Jatany wall, Tartena, southen Iberitica Peninsula
Second week of the first month of 576
One, two, men in sight, three, four, a shout, five, six, a cannon shot, seven, eight, the impact.
[Take cover!]
[Cover your heads!]
[Protect yourselves all!]
[Get down!]
Debris from the wall fell like rain on the people surrounding the wall.
The people, plunged in disorder, ran hither and thither without stopping to think clearly what measures they should take.
The drills, it seemed, had yielded no results.
It was a hellish scene, the effort of years destroyed in seconds that seemed eternal.
"What happened?!"
Geganio Fuso, the man in charge of Jatany: a wall that borders Comest, one of the viceroyalties; came out of his residence, still in his sleeping clothes, before the roar that was heard throughout the surrounding area.
"My lord!
One of the guards approached, limping, to Geganio.
"Ali bin Za-Zayd... What happened to you!"
The chaos around him became mute as he saw that the soldier had a bleeding eye, a twisted ankle and one of his arms was broken.
"There was a bomb-bombing from the viceroy's sid…!"
He vomited blood, his organs had been shattered by the numbers of debris that had hit him.
"Sir...," his vision blurred, his body trembled. "Help me...."
He said no more and fell to the ground, bleeding.
"Ali!" With a quick step she went to him, bending down and placing herself on his wounded abdomen. "Shit, they pierced your stomach, he's going to die."
It was just a bombing. A bombing that turned out to be devastating, causing great material and human losses.
"Quick, go to the kindergarten, get the children out!" Najat bin Hakim, director of the hospital in the region, ordered his doctors to rescue those who had been left under the destroyed structures. "Or what was left of them…"
Standing in the middle of the desolate road, he pointed out the places where his subordinates should go.
With them already on their way, leaving two at his side just in case, out of the corner of his eye he saw Geganio, still standing beside Ali's body.
"My lord!" With his assistants, he went to the man with the thin nose and long brown hair, dancing in the wind.
"Director Najat...," his eyes remained on the unconscious boy. Ple-please he-help him."
"Of course," he turned to the doctors, "Jabr, Walim, quick, to the hospital!"
He grabbed Geganio by the arm to pull him away, and his men obeyed.
Holding him by his limbs, they lifted him up, and, overcome by the desperate cries of those around them, fearful of the death of their relatives near the wall, carried him away.
"Najat... tell me everything that happened, please...."
He looked around the surroundings, the devastation, the chaos and destruction.
"I'm going to be removed from office...," he thought.
If they saw it from the outside, superficially, it would seem that he was the only one to blame for what happened for not having foreseen an attack.
"I don't quite know what happened up there," he pointed to the top, now destroyed, part of the wall. However. "I can tell you as far as I know.
At nightfall
The moon was in its maximum splendor, colored in a strong crimson red, as if reflecting the disaster that had occurred on earth.
The man, standing on the facade of his house, not so affected, fixed his gaze on the beautiful star, admiring it, reflecting inwardly.
'Despite the fact that we had reached an agreement, they hire mercenaries to screw us? If they wanted Tartena so badly, they shouldn't have signed the pax....'
Cutting off their aqueducts, thus leaving them without water supplies; and throwing dead animals at them spreading diseases, were some of the ways the viceroyalty used to harm them.
'It is obvious that they only want to pressure us when, having had enough, we give the region back to them.'
In the streets, despite the fact that night had fallen, doctors and volunteers were still pulling people out of the collapsed structures.
'I can't do anything anymore. They'll take my job because of everything that happened... Maybe they'll execute me.'
He looked down, staring at the ground.
He didn't want to die for something that wasn't entirely his fault, not out of eagerness to keep enjoying the vices of life, but for....
"Nio?"
With cautious steps, a young girl, calling him by his nickname and observing him through her curious emerald eyes, went towards him.
She hugged him from behind affectionately, sinking her face into his sturdy body.
"Daughter," he rested his hands on Lia's small, warm arms. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
No, he was not her father, he was her husband, they had married for political interests.
Geganio was already in his thirties, while Lia was in her young eighties, just entering adulthood.
Despite the age difference, they managed to form a close bond, where he treats her as if she were his daughter, something she did not like.
For this reason, Geganio has not dared to make carnal act, reached such a level his respect for her to the point of sleeping in different beds.
Lia was the reason he did not want to die.
He did not want to leave her alone in front of a world full of dangers.
"Can't I come to see you?" -she asked nervously, positioning herself in front of him.
She managed to see his droopy eyes and his twisted lip.
Geganio, seeing the worried expression on Lia's face after looking at him, forced a smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, I'm fine, it was just a bit of a heavy day."
She threw herself into him, without warning, in a strong and warm embrace. Geganio was startled, who, after a few seconds, reciprocated.
Between them there was no romance or love, only a desire to love, a strong friendship.
They do not love each other; they want each other. They do not desire each other; they love each other.
"What is it, Lia?" He asked delicately when he heard how she began to sob.
"Are they going to kill you?"
Her tears soaked Geganio's clothes; she clung tighter to him, as if she never wanted to be separated from the man who was the only family she had left.
Those words squeezed his heart, he could not find a way to take away that fear.
It seemed that Lia was more aware than he thought she was of everything that was going on around her.
