The auditorium was filled to the brim with well-suited men and women, staring toward the empty stage. Besides small talk or casual conversation, the air was eerie of fear and prospect. For the last few months, most of the world had been under the attack of Youdenia, an up-and-coming superpower under the leadership of a man named Youden Qey. One of the most assertive individuals not only on the planet right now, but potentially one of the most powerful in all of existence and prior history, did his name bring a sense of fear to those just hearing it. But yet, they all needed to band together and fight against this threat. They wouldn't go down that easily.
"Hello everyone." a voice rang out, causing much of the room's conversation to die down. "My name is Joseph Lendrow. I am the Ambassador Of Macrean's Foreign Minister. As we all know, and as for why we are here, on February 17th, 1952, is to rectify support among our alliance of over one hundred nations to fend off Youden and reclaim a world full of safety!"
With those words, the crowd had a small standing ovation, before quieting down and waiting for more.
"Before we continue, I want to bring a special guest on stage. Please hold your applause." Joseph said, before going backstage.
The room was filled with murmurs, as no one knew what this was about. All the people here were mostly either other diplomats, positions of limited leadership of respective nations, or millionaires and such with funding. What guest were they bringing here that could be of value?
For a few more moments, the crowd slowly quieted down, as the man returned holding the hand of a little girl. No one said another word, as the man brought the kid to the podium, as one of the aides quickly pushed a stool onto view. Removing a piece of paper from his pocket, Joseph laid it onto the wooden structure and made sure the girl could properly read what was on it. Muttering a few more words into her ear, he backed up and cleared his throat before continuing onward.
"I would like to start this event, by making sure we all understand what we are fighting for. Today, I've brought this young girl onto the stage, whose name is Halleh Konpo. Only seven years old, she was residing with her extended family in Mongrave City when Youden's forces came onto the continent. With nowhere to go due to the lack of money, they had no choice but to hunker down as the onslaught of their machines and weaponry laid siege upon the city. As our army attempted to hold them off for a few weeks, did Youden finally have enough and ordered his forces to occupy the town by any means necessary. As a result, a pre-war population of 80,000 was dropped to 30,000 within the first two days after the command. The amount of artillery blew down many of the weak structures not meant to face such destruction."
The wording brought quite a stir among the few people inside who hadn't learned of the history that occurred within the first two months of Youden's invasion. They knew it was bad, but they didn't realize how far Youden was willing to go.
"Halleh's family was unfortunate enough to not be blessed with a basement, so every day did they risk their lives staying in their apartment complex, hoping for some end to the violence. For most of them, that came a week after the initial order, when the largest bombing campaign of the war at the moment came onto the town. An estimated fifty thousand tons of the metal objects were dropped onto the city. Not a single building was spared, as over seven thousand of the remaining thirty thousand were killed. Included in those numbers were Halleh's family, while Halleh was on the bottom floor with a friend when they landed on her building. It would be another two weeks until Youden captured the remains of what was once a place filled with happiness and opportunity, and the little care they had for those they killed. Even as Youden occupies around nine percent of the entire continent, including all of Macrean, let us not forget those who suffered even more than us. This was a poem that Halleh made after the tragic event occurred, and should be a reminder of what we all must do to end this man's goals."
The room remained still, as all eyes were on the little girl. She looked around at the large crowd, before taking a big gulp.
"Hello." she muttered into the mic, barely audible.
No one made a sound, watching her with all their interest. Halleh turned her head toward the Ambassador, who simply nodded his head for her to go on. This needed to resonate with everyone. Taking a quick breath, she closed her eyes before going onward.
"Dark days, dark clouds,
Evil rains through the air,
No home, no family."
She had started before starting to break down. The room's atmosphere changed as a result of her energy, as tears started coming down from the girl. The ambassador was quick to make his way toward the child, but she lifted a hand, signaling him to stop.
"Through the pain,
I'm not the same,
For evil comes,
And evil pays,
Fight no more,
It hurts me so,
For we shall come back, our hearts will return."
Halleh continued onward, as the tears streamed down her face, but looking into the crowd.
For a few moments, the air remained still, and not a single word was spoken in that timespan. It wasn't until a sole member in the front row got up and began clapping. It was slow to build up, but soon enough, another audience member stood to applaud the work, before more people joined. Within the next minute, everyone was picking themselves up from their seats, with a few starting a chant.
"The end of Youden!" some of the crowd started, before everyone started to join.
Joseph could do nothing but look in awe, at the support the entire vicinity held for the alliance. Turning towards the girl, he watched as she raised her fist in support and with a new smile on her face for a better future. A better future they would all have and going to get, no matter the cost.