CHAPTER EIGHT—AFTERMATH

Three years ago…

“…from various reports all cross the country where violence is breaking out,” the news caster was saying, “even here in the Eastern Crescent the NCOP is rising up and attacking police and military everywhere.”

Ichiro stared at the television set, baffled at what the news caster was saying.

And yet…

Something about it all seemed forced—contrivedd and unreal.

Could it be that Empress Akamine was cracking down on the people? Was she afraid of the National Coalition of Protestors?

They were unarmed, and yet without provocation they were attacking the police and the militia in every province?

“…expected to be enormous casualties in the tens of thousands in just Eastern Crescent alone as the military cracks down on these vicious anarchists…”

“This is not possible,” Ichiro muttered to himself.

He had no weapons, or else he would have armed himself before leaving his apartment. He left, intending to go to the city center to see things for himself, but the police and military were swarming though the streets and ordering all residents back into their homes as they commands through their megaphones.

Their voices carried throughout the streets, making it easy for Ichiro to pinpoint where they were at.

What was happening was insane.

Why would the empress do this?

Something deep inside Ichiro told him it was time to get out of the city. He was no survivalist, but he did know the basics. He went back into his apartment and filled a satchel with dried food, water and a small knife.

Since the announcements made by the Empress, Ichiro’s personal bank accounts had been wiped out by the government. Currently he held down a job at a local mall as a security guard.

He had fallen a long way from his previous position in the Imperial Special Forces.

With his meager provisions, he waited until night and then left his apartment, making for the Shimajima islands district.

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Crossing the streets and sticking to the alleyways, he made it out of the residential district he was in and into a large field. There was a causeway up head, but the tracks were dead, as all trains through-out Eastern Crescent had been halted.

But apparently, the Under Rail was still operational, used by the military to move supplies and personnel throughout the country. The Under Rail was a large network of tubes underground utilizing special maglev technology with the capsule cars that could exceed sixteen-hundred kilometers an hour.

Using the Under Rail, anyone could leave their province and be clear on the other said of Paradaisu within an hour.

But only the super-rich and the military used that, as the cost was prohibitive for normal income earners throughout the country.

There was a neighborhood of dark wood houses with tiled roofs on the other side of the thoroughfare situated on the river. Ichiro decided to steal a boat and make his way along the river to the open sea where he could then cruise down to Shimajima.

He felt that, with so many islands in that province, the Imperial government would have less control there, and if need be, he could hide.

That was not to say that Eastern Crescent wasn’t also a good province. The thick jungles, deep gorges and high mountains were excellent places to hide and stay low if things became bad.

They already are bad.

All news from outside of Paradaisu was cut off, leaving the peoples of the country completely ignorant of the outside world. But this cutting off from the rest of the world also served both ways—nothing inside of Paradaisu could get out and become common knowledge to the world stage.

If that was true, the situation would be extremely worrying for most. Not for Ichiro. None of this frightened him.

He would survive any amount of aggression from Empress Akamine.

Glancing about, he passed between two houses and a dog inside the wooden gate on the right barked at him. He looked at it and growled. The stupid animal whimpered and retreated.

A truck pulled up and three men got out wearing the green speckled camouflage and black boots of the region’s military.

“What are you doing outside?”

“I—“

“Back in your house. Now.”

“Yes,” Ichiro said with a nod. “I am going.”

“We will escort you.”

“That will not be necessary. I live—“

“Then you are under arrest. Cuff him.”

The two other soldiers came forward. “Stop,” Ichiro said as he put his palm forward.”

“Hands up!” the soldier commanded as he pointed his rifle. “You are under arrest for resisting orders given by the Eastern Crescent army!”

Shit.

“I did no such thing.”

They grabbed him, turned him around, but before they snapped the handcuffs over his wrists, Ichiro turned, elbowed the soldier in the nose.

He went back, grasping at his broken bones.

The other soldier made to shoot Ichiro, but he grabbed the barrel of the soldier’s rifle as he squeezed the trigger, shooting off shots into the air.

Ichiro yanked the rifle out of his grip and turned it back on the commander and shot him along with the other two men.

Windows opened and people peeked out.

Squinting, he thought, They know my face now.

As soon as they saw him, they ducked back behind the perceived safety of their curtains.

Keeping one rifle and all of the ammo, Ichiro further looted the men for their money and gear, piled it into a pontoon boat tied up at the docks and then cut the ropes.

The motor sputtered as he left the dock and the houses, leaving this urban part of Eastern Crescent behind.