A world almost forgotten

14 April 2144

Seattle, Cascadia, Dawnfire Empire

23:11

Andromeda Mei was an old woman now. Anti-aging technology had been prevalent throughout the empire for decades now, and had she wanted to revert back to her youthful thirties, she could. However, she had no such desire. She liked the way that age forced her to retire in a way that stress never could.

She stared out the window of her lakeside home. Before her were the many lights of Seattle, across the dark water. It was nearing midnight, and she was expecting a visitor any moment.

Behind her, a screen (in her day, she would have referred to it as a TV, but times have changed) was rambling on about military deployments. In the years since the Eventide War, the Dawnfire Empire had slowly expanded across the globe by way of interventions, referendums, and half-sovereignty proposals. But for every country that joined, another vehemently opposed, and it was for this reason that the Empire was on the brink of war with Caliexico once more.

There were many around who still remembered the Eventide War, including Andromeda, who, of course, fought in two theaters of it. They knew the horrors of what was to come with war in the south, and why humanity was better united than shattered. However, in the near-century since, many more had been born into the world spared the horrors of annihilation, and the conscious of humanity was slowly forgetting the lessons learned in Heaven, in Nebraska, in Russia, in Argentina, all over.

A distant knock interrupted Andromeda's thoughts. In most homes, the Throne would announce who it was that was visiting, but Andromeda had recently regressed to a pre-Dawnfire smart home - one notably absent of the Empire's omnipotent AI.

She slowly made her way towards the front door. Her visitor knew to wait, for Andromeda was no longer the furious girl she once was. After a minute, she finally opened the door, revealing a darkly dressed figure holding a silver box.

"Hope you don't mind that I'm early" said the visitor, who remained hidden under a black hood.

"Not at all. Looks like you got it," was Andromeda's reply.

"Was a pain in the ass, but I did. You sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"And do what? Even if I wanted my youth back, there's no anonymity in this world,"

"You could go off-world. We've colonies on Mars, Ganymede..."

"Never in a million years. I'd like to get on with it, if you don't mind,"

"I suppose... well Ms. Mei, it's been an honor,"

"Call me Andromeda," she said, taking the box and closing the door.

She carried it back to her living room, where her TV and view awaited. The screen was showing some new story about a robbery at the Museum of the Republic. Andromeda smiled a bit as she finally opened the box, removing the small handgun within it.

The previous owner of the gun was Logan Mei, her long-deceased father. He'd used it to blow his brains out, and she was ready to do the same.

For years now, she had become a figurehead for the state, who regarded her as a national hero. She had grown weary of it, and knew within her that Cascadia could not move on with her still in it. Besides, the world she lived in now was very much unlike the one she was born in, and after a century of life, she was ready to depart it on her own terms.

She put the gun to her forehead and pulled back the hammer. Few ballistic weapons existed today, but the muscle memory never left her from those Nebraskan plains.

Everything she wanted to tell the world had been written, and so only for her own sake did she relive her life in the moments before she pulled the trigger. The most selfish thing she'd done in a very long time.

A world full of hate

14 April 2060

Madrid, Spain

19:12

Sofia knew her end was near. They had spoken extensively about her execution outside her room, something she suspected they did deliberately. She had been locked in one of the palace's small bedrooms for weeks now, allowed no human contact outside of the conversations meant to torture her.

First, they reminded her of her deceased family, and how the Madrid bombings that had brought about their demise was actually her fault. Then, the neo-imperialism suddenly became the source of their rage, before they finally seemed to settle on her 'whoring off the country to the Romans'.

The Great Domitian had once said that Rome was an idea that united peoples worldwide, of a glorious and honorable empire for all. However, unlike its ancient counterpart, the modern Roman Empire did not stand for an era. It stood for a historical blink of an eye, as the grand state that stretched from Lisbon to Byzantium began crumbling some years ago.

Eastern Europe had gone first, then much of Thrace, Roman America, and finally Iberia now had fallen to the petty desires of nationalism and right-wing false promises. In Iberia, which was now days away from fracturing into a number of states, the blame was placed on Sofia, who willingly united the Spanish crown with the Roman Empire.

Sofia regretted it all. She had never thought herself capable, being thrusted into the ever more powerful monarchy solely by chance. She wished she was with her family, or even just Domitian. The two had had a small affair, and it was as intimate as she ever got. Her job demanded too much from her, and though soon she was thrown aside for a new pair of royals, responsibility had a way of following her.

Apparently, so did the blame. Her family had blamed her for allowing her older sister to go on that fateful African race, terrorists had blamed her for her family's deaths, and now these insurgents blamed her for Spain's fall from grace.

The door burst open, and a bag was immediately pulled over Sofia's head. She had learned not to fight it, as she was led out of the room that had been her prison, and seemingly towards the front doors. Even without sight, years of growing up in here had made her familiar to it.

Soon, she felt sunlight for the first time in weeks as the doors opened and the dark world around her filled with noise and light. From what she could gather, a large crowd was gathered.

The bag was ripped from her head, allowing her to behold the massive audience before her, and more importantly, the guillotine before them.

The Infanta Sofia hardly looked royal now, as she was bruised and beaten. The crowd jeered her, and she was sure that this was once the same crowd that cheered her on.

A man began preaching to the crowd about a Castillian Republic, and and end to Roman tyranny. He then motioned towards Sofia, and the men around her dragged her into the guillotine.

Viva la Republica! were the last words she heard, as the blade dropped.

A hopeful world

14 April 2023

Vienna, Austria

06:11

Wolfgang Krusche was brewing coffee in the presidential home. While he did have people paid thousands of euros to do it for him, he preferred to do the honor himself. It allowed him time to think.

Running Austria was a tough job, that's for certain. The Chancellor today would speak on a proposal to end travel to America until the Rickers Virus blew over. Such a measure would have averse effects on trade, however, though he was assured that Australian trade would make up the difference.

What Wolfgang really wanted, however, was a summer day by the lake in Villach. He missed his home dearly, and was eager for his short summer trip planned for July. It was all he could afford to take off from his packed schedule, but despite the stress, Wolfgang loved it.

From primary school he had known that he wanted to help people, and how else to do it but in government? He had already been hailed for his humanitarian aid packages to the Balkans.

Was it glory he was after? Maybe. But Wolfgang never admitted that. Rather, he professed his love of helping people, which he was just as driven by as glory. Beside, Austria had not been a world power in a very long time, and unlike his footballing brother, he'd no interest in the old days of empire.

Empire could be a messy thing, he thought.

And so as Wolfgang finished brewing his coffee, he looked out the window towards the stunning Austrian capital, stressed, but at peace.

META

So, I'm actually inactive as Austria at the moment. Life in general has proven too much for me to handle alongside WorldPowers, and as much as I love you guys, life takes priority. I've been lurking around here still, keeping track of everything, and very impressed, but not active enough for a full claim, for which I'm sorry. Thus, consider this a declaiming post.

I think I may also make this a lengthy departure from full claims. Anyone who was around back then knows that my prime days were with S1 Cascadia, and that I haven't been the same since. I miss those days, and I'm working on trying to find that play style again, but I've got a lot of exams and soul-searching to do before then.

In the meantime, Darian allowed me to be part-time governor of Washington state. Here, I can be as lurking and/or active as I want, so long as I don't cause trouble. So, I guess it's farewell-ish for now.

Love you guys.

~ beanbagtraveler

P.S. It's late and I have done minimal editing on all of this. Sorry aboot that.