"Te-Tell me some-something, please...," Geganio's silence overwhelmed her more, making her imagine the worst. "You can't leave me alone!"
Abruptly she broke away from him; they exchanged glances.
No words were needed to explain what he was thinking, his eyes, like hers, were flooded with tears.
"Mr. Fuso!"
A guard hurriedly approached the couple, interrupting their moment.
"Wha-what's wrong?" Quickly, he wiped away his tears as he turned to the soldier.
"The imperator has shown up at the main bar. He wants to speak with you, my lord, it is urgent."
The pair glanced sideways at each other at the end of his words, fearful their fear might come true.
'I hope he's merciful...," Geganio thought, to which he prepared to follow the soldier to take him to Philipart.
However, a small hand grabbed his arm.
With the glare of the moon crashing on his face, you could see his heated cheeks invaded by tears, and his beautiful emerald eyes swollen from crying. Lia, she seemed anxious to say something, but nothing came out.
"Go and rest, I'll be fine, daughter," placing a hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her close to him and placed a soft and delicate kiss on her forehead.
He said no more, broke away, turned and let himself go.
She stood there, her chest aching, and worse was what she felt! As she watched Geganio walk away along the deep paths of the region, of which, perhaps, she would never walk again.
Main bar, Tartena, Iberian península
'There he is,' he thought as he saw Philipart sitting at a corner table, drinking a pitcher of mead most calmly. The tranquility he wore frightened him even more.
The guard bowed to him, and withdrew. If they were going to punish Geganio, he preferred not to be around so as not to be involved.
The few people who were there, even the tavern keeper himself, kept serious expressions.
The atmosphere was pervaded by the darkness of their bitter hearts, still disturbed by what had happened in the morning.
"Imperator...," he spoke with his eyes lowered, still standing at the side of the table, he was ashamed, he had failed in his task.
"Have a seat," he set the glass aside, staring at the chair in front of him.
Without hesitation, and by the serious tone with which he gave him the order, Geganio sat down, fearful.
He didn't have the courage to look him straight in the eye.
"I was coming to Tartena to discuss some things with you. And in the middle of the way, I come to know what happened...."
"Forgive me!" He interrupted him and bowed his head.
His scandal caught the attention of those present.
"Those viceroys do not respect the treaty! Believe me, by the Nintu, I have done my best to avoid a large-scale conflict!"
"To hell with it."
Philipart's sudden offense made Geganio stop his complaints in his tracks, looking up with a furrowed brow.
"Excu-Excuse me?"
"What you've Heard," a smirk formed on his face. "Fuck the pax."
One of those present approached, and, grabbed Philipart by the shoulder, forcefully.
"Why do you say that, sir?!"
[Are we going to enter another war?!?]
[Are you out of your mind?!]
[Now what are you planning now?!]
"Silence!" Philipart slammed the table, not willing to be overrun again by shouting complaints. Just as had happened in the Curia.
Everyone fell silent, merely circling the table and paying attention to his words.
"Fuso... how do I explain to you that the treaties with the viceroyalty are only between them and the central power of the Empire?
He leaned both elbows on the table, watching Geganio with a victorious smile.
"Wha-what is he tal-talking about?"
"That the rats of the Senate are in charge of those treaties."
They guffawed at his comment.
"So..."
"We can attack the viceroyalty if we want to!" Interrupted Geganio, who was not giving reason to his argument. "But!" He stopped the euphoria that was being generated. "We all know that would be bad for us. We're not such idiots, are we?"
Those present looked at each other, nodding silently.
"Geganio, I will not execute you or take your job as is customary for a failed leader such as you are now."
"Well thank you."
"However, I am going to order you three things," he grabbed his glass, and took a big sip from it.
Those around them felt, in a way, fortunate to be able to witness the talk between two powerful but inept men.
"Do what you can, now, to prevent the news of the division of the Empire from reaching the viceroyalty of Iberitica. Those without honor might take advantage of it to attack us."
Geganio nodded.
Like Philipart, he was aware that, despite being properly prepared, it would be too difficult for them to maintain two fronts at once.
"The second one is a bit complicated... You must evacuate the people living near the wall and relocate them. That way we will avoid another incident like today."
Geganio couldn't help but feel a tightening in his chest when he heard that.
Many families had lost their loved ones because of him. So, without hesitation, he accepted the request.
Tomorrow he would start with that work.
"And finally... Fill the wall with cannons and archers!"
"What?!" He stood up abruptly from his seat, Philipart became exalted. "That would increase tensions!"
"So what? They will only use them when they see threats near the wall. If a war breaks out, it will be because of them, not us, and we would have the moral advantage there."
He wanted to complain, to refute it, however, he could not deny that Philipart's words were right.
"Agre-Agreed," he resumed his seat, sighing and with an uneasy chest.
Without even saying goodbye, Philipart stood up, having done what he had to do.
"Before I go," he looked at Geganio out of the corner of his eye, "I ask you to please send a letter alone! To our contact in Gatia, the northernmost viceroyalty, in which you communicate everything that happened in the Empire."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Not at all, do it as fast as you can," with that said, he began his walk to the exit.
"F! Right?" He shouted the name of the contact, he wanted to confirm the identity.
Philipart merely raised his hand with a raised thumb.
And, without looking back, he left the place.