Miscellany from Noctur [CLOSED, NOCTUR ONLY]

[Radiatia]

Josko Ivers was not usually prone to outbursts of anger, so for Johanna to walk in on her father yelling at someone on the phone was certainly unusual.

"Listen, this is my committee now, not his! We control the Senate, and if Senator Fyoderov doesn't like what the President plans to do then he can shove it up his ass!"

He turned and smiled at Johanna, who was standing in the door of his study, before continuing yelling on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm working with him on the Selective Service Bill but there's no point going this far on a bill the President will probably veto... well that's his business. No, I haven't talked to anyone in the Federal Assembly so I don't know. Well, that would be a pretty late time to fuck us over, but... ugh, well yeah anyway Gordon I'll have to do this another time, today is meant to be a family day. I'll see you in 'FCT."

He put the phone down and sighed. He'd been away from Xerconia's rat race for 11 years, and yet Federation Square hadn't changed a jot.

Sure there was a new constitution, and there were minor differences in the way that people conducted themselves in the chamber - less party voting and more personal voting. But the same old personalities, egotists and pointless arguments were as present now as ever they had been.

"Are you okay there, Johanna?" He asked, noticing that his daughter had been waiting for him at the door for quite some time.

"Daddy can I ask you something?" She asked as she approached him.

"Only if it has nothing to do with the President's foreign policy..." Said Josko, in a slightly barbed way revealing his inner politician.

"Um, well, I was talking to mum and ugh... do I have any other family? I mean apart from you and mum."

Josko was a little bit startled at the question.

"Well of course, you've met them... there's Uncle Julius and Aunt Marinko... your cousins Cletus and Teodor. You've got them."

"Yeah but I mean...."

"Sit down Johanna," Said Josko, finding a box for her to sit on while they talked. "So you want to know about the Ivers family?"

Johanna nodded.

"Well... it's hard because not even I know everyone. My dad... your grandfather... died when I was 8."

Johanna shifted a little. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I... well I remember him, but not well. But he died during the war... this was when Radiatia was communist and fighting a war against a country called Rivenka. He was a soldier... a conscript and he..."

Josko paused, suddenly feeling emotions flush over him. He hadn't thought of his father in a long time, and though it was inefficient to show emotion even now, more than 40 years later, it still hurt.

"Well he never came home."

Johanna looked down. "We have a lot of soldiers in our family, don't we? You, mum, granddad... Uncle Julian, cousin Teodor..."

Josko nodded, suddenly realising she was right.

"Do I have to be a soldier? Because I don't want to be one."

"Well... in Nui-ta they could conscript you. And... here they will when you're 18 although I don't think you'll be sent to war."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted them - Radiatia was already in an undeclared war with Segland and as the world became more unstable the threat of more Radiatian wars became more imminent every day. It was only a matter of time before they started calling up the conscripts to fight...

"I don't want to be a soldier, dad... I'm just a girl."

Josko nodded. "I know. And... I'm gonna let you in a little secret. Daddy and some of his friends in the Senate are currently working on a bill to end conscription. Now, we don't know yet if we can get it to pass, or even get the President to sign it but.... Johanna, I don't want you to be a soldier either. I lost my dad in a war he didn't want to fight, I don't want to lose you too...."

There was a long silence as he hugged his daughter, before she continued questioning.

"So... what about grandma?"

"Oh, your grandmother... god she'd have been proud of you, Johanna. I wish she'd lived long enough to meet you..." He smiled, though there was some sadness in his eyes. "Her name was Irina and she was... oh she was more tough than any soldier. A single mother... in New Vashura... height of the communist regime.... managed to raise three children on her own. I don't think she was allowed three children but she did it anyway.

"I couldn't have done anything in my life if it wasn't for her... other than your mother she's the most important person in my life, even now. But, sadly... she died on the day I was going to introduce her to Kiana. She's gone to live with Jeff the Carpenter now..."

"What's 'Jeff the Carpenter'?" Asked Johanna, confused by the term.

"Oh he's a god in your grandma's religion. See that's the other amazing thing about her - she was a Christian even though religion was banned back then and she could have been killed. She broke a lot of laws when the commies ran the country... but she survived. I don't know how she did it, but she was more shrewd and tough than anyone you've ever met."

Johanna smiled... it was nice knowing where she came from, and who the people were to whom she owed her existence.

She hugged Josko quietly and then left, leaving him to smile at her before returning to his business as a Senator.

[Nui-ta]

It began as a humble instant messaging conversation one day, from teh Detectatian military base barracks to a home in New Vashura.

Kana i-Harendo and Johanna Ivers kept in touch frequently when they could. The war had seen Kana join the military, now that she was old enough, and move to Detectatia. Even then, they kept in touch. They'd been friends as long as Johanna could possibly remember.

In Detectatia, Kana had found some relaxation time this morning. The base hadn't seen much action and her shift was over for patrols. All her duties were done for the day and she had two hours to relax before lights-out. She typed on the keyboard.

So, Jojo, I'm going home in two weeks!

In New Vashura, Johanna smiled and then typed in a reply.

Really?! That's awesome! How long will you be in Nui-ta?

I get three weeks...

Sweet! I wish I was still there. You should come over to Radiatia some time.

YOU should come over to Nui-ta...

My parents don't want me in Nui-ta right now. When I turn 16 I might get conscripted over there. Versus here I can wait till 18 + I'm a citizen.

I'd protect you if you got conscripted. But that sucks, seriously. Ugh.

How's Crivan?

LOL.

What?

I knew you were gonna ask that Jojo. I dunno, really. I'll find out when I get home. Last I checked he's back at the top of the class.

That's awesome!

Haha, you still like him?

...a little. But not really. There's this guy in my class I think is cute though. You? You have that one guy right that you dated since forever?

Kana read that and paused. This was her cue to reveal some news she'd been planning to tell Johanna...and her family, once she got to Nui-ta.

...Yep I have big news on him.

OMGOMGOMG! DETAILS! DETAILS!

We did military school and work on the base together. Before all this stuff happened with Segland he even took me on a date. Y'know, before the Code Black happened and when we were still allowed to roam Detectatia with permission on our weekends...

Wait, you went on a date in Detectatia?

He took me out on a really nice date for our 4 year anniversary...

LOL, Kana and Maalik, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

...Jojo.

Yes?

...we're getting married after the war's over.

In New Vashura, a certain teenage girl screamed so loud at that moment that her mother rushed into the room thinking something had happened.

OMG YELLED AND FREAKED OUT MUM. DOES YOUR DAD KNOW?!

...that's why we're going to Nui-ta for vacation...to tell Dad.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

Hehe....yeah. Congrats to you too. Didn't your birthday just pass?

14. Yep!

---

There were two soldiers stepping out of the airport and into the waiting lounge. Kana and Maalik, both Privates, on a temporary break from duty, back home in Nui-ta.

Hariem was waiting for them at Rahku International Airport.

Now, Hariem knew that Maalik was Kana's boyfriend and treated Maalik kindly because he thought decently well of him...

...but Hariem did not know about their oh-so-recent engagement. Kana and Maalik were both young adults. She'd been serving for a year now, he for a couple years. Hariem still thought of Kana as a young daughter though, even if he was now tolerating the idea that she'd grown up from the little girl he used to know.

"Ah, you two," Hariem smiled, giving his daughter a warm hug and the other one a firm handshake. "Good to see you, how was the flight?"

Kana smiled. "Oh, good! Good!" She was nervous, as was Maalik. The whole intention of this three-week leave was to break the news to Hariem. The two young ones knew how protective Nui-tan fathers in general could be. They were multiplying that protectiveness when considering Hariem.

As they got out of the airport and into the car, making casual conversation, Kana waited for an opening to pose the first question.

"So, Dad...after we go home and have dinner can you drop us off at the barracks so we can unpack?"

"You don't have to go to the barracks, Kana, you're on vacation and you both have homes waiting for you. It's less than an hour's drive back home to Boshal. Maalik, you're still a few blocks over, yes?"

Kana and Maalik looked uneasily at each other.

"Actually Mr. i-Harendo, I'm staying in the military dorms outside of town," Maalik winced, "we were both offered the use while we were back home..."

Hariem raised an eyebrow but let Maalik continue.

"So I mean, I want Kana to stay at your place".

"Wait, what?!" Kana stared, "I thought I was coming with you?"

"No Kana, your family's pretty close...but, um...since it's gonna take a day to get settled...Mr. i-Harendo...with the jetlag and all...I don't mean to be kinda sudden, but can I stay at your place for the night?"

"Why aren't you going to see your family?" Hariem asked inquisitively.

"Dad's out in Ocini. He knows I'm here but he'll be gone from the house the whole week, so there's no one home at the family house".

"Oh, well that answers that question..." Hariem nodded silently.

He passed by Maalik's house while Kana and Maalik weren't paying any attention --- they were both jetlagged. Maalik was actually telling the truth --- the newspapers hadn't been attended to and the grass was uncut. It was clear Maalik's father was away. Hariem knew that no one else lived there.

"Alright Maalik. You can stay in the guestroom tonight. I'll give you a ride to the dorms tomorrow morning after you're not half-asleep. I was in the military myself. I know how 14-hour time-jumps are".

"Sure Mr. i-Harendo, I appreciate it," Maalik yawned as he stumbled out of the car. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome...I'm gonna excuse the tone since you're passing out in front of me..."

As soon as Maalik disappeared, Kana stared at Hariem.

"Dad, we've been together for four years. Can't he sleep in my room with me?"

"Absolutely NOT," Hariem quipped.

"But---"

"No".

"Ple--"

"NO".

---

Both Kana and Maalik had passed out.

Hariem was reading in the living room when Maalik woke up and came into the room.

Without looking up, Hariem pointed towards the bathroom.

"You can freshen up in there, Maalik. Did you need anything before we head to the dorms?"

"Erm...no..." Maalik said.

He took a deep breath and approached Hariem.

"Hey...um. About earlier. Thank you for letting me rest up here. I feel like I came across as rude...I was just zombified. I'm sorry..."

Hariem looked up.

"No I understand you weren't trying to be a little shit. You were half-asleep. I get it".

"More than half....but anyway. Thank you, Mr. i-Harendo. Really".

It was at that moment that Maalik's stomach growled.

"There's food in the kitchen. Why don't you eat something before we head out?"

As they got up and fetched something, Maalik looked shyly at Hariem.

"Um...can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"I have been meaning to tell you something...and...uh...I mean..."

"Out with it boy, you're a soldier. Man up and tell me".

"Is Kana still asleep?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Well..."

There was a pause.

"On the base, we had a conversation...and I don't think she's really keen on telling you yet but I should tell you honestly since I don't want you to be mad at us and all but ---"

Hariem stared. "Maalik..."

He slapped a plate of food into Maalik's hands and duck-marched him to the table. "You're still tired. Why don't you eat something before you tell me whatever..."

"But I,"

"I SAID EAT SOMETHING, SOLDIER, BEFORE I GUT YOUR FUCKING RIPS OUT!"

"O-okay..." And the boy ate.

---

"You're too shy," Kana told Maalik later, while they talked in a front room while Hariem was out of earshot. "You need to be pretty forceful with my dad. He can be hard-headed".

"Kana, I think we should think about how we're gonna tell him before we..."

"There's no reason to be afraid, Maalik! This is a good thing! You act like you robbed a bank and you're trying to confess to him!"

She stormed out of the room and towards her father.

"DAD! DAD! I've got some news for you!"

"Oh, about what Maalik was saying earlier? Sure, sweety, what's up!"

"I'M PREGNANT!"

"MAALIK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hariem shrieked, before storming into the front-room where the terrified boy was now wondering what the hell was going on. "WITH ME. ALONE. MY OFFICE".

"But she's not---"

"NOW!"

Kana's face went white as she realized what she'd just done, as Hariem and Maalik went into Hariem's office.

Oh shit, I murdered my boyfriend...

In the locked room, alone, Hariem grabbed Maalik by the collar and glared at him.

"WHAT....DID YOU DO...."

"Mr. i-Harendo, I SWEAR SHE'S NOT PREGNANT!"

"YOU BETTER BE TELLING ME THE FUCKING TRUTH OF GOD, OR GOD HELP YOU..."

"No, really! I haven't touched her, I swear!"

"You swear?"

"SWEAR TO GOD! SWEAR TO GOD! I DIDN'T DO IT! SHE'S EITHER LYING OR SHE SPAWNED ASEXUALLY, BUT I SWEAR TO YOU THAT I AM NOT A PERVERT!"

Hariem dropped Maalik.

"You're sure?"

"Positive", Maalik gasped, putting his hands to his throat.

"We're clear that if you two have fooling around, you're a dead man..."

"Crystal clear...crystal clear".

"So...do you know why she did that?"

Maalik gulped. "I, uh...we were talking just now about the real news and Kana said it wasn't bad news so she said she'd show me that it wasn't going to be that bad to tell you, and then she suddenly blurted out that she was pregnant and then I was shocked and then you started yelling and...and then...oh god...I think I need new pants..."

"You're a very honest boy, I'll give you that..."

He opened the door.

"KANA, COME IN".

Kana tiptoed into the room.

Hariem coaxed them both to sit down.

"Well, I suppose anything has got to be better than the words 'I'm pregnant'. So if you were just saying that to show me this news of yours wouldn't be so bad...what's the news?"

Kana gulped, "Um...I...I'm pre---"

"Quit fucking around already Kana, I'm already angry with you over that one...you'd have given your mother a heart attack..."

Maalik came together at that moment and looked up at Hariem.

"A few weeks ago, we were talking in Detectatia about what we were gonna do when we came home".

"Okay, I like where that's going. Not so hard to talk like a man now, is it, Maalik?" Hariem asked.

Maalik continued, swallowing his fears and looking right at Hariem (stunning Kana in the process with his newfound bravery).

"It was just a casual talk over coffee over what our plans were when we got back after our tour of duty. She wants to take break year before college and see the world..."

"And you?" Hariem asked.

"Oh, I'm starting right away as an intern in a management office for Yexel Industries. You know, the same company that does all the chemical engineering for the military?"

"Oh, well, congrats. That's not bad at all..."

Maalik sighed.

"Well...I uh..."

Snap out of it Maalik, you were doing good! A voice in his head said.

"I was thinking...we've been dating for four years...we're going to be starting careers when we get home...well, I will, while she sees the world..."

Kana smiled and finished the sentence, "once I get some time when I get home and figure out what I want to do...we decided it would probably be best if we...settled down".

Hariem's jaw dropped. He was silent.

"I...I haven't gotten a ring yet,' Maalik sighed, "I was going to, but then the Code Black happened and...you were in the military Mr. i-Harendo, you know what that's like. This is the first time I've been able to walk around like a civilian since I had that talk with her!"

"And no, I'm not pregnant," Kana chuckled. "I just figured it would be easier to hear good news that was real after pissing you off with bad news that wasn't real..."

"If you ever do that again, Kana, you'd better actually be pregnant. And married. In a stable relationship". Hariem finally said, "or so help me..."

"So...?" Maalik said, "you...aren't going to violently kill me?"

Hariem looked at Kana, then at Maalik, and then at Kana again before starting to laugh.

"It's about time, actually..." Hariem chuckled, "I was wondering where the two of you were going to end up..."

He looked at Maalik and sighed. "Did you wanna stay another night?"

"Uh, really? Thank you!"

"Sure, seeing as you're family now".

"I guess I'll just leave my stuff in the guestroom, eh?"

"Guestroom? Guestroom?! Hell no. If you're going to be my son-in-law, you're going to sleep in a family bedroom like the rest of us..."

"Can he..." Kana asked, before trailing off.

Hariem stared for a minute and then sighed. "Yes...you can stay in her room. With her. Only proper for an engaged couple!"

"REALLY?!" Kana grinned.

Hariem looked at Maalik. "I'm sure there are condoms in Crivan's room. I'll give you some cash for the drugstore if not...but I suggest you go get some..."

Kana began to joke, "are you sure you're not ready to be a grandfather?"

"One more word from you, Kana, and I force-feed you the pill..."

"I second that motion," Maalik said.

"So, can I talk again with you Maalik, for a moment alone? Nothing bad this time..."

"Uh, sure!"

Kana left the room while Hariem locked the door and lowered his voice.

He moved over to a safe and opened it, revealing a vault full of his old military weaponry.

"You know, I used to be in the KG...still remember how to work quite a few of these little goodies...have you ever heard a man scream in agony after elite military torture? ...I have..."

He moved his hand slowly over the contents of the vault...over each weapon, as Maalik's face slowly turned white, red, purple, and red again.

"I have heard the screams...and sometimes I even miss them. There are only two rules in this family, Maalik, that you need to know".

"The first rule is that you will do nothing, NOTHING, to hurt her or sully this family's reputation. I'm all for interclass marriage, but you're a noble yourself. I'm sure your family has taught you all about the honor code..."

"And the second rule is that as long as the first rule is unbroken, you will be welcome to stay here and ask for anything you should need, within reason. And you will have it as if you are my own flesh-and-blood son..."

"Keep in mind, that if the first rule breaks, so will every bone in your body...no one will ever find you...ever". He gave Maalik a stern and cold gaze. "You will simply disappear...if, and only if, the first rule breaks...think about that..."

"Do we...understand each other?"

Maalik gulped. "Understood, sir!"

With that, Hariem shut the safe and suddenly broke into a large smile.

