The Cold Civil War

[Myroria]

Notice to all Imperial Rail passengers

Please do not run on the train platform if you are carrying a rucksack, wearing a big coat, or if you are an outlander. This is in response to the terrorist attacks in Saint John's Square committed by the deplorable Inglish foreigner, and this is for your own safety. We hope you will continue to travel with Imperial Rail.

Thanks,

Imperial Rail - Driving all over Arda since 1889.

The bottom of the poster flew up a bit as John Henley ran past it and towards the closing train door.

"Wait! Keep the door open!"

"Oh, hello Grandmaster Vrotrith. Who is this travelling with you?" The conductor said as the partners got on the train and he closed the door.

"Comrade Vrotrith. And this is my nephew, Rick."

"Rick? Sounds like an outlander name."

"Yes, he recently moved here. Now, can I please take a seat?"

"Yes, yes. Let me see your ticket - very well. First class it is."

The man and teenager walked to the front of the train, and closed the door in their compartment. Vrotrith sat on one side of the booth and Henley on the other.

"Well, I honestly wasn't expecting that to work, John. I guess that rudimentary disguise was enough to fool the conductor." Vrotrith whispered.

"Yes. Thanks for that - you literally saved my life. Where's this train going?"

"I - I actually don't know. Let me check the schedule I got at the station...

We're starting in Klaipeda, obviously, and ending in Annúminas, Eluvatar."

"Do you think the guards will find out early?"

"Nonono. Those idiots were bribed easily, and we'll be in Annabe by the time they 'find' you had escaped."

[Myroria]

Two prefects dressed in the maroon uniform of Great House Quarrovth ran down the halls of a jail near Saint John's Square. Looking out the barred windows in the cells, one could see that the rubble from the old obelisk had been cleaned and a new one was being lifted up by a crane. But the prefects - or prefect captains they actually were - were not sightseeing. There had been an escape. As soon as they heard, they rushed to the scene. When the prefect captains arrived at the empty cell, they didn't immediately notice anything different - he couldn't have done this by himself. The captain that seemed to outrank the other turned to the guard that noticed Henley was missing.

"He couldn't have done this by himself this fast. Let me see your log for the night. NOW!"

"Here you are, sire." The guard picked up a leatherbound book from a table and handed it to him. The prefect flipped to the last filled out page. He skimmed it a bit.

"There's no record of anyone coming in during the night...

You seem to be the only suspect. Come with me."


Vrotrith locked the compartment door before taking a laptop computer out of his suitcase. He entered it up to his mail program. Vrotrith began typing furiously.

To: National Worker's Council of Gallipoli and China
From: Comrade Rolf Vrotrith of Great House Vrotrith
Subject: John Henley

Comrades,

You may have come across in the news of the imprisonment of one John Henley, a teenager that committed the bombings of Saint John's Square. I rescued the lad from certain death at the hands of the fascist Quarrovths and the abusive Hansos. Currently I am bound to Annuminas, Eluvatar, on a train belonging to Imperial Rail. I can only hide him from the Myrorians so long there before he will be cought by the all-pervasive Myrorian Catholic Church. I request that he be transferred to any place where he is safe in Gallipoli-China. Uichi Ryu is firmly in the grip of Great House Hanso, and Xyrael is in a state of utter chaos. If you allow Henley refuge in your nation, Great House Vrotrith will consider you great friends and allies.

It is only a matter of time before Quarrovth and Hanso discover my involvement in John's escape; time is of the essense.

[Zimmerwald]

To: Comrade Rolf Vrotrith of Great House Vrotrith

Your request will be acted upon; one of the principles of our government is amnesty for freedom fighters the world over.  We will be happy to take custody of, and if necessary to hide, John Henley.  Union Airways flight 203 from Annuminas to Xanadu will have a pressurized cargo hold; see if you can smuggle him on.  If not, we will make other arrangements.

In solidarity,
Lin Tei, Workers' Councillor

[Myroria]

To: National Worker's Council of Gallipoli and China
From: Comrade Rolf Vrotrith of Great House Vrotrith
Subject: RE: John Henley

This is most acceptable. I am eternally grateful for your help, and Henley will be heading to Gallipoli-China soon.

"Ok. We know you were involved in the escape, and we may let you go freely if you tell us who took Henley."

"And if I don't tell?"

"Then you can be shot for treason."

"...Fine. Rolf Vrotrith entered the prison at about 11:00 PM. He told me he'd pay me 500,000 Kolonialreich marks if he let Henley come with him. I couldn't refuse."

"Damnit man, have you any honour?"

"My family can't live off a meager guard's pay."

The head prefect ran his hand through his hair before getting up and putting his prefect helmet back on.

"Get out of here. Captain, gather up a group of prefects and search every train and airplane roster out of this country. I'll go tell Grandmaster Peté about this immediately."