Taijitu World Building > Pre-Modern Era Fiction

Protectors of the Common People (1940-?)

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bigbaldben:

Solclquial:
Luntian wasn't quite sure when the shots rang out, or if she heard the shots at all, but it did leave her mind settled when the Senator's bodyguards all collapsed on the foot of his country manor.

She rose to her feet and ran for the breach hall, keeping a distance from the watch tower. Its floodlights were harsh under the dark and empty sky, even with all the TTB choppers keeping silent vigil over the estate. Luntian opened the door to the locker room and entered the house.

The Senator's lobby room was silent and dim. There was a television on with no channel. A Sugbuanon Street Dog slept timidly by the sofa, ignoring the infiltrator entirely. Luntian went to the next room and headed east, and down the stairs, towards the supposed "Inner Sanctum". All senators were said to have one, and that it was truly a topic of rumor and controversy on how the taxpayers' riches could be spent on that particular room.

Luntian ducked and hid behind a kitchen counter as she saw a squad of guards patrolling the Lower Levels. They were spread out over a living room, blocking entrance downstairs.

She slid a flasher by the nearest one and took four of them out with her BR-181 suppressed automatic rifle. A half-blind guard managed to butt the stock of his Pulceras on her shoulder.

Luntian knocked him down by the shins and put a bullet in his neck.

She took one of the soldiers' security card and headed down. She took off her backpack and laid around explosive charges. She paid special attention to the open elevator up front of the empty and large storage room.

"This is A0L, I've entered Bulk and I'm setting the eagle eggs to Nest. Insanc is four levels below. Do I have execute authority?" She radioed to her command officer.

"Negative, A0L. Receive Punongkahoy from Insanc and execute as instructed. Advising you switch to silence before heading out of the elevator. Intel has nothing on Insanc, we don't want to be tracked." A voice of indeterminate gender said.

Luntian nodded, shut off her mic, slid the keycard on the elevator's lock and went down.

The elevator booth's descent came to a slight screeching halt as it came to the fifth sublevel.

"Why did you stop?" Her CO said.

"Ah, this thing is unstable. I think I can make it to Insanc from the 5th, command." She replied, loading her BR-181. The map of the sublevel showed a sleeping quarters for the in-house guarding unit. It was the dead of night, but it wasn't uncommon for a Senator's guards to be up drinking.
 
 The door opened. A crew of over thirty men and women slept peacefully in the dark, interrupted only by an intermittently flashing red alert light. "Someone knows I'm here", Luntian thought. As she snuck her way downstairs, she saw one of the guards getting up, groggily.

 The guard faced the stairs and Luntian, half-asleep. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the silhouette of a lady in a dark suit beside an obviously alarming red alert light. His mouth quivered, ready to say something unfavorably loud.

 Luntian wanted to stay very still, perhaps getting the guard to think her as a "Black Lady" of Filipino myth, which was taken very seriously in the country.

 To sell this facade, Luntian proceeded to recite the Lord's Prayer backwards in a whisper, tilting her head and giving the guard her best "I'm Being Possessed" stare.

 When that didn't work, she aimed a suppressed Pica 13 at the guard's chest and fired two. She then ran down the stairs as fast as she could, taking note to study more on ghost lore after the mission.

  At last, she made her way to the breach hall of the Senator's sanctum. She set breach charges to the door, blew it out and entered.

  The shotgun blast managed to get her two times in the arm.

 Luntian managed to cap her scream. She wasn't mortally wounded, but it was still a pain to deal with.

 She tossed a stun bomb in front of the Senator. With her service pistol trained on him, she clicked Command for the update. "Command, I have our guy. Requesting set exfil point and maybe someone else from Alpha help me with sweeping the sanctum."

 "Roger A0L, we will be sending A0P down shortly. A0D has already dispatched of all the guards and a Sturmdrang is en route by your entry point. Recommend you take any and all data and docs inside Insanc. Agila has given you OpCon 5."

 "Copy all, Command."

 Luntian took her flashlight and started filing through the cabinets. She came across several conspicuously labeled folders - "Classified."

 She opened them, revealing the bright and stark insignia of an unknown entity, and a contract issuing sleeper status for the Senator.

 "Command, our guy's been talking to somebody. I don't recognize the stamp, but it's definitely for war."

 "Understood, A0L. Get outside and torch the building."

bigbaldben:
Office of the Prime Minister
Tabula Rasa, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

"Prime Minister Zatar, the first newsreel is here."

"Set it up and let's take a look."

--------------------------

NEWSREEL:  Dateline September 13, 1940!

"The Ogbuni Freedom Fighters Victorious!"

[Scene: Order troops marching through a small eastern Ogbuni village.]

With the Megatridimensional Order having cleaned up at home by defeating the Pax, our unparalleled military are fighting the good fight for the people of Ogbuni.

[Scene: A large factory surrounded by rubble, with Order soldiers cleaning up the area with shovels and pickaxes]

 In just 12 days, the Order has liberated hundreds of thousands of Ogbuni from the tyranny and slavery of the oppressive government, and taken control of nearly 70% of the Ogbuni factories.

[Scene: Streets of a city with cheering crowds.  Camera cuts to women in windows above the street waving Megatridimensional Order flags.]

The Ogbuni people have welcomed us with cheering crowds, knowing that the exploitation by their oppressors are now at an end!

[Scene: Small boy is handed a flag by his mother and begins waving it at the passing troops.]

Ha ha, you wave that flag, little man!  Your future is secured!

[Scene:  An Order Soldier in a makeshift hospital gamely smiles and waves her hand as a medical nurse adjusts the bandages on the soldiers broken leg]

As with any conflict, our brave boys and gallant girls took a hit.   Some were wounded, and some even sacrificed their own lives for the noble cause of human decency.

[Scene:  Order tanks, soldiers marching in formation]

But they fight on, for you, for me and for human rights everywhere!

Support the War effort, Support a Free Ogbuni!

--------------------------

As a staff member breaks down the projector and re-cases the film, Prime Minister Doraleous Zatar motions for Artra Banks to have a seat.  Banks does so, and Zatar nods toward the film and takes his own seat.

"What's the word from the front?"

"The word is good.  Maybe not that good," Banks motioned towards the projector, "but things are definitely in our favor."

"Two-thirds of our way across Ogbuni in two weeks.  Any signs of slowing?"

"No.  General August seems surprised himself.  The Ogbuni military seems to be fleeing, and when they do engage, they put up little resistance.  They've actually been having more trouble with the civilian population - guerilla warfare tactics - than with the military proper."

Zatar smirked.  "Are you saying the folks lined up in our latest newsreel are not representative of the typical response?"

"Those on the border were very pro-Order, as we thought.  However, the deeper into Ogbuni we go, the more hostile the general population.  But August doesn't seem concerned.

Just then, Ambassador Kent Miles entered the room.

"Ah, Ambassador," said Zatar.  "Have a seat."

"Prime Minister," Miles bowed slightly.  "Mr. Banks," bowing again.  He sat down and removed his hat.

"What are you hearing from the rest of Taijitu?"

"The Ambassadors of the non-participating nations are very talkative, but have yet to commit to anything.  There is the usual self-righteous chatter from the Northern Cefnor nations.  Keras and Myroria seem especially 'offended' by our recent moves, but most nations, I think, are waiting for the others to commit to action before they do."

"Nobody wants to go first?" asked Banks.

"No sir."

"As we suspected," said Zatar.  "The world sits back and watches while we take Ogbuni unmolested.  As they have done with the Pax before them, and the Nortoros before them.  They are all paralyzed at the thought of another Great War."

Ambassador Miles nodded slightly.  "Yes, but not all are aligning against us, as I'm sure you are aware."

"The Filipinos are on board," said Banks, "but they will not say so publicly.  Not yet anyway.  But, Prime Minister, we need to keep an eye on them.  They are efficient and deadly, especially so if at the end of a knife planted in our back."

"So long as they remain occupied with their own prizes, like Resdaynia, they'll protect our eastern flank," said Zatar, lighting a cigar.  Smoke swirled around his head.

The Ambassador cleared his throat.  "That brings us to the Khem.  I've spoken with their Ambassador numerous times, and it seems they are interested in striking up an alliance.  We haven't discussed any details yet, but I believe they are interested in pushing into Northern Cefnor.  Another geographically strategic windfall for us - Khem pushes north, and with the Filipinos east of us and wasteland to the south, we will be unimpeded by concers of a multiple-front."

"What do they want?"

"They are working on an atomic weapon and, spying being what it is, they know that we are well-along in our development.  They believe an alliance not only militarily, but also scientifically, could yield results we are both looking for."

Zatar steepled both hands to his chin as his cigar hung from the side of his mouth.  He paused a moment in thought, then said "move forward, Ambassador.  Let them know that we are listening and interested.  At the same time, we have no need to rush things.   With our military success, a more powerful weapon is more a luxury than a necessity.  Send a couple scientists there for a visit and see what the Khem scientists are working on."

"They'll want a signed document, sir," said the Ambassador.

"That's fine, you can begin negotiations," said Banks, who locked eyes with the PM for a moment.  "We could use a friend we can trust."

The PM laughed and ashed his cigar.  "Ha.  Trust?  We are the only nation in the entire world who are honest about our intentions and who we are.  Every other nation is greedy and self-serving and territorial and go to extreme lengths to prove they are not.  Trust?  Trust is for the weak and the stupid.  We, Mr. Banks, are neither."

---------------------------------

As Ambassador Miles and Banks walked out of the Prime Minister's office, Miles said quietly, "He really believes that doesn't he?"

"He and at least a third of the government.  The problem is that another third agrees with the aggression but not the means, and the final third aspires to be like the nations Zatar despises."

They walked quietly into the elevator.  Once inside, the Ambassador turned to Banks and said "And which third are you, Mr. Banks?"

Banks stared at the Ambassador, trying to get a read on him.  He wanted to speak freely, of course, but decided against it.  Instead, he said "This Republic is the greatest on the planet.  Some people believe that we might someday rule the planet.  While I doubt that, if we do, I want to make sure my grandchildren don't regret what we became to get there."

The Ambassador nodded and turned back to the front of the elevator.

"Well put, Mr. Banks.  Well put."

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