Arise Ye Sons and Daughters

[The Federation]

The steppe was vast with rolling hills and yellowed grass that waved in the whipping winds. Cattle stretched for a mile or two, herded by ranchers upon horse back, a familiar sight in the Arrety Autonomous Zone. Not much sound could be heard, but for the wind and the occasional grunt from the traveling herd. Many miles in the away flashes of lightning and the roar of thunder, tempered by distance, could be seen as storm came over where the steppe ended and the mountains began.


“Svaduris,” a nearby ranch hand said, attempting to get the attention of his boss.


The ranch hand, named Bortis, Galetas’ trusted man and drive boss waved his arm in front of his boss’ face and then snapped his fingers.


Galetas Svaduris was deep in thought when he finally realized Bortis was trying to get his attention. He swatted the Bortis’ snapping fingers away from his face.


“What is it!?” Galetas snapped and then felt guilty after realizing who he was angry with.


Bortis shrugged off Galetas’ anger and said, “we’re almost to the railhead, sir.”


The railhead was indeed close by with downtown Drugenai, nestled in the foothills, not much further. The city looked especially gray and dirty today, they would avoid getting tangled up with the city even if it meant having to camp in the rain for the night. Getting back out onto the steppe and eventually back to the ranch was his priority; the drive had been particularly long and drawn out, taking three weeks to reach the railhead under threat of storms and the feared Shteppenvarka, the steppe wolf of Arrety.


A half hour later they had reached the cattle pens near the railhead, Galetas stayed behind, opting not to make the deal himself, sending Bortis in his stead to sell the cattle. The profit would be higher this year than last with rising beef prices and many of the projects Galetas had for his ranch would be affordable for next year, the men and women in his employ would be happy as well, hoping the drive would earn enough for a small increase in their own wages and the continued operation of the ranch they worked for.


Another hour passed and Galetas, still on horseback, could see his drive boss, Bortis, riding up from the railhead office block with a sack slung across his chest, no doubt the payment. The Cattle had been put in the pen to be shipped away by train and Galetas’ men would be making their way back to the meeting place for the trip back. Another drive had been completed and city troubles avoided, or so Galetas thought as he turned his horse to ride the meeting place only to see two familiar faces before him.

 

[The Federation]

As Galetas dismounted his horse to greet the unexpected visitors he was almost caught off balance as one of them ran to embrace him.

“I thought I would never see you again!” she said.

“Aushra! Gods, its been almost a year since you left!” Galetas replied.

Aushra continued the embrace and lingered for a moment before letting go. Galetas stepped back to get a better look at the young woman, she had always been thin but looked even thinner now and the sun kissed glow of her skin he so fondly remembered had been lessened no doubt from life in the city. Despite what looked like a hard year lived her blue eyes were still as bright as he had remembered and her brown hair longer yet.

“I wish I had never left Arnava. I should have taken your offer to stay at your family’s ranch.” There was a sadness in her voice as she spoke, “life has been terrible here, if it were not for this gentleman,” she said pointing toward the other unexpected visitor, “I might have died… or worse.”

The man had finally approached Galetas, not wanting to interfere with his reunion with Aushra. “Mikas, I thought you said you would never return to this place.” Galetas spoke before the man before him, Mikas Leiga, could greet him.

“Minds change and the homeland called to me, sir.” Mikas said with a shrug.

Galetas smiled and shook hands with Mikas, “I’m glad to know this and for whatever it was you did for Aushra, I thank you.”

“I would tell you the story, but now is not a good time and it is not all my story to tell. I wish I could say I was here to have a little reunion and speak of good times, but this is not the case. The truth is I have been looking for you and I know you would rather get back with your drive team and home to your ranch, but I would ask that you stay in the city and speak with me for a while.”

By this time Bortis had arrived with the money from the cattle sale and had developed a curious look on his face when he had noticed Galetas was not alone.

“My gods, Aushra!” Bortis exclaimed as he dismounted. Bortis and Aushra embraced for a moment before he spoke again. “You poor thing you look sick as a dog.” Bortis said, noticing her haggard look.

