DATE: MARCH 23rd
TIME: 7:15 AM (Capconian time)
LOCATION: The Head Ministry
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Prime Minister Jeson Murlon walked into the building of the Head Ministry, and smiled at the receptionist, a twenty-three year old young woman named Meghon Warson. "Good morning, Miss Warson," Jeson said, a cheerful, upbeat attitude radiating off of him like the rays of the sun on a perfect beach day.
"Good morning, Your Excellency," Meghon replied, standing up and saluting Jeson, who returned the salute. "You look very well today."
"Thank you, Miss Warson. You look very well yourself," Jeson replied as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor. The elevator doors slid shut and the elevator car began to rise at a fairly quick rate, not stopping untill reaching the destination that Jeson had pressed. When the elevator stopped, a calm female voice announced, "Floor 25, going up." The doors then opened, and Jeson stepped into the plush carpeted hallway, walking down the long corridor towards his office. As he passed one of the many office doors on either side of him, one of them opened, and Endron Finbar, a balding man with glasses who appeared to be in his forties emerged.
"Good morning, Your Excellency," Endron said, saluting formally.
"Good morning, Mr. Finbar," Jeson replied with a smirk and a nod, before continuing into his office. As soon as he got into his office, he took a seat as his desk and proceeded to look over the various papers on his desk. He skimmed over the newest memos from the parliament and from the other sections of the ministry. He paused as he came to the large calendar on his desk, as he realized that he was having a meeting with Yulah Seraz, Health Minister of the city of Tiblag, at noon today. He smiled, remembering how much he enjoyed having formal luncheons with those who came to meet with him. He pressed the button on the communications unit on his desk and said, "Connect me with the Catering Area."
A pause. Then the image of Head Chef Jeroz Santers appeared. At first he seemed to be busy doing something off to the side, but as soon as he noticed that his communications unit was active, he turned to face it. Realizing who it was, he removed his hat and saluted formally. "Good morning, Your Excellency. How may I help you?"
"Good Morning, Mr. Santers. I am planning to have a formal luncheon with Helalth Minister Seraz. I would like to request the vegetarian and cheese special for the both of us today," Jeson replied.
"Yes, Your Excellency. Shall I include the standard drinks that go with the vegetarian menu?" Jeroz asked.
"That would be lovely. The meeting will occur at noon today, so please make sure you can have it ready by then," Jeson replied.
"Yes, Your Excellency. It shall be ready by then!" Jeroz saluted once again.
"Thank you, Mr. Santers," Jeson replied, before shutting off the unit. He proceeded to get to work on the current tasks on his desk.
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TIME: 12:15 PM
LOCATION: Capconia City Central Railway Station
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Even in the lunchtime hour, the railway station was still buzzing with activity. Intercity trains were always coming and going, while the local rail service was carrying passenger in and out of the city and the subways provided speedy travel throughout the city as well as to close points outside of the city. The station provided plenty of amenities for travelers and commuters, including restaurants, convenience stores, and even a couple small motel-like spots where travelers could rest if they had missed their train.
Lynara Brelin walked out of the women's washroom in the East Depot section of the Central Railway Station, having just finished freshening up after enjoying a nice lunch, and was now planning to get some fresh air before she returned to her duty as a train dispatcher. Her high heeled shoes clicked on the marble floor as she passed by numerous other people bustling around her, some heading for their trains while others were just doing their own thing as they waited for their train or for someone to arrive. For Lynara, it was merely a task of getting outside and getting a breath of real fresh air.
As soon as she got outside, she slid her shoes off and sat on one of the marble benches literally built into the station, stretching and flexing her toes, glad to be out of her uncomfortable shoes while she let the feel of fresh air wash all over her. To her it was almost like the feeling of relaxation washing over her was like a feeling of being high. In fact, she was so high that she almost missed the strange looking man that was walking into the building. It was at that moment she did a double take and looked up just long enough to see the man, wearing a blue heavy jacket with the letters 'UFA' on it, and the feeling of relaxation was filled with a sense of panic.
