07-27-2023, 08:48 PM
PREVIOUSLY in the IDU…
“I am not Veronica Penners. I am not Lauchenoirian. I came to this country as part of the Aurora Programme, sent from the Matriarchy of Kerlile in order to influence this nation in order to spread the women’s revolution.” (The Hunt for Auroras, 13 Feb 2020)
*
“There are some members of staff at the Aurora Centre with DKS sympathies,” Veronica nodded. “When each of us is recruited from an orphanage, we are assigned a member of staff to look out for our welfare. One of those members has in turn recruited a number of us for this mission.” (The Hunt for Auroras, 23 Mar 2020)
*
Veronica threw her weight against the assailant who had grabbed her from behind and kicked the first one, unknowing what part of them she'd hit. Using her momentum, she broke the hold and ran back in the direction she'd left Olivia, but in the darkness, she couldn't see. Damn, she thought. (Aftermath of War, 14 Jul 2020)
*
“Keep it that way. I like and respect you, Councillor Robinson, so I’m giving you this warning: the Auroras of Kerlile are angry and tired. We want safety, we want freedom… and we want justice. I think you’re aware of what can happen to anyone who stands in our way.” (Secrets of the Council, 21 Jul 2020)
April 2023; before Duty of Daughters
Xia Chiu was pregnant again. Her eight-year-old daughter Jia was currently being chased around their kitchen by her two-year-old son Cheung, when the doorbell went. Xia did not live on her family estate, preferring to live alone in Grapevale without servants snooping in her things. So, she went to answer the door herself.
“Hey Xia! Congrats on the pregnancy!” Olivia Pierre said, squealing and hugging the other Daughter.
“Come in Olivia,” Xia sighed.
Since her release from Alt-Ed, Olivia had begun working on some top-secret project related to the Aurora Programme. It was an open secret, however, that the project was a Council-funded attempt to desperately try and track down and find Zichitla before she could do something foolish. So far, all they’d discovered was that she was recruiting other ex-Auroras to some kind of cult. They did not know how many, or where they were based.
“Hey, can we talk away from the kids? The thing I’m here about isn’t really, uh, a family-friendly conversation topic,” Olivia said apologetically.
Xia led her into a sitting area and closed the door behind them. “Why do you only ever show up here when you have something disturbing to tell me?” Xia sighed.
“Yeah that wasn’t by choice,” Olivia said, glancing around.
“I sweep for bugs daily,” Xia replied to Olivia’s scanning of the room.
“Good. I found out something really distressing. Do you remember when we got kidnapped by those weird Lauchenoirians?”
“Yes, I do,” Xia replied. How could she not?
“Okay so two things; one is that the Lauchenoirians traded some of the people who did that to the Xiomerans for some activists. So, they’re loose. The second…”
“Wait, wait, hold on. The Lauchenoirians did what?” Xia said, alarmed.
“Prisoner exchange, Sanctaria was involved; I was informed by KIS. Anyway, that’s not the disturbing thing.”
“How can that not be the…”
“Do you remember the Aurora who rescued you?”
“Yes,” snapped Xia, who was getting fed up of being interrupted.
“She’s in the Restricted Region.”
“She’s in the what!?” shouted Xia.
“She was part of the Robinson conspiracy. So, they’ve got her locked up in the facility they kept open in secret. Obviously, given she saved you, and tried to save me, we have to rescue her.”
“Olivia, you have lost your mind,” Xia replied. “Is this even true? Are you on drugs? Since when did the Lauchenoirians trade their own citizens in prisoner exchanges? As for the Aurora, how do you know?”
“I can’t say about the Lauchenoirians, I don’t understand half of what they do these days. One minute they’re talking about freedom of speech and the next they’re rounding up activists. So, is this really that hard to believe? I mean, Calhualyana has been pretty openly threatening them. They’d probably give her anyone she asked for to stave off an invasion or a nuke. Or both. As for Veronica – the Aurora – my mother let it slip by accident.”
Xia closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. Why did all the horrific news come when she was pregnant? Last time her grandmother kept her prisoner for months, and this time Olivia was apparently determined to stress her out even more.
“Olivia, I am in no fit state to be launching rescue missions in secret facilities in officially-closed torture regions,” Xia replied calmly. “If you wish to rescue Veronica, have you considered asking other Auroras? They look after their own, we’ve seen that with the whole Cauhloc affair.”
“The ones in Huenya won’t talk to me,” Olivia huffed. “I tried, but they just laughed at me and told me that Huenya was in no fit state to fight a war with Kerlile, and something about the Jinyu Agreement.”
“Peace treaties,” Xia rolled her eyes. The phrase was almost a curse in Kerlile these days. “Have you tried other Auroras?”