“It’s a long story,” Aushra replied.

“No doubt and who is this?” Bortis turned to Mikas with a serious look.

Galetas replied before Mikas could, “Bortis this is an old friend, Mikas, from my days in the Naval Infantry.

Bortis’ serious look softened, “Naval Infantry, eh? Perhaps I should give you time to catch up then.”

“There will be enough time to catch up later. I’m going to stay in the city for tonight. Take the money to Marko, I trust that he will have it all back. Grandfather can divvy up payroll in my stead. When you’re done you will meet with us later.” Galetas mounted his horse and prepared to leave.

Before leaving Bortis was given directions to the meeting place. Mikas was happy he had avoided having to persuade Galetas to stay, but he knew that the moment Galetas was ready to leave that his time to explain himself would be up.

By now the storm had finally reached the foothills and Drugenai, the rain poured down in sheets and Galetas, Aushra and Mikas found themselves soaked. The streets were choked with automobiles, people on horse back and horse drawn carts. The smell of horse excrement and automobile fumes were beaten down by rains giving a small pause to the assault upon the senses.

By the time they had reached Mikas’ apartment the rain had stopped and a cold wind a set in behind the storm front. Galetas could feel Aushra shivering as she held on to him and a chill had set into Galetas as well. Fortunately the ride was over, the horses put away in a small shed in the apartment building’s courtyard.

Mikas’ place was a small two room apartment on the third floor, the place was rundown and dirty and the hallways mostly dark from lack of lighting, the sun had begun to set and as they entered the equally rundown apartment they were greeted by candlelight and a small coal stove in the corner of the first room.

“Great the power is out again, Mikas sighed.”

A woman came out from the other room and greeted Mikas with a quick hug and kiss.

“My wife Daniele.”

The introductions were quick, Mikas was eager to speak to Galetas, Aushra and Daniele pulled up chairs and warmed themselves by the stove to give the men some semblance of privacy. Galetas sat on the lumpy and uneven couch while Mikas sat in a wooden chair across from him.

“What is that you wanted to talk to me about and how have you come to meet Aushra?” Galetas got straight to the point, he was tired and though glad to see his friends felt strange about the whole thing.

“Aushra can tell you about that later,” Mikas glanced back at the women for a moment, besides, like I said earlier it’s not my story to tell. I’ve been looking for you, sir. I’ve been in town with my wife for a year now hoping to get a transit visa to go further into the Autonomous Zone where you live, but that’s very difficult and I was held up here. You might not know it, since you have hidden yourself away out in the countryside, but things are heating up here.”

Galetas tensed up, “I don’t concern myself with affairs of other Arrety, I have a ranch to run and whats left of my kin to take care of.”

Mikas nodded, “I know, but this may be our last chance to do something, to stop the oppression of our people. I have formed a bit of a network here and we are finally ready to start capitalizing on it, we need good men and women to help us in our cause!”

“Galetas stood up angrily, “This is fantasy! Your cause? There is no cause, the can be no revolution here. Do you not know what they have done to others? Do you not remember what happened to the Onnokhyr, when they tried to rebel against the power of Radagora? Though I should not have to remind you, they were cut down.”

Mikas also stood up, angry with his friend, but Galetas cut him off before he could speak.

“Don’t your remember our time in the Naval Infantry? Nineteen ninety two, when we were just young men, the Third Insurrection? How many Yedisani were we ordered to kill for Chernovy? Perhaps you lost count after gunning down all those…”

“Stop!” Mikas yelled, clearly restraining himself from striking Galetas. “Stop, that is unfair to bring that up.” The two men both sat down, Galetas was immediately ashamed over bringing up their time in the military.

Mikas spoke first, “I looked up to you, I still do. I was just a private back then and we were both Arrety in the military, what choice did we have but carry out their orders. We could have revolted then, we would have been executed with our morality intact, but we did not. We can revolt now. A storm is coming and we need to take advantage of it.”

