot them. We attack at dawn," Conde ordered the assembled squad leaders. They saluted and marched off. She turned to walk back to one of their command tents.
"Morgan!" she said as she entered. The woman who had been hunched over a laptop jumped and almost dropped it in her rush to stand to attention. "I want to know Sonja Viratnen's precise location when we attack."
"She is still in the school building they are using as headquarters," the drone operator responded, glancing every second at the laptop as if it would vanish if she didn't.
"We can't guarantee she'll stay there. I want you watching her very closely overnight," Conde instructed.
"But every time we get closer..."
"... they shoot down our drone. I am aware of your excuses. I don't want excuses, I want results. When we take that city, I want Sonja Viratnen alive and in my custody. If she escapes, I will hold you personally responsible."
Morgan swallowed hard as Conde held eye contact. Both women knew exactly what Conde meant by that statement. Morgan mentally began planning how she'd run if Sonja escaped. But she, better than anyone, knew she wouldn't get far. She shivered. Conde spun around and exited.
Aeluria, night
Carlito Mores, Fergie Douglas and Frederic Cloutier were very careful not to be spotted by the Kivasekian guards as they snuck down to the coast.
"Hurry," whispered Fergie as Carlito fumbled with the keys to the boathouse.
"I can't find the right one," he replied. Exasperated, Fergie snatched the bundle and immediately found the correct key.
"Keep lookout... um... regardez or something?" she whispered to Frederic who nodded. Carlito and Fergie entered the small shed and began to drag out Carlito's father's rowing boat.
"You need to make so much noise?" came Frederic's voice from outside.
"You want silence or you want speed?" hissed Fergie in response.
"What?"
She snarled slightly as the eventually got the boat out of the shed and onto the beach. The trio paused for a moment and kept watch on the forest behind them. Nobody came. Carlito lifted the bags the three of them had packed onto the boat and then with Fergie dragged it down into the water.
The three clambered inside the boat.
"Next stop, Laeral. Don't worry, you'll be home soon," Carlito assured Frederic. He looked rather sceptical. "Wait, Fergie, what are you doing with that?"
The young girl looked up from where she had been sitting loading a gun.
"Just in case," she said.
"Where did you get it?"
"Can't tell you that."
"Could be we should go," Frederic interrupted.
Fergie picked up the gun.
"One rows, one guards, one sleeps," she said, more in the style of an order than a suggestion. Frederic picked up the oars. Carlito turned away from Fergie and the offending object.
"Wake me up if you reach the blockade," he muttered.
*
From: William Jones
To: Yousef Chaher
Subject: Re:If you do this, I'll wash your dishes for a year
Yousef,
What happened to "˜keep me out of your family's political stuff'? I think I was pretty clear. You know fine well your email was intercepted, and I don't appreciate you involving me in this stuff. It'll take a lot more than free dish washing to make up for it.
That said, I'll do it. But if someone, regardless of which side they're on, comes knocking on my door demanding I stop, or hand over the results, I'm doing it. You're my friend but I'm not dying for you. Sorry.
If you can find some way to send the sample, go ahead. But this city is surrounded by armies shooting at each other, and nobody's delivering the post. So good luck with that.
Will
PS: you left a bunch of your laundry in the machine when you ran off, I've dumped it on your bed. Incidentally, if I do this, you're doing my laundry, dishes, and any other household chores I can think of. For TWO years.
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