Polig in the Spignanian Empire

  One of the biggest problems which faced Spignania was hmeheir police structure was, which we will no doubt explore further into the series. Having a basiderstanding is key to knowing the reason why the Battle of Ermoi Park and the crackdown of the March for Democrad Peace happehe way it did. At the most basic level, there are three main w enfort anizations: the National Police, Ministry of the Interior, and the local Prefectures. Revisionists argued that at least the Interior and terintelligence Department were in cahoots, although dots we found (listed below) showed that it was a ce. Although ohat helped both agencies in their crackdown of the opposition. With that brief expnation out of the way, we return to our story.

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  Part 0: Birth of a Revolutionary

  | 0:4 | Battle of Ermoi Park |

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  Nicaria 19th, 968 (5/19/968) - Spignane - Itronemi ty - Aleksander Meliton

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  The group agai in Aleksander’s apartment about their ret invitation to create a student anizing ittee ihe United Democratic Front. It really wasn’t up for debate whether to accept it, ihey were arguing over how they wao approach the new anization they would create. The major disagreement was how radical they wao be with this anization, with Anton and Kra wanting to use their new position to amplify the radical voices. The radicals currently don’t have a way to express themselves, so the two of them thought that giving them a voice to affect ge would be better than whatever the moderates pn to do.

  Rodya and Njord wao keep the anization moderate in order to not face crackdowns or other types of retribution by the gover. They also wao foster closer ties to the moderate parties in the Front. Their thoughts on the radicals were that they would aliehe Front’s primary support base if given political power. So far, the disagreement stayed civil since Aleksander was trying to bance each side, but it was clear whatever he chose would be what they did.

  “If we don’t push forward fresh voices, nothing will ge, and we’ll be stuck with the status quo,” Antued.

  “Yeah, and instead of the status quo, we’ll be in prison.” Rodya retorted.

  “Or we’ll create a new, better world for everybody, but we have to fight for it.” Kra joined in.

  “We ’t do that if we go too far and burn ourselves, and any bridges we could build with this opportunity we have.” Njord pointed out.

  Aleksander saw the merits of both sides. Anton and Kra had a point that if they stayed on a moderate course and did everythily ihe w that they’d aplish nothing uhe gover felt that they could get something by pg them. But also, if they went too far into it, they would almost definitely get arrested. Rodya and Njord also had a point, too. If they wao have a long-term effect, they o stay moderate enough to not get cracked down on by the gover. However, if they were too cautious, they wouldn’t get anything meaningful done.

  After thinking it over, Aleksander finally gave his thoughts on the disagreement. “All of you have good points, but I think we find a promise that will bihe best elements of both sides.”

  Everybody looked at him to get him to tinue, and so he did. “Obviously, both sides have their merits. We o challehe gover, but we also o not go so far to a crackdown. In order to do this, we o have tight trol over our messaging and our events.”

  Anton was the first to respond. “So, how do you pn to do that?”

  “I pn for each fa to have an equal ability to be heard and be involved in the anization.”

  “How will you make sure that things stay equal between each fa?” Njord asked.

  “Each fa will make up half of the ittee's leadership cil.”

  Kra asked, “What makes you so sure that this won’t all blow up?”

  “I mean, I ’t be sure, but keeping both sides banced is the best ce to keep the peace.”

  Finally, Rodya asked, “What’s stoppiher side from dominating the others?”

  “By keeping each side banced, we keep a che both of them and make sure that they don’t overwhelm each other.” Aleksander looked around and everybody seemed satisfied enough, so he took a risk and put it to a vote. “Alright, let’s put this to a vote. Raise your hands if you think we should accept the offer from the Front and go with my suggestion.” One by one, each of them raised their hands, with them unanimously agreeing to his suggestion. So they officially joihe United Democratic Front aablished the United Democratic Student anizing ittee.

  As soon as they got set up with their new ittee, they were told to prepare tanize a group of students to join their “March for Democrad Peace.” This march was going to be the first campaig for the parliamentary eles per in the year. The march would happen oh of Fmewind and would go from the Front’s headquarters in Spignane all the way to the Imperial Pad show the emperor the people’s will for more reforms under his leadership. Having to publicly metaphorically worship the emperor was annoying, but they khat came with w within the system like this.

  So they got to work anizing students and travelling across Itronemi ty, creating local branches in other cities in order taside of just Spigudent political anizations already existed in most pces, but most of them were indepe, so the key for them is to coop the existing anizations and put them uhe UDSOC’s overall trol. Of course, they weren’t blind to the fact that soon they would o restructure the anization iure by going down this path, but they o get people anized soon for the marbsp;

  Aleksander also put everybody on specific assigs in order to keep everything moving like clockwork in the run-up to the march. Anton and Kra were the ones who would go out directly a local political student anizations to join them, since Aleksander felt they were the best for the job. Anton already had some links with various radical student groups and Kra naturally had pull among the rank-and-file members of various feminist anizations.

  Rodya focused oing with and discussing things with the higher ups on the Front and keeping them informed and making sure that they have enough support to do their job. Since he was the most moderate and gave off the image of somebody more “responsible” thahers. He also didn’t really have any major es or links to any of the groups the others were trying to court.

  Njord focused on the anizational aspects, with him making sure that he could unicate with the newly established branches and making sure that all the finances were in order. Finally, Aleksander split his focus betweehings, with a foanaging everything. So began the mard the events that happened because of it.

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  Fmewind 20th, 968 (6/20/968) - Spignane - Itronemi ty - M - Aleksander Meliton

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  Supporters of the United Democratic Front flooded Downtown Spigh blue as they had gathered from across the try to join in the march. As the opening to the 968 parliamentary eles, the Front didn’t spare any expense when pnning this march, sihis would be the first campaig of the eles. In order to create the best possible image for them, the pn for the march was for the UDF to show off their support among various csses aors of society.

  To do this, they gathered thousands of people from all csses and occupations from the various anizations uhe Front’s bahis included front aligned bor unions, the various parties making up the Front, and the many anizations who were a part of the Front. In order to sell themselves as a genuine mass party, they would hese groups to be front aer.

  Aleksander’s group was he middle of the march, with the students holding various signs, all calling for reform. The energy of the students was electric, with this being their first ce to influeheir try, leading to them to be excited and ready to show the world their opposition to the current gover. Even Aleksander himself rexed, since he had spent the st few days w about embarrassing his newly created anization and the Front’s leadership, which had ied in his idea. But seeing the numbers ahusiasm of the students and other young people invigorated him. But Anton quickly walked up to him and whispered, “Don’t look, but I’m pretty sure there are a couple CID agent provocateurs in the crowd with us,” cutting short his enthusiasm.

  Aleksander was instantly furious, but kept it in check. “What makes you so sure?”

  “Just look at them.” So Aleksander did and instantly saw what Anton was talking about. The CID agents were obviously out of pce. They had very short haircuts, which reminded him of his time during his mandatory military service. Of course, that alone didn’t mean they were agents, but they also looked visibly unfortable in the crowd and their clothes seemed to be brand new. But the biggest thing was how they had green armbands poking out from their sleeves, almost as if they were trying (and failing) to hide them. bined with their posture and build, it retty obvious that they weren’t just random people who joihe march.

  As his initial anger and annoyance faded, he realized it was on sense for them to be here, but still he was a little ed. He turo Anton and asked what he thought they should do, and he responded. “Holy, we should just have some of my guys watg them. They ’t really do anything, and it’d be disruptive if we did anything to them.”

  “Fair point. You get on with that.” At that, Anton called over two of his people and had them keep a close eye on the CID agents. Then he mentioned, “It’s kind of funny how obvious they were.”

  “You don’t think they’re bait to get us to let uard down?” Aleksander asked.

  “Nah, most of their leadership around here is just around because of their skills pying office politics. And besides, their agents focused on opposition groups have gotten rusty ever sihey captured the leader of the SDSRP bat anization. Their petent agents are busy fighting anized crime along the Eastern Coast.”

  “Alright, well, that makes me feel better. Let’s get back to this marow.” Anton nodded a back over to where the other radicals were at.

  With that situation sorted out, the march tihrough downtown Spignane. Doas full of modern buildings and office buildings from the ret eic growth, which came with increased trade and aid from the Montonian Imperial Federation and their allies. The modernity of the area was key to the messaging of the United Democratic Front, who created an image of being the coalition which would bring this kind of prosperity to the whole Empire. As such, this area had retly bee a hotbed of support for the Front, with their blue banners hanging off of buildings and people wearing blue armbands and other things with blue to show their support.

  As the marchers tinued down towards the Royal District, they shouted pro-democracy slogans like “Fair Eles, Fair Wages, and Fair Society.” Other people repeated these slogans off, watg the march. Though soon the march moved on from the modern downtown to the older and more historical royal district. This area of the city was home to the old nobility and aristocracy, and today, supporters of the Royal Party flooded the area, which was obvious because of the maroon and silver banners which hung off of every baly.

  The people there were extremely hostile towards the Front because of their pt for democracy. And it was mutual too, as the nobility was the Front’s favorite pung bag, since whehe ey was struggling they could bme it on the noble’s rge pensions. When ws get stalled, the first to get bmed by pro-democracy partisans are usually the nobles in the House of Lords. So there was a lot of anger on both sides.

  But the marchers were prepared for this and mostly stayed calm and didn’t respond to the curses that they threw at them. Only most of them though, some students shouted back, but Aleksander and his friends quickly quieted them, si wouldn’t py well in the media to have them arguing with such “distinguished” members of society. Aleksander wao give them a piece of his mind. But he knew how it would get twisted by the gover-trolled media, so he pyed his part in making this march seem as safe and non-violent as possible. Fate had different pns, though.

  Aleksander wasn’t paying attention and ran into somebody ahead of him, and he quickly apologized before realizing that the crowd had e to a stop. He was ed, siheir pnned route didn’t have any stops. So he pushed through the crowd, and while he did, he heard murmuring of distent from people w what was going on. Of course, Aleksander feared the worst and wondered if the police stepped in and stopped them. If that happehen things could go badly, quickly, and he didn’t want to get involved in a riot. But still he pressed forward towards the front of the crowd. Once he made it to the front, he saw what all the otion was about.

  In front of the marchers was a line of riot police several rows deep, all of them with batons and shields ready to fight the crowd. He saw that the anizers of the march were shouting, “We have our permits here! You have nht to stop us!” Meanwhile, the head officer was steadfastly refusing to even look at their papers. Instead, he was just telling them to disperse, or his men would disperse them. Aleksander tio move forward, a a better look at the riot polid saw that they weren’t from the city polid instead were from the Ministry of the Interior. Instantly, he stopped moving forward and started bag away into the crowd. His mind travelled back twelve years to when Imperial Gendarmes from the Interior Ministry killed his parents and he knew something bad was about to happen.

  He felt somebody bump into his arm, and he looked over to see somebody hastily clutg a satchel. Aleksander didn’t think about it until he noticed the man slipping on a green armband as he sped up towards the front of the crowd. Before anybody could react, the man threw the satchel in front of the police, then it exploded.

  Their rea was instant, as riot police surged forward, swinging wildly at the now panig marchers. Tear gas isters also flew into the crowd and Aleksander pulled the colr of his shirt up to his face to avoid the worst of the gas, and he kept moving back to where the other students were at. As he did, he saw a ma hit in the head by a tear gas ister and crumple to the ground, and a baton struother person in the head and then he fell to the ground. Others ran and scattered into nearby alleyways and hid from the riot police.

  Aleksander kept moving back towards where the students were, even as the riot police started grabbing people and handcuffing them, while beating others. He tried to avoid getting in direct frontations with the police, knowing that he had no ce of winning a fight with them. Especially as he saw people fight back, only to get overwhelmed by the officers. Finally, he reached where his group was, and Anton grabbed him and brought him to an alleyway the others were in. They looked at Aleksander fuidand, knowing that they couldn’t afford to fight, he told them they would have to make it back to their headquarters. All of them nodded as they made their way back towards their headquarters.

  As they did, they could hear sirens and boots pounding from the streets as troops from the Interior Ministry hunted down people who had joined in the march. Still, the group remaieadfast and stuck to the backstreets and alleys, avoiding the polid eventually making it back to the headquarters. There they settled to decide on what to do from here now that the march had ended in a disaster.

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  Fmewind 20th, 968 (6/20/968) - Spignane - Itronemi ty - Evening - Aleksander Meliton

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  The headquarters of the United Democratic Front was in chaos as tons of people crowded into the main feren as the leaders made their official statements about what happe the march. Aleksander and his group sat he front, sihey were in charge of one ittee which made up the Front. The room was abuzz with versations with members of the anization and media figures who were in the room. Soon, though, the chairman of the United Democratic Fro Valeri stepped up to the podium and began his speech.

  “Good afternoon. Today, a bination of dangerous radicals and a massive overrea, by whom we now know to be soldiers of the Interior Ministry, cut short our peaceful march. This situation is a tragedy, and we are as determined as anybody else to find out the truth of what happeoday. However, we disavow anybody who uses today’s events to engage in any irresponsible as. As of now, we’ve expelled the Socialist Party from our coalition and removed their members from their ittees and leadership roles.”

  At that, one man in the crowd shouted. “You’re nothing but a fascist enabler!” To the side of Renat stood Marko Tomek, a key figure in the Social Democratic Party, who, upon hearing the heckler, gestured at security to remove him. He theured at Reo tinue his speech, which he did.

  “Above all, the United Democratic Front denounces any violent as or rhetoric. So I urge all of you not to engage in any violence. Don’t give into spiracy theories. Instead, wait for the facts to e out and stick with the Front in our mission t democracy to our Empire.”

  With that he left the podium, even though by now the media and members of the Front were in an uproar demanding answers. Instead, they got nothing but silence as security started ushering them out of the feren. Outside, Aleksander heard several opinions. Some praised Renat for his leadership and how he was trying to prevent a massive backsh from the march. While others ht called him an enabler and denouhe expulsion of the Socialist Party as nothing but a betrayal of the democracy he cims to be fighting for. For his part, Aleksander and his group didn’t speak until they reached their offid started discussing.

  Anton was the first to speak as soon as Aleksander closed the door. “We all knoeech was nothing but pandering to the gover, who just stomped on our necks. I mean, he didn’t eveion the CID agents!”

  Rodya was quick to respond. “Was he wrong, though? Members of the Socialist Party have been calling for viole’s clear that something had to be done and after the march today, disavowing violence is the best image for us. Who knows, maybe Chairman Valeri’s speech swings public opinion in our dire.”

  Kra was quick to disagree. “Of course he was wrong. Putting all the bme oists will just divide the coalition, and it’ll make us look like the bad guys. He should’ve put all the bme on the Ministry of the Interior and their troops for what they did.”

  “That’ll just make us look desperate and make us seem like we’re incapable of ging or that we’re stu our ways.” Rodya tered.

  “We are desperate here. We just got attacked by gover soldiers!” Anton said, exasperated.

  Njord spoke up. “Objectively, the speely did damage trol. And not too well, but still we’ve got our hands tied here. We ’t be too aggressive, but we ’t give up too much ground on the issue.”

  “We still fight bastead of ying down and just accepting whatever lies the gover spreads about us!” Kra responded.

  “Absolutely. We o show the world that we’re not at fault for this!” Anton agreed.

  Njord turo Aleksander. “What do you think? You’re our leader, after all.”

  Aleksander sighed. “We’re in a lose-lose situation here. Whatever we do, the media aablishment will tear us apart. Personally, though, I want to get out there and show that the gover won’t intimidate us.”

  “Why though? You said it yourself, ‘this is a lose-lose situation’. Why not just sit bad make our case without going out and doing something we’ll probably regret?” Njord asked.

  “Well, even though we’re probably screwed either way, it’ll be better for us to go down fighting instead of surrendering after just oack by the gover.” Aleksander expined.

  Rodya scoffed. “Why, so we just get beaten again live on camera? There’s no point in trying to fight back, especially sihey’ll probably just expel us from the Front if we do that.”

  Before anybody else could respond, they heard a knock at the door, and Aleksaold them to e in. At the door is another member of the Front who they know was close to the left wing of the Front, which just got gutted. All he said was, “We’re holding our own rally at Ermoi Park. It’ll be in an hour if you want to attend.” Then he left.

  Rodya was the first to respond. “This is ihere’s no way any of you are even thinking of going.”

  Njreed. “There’s no way that this ends well.”

  Kra said. “I’m going. There’s no way I’m just going to let the goverrample us without us fighting back.”

  “Same here. We have to show they won’t beat us down.” Anton said.

  Then all eyes turo Aleksander. He felt the weight of their stares, knowing that they were approag a point of urn. He k was risky, but he couldn’t just sit by ahe gover win like this. Finally, he said. “I’m going, but you’re all free to do what you like.”

  Anton and Kra smiled, knowing that he would e arouually. Rodya shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. Njord just looked doting his choice. With that, they all parted ways with Aleksander, Anton, and Kra heading to Ermoi Park, while Rodya and Njord stayed at their office.

  As the trio arrived at the park, they noticed how the Socialist Party and the banned Spignanian Democratic Socialist Revolutionary Party had bathed it in red banners. Speeches were already being made as the speakers specifically targeted the “beoisie democrad civility” that the Front holding even after the march. That brought cheers from the people in the crowd. With most of them being radical students and workers who had been supporters of the Socialist Party and the more radical SDSRP. Others flew the fg of the Republic of Nonesia and the Echille Socialist Union. Some also sa wing songs to boost the morale of the crowd after the events of the day.

  For their parts, Aleksander, Anton, and Kra mostly stood off to the side, listening to the speeches and seeing how the crowd was ag. The crowd was eic, as the violent breakup of the march still energized the people and the eech that Renat gave also energized them to rally against the Front. They showed that through their as, with people giving impromptu speeches and rallying fellow people to take a and not let the gover and their violence beat them down. They would directly call the gover fascist thugs in their speeches.

  As soon as the police arrived on the se, they formed a perimeter around the park. This only further iensions as the people in the park got clether as they heckled the police. The people ihe park called them dogs, among other things, and told them to leave. This drew the attention of more people, with sympathetic bystanders watg from behind the police lines. Around him, Aleksander saw people pig up bottles and rocks lying on the ground preparing for the fight, which was about to happen.

  Finally, the officer in charge of the police told them to disperse, which the radicals respoo by telling them to screw off and then others threw things at the officers. In respohey charged the people in the park and fired tear gas isters into the crowd. This time, though, instead of running, the crowd fought back. Aleksander watched as one person smmed a bottle into the helmet of one officer before being taken out by other officers who beat him as he y on the ground. Another person he saw was being dragged off to one of the waiting police vans.

  The police swung wildly at the demonstrators as they tried to ihem and quickly arrest them to take them out of the fight. As the minutes dragged on, the riot police slowly pushed the demonstrators out of the park and onto the streets. The fighting became more fierce as more and more people started watg from the sidelines. Some sympathetic bystanders and students in the crowd, upon seeing the media arrive, started ting, “The whole world is watg.” Though, this didn’t stop the police, who kept up their attack.

  Aleksander found himself separated from Kra and Antonessed Anton fighting with an officer while Kra vanished into the crowd. He was about to go look for them but an officer rushed him, stopping him. Aleksaried to back up but saw he was in front of a shop window and couldn’t maneuver. So the officer tackled him through the gss. In a split sed, he was on the ground and could feel the broken gss cutting into his skin as the officer raised his baton to strike him. He raised his arm and blocked it, but he felt pain shoot up his arm when he did that. With the small opening he had, he puhe officer in the fad kicked him off of him.

  The officer fell to the ground as Aleksander rose, but two other officers attacked him. Oruck him in the leg, causing him to fall back down to the ground. The other started striking him across his entire body as they hauled him to his feet and spped handcuffs on him. As his blood dripped to the ground, the officers roughly threw him into the back of a police van. As he was about to lose sciousness, he heard the t again. “The whole world is watg.”