"Good! Well with that mess out of the way, you're a very lucky man! It just so happens I have some whiskey saved up for this occasion! Now we'd better get the details all set up for you two lovebirds. I bet your father will be as thrilled as I am when he gets back from his trip. I'll pay for whatever ring she wants, my treat to you..."

[Nui-ta]

It was a quiet afternoon, the day that Kiana and Johanna went shopping at an import store for some groceries. Very few people were on the street.

Kiana had been teaching Johanna how to cook for quite some time, and it had grown to become something of a bonding experience between the two.

Kiana had kept the cuisine culture-neutral (or as Radiatian as it could be in taste, with Nui-tan idealism when it came to health). Johanna had been studying (and translating) the Latin cookbook that originally belonged to her grandmother, though, and eventually demanded that Kiana show her how to make Hadinian food.

"I hear anything from Nui-ta and Hadin is the best stuff in Noctur!" Johanna laughed, "So why won't you show me how to make Hadinian food?"

In truth, Kiana really didn't know how to feel about teaching Johanna about anything Hadinian anymore. Given Hadin's close ties with Segland, marked cultural sexism (it made Radiatia look as though it were run by feminists), and theocratic insanity...well...Kiana just wasn't sure if her birth-country would ever be home again.

She finally gave in and decided to teach Johanna the art of Hadinian cooking. The culture isn't the bad thing about it, Kiana assured herself, it's just the government....

At the store, which marketed both Nui-tan and Hadinian foods, many Hadinian items were not on the shelf due to trade embargoes and what was likely a general lack of want for Hadinian things in Radiatian markets.

I'm actually happy not to see anything... Kiana muttered quietly, in Latin, so that Johanna wouldn't understand.

"Hey look mum!" Johanna grinned, suddenly appearing out of another aisle, "Prosciutto! Just like in the cookbook!"

Well, prosciutto isn't just used in Hadin... Kiana sighed, while nodding. "Alright Johanna, let's go. Prosciutto is quite a few lessons in of itself, I'm sure this large chunk will last us..."

They made the purchase and walked outside the store, heading home. Johanna was running a little ahead of Kiana, out of excitement. A few male pedestrians were glancing at Johanna as she ran. Kiana took that as a note that Johanna was getting more attractive in the eyes of her peers. She was beyond pubescent at this point --- Johanna had hit puberty, reached Kiana's height,

Reached my height... Kiana gasped a little to herself.

...she even wore clothes that were close to Kiana's size...or was she raiding Kiana's closet now? Kiana wasn't sure...

Someone suddenly stopped Johanna from moving any further down the block. Kiana's eyes flashed a little as she took a good look at the a man who had cut Johanna off.

He was Nui-tan.

"Um, excuse me," Johanna asked innocently, at that age where she was very much a girl trapped in a woman's body, "I need to get through..." She had spoken in Melodian, just to be sure the man would acknowledge. Kiana felt a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she stepped closer.

"Ah, it's a shame," the man sighed, taking a closer look at Johanna. "I moved all the way out to these boonies to get the hell away from you Hadinians..."

Johanna's eyes narrowed out of annoyance, "I'm a Radiatian citizen..."

"You?"

He peered a little closer towards Johanna. She had purplish eyes, this was true, but they were also a bit red, due to Josko's Red Radiatian heritage. Fortunately enough for her, she had Josko's paler skin-tone, rather than Kiana's.

"Why are ya' speaking Melodian and holding a prosciutto then?"

Quickly, Johanna countered, "My dad used to work in Nui-ta. I lived there for a long time..."

The man stopped. "Oh really...sorry about that..."

He moved aside, convinced, "be on your way then..."

Johanna took a few steps forward and then stopped and turned, watching the man approach Kiana.

Kiana was 100% Hadinian. She looked quite Radiatian, due to good fortune and years of practice, but to a Nui-tan man, her eyes were a dead giveaway. They didn't have any of the Red-Radiatian mix-ins that Johanna had...Kiana's were strictly violet.

"Ah, it's a shame," the man sighed. There was alcohol on his breath as he moved closer to Kiana. "I moved all the way out to these boonies to get the hell away from you Hadinians..."

"Leave me alone, I've done nothing to you..." Kiana snapped in Melodian, swerving around the man in an attempt to avoid him and go about her business.

He followed her. "Come here Hadinia, I'm just wondering how a woman like yourself found your way out here..."

"I live here," Kiana spat.

"You don't live here..."

"My husband is Radiatian. My family is Radiatian....I am Radiatian".

"You don't belong here, girl. You? Radiatian? Psh. That's cute".

Kiana ignored him, motioning for Johanna to walk ahead as they both headed towards the house.

Johanna heard a yelp and turned around. Kiana had let out a small scream as the man suddenly and forcibly grabbed Kiana's arm.

"Stop it!" Johanna barked, "that's my mum!"

The man laughed, not listening, and yanked Kiana's hair forward.

"You damned Hadinians don't belong here, especially not after Haroush!" And with one swift move, the man shoved Kiana to the ground.

Johanna heard a crack. Kiana didn't get up. Johanna's eyes went wide as she dropped the groceries and ran towards her mother.

"Mum? Mummy?!"

As Johanna shook Kiana, she heard a small whimper of pain. Johanna helped Kiana off the ground only to discover that Kiana had broken her wrist in the fall.

"Get away from me..." Kiana whispered. "Until the cops show up, there's no one here..."

"Radiatian girl? Ha, my ass. That's your Mum, is it? Why don't I give you one TOO!"

With the two women still on the ground, the man lifted his leg upwards to give Johanna a kick to the face. Kiana pushed Johanna away before suddenly getting the kick to the back of the head.

She remained conscious, although her head was spinning and her brain was screaming in agony. With her good hand, she fumbled for her cell phone.

The next punch came not from the man, but from someone else.

Kiana looked up and saw a very dark man standing over the now unconscious Nui-tan racist. He had gold eyes.

"Are you alright...oh dear..." He moved forward to help Kiana to sit up.

"Who are you?" Kiana groaned.

"You...you're from Nui-ta too?"

"The colonies," the man smiled, "I'm from Tuvia. You must be Hadinian".

Johanna shook her head. "I should have said something to the man when he questioned me beforehand. I'm half-Hadinian...but I always hide it..."

"No, you did good," the man laughed. "No one knows where Tuvia is here, it is a good place to start a life anew. And this place is very rural. I am used to such things..."

"I came to Radiatia too, to seek my fortune. I don't always tell people where I'm from because it's complicated and I have my reasons not to be at the place I grew up. But I didn't come here to be Tuvian. I came here to be myself".

Johanna sighed, "I still feel like I didn't stand up for my mum though, I mean...she's completely Hadinian..."

"That is not a bad thing..." the man laughed.

"No, it's my fault", Kiana interrupted, seething between words from the levels of pain she felt. They could all hear an ambulance coming closer.

"Why do you say that?" The Tuvian man inquired.

"I haven't been too proud to be Hadinian either...these days, it feels like that's a bad thing..."

The man laughed. "Sometimes you have to hide yourself so people don't judge you, or blame you, I understand. But I don't think you didn't stand up for yourself".

He tilted his head upwards.

"You hold your head up high. You are not anything but who you are. There is no race, no color, no gender, no nothing. You hold your head up high because you are good and because you are strong. Anything else does not matter".

"I don't understand," Kiana mumbled.

"You did not let him kick your daughter. You did not belittle yourself. You stood up to him. That's what matters. You hold your head up high for being a good mother. There is no Hadin. There are no purple eyes. There's just right and wrong".

"I don't get it either Mum," Johanna stared, looking back at Kiana.

There was a look of understanding in Kiana's eyes though. Something she needed to hear amidst the ambulance siren, growing ever closer to her.

[Nui-ta]

An hour later, the Tuvian man arrived at the hospital to check up on the two women.

A note about the Tuvian culture: Tuvian colonists were unique among all of Nui-ta for having a strict honor code, even stronger than that of the Sangauranic Nui-tans. His honor compelled him to ensure that Kiana and Johanna had arrived safely to the hospital, and that their family (if they had any) was aware of the situation.

Johanna was outside the hospital room where Kiana was being treated. Although the younger Ivers had suffered a couple bruises (mainly from when Kiana pushed her out of the way of the attacker), Johanna was otherwise unharmed. Shaken, but unharmed.

She didn't recognize the name "Deodan Gadhavi", when the nurse asked her who he was and whether or not he was a safe guest, considering they'd just been attacked.

She took a peek outside to see his face though, immediately recognized him, and invited him forward.

They walked back up to Kiana's room.

"Why'd you come here? We're alright now?"

Deodan simply smiled. Tuvia's honor code demanded that he be sure he'd gotten whom he'd saved out of harm. Johanna was clearly alright --- once he was sure that Kiana was as well, the two woman would no longer be an obligation to him.

"Oh, I just wanted to be sure. I didn't hear anything", Deodan smiled.

He looked over at Johanna. "Are you feeling alright? Honestly?"

Johanna sighed. "I'm a bit...scared..."

"I told you both to hold your heads up high".

"No, not for that..." Johanna's face drooped a little.

"What's the matter?" Deodan asked.

"My mum suffered a bad hit to the head".

This was not the news that Deodan wanted to hear. It would have meant that he was too late.

"Um...is she alright?"

"They got her to the hospital alright. But they think she's a bit off..."

Deodan looked at Johanna sincerely. "Would you mind if I took a look at your mum?"

Johanna looked up, surprised, and nodded. Deodan knocked on the door and entered.

Kiana was alone with a nurse, who was leaving the room. Deodan moved closer.

"She's asleep," Deodan smiled. "Maybe we should leave her..."

"No!" The nurse answered from behind. "Wake that woman up before she slips into a coma! No sleeping until the CT scan is read!"

"Oh dear," Deodan nodded.

Johanna pinched Kiana's cheek a little to snap her awake. "Mum, you can't sleep here!"

"Where's your father?" Deodan asked.

"Xerconia," Johanna nodded, "at his job. He's coming back right away".

"When's the CT scan?" Deodan asked.

"Within the next hour, they have to prep her...who the bloody hell are you?"

"A friend of the family". Deodan said casually.

He looked down at Johanna, "Oh, well then let's get out of here so they can do that..." Deodan noted.

Kiana suddenly jumped forward and grabbed Johanna.

"NO!"

"MUM?!"

Deodan gasped a little.

"Ma'am...you're crushing your daughter".

"Don-Don-Don't take....ta...tak..."

Once a few nurses had sedated Kiana and pryed Johanna free (who by now had burst into tears), Deodan took Johanna outside.

She didn't look up at him as she asked.

"Is my mum gonna be okay? Honest?"

Deodan nodded. "In terms of the concussion, I'm no doctor. You'll have to ask them..."

"I think she's got shellshock though. If you were terrified with the threat of being hurt, imagine her being terrified while being hurt. It's a lot for the brain to process".

"My mum used to be a soldier..."

Deodan sighed. "Your mum...seems a bit frail, no insult intended".

"No...after she gave birth to me she got sick for a little while..."

"...Ah, that explains everything". Deodan nodded.

Johanna sat down and sighed. "I always wondered what my mum was like as a soldier. My dad was also a soldier but he's still pretty strong. It's just my mum that changed...you know, I found out today what she was like. When she was already hurt but she got hurt more to keep me out of the way..."

Deodan smiled a little. "That's not a soldier. That's someone who loves you very much...okay maybe that's a soldier who loves you a lot, but you understand, right?"

This made Johanna stop crying. She smiled a little bit.

She suddenly stared at him.

"You're a bit...young..."

Deodan laughed. "How young do I look?"

"I'd say you were 15?"

Deodan grinned. "You've graced me. I'm 20".

Johanna was shocked, "Twenty?!"

The small blush she'd had on her face (Deodan was fairly attractive) suddenly disappeared, with Johanna feeling a bit repulsed at herself for finding the "old man" to be cute. Although then again, he had saved her and her mother from an attacker.

"Relax, there are people who marry twice their age!" Deodan laughed, before stammering, "don't take that as a comment towards you, I didn't mean it like that..." He shifted uncomfortably a little.

"No, I know. My mum's 34. Dad's 54".

"Oh, well there you have it. What does your dad do for a living out in Xerconia?"

Johanna laughed, "c'mon, you don't know who he is? I'm sure you've seen him on the news".

Deodan raised an eyebrow.

"Senator Josko Ivers?"

"Really..." Deodan chuckled, "so you are..."

"Johanna Ivers. His daughter".

"Something tells me we'll all be making local news..." Deodan mumbled, although he wasn't happy about that. Tuvians tended to not like media attention. Another facet of the social code. They were particularly camera-shy.

"Something tells me a certain SDU senator will be happy to meet you later," Johanna chuckled.

"Erm...no thanks..."

Johanna laughed, "do you vote LCP?"

"I can't vote. Permanent resident. My friend Faisal is a citizen though. He voted for your dad".

"You didn't answer my question".

Deodan rolled his eyes and pulled out a pamplet for the SDU, which he'd been reading just before the attack started. "If I get citizenship, I'm looking at the SDU. LCP seems...well you know what my friends call them?"

"What?"

"Loony Conservative Pricks". Johanna immediately started laughing.

She looked up at him again. "Why'd you leave Nui-ta?"

"It...well. I..."

He sighed. "When I was 14, I was betrothed to a woman by my family. You seem familiar with Nui-ta, so you know that a few places have arranged marriage".

"I objected to the marriage. It dishonored my family. I came up here when I was 18 to start over".

"Oh..."

She smiled. "I have a friend whose father was almost married by arrangement".

"Really?"

"Yep," Johanna smiled. "My friend Kana told me. Her dad is from Sangaur".

"Always a nightmare of arranged marriages in Sangaur..." Deodan smirked.

"Yeah, Kana's lucky because her dad doesn't like the concept, otherwise he'd probably have married her off by now! But...yeah Kana told me that when her dad was about your age, he was supposed to get married to a girl he hated. He ran off and married Kana's mum".

"Sounds like an interesting love story".

"They were married for almost 15 years," Johanna laughed. "She was a really nice woman, Kana's mum...she died a couple years ago though".

"I'm sorry for your friend's family," Deodan sighed. "Although next thing you know, Senator's daughter, you'll be telling me that this man or woman were also famous..."

Johanna smirked. "Eh...you probably know who they were. But I won't say..."

She leaned forward, unintentionally, and landed softly on his arm. Deodan jumped a little before standing up suddenly. If his skin wasn't so dark, it would have been clear he was blushing (out of embarrassment).

"I can tell from your voice you're quite young. How old are you?"

"16!" Johanna tried convincingly to state.

"Uh...how old are you really?"

"Four-fourteen..."

"Still a child...I have to go now".

He turned around quietly.

Johanna got up. "Wait, I thought you were gonna stay until my dad got here?"

"How long will that..."

"A few hours..." Johanna smiled. This time, a bit intentionally, she cuddled up to his arm.

Deodan gulped, shifting again, uncomfortably. Although Johanna's voice and mannerisms gave away her youth, she was quite attractive. He shifted mainly to hide the fact that he was "enjoying" the cuddling.

Finally not being able to take anymore, and feeling honor compel him to stop himself from jumping on the young girl, he got up.

"SO...why don't we go get lunch..."

And be seated across from each other so you can't cuddle me anymore... Deodan gasped in his mind.

"Sure!" Johanna laughed. "It's a date!"

"Erm, a platonic one, sure," he mumbled, rejecting her advances immediately.

[Detectatia]

Who the fuck wants to die alone...?
- fun., “Some Nights”

I must go in, the fog is rising.
- Emily Dickinson

---

Prime Minister of Detectatia Richard Gren had been up all night at 1 Capitol Circle, the Prime Minister’s Manor. Richard always had the feeling that he was never meant to be the leader of his county. Hell, he only accepted the party leadership out of his own personal feeling of duty to his party. Maybe he should have taken a page out of everyone else’s book and said Party discipline be damned! But he wouldn’t, he didn’t, and now he was one of the most powerful men in the world.

And he hated it.

Richard went over to his drink cabinet in his private office and grabbed a bottle of cognac and a glass, and began to drink. God, he needed a drink. After a few sips of cognac, Richard moved to his desk and plopped down in his chair. What a night, he thought to himself. What a night indeed. Another gala for him to attend. There always was something, wasn’t there? A function, a gala, a conference, a funeral, the list went on. All things that he, 2nd Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Detectatia, needed to attend to. After all, he was responsible. He was in charge. There was no time to spare when you have the power that he did. Oh, sure--on paper, although he was the head of state and government, at the end of the day, he was simply an MP from the 1st district of Motendahuert. On paper.

But, in reality, he was an MP from the entire country. Sure, not directly elected by them, but the people spoke loudly: We want a Moderate government! Great. And who was at the head of party to take the role of the people’s leader? Him.

“Well,” Richard said out loud to no one in particular, alone in his office. “Not me. Drew.” Yes, that old battleaxe of a Prime Minister, Emma Drew, was in charge.

“Oh, but then she had to go off the deep end and force us to kick her old ass out of office. Why is it that Detectatian Prime Ministers all seem to just...fly off the deep end in the end, anyway?” Richard asked to himself before bursting into a fit of laughter. After a few moments, the Prime Minister restated his question.

“Why, indeed.”

Oh, but Emma was just a power-hungry woman who got too greedy, Richard realized. And on the other end? Richard was just a power-shy man who had it forced onto him. Funny how things work out like that.