Galetas leaned back in an attempt to relax, “So why me? I may have been your sergeant back then but it has been twenty five years and I’m growing older.”

Mikas became red with embarrassment, “I had some old contacts in the Naval Infantry dig up some information on you. When we first met all those years back your name peaked an interest in me. It took forever to figure out where I had heard it before. My father was historian, he had told me stories from back when The Kingdom of Arrety still existed. Svaduris was the name of the old royal line. That information my friends dug out of the Chernovy military archives was extensive, they had a huge file on you and everything in there had confirmed my suspicions. You are not just some mere sergeant or rancher, sir.”

Galetas laughed, “Now this is truly fantastical. This is what you wanted to see me for? I’m sorry to say you wasted a year of your life with these hopes. I am nothing.”

“You lie Galetas Svaduris!” Aushra stood up from her chair, “You know it is true! I remember the stories your Grandfather would tell us in the village! Don’t be a coward, if you would not fight for your birthright, then at least fight for your people, fight for your kin, fight…for…” Aushra could no longer contain her tears, she returned to sit in front of the stove, Daniele put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

Mikas broke the sad silence, “Are you so demoralized that you would continue to be willfully blind to Radagora’s crimes?

Galetas stomach churned, his own father had killed himself over this very matter twelve years ago, that was when his Grandfather had revealed to him what Galetas had viewed as a curse. Cursed to forever watch his people be virtually enslaved to Chernovy with no power to do a damn thing about it.

Galetas finally resigned himself to join with Mikas in what would most likely result in their deaths. “What is it you have planned?”

Mikas smiled.

 

[The Federation]

The last vestiges of day gave way to night, the storm that they had ridden through had passed and the sounds of the city finally gave way to a relative silence. Thoughts of food had usurped the previous conversation and Mikas revealed he had not much in the way of it. Bortis had finally arrived not shortly after and was able to pool what he had in his pack with Galetas’ own supply of food they would have eaten had they traveled back to the ranch that night. The women took the supply of buckwheat and salted pork and went to prepare the stove they had been using for warmth for cooking.

As the food cooked Mikas explained his plan to gather weapons from a Voyi armory located in the Fifth Precinct police station near the south west edge of the city. To draw the police officers attention away from the heist a group of oil workers and coal workers not already participating in the general strike would protest in the area, with the protest becoming increasingly violent as the day went on. Mikas’ people in the area had already assured him that many precincts in the area had devoted most of their officers to containing the illegal gathering, Fifth Precinct included.

“Sounds simple enough,” Galetas said as they all ate.

Bortis piped up, “We don’t have any weapons, how do you expect to get whatever officers still in the precinct to allow us into the Voyi armory?

“I have a few men on the inside,” Mikas quickly replied. “We will pull up to the back with my van, our guys on the inside will meet us there where we will enter through the loading dock near the armory and be able to load the guns. There are at least eighty rifles some sub machine guns and a few light machine guns and a couple crates of grenades that we can pilfer while the riot outside draws their attention away from the precinct. If we are lucky we might get a chance at some of their pistols but I’m not too worried about getting into that.”

The conversation continued past midnight and by then all were exhausted. The sleeping arrangement would be one of discomfort in the small apartment, the power still had not returned and the room was lit only by candle light. Galetas would sleep on the floor letting Mikas and his wife keep their bed despite their insistence that they would happily give it up, Bortis took the extra cot and Aushra the couch.

Galetas sat himself up against the wall next to the couch underneath a musty blanket, he had forgotten to put out the candle and watched it burn as it created strange moving shadows upon the walls and sooty ceiling. By now everyone was asleep, he could hear the quiet breathing of Aushra as she slept. Peaking over the armrest he could see her lying on her side, her eyes moving underneath her eyelids and a look of worry upon her face. “What was she dreaming of?” he asked himself.

