Cinna left the capital with some of his bodyguards that same night. They did not use his official Senate car, which may be bulletproof, but not invincible to tracking. They used the secret network of tunnels built by Pompey when he was president, which leads to areas outside the city. From there, they acquired a car which allowed them to reach Novgorod, some 600 kilometers north of Moscovia. When they reached the city before dawn, they entered another network of tunnels, this time leading them to the hideout of the Liberators, who fled the city after the public threw its support to the dead Kaiser.
Cinna knocked at the metal door and said, "Open up!"
It took few minutes before someone asked from the other side, "Password?"
"What?!", Cinna exclaimed, "This is urgent!"
"Password," the voice repeated.
"Okay," Cinna said as he shakes his head once, and then snapped at one of his guards.
The bodyguard at his right whispered, "Uh... J22M?"
Cinna nodded and said loudly, "J22M!"
"No. Password," the voice declared.
Cinna hit the guard with his palm, and then snapped at another guard.
The bodyguard at his left whispered, "Liberty or death?"
Cinna nodded and said loudly, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
A few more seconds passed, and the metal door clicked, as if indicating it was opened.
"Recognized. Welcome, brother," the voice said.
As the door opened, Cinna saw Servili Kaska, the first one to strike Kaiser during the assassination. Kaska shook Cinna's hand, but then went closer to his ear and said, "Your guards have to wait in the lobby."
Cinna whispered, "I understand."
He then turned to his guards and asked them to wait at the lobby. The metal door was closed, and when they entered the lobby, there is another metal door. The guards remain in the lobby, which was equipped with good lighting, radio, electric fan, and even a refrigerator for snacks, while Cinna and Kaska enter the second metal door. When they close the second metal door, a dark tunnel was revealed, lighted only by small bulbs. The tunnel was quite small, and people can only enter by twos. After some walking, they reach the third metal door. When Kaska opened the third metal door, there revealed the rest of the conspirators who assassinated Julius Kaiser, watching on television a replay of Antony's speech for the late dictator. All of them are in that one large room which featured better lighting and even air conditioning. The room also had three other metal doors, one on each side. With Cinna's arrival, the evidently gloomy atmosphere seemed to have lightened up.
"Cinna! How's things at the capital? You could've just radioed us," Longinus greeted Cinna as he shook his hand.
"Yeah," Barotov said to Cinna as he also shook his hand, "I suppose you're not followed?"
"Of course not," Cinna assured to Barotov.
"Take a seat," Longinus motioned his hand to direct Cinna to a vacant chair.
"Thank you," Cinna said with a smile.
As he sat down, he noticed the rest of the conspiring senators talking softly with each other. Thinking he was being doubted by his own comrades, Cinna began his report.
"Gentlemen! I bring news from the Senate. It turns out Kaiser's will is real, but that's not the big story..."
With this opening statement, all in the room looked at Cinna and listened intently.
"As expected, one of his family members get the Kaiser fortune, the young Octavian. However..."
Barotov interrupted, "Just get to the point, Ludwig!"
"Alright. Always the rushing one, eh?", Cinna remarked.
He then continued with his report, "Barotov was designated as second heir, in the event Octavian dies!"
Sounds of surprise and amazement dominated the room.
"Not only will the heir inherit 75 percent of Kaiser's fortune, estimated to be around 6 million aurei, he will also inherit the Kaiser name!"
Longinus looked at Barotov and shook him by the shoulder.
"This is great! We're not beaten yet!", Longinus declared with joy.
"What do you mean?", Barotov shot back.
Kaska answered, "That means, we only have to dispose of the boy, and then you can have Kaiser's fame and fortune!"
"Wait!", Cinna interjected, "If we throw our support to someone with the Kaiser name, how can the Liberators remain committed to liberty? If Barotov takes Octavian's role as successor, then a dynasty is still built."
From rejoicing, silence again reigned in the room.
Longinus tried to break the silence, "What now? Just ignore Kaiser's fortune? We can fund a whole army with that money!"
"Yes," Cinna responded, "it can be done. But two points must be cleared. First, can we kill Octavian? At this point, he must be in the capital, and Kaiser's KGB must be working head over heels to protect him. Second, can we risk taking the Kaiser name? Kaiser is the very symbolism of tyranny. Remember, the will gives the fortune as a package."
Barotov turned his head away from the people and tried to keep his tears from falling.
"Father, my father," he murmured.
Longinus said as he patted Barotov's shoulder, "Very well. I take Cinna's point, but what can we do to take away power from Kaiser's men?"
"Raise an army elsewhere," Cinna declared as he pulled out a map of the Russian Republic and placed it on the center table. Most of the Liberators looked on as they await Cinna's explanation.
"What do you propose?", Longinus asked the obvious question as he also looked at the map.
Cinna circled his index finger at the area near Moscovia as he said, "The center is dangerous. You can't raise any army here. The people are fired up by Antony's speech, which has been viewed by almost a hundred million in Russia alone!"
He then pointed in Russia's eastern frontier.
"You can't also raise any army in the west, as Kaiser has just campaigned against America. It will take time for them to recover. The east had somewhat recovered, and with the Chinese threat, those people at the capital would think twice to move massive troops to the border."
"Very well," Longinus said as he nodded, "which do you suggest in particular?"
Cinna rubbed his chin and paused for a moment while looking intently at the map. The rest also made sounds to indicate that they were also thinking.
After a few more minutes, Cinna softly said, "Japan..."
"What?", Barotov asked as he faced his ear towards Cinna's direction.
Longinus heard Cinna and agreed to his recommendation. However, the rest of the Liberators deliberated the matter with incessant talking.
"Why not the Philippines? Indonesia?"
"America is still large enough to provide the manpower we need."
"Let's seek an asylum with China!"
"How about the Arabs? They'd want to get some revenge."
"Has anyone considered Africa?"
"Let's march to Moscovia again! Push our luck at the capital!"
Cinna pounded the table with his fist, with the ends of the map flapping at its wake.
"Quiet! Japan is the best candidate because it is the most modernized of all the eastern territories. Antony is loved in the Philippines and Indonesia for his stint there as Gabiniy's staff. The cause of the Liberators can find fertile ground in Japan. The Japanese have been yearning to get revenge for the post-Sulla repression that crushed their rebellion in '22."
"That's why I agree," Longinus entered, "I'm good at Nihongo, and I'm quite popular in the area for my service there during Kaiser's civil war. Tadashii! I estimate that we can easily raise six divisions there!"
A Russian division consists of around 20,000 troops. While Barotov kept quiet as he remembered his father's memory, the Liberators were decided that they are to carry the fight elsewhere. Cinna was pleased to see his plans at work.
"But wait," Kaska asked, "weren't we supposed to be wanted for killing Kaiser? The borders must have been closed at the frontier!"
"Don't worry. Antony himself has arranged for your pardon, and I seconded the motion. I'm even here to grant for safe-conduct passes."
"Unbelievable!", Longinus exclaimed, "Even after I threw a spear at him!"
Cinna said, "I don't know what he's planning, but whatever that is, we must be ahead in this game."
On the same day, the Liberators leave Novgorod, and split themselves into six groups. However, instead of going to Moscovia, they sneak their convoy to Hilin. From there, they take the railroad towards the eastern frontier. They cross through Korea, still neutral despite being pressured by Russia and China, in attempts to cover their trail for they suspected the safe-conduct passes. Within a week, they have arrived at Japan. The retreat to the east is complete. Each group is now tasked to raise a division. As for Cinna, he returned to Moscovia. With the Liberators building an army against Kaiser's men, another civil war is imminent. Can the republic survive another armed conflict?