Grabbing her shoes off the ground, Lynara ran several feet away from the building, stopping only when she found a seemingly innocuous yellow box on a black pillar. She opened it and picked up the receiver inside. "I need to report a suspicious individual in the Central Railroad Station," She said as the operator on the other line picked up.
"What kind of individual is this?" The male voice on the other end asked calmly.
"He's a member of the UFA! I saw it on his jacket! I don't know what he's planning but--"
Lynara abruptly stopped speaking as the sound of countless people screaming could be heard as the doors opened and a large group of people attempted to get out all at once, getting stuck on one another. Their faces were very pale and sickly looking, and a greenish mist could be seen floating out the doors. Almost immediately, Lynara's eyes went wide and her jaw hung slackly.
"Ma'am? Are you still there?" The operator could barely be heard asking.
"They've unleashed a gas attack on the station! We need help!" Lynara shouted without picking up the receiver, still frozen with shock.
"OK, emergency services are being dispatched."
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TIME: 12:17 PM
LOCATION: The Head Ministry
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"I understand your concern, Ms. Seraz," Jeson said. "I will definitely see to it that the Health Ministry is aware of the current shortage of vaccine supplies in Tiblag, and I shall definitely see to it that the supply shortage will be tended to ASAP."
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Yulah said, nodding and extending her hand to shake Jeson's.
"You are most welcome," Jeson replied, smiling and returning the handshake firmly. "I am always willing-"
A loud knock on the door interrupted Jeson, followed by a desperate male voice on the other end. "Your Excellency, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a crisis I must alert you to!" It was the voice of Chetmin Kartov, Head Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
"Then come in," Jeson replied in a voice that was soft but definitely showed signs of concern. Almost immediately, Chetmin entered, holding a stack of papers in his hand and looking to be very nervous and out of breath. "What has happened, Mr. Kartov?"
"Your Excellency," Chetmin began, "I have just received word that the Unlimited Freedom Alliance has launched a gas attack on the Central Railway Station. Over two-hundred casualties reported so far."
"Do we know how many persons were involved?" Jeson asked, still soft but concerned in his voice.
"An eyewitness account reports one person entering through the Eastern Depot entrance, but there could be more. We don't know," Chetmin replied. Before Jeson could ask any further questions, the communication unit for the Meeting Room beeped. Jeson turned to turn on the unit, and almost immediately, the image of Viron Ku-Nikalo appeared. His face was obscured by the hood he wore over his head in the low-lit room, yet his eyes were clear to make out in the darkness.
"What do you want?" Jeson shouted.
"Your Excellency, we are merely expressing our views, which is permitted under the General Laws of Capconia," Viron replied in a voice that was almost like a loud whisper.
"You know that killing innocent people isn't permitted under our laws!" Jeson yelled loudly.
"That is the thing," Viron replied. "You say we have the freedom to live our lives and enjoy them however we like. Yet, you still punish people for doing certain things. You recently arrested a large number of my people from Remcron for merely partaking in their personal beliefs and what they believe in doing."
"They were arrested because they were murdering innocent people!"
"We were not murdering them. We were performing sacrifices. Sacrifices that were necessary to prove our point about having true freedom. They may have been brutal, but it was merely a way of expressing our views, like I stated earlier," Viron replied.
"What do you want from me?!" Jeson shouted, now standing up and clenching his fists.
"Your Excellency, I want nothing from you directly just yet. Rather, I want my people to be left alone and allowed to practice their views of life freely," Viron said as he clasped his hands in front of him.
"Those are not views of life. Those are acts of terror! We do not allow them in this country," Jeson shouted even louder.
"Then we will have no other choice but to continue making our points, whether on a big scale or little scale. It is necessary to do this to expose the truth of your lies about freedom. Goodbye, Your Excellency." And with that, the image disappeared.
Jeson stood, staring in shock at what had just happened. He then turned to Chetkin and said, "Mr. Kartov, notify the police and Special Investigation Forces of what is going on. Pass what has just happened along throughout the rest of the network of the Law Ministries. And make sure Ms. Selaz has extra protection while she returns to Tiblag."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Chetkin replied and proceeded to escort Yulah out of the room. Jeson continued to stand, still frozen with shock about what had just happened, and began to realize that being free wasn't without it's flaws.
