[fan fic] Refusal to Fall
Title: Refusal to Fall
Characters/Parings: The Empire, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Canada, America, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence and some scary-ish material
Summary: Stand up to the empire, because that's all we have left to do.
The Empire was moving fast now.
----
“So, you’re Switzerland?” Australia asked, holding his M-16 and checking it over lazily. Next to him, New Zealand was humming cheerfully as he polished his own with a filthy rag. “Where’s that cute li’l tagalong sister of yours?”
Switzerland looked utterly worn through; far too thin, dark bags under his wild eyes, and his whole body hanging uselessly. Still, he tossed his Pistole 75 towards Australia. It clattered to the ground at his feet.
“Heard you were fighting the Empire,” he said in a dead voice.
“That we are,” Australia said, still somehow smiling despite the fact he had a clearly unhinged, well-armed nation standing before him. New Zealand had stopped polishing his assault rifle and was very carefully turning it to aim at Switzerland. Just in case.
“I want to join,” he replied.
“For your sister?”
“Something like that,” Switzerland said, turning away furiously.
----
Taiwan was singing. Hong Kong wondered if she was singing for the Empire or for herself, and contemplated peeking into her little room. Then he heard a second voice, one with a slight accent and airy tone, join in. The two girls sang the same little melody over and over, as if learning and memorising it.
“I think I will remember it now,” the airy-voiced girl said in English. The accent was impeccable. It had to be Singapore in that little room. Hong Kong peered through the door and saw her, ever in her long skirt, and Taiwan in her military uniform. In the corner he saw Korea, the Southern one, glowering at a wall.
“We were about to go and find you,” Taiwan said softly. She also spoke in heavily-accented English. “Korea and I have been talking, we’ve decided to fight the Empire.”
“Quietly,” Korea reminded Taiwan in a sharp whisper. “We don’t know when it’ll find us.”
“I thought,” Hong Kong murmured, looking at Korea, “that the Empire refused to touch you. Because of your sister.”
“Shut up,” Korea replied. The Empire indeed hadn’t touched either of the Korea siblings, perhaps because taking one would mean taking the other, and taking the both would only create problems for the Empire. Even a newborn nation understood siblings were rarely intended to be united.
“How did you get in here, then?” Singapore asked in surprise, her prominent eyebrows rising into her hairline.
“Very carefully. Keep going, Taiwan, I have to be out of here in minutes.”
“We’re the best chance Asia has at fighting back,” she said. “And we agreed on a nonsense song that would be our way of catching each other’s attention, should it be needed.” She sang the little melody, Korea and Singapore joining in as softly as they could, and soon Hong Kong had followed, singing along with them.
And in that little room, Asia’s four little dragons began to sharpen their teeth.
----
Winter was coming, and for the first time in a long time, Canada was afraid.
No matter how much Father Winter coddled Canada, there was no way they’d all survive through the winter. No, right now Dawson and Whitehorse were once again tent cities. But the people there were not hardened prospectors on their final great stampede for gold, but refugees fleeing the Empire and the violence in the South. Canada feared for the lives of his people.
Canada feared for the life of his brother, too. The Empire had taken his federal government, that was true, but his provinces had so much autonomy that, at first, it had hardly mattered to the nation. The Empire wouldn’t be able to take down Canada for a long time, not while his people were so scattered and his lands so mind-warpingly vast. For the time being he was a refugee, but he was safe. America had no such luxuries.
What Canada knew was mostly rumour and scraps of information they still got from the government and from the radio channels the Empire had yet to silence. It sounded like America was caught in what they called the Second American Revolution. The people saw how their new government was tyrannical and unfit to lead their nation, and they took up arms to fight the Empire. There was no chance for victory, no allowing for defeat.
Isolated in the North, Canada could do nothing but wait.
----
The Empire was a disease of the nations, it spread fast and, while resisted in the beginning, it would eventually overwhelm its host. Micronations had already been lost to it and had been completely cut off from communicating with other countries. Portugal and Spain were both already lost to it, as was Southern Italy. England was in his dying throes. No one had heard from France in months. The world as they knew it was in chaos.