And even now, Richard realized, nobody could let him get on with it and rule in peace. No no no: not the public, who thought of him as a nonentity, not Roneril, who every day stood up at his microphone and lambasted the Gren administration, not even his own cabinet, who he knew was conspiring against him. He knew they all thought he was incompetent. He heard the whispers, the secret discussions, the fact that the Party was getting ready to toss him out of his role as party leader any second now, the fact that next in line wasn’t even his faithful Deputy Prime Minister Adriano Victor--who, even in his faith thought Richard was incompetent--but that sleazeball of a Foreign Affairs Minister, Rory Blake. And, even though Richard may welcome another deposing of himself to the backbench, he knew his district would hardly be inclined to reelect a failed Prime Minister--he hardly even knew if he could win the party primary.

This didn’t even include how other world leaders felt either. Richard knew--just knew--that they would rather have someone else in power, regardless of politics. The way they all looked at him. He could tell. Especially the likes of SIlviu, or the Aazeronians, they were the worst.

And where did that all leave him? Nowhere. With no one. Just him, and the lions. Nowhere to turn. No one to go to. Nothing.

And in that moment when he had finally concluded this, Richard felt as though he could have collapsed into himself. That was that. There was nothing left.

Except.

That’s when Richard remembered it. The one thing left. Richard looked at the small safe that served as the lowest drawer of his desk. He meticulously punched in the combination, smiling.

2562. The four magic numbers. His four remaining friends.

As he opened the safe door slowly, Richard could have cheered as he finally found it--his fifth friend. His best friend.

Richard paused a moment to gaze at it. It only used 9 millimeters, but Richard didn’t need anything stronger.

Then, almost as quickly as he could, the Prime Minister of Detectatia brought it to his head.

And then black.

[Nui-ta]

"We can't go on like this anymore, and you know it..." Ultimus sighed, sitting out with Rowan on a balcony as they reviewed the decision to close Nui-ta's borders to Hadinians.

"What was I supposed to do?" Rowan laughed, albeit very sadly, "these referendums just keep pushing me around this way and that way. They say that under Code Black I have absolute power. But if I don't follow what the majority screams at me for, I'm the tyrant".

"Would you really do wrong to see to it that people are happy?" Ultimus sighed.

"It seems like something you should say 'no' to," Rowan whimpered, "and then you think about it and you realize that ruling Nui-ta is a lot harder than following its morality".

"It's lonely at the top," Ultimus sighed. "I can't even get people to listen to me..."

"You're power-shy," Rowan nodded, "just like that one guy from Detectatia that recently blew his head off..."

"Maybe I should blow my---"

"Don't even joke," Rowan deadpanned.

Ultimus sighed. "It's just...I wanted to do something for people of lower-class. People like me, who were born into nothing..."

He looked at Rowan a bit enviously, "I can't even get my approval ratings high enough..."

Rowan smiled, "Ultimus, you're a smart man. But if I were you...I'd step down as Prime Minister. I don't think you have the persona to be a public figure".

Ultimus laughed, "Yeah...guess I was worthless".

"I didn't say worthless. I said not Prime Minister material..."

Ultimus cocked an eyebrow as Rowan continued.

"You may not be a public personality, but you're a very intelligent and resourceful man...I have a favor to ask you".

---

As Rowan drafted his next decree, not the result of a referendum, but the result of his own mind having made a decision on what to do with the government and the people of Nui-ta.

"They'll never agree to that," Ultimus said, looking over his shoulder.

"Then what do I need to have them do?"

"Give them less choice. Don't let them bicker between themselves. Make it all or nothing..."

Rowan smiled. "You're right...I should stop being so nice all the time".

"Don't be too mean though...you've given them four options, I think you should give them two...that one and that one," he pointed to the paper.

"Alright..."

Ultimus read further and took the paper from Rowan, making some edits.

"How's that sound?"

Rowan made a few more edits. "Perfect..."

---

"They have two options," Rowan declared on TV at the press conference. "They can leave, or they can stay. If they stay, however, the nation must ignore all classist ideals and focus on victory. There will be no colonists if they join with us. There will be no upper and lower-class. There will be Nui-tans, and that is all".

People were outraged. They cursed him while watching TV. They cursed him while standing near him on TV, but he persisted.

"This is the first decree of this magnitude I make on Code Black executively, without a referendum. This is of my own will, and I will not acknowledge any change or choice beyond what I have presented now".

"The people of Kavia and Tuvia have the option to leave Nui-ta or to have their home become a state rather than a colony".

"If they chose to reject statehood, they must leave Nui-ta. Their governments will not be required to do anything for us, but you'll be on your own. There will be no retaliation, but there won't be any aid either..."

"If you join, you will be a part of this war. But you won't be our allies. You'll be us. There will be no colony, no half-way commitment. If you commit to this war with the rest of the nation, you are with us to the bitter end. And we're with you 'till the better end".

"This nation is divided. We attack our colonists. We attack our citizens and our tourists. We get so caught up in hating and fearing our allies are that we forget that our enemies are the ones out to slash our throats. To any of you that can't accept the decision that Kavia and Tuvia make, no matter who you are; a dissenter to the decision from the colonies, or someone who wants to discriminate against former colonists...

"If you are Kavian or Tuvian and you don't like the decision of the majority, you can leave. If you want to stay and they vote to leave, our doors are open to you. If they vote to stay and you wish to leave, emigrate. You will face no prejudice from me".

"If you don't want the colonists to join with us...if you view them as inferior to us, or this act as class sacrilege, other nations exist that are despotic. Other nations exist that thrive on your prejudice. Hadin is an hour away by plane..."

"Kavia, Tuvia, go to the polls. You have one week to make up your minds..."

[Nui-ta]

Law classes had been moved to the nearby town of Darhasha, Mercuria.

After Haroush was damaged in the cruise missile attacks, aid poured in from domestic sources and sources abroad. Small towns surrounding the devastated city had picked up certain educational majors and allowed students affected by the blast to resume their classes there.

Darhasha became the town of the Law students. The hotel became the student dormitories, and the city hall building's left wing became a makeshift lecture hall. All of this was done at no cost to the surviving students.

Seats were arranged in the same way that they had been when the students had begun school. Seating arrangements and assignments were the same.

On the seats belonging to the dead --- no one sat. They were marked with white flowers that remained on the desk and were replaced frequently. On the desks of students too injured to return to school, red flowers were placed. They were either replaced by the student or by white flowers --- this became tradition in the makeshift school and taboo to defile these memorials.

When Crivan i-Harendo returned to school a month and a half after the bombing, as with all returning students who overcame their injuries and came back, the class stopped what it was doing. Everyone stood, including teachers and faculty, and applauded, as they did for all students who returned.

He hadn't completely healed yet and was largely confined to a wheelchair so that he would save his energy. As he wheeled himself into the doorway, everyone got up and cheered. His friends (the ones present, anyway) got up and gave him hearty pats on the back. The teacher gave him an approving nod and asked him to stay after class, largely so that they could talk about the things Crivan had missed while hospitalized and finding a way for the young man to catch up completely in his studies.

"Crivan, you can share a room with me at the dorms! Totally free!" Someone said.

"They're getting pretty croweded though. Do you need any help getting home or finding a place that you can stay in?"

Crivan shook his head.

"I caught up a lot after I woke up. Hospital was pretty boring so I did a lot of reading".

"Also, my dad came into a bit of money so he's moved down here with me for a while. That way I don't have to be a handicap alone at home!"

When classes were over, his friends walked with him (while ge wheeled himself) home to the little house that Hariem had rented out for the duration of his stay.

"Dude, this is awesome," Novin du-Aratema said. Novin was the closest of Crivan's friends, having attended high school as well as college with Crivan.

"Hey, Mr. Crivan's dad...you wouldn't have any room for one or two more, would you?"

Hariem smiled. "I'm actually cleaning up a couple spare rooms to rent out to people looking for a place to stay".

The boys all groaned, "ah man!" They could be heard murmuring, "we don't have money!"

Hariem heard and chuckled, "you know, you kids are all some of Nui-ta's brightest. You've also been through a lot".

"Help clean up the rooms as your deposit, and do some chores in lieu of rent. How's THAT sound?"

And just like that, Hariem gained six student tenants. They cleaned out the rooms from top-to-bottom, babysat Crivan's little brother, ran errands, and helped Hariem fix up the building. In exchange, he let them stay for free in the house while their saved their money to get back on their feet (and spent a little on the occasional bar night).

As he sat down in his room at night, Hariem smiled a little on his own. He had been robbed of purpose after Trenta's death --- he didn't understand why he'd been left on the earth after Trenta no longer needed his protection. He didn't understand why she'd asked him to keep working, to keep his spirits up...to keep living.

And then he thought about all the good he had done for the six students he'd given a second chance to.

He felt purpose return to him.

He understood the meaning of his own life.

---

"STOP IT! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM!"

Novin ran into the streets and pulled two brutes off of one of the other boys who had been staying at the house.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM? HE'S UNCONSCIOUS!"

The other boy, Lorenzo Kizziano, was Hadinian. He'd bumped into two racists and been beaten to a bloody pulp.

"What the hell man," one of the thugs said, "he's Hadinian man! They let Segland tear Haroush up!"

"Yeah, teach these bloody Hadhovoks a lesson why don't you? Get these violet-eyed freaks out of our country!"

Everyone had been celebrating the end of the semester. Hariem had taken the students out for a celebratory party.

He came out and approached the men. The other boys had surrounded the unconscious Lorenzo. Crivan had called an ambulance.

"WHAT'S GOING ON OUT HERE?"

The two men felt their advantage. They were two young men faced with a middle-aged man.

"Easy, pops. Just giving the Haddy what-for, that's all".

"Did you do this?" Hariem said, pointing at Lorenzo.

"Well man, I mean---"

"DID...did you...do this?"

"Fuck yeah we did it," the other one said, "don't tell me a Viscount like you is a Haddy-lover too!"

He moved his large club of an arm to strike Hariem, but wasn't fast enough.

The next sound heard was the crunch of Hariem's fist meeting one man's face.

"You know," Hariem growled, balling his fists and taking on a defensive stance, "that young Hadinian student you just beat the crap out of happens to be a friend of my family and a very decent young adult. I don't tolerate racism. You have one chance to leave without anymore broken bones".

The other man moved forward, revealing a knife, "who the hell are you to say that?"

"Retired KG, fuckface".

"Psh, a geezer like you?!" He lunged forward.

Hariem gave another square punch in the face to the second man, then grabbed the arm holding the knife and snapped it in half.

"I don't think you heard me properly...".

He looked at the other boys, who were watching Lorenzo be placed in the ambulance.

"Let's go home and get decent. We'll meet him at the hospital".

He looked at the Hadinian street food vendor whom they were all served by.

"Erm...check please".

The man looked back.

"On the house...thank you for your tolerance..."

[Nui-ta]

I'm assuming this happens after the war has ended

---

"At the end of the world, or the last thing I see, you are never coming home, never coming home..."

-My Chemical Romance, "Ghost of You"

---

The whole family had taken a little trip to Ocini for the New Year Festivities. Crivan was off from college, Kana and Maalik were home and relieved from active duty, and Sujir was on vacation, getting ready to start high school. Hariem had taken one week's leave, with one week already being provided to him and most others at the bank before that due to the holiday.

The HCB account that he'd helped out with was paying him well. The company saw massive success and paid its creditors on time --- the creditors in turn owed Hariem a 3% cut for setting up and maintaining the contracts and bank account. That 3% contract was usually done in NSD, due to being an international transaction. The Has was much lower than the NSD, so Hariem ended up making quite a bit of money.

Hariem was usually the type to save that money for his children or donate any excess to those who needed it, but today was special.

It's a holiday, Hariem thought to himself, and we're all home. Let's make this a good treat for everyone...

He rented a couple hotel rooms out for the two weeks near the coastline of Nepos. He and his high-school aged son were in one large, two-bedroom suite. Crivan was in a small one-bedroom suite (he'd recovered to the point where he was walking now), and Kana and Maalik were in a second one-bedroom suite together.

Right now, Kana, Maalik, and Sujir were playing beach volleyball. Hariem was sitting on a beach chair about twenty feet away, watching them.

"Heh, they've all grown..."

Crivan was sitting next to Hariem.

"What was that, Dad?"

Hariem chuckled, "just remarking on how much things have changed...your mother would have loved to see this..."

He felt himself choke up a tiny bit, feeling a bit sad that Trenta wasn't around to see how well everyone was growing up. The wedding was being planned out well; Hariem marveled at the fact that his daughter was getting married...his daughter was getting married.

He looked over at his future son-in-law and smiled a little. Maalik was a good kid. Someone who definitely earned Hariem's respect.

Crivan looked over at the others and then back at Hariem, smiling.

"You both did a good job..."

"Us both?" Hariem asked.

"You and Mum". Crivan smiled, a bit sincerely. "You were both always there for us...thank you".

Hariem sighed, "I wish she was here..."

Crivan immediately began laughing, "She is..."

"Huh?"

"She never left us, did she...in spirit. Physically she's not around anymore, but it doesn't feel like anything else changed. I think Mum's still somewhere watching everything. I don't think she ever left..."

"Sometimes, when I'm trying to sleep...especially when I was in the hospital, I hear Mum singing. You know how she always used to sing with us when she was little?"

Hariem smiled, "Yes, I remember that...you kids have no idea. Your mother would come into the room while you were sleeping whenever the politicians didn't have her, tuck you kids in, and just sit there and sing lullabies..."

"We were lucky kids..."

Hariem smiled. "I was a lucky man..."

He glanced over at Crivan, "it's time I tell you something important..."

Crivan glanced over in response, "hmm?"

Hariem began, "you children have all grown so much...you're all adults. Well, except Sujir, but he's in high school now. He'll be grown too before you or I know it..."

"Okay, I don't actually know how you three are going to react to this, but I have to tell you...when your Mum died, we didn't scatter her ashes..."

Crivan raised an eyebrow, "...what?"

Hariem continued, "no, trust me, there's a rhyme and reason to this..."

No one else was on the beach besides them...at least not nearby. He'd picked a small corner off just for them, far enough out of the way to be quiet and peaceful.

"We buried the ashes, as you remember and as funerals happen in Nui-ta...and then you remember all the other politician's graves getting robbed, yes?"

"Evan Isaci and Vincentius di-Amori III. Their graves were def...that's why you moved her. So hers wouldn't get defaced..."

"Exactly," Hariem nodded, "now we told people, including you all because you were little and we didn't want the press getting in on this through you, that we scattered her ashes. And in front of you guys, we scattered some ashes...those were just ashes though, they didn't belong to anyone".

"What did you do with the real ashes...and what do you mean 'we'?"

"We as in Uncle Alec, Uncle Sijur, and myself. We planned this out so she'd be at peace..." Hariem started,

"...and in terms of what we did with the real ashes...they've been in the cemetery the whole time. My parents are buried in the same spot together, you remember visiting them in the cemetery, right? Your mum has been right next to it. Her grave just says i-Harendo on it. Doesn't specify anything to make it look out of the ordinary..."

Crivan nodded, understanding.

"Are you ever going to reveal it to the world, or is that gonna be a secret forever?"

Hariem shrugged, "when I die, I came up with a neat little plan. Break her urn and dump mine in with it. Make a mess. That way no one can isolate hers, and because she won't be in the urn anymore, no one can technically take her out either...then you guys can go back and mark it".

Crivan chuckled. "The press won't be happy with that..."

"No, they probably knew we were lying...they just never figured out exactly where. They may actually be happy about it. Gives them a news day...I mean, everyone knows that Nui-ta and Aazeronia have the best weather in Noctur. We don't need to hear it 50 billion times,"

Crivan laughed. "Ugh, or that Tuthina and Nui-ta are competing for Best Tourism Industry?"

"Those Tuthinan women are attractive, I'll give them that. Sijur and Alec were joking the other day when they saw a woman from Tuthina that they'd "follow her to Tuthina" if you know what I mean..."

"Not as attractive as Mum though, eh?" Crivan chuckled.

Without missing a beat, Hariem grinned. "If I could have another day with her, I'd follow her all the way out to Rango Mango. Hell, I'd chew bricks if she told me too..."

He smiled. "You're right though. She has always been here in spirit...I see her everyday in you three kids..."

---

The next day, Kana was trying on a golden dress. Maalik and Hariem were waiting for her to get out of the wedding room. A few of the shop-owners were staring at the two men for being in a bridal boutique.

"Ugh...she's the sole girl of the family," Hariem found himself explaining, for the fifteenth time. "No, we aren't just two random people. I'm her father, and she's getting married to the one next to me...the male next to me...the only other testosterone in the stop".

She couldn't find a dress that made her happy. At first, Hariem and Maalik tolerated the sitting well, but after twenty-three dresses, they were starting to get annoyed.

"Kana," Hariem groaned, "you have your pick of the entire store...there's thousands of dresses here, at least narrow it down..."

Kana began crying, "this is hard!"

They decided to leave the store and come back another day. Hariem and Kana were by themselves walking home after Maalik headed to a friend's house to drop something off.

"I noticed something interesting about all your choices," Hariem began, "they're all gold..."

Kana simply nodded and sighed. "I can't find one that's right..."

"They're also fairly ball-gown styled..." Hariem thought outloud. "Are you...trying to imitate your Mum's dress?"

