Chereads / Era of Conflict: Rise of Belgium / Chapter 4 - On the ground

Chapter 4 - On the ground

January 1st, 2030. Luxembourg City.

Amidst the ordinary city life of Luxembourg City, Anne, an unremarkable resident like many others, witnessed the turn of the decade. The world, weary from the challenges of the past years, finally dared to hope once more. This year surely held the promise of change. The atmosphere was ecstatic, and the anticipation palpable, reminiscent of the celebratory fervor of the year 2000.

At this time, she was, just like many others around the globe, was celebrating the start of a new year and decade. "Things finally seem to be looking up!" she exclaimed, savoring a spoonful of the delicious chocolate fudge cake she had baked just for this occasion. 

However, this fleeting joy was abruptly halted as the Internet and the televised celebrations were unexpectedly severed, right at the same time. Such a disruption was practically alien in the modern day, so she couldn't help but feel concerned. Strangely, the electricity followed suit, leaving her stranded in darkness, except for the light from her phone. This was too strange and coincidental to just be a random fault.

In an attempt to verify the extent of the issue, Anne had little choice but to leave her tiny apartment to investigate and was shocked to find the streets in near complete darkness. "Was the entire neighborhood in a blackout?", she thought, "No, maybe even the whole city." She couldn't see any light in the distance, ruling out the possibility of a local issue.

Her neighbor, Daniel, who'd also come out to see the problem, shared her bewilderment and confusion, and neither could fathom the potential cause of the ongoing circumstances.

Right as she was about to go back inside, simply waiting until things went back to normal, she happened to catch a glimpse of what looked like soldiers in jet-black uniforms. Looking up, there seemed to be even more landing from the skies, a few of them revealed thanks to the presence of the full moon, but even that provided but a glimpse.

"Terrorists?!" Anne exclaimed in a surge of fear, but she tried to stay calm, after realizing the gravity of what was going on. Daniel was equally taken aback after witnessing the armed figures.

This revelation shed some light on the circumstances, yet the coordination of what seems to be an attack and the blockage of communication services hinted at a far grander design. Could this be the work of another nation? With time slipping away, Anne had little reason to stand around in the line of fire, she had time to dwell on it later.

Returning indoors, they could only hope for the best.  Their options were limited in the face of what seemed to be armed terrorists prowling the streets.

Fifteen tense minutes slowly crawled by. Occasional gunshots reverberated through the air, though a full-scale confrontation seemed absent. She still had no idea what the hell was going on out there and was on the verge of tears.

Finally, a broadcast broke the silence, urging citizens to remain indoors and imposing a curfew. Did this signal the restoration of order? Was everything going to be alright?

As it was late, Anne went to sleep, hoping for the best.

The shocking revelation of the Belgians' involvement greeted her at dawn.

January 4th, 2030. Luxembourg City.

Days have passed since what happened, yet Anne struggled to come to terms with the event. Life, in an almost surreal fashion, resumed its course, painting a veneer of normalcy as if the invasion was a mere figment of her imagination. Yet, the city now bore the mark of Belgian occupation — their flags fluttering at every street corner, soldiers maintaining a vigilant patrol, and who could forget the ever-omnipresent drones flying around, monitoring the movements of every soul within their gaze. The streets crackled with tension, so thick that it could be severed with a knife's edge.

Anne continued her mundane routine of working as an accountant in a major bank, yet she too noticed the anxiety in the air, disrupting the once-evident ease of daily life, both for her and the ordinary people around.

Seeking answers, Anne inquired about the post-invasion plans at her workplace, which, despite the circumstances, remained open. Her manager, too, was uncertain, saying that things were to continue as they had previously. It seemed they were attempting to maintain daily life as it once was and ensure stability under the new regime.

Returning home, she was greeted by an unexpected email, mandating an update of her identification in accordance with the new administration. Compliance was urged, hinting at repercussions for defiance.

The following day, she complied with the instructions. To her surprise, the clerk at the reception proved unusually polite and helpful, swiftly concluding the process in just fifteen minutes, though there was a long wait time in the queue.

"Well, at least they're efficient about things," she mused to herself.

The previous government's bureaucracy for document processing and identification had been notoriously sluggish, and stagnant for over a decade. There were small glimpses of improvement with the new administration.

Television broadcasting and the Internet were functional again, albeit with some hidden changes. Certain news channels had mysteriously vanished, and Internet access had been subtly curtailed and monitored. Most refrained from discussing the situation online, wary of the encroaching digital surveillance and unsure about bypassing the newly erected barriers to freedom of speech.

Anne happened to be among the few familiar with online circumvention techniques. She browsed through various forums, where discussions about resistance against the new regime were aplenty. Yet, it was apparent to all that organizing any meaningful resistance seemed nearly insurmountable. There was no refuge from the invader, and any potential leaders capable of leading or planning a rebellion had already been taken into custody.

Efforts to coordinate resistance in the digital realm were impeded as Belgian spies were surely monitoring these discussions, tirelessly identifying and tracking every dissident voice, at all cost.

In the end, Anne could at least strive to maintain some semblance of normalcy in her life... or so she hoped.