----
Ukraine wore her military uniform to Poland’s house. When she was greeted there Poland and Lithuania were in their uniforms as well, and they proceeded to chat lightly over tea. Lithuania was struggling to overthrow the Empire and Poland knew well he was at risk of being taken very soon as well. Ukraine’s army was building in order to fight off the Empire, but she knew eventually it would take a hold of her. No nation escaped without being touched by the Empire.
“So, I, like, heard that no one’s seen Estonia in a week,” Poland said. “Have you seen him, Liet?”
“N-No, I haven’t,” Lithuania mumbled back. “He may have gone to Finland to try and push back the Empire’s hold there.”
“But isn’t, y’know, Finn’s big scary hubby providing aid to the Empire?” Poland asked. “Poor guy’s gonna get totally crushed if that happens.”
“I doubt Sweden is providing help because he wants to. Finland’s the only Nordic nation left fighting.” Lithuania’s face was drawn in an expression of worry and, underneath that, depressed resignation.
“Surely we must have some reason to hope?” Ukraine said desperately, setting down her tea cup with a trembling hand.
“America hasn’t fallen yet,” Lithuania reassured gently. “And neither has Russia. Many of the most powerful nations in the world are still fighting. We haven’t lost yet.” But he didn’t look certain, and it took Ukraine a great deal of strength to not collapse into tears at the idea that there was no hope left.
----
The madness in Switzerland’s eyes was not to be relied on, Australia and New Zealand had found. The European was controlled and ruthless, his violence only helped by the fact he was not truly affiliated with any nation.
“Truth be told,” New Zealand told Switzerland over their tin-plate breakfast, “I think you’re the most frightening thing on the field. You could probably take back all of Australia by yourself.” Switzerland shook his head slowly.
“I’m here to weaken the Empire and rescue my sister, not to save anyone else.” New Zealand nodded. “If this stops benefiting me I will go and try to find another resistance movement.”
“Why don’t you just go home and fight then?” the isolated island nation asked softly.
“Because my home is already gone.”
----
Lithuania had fallen. The Empire was tearing straight through Poland to pour into the rest of Eastern Europe. The Empire had reached Ukraine.
“I love you, too, Brother. Please, take care. Goodbye.” Ukraine hung up her cell phone and deposited it on her kitchen counter. She would not be needing it anymore.
She found her rifle, a TAR-21, hidden away in the far back of one of her closets. She would fight the Empire among her men and they would win, or they would die. Perhaps that was what became of nations that lost. They abandoned all hope and simply destroyed themselves to avoid being ruled. Or maybe they were living and waiting for a shred of hope to shine through. Perhaps the Empire simply killed them. There was no way to know what happened to nations swallowed by the Empire, after all.
She joined her stern-faced military and found herself being brought to her northern border where bombing raids were beginning. She pushed away the hurt as she and her boys and girls waited for the Empire to come and overtake her.
Bombs falling from the sky flattened buildings and turned others into skeletons. A great many of Ukraine’s soldiers died, and very little support could be given to the North, not while the West was facing the combined forces of most of Western Europe.
One tense evening, Ukraine began to hear the rumble of a vehicle approaching. She wriggled closer to the edge of the building, and saw a single Jeep get closer and closer. The land was in ruins, she was amazed anyone would try and get this close in any vehicle short of a tank or plane. It stopped suddenly, and Ukraine saw a few men step out of it, just beyond her range. The final person to step out made her blood boil with rage, with complete hatred. And it occurred to her that it must’ve been the Empire, because what else would provoke such a reaction from her on sight?
The Empire began to walk towards her and her boys, although it did not seem aware of her location yet, and she began to target the Empire past its escorts. She heard a command from the man directing her little remaining group to hold their fire, and she obeyed. Then the whispered order, “Fire.”
The gunshot rang in the barren, dead landscape, and the Empire and its escorts took out their own weapons and began firing back. Ukraine and her boys were unharmed as well, but a sudden cracking noise frightened them more than any gunshot would’ve. There had been no way to know for sure that the remains of the building they were on would stay up, and now it was becoming clear it was ready to break at any moment. They tried to move away, and before she could truly comprehend what had happened Ukraine was aware that she was falling.
