http://www.franklinpierce.edu/
:D
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Future of the news – Paper or Internet?
By Christopher Gourgouras
News writing should remain balanced between Internet and print. This is because if one side dominates the market they will also have control over pricing and what gets written. If an even balance is kept than there will be competitive prices and more interesting stories from both sides.
Right now print news isn’t doing too well due to the fact that the economy is bad. Fewer companies are paying to advertise in the paper because of sites like craigslist that make advertising free and other companies just can’t afford to hire. The newspapers are also having subscriber problems because not as many people are reading the newspaper daily anymore and those who do are discovering you can get the same information for free online. What newspapers need to do to fix this is give consumers a reason to subscribe such as subscriber benefits such as more coupons or a yearly/monthly subscriber event such as a raffle. A lot of people buy the Sunday paper because it has a coupon section.
Print news also has to cut back on costs, this is because paper costs a lot of money but if they found a way to recycle old newspapers and create new ones they could make more money and spend less. They also need to lower advertising prices so more companies will see newspapers as an affordable method of getting the word out about their business.
Online news will do fine unless the Internet goes down for more than a month around the world. This is because online news sites do not need subscribers; they are paid for by ad companies who put ads on their sites such as Google. They have a large supply of talented writers from around the world as well and many write for free on these sites.
As long as a balance is kept the news industry will do fine. Competition is good for this type of industry and without it the news would be boring.
News writing should remain balanced between Internet and print. This is because if one side dominates the market they will also have control over pricing and what gets written. If an even balance is kept than there will be competitive prices and more interesting stories from both sides.
Right now print news isn’t doing too well due to the fact that the economy is bad. Fewer companies are paying to advertise in the paper because of sites like craigslist that make advertising free and other companies just can’t afford to hire. The newspapers are also having subscriber problems because not as many people are reading the newspaper daily anymore and those who do are discovering you can get the same information for free online. What newspapers need to do to fix this is give consumers a reason to subscribe such as subscriber benefits such as more coupons or a yearly/monthly subscriber event such as a raffle. A lot of people buy the Sunday paper because it has a coupon section.
Print news also has to cut back on costs, this is because paper costs a lot of money but if they found a way to recycle old newspapers and create new ones they could make more money and spend less. They also need to lower advertising prices so more companies will see newspapers as an affordable method of getting the word out about their business.
Online news will do fine unless the Internet goes down for more than a month around the world. This is because online news sites do not need subscribers; they are paid for by ad companies who put ads on their sites such as Google. They have a large supply of talented writers from around the world as well and many write for free on these sites.
As long as a balance is kept the news industry will do fine. Competition is good for this type of industry and without it the news would be boring.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Security in Pakistan. What security?
Christopher Gourgouras, Nashua
The March 3rd attack on the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan and the capitol of the Punjab province that Congress needs to pay attention to the growing problem with Pakistani security forces. The country has become increasingly unstable since 2006 when the Taliban created strongholds in the Swat Valley and caused a near civil war that has recently been brought to an end at a price. Pakistani officials have allowed the Taliban to Institute Sharia Law in the former tourist location. Sharia or Islamic Law is the same law that allows the courts to order the death of rape victims on charges of adultery or the removal of a thief’s hand. This shows the Pakistani governments growing inability to deal with militants and keep its country stable at the same time.
One major concern is Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program. If there was a coup initiated by the Taliban or another militant group the weapons would become vulnerable and the country would become a danger to nearby countries and also NATO and US troops in Afghanistan. If a militant group allied with Al-Qaeda gained control of nuclear material the Middle East could become even more unstable than it already is. Israel would be at a much greater risk of attack from more powerful groups using the Gaza Strip as a staging ground. Security in Pakistan needs to improve its technology and allow US forces to enter its borders to deal with threats on the border of Afghanistan.
The attack against the Sri Lankan team was an embarrassing event for Pakistan, cricket is one of the national sports in Pakistan and a foreign team was allowed to be attacked in a major city. The security given to the team was not enough to defend against this attack, the attackers escaped after killing five police officers without having one attacker caught or killed. The attackers shouldn’t have even gotten near the team with the weapons they carried, which included assault rifles and anti-tank missiles. This security gap needs to be fixed as soon as possible, until then foreign sports teams should not play in Pakistan.
One thing that should be done by the government is to increase pay of security forces. This is because the people protecting civilians and tourists from attacks are less effective when they are underpaid, the enemy can just bribe them a month’s salary to be somewhere else during the time the attack takes place. Families of police and soldiers should be protected also because terrorists do not fight with honor, if they see your face they will blow up your home or kill your children. ''The average salary of police in Pakistan is 3500 rupees a month,'' or about $60, Moinuddin Haider, a senior Pakistani police official said to the New York Times
Even though the attacks in Pakistan continue, the country will not cooperate with NATO forces in Afghanistan; they accuse NATO forces of being too aggressive. This is because NATO forces are launches raids into Pakistan to kill top Taliban officials ordering attacks in Afghanistan or hunting down insurgents who cross the border and kill people than return to Pakistan. The country needs to increase border patrols and allow the US have unmanned drones patrol the area. This would greatly decrease the threat of enemies crossing the border and forcing NATO to follow them. An agreement needs to be made between the US and Pakistan so relations between the two countries don’t become strained.
Overall, this is an issue that needs to be watched closely by intelligence agencies and congress; if it gets worst the country can become dangerous to neighboring countries including India and Afghanistan. Pakistan is estimated to have over 50 nuclear weapons in possession according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), if one of these weapons went missing during an attack or due to corruption it could be used to cause greater destruction than what was caused by the 9/11 attacks.
The March 3rd attack on the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan and the capitol of the Punjab province that Congress needs to pay attention to the growing problem with Pakistani security forces. The country has become increasingly unstable since 2006 when the Taliban created strongholds in the Swat Valley and caused a near civil war that has recently been brought to an end at a price. Pakistani officials have allowed the Taliban to Institute Sharia Law in the former tourist location. Sharia or Islamic Law is the same law that allows the courts to order the death of rape victims on charges of adultery or the removal of a thief’s hand. This shows the Pakistani governments growing inability to deal with militants and keep its country stable at the same time.
One major concern is Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program. If there was a coup initiated by the Taliban or another militant group the weapons would become vulnerable and the country would become a danger to nearby countries and also NATO and US troops in Afghanistan. If a militant group allied with Al-Qaeda gained control of nuclear material the Middle East could become even more unstable than it already is. Israel would be at a much greater risk of attack from more powerful groups using the Gaza Strip as a staging ground. Security in Pakistan needs to improve its technology and allow US forces to enter its borders to deal with threats on the border of Afghanistan.
The attack against the Sri Lankan team was an embarrassing event for Pakistan, cricket is one of the national sports in Pakistan and a foreign team was allowed to be attacked in a major city. The security given to the team was not enough to defend against this attack, the attackers escaped after killing five police officers without having one attacker caught or killed. The attackers shouldn’t have even gotten near the team with the weapons they carried, which included assault rifles and anti-tank missiles. This security gap needs to be fixed as soon as possible, until then foreign sports teams should not play in Pakistan.
One thing that should be done by the government is to increase pay of security forces. This is because the people protecting civilians and tourists from attacks are less effective when they are underpaid, the enemy can just bribe them a month’s salary to be somewhere else during the time the attack takes place. Families of police and soldiers should be protected also because terrorists do not fight with honor, if they see your face they will blow up your home or kill your children. ''The average salary of police in Pakistan is 3500 rupees a month,'' or about $60, Moinuddin Haider, a senior Pakistani police official said to the New York Times
Even though the attacks in Pakistan continue, the country will not cooperate with NATO forces in Afghanistan; they accuse NATO forces of being too aggressive. This is because NATO forces are launches raids into Pakistan to kill top Taliban officials ordering attacks in Afghanistan or hunting down insurgents who cross the border and kill people than return to Pakistan. The country needs to increase border patrols and allow the US have unmanned drones patrol the area. This would greatly decrease the threat of enemies crossing the border and forcing NATO to follow them. An agreement needs to be made between the US and Pakistan so relations between the two countries don’t become strained.
Overall, this is an issue that needs to be watched closely by intelligence agencies and congress; if it gets worst the country can become dangerous to neighboring countries including India and Afghanistan. Pakistan is estimated to have over 50 nuclear weapons in possession according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), if one of these weapons went missing during an attack or due to corruption it could be used to cause greater destruction than what was caused by the 9/11 attacks.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
new story
1. Beginning
‘The Emperor is your friend, your family, your leader, your god.’
Imperial Propaganda Campaign 174
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Blademaster began his assault against Saxen for the fourth time; Saxen quickly deflected the blow and feigned an attack of his own. The Blademaster fell for the move and lost yet another duel. Saxen was good with a blade, his best pupil. He had learned quickly and at the age of fifteen had already surpassed the Blademaster’s fifty years of training. “Good work today, I can see improvement in your attacks. Lessons are over for today, I will see you back here again tomorrow at the same time”. With that, Saxen quickly picked up his cloak and left the training grounds. After twelve hours of intense training he was very hungry and was ready to sleep
Ever since Saxen was a child he had served the Blademaster. The Blademaster was the emperor’s personal bodyguard for thirty years and was now the groundskeeper of the Imperial School of Warfare. Only the best students in the empire were allowed into the school and those who made it sometimes committed suicide before the first week was over. Training was harsh and once there you were not allowed out until you turned twenty and when you did you were forced into serving the emperor. Anyone who tried to escape was normally tortured by the Inquisitors until they were begging to be thrown into the meat grinder at the local butcher to end their misery.
Saxen was one of the schools special cases. He came from a family of peasant farmers who had less than two copper coins to their name. At ten years old he was taken from home by the Inquisitors, the emperors personal agents who carried out jobs no one else would touch. Before taking him they had burned his farm and brutally tortured his father in front of him. He was taken into custody by the inquisition with his mother, who was never seen again. He was then thrown in a dungeon and locked away for a month before he was released and forced into the service of a duke, who had him killing rats in the kitchen and cleaning. He got into a lot of fights with the other children and was always the victor; this was noticed by a very important man in the duke’s court. The Blademaster bought this slave from the duke for fifty silver coins and returned to the school, it had been five years since that day.