“None of them will risk their lives for someone they think betrayed them too. They hate the Robinson Auroras. Well, the loyal ones anyway. For obvious reasons, I haven’t been able to contact Zichitla’s cult.”
“Zichitla’s cult probably already know,” Xia replied. “They seem to know everything. If they want to save her, they will. Regardless of us.”
The pair sat in silence, glumly listening to the sounds of the children playing in the next room. There was nothing they could do; two Daughters of the Council were not capable of infiltrating the RR, especially to break out a prisoner accused of affiliation with DKS. The laws banning anyone from aiding, or even being associated with, a member of DKS had never been repealed. Regardless of position, if they tried to help Veronica, they’d likely both be executed. At best.
*
PRESENT DAY
Veronica Penners had spent over two years in the Restricted Region. It was said that the longest any individual could survive, before their brain broke irreparably, under the harshest regime of the RR, was five years. Most would break long before that. Some, very few, would be the exceptions that proved the rule. Veronica, as an Aurora, had more chance than most to last longer. She did not, however, want to.
It was said, back when the RR operated openly, that when a Kerlian on trial expected she would be sent to the RR, and instead received a death sentence, she would thank the judge profusely, begging for her death. The rumours had merit. Five years. The quicker your mind broke down, the quicker they’d get it over with and kill you. Too much strength led to suffering.
Councillor Pierre had tried to protect Robinson’s Auroras. She’d failed. Veronica and the others loyal to the Robinson family had been here, in an officially-closed facility in the Restricted Region since May 2021. This was not interrogation; it had been, at the start. This was punishment, and there was nothing Veronica could do about it.
Veronica was bitter. She felt little else but hatred. And pain, but that was a given. They’d come in again soon for another torture session. No amount of begging, pleading, apologising, confessing, information-giving… nothing stopped it. Nothing. Nothing would. Veronica was more aware of this than most, but it didn’t help.
A scream rang out from the next cell. Alyssa. Her fellow Lauchenoiria-assigned Aurora, and now her fellow captive in hell on Earth. There were three of them here, the Robinson Auroras. The third was Bin Zhi, who had once been Fern, and prevented a massacre in this very Restricted Region. The others, their supposed compatriots in their plot, rested easy in Huenya, their friends forgotten to rot.
The door to her cell opened, and her day began like all her others: painfully.
And then suddenly. It stopped.
“I am not Veronica Penners. I am not Lauchenoirian. I came to this country as part of the Aurora Programme, sent from the Matriarchy of Kerlile in order to influence this nation in order to spread the women’s revolution.” (The Hunt for Auroras, 13 Feb 2020)
*
“There are some members of staff at the Aurora Centre with DKS sympathies,” Veronica nodded. “When each of us is recruited from an orphanage, we are assigned a member of staff to look out for our welfare. One of those members has in turn recruited a number of us for this mission.” (The Hunt for Auroras, 23 Mar 2020)
*
Veronica threw her weight against the assailant who had grabbed her from behind and kicked the first one, unknowing what part of them she'd hit. Using her momentum, she broke the hold and ran back in the direction she'd left Olivia, but in the darkness, she couldn't see. Damn, she thought. (Aftermath of War, 14 Jul 2020)
*
“Keep it that way. I like and respect you, Councillor Robinson, so I’m giving you this warning: the Auroras of Kerlile are angry and tired. We want safety, we want freedom… and we want justice. I think you’re aware of what can happen to anyone who stands in our way.” (Secrets of the Council, 21 Jul 2020)
April 2023; before Duty of Daughters
Xia Chiu was pregnant again. Her eight-year-old daughter Jia was currently being chased around their kitchen by her two-year-old son Cheung, when the doorbell went. Xia did not live on her family estate, preferring to live alone in Grapevale without servants snooping in her things. So, she went to answer the door herself.
“Hey Xia! Congrats on the pregnancy!” Olivia Pierre said, squealing and hugging the other Daughter.
“Come in Olivia,” Xia sighed.
Since her release from Alt-Ed, Olivia had begun working on some top-secret project related to the Aurora Programme. It was an open secret, however, that the project was a Council-funded attempt to desperately try and track down and find Zichitla before she could do something foolish. So far, all they’d discovered was that she was recruiting other ex-Auroras to some kind of cult. They did not know how many, or where they were based.
“Hey, can we talk away from the kids? The thing I’m here about isn’t really, uh, a family-friendly conversation topic,” Olivia said apologetically.
Xia led her into a sitting area and closed the door behind them. “Why do you only ever show up here when you have something disturbing to tell me?” Xia sighed.
“Yeah that wasn’t by choice,” Olivia said, glancing around.