She hit the ground with her shoulder first, too stunned and weary and sore to be able to shift into a safer position in time, and the horrible cracking noise told her that it was broken. The Empire told its escorts to hold their fire and Ukraine heard four more gunshots ring through the air. It took a long moment for her to realise she’d been shot. Her whole body ached, she was in so much pain her mind was beyond it now. Trembling, she pushed herself to her feet with her good arm, stooping to pick up her gun in the process. Another shot, and Ukraine swayed at the force but remained standing.
“You’ve lost!” The Empire shouted, holding up its handgun to make the final shot. The killing shot, Ukraine thought vaguely. “Bow to me or die!”
And in that moment, centuries worth of submission flashed across Ukraine’s mind. She’d bowed to everyone, and even in her independence had relied on friends and allies to bring her to her feet and give her total political freedom. And now all that quiet submission built in her a strength she didn’t know she had, something that stopped the shaking of her muscles and blocked all the pain in her mind. And she locked eyes with the Empire and said in a hoarse voice, “No.”
The Empire recoiled and was about to pull the trigger. Ukraine added in a stronger voice, “I bow to no one.” She held up her gun and fired upon the Empire.
----
The Empire, officially known as the Global Unity Party, was never a political party anywhere in the world. It spread through “secret societies” and mass media in a way similar to that of a meme. After years of careful indoctrination in some of the world’s most powerful countries, most notably China and the United States of America, the Empire began taking over governments through legal means such as democratic elections and illegal means such as bribery, threats, and well-hidden political coups.
However, the attempted coup in Japan failed and the Empire was exposed. Interrogations of those involved in the coup revealed that many governments were already being controlled by members of the Empire. When the public learned of these puppet governments there was a massive outcry against the Empire-controlled states.
In the United States of America, where the Empire had been installed for five years, civil war broke out between pro-Empire states and anti-Empire states. While the Empire had control of their famously powerful army, many refused to serve and the New Revolutionaries had strength in numbers.
To the North, Canadians who were avoiding conscription fled into the northern territories. Massive tent cities were made in a manner similar to that of the Klondike Gold Rush as the anti-Empire groups began to plan a forced removal of the Canadian puppet-government. However, there was initially very little fighting as the Canadian provincial governments were incredibly decentralised and the Empire had remove the constitution to get any true control against these governments.
The Empire continued to spread with alarming speed, going West from North America to take Asia and East to take over Western Europe (see Diagram 1). Asia fell with some amount of ease, but the Empire found a great deal of resistance from Oceania, Russia, and India. At the same time Western Europe toppled and the Empire aimed North to take the Nordics and Baltic nations and South to take Northern Africa.
However, even as the Empire moved across Europe the Polish government did not topple, despite the fact the Empire was constantly sending more soldiers into the area. Already struggling to take down Poland, the Empire moved into the Ukraine and was halted by a massive uprising in the rural population. Urban legend holds that the Unknown Female Soldier from Ukraine was the single person who changed the Empire’s fortunes by shooting down a high-ranking member of the Empire despite having sustained many bullet wounds herself.
At the same time the Canadians went back South to take back the country and assist the United States, still deep in a civil war. In Asia the Four Asian Tigers spread the Empire’s resources even thinner by executing carefully planned and synchronised revolts. Soon after, the Oceanic soldiers started to clear out small Oceanic and Southeast Asian countries of Empire agents. The Empire crumbled from the inside out when this happened, marking what is usually considered the end of the Global Unity Party.
No two historians can agree on which factors lead to the Empire collapse and how much effect those factors had. But the ones most can agree on are how thinly the Empire and its resources were spread, failure to use its extensive intelligence system to its greatest effect, and failure to indoctrinate enough members of key governments (particularly the Polish and Finnish governments) before being exposed.
Questions for consideration:
1. How much effect did each major opposition to the Empire have in its downfall? Explain your answer.
2. Explain why neither side of the civil war can claim a true victory in Canada before the Empire’s collapse.
3. In the United States the opposition to the Empire called itself the Second American Revolution or the New Revolutionaries. Compare and contrast this movement to the original American Revolution.
4. The Unknown Female Soldier is frequently considered the great turning point in the anti-Empire cause, whether literally or symbolically. Did she really have a great impact? Why or why not?
5. Do you agree with the Empire policies? If so, which ones? Give a thorough explanation in paragraph form.
Characters/Parings: The Empire, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Canada, America, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence and some scary-ish material
Summary: Stand up to the empire, because that's all we have left to do.
The Empire was moving fast now.
----
“So, you’re Switzerland?” Australia asked, holding his M-16 and checking it over lazily. Next to him, New Zealand was humming cheerfully as he polished his own with a filthy rag. “Where’s that cute li’l tagalong sister of yours?”
Switzerland looked utterly worn through; far too thin, dark bags under his wild eyes, and his whole body hanging uselessly. Still, he tossed his Pistole 75 towards Australia. It clattered to the ground at his feet.
“Heard you were fighting the Empire,” he said in a dead voice.
“That we are,” Australia said, still somehow smiling despite the fact he had a clearly unhinged, well-armed nation standing before him. New Zealand had stopped polishing his assault rifle and was very carefully turning it to aim at Switzerland. Just in case.
“I want to join,” he replied.
“For your sister?”
“Something like that,” Switzerland said, turning away furiously.
----
Taiwan was singing. Hong Kong wondered if she was singing for the Empire or for herself, and contemplated peeking into her little room. Then he heard a second voice, one with a slight accent and airy tone, join in. The two girls sang the same little melody over and over, as if learning and memorising it.
“I think I will remember it now,” the airy-voiced girl said in English. The accent was impeccable. It had to be Singapore in that little room. Hong Kong peered through the door and saw her, ever in her long skirt, and Taiwan in her military uniform. In the corner he saw Korea, the Southern one, glowering at a wall.
“We were about to go and find you,” Taiwan said softly. She also spoke in heavily-accented English. “Korea and I have been talking, we’ve decided to fight the Empire.”
“Quietly,” Korea reminded Taiwan in a sharp whisper. “We don’t know when it’ll find us.”
“I thought,” Hong Kong murmured, looking at Korea, “that the Empire refused to touch you. Because of your sister.”
“Shut up,” Korea replied. The Empire indeed hadn’t touched either of the Korea siblings, perhaps because taking one would mean taking the other, and taking the both would only create problems for the Empire. Even a newborn nation understood siblings were rarely intended to be united.
“How did you get in here, then?” Singapore asked in surprise, her prominent eyebrows rising into her hairline.
“Very carefully. Keep going, Taiwan, I have to be out of here in minutes.”
“We’re the best chance Asia has at fighting back,” she said. “And we agreed on a nonsense song that would be our way of catching each other’s attention, should it be needed.” She sang the little melody, Korea and Singapore joining in as softly as they could, and soon Hong Kong had followed, singing along with them.
And in that little room, Asia’s four little dragons began to sharpen their teeth.
----
Winter was coming, and for the first time in a long time, Canada was afraid.
No matter how much Father Winter coddled Canada, there was no way they’d all survive through the winter. No, right now Dawson and Whitehorse were once again tent cities. But the people there were not hardened prospectors on their final great stampede for gold, but refugees fleeing the Empire and the violence in the South. Canada feared for the lives of his people.
Canada feared for the life of his brother, too. The Empire had taken his federal government, that was true, but his provinces had so much autonomy that, at first, it had hardly mattered to the nation. The Empire wouldn’t be able to take down Canada for a long time, not while his people were so scattered and his lands so mind-warpingly vast. For the time being he was a refugee, but he was safe. America had no such luxuries.
What Canada knew was mostly rumour and scraps of information they still got from the government and from the radio channels the Empire had yet to silence. It sounded like America was caught in what they called the Second American Revolution. The people saw how their new government was tyrannical and unfit to lead their nation, and they took up arms to fight the Empire. There was no chance for victory, no allowing for defeat.
Isolated in the North, Canada could do nothing but wait.
----
The Empire was a disease of the nations, it spread fast and, while resisted in the beginning, it would eventually overwhelm its host. Micronations had already been lost to it and had been completely cut off from communicating with other countries. Portugal and Spain were both already lost to it, as was Southern Italy. England was in his dying throes. No one had heard from France in months. The world as they knew it was in chaos.
----
Ukraine wore her military uniform to Poland’s house. When she was greeted there Poland and Lithuania were in their uniforms as well, and they proceeded to chat lightly over tea. Lithuania was struggling to overthrow the Empire and Poland knew well he was at risk of being taken very soon as well. Ukraine’s army was building in order to fight off the Empire, but she knew eventually it would take a hold of her. No nation escaped without being touched by the Empire.
“So, I, like, heard that no one’s seen Estonia in a week,” Poland said. “Have you seen him, Liet?”
“N-No, I haven’t,” Lithuania mumbled back. “He may have gone to Finland to try and push back the Empire’s hold there.”
“But isn’t, y’know, Finn’s big scary hubby providing aid to the Empire?” Poland asked. “Poor guy’s gonna get totally crushed if that happens.”
“I doubt Sweden is providing help because he wants to. Finland’s the only Nordic nation left fighting.” Lithuania’s face was drawn in an expression of worry and, underneath that, depressed resignation.
“Surely we must have some reason to hope?” Ukraine said desperately, setting down her tea cup with a trembling hand.
“America hasn’t fallen yet,” Lithuania reassured gently. “And neither has Russia. Many of the most powerful nations in the world are still fighting. We haven’t lost yet.” But he didn’t look certain, and it took Ukraine a great deal of strength to not collapse into tears at the idea that there was no hope left.
----
The madness in Switzerland’s eyes was not to be relied on, Australia and New Zealand had found. The European was controlled and ruthless, his violence only helped by the fact he was not truly affiliated with any nation.
“Truth be told,” New Zealand told Switzerland over their tin-plate breakfast, “I think you’re the most frightening thing on the field. You could probably take back all of Australia by yourself.” Switzerland shook his head slowly.
“I’m here to weaken the Empire and rescue my sister, not to save anyone else.” New Zealand nodded. “If this stops benefiting me I will go and try to find another resistance movement.”
“Why don’t you just go home and fight then?” the isolated island nation asked softly.
“Because my home is already gone.”
----
Lithuania had fallen. The Empire was tearing straight through Poland to pour into the rest of Eastern Europe. The Empire had reached Ukraine.
“I love you, too, Brother. Please, take care. Goodbye.” Ukraine hung up her cell phone and deposited it on her kitchen counter. She would not be needing it anymore.
She found her rifle, a TAR-21, hidden away in the far back of one of her closets. She would fight the Empire among her men and they would win, or they would die. Perhaps that was what became of nations that lost. They abandoned all hope and simply destroyed themselves to avoid being ruled. Or maybe they were living and waiting for a shred of hope to shine through. Perhaps the Empire simply killed them. There was no way to know what happened to nations swallowed by the Empire, after all.
She joined her stern-faced military and found herself being brought to her northern border where bombing raids were beginning. She pushed away the hurt as she and her boys and girls waited for the Empire to come and overtake her.
Bombs falling from the sky flattened buildings and turned others into skeletons. A great many of Ukraine’s soldiers died, and very little support could be given to the North, not while the West was facing the combined forces of most of Western Europe.
One tense evening, Ukraine began to hear the rumble of a vehicle approaching. She wriggled closer to the edge of the building, and saw a single Jeep get closer and closer. The land was in ruins, she was amazed anyone would try and get this close in any vehicle short of a tank or plane. It stopped suddenly, and Ukraine saw a few men step out of it, just beyond her range. The final person to step out made her blood boil with rage, with complete hatred. And it occurred to her that it must’ve been the Empire, because what else would provoke such a reaction from her on sight?
The Empire began to walk towards her and her boys, although it did not seem aware of her location yet, and she began to target the Empire past its escorts. She heard a command from the man directing her little remaining group to hold their fire, and she obeyed. Then the whispered order, “Fire.”
The gunshot rang in the barren, dead landscape, and the Empire and its escorts took out their own weapons and began firing back. Ukraine and her boys were unharmed as well, but a sudden cracking noise frightened them more than any gunshot would’ve. There had been no way to know for sure that the remains of the building they were on would stay up, and now it was becoming clear it was ready to break at any moment. They tried to move away, and before she could truly comprehend what had happened Ukraine was aware that she was falling.