Moving himself to set his back on the wall again, his gaze turned back to the flickering candle light. Knowing he would not sleep he turned his thoughts back to his time with her at the ranch. She was eighteen when she had come to work at his ranch, back then his Grandfather still ran the day to day operations. In the mornings they would gather the herd and take them out to graze, on those rides they had become fast friends, sometimes they would take breakfast out in the fields, watch the cattle and talk about whatever was on their minds. Aushra had become like a sister he had never had and like most of the people on the ranch had become a part of the family.

Despite steady work, good friends and a safe place to live, much to Galetas’ worry, life on the ranch was unfulfilling for Aushra, she had always wanted to take her love for music and singing and make it into a career. Singing folk songs around the fire, playing the viola for friends and singing melodious herding calls to bring the herd in were not enough. And though she was like family, Galetas could not help but develop feelings for her, feelings he was unable to communicate to her before she had left to pursue a better a life that was not available to an Arret such as herself. Six years he had spent working and living with her, but to him it felt like only months.

“Galetas,” Aushra’s whisper had brought him out of his thoughts. “Are you sleeping?”

Galetas nodded no as she turned on to her abdomen and propped her head up with her hands to face him. “I can’t sleep either, my dreams trouble me. Come sit with me, you must be so uncomfortable.”

Plopping himself wearily on to the couch, he sunk a bit into the old cushions. Aushra leaned herself upon his side, her head upon his shoulder. He allowed her to get comfortable, moving his arm around her so that she could lay more securely against him. “We may not sleep but at least we will be warmer this way,” she said, quietly laughing, the room had grown colder as the fire burned down.

“What do you dream of that is so troubling, Aushra?”

She took a shaky breath and worriedly sighed, “I should have never left.”

Galetas gently stroked her arm to reassure her, he could feel her body tense up as she worked up the courage to recount her story.

“I thought coming here would give me a chance to get out of here, if I could get the papers to leave I could have gone anywhere. The authorities would not accept my application for a passport or even a transit visa to Chernovy. I found work in a tavern playing and singing, the owner told me he knew a group that could get me the needed papers. When I met them they held me up, smashed my viola and took all my money, I was such a fool.”

She was shaking with anger as she continued, “They took me prisoner, I tried to fight but there were too many of them and they had a gun. I was locked in a basement without food and some dirty water, I don’t know how long I was down there but I felt like a caged weak animal.”

“They used me for their sick business, photographed and filmed me naked. They forced me to perform sexual acts on myself and with other women at gunpoint, made me take drugs. I was told that I would be sold to some Chernovan business or maifya man for tens of thousands of blocks, I assumed this is why I was not raped. On some days I prayed to the gods to let me die, on others I asked for strength to fight my way out, on the days I fought they beat me repeatedly. I must have endured this for several months, I was never sure how long, the weeks blended together, by the time Mikas found me I spent most of the time blanked out and in a haze. I’m not even sure how he got me out or why, one day I was being forced to do whatever they wanted and the next I woke up here with Mikas and his wife nursing me back to health, helping me through the withdrawal.”

Tears were streaming down Aushra’s face and dripping onto Galetas’ shirt. “This is why I want to fight,” she explained. “Why I will willingly die for freedom, for the freedom of the women I was imprisoned with, that the Chernovan and their Arrety lackey’s enslave and sell. And should I die, at least it will have been standing on my feet fighting alongside my friends and for those Arrety that have not sold their souls.”

She paused, taking a moment to calm herself. “I’m glad you are here Galetas, I missed you dearly. It was thoughts of you and my time at the ranch that kept me from suicide.

Galetas did not know what to say, sometimes there was nothing one could say. They sat in each others embrace until sleep took them both.

The next day passed with relative unease, the wind howled outside making its way through cracks and openings in the building creating a chill. Passing the time with conversation, they caught up with each others lives, talked over the plans for dreamed of futures. Later in the day Mikas and Galetas took the can they would use for the heist and made a few passes around Fifth Precinct and the surrounding area. The armory was near the loading dock in the back with access by alleyway. The fit in the alleyway was tight, but since most of the officers would be pressed into service to contain the protest expected resistance was minimal. When they returned from their scouting trip, Galetas took the horses and sold them, they would be returning to the ranch via the long way by road assuming they returned at all.

That night they all sat around the stove for warmth, drinking white whiskey to calm their nerves before they went to sleep. They went over the plan again and again to make sure all would understand what was to happen and what to do if things went south. Sleep came easily that night despite stressful feelings.

The next morning they woke with the rising sun, while they prepared for the morning raid, outside near the capitol building Coal and oil workers and their supporters gathered outside with angry signs and grim faces. Slogans for freedom and fair wages could be found everywhere, the protest began to swell into the thousands. Several hundred officers and trained riot police had gathered earlier to protect the government buildings should the protest become a riot. The angry protesters surged as the police advanced on them to create space between them and the buildings.

Back at Mikas and Daniele’s apartment the group had gathered outside and piled into the van to make their way to the station. Traffic was lighter than normal as many were already at the protests around the city. The ride was uneventful and as they pulled into the alleyway their point of contact was already waiting for them.

Mikas exited out of the vehicle first and spoke with his man on the inside, everything was in order and he waved everyone to come in. The police station itself was seemingly empty, except for some clerks on the other side of the building nobody was there. The other man on the inside had already unlocked the doors to the Voyi armory.

Mikas marveled at the amount of weaponry on the inside, there was almost a company sized amount of rifles stacked in crates with ammo crates and crates of other weaponry.

“Come on everyone start grabbing the crates, work in teams for the heavier stuff.” They all began helping each other move crates to the van. Daniele had already moved the van over to the loading dock so all they had to do was slide the crates in. Everything was going smoothly when suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway to the armory. At first Mikas thought it was one of his inside men but this man was fumbling with his holstered gun.

“Stop right there traitor!” the figure yelled as he struggled to unholster his weapon. Mikas rushed forth dropping a crate he was carrying with Bortis and tackled the man into the hallway. Galetas saw both of the men entangled burst through the doorway and fall onto the ground. The gun the man was fumbling with skittered across the floor and bounced off the baseboard. The officer Mikas had tackled summoned all his strength, pushed Mikas off and reached for the gun. The hallway was filled with shouts as Mikas recovered and jumped at the mans legs knocking him over. Suddenly a loud bang reverberated off the walls, Galetas rushed forth from the loading dock and into the hallway grabbing the gun. He had shot the officer in the head, blood splattered all over the wall and onto Mikas, blood rushed like a waterfall from the dead man’s nose, his brain having been obliterated by the hollow point bullet.

“Come on! We have to move fast!” Galetas yelled. Surely someone had to have heard the gunshot. Galetas checked how many rounds he had left in the pistol. “Fourteen will have to do for now.” He motioned for Mikas’ man to help with the crates and the other to use his pistol to help him cover their group.

Indeed one of the clerks had come to investigate, she was just a secretary and was unarmed, when she saw what was happening she started panicking and started yelling for help. Two more armed men took up positions, behind desks in the room the doorway had opened up to. Galetas opened fire into one of the desks, the bullets pierced through the thin sheet metal and hit the man behind, the officer yelped as the bullets hit him in the arms and legs. Screaming filled the hallway, the other officer fired forcing Galetas back into the hallway. Mikas’ man leaned into the doorway to fire and caught a bullet in the throat, blood poured all over his uniform as he went down, the gunfire and screams of the injured enemy drowned out the choking sounds he made as he died.

“Galetas! Lets go we have it all packed away!” He could hear Mikas yell. Galetas began to retreat to the loading dock keeping his gun aimed at the door, as he expected the inexperienced officer rushed headlong into the hallway, Galetas fired two rounds into the officer’s chest as he turned and faced him. His body crumpled to the blood soaked floor dead.

They all piled into the van and closed the doors, the other officer working for Mikas took off down the alley way to escape knowing he could not stay at the police station. No other officers had come to back up the three that they had faced and they turned out into the street and made to exit the city.

 

[Beautancus]

Militsiya Mobile Unit VL-001-2385
at speed in 5th Precinct, Drugenai
Arrety Autonomous Okrug, Sovereignty of Chernovy



It made a sort of disturbingly ironic sense to Platoon Leader* Stibor Harkanov, that he would be would be within half an hour of his shift's ending when the call that gave him that sinking feeling came in. Three thin, curling black smudges rose from the 5th and adjacent 7th Precinct(s) - where similar calls were dominating the emergency services dispatch. In each case, a Militsiya (police) or Voyi armory had been attacked by insurgents - and in some cases apparently aided by uniformed turncoats on the inside.

Stibor knew one of the men named as wanted for questioning on the APB concerning his call, quite well in fact. Braketas was a good man, albeit as stereotypically stubborn as Arrety were supposed to be, and had shed blood - his own included - for the Sovereignty during the Third Insurrection. It helped that Stibor was, as his name suggested, something other than Vyhoric or even fully Slavian, that the two had been able to hit it off so well...and that made the APB seem all the more ominous.

Not far ahead, not more than three blocks, it was evident that there were already at least a few officers in response - and as his patrol vehicle raced ever closer to the carnage unfolding there, he could make out the popping chatter of small arms fire. Fat tires smoking briefly beneath the lurching weight of the lightly armored 4x4, Stibor locked the brakes and patted himself down. He knew from experience that a properly secured trauma plate could and mostly did, indeed, save lives. As did as many extra magazines for his usual patrol weapon - nominally a sidearm - as well as at least two spare for the not quite antique (but certainly 1st generation) Kissovka** propped in the floorboard of the seat next to him.

Satisfied, he snatched the automatic carbine to his shoulder and exited into the blooming hellscape in the 5th Precinct. Seasoned as he was, Stibor still flinched at the weight of fire being brought down on the patrol vehicles a block ahead of him. Something much heavier than small-arms had been added to the din now, more than likely a .78 anti-vehicle cannon - as whatever the source of the tremendous booming was, it tore through the patrol cars engines as if so much plaster.

Stibor felt the first pang of doubt, he was probably a bit too old to be running into this today. His finger twitched just above trigger guard, conscious of just how much adrenaline was already flooding his veins. The cool, sickly sweet clarity that came with it propelled him forward ever faster, brain registering the broken and bullet ridden body of Braketas in the dead winter grass as he sprinted by. Probably caught trying to slip away from the scene unnoticed...bastard certainly hadn't made it far.

Someone smart enough to know that there were more than one kind of round for the big .78 had decided to give the incendiary rounds a go now that Stibor was on the scene (or so the dying midget-devil on his left shoulder told him), and a burst of the murderously destructive rounds hammered the patrol cars blocking the street - and intersection - before him. One went up in a great gout of oily black smoke and flame immediately, the fuel tank had apparently been punctured in the course of one of the previous barrages.

Heat stinging what flesh was bare on his right, Stibor instinctively ducked into the alley immediately to his left. Eyes stinging from the heat of the inferno, he blinked them clear once and then twice - enough to make out the form of a fellow officer jerking twice and then thrice more under what were clearly the impacts of bullets. The burly, bearded Slavian crumpled before him in a heap even as another burst of automatic rifle far pockmarked the pavement and wall around him.

Stibor slid to a halt, even more aware of how insanely serious this was. It had been quite a while - since the early 7500 (1991), that he'd had to put up with this kind of immediate and crushing danger. Whatever reflexes he had, that had helped see him promoted all the way to Platoon Leader were at work then, as the next shape that darted into his vision wasn't at all uniformed - and died with a single shot to the forehead.

So pleased with that success was Stibor that he'd missed the other non-Slavian fellow stepping around the corner behind him - raising a nearly identical rifle and squeezing off another single, very well aimed shot - painting the rest of the Platoon Leader's thoughts on the wall before him. Stibor's leg jerked then once and he was forever still thereafter.

 

[The Federation]

Leaving the city was fairly uneventful, luckily enough no other officers gave pursuit and despite the run in with the unexpected at the police station, no other officers or patrol cars had been spotted on the way out. The protests had intensified into a full on riot and the city police forces had found themselves overwhelmed with the amount of protesters that had shown up at different points around the city. However this was not much of a concern for Galetas and Mikas’ crew. The protesters would be able to handle himself and hopefully add to the disruptions now cropping up around the city in the form of further strikes and “illegal” gatherings some purposefully instigated and others of a grassroots nature.

The ride across the countryside south west to Arnava was extremely uncomfortable for the crew as seat space had been given over to weapons crates; the small two lane highway gave way to poorly paved road and bumps and bruises began to develop for those not strapped down. Though Mikas had worried about an encounter at the checkpoint they found that the checkpoint guards were open to taking bribes, not only in the form of money but in left over white whiskey of which there was no doubt the guards would be drunk on later that night.

The trip itself took several hours and by the time they arrived at the Svaduris ranch the twilight sky was a mixture of orange and blue. The farmhouse was of simple construction, a combination of stone and wood, the inviting flicker of fire light could be seen shining out the windows. Finally freed of the confines of the van, the group stretched the stiffness of vehicular travel from their limbs.

Before they could enter the farmhouse, the front door slowly swung open, a hunched over figure standing in the doorway.

“Who goes there?” The old man spoke with deep authoritative voice in contrast to his frail, hunched over stance.

Galetas stepped into the light to reveal himself to the old man.

“My grandson! Why are you back so soon? You left behind your drive team?”

Galetas walked up to his grandfather and patted his shoulder, “It is a long story, come let us in so we can warm ourselves and relax.”

Inside everyone sat near the fire and spoke of the last few day’s events, of the troubles in the capitol and the weapons they stole from armory. Grandfather Svaduris took the in all of the information, his wrinkled face did not betray whatever it was he was thinking of as he listened. At the end he contemplated for a few seconds in silence.

“You have all had long troubled days, feel welcome to feed yourselves from my kitchen and make use of the bath to clean yourselves and relax, I must speak with my grandson alone.”

Mikas and Daniele made for the bath to clean themselves, Bortis excused himself and left for the workers lodge where the ranch employees lived separate and a famished Aushra took to the kitchen to prepare some food.

Grandfather Svaduris looked to his grandson as the room cleared of company. “I still remember when my father ruled and our people were free. I yearn for it everyday. The memories are fuzzy, like remembering a dream. I made a mistake telling your father about those times as much as I did, the stories drove him mad with constant anger over our stolen legacy.”

Galetas bowed his head for a moment, “He took his anger out on me and my mother, but you should not blame yourself for his actions. This legacy he obsessed over, I feel no connection to. I agreed to help Mikas out of loyalty to my friend and even then, I may have brought destruction to us by doing so. This ranch is our legacy, we have employed many who would not have jobs where it not for us, we contribute to our community and help those who need it. I cannot imagine myself taking up this role as leader… as king of our people. I do not wish to offend you, grandfather, it is a distant memory and perhaps it should remain so.

The old man nodded, “Perhaps. Even though we are no longer a free people, we are still lucky in some ways. Many still know of our histories and legends. Our bloodline is steeped in legend. At one time, centuries ago, the blood of Svaduris ruled over a great many lands. Many still know our name, many here in Arnava will follow you if you asked them. You have already taken the first step whether you know it or not. If you do not take up the mantle, it will be thrust upon you in time. Many great men of the past like you have found themselves in situations such as this. They were reluctant, they did not wish for power, followers or glory, but it found them anyways.”

Grandfather Svaduris stood up from his chair, “Think on this and remember I am proud of you. Now, perhaps young Aushra has fixed up something good to eat. I could use a little snack.”

“Always thinking of food, the old man is.” Galetas thought to himself, a smile crept across his face but it was soon gone, there was much to contemplate.