“I sweep for bugs daily,” Xia replied to Olivia’s scanning of the room.
“Good. I found out something really distressing. Do you remember when we got kidnapped by those weird Lauchenoirians?”
“Yes, I do,” Xia replied. How could she not?
“Okay so two things; one is that the Lauchenoirians traded some of the people who did that to the Xiomerans for some activists. So, they’re loose. The second…”
“Wait, wait, hold on. The Lauchenoirians did what?” Xia said, alarmed.
“Prisoner exchange, Sanctaria was involved; I was informed by KIS. Anyway, that’s not the disturbing thing.”
“How can that not be the…”
“Do you remember the Aurora who rescued you?”
“Yes,” snapped Xia, who was getting fed up of being interrupted.
“She’s in the Restricted Region.”
“She’s in the what!?” shouted Xia.
“She was part of the Robinson conspiracy. So, they’ve got her locked up in the facility they kept open in secret. Obviously, given she saved you, and tried to save me, we have to rescue her.”
“Olivia, you have lost your mind,” Xia replied. “Is this even true? Are you on drugs? Since when did the Lauchenoirians trade their own citizens in prisoner exchanges? As for the Aurora, how do you know?”
“I can’t say about the Lauchenoirians, I don’t understand half of what they do these days. One minute they’re talking about freedom of speech and the next they’re rounding up activists. So, is this really that hard to believe? I mean, Calhualyana has been pretty openly threatening them. They’d probably give her anyone she asked for to stave off an invasion or a nuke. Or both. As for Veronica – the Aurora – my mother let it slip by accident.”
Xia closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. Why did all the horrific news come when she was pregnant? Last time her grandmother kept her prisoner for months, and this time Olivia was apparently determined to stress her out even more.
“Olivia, I am in no fit state to be launching rescue missions in secret facilities in officially-closed torture regions,” Xia replied calmly. “If you wish to rescue Veronica, have you considered asking other Auroras? They look after their own, we’ve seen that with the whole Cauhloc affair.”
“The ones in Huenya won’t talk to me,” Olivia huffed. “I tried, but they just laughed at me and told me that Huenya was in no fit state to fight a war with Kerlile, and something about the Jinyu Agreement.”
“Peace treaties,” Xia rolled her eyes. The phrase was almost a curse in Kerlile these days. “Have you tried other Auroras?”
“None of them will risk their lives for someone they think betrayed them too. They hate the Robinson Auroras. Well, the loyal ones anyway. For obvious reasons, I haven’t been able to contact Zichitla’s cult.”
“Zichitla’s cult probably already know,” Xia replied. “They seem to know everything. If they want to save her, they will. Regardless of us.”
The pair sat in silence, glumly listening to the sounds of the children playing in the next room. There was nothing they could do; two Daughters of the Council were not capable of infiltrating the RR, especially to break out a prisoner accused of affiliation with DKS. The laws banning anyone from aiding, or even being associated with, a member of DKS had never been repealed. Regardless of position, if they tried to help Veronica, they’d likely both be executed. At best.
*
PRESENT DAY
Veronica Penners had spent over two years in the Restricted Region. It was said that the longest any individual could survive, before their brain broke irreparably, under the harshest regime of the RR, was five years. Most would break long before that. Some, very few, would be the exceptions that proved the rule. Veronica, as an Aurora, had more chance than most to last longer. She did not, however, want to.
It was said, back when the RR operated openly, that when a Kerlian on trial expected she would be sent to the RR, and instead received a death sentence, she would thank the judge profusely, begging for her death. The rumours had merit. Five years. The quicker your mind broke down, the quicker they’d get it over with and kill you. Too much strength led to suffering.
Councillor Pierre had tried to protect Robinson’s Auroras. She’d failed. Veronica and the others loyal to the Robinson family had been here, in an officially-closed facility in the Restricted Region since May 2021. This was not interrogation; it had been, at the start. This was punishment, and there was nothing Veronica could do about it.
Veronica was bitter. She felt little else but hatred. And pain, but that was a given. They’d come in again soon for another torture session. No amount of begging, pleading, apologising, confessing, information-giving… nothing stopped it. Nothing. Nothing would. Veronica was more aware of this than most, but it didn’t help.
A scream rang out from the next cell. Alyssa. Her fellow Lauchenoiria-assigned Aurora, and now her fellow captive in hell on Earth. There were three of them here, the Robinson Auroras. The third was Bin Zhi, who had once been Fern, and prevented a massacre in this very Restricted Region. The others, their supposed compatriots in their plot, rested easy in Huenya, their friends forgotten to rot.
The door to her cell opened, and her day began like all her others: painfully.
And then suddenly. It stopped.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax