OOC: This is set at the end of WC79.
Of all the effects that the brutal current Euran-Sameban War had inflicted on Sameba's civilian population, it was the blasted power cuts. Moira Beran thumped the soft temporary wall by her head in frustration with a clenched fist. Her temporary home in the sense that it was no longer temporary at all, the northeastern coastal city of Carrio, was so bad that it redefined the term 'shithole'. There was nothing she could do to escape this godforsaken place and its dreadful wet weather but she could at least look after her four children in the apartment if there was some functioning electricity. That was the problem - the power cuts knocked out something new every other day. This time it was the freezer and they were now certain to lose a great deal of precious rationed food as it defrosted prematurely. On another occasion she could have handed it out to local residents, but recently her military escort had instructed her not to do so due to the security threat of nearby Communist insurgents. She suspected that there was another reason at play too; the soldiers were probably aware of the resentment among the general population towards individuals with privileged ration status. Hers would become obvious if she started handing out embargoed goods like they were worthless outside the apartment block.
Living in this place had so many frustrations and this was just one of them. As much as she hated it though, Moira knew that there was no other choice. Her husband, referred to as "the Colonel" or "Mr Beran" by the guards and her handler from the local regiment, was a high value target and a trusted close friend of President General Gartanzo. Before the war she could freely waltz around the richer districts of Samebus and treat her children to the good life, and the husband too when he was free. If she tried it today they would have to contend with occasional food riots, aerial bombardment and much feared Euran-sympathetic snatch squads. She longed for that life every minute of every day. Five and a half years of war had ruined it all. The lifestyle, the children's education and potentially their lives, and her marriage which was now approaching termination unless there was peace soon. Not even work could provide solace because no-one in the military would allow her to get a job in the circumstances. To what end? Moira had no idea any more. There had been a time where she believed in the cause. More so than her husband either. Heady days of ideological fervour and nationalistic pride. Years of grinding conflict had demolished that faith like it had for many millions of other Sameban's. The difference for her was that not only was she a target for blackmail of an official at the heart of government who reportedly was in charge of civil protection, but she was also being monitored for potential political dissidence by either herself or her partner. Moira wasn't just out here for her own protection, but to keep her at arms length if Colonel Beran stepped out of line.
Security at least wasn't too much of an immediate concern if they were smart. The Euran's had barely hit Carrio. She told herself it was because the regime had been smart to put the family here but deep down accepted that this place was probably too worthless for the Euran Navy or Air Force to trouble itself with. More of a threat was the Communist insurgency which seemed to grow stronger every winter, slightly stronger each time, before melting away again in the summer. All Moira had to protect the kids from was themselves. 'Ow! Maaaaama!' Bloody hell. She marched into the living room and found Bora clutching his knee. 'You stupid boy! What did I tell you about playing hard with your brother?' The older brother Martin teared up. 'I didn't mean to.'
'He's barely five.' The tearing up became more of a flood. Moira couldn't help herself. She'd never been good at discipline with the younger ones. 'Alright, ok. I'm sorry. I just want you both to be safe. Do you understand me?' He nodded and embraced her for a hug. Sometimes she wondered if it would be possible to just run. The Euran government would surely take them in. Maybe she'd end up in a cell somewhere - the more she read of the contraband anti-war newsletters, the more she became convinced that the Euran government didn't actually summarily executive every Sameban they got their hands on. That was as bad as it could get. The children would have a new life. Her husband might not make it but he would understand. He always understood the children had to come first. It was the only thing that made her still long for him to come home.
Noting the time from the old fashioned clock in the corner, she stood up and walked back to the kitchen. 'Now help Bora get to bed Martin, ok?'
'Will do!'
'No games Martin.' Martin frowned but it was long past bed time for him. Moira pulled out a cigarette once the kids were out of the room. The other rascals were already asleep. A large truck pulled up down the road about ten metres away. She ignored it but the guardsman outside the window looked concerned. 'Matteo, what's the fuss?' The open kitchen window allowed her to communicate with the two soldiers that were always outside if she wanted to, protocol be damned. 'Mrs Beran, please stay inside. Its just some lousy fool. We will get rid of them.' Matteo marched up to the truck with his hand on his sidearm and barked out some orders at the driver. 'Go on, I said move on! You're not allowed up this street!' The driver held up his hands and signaled that he would move away. Matteo returned and Moira went back to paying attention to the much desired cigarette. Luxuries like this were too expensive to ignore. The rocket flew through the window and blew out the apartment before she could light it. Everything disintegrated in a flash. Moira was struck violently by debris and thrown through the window. Technically she was not killed instantly but she would never wake up again. For the children it was quicker and more final. Matteo was practically cut in half by the door, leaving only Corporal Georgio Namar alive. He was thrown to the floor by the explosion and took a few moments to pick himself up before doing the mental arithmetic. He rushed over to Moira's inanimate body and attempted to resuscitate her to no effect. The apartment was fronted by a wall of flame that made it impossible to try and recover the children. Georgio then noticed the truck pulling away and realised its appearance was not coincidental. He grabbed his rifle, switched to automatic fire mode and shouted at the driver to stop, but the vehicle had already reversed away. Georgio opened fire and held down the trigger but to no avail. It was over.
Far away in a control centre in the Euran capital of Bastion, the Prime Minister poured herself some whiskey. Greaves stood by her and watched the grayscale image of a Euran Navy drone's camera watching a freshly destroyed target. 'Congratulations, Prime Minister. We have our trigger.' Yarley said nothing. 'Aren't you satisfied with the result?' She lowered her glass and pondered. 'Will it have been quick?'
'Our operative on the ground confirmed a direct hit. No chance of survivors.' Yarley nodded, and solemnly polished off her drink. Maybe she did have a heart of some kind after all. 'Pull the drone out. Bail out our operative. Is everything else in place should something come of this?'
'Yes, we think so.'
'How long do you think it will take if we have been successful?'
'We can't say for sure. Beran may not do anything for weeks or months even. Or he might walk into Gartanzo's office tomorrow and blow him away. All we can do is wait now and try to monitor the situation from here.' Yarley thanked Greaves and dismissed her along with everyone else in the room. Wars are inherently savage and this one was no different. Innocent or guilty, soldier or civilian, nobody was truly safe. She knew that better than anyone. If it meant victory though it would be worth the sacrifice. In spite of all her power hungry desires and her disregard for human life if it got in her way, Yarley did ultimately believe in her ideology and in ending the suffering somehow. She was simply desperate to find a way that didn't involve sending millions of Euran servicemen and women through the most densely packed defensive military formations on the planet.