Kana nodded.

"Sweety...why didn't you just TELL me?"

"I don't understand?" Kana asked.

"Kana...Trenta's wedding dress is in the closet in my bedroom. In Sangaur, obviously, not here. Once vacation is over...do you want to go try it on?"

"I get to wear Mum's dress?!"

Hariem stared for a moment and then smiled. "Is...that the one you want to wear?"

"YES!"

He heard someone whisper into his ear at that moment, I'd love to see that. A woman's voice.

He smiled.

"When we get home to Sangaur, we'll get the dress fitted for you...you're a bit slender".

Maalik soon joined up with them after they all got back to the hotel.

"Hey, is it alright if I wear my military dress uniform for the wedding, or is that being too strange?" Maalik asked innocently.

"I wore my dress uniform for my wedding," Hariem noted, "oh, by the way, we got the dress thing taken care of..."

"How'd you do it?" Maalik asked.

"I've seen the dress she was interested in without telling us. She just has to get it fitted...her mum's dress".

Maalik smiled, "that's a relief...I love her, but I'd rather not do another all-day session at a store full of dresses and angry women..."

Hariem nodded, "I love her...but I'm on your side with that one. I won't miss that store either..."

"We're shopping for jewelry tomorrow!" Kana could be heard yelling from across the room.

Hariem and Maalik gave each other the glance of god save us before bursting into laughter.

---

That vacation came and went. The kids grew a little more, and just a few months later, Hariem found himself sitting in front of a wedding reception.

He stared over at the bride and groom. Maalik and Kana made a very cute couple.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder while he stared. It was Maalik's father.

"Hello Hariem," Anil said, "well, can you believe, it, we're in-laws?"

Hariem smiled. "Maalik and Kana i-Harajaa...that's gonna take some getting used to..."

"For the both of us," Anil grinned. "I'm gonna have to get used to the clan name, you to the family name...then again I can't believe my son ended up with a Viscountess. That's something..."

"Oh just wait Duke, we Viscounts are quite sophisticated. After this, to be one of us, Maalik will have to walk across a pit of hot coals wearing only a loincloth and some face-paint".

Anil stared while Hariem burst into laughter and slapped Anil's back. "I'm screwing with your head, Anil, he's fine".

Anil smirked, "well at least we Dukes only require waterboarding as our initiation".

"Oh lord," Hariem remarked, "you weirdos..."

"He's a good kid though, with an internship and this and that...Kana's going to be a lucky woman..."

"Kana and Maalik are both quite lucky, as are we. I have a new son, and you a new daughter..."

He smiled at Anil, "feel free to stop by anytime...I have quite a few people to introduce you two now that you're both part of the family..."

Anil grinned, "seeing as it was just Maalik and I, I'd be happy to take the offer..."

"Good," Hariem grinned, "let me start with the kids. You've obviously already met Kana. My son Crivan is going to law school, and my other son wants to become a doctor after high school..."

---

There were things Trenta would never see about the family. There were also things Hariem would never see. Trenta did not live to see her children grow up. Hariem did not live to see Crivan or Sujir get married, nor did he live to see anyone the three daughters that Kana and Maalik went on to have.

One month after the wedding, there was a nasty race riot in Sangaur. Rowan di-Amori's assimilation of the colonies did not sit well with many people in Sangaur.

As he rushed to get home, Hariem saw Kana get stopped by a couple men who were rioting. Maalik was with her, blocking the men from touching her. They were yelling at her for being only half-Sangauranic.

Maalik successfully fended off one of the men, breaking a few bones and then grabbing Kana to start running. The other man drew a gun.

On instinct, Hariem rushed forward. Two shots fired. He realized he couldn't breathe, first out of shock and fear. Then he heard singing.

Singing.

He looked over, turning his head weakly, his brain spiraling from oxygen deprivation and massive blood loss.

Trenta i-Harendo was sitting next to him, singing him to sleep as his eyelids grew heavy.

He'd been struck in the chest. One of the bullets had broken a lung, the other had severed his windpipe, cutting into his neck.

Maalik and Kana made it out safely, without even knowing Hariem was ever there. The riots were scattered by the gunshots, and ILOP responded. By the time everything had calmed down though, the violent riots had killed nine people.

And Hariem was one of those nine.

[Nui-ta]

Flames to Ash

The news of Hariem's death was muted. The press jumped on the fact that a Sangauranic man was killed by his own people in his own home state of Sangaur, but everyone remembered Hariem either for being Sangauranic or for being Trenta's husband.

Only his friends and family knew whom they'd really lost.

---

Kana and Maalik found out about Hariem's death a few hours after they'd escaped. They went to his house to seek refuge; the normally open doors were empty. They got in with a spare key and hid quietly, then called the police station to report the attack. As of that time, they did not know that Hariem was the one who'd saved them. They didn't even know a third man was there.

"I'm going out to the school," Maalik said, "I gotta get your brother, make sure he's okay. Stay here Kana..."

Maalik headed out to the school, which was on lockdown thanks to the riots. He was allowed into the building after being searched.

"I'm looking for Sujir i-Harendo," Maalik said. "Has his father come in?"

"Who are you?" The security guard asked.

"Maalik i-Harajaa. I'm his brother-in-law. Here's an ID..."

The security guard checked Sujir's file to ensure that Maalik was on the emergency contact list. He was not.

"Sorry, I'm going to need either his father, his uncle, or one of his siblings. Bring your wife".

On cue, Maalik's cell-phone rang.

"Hello?" Maalik said, picking it up.

"Maalik?" The young man didn't recognize the voice.

"Maalik, this is Sijur...Hariem's brother-in-law. Your uncle...where are you?"

"Oh, I remember you from the wedding. I'm trying to check on Sujir from his school. We wanted to get him home after the riots".

"That's noble of you, but stay there. I'll come to you. I'm authorized to take Sujir home..."

"Is everything okay over there?" Maalik asked.

"I..." Sijur paused.

"I'll explain later. Have them call Sujir to the office. I'll be there within a half-hour..."

A guard escorted Sujir out of the classroom and towards Maalik.

"They're calling so many people out, what happened?" Sujir asked.

"Riots," Maalik said. "We're gonna go home, okay, once your uncle gets here".

"Uncle Sijur?"

"Yes".

"That's weird...where's Dad?"

Maalik paused. "I dunno...maybe at work...I think..."

He flipped the phone open and called Hariem's phone. No response.

"That is weird..."

---

"It's grisly. The guy's neck was blown straight through with the bullet..." One officer remarked to another as the body was removed from the scene and taken to the morgue.

"He got shot twice, first one wasn't enough to kill him..."

"No, first one was a trip to the ER but he probably would have lived. Second one destroyed him. Some people are just sick. Who shoots a guy like this?"

"I got an ID in his wallet. Military card. His name is..."

The officer looked at the card, his eyes going a bit wide.

"Oh shit..."

"Who is he?"

"Hariem i-Harendo... this guy was in the KG..."

"That guy," the other remarked, "wasn't he the guy that married the PM?"

"Shit...what a way to go..."

---

Sangaur ILOP handled the mess. Sijur, as Rahku ILOP, was informed only because he was an emergency contact.

He was numb as he left his office and walked out to the parking lot. To his car. Completely numb.

"Tell the Director there's been an emergency," Sijur mumbled to the receptionist as he walked out.

"What was the emergency?"

Sijur paused. "My...my brother died..."

She winced, "I-I'm so sorry..."

He was crying and he knew it, in public. He was silent with a few tears streaming out. His mind flipped mechanically throughout what to do now.

First thing to do was to tell Hariem's kids. Crivan was heading to catch a train back to Mercuria. Kana and Sujir were just a drive away.

He stopped crying along the way to the school. When he stepped into the building, he saw Maalik and Sujir.

Sijur immediately began to cry again. He didn't want to. He just did.

"W-We need to go..."

"I need ID," the guard said.

Sijur stared mechanically, reached for his driver's license, and presented it.

They drove to the house, where Kana was waiting.

"Guys, they're saying this one saw people killed!" Kana gasped.

She looked at Sijur. "Uncle Sijur...?"

"Sit down...all of you..."

There was a knock on the door. Crivan had been delayed by the riot, and had come back to see what was going on.

"Uncle...you're still in uniform," Crivan remarked, worriedly.

"All of you, sit down..." Sijur said slowly.

He gulped.

"I...I'm so sorry...I just...there was some bad news...your father was shot..."

There was a common yell of shock from everyone in the room.

"What do you mean -shot?- Like shot shot, with a gun?" Sujir gasped.

"O-Oh my god...we need to see him! We need to get to the hospital right away! Dad!" Kana yelled, getting up to put on her shoes.

Maalik grabbed her arm. Crivan said nothing, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Your father is..." Sijur gulped again. He was used to breaking bad news to people, but this time it was hard. It was difficult because it was personal.

Crivan whimpered a little before asking the dreaded question.

"Did he...make it?"

Sijur sighed. "Hariem isn't...at the hospital..."

Kana began to burst into tears. Sujir's eyes grew wide. Maalik and Crivan looked at each other, their worst fear confirmed.

"How did...he die..." Maalik choked.

"He was hit in vital areas. Hariem died almost instantly..." Sijur sighed.

Everything went quiet, except for the sound of Kana and Sujir crying loudly. Everyone in the room was crying, the other three men were simply more muted.

"I...haven't told Alec or our daughter yet..." Sijur sighed. "I also haven't told any of our old military partners..."

"I'm sorry..."

As he left the building, Sijur suddenly felt rage course through him as he punched a det into his car.

"...the fucks who did this..." he growled.

He wanted blood. So bad, he could taste it.

---

Anyone who worked with Hariem in the past in the military was alerted.

It took a day for the message to reach Xerconia.

"I'm looking for Kiana Ivers?" The voice on the phone said, "my name is Drovi I used to work with her in the KG".

Johanna shrugged, not knowing about anything happening in Sangaur, and gave the phone to Kiana.

"Goodness," Kiana chuckled, "I'm not good to be drafted, I'm not who I used to be..."

She was still recovering from the concussion. Some damage was permanent: she could not exert herself any further.

The doctor had told Josko: no stress, no heavy amounts of work. As much rest as possible. She was below the age of 40 and thus still draft-aged, but her medical record saw to it that she was clear to stay home, unfit for service.

That was not what this call was about.

"What do you mean, they want me back in Nui-ta in dress uniform? I'm not able to travel..."

Drovi sighed. "No, if you honestly can't, then don't. The Sergeant wouldn't want that..."

Kiana laughed. "Old KG business? Come on, speak better of Hariem. My, I remember when we worked together. Beat all our asses into line, he did. Good guy though, wish I could have been there for his daughter's wedding..."

"Besides, Hariem's an Adjulant Major now, and he's past 40. He retired, right? Let him live in peace already Drovi, why are you calling us all up about him?"

Drovi paused.

"Sergeant, I mean...Major i-Harendo is dead..."

Kiana spat her coffee out, scaring Johanna and Josko, and yelled,

"WHAT?! HOW?! YOU'RE LYING!!!"

Drovi whimpered, "you didn't hear the news Yarringsen? It's terrible..."

"HE WAS 46! THERE'S NO WAY! HOW DID HE DIE? ACCIDENT? SICKNESS?"

"Mum, calm down!" Johanna panicked, "you're not supposed to get so jumpy!"

Kiana was crying now. "Drovi, this had better be a joke..."

"A couple rioters got really violent...they tried to hurt his daughter, so he got in the way...they had guns..." Drovi said.

"Oh god...Hariem..."

She put down the phone, not wanting to listen anymore.

"What happened?" Johanna said, alarmed.

Kiana began weeping. "O-One of Mum's b-b-best friends...passed away..."

Johanna moved to pat Kiana's back, "who?"

Kiana sighed. "Crivan's dad, dear...there are some very racist people in Nui-ta...they got mad at his family because the family is mixed..."

"I don't understand..."

"HE WAS MURDERED!" Kiana wheezed, increasinly becoming stressed (something NOT good for her health at all). "He...he got shot..."

She picked up the phone. Drovi was still on the line.

"I feel very ill Drovi, I have to call you back..."

Drovi interrupted her, "no Kiana, don't come to Nui-ta if you're that sick. Hariem wouldn't want you to..."

"I...I wish I could...oh god...shot to death at 46..."

She paused, "I need to know...was he armed?"

Drovi sighed. "N-no...he was on his way home when he..."

"How's he get shot?"

"Through the sides. One hit his neck and one his chest..."

"I'm gonna hang up now..."

Kiana hung up the phone and laid back, gasping for breath in shock.

"Mum...let me get you some water..." Johanna whimpered...

Kiana was silent for a moment before suddenly clutching her head...

"Mum?"

"I don't f-feel...don't feel g-g-good...get... your fa...fath..."

At that moment, Kiana fell on the floor and began seizing.

[Segland]

While the Radio Still Played

---

Bartholomew stood in the midst of what could almost be described as pandemonium. Positioned between thousands of other Seglanders in Union Square, he could barely hear the voice of some Theocratic orator over the constant jeers of the crowd. As the man read a sort of propaganda speech in a futile attempt to quiet the protesters, they simply grew louder.

Continuing onward in his speech, apparently unfazed, the orator looked up reflexively as he was hit square in the forehead by a small rock. More followed, and a wall of riot police formed around him. A few of the demonstrators waved red banners, signifying their rebellion.

It was the uprising of the proletariat.

Everything had started just a few days ago when Stephanus Levi, the former Minister of Culture, had encouraged all Seglandic citizens to take up arms against the Theocracy and establish a Socialist state. He fled Ryutsvaag and went into hiding, prompting a massive search which so far had yielded no results.

Bartholomew heard rumors of business owners being kidnapped from their homes and murdered by the rioters in the streets, in mockery of the government's purges against foreigners. It was surprising that no one had fired a gun yet at this particular demonstration.

"DOWN WIT' DA CAPS!" yelled one enraged man near Bartholomew. "Cap" was a derogatory term for capitalists that had sprung into existence quite quickly, its popularity amplified by the revolutionary atmosphere. There was a sort of twisted excitement in the air, perpetrated by an invisible guiding force. Obviously Levi had started this, and it would soon become a full-blown revolution, but who (or what) was organizing all of this? The answer was bizarre but obvious. It was the people who were guiding this; they were of one spirit and one mind. Bound together in brotherhood, the workers were unstoppable.

This thinking increased Bartholomew's zeal, and he joined in with the communist cheers. It was easy to get absorbed in the ordeal. "DAMN NAPHTALI TO HELL!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, competing with the other slogans. A few others began to repeat it. Soon, everyone was joining in the heresy. The Theocracy could not defeat such a powerful movement. The sheer size of it was overwhelming.

Then, a few gunshots. Immediately, Bartholomew pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get far away from Union Square. He heard a bullet whip right past him. Looking to his side, he saw a woman sprawled on the smooth stone ground, blood pouring out of a wound in her neck. Disgusted, Bartholomew quickened his pace. Seeing a taxi, he signaled it and jumped in.

"6367 Negev Street!" he proclaimed, the urgency in his voice evident. The driver nodded and peeled out.

Once he arrived on the proper road, Bartholomew practically jumped out of the taxicab and walked to his house, trying to do so slowly so as to not arouse suspicion in his neighbors. He opened the door and turned on the radio, listening intently to the news. He was hearing just what he wanted.

"Uprisings in the cities of Roosevelt City, Linksdam, and Ryutsvaag have Theocratic police in overdrive as they attempt to quell the rebellions. This so-called communist movement is expected to gain more and more momentum over these critical next few days."

Bartholomew grinned and poured himself a glass of whiskey, downing it in a couple of gulps. Assaulted by the emotions of victory and happiness, he gladly passed out while the radio still played.

OOC: This occurs soon after the Tressian War.

[Nui-ta]

Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof... ~Richard Bach

---

Normally Kiana hated it when she was home alone, but being alone today gave her time to finish something very important. With the house completely quiet (her husband at work and her daughter at school), Kiana tied her hair neatly into a bun, gathered some items, and then turned on a video camera.

Once she was done filming herself, she hooked the camera up to the computer and edited out the part where she'd been fumbling with the camera. Now the video looked far more presentable. Far more professional.

She smiled a little at her work and pressed "upload", to a NocTube account that she'd made specifically for this video. This video alone. If it was one thing she'd learned in Radiatia, it was that expressing opinions so candidly was usually quite inefficient...but there was an exception to every rule. She'd rehearsed and planned this privately for the past week in her spare time. Whether or not her family knew what she was doing didn't matter to her --- this was far too important.

Because it did concern family...just of a different sort.

---

Video Transcription

My name is Kiana Yarringsen Ivers. I'm a retired military officer from the Nui-tan EC, although I also cross-served in the KG for a bit of my time in the military. I'm 34 years old, retired due to health making me unfit for service. And I have a confession to make...

A very long time ago, when I was still very young: I was a horribly racist person. I have since grown up, and I've learned the meaning of tolerance. I learned a long time ago that the friends you make and the people that will have your backs don't all have the same skin color. They don't all come from the same background, and they don't all have the same skin color or the same creed.

Up until the time that I was about 15 or 16 years old, I was terribly racist. I was very racist against Nui-tans, Sangauranic and Zanzeanic. I grew up in Partition-era Hadin until I was 11, and then I was forced to move into Nui-ta after my father died. I was an orphan, so the government took me into custody because there was no one else there for me. Like a lot of Hadinians who grew up during the Partition, we didn't like that Nui-tan troops were coming in and occupying us. Hadinians didn't like being colonists. I will definitely be the first to admit that culturally, Hadinians and Nui-tans are very different people. And all I saw in my youth were Nui-tan soldiers waging war in the place where I lived, enforcing laws that were sometimes very harsh where I lived. I was drafted into a military I didn't agree with, and to be fair to myself, I was treated with all the scorn that I gave to Nui-tan soldiers who served alongside me. It wasn't a one-way relationship of hate. I despised them as much as they despised me.

That's no way to live...

I was a very solitary person until I moved into the KG. I couldn't support a career in the EC any longer after 16. The war was over and the EC wasn't needed anymore. I only had military experience. I didn't get the opportunity to finish school at that age. As a matter of fact, I didn't finish High School until I was 20. I pushed myself away from others because of my racism, so my only friends were Hadinians who went back to Hadin or moved on with their lives, and I couldn't move along with them so I was stuck by myself.

Moving into another part of the military that could still use me was the only way for me to get by, so I moved into the KG.

I don't believe in God, but I believe in karma. I've been struck by it first hand. I was put into a squad where I was the only female and the only one who wasn't Nui-tan by birth. My fellow privates were all Zanzeanic. My Sergeant was born and raised in Sangaur, and the Sergeant in particular was very, very Nui-tan. He in particular was everything that, at that time, I really hated. I feel terrible to admit that for the first month of so of knowing them, I didn't give them a proper chance. I feel particularly terrible about it to this day because of something I will address later...

They were the first people that tolerated me. I was horrifically cruel; I had moments when we were off-duty, and one of the other Privates would say something. I'd take it as an insult and just berate them. I'd say the nastiest things about them to their faces. Obviously they weren't inviting me out to functions or anything, but in hindsight, they were very quiet about it. They all took it like saints...

One day, I did this to the Sergeant. He said something...if I remember correctly, he was trying to translate something into Latin and he came up to me and asked me very nicely how to say it properly...I was very young. I was 16. And I was incredibly stupid. If I remember correctly, I believe I got offended by this because, in my discriminatory misconceptions, I was shocked that a Sangauranic man had any business with MY language, MY mother tongue.

So I...I spat on his face. Not proud to admit that. Not the smartest thing I ever did. I deserved to be beaten to a bloody pulp for that, because if there's one thing that you don't do, for you civilians out there who have never faced a commanding officer, you don't spit on them. He could have had me court-martialed for that, I'd likely have gone to jail for insubordination, very likely have been fired on the spot...he DID slap me across the face, but that was surprisingly it...

The next day, obviously, I get called privately to speak to him. He pulls me aside into a room, shuts the door, and then asks me, 'what the fuck was that all about?' And I went off on him. I didn't berate him personally, but at that moment, for some reason --- I'll never understand why...I just vented everything. I told him how angry I was with Nui-ta and with his people. How I was so sick of having to be around people who did all these terrible things in my homeland. How the only good Nui-tans I'd ever met were the ones who didn't try to get involved and minded their own damn bloody business.

In short, I rained fire and brimstone on this poor Sergeant. He had to sit there for about 15 minutes while I called out his entire race. He gave me a very shocked look for a moment...and some of the comments I made were quite harsh. He looked like he was personally offended, and I wouldn't have blamed him. He sent me out of the room for a couple minutes and at that moment, I felt the air get very heavy...

I guess he was composing himself for what he said to me...and what he said to me that day...single-handedly woke me up to the fact that my prior mindset and attitude were terrible. There are moments in one's life that will change you forever, and what he said was life-changing. I was never the same after he told me what he did.

He said, "This is the military. It doesn't matter where the hell you or I or anyone else came from. We're all here now and we're all fighting for the same goal. You need to be able to work with us if you want to keep this job; I can give you all the amnesty and forgiveness in the world for everything that has happened, but if you can't learn to forgive others, then you may as well put the uniform away and resign."

And then he said...and his tone was rising as he said this, I could tell that he was trying very hard not to yell at me, "And the same logic applies outside of the military. It doesn't matter where the hell you or I or anyone else came from. We all live on the same world. We all look up at the same sky, the same sun, the same moon. We all breathe the same air. We all want the same things, albeit sometimes in different guises. Life. Love. Joy. Warmth. Some people are not as good as others, but that goodness doesn't come from their birth, or their nation. It comes from whether or not they let something corrupt them. That determines good versus evil; nothing else has anything to do with it."

There was silence between us...and then he reached over and he did something that I never expected from anyone...

He hugged me. And while he was hugging me, he looked at me and told me that he apologized. He was sorry for everything that his people had done to me...

And then I understood immediately what he was talking about. I had an epiphany at that moment. The soldiers I'd met until then were corrupted with hate, as were the townspeople and civilians from Hadin I grew up with in the place I called home. That's why they were so racist, so cruel...and because I was so full of the same hate, I almost became the monster that I despised so much...and while I'm realizing all of that, here is a man who I have clearly wronged, apologizing to me for crimes he never committed. He did not come into my country and kill people. He did not make racist accusations or treat me or anyone else like a sub-human creature. He didn't shun me or anyone else. He was a Sergeant, so he had to be tough in terms of the military, but in terms of being human, he was very fair and very kind...

Ever since that moment...I refused to be racist. I swore to myself I wouldn't become like that ever again. I would give people a fair chance as individuals, and I would learn to forgive people who wronged me, provided that they were blinded and they knew not what they did. I gave back the chance that was given to me that day. I stopped being mean to the squad. I apologized for everything to all of them, and like brothers that I never had, they all forgave me quickly...

I have a husband and a child who I love very much. My husband is Radiatian. He is a different race...I never would have met him or talked to him if I was who I used to be. When I closed one door, the door to hatred...so many other doors opened up, and they led to all the good things in the world that one can enjoy.

And as anyone in the military knows, once you bond with your team...once you become a cohesive unit; you become a family. You will never care anyone else, except perhaps the one you marry and the children you have, as much as people whom you trust to literally watch your back, so no one else will shoot you there. They become your brothers and sisters. The Sergeant in particular became one of the best friends I have ever had. More than that even. He was the brother I'd always wanted, and we never stopped talking to each other from the day that all of that happened, when we became friends.

[Kiana sighs]

One last note to this very long video...last week, Hariem died. The Sergeant. He was shot to death. One of the nine victims of the recent Sangaur race riot in Boshal... It breaks my heart to know that he died a civilian who was unarmed and wrongfully murdered by race rioters who attacked him and his family because of his mixed-race children. He didn't die on the field. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't pick the fight...he simply stood up for people he cared about and for their rights to be treated as human beings, just like everyone else...and he died for it. So this video is dedicated to him.

The only thing I never apologized for, not because I didn't want to, but because in all the chaos that happened, I forgot to ever do it...I never apologized for spitting in his face and for all the comments that I made towards him...I know he forgave me when he hugged me...but Hariem, I'm sorry. If I could take it back, I would. This is the least I can do to formally apologize for this, even if you aren't around to hear it anymore.

My message to anyone that sees this is that this ingrained hatred that we have for each other, for whatever reason, is going to be the death of all of us. The world is at war. Tensions are high. Governments are not always run by the best of people. I abhor what Segland's theocratic government has done, but that's because the people in the government are...how shall I say this plainly? Corrupt. Morally corrupt. Morally bankrupt. They are filled with hatred and that hatred is fueling warfare. For the powers within Noctur to step in and use military action to put a corrupt set of nations, Hadin's government included in this corrupt set, in their place; to preserve peace...that's fine. But for this second war, the rise in racist attacks, the rise in interpersonal hatred...that has to stop.

I was attacked on the street with my daughter. One of my friends was killed in a riot that took eight other lives as well; I can speak no further for these other eight people as I don't know them personally. All I know is that someone is out there mourning each person. Their lives matter too. We all live and breathe the same air, as he said, and we all see the same sky, and we all walk the same earth --- so get over the racism thing...I implore the governments of civilized nations like Radiatia, Aazeronia, Crata, Detectatia, Nui-ta, Poldania, Faransia...too many others to count...NIP THIS IN THE BUD. Do something about it. Nui-ta in particular passed a very reactionary law in regards to Hadin. This law affects citizens who have done nothing to you; it doesn't do anything about the government that attacked you. Wrong target. You missed. Repeal that law and try again. Hit the ones who actually did something wrong.

We act as though civilization demands these divides, but that isn't true at all. There is a famous quote that states: "The end of the human race will be that it eventually will die of civilization", and unless we remove these divides from civilization...then whoever said this is right. It will kill us. If you don't believe me, people are already dying. What better proof is there?

---

"The end of the human race will be that it eventually will die from civilization" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Segland]

Proclamation of a Communist State

---

Author: Stephanus Levi

---

My people, sons and daughters of this country, today I come before you to announce a glorious triumph. A victory that overshadows the entire history of Segland up to now - the victory of communism!

Therefore, I proclaim a communist state. The former Theocratic Republic shall be reformed into the United Seglandic Socialist Federation, a dictatorship for the greater good.

For years, we have been oppressed by the imperialists of foreign nations such as Radiatia and Detectatia. They believe that they can govern what is rightfully ours! But that time has passed.

We will strike with the force of a hurricane - quickly, efficiently, without warning. The People's Revolution will spread across the globe, for the proletariat cannot be suppressed. It is inevitable that the people will rise up against their oligarchs and establish a workers' state.

These are undeniable truths.

Earlier this year, the Radiatian Fascists violated our integrity by launching a ruthless invasion and killing off thousands of innocent Seglanders with unnecessary bombing raids. They were supported by the vast majority of nations, proving that communism and its ideals must spread before Fascism and Imperialism can be eliminated.

After the Radiatian invasion took place, our country had ceased to be a Theocratic possession and begun to be a Radiatian colony.

When our Fatherland was forcibly split in two, a puppet regime was installed in the South, keeping their citizens unaware of the Truth of the Revolution. Reunification is the next step; the imperialists know that and they are frightened.

The people of the United Seglandic Socialist Federation, unified by the communist cause, will endlessly fight the foreign aggressors to preserve their independence.

I tell you now, the day that Segland is united will be the day that the world goes red!

We are determined to sacrifice everything in order to safeguard the Revolution, and forever this nation shall endure as a bastion of freedom and happiness.

Hail the victory of the People's Revolution!

Hail the founding of the United Seglandic Socialist Federation!

[Detectatia]

Ayand provincial court system
Official transcript of the court proceedings for:

Southern Ayand City district
Case 2151

THE PEOPLE OF THE PROVINCE OF AYAND

VERSUS

ARTHUR S. PALLUM

Ayand, AD
May 1, DE 308
3:00pm

Plea hearing

The court represented by THE HONORABLE EDGAR INDERSON, Judge for Southern Ayand City district.

The government represented by SONYA CAPI, District attorney for Southern Ayand City.

The defense represented by JOSEPH COLLENS, Defense attorney for Southern Ayand City district.

---

The case was called in open court.

THE COURT. Good morning. Let’s try and keep this plea hearing brief. Or at least as brief as we can. Mr. Collens, is your client prepared to plead today?

THE DEFENSE. He is, Your Honor.

THE COURT. Good. Now, before we swear Mr. Pallum in to plea, are there any objections or comments from the government or the defense in regard to Mr. Pallum’s pleas?

THE GOVERNMENT. No, Your Honor.

THE DEFENSE. None from the defense.

THE COURT. Excellent. Mr. Pallum, if you would rise, sir to take the oath?

The defendant took the oath.

THE COURT. Mr. Pallum, do you understand the fact that you are now under oath, and must now answer all questions and make all statements in a truthful manner?

THE DEFENDANT. I do, sir.

THE COURT. Do you understand that any false statements you knowingly give can and will be used against you for another charge of perjury, or making false statements under oath?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Good. Before we begin with the pleas to all your charges, I will ask you a short series of questions that will ensure that the pleas that you will give to the court are given with a sound mind and free of outside influence. Do you understand?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Okay. First, please state your name.

THE DEFENDANT. Arthur S. Pallum.

THE COURT. Since your arrest, has your medical condition, either physical, emotional, or mental, changed at all?

THE DEFENDANT. It has not.

THE COURT. Within the past twenty four hours, have you used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, freebase cocaine, or any illicit drug?

THE DEFENDANT. No.

THE COURT. Are you of sound mind today?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Are you feeling well overall today, under the circumstances?

THE DEFENDANT. I am.

THE COURT. No one can force you to give a certain plea on any of your charges to the court. Do you understand this right?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Have you been compelled in any way to plead any certain way on any of your criminal charges?

THE DEFENDANT. No.

THE COURT. Do either the government or the defense have any concerns about the defendant’s competency to plead today?

THE GOVERNMENT. We don’t.

THE DEFENSE. No.

THE COURT. Well, I’m going to declare you competent to plead today. Now, have you discussed with your lawyer the 48 charges that you are being charged with?

THE DEFENDANT. I have.

THE COURT. Are you satisfied with your legal counsel?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Before we begin the pleas process, I will describe the rights you have should you plead not guilty or no challenge. The following rights will not apply if you plead guilty, and by pleading guilty you will waive these rights. Do you understand?

THE DEFENDANT. I do.

THE COURT. If you plead not guilty or no challenge, you have the Constitutional right to a trial. This trial shall be expedient and before the public, with the verdict regarding your guilt adjudged by a jury of your peers. In order for you to be found guilty of any of your 48 charges, the government must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that you committed the crime detailed in the charge. You are also presumed to be an innocent person unless otherwise proven by the government and declared by a jury of your peers. This means you do not have to prove that you are innocent. At your criminal trial, you will have the right to legal counsel in your defense. This means that if you cannot afford counsel, or choose not to hire your own, a defense attorney will be appointed to you by the court. You also have the right to refuse legal counsel and stand in your own defense. At your criminal trial, you will have the right to be faced with those who will testify against you, and to have people to testify on your behalf, as well as to petition the court for subpoenas to compel individuals to testify on your behalf. You also have the right to refuse any testimony on your behalf. At your criminal trial, you will have the right to testify in your own defense. You also will have the right to not testify in your own defense, nor answer any question you feel will incriminate yourself. You also cannot be compelled or forced to testify. Do you understand those rights?

THE DEFENDANT. I do.

THE COURT. Good. Now I am going to walk you through the the counts that you are being charged with. Do you understand?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Okay. Counts one through three are charges of Armed Robbery, each count applying to a different incident of robbery. Your lawyer should have reviewed these incidents with you. This charge means that you, with the aid of a weapon, stole a significant amount of money or assets from another person or entity with the use of force. This charge alternatively means that you ordered or orchestrated such a crime.

Counts four through six are charges of Public Endangerment, each count applying to a different incident. Your lawyer should have reviewed these incidents with you. This charge means that you knowingly endangered the safety of the general public. This charge alternatively means that you ordered or orchestrated such a crime.

Count seven is a charge of Grand Theft. This charge means that you cumulatively stole a significant amount of money or assets from another person or entity. This charge also means that you ordered or orchestrated such theft.

Counts eight through forty seven are charges of Murder in the First Degree, each count applying to a different person. Your lawyer should have reviewed the list of these people with you. This charge means that you, with forethought, and with the intent to kill, ended the life of another human being illegally. This charge alternatively means that you orchestrated or ordered such a crime. This charge also alternatively means that a person was killed illegally with forethought and the intent to kill by a person committing another crime with you.

Count forty eight is a charge of Mass Murder, applying to all of the people applied under charges eight through forty seven. Specific to this count, this charge means that you have killed illegally between fifteen and forty people. This charge alternatively means that you have ordered or orchestrated the illegal killings of between fifteen and forty people. This charge also alternatively means that between fifteen and forty people were killed illegally with forethought and the intent to kill by a person committing another crime with you.

Do you understand the charges you are faced with as I have explained them to you?

THE DEFENDANT. I do.

THE COURT. Do you also understand that, if a trial is held for these charges, the government would have to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that you fulfill the requirements of those charges as I have described them?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Now I am going to go over the maximum penalties for each of the charges you face with you. Do you understand this?

THE DEFENDANT. I do.

THE COURT. Good. The maximum penalty for Armed Robbery is a term of twenty years in prison, making the maximum penalty for counts one through three a term of sixty years in prison. The maximum penalty for Public Endangerment is a term of two years in prison, making the maximum penalty for counts four through six a term of six years in prison. The maximum penalty for Grand Theft is a term of four years in prison. The maximum penalty for Murder in the First Degree is a term lasting the remainder of your life in prison without the possibility of early release, making the maximum penalty for counts eight through forty seven forty consecutive lifelong terms in prison without the possibility of early release. The maximum penalty for Mass Murder is death. Thus, the maximum total penalty for all of your charges is death, with an additional term of seventy years in prison, followed by forty consecutive lifelong terms in prison without the possibility of early release. Do you understand these maximum penalties?

THE DEFENDANT. I do.

THE COURT. We will now begin the pleas process, in which you will plead either guilty, not guilty, or no challenge, to each of your counts. Do you understand that?

THE DEFENDANT. Yes.

THE COURT. Has Mr. Collens explained to you what each plea means?

THE DEFENDANT. He has.

THE COURT. Good. Now, on count one, Armed Robbery, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count two, Armed Robbery, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count three, Armed Robbery, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count four, Public Endangerment, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count five, Public Endangerment, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count six, Public Endangerment, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count seven, Grand Theft, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count eight, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count nine, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count ten, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count eleven, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twelve, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count fourteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count fifteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count sixteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count seventeen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count eighteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count nineteen, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty one, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty two, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty three, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty four, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty five, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty six, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty seven, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty eight, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count twenty nine, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty one, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty two, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty three, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty four, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty five, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty six, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty seven, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty eight, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count thirty nine, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty one, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty two, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty three, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty four, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty five, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty six, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty seven, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. On count forty eight, Mass Murder, how do you plead?

THE DEFENDANT. Not guilty.

THE COURT. Thank you. Is there any objection from the government or the defense to me accepting these pleas?

THE GOVERNMENT. No.

THE DEFENSE. There is none, Your Honor.

THE COURT. This court accepts Mr. Pallum’s pleas for all counts. Now we’ll deal with the issue of bail. Would the government or the defense like to make a statement about the subject of bail for the defendant. Ms. Capi?

THE GOVERNMENT. Yes, Your Honor. Your Honor, given the severity of the charges, we strongly recommend that bail not be granted to Mr. Pallum, and that he be remanded throughout the case.

THE DEFENSE. Your Honor, the defense would prefer a bail to be set for the defendant. Although the charges are both numerous and severe, Mr. Pallum has no other criminal background and, as was discussed at his indictment, is from a wealthier family who would have a stake in making sure Mr. Pallum will not be a flight risk.

THE COURT. Thank you, Mr. Collens. However, it is my opinion that, as Ms. Capi stated, the defendant is charged with too severe and too many counts for us to assume that he is not a flight risk, nor a public safety risk. Therefore, this court denies the defendant bail, and remands him into the custody of Southern Ayand City’s sheriff throughout the period of his trial. Before I announce the trial’s start date, are there any other comments from the government or the defense?

THE GOVERNMENT. I have none.

THE DEFENSE. Nor does the defense.

THE COURT. Excellent. This court now sets the defendant’s trial to begin on the date of June 5, DE 308, at 11:00am. I will see you on that date, Mr. Pallum. Court is adjourned.

The court adjourned.

[Radiatia]

Being the land of excess and extremes that it was, Radiatia grew very hot in the summer and the state of New Vashura was no exception to this rule.

It was 34°C as the Ivers family - having only recently returned from Nui-ta for the emotional farewell of their late friend Hariem - cruised down New Vashura State Highway 17 from Yuesses to the ranch of Julius Ivers.

Although they were fairly wealthy, Josko Ivers had never been one for ostentatious displays of wealth, partially because as a Social Democrat he needed to appear in touch with the working class, and partially because he naturally felt that blowing millions of Tsenyens on items of luxury was inefficient.

So it was certainly not usual for him, Kiana and Johanna to be dressed to the nines and cruising down the NV-17 in a limousine, escorted by two cars carrying a private security detail.

But this was no ordinary day for the family. It was something that Josko had been considering since the moment he returned to the Radiatian Federation, and something that he had been in deep discussion with Kiana about - with plans delayed by their old friend Hariem's unfortunate passing away in the midst of a foreign race riot.

Indeed Hariem's death, and the circumstances of his death, had only made Josko more determined to do what he was about to do. He was determined that the sort of violence with was currently plaguing Nui-ta, and which occasionally plagued Radiatia - especially in New Vashura - was something that he would, could and should put a stop to. He was determined that although his wife was an immigrant, Radiatia was ready for him, for them, and a new progressive Radiatia awaited them at Julius's ranch.

They turned and finally entered the ranch, where a sea of men, women and children in cowboy hats awaited them.

Many of them were rednecks - some literally with necks red from toiling in the unforgiving Radiatian sun, as they awaited the arrival of their old friend Josko the Senator.

The crowd parted, and several people cheered as Josko, Kiana and Johanna walked onto a podium, which had been set up in the field, complete with decorations such as the Radiatian flag (and there were more than a few of them waving about in the crowd) and even the logo of the Social Democratic Union.

Julius Ivers, Josko's brother, embraced him as he walked up to the podium and began to introduce him to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen I want to introduce y'all to a man who has been many things," Said Julius to the crowd. "He's been a Senator, an MP, an Ambassador, a Minister, a Soldier, a son, a brother... and most importantly of all a Radiatian and a proud New Vashuran."

The crowd cheered, with the rednecks recognising the familiarity of the words "Radiatia" and New Vashura". ("That's the name o' where I done comed from!" Said one bearded toothless man near the front.)

"He's a man who is maybe the smartest guy I know, and one of the most trustworthy," Julius continued. "He's a man who works for the feds... is one of the feds... but who doesn't forget that he's from down here and that he's one of us. He's no big government tyrant, he's the voice reminding the feds to look out for the folks like you and me.

"He's a man who married a foreigner, and then showed us that she's a fine individual and that prejudice is just plain inefficient.

"He's been fighting for the rights of Red Radiatians since day one, a man who believes in justice and tolerance and compassion... and when a man as dang smart as him says that, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna listen to him!

"He came from down here in New Vashura, just like I did and just like all of you did. An' he moved off down to that Exegrad and fought against the communists, helping us to have our freedom.

"And then he fought the Eldurans when they tried to invade Polaris, to protect Radiatia and Radiatians.

"And he's been fighting to protect us from the bad type of immigrants, and to protect our jobs. He's been fighting to protect the poor and the minorities.

"And I gotta tell ya that this is the sort of guy that I want in charge down in Xerconia!

"This is the man that I want to Social Democratic Union to nominate to run for President. Someone who's one of us!

"So, ladies and gentlemen without further ado I present to y'all my brother... Senator Josko Ivers!"

The crowd cheered as Josko took the podium - he and his family standing out by being the only ones dressed in suits and dresses rather than overalls and cowboy hats.

Josko smiled looking out at the crowd, and waved trying to make eye contact with every individual there.

This was it, this was his moment.

He took in a deep breath and began to speak.

"It's a great day for Radiatia today, and a fine day here in New Vashura!" He said, making the audience cheer. "And I see a lot of friends out here in the audience, and I want to thank you all for coming out.

"I'm going to be efficient and I'm going to cut to the chase...

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Josko Ivers, and I hereby announce my candidacy to be the next President of the Radiatian Federation!"

[Segland]

The Man in the Black Coat

---

Five people sat close together, cramped in around the fireplace. It was the only thing that gave any warmth, any reassurance to them. The flames flickered randomly, as if in a contest to see who could jump the highest.

Snow fell gently outside. It was common in Linksdam. The next day would consist of shoveling snow and melting some of it to get drinking water, because there was only running water on 3 days of the week. Chairman Levi called it "conservation of key resources".

An old man dominated the scene. Spectacles rested squarely on his nose, giving him a rather pedantic appearance. His graying hair was practically falling away in tufts, and it was only a matter of time until he went bald. Oftentimes he wore a bowler to cover it up.

"So," he began, his voice quiet, "I suppose you all want to hear the story of the man in the black coat?"

The four children in the room all squealed with excitement, and the man smiled. "Very good," he said in an approving tone. He had told the story countless times, but they seemed never to get tired of it.

The elderly man went into a dreamlike trance and began to tell the story.

"It was a cold and snowy December night, much like this one, and I was sitting in this very room on my old rocking chair. At the time, I was reading a novel by Tovah".

"I heard a few staccato knocks on the door, so I warily walked over to the entrance. When I opened the door, I saw that it was a man in a black coat with a fedora. His face was hidden by a shadow. He asked if he could come in, so naturally I accepted".

"Judging by his appearance, I figured he was an Inquisitor. I was scared. I hadn't done anything to violate the Church's statutes, but people tended to disappear frequently at the time. He sat down in this room, and I left to get him a glass of water".

"When I got back in, he immediately struck up a conversation. He asked me about communism and what not. Looking back on it, it was quite an odd question, and I should've been more careful. But the novel I was reading was all about a fictional communist state, and I was quick to answer his inquiry".

The old man was interrupted as his wife entered the room and set a cup of steaming coffee down on a table. It was Victory Coffee, a dark and bitter drink that could be acquired with ration tickets at the local distribution station.

"Thanks, dear," he muttered vaguely, and then continued on with the tale as if he had never stopped.

"After his first question, the man asked me for a description of the Consologist revolution. I willingly told him all about it, from the protests in White Square to the Siege of Wiltwyck. He nodded slowly and stood up".

"I escorted him to the door politely, and he turned around on me. 'Thank you for your hospitality,' he had said, before giving me a little red star. Without another word, he went out into the street. I watched him as he walked away. He never looked back".

"Once I was assured that he was gone, I threw away the star. If such a thing was found with me, I'd surely be arrested for being a leftist. Although I was initially perplexed by the visit, I forgot about it until almost a year later".

"The People's Revolution had just taken place, and Stephanus Levi was in power. I was looking through my mail when I noticed an official-looking envelope. Interested, I opened it and peeked inside. At first, I only saw a handwritten note. I pulled it out. It read simply: 'For a man who influenced the Revolution. My son found this in a garbage center. -Steve'"

"I looked once more into the little cream-colored envelope, and there it was: the same red star that I had been given an entire year ago. I came to the realization that the man in the black coat who had paid me a mysterious visit was none other than Chairman Levi!"

The man stared into the fireplace reminiscently. Content with the story, the children exited the room, leaving him to his nostalgia.

[Radiatia]

Prologue:

There are two types of stories in Exegrad: Stories which have happened, and stories which will happen.

Such is life in Radiatia's largest city - a sprawling metropolis, a monument to decadence where anything and everything can and probably has happened. A city of fortune and failure, of delirium and depression, a beauty and a beast.

The following is one of those stories, though I cannot say for sure if said story falls into the category of having happened, or of being yet to happen. All that can be guaranteed is that when one lives in Exegrad one sits on the frontier between fact and fiction, and that one can never be entirely sure which side of the divide they are on.

Our story, therefore, begins in Exegrad City with a man tied, bound and gagged with a paper bag on his head and trapped inside a garbage compacter.

---

Chapter One:

It was 5am - perhaps one of the most bizarre hours of the day in Exegrad. It was during this hour, and only during this hour, when the city's two faces saw each other - the day-dwelling face, consisting of middle class professionals on their way to work (up early to beat the traffic) and the darker face consisting of human monsters and vagrants and the strange and terrible things which lurked in the alleys of the city. It was only at this hour before the dawn that the two sides would ever see each other, for the remaining 23 hours of the day the two Exegrads were all but entirely oblivious to the other's existence.

The sound of sirens in the distance were drowned out by the engine of a garbage truck, driving underneath a bridge to a loading zone underneath one of Exegrad's many spectacular skyscrapers.

Inside the garbage compactor, which sat in the basement of the skyscraper, the man tied and bound had worked out where he was. Though he couldn't see or move, he could smell the unmistakable stench of Exegrad waste. He could feel a mouldy banana skin sliding down his arm while something sharp poked his back - broken glass or, possibly, the needle of a used syringe.

He could hear the garbage truck approaching, confirming his location. He began to struggle and squirm, trying to yell out for help but unable to because the people who had left him in this position had gagged him.

Footsteps - someone was approaching.

"Hyeeerrrgggg meeeee!" He tried to scream through the gag and tape across his mouth, rolling and squirming in the compacter hoping that somehow he could free his hands in order to remove the bag on his head.

The garbage man, meanwhile, was in his own little world. It was a dark hour, and he was doing the job on his own but he was able to feel less lonely thanks to the miracle of Radiatian consumerism.

Tiny headphones hung off his ears, blaring rock music straight into his air drums and breaking the silence of the lonely job being done before dawn. The sound acted a barrier between him and the lonely silent world around him, but also between him and anyone who might be trying to get his attention at that moment...

"Hyeeerrrgggg meeee! Fro tha lugg off grod hyerrrgggg meeeeee!!!"

But that was not what the garbage-man heard as his truck - controlled by a computer - backed its way towards the garbage compacter, ready to lift it and spill it and any of its contents into the truck en route for the refuse station to become part of Exegrad's ever growing landfill.

In his headphones all he could hear was the music he was listening to.
Get yer motor runnin' we driving thru the night...
"Hyeeergggg meeeee!"
We're headin' to the city, and we all lookin' for a fight...
"Preez hrur meee! Hyerrggg!"
Looking for a girl, dressed in leather and black!
The garbage man noticed that the lid of the trash compacter had been left up.
Don't wanna hear ya story... I just want you in the sack! Hey hey hey hey!

One could waste a lifetime speculating on all the 'what if' situations which would have seen what happened next have a completely different outcome.

Maybe if the garbage man had been more alert, he would have noticed that there was movement in the compacter. Maybe if the song he had been listening to hadn't just launched into an awesome guitar solo, he would have heard the muffled screams on the man trapped inside.

But for him this was just like any other day, and without even looking he closed the lid of the compacter, and activated the cycle to crush whatever contents were inside before unloading them into his truck.

Standing, facing the other way and playing air guitar along to the song he was listening to, he couldn't hear the screams, or see the blood burst from the garbage compacter. He didn't know that he had unwittingly ended someone's life, and played into the hands of a sinister group of people located 89 floors above him who had wanted someone to disappear without a trace or any major evidence of their wrongdoing.

The garbage man turned, noticing what looked like red paint on the ground underneath the trash compacter, and once the truck's robotic arms had cleared the unit he returned to the front of the truck and drove on to the next building, oblivious to the crushed human remains he now had at the back of his truck.

---

Chapter Two:

It was 2am when Chlodwig Retyunskikh - who usually went by his initials, C.R., tried to board the Exegrad Underground.

He strolled down the station concourse to the barrier between it and the platform, at the station between 5th Avenue and 58th Street. He approached the barrier with a couple of banknotes - last time he'd been in Exegrad, he'd had to pay some cash to the conductor onboard the Underground.

There had been a time when it was free to ride, but that time had passed before most of the people in the station at that time of night had even been born.

There was a guard by the barrier, at first he looked like a policeman carrying a Skody-7 pistol, but on closer inspection it was actually a private security guard hired by whatever company was in charge of the Underground these days.

C.R. approached him with two Tsenyens, but the guard smiled and waved him back.

"Sorry, comrade, but you need a metrocard to ride the Underground."

C.R. was taken aback, more-so by being addressed as 'comrade' than by the fact that he needed a card in order to ride Exegrad's subway.

"I see," He said. "I guess things have changed since the last time I was in town..."

The guard smiled more widely - revealing perfectly straight and glossy teeth, as if he was an actor not a security guard, the sort of plastic appearance that was rarely found outside of Alayenia.

"You're from the north are you? I can hear the accent."

C.R. nodded. When he had said "I" it had sounded like "Oi", which was a dead giveaway that he was a northerner.

"Yeah, well I'm originally from Tathika but... well I just travel around these days."

The guard smiled again, seemingly the most friendly person in the world - but of course C.R. knew how phoney those southerners were, and Exegrad was the worst of it when it came to insincerity.

"Err, so how do I get a metrocard again?"

The guard gestured to the self-service kiosks near the wall. "It's a Tsenyen for the card, plus one Tsenyen per ride. It's not bad, you can cover most of the city on a Tsenyen. Though if you're heading to Northbank or Mitaro you'll need to pay for another fare."

C.R. nodded and inserted the one Tsenyen banknote into the machine, watching as the face of Traiyan Silviu disappeared into the slot.

The touch screen came to life giving three language options - Radiatian, English or Aliyan.

C.R. chose English, it being the language he had been speaking most often lately.

"PLEASE SCAN YOUR CITIZEN I.D. CARD" said a robotic female voice.

C.R. looked back at the guard, slightly bemused.

The guard noticed his confusion. "Just use your passport."

"I don't have a passport..." Said C.R.

"Drivers licence?"

C.R. shook his head. He'd come to Exegrad because he wanted to remain anonymous, and so had made a point of not taking any I.D. with him. It had never caused him any problems, until now.

"Do you have any I.D? You need something... hell even a student ID will usually work on this machine."

C.R. fumbled in the pockets of his long brown overcoat, but there was nothing in there. Just a wad of cash, a toothbrush, a cellphone and....

He quickly closed the zipper on the pocket to conceal the pistol he was carrying from the guard. It wasn't strictly illegal for him to be carrying a pistol - a quick background check would show that C.R. was fully permitted to carry a gun by federal law - but then it wasn't strictly legal for him to be carrying one either, as he had no idea what the laws on firearms were in Exegrad and Alayenia, but he doubted that they were particularly favourable to him.

"Please tell me you have some official form of identification on you..." Said the guard tapping a sign which was hanging next to the kiosks.

"I.D. CHECKS CAN AND WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY STAFF. REMEMBER: IT IS A FEDERAL CRIME NOT TO HAVE A CITIZEN'S ID."

C.R. paused and stared at the guard, about to use the "Would ya believe I left it at home?" line.

It wasn't entirely implausible - he was clearly not a local, and in a country like Radiatia the idea that everyone would go through life without dropping or forgetting their Citizen's ID at least once was certainly not unbelievable.

The guard, however - perhaps having seen this before - pre-empted him.

"If you've left your ID at home, there's one other option. Have you ever been overseas?"

C.R. actually had to think for a moment, but of course he had been overseas! He'd been in pretty much every major conflict Radiatia had involved itself in since the fall of communism. He'd been all over.

"I have, yes." He said, cottoning on to the guard's way of thinking.

"The machine can scan your fingerprints, so just use that. I'll have to verify it though."

C.R. nodded and placed his finger onto where the machine would normally scan the barcode that contained people's Citizen ID and was included on their passports, drivers licenses or anything else that could be used as ID.

The machine took a moment to scan his fingerprints before it blipped and all his details appeared onscreen.

'NAME: MAJOR CHLODWIG RETYUNSKIKH, RFA, RSEF, (RETIRED)

STATE OF ORIGIN: TATHIKA

OCCUPATION: UNKNOWN

RESIDENCE: UNKNOWN

HAIR: BROWN

EYES: BLUE

HEIGHT: 1.95 METRES

SEX: MALE

DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 1ST, LET 10'

A photo of him appeared onscreen, slightly younger, clean-shaven and with a military haircut, but it was definitely him.

The guard smiled and hit a key, and the machine produced a metrocard for C.R. to ride the Exegrad Underground with.

"There you are... Major." Said the guard, having glanced at C.R.'s rather impressive on screen profile.

"Thank you, sir." Said C.R. as he tapped the metrocard onto the reader at the barrier and continued on to the platform.

"Oh by the way... you dropped this!" Said the guard, reaching out to hand C.R. something which had fallen out of his pocket.

It was a black medallion, with gold writing on it - coloured to look like the Radiatian flag.

The medallion had the letters "C.R." inscribed on it, perhaps nothing more than Major Chlodwig Retyunskikh's initials.

Perhaps...

[Radiatia]

Chapter Three:

C.R. didn't have to wait long for the train to arrive. This was Radiatia afterall - a country where efficiency was so highly valued that the managers of mass transit systems had been known to be attacked by torch bearing mobs because a train was more than 30 seconds late.

The doors opened and he stepped into a mostly empty carriage.

Underground it was hard to tell day from night. Even above ground the Exegrad smog sometimes made this difficult, but down here it was worse. The artificial lights always burned, no matter what time of the day, and the only real hint to the time of day one could get when riding the tube was by judging how full or empty the carriages were.

If they were nearly empty it was night. If they were full, it was day. If they were overcrowded then it was either 8am or 5pm.

C.R. looked around him and then down at himself.

It was obvious that he wasn't from around here. The long brown trenchcoat, the unkempt hair and the unshaven skin were all a giveaway of that. Afterall this was Exegrad, where most men moisturised and wore eyeliner and lip balm, not beards or trenchcoats.

At the other end of the carriage were a group of students - three girls and a pimply faced guy - giggling away at something or other. It was obvious why they were here - they were too drunk to drive home from whatever nightclub they'd been at, and they were too poor to afford a taxi home. Which was probably for the best, because on his first visit to Exegrad when he'd been 18, C.R. had ended up in a taxi driven by an immigrant who had less knowledge of the city than C.R. did - in spite of the fact that C.R. had never actually been to Exegrad before and this man purportedly lived there.

He looked around. The rest of the carriage was empty, apparently apart from the students.

He kicked back in the row of seats, normally meant for elderly or disabled passengers, and lay down, watching the lights of the tunnel occasionally reflect off the advertising on the sides of the carriage.

He wasn't really going anywhere at this time of night, in much the same way that he wasn't planning to stay in Exegrad either.

He was a vagrant, a vagabond, perhaps even an interloper, who drifted from place to place, living off the money he had saved in his 20 distinguished years of military service, as well as the weekly (but admittedly quite measly) paychecks he received from the federal government on account of him being a veteran.

He told himself that he wandered the country watching things and watching people. And this was half true.

But the truth was that you don't serve 20 years in the military, and attain the rank of major in the Radiatian Special Elite Force, and then quit to become a people watcher. You can't just observe things, it's impossible now.

You're always watching. You're always on guard.

And although he may have hung up his uniform for the last time, C.R. felt himself to be as much on duty now as ever he had been on the various battlefields of Noctur.

When he was 18 C.R. had joined the RFA to protect the Radiatian Federation, the country he loved. And he had never stopped protecting his country - it's just that now, instead of protecting it from foreign aggression, he was protecting it from an enemy far worse than Segland, or Adwest or Tuthina...

He was protecting Radiatia from itself.

And being the good and observant soldier he was, he was the first and only person to notice that the next person to board the train was a threat to everyone on board.

[Honadura]

City of Pyongyang - Capitol of DPRH - Pyongyang Province

The vibrant peacefull industrial city of Pyongyang the showcase capitol of the Honaduran Motherland. The eriee silence of the city's quiet atmosphere was interrupted by the marching footsteps of a small coloum of Honaduran soldiers marching down the street in the center of the city. The soldiers wore a light olive green uniform with officer caps having the emblem of the Honaduran idealogical symbol embedded in the hat as they marched with their AK-M assault rifles slung over their backs. Few civilians were out at this hour early in the morning around six those that were out were walking to a designated bus stop for their ride to the factory they work for hours on end in tolerable conditions as patriotic music blared from ceiling speakers. The few factories in the city were a clothing factory where mostly women made clothes of different variety from fabric using sewing machines. Their was also a expansive automobile factory where workers of both genders build and assemble vehicles for citizens wishing to purchase a nice car. The third and final factory in the city was a small weapons factory were semi-auto pistols and simple AK-Ms were assembled and shipped out to military bases around the country.

A military recruitment station was open near a bakery shop at a four way intersection where above were skyscrapers which were most likely office buildings. Two Commissars from the Honaduran Communist Party accompanied by a buff looking Sergeant Major occupied the recruitment station where various posters of propaganda to encourage the curious to sign up for military service.

Sergeant Major Han spotted two teenagers looking at one of the posters on the wall and seemed to be in conversation with eachother. One of the Commissars gave him a nod as Han left the station to speak with the two teens.

" Are you two interested in joining the Honaduran People's Army?" he asked standing behind the two slim figured teens who were two feet shorter than him. The two teens turned around and smiled eagerly as they nodded their heads to Han wanting to become a defender and a bringer of the revolution. They followed Han to the recruitment station as the two Commissars begun their small interveiw of the two teens to ensure they would do they're duties as soldiers.

"Are you both a confirmed citizen of the Democratic People's Republic of Honadura?"

"Yes" they both said automaticly.

"Do you support with your lives the prosperity of the communist revolutionary theory practiced in the motherland?"

"Yes"

"Do you swear with your lives that you will die defending the revolution and if needed invade a foreign nation in need of revolution?"

"Yes!"

"Congratulations on becoming recruits of the Honadura People's Army"

Both of the teens smiled happily shaking the firm hands of both the Commissars and Han as they were given a packet to take home and fill out to turn into a member of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. From there the two would have time to say farewell to their families before being transported to a training camp.

[Radiatia]

Chapter Four:

Anyone who had ever spent more than a few hours in Exegrad - or any major Radiatian city for that matter - knew that it was far from unusual for the Underground to be boarded by some rambling nutter - and certainly 2am seemed a perfectly good time for this to happen.

It was afterall a fact of life that Radiatia's mental health services were almost as colossal a failure as the public education system, so the average Radiatian therefore held the tendency to not bat an eyelid when noticing some raving lunatic passing by, deep in conversation with himself.

So to the civilians aboard the Exegrad Underground at that moment, the man with the bloodshot eyes - dressed in a tattered suit and with scratch marks across his face from his own fingernails - who boarded the carriage muttering and chattering vigorously to himself was not a particularly unusual sight to behold.

The students at the front of the carriage, who were holding on to the poles in the standing area near the front door seemed to scarcely notice the man who walked through the door nearest to where C.R. was lying on a flat row of seats. The young man in the student group pointed briefly at the crazy hobo and the girls laughed at some joke he had made, presumably at the hobo's expense.

The crazy man, meanwhile, appeared to take very little notice, rambling away to himself, with barely audible words occasionally rising to high volume, with phrases like "Phoney President" and "Capitalism" being occasionally spat out in between inaudible rambling.

Had the crazy man decided to go the other way, perhaps C.R. would not have felt compelled to open his eyes as he rested in the disability area of the carriage. But as the man approached, his rambling growing louder and his shadow falling briefly over C.R., C.R. made the reflexive move to open his eyes, just in case the crazy man walking past him was a threat.

The soldier in him scanned the man quickly.

Bald head. Scratch marks. Bloodshot eyes.

To the layman, it would seem that this was just another stock-standard Exegrad drug addict - someone who had fried his brain on hard drugs years ago and was now nothing more than an empty shell waiting for its next dose of -probably- methamphetamine.

From these details alone, C.R. would have decided that the man had a threat level of zero. Perhaps the man was a threat to himself, at a push he could become dangerous to the other passengers, but to someone with C.R.'s abilities, he was of no consequence.

But as C.R. continued to scan the tramp, concentrating on his clothing, it suddenly became clear to him that this was no ordinary drugged-up nutter.

The man was wearing a royal blue suit, something which once upon a time had been quite nice, probably ironed, definitely dry cleaned.

It had been shredded to pieces though, the tie was missing and the undershirt was also shredded, revealing fresh cuts on the man's skin.

Fresh cuts.

As C.R. scanned down, he noticed something else that was unusual - the man's trousers weren't shredded. In fact they were clean, spotless. C.R. was able to deduce that however the man had come to be wearing them, they - and presumably the rest of the suit too - had been clean when he had put it on.

But that was not what guaranteed that the man was a threat.

What guaranteed it was two objects which were hidden by the man's scarred and burnt hands until the man began to gesticulate wildly, as his conversation to himself heated up.

The first object was a small shiny badge attached to the man's leg, something which had probably fallen out of his pocket and been caught on a loose thread, hanging there.

While the average person probably would not have been able to make out what was inscribed on the badge, C.R. was not the average person. He could see clearly that it was a badge which showed the man to be a member of the Northbank City Police Department - NCPD.

The man wasn't an Exegrad City officer, but he was from the other side of the river and near enough to perhaps be called on by the Metropolitan Police as back-up in any large city-wide operation.

But below the belt was something far worse, which confirmed two things simultaneously to C.R..

There was a holster, carrying a gun.

And that meant that the man was definitely a threat - for any crazy man with a gun is definitely a threat. But it also meant that this man was definitely a police officer. Not someone who had somehow taken a police officer's clothes - he was one himself. For there was just no way that a crazy homeless man could steal the uniform, badge and gun of a police officer and live to tell the tale.

And the fresh cuts on his shirt and on his chest - this wasn't the result of a fight between him and the police after he'd somehow knocked an officer unconscious and stolen his clothes. No Radiatian police force fought like that. This was the result of someone else doing something horrible to a policeman.

It was not years of drug abuse that had brought this man to his present state.

Somehow, he had become like this overnight.

[Radiatia]

Chapter Five:

On the Exegrad Underground, in a dark tunnel below the surface of the city, there was a crazy guy with a gun walking up and down a carriage rambling to himself - yet only one person on board had even noticed the guy, much less the gun.

Exegraders liked to think they were intelligent sophisticates, and yet it was situations like these which proved them to be just as ignorant and naive as any redneck.

Avoiding making eye contact for fear it might provoke the crazy man, C.R. did what he could to surreptitiously keep his eyes on the crazy man and all his movements. It could take only a second for someone as unpredictable as this to snap and draw his weapon - perhaps not killing everyone on board, but certainly killing at least one person.

And C.R. saw no reason why anyone else on board at that time should die - they were, afterall, only civilians. Ignorance was their right.

The crazy man turned, and C.R. kept looking at him, but moved his eyes down so that the man would not see him staring at him. He had to keep watching but avoid making eye contact.

"...I told them you're not selling me no drugs...."

The man walked by muttering something to himself - he seemed to passionately, deeply enthralled in conversation and yet he was definitely the only participant. There was no cell phone, no bluetooth ear piece, just him and his rambling.

"....and they just don't listen. I'm gonna set this city on fire, I'll do it... listen to me I'll do it..."

C.R. waited for the man to pass him again, until the man was facing the other way and was standing at the end of the carriage opposite the students. That was so that C.R. - who wasn't exactly small in stature - could at least act as some kind of human shield should things go south and the crazy man go haywire.

It would be rich to call what was forming in C.R.'s mind at the moment a 'plan', but as a trained former military officer, C.R.'s mind was able to come up with some sort of tactic - albeit a highly risky one - which would hopefully ensure the safety of everyone in the carriage and neutralise the threat.

Crouching low he began to slide slowly towards the crazy man - no sudden movements, not yet - but edging towards him.

The man was oblivious - indeed he appeared oblivious to everything going on around him - and was facing the wrong way as C.R. slowly got to his feet and stood behind the man, his shadow falling on the man as he towered over him.

"... You can't trust anyone, they're all lying, all of them..."

"I'm sorry," Said C.R. at normal speaking volume, clearly startling the man. "But who may I ask are you talking to?"

A visible shiver went through the crazy man as he turned slowly towards C.R., straining his bloodshot eyes to look at him.

C.R. was prepared, the man could attempt to draw at any moment, and C.R. was ready to stop him, to catch his arm before his hand reached the holster.

But as the man turned fully and faced him, the man began to let out a silent shriek, a wheeze of sorts, as he began to shake violently. He was starting to convulse.

And what C.R. had not noticed, while he had been avoiding eye contact and concentrating on watching what the man did with the gun, was that the crazy man was bleeding heavily from his eye sockets.

And within moments the man fell to the floor, convulsing for a while until finally he stopped moving.

He was dead.

[Radiatia]

Chapter Six:

It took him a moment to process what had just happened.

One minute the guy was walking up and down the carriage, rambling animatedly to himself. The next minute he was lying dead on the ground with blood flowing from his eye sockets.

"Now approaching - 21st Avenue Station."

In years gone by the Exegrad Underground had conductors on board, who would walk up and down checking on tickets and perhaqps keeping a close eye on the passengers. Perhaps they still did, but only during the day or at peak times.

But now, as the train began to screech to a halt before the station, there was a dead body on board and no one knew it was there. By the time C.R. reported it at the station, the train would be gone - afterall, not even dead bodies on train carriages are enough to prevent a Radiatian mass transit network from operating "efficiently".

C.R. stared at the body, which was lying motionless on the ground before him.

A former policeman, driven insane by something, was now dead in the small hours on a train underneath Exegrad City. And someone, somewhere knew why.

C.R. studied the corpse carefully, wondering if there may be some clue, some detail he missed.

There was a side of him that considered dragging the body off the train before the next station, but his Radiatian upbringing got the better of him.

Surely plenty of dead bodies turned up on the Exegrad Underground from time to time, which meant there was someone out there whose job it was to clean such mess up.

And a good Radiatian individual knows not to interfere in the affairs of another Radiatian individual - therefore, C.R. was expected to be about his business and move on.

But there was something so wrong, so odd about what had just happened.

He couldn't let it go.

And then, held tightly in the dead man's fist was a small scrunched up piece of paper.

With seconds to go before the train stopped at the station and opened the doors for precisely 25 seconds, C.R. pried the piece of paper from the man.

The paper was torn and the ink was faded - it looked to be an receipt.

But there was a logo on it, one which could perhaps help C.R. find out why there was a dead former policeman lying on the floor of an Exegrad subway carriage.

The logo was a large letter 'M' which C.R. recognised at once as being the logo for "Mondiel Radiatia" - or, as it was better known to consumers, 'Mondiel Pharmacies'.

Mondiel's national headquarters were in downtown. Perhaps looking around there might give C.R. some clues as to what had just happened.

Preparing to step out of the train, C.R. resolved that he would head down to Mondiel's headquarters in the morning.

Or at least, that's what the plan would have been had the man actually been dead.

"Don't... move.... or I'll shoot."

C.R. froze on the spot, turning his head slowly to see the crazy man, the dead man, the ex-cop with the bleeding eyesockets pointing a gun directly at him.

C.R. breathed in deeply.

The crazy man pulled the trigger.

[Honadura]

The Men Who Run The Night.

CHAPTER ONE: Prey And Predator

Chongjin City - Downtown - 10:44 PM CT

Jun Han stumbled aimlessly out of a small bar and was drunk beyond comparison as he looked at his watch and saw it was close to curfew. He looked both ways and crossed the street and began his walk to his home which was quite a way from town. He had mistakenly left his bicycle outside the bar and was not going to remember the next day that he had left it there. It was fairly dark and the street lamps left pockets of light to show the way through the dark as Jun turned the corner a small police cruiser passed by as he continued on walking by a recreational park area and suddenly felt the need to throw up.

"Oh fuck" he said as he hurried across the street and puked into a nearby trashcan outside the park. He wiped his mouth of the left over bits of vomit left on his sleeve and continued on towards home. Unknowingly passing a man leaning on the fence who wore brown jacket half zipped up and wore a badge. He watched the man puke and stumble on by without seeing him he was soon to be his prey.

Jun had made it to a intersection and looked both ways and not seeing a vehicle in sight as he crossed the man in the jacket followed every step of the way. Taxi's and buses which were the form of transportation of the inner city were off duty during the half hour before curfew which was at 11 PM. The curfew was put for every city to decrease the amount of crime that occurs at night and they're would be several patrols out to catch people breaking curfew. Those caught would be put in jail and later interrogated and kept till the next day but for Jun the man following him was from the Civil State Police which were the secret police of the state. The CSP were cold calculated killers and what everyone in the country was brainwashed to fear.

The CSP were allowed as written by the Ministry of State Security to "do everything in it's power to protect the revolution and the proletariet" which meant by exploitation of this would mean that officers from the CSP could do whatever they feel was right. In Jun's case he was five minutes late and it was 11:05 PM and he was out during curfew which meant the CSP officer had the right to arrest and interrogate Jun and if he was feeling generous let Jun walk away with his life. Jun was now at the Plaza of Eternal Revolution which the main attraction to this place was the 30ft bronze statue of the Eternal Leader in a classic heroic pose as if he was delivering a mighty speech to the masses.

Jun took a few seconds to admire the statue in his half druken state and suddenly he felt a pain in the back of his head and then it went black and now the prey had been captured by the predator..

+ + + + +

CHAPTER TWO: No Hope

Chongjin City - Chongjin Jail - 11:27 PM CT


Jun awoke now fully sober and had a bad headache as his eyes readjusted to the lighting in the room. The blury figure standing before him became clear as it was the man he assumed knocked him unconcisous. He was the man that had been following him although he wasn't wearing his jacket and their were two Police officers posted at the door. Jun was strapped down with constraints on a cold metal chair and was wondering how in the hell this happened to him and at that moment he looked at the clock above the door and he felt a bit dead inside. It was 11:27 and he had probably been out past curfew and whoever this man was was part of the police and they were going to interrogate him.

"Awake now?" the man asked as he chuckled and pulled up a chair only a arm's length apart now he stared into his eyes with a sickened smirk which somewhat let Jun know what kind of person this was.

"You didn't have to knock me out" Jun responded as the man laughed and slapped Jun across the face his anger suddenly showing as Jun was silent recovering from the slap.

"Out after curfew, breath smelled of liquor " he said and continued. "What were you doing out after curfew?" he asked his anger having calmed as he waited for a response from Jun.

"I.. was out at a bar having a drink and I lost track of time" he said truthfully as the man seemed not phased and stood up from the chair and walked around Jun still in arm's length of Jun. Jun stared at the floor as the man sat back down in the chair and rubbed his face which needed a slight shave as facial hair was growing.

"You drunk stupid idiot" he said and continued. "You shouldn't of drunk so much and maybe you would of made it home" he explained as he sat back in the chair and pulled a ciggerate from his chest pocket. Jun was skeptical of what this man was going to do and didn't think he was going to just interrogate him.

"Can I be put in a cell already? " and added. "Im tired" he finished as the man looked at the two officers before swiftly punching Jun in the mouth and then laughed about it as he sat back down. Jun felt blood run down his chin as he spit on the floor seeing the dot of red liquid as before he could raise his head the man had kicked Jun's chair back which it fell back and Jun's head hit the floor as the man stood over him and punched him several times. When he stopped he lifted the chair Jun was restrained to back up and picked up the ciggerate he dropped as he sat down and pulled out a match and lit that. Jun was dazed and hurt with blood running down his chin from his busted lip as the man had took a nice drag of his ciggerate.

The man then took the ciggerate and stood up smushing the burning ciggerate against Jun's face as the man's free arm kept his head in place. Jun let out a cry as the ciggerate ash burnt his skin as the man smushed it into his face as Jun squirmed trying to get away but he knew that wasn't happening.

"You fucking bastard!" Jun said in anger as the man chuckled poking the burnt mark as he laughed and sat down in the chair. Jun was pissed off and wanted teach this guy a lesson but he was unfourtantly restrained to the chair he sat in. Suddenly Jun's eyes grew wide as the man was now holding a gun which he sported cocking the weapon meaning the gun was loaded gave Jun a minor heart attack as so many things flowed into his head.

"Please.. don't kill me i swear i wont be out during curfew! he pleaded. "Please.. let me go" he said as his eyes watered and he was crying now. The man laughed and put the handgun against Jun's cheek which he squirmed and squeled tears rolling down his cheek as the man gripped the hair hard as he begun whispering in his ear.

"Your not leaving this room tonight boy.. or the next day.. your going to die here" he whispered as Jun began sobbing franticly not wanting to die as he begun panicking while the man laughed. He didn't care at all as he had done this time and time again to others and was taught to never show enemies of the proletariet mercy.

"PLEASE NO DONT KILL ME!" He shouted sobbing still as the man pistol whipped Jun across the head as he cried in pain. The man then pistol whipped him again and again untill the chair fell over and Jun cried and cried as the man was beating him over the head with his handgun. The man didn't let up as anger raged out and his hits got harder as Jun cried and then suddenly Jun was silent and not moving. The man stumbled to his feet wiping away sweat from his forehead breathing heaily as he saw Jun's face covered in blood and a small puddle of blood on the floor.

"Shit.." he said. "All you are is shit" he finished and shot Jun twice in the skull as a quick spasam from Jun's body confirmed he was dead and the pool of blood grew. He then walked to the door and opened it signaling the two officers to clean up the mess as he walked down the hall way passed other cells and left the jail. He put on his jacket and zipped it halfway before going to his four door car and driving home never to speak of the event again as he does with the other 'events' he comitted during the night. He was one of the men who run the night..

[Radiatia]

Chapter Seven:

There was an ear-shattering bang as the Skody-7 pistol launched its 9x20mm bullet towards C.R. at a velocity of 378 metres per second.

No one, not even someone with C.R.'s ability could get out of the way, especially not at such close range.

C.R. was thrown forward violently, into the window, as the bullet struck him squarely in the back.

But that was all that happened.

Wincing from the pain, C.R. got back up. The bullet hadn't gone through him - it was lodged in his back, and as he approached the crazy man, breathing heavily and in pain, his took the bullet with his fingers and pulled it out.

There wasn't even blood. Because a simple 9mm bullet wasn't enough to make C.R. bleed.

As he lunged forward he was pleased to see something else in the insane man's crazed, bloodshot eyes - he could see fear in them.

"What are you?!" Gasped the man before C.R. kicked the gun clean out of his hand.

C.R. felt the man's bones break under his feet as he landed on top of his wrist.

He placed his other foot lightly on the man's chest, in a position that meant that he could simply put his weight down and probably break the man's ribs, if not suffocate him.

"Who are you?" He spat. "And what do you know?"

"You are a demon!" Gasped the crazy man, before coughing up a lump of blood - a lump of blood which was not C.R.'s doing.

"You've endangered innocent people," Said C.R. "There's no such thing as demons. There are just men."

And determining that he was wasting his time trying to interrogate the man, C.R. decided to put him out of his misery, kicking the man squarely in the chin with a force so hard that it detached the man's head from his spine.

He took a deep breath and turned around. The students were watching him - some with fear etched across their face, but one was kneeling on the ground with something shiny in his hand.

"Y-y-you... d-dropped this."

It was the medallion with the letters 'C.R.' on them.

C.R. looked at the young man, and then to the girls, who looked back at him petrified and traumatised.

In the most gentle tone he could muster in the circumstances, C.R. said, "Keep it."

The train had stopped and C.R. was getting out - no way that he could bothered talking to the cops tonight. He had bigger fish to fry.

"Who are you?" Asked the young man. "How did you do that? How the hell are you alive?"

C.R. took a deep breath and smiled.

"I am this country's last line of defence," He said. "I... am Captain Radiatia!"

[Nui-ta]

From "00:00 Funnies With Ulrin Kapoor", a Nui-tan celebrity news anchor/comedian

---

"So let me tell you guys something, who here remembers Evan Isaci?"

Cheers and boos come from the crowd

"Oh shit, woah there, I'm just glad to be on during watershed hours so I can actually swear on television. If there are any kids watching this, you've seen all the filth you need to for tonight, get your asses in bed. No, seriously, you're all too young to remember this guy anyway, I mean, it's been 10 years or so since he died right?"

"LONGER, oh wow. That's right, he died in 114, it's 127. That's...messed up. Evan Isaci has been dead now for 13 years. Proves my point, if you're younger than 13, you're in an era too young for this joke, and if you're younger than 20, you won't remember him anyway, so get the fuck off the television".

"Alright, alright, any viewer 16 and older can stay on, since you're technically old enough. Fuck me, let me give you some background..."

"So for those of you who fell asleep in history class, Evan Isaci was the first-common blood Prime Minister, and he had important contributions to Nui-tan society like---shit, I'm not a history teacher. Forget that, let's just get to the juicy details about Mr. Isaci..."

"He was...a freaking ladykiller. I mean at 60+ years old, how in hell does one land women half his age on such a frequent basis? What did that guy have, some sort of magic love beam or something?"

"He's like that guy from the Radiatian perfume commercial, he just dashes on a little cologne, snaps his fingers, and BAM! He gets laid. I WANT THAT GUY'S SKILLS."

"See, Trenta i-Harendo was also known for being a sexy bombshell, but she was married and faithful. And all the heterosexual guys in Nui-ta have dreamt about dressing up in a KG uniform just once and getting her drunk enough to commit "mistaken identity adultery", if you know what I mean, oh come on, admit it!"

"Seriously? Just me?"

"With Isaci, he was married and you could still nail him, you just needed boobs larger than most men's heads. I think the only two women he ever came near him who didn't walk out of the room smelling like his magic love beam cologne were Mrs. i-Harendo, and Soden Larssen's wife. Although with how much time Soden Larssen himself spent around Isaci, I'm left wondering so many questions..."

"He was also interesting on the gossip state back when he was alive, and this is what we're actually here to talk about today, for one other thing,"

"If you kept up with family news, you'll know that Evan Isaci had a daughter. Technically, she's his granddaughter, for those of you who want to bitch about the finer details, but her parents died a long time ago, grandpa Prime Minister took her in, so he's now the father for all intents and purposes".

"And this girl, this Sophine Isaci, she was probably the one thing that made Evan Isaci...cute. I don't care how much some people hated him, a paparazzi once snapped a picture when she was little of him pushing her on a swing and I swear, the entire country said "AWWWWW" at the same time!"

"They said "AWWW" so much that Ossorians were sending us letters saying "AWWW WHAT?""

"Radiatia sends us letters saying "SHUT THE FUCK UP!", and Crata....dear Crata..."

"Crata sends us a politely worded letter of inquiry, as well as to cease and desist. "Dear strange little island on the western side of the world, please stop awwing before we have to unleash our attack goats"."

"Everyone awwws again, Crataan ships appear and drop down 100 goats with knives or something strapped to them".

"The goats float in the air with their little Crataan parachutes, get shot down by the Nui-tan Armed Forces, and we all have mutton for dinner".

"But yeah, she grew up!"

"She grew up, got married, had a child....recently got divorced...yeah. Divorced, but here's the weird part...have you seen her kid?"

"I think they named him Cid. Have you seen Cid?"

"He looks eerily like Soden Larssen with a tan and after liposuction. I'm wondering if that had anything to do with the divorce..."

"Don't believe me? Okay, this kid is about...good lord...I think he's about 7 or 8 years old. Well let's just note some old celebrity footage from that time. Right before our young Sophine decides to get married, paparazzi's caught her on a trip to Exegrad. This was a couple years after the Big Man Soden Larssen died, just for historical background".

"But wait, who's that near her?"

"Anyone listen to foreign radio? I know sometimes the Kurt Larssen show broadcasts internationally through the internet. Hey look, it's Kurt Larssen!"

"Look familiar?"

Paparazzi images of Kurt Larssen, and then of Cid, flash on screen

"Now, I could be wrong of course, but let's just pretend that I'm right and that Cid is the demon-spawn of not one, but two famous Tory lines. Let's just say he's a Larssen and he's an Isaci..."

"This is like the worst nightmare of liberals. THE TORIES ARE BREEDING!"

"Now keep in mind, Kurt himself is a liberal, so maybe this is cosmic revenge by daddy Soden?"

"Son, if you're going to be a liberal, at least get me a grandson with some Tory in him".

"Oh here Dad, I shagged your best friend's daughter".

"ATTABOY!"

[Nui-ta]

Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve

Yuesses, New Vashura, Radiatia
...in a small, ethnically Nui-tan neighborhood...

---

Deodan Gadhavi was staring at his newfound citizenship papers and all the stuff that had come along with it.

He knew he wanted to enlist, but couldn't decide between the RFA and the RFAF. Wanting more information, he was looking through propoganda for both branches, and leaning a little towards the RFAF.

He had also just filled out registration paperwork to be affiliated with the SDU. Looking through all the primary candidates, he spotted something that caught his attention.

A piece of propoganda for local presidential candidate Josko Ivers.

He looked at the propoganda, agreeing a little with a lot of the things Josko had to say, and deciding to do some further research once Josko's experience as the former ambassador to Nui-ta came up. This was the reason why many of the people in this neighborhood of Nui-tan immigrants were voting for Ivers, assuming they were Radiatian citizens.

He looks familiar... Deodan mused, before suddenly recalling that Josko had been present when Deodan was given the key to the city of Yuesses.

Deodan had been given the key for stopping a racist attack on the streets against two women...those two women, as he recalled, were Josko's wife and daughter...

He wore the key under his shirt at all times as a reminder to himself that he was grateful to Radiatia --- grateful that the Federation, for all its ups and downs, allowed him to live life as an individual and gain success and failure on his own merit.

Johanna Ivers and Deodan Gadhavi had lost contact within the past year. Johanna was busy following her father's campaign. Deodan was busy becoming a citizen, and then busy getting a full-time job in a hospital as a physician's aide while training to get into top physical shape and enlist.

She met him again, unexpectedly, and now far more grown. In Nui-ta, she was on the cusp of adulthood, and even in Radiatia, she had definitely matured on physical and mental levels. The only thing that distinguished her from most teenagers was that she was still quite innocent at heart.

He saw her putting up a poster outside the cafe he was sitting in.

"Hey, do you have the time?" She'd asked him.

He stared, recognizing her faintly. "Um...16:45?"

"Drat, I have to be home soon..."

Johanna put down the posters and sat down on the ground coolly. "I can't believe I managed all those posters! I even got a few hopeful votes!"

She eyed the Ivers 52 pamphlet in Deodan's hand.

"Can we hope for your vote?" She asked kindly in Melodian.

"I speak English," Deodan smiled, "and...sure".

She smiled and moved forward, not recognizing him. He now made enough money to buy nicer clothes and eat better, and working in a hospital forced him to shave.

"Johanna?" Deodan asked.

She turned around. "How'd you know that?"

He pulled out the key.

"Deodan?! How have you been, man?" She smiled.

"How have you been?" Deodan nodded, gulping a little at how attractive she'd become.

"Good, good! Heh, my Dad's running for president, so..."

"I see that..." Deodan nodded.

"Did you get citizenship?"

"Yes, actually".

Johanna turned away, "that's good! How old are you now?"

Deodan groaned, feeling old, "erm...22...you?"

"15!"

Great, Deodan, he thought to himself, you freaking perv...eyeing a teenager like that...

He glanced nervously to the side ---something he was apt to do when nervous, similar to Josko's long ago habit of fidgeting with his tie whenever he saw Kiana.

Johanna turned away, "hey, I'll be back tomorrow, okay! I have to head home and help Mum make dinner!"

Curious, he returned to the cafe the next day, watching as Johanna enthusiastically spammed the city with Ivers 52 advertisements.

This happened for a good week, until Deodan noticed for a few days that Johanna had been absent from her post. He had enlisted with the RFAF in this time. He'd be leaving Yuesses soon.

Negasi posters were beginning to flood the area, and a few Negasi supporters were harassing the everliving out of everyone in the area.

Deodan searched around a bit before finally finding Johanna on her way home.

"What happened with all the ads that you had?" He asked.

Johanna sighed. "They keep ripping down everything I put up..."

Deodan frowned. "I'm sorry".
 
He looked at the largest poster she had of her father's --- a massive banner that she'd probably worked on for ages.

"May I have that?"

Johanna stared. "Why?"

"Trust me".

"But---"

Deodan felt the heat rush to his face as he reached over and grabbed both her shoulders. He actually laid his hands on her. Her skin was soft under her shirt, her hair against his knuckles like silk.

He snatched the poster suddenly.

"HEY!" She gasped.

"Trust me!" Deodan said, bolting away from her. She followed him from behind but could not pursue him. The young girl who was sheltered from exhausting physical activities in her youth was no match for the young man who spent his early days running home for a mile or two to escape heavy rain.

She didn't see her poster again until the next day.

Deodan had taken his spare cash and had copies made of the poster. Loads of them.

The neighborhood was plastered with the image of Josko Ivers.

"I told you to trust me," Deodan smiled, approaching Johanna as she stood before the posters, awestruck.

She turned around. "How did you do this?!"

"I know a guy that does copy work like this. Got a discount price". He smirked.

He felt all his nervousness pass away --- he'd done all he could for her. His time was running out for Yuesses in the short-term. Maybe he'd see her again. Maybe not.

It was better this way. 

It was amazing to see her smile.

He won that neighborhood in the primary --- 73%.

"Why?" Johanna asked.

He took a deep breath.

"Because I...knew you'd love it".

No longer doubting how he felt, he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Innocently.

While she stared at him, (it was her first kiss), he took off the key to the city of Yuesses.

He placed it around her neck and then reached down for her hand, touching a charm bracelet she'd made for herself.

"May I have this?"

She looked down and removed it, handing it to him.

"I'm leaving next week for training in the RFAF. Lucky me the war's over --- I should be back in a few months and then I'll have some time to...well, you want to hang out?"

Johanna flinched a little but then suddenly heard a voice in her head.

Trust him