By Opposing, End Them

Chapter VI

     It all started around the year 2076, by your calendar. This was the year of the foundation of the Great Forum. At its conception, it was intended to be the debating grounds for all areas of human activity, finding solutions to all of the world's problems. Two representatives were chosen from each area- two from politics, two from art, two from defense and security, and so on. The Forum was headed by a Grand Moderator, who existed to keep the debates in check. For many centuries, the Forum was the engine of human progress. Many of the world's problems were solved, and the ones that came up were dealt with rapidly. Old cities faded away to nothing, new cities sprang up and began to age, borders were shifted, mountains moved, but still the Forum remained.

     But it could not last forever. Around the year 2770, the economy began to falter. The Great Forum did everything it could, but nothing could support it. Finally, in 2772, it collapsed. Nations across the world were thrown into panic and warfare. The Grand Moderator resigned in shame, replaced by the infamous Marko Ravmir.

     Ravmir was a cunning man, always seeking more power. He saw the collapse as a golden opportunity to take control. He spent the next few years recruiting followers, and in the year 2776, he seized the ancient capital of Washington, D.C., razed it, and built a new, shining city: Omnimundi.

     At first, people welcomed the rise of a new, powerful leadership. But even the control of one nation was not enough for Ravmir. He wanted to unite the world. Within a year, his armies had conquered most of the Western Hemisphere through brief, brutal conflict. His people began to grow uneasy; they were not happy with Ravmir's methods. Some began to openly protest his actions. Ravmir responded by sending the army to slaughter all who protested.

     As Ravmir's armies spread across the world, protests became larger and more violent. At last, in the year 2793, he had the globe united under one flag: the black star. This began what he called the United Era. Ravmir took on the title of President of Omnimundi, a sick parody of the civilization that preceded him. Many welcomed the coming of a united world; many more did not.

     Even for those who remained loyal to Ravmir, life was not easy. Those under the Omnimundi flag faced a life of stifling repression. Free speech was virtually eliminated, and books were constantly censored and burned. The government held strict control over nearly every aspect of life, controlling what was taught at school and even who could marry whom. Many of the original loyalists became disillusioned, and they too joined the cause of the protesters. Ravmir, in outrage, doubled his efforts in silencing them.

     Ravmir soon realized that he could not always send his armies to quell protests. He responded by ordering the construction of what he called "reeducation camps". Thousands of these camps were built across the globe. All those who questioned his ways were sent to these camps to be "reeducated". None of them were ever seen again. Millions remained loyal to the black star; billions were sent to the camps for slaughter.

     At last, the final embers of protest had been quenched- at least, in Ravmir's eyes. A few protesters had fled into the heartlands, away from the coastal areas where Ravmir's influence was most powerful. They set up communities and waited for the opportunity to strike back. They formed the Resistance; we are descended from the first Resistors.

     Five hundred years later, we saw our chance. The control of Omnimundi had been given to a new leader, Lucius Levine. He was perceived as a weak leader, with little of the charisma and authority of those that had come before him. The Resistance had grown to a considerable power, completely unknown to Omnimundi. In the dead of night on October 31st, 507 U.E., the Resistance stormed Omnimundi. The conflict was brutal, but Levine was a far stronger leader than any of us had realized. His army drove us out of Omnimundi on November 7th and chased us back into the heartlands. Levine started a massive manhunt to root out all members of the Resistance. Many died in the thirty-year hunt, including Aurelia's parents.

     I found Aurelia as an infant, crying on the forest floor not far from here. She was drenched in her parents' blood. I took her here, cleaned her, and we raised her, Andronicus and I, as best we could.

     Early on, Aurelia showed a gift for hunting. Andronicus made her a rifle to hunt with, and she would bring back all manner of game. We shared what we had with the rest of New Harlan, all twenty of us, simply trying to survive in this world.