29-10-2025, 03:06 AM
19:21, Amram's Pub, Rishon Le Hofesh, Xsampa's Canton 14, occupied Amudim.
Compartmentation gave him no real clue how many of them were out there. At least five. She had revealed that much, for an operation this size you need at least five. Maybe eight. Perhaps ten. The guessing had been a good part of his free time in this occupied land, rules did not allow him to fraternise too much. Before you get drunk and reveal everything. Instead he had been telling people he was a recovering alcoholic, which usually stopped people bothering him about drinking. Nonetheless, he was in pubs often. They were a good place to meet 'others', people resisting occupation and plotting revolts. He peeled at the label of his non-alcoholic beer as he thought back to his mission briefing all those months ago. A botfarm worth more than any rifle and explosive, that's what the big boss had said after his complaints about the passive nature of this mission. Social media had done most of the prep for him, even with Xsampa's rather soft approach people were angry here. They felt mistreated, like they were cattle to be traded around in some big shot conference. Eighty years ago his home country had invaded this city, you could still see the scars on some buildings. What was it his boss had said again? Make them realise why we left? He was rudely taken from his thoughts by a tap on his arm. "Evron, my man, you ready for tonight?" My name is Pruve, he thought. With a nod and a smile he replied. "This is it, this is where we show them we've had enough." With a last swig he finished his beer. "You ready to go? We got five minutes to meet them." The Yeudi nodded, he seemed both nervous and excited. Together they walked out of the pub and towards the city square, from his backpack they unfurled large banners with several slogans asking the Xsampans, not so politely, to go home.
A short while later at the main square of Rishon Le Hofesh he took one banner, Chaim the other and the other three he brought were handed out amongst other members of their online anti-Xsampan protest group. A hundred online discussions, a dozen pub nights, eight secret meetings, four weeks of spreading hidden invites to keep this all under board. He was praying his counterparts in the other areas were ready too, he expected a few of them to be in Rishon Le Hofesh too. But surely some were in Tel Bidzhan, the only other city of note in Canton 14. After twenty minutes of waiting he was amazed at how many people had shown up. Jelbic online propaganda is really good, or these people are really done with being occupied. He did not question it for now, but instead raised his banner and started chanting: "FROM THE SACRED COAST TO THE MAJATRAN SEA, OUR HOMELAND WILL BE FREE!" The others in his action group followed suit and a few moments later hundreds, if not thousands, were chanting with them. Others resorted to simpler slogans, "Xsampans out" or "No more colonisers" or even "Kill the oppressors". Local police forces struggled to contain the massive protest, Xsampa's reluctance to deploy their own security forces to Canton 14 was starting to show itself. This was good, cornered rats can do some weird jumps. Though, instructions were clear to peacefully protest and keep the local authorities nervous. A little violence however was allowed. He gently pushed the people in front of him, as did his Yeudi friends, the last meeting they had was quite clear: keep moving until they could move no more.
The dominoes always fall, that's what his training had taught him. Loose cobbles on the old square had caused two policemen to trip, one of them had blamed the protestors. Partially true, as they had been moving forward way too fast. In return he had swung a baton, which the crowd did not take kindly. The crowd picked up cobblestones from the square and started to throw them at policemen. Before you knew it a car had been set on fire. The ill-meaning part of the protesting crowd started to throw in windows in nearby buildings. It only took three and a half hours of protesting and the chanting crowd had turned into a looting mob. The frontlines were fighting with police, the centre was setting random stuff on fire, and the rotten part was looting stores. Once escalation had been assured he made sure to leave before the police started their mass arrests, if they even had the capacity to do so. He texted the encrypted group chat urging others to go home too, never waste good assets. Once he had returned to his apartment he checked the local news. His colleagues had been equally successful, Tel Bidzhan's protest was out of control too. In code he reported the success of his mission to his handler, before spending the rest of the night observing the status of the local riots, gleefully he read about how Xsampan authorities were displeased.
Compartmentation gave him no real clue how many of them were out there. At least five. She had revealed that much, for an operation this size you need at least five. Maybe eight. Perhaps ten. The guessing had been a good part of his free time in this occupied land, rules did not allow him to fraternise too much. Before you get drunk and reveal everything. Instead he had been telling people he was a recovering alcoholic, which usually stopped people bothering him about drinking. Nonetheless, he was in pubs often. They were a good place to meet 'others', people resisting occupation and plotting revolts. He peeled at the label of his non-alcoholic beer as he thought back to his mission briefing all those months ago. A botfarm worth more than any rifle and explosive, that's what the big boss had said after his complaints about the passive nature of this mission. Social media had done most of the prep for him, even with Xsampa's rather soft approach people were angry here. They felt mistreated, like they were cattle to be traded around in some big shot conference. Eighty years ago his home country had invaded this city, you could still see the scars on some buildings. What was it his boss had said again? Make them realise why we left? He was rudely taken from his thoughts by a tap on his arm. "Evron, my man, you ready for tonight?" My name is Pruve, he thought. With a nod and a smile he replied. "This is it, this is where we show them we've had enough." With a last swig he finished his beer. "You ready to go? We got five minutes to meet them." The Yeudi nodded, he seemed both nervous and excited. Together they walked out of the pub and towards the city square, from his backpack they unfurled large banners with several slogans asking the Xsampans, not so politely, to go home.
A short while later at the main square of Rishon Le Hofesh he took one banner, Chaim the other and the other three he brought were handed out amongst other members of their online anti-Xsampan protest group. A hundred online discussions, a dozen pub nights, eight secret meetings, four weeks of spreading hidden invites to keep this all under board. He was praying his counterparts in the other areas were ready too, he expected a few of them to be in Rishon Le Hofesh too. But surely some were in Tel Bidzhan, the only other city of note in Canton 14. After twenty minutes of waiting he was amazed at how many people had shown up. Jelbic online propaganda is really good, or these people are really done with being occupied. He did not question it for now, but instead raised his banner and started chanting: "FROM THE SACRED COAST TO THE MAJATRAN SEA, OUR HOMELAND WILL BE FREE!" The others in his action group followed suit and a few moments later hundreds, if not thousands, were chanting with them. Others resorted to simpler slogans, "Xsampans out" or "No more colonisers" or even "Kill the oppressors". Local police forces struggled to contain the massive protest, Xsampa's reluctance to deploy their own security forces to Canton 14 was starting to show itself. This was good, cornered rats can do some weird jumps. Though, instructions were clear to peacefully protest and keep the local authorities nervous. A little violence however was allowed. He gently pushed the people in front of him, as did his Yeudi friends, the last meeting they had was quite clear: keep moving until they could move no more.
The dominoes always fall, that's what his training had taught him. Loose cobbles on the old square had caused two policemen to trip, one of them had blamed the protestors. Partially true, as they had been moving forward way too fast. In return he had swung a baton, which the crowd did not take kindly. The crowd picked up cobblestones from the square and started to throw them at policemen. Before you knew it a car had been set on fire. The ill-meaning part of the protesting crowd started to throw in windows in nearby buildings. It only took three and a half hours of protesting and the chanting crowd had turned into a looting mob. The frontlines were fighting with police, the centre was setting random stuff on fire, and the rotten part was looting stores. Once escalation had been assured he made sure to leave before the police started their mass arrests, if they even had the capacity to do so. He texted the encrypted group chat urging others to go home too, never waste good assets. Once he had returned to his apartment he checked the local news. His colleagues had been equally successful, Tel Bidzhan's protest was out of control too. In code he reported the success of his mission to his handler, before spending the rest of the night observing the status of the local riots, gleefully he read about how Xsampan authorities were displeased.