She hit the ground with her shoulder first, too stunned and weary and sore to be able to shift into a safer position in time, and the horrible cracking noise told her that it was broken. The Empire told its escorts to hold their fire and Ukraine heard four more gunshots ring through the air. It took a long moment for her to realise she’d been shot. Her whole body ached, she was in so much pain her mind was beyond it now. Trembling, she pushed herself to her feet with her good arm, stooping to pick up her gun in the process. Another shot, and Ukraine swayed at the force but remained standing.
“You’ve lost!” The Empire shouted, holding up its handgun to make the final shot. The killing shot, Ukraine thought vaguely. “Bow to me or die!”
And in that moment, centuries worth of submission flashed across Ukraine’s mind. She’d bowed to everyone, and even in her independence had relied on friends and allies to bring her to her feet and give her total political freedom. And now all that quiet submission built in her a strength she didn’t know she had, something that stopped the shaking of her muscles and blocked all the pain in her mind. And she locked eyes with the Empire and said in a hoarse voice, “No.”
The Empire recoiled and was about to pull the trigger. Ukraine added in a stronger voice, “I bow to no one.” She held up her gun and fired upon the Empire.
----
The Empire, officially known as the Global Unity Party, was never a political party anywhere in the world. It spread through “secret societies” and mass media in a way similar to that of a meme. After years of careful indoctrination in some of the world’s most powerful countries, most notably China and the United States of America, the Empire began taking over governments through legal means such as democratic elections and illegal means such as bribery, threats, and well-hidden political coups.
However, the attempted coup in Japan failed and the Empire was exposed. Interrogations of those involved in the coup revealed that many governments were already being controlled by members of the Empire. When the public learned of these puppet governments there was a massive outcry against the Empire-controlled states.
In the United States of America, where the Empire had been installed for five years, civil war broke out between pro-Empire states and anti-Empire states. While the Empire had control of their famously powerful army, many refused to serve and the New Revolutionaries had strength in numbers.
To the North, Canadians who were avoiding conscription fled into the northern territories. Massive tent cities were made in a manner similar to that of the Klondike Gold Rush as the anti-Empire groups began to plan a forced removal of the Canadian puppet-government. However, there was initially very little fighting as the Canadian provincial governments were incredibly decentralised and the Empire had remove the constitution to get any true control against these governments.
The Empire continued to spread with alarming speed, going West from North America to take Asia and East to take over Western Europe (see Diagram 1). Asia fell with some amount of ease, but the Empire found a great deal of resistance from Oceania, Russia, and India. At the same time Western Europe toppled and the Empire aimed North to take the Nordics and Baltic nations and South to take Northern Africa.
However, even as the Empire moved across Europe the Polish government did not topple, despite the fact the Empire was constantly sending more soldiers into the area. Already struggling to take down Poland, the Empire moved into the Ukraine and was halted by a massive uprising in the rural population. Urban legend holds that the Unknown Female Soldier from Ukraine was the single person who changed the Empire’s fortunes by shooting down a high-ranking member of the Empire despite having sustained many bullet wounds herself.
At the same time the Canadians went back South to take back the country and assist the United States, still deep in a civil war. In Asia the Four Asian Tigers spread the Empire’s resources even thinner by executing carefully planned and synchronised revolts. Soon after, the Oceanic soldiers started to clear out small Oceanic and Southeast Asian countries of Empire agents. The Empire crumbled from the inside out when this happened, marking what is usually considered the end of the Global Unity Party.
No two historians can agree on which factors lead to the Empire collapse and how much effect those factors had. But the ones most can agree on are how thinly the Empire and its resources were spread, failure to use its extensive intelligence system to its greatest effect, and failure to indoctrinate enough members of key governments (particularly the Polish and Finnish governments) before being exposed.
Questions for consideration:
1. How much effect did each major opposition to the Empire have in its downfall? Explain your answer.
2. Explain why neither side of the civil war can claim a true victory in Canada before the Empire’s collapse.
3. In the United States the opposition to the Empire called itself the Second American Revolution or the New Revolutionaries. Compare and contrast this movement to the original American Revolution.
4. The Unknown Female Soldier is frequently considered the great turning point in the anti-Empire cause, whether literally or symbolically. Did she really have a great impact? Why or why not?
5. Do you agree with the Empire policies? If so, which ones? Give a thorough explanation in paragraph form.