Saxen walked into the schools main hall and grabbed a platter of meat. He returned to his room only to find a note on his desk. ‘Report to my office immediately. –The Blademaster’. Saxen ate his food than got up and began walking to the office nervously. He walked in and saw fresh blood on the wall, a man in a black hooded robe was standing by the dead body of his former master. “I thought you would be here sooner child. You are late and that has cost your master his life. You are no longer a student of this school, as of right now you are under arrest and property of the inquisition. Do not pack your things, you have no property. You will be forgotten by whatever friends you had so do not bother saying goodbye. You effectively no longer exist.
2. Rebellious Acts
‘Trust no one but your own two hands when in combat. The man guarding your life could just as easily put a crossbow bolt in your back if you miss a payment.’
The Blademaster
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“Who the hell are you?” Asked Saxen as he stared at the body of the only person he had come to trust in five years.
“My name does not matter. In the name of the emperor you are ordered to come with me, resist and you will die.” Saxen reached for his blade and seconds later a pain shot through his stomach and he fell onto the concrete floor. The pain was released and the dark mage towered over him smiling. “I told you not to resist. I have an offer for you but you will not receive this offer if I see one more action such as this. I can be your friend or your enemy; it is your choice to decide. Will you come with me or do you want to stay here and die slowly, the wraiths will never let you leave without permission from the man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.”
“I will come with you, only because I have seen what your kind has done with the people have resisted the emperor.” They left the school and never looked back.
The Inquisitor took off his robes once out of the school, revealing a dark red robe with a black flame in the middle; the mark of a rebel. “That whole inquisitor act was just to fool the wraiths. My name is Markus Horatian; I am a recruiter for the Council of Six. We are the true rulers of this kingdom; the tyranny of the emperor must come to an end. He has lived for far too long without anyone standing up to him. Join us and revenge your family. Join us and save your mother.”
“What do you know of my mother?” Saxen was now turning red. “I know that she has been forced into the emperor’s personal service as one of his many vessels of pleasure. She is not treated like a human in his service and has been addicted to powerful drugs for years in order to escape what she saw the day she was taken from you. We need your help to take down the emperor and save thousands. This is the only way you will ever see your mother again.”
“I will join your order. If you really know where I can find my mother I will owe you my life.”
“Great, you have already passed your first test. I will tell you the rest of what you need to know when we get to the temple.”
After an hour of traveling they arrived at the gate of a massive stone temple dedicated to Rothgaar, the god of changes. They stepped inside the barred doors and were assaulted by the smell of cooking fires and freshly harvested produce. The temple was set up like a fortress, once inside the doors immediately locked behind them. The guards approached Saxen with caution before seeing Markus and returned to their posts.
“Welcome to your new home. You are untouchable here and it is from these walls that you will begin planning your revenge. Revenge the death of your father and save your mother, once this is done we can come to power and make this land a better place for the people of the empire.
For the next three years Saxen trained and plotted with the Order until he could defeat anyone in the temple during a fair fight. During this time he attempted magic training and learned the basics of how to detect and disarm magic traps but not much else. On his eighteenth birthday everything changed.
3. Death in the family
‘Please, don’t kil…’
Last words of an Inquisitor before losing his head to a rebel ambush
____________________________________________________________________________________
The birthday celebration was short. After four hours there was a banging at the temple door followed shouts from outside. The door splintered open as fifty imperial troops armed with crossbows swarmed inside and surrounded the group. Markus had already escaped and Saxen was on his own as one by one every rebel troop and five of the six members of the council were cut down by crossbow bolts. Saxen drew his blade and charged at the left flank of the attackers, killing ten of them. The confusion that followed allowed him to kill twenty more with swift blows before the remaining soldiers retreated. Markus came out of hiding and yelled to him to chase after the attackers. Saxen quickly ran out the doors and followed his attackers.
He followed them for five miles before they finally arrived at an outpost. He snuck inside posing as a laborer and followed the remaining attackers to the military section. Once there a group of five inquisitors walked towards them and began questioning them about why they failed. Nineteen of the twenty remaining soldiers were executed on the spot and the captain was tied up by the inquisitors who than began to recite a spell under their breaths. Once the final spell was complete, the captain’s skin began to boil and he began to scream out in pain. “You have failed us greatly. The emperor requested nicely that you get the boy and you insulted him by losing your entire unit and accomplishing nothing but killing off some criminals. Your service is no longer required and you are now permanently relieved of duty”.
With that, the captain screamed more as his body began to disfigure itself to the point that he was no longer recognizable as a human. If he could, he would have slit his own throat by now and if someone nearby had the courage they would have put a bolt through his heart to end his suffering. No one did. Saxen saw an opening as the inquisitors went into a trance while performing a death spell he had witnessed perform before. He quickly jumped out and interrupted the spell with the removal of the leaders head. This caused the remaining inquisitors to break off the spell and turn towards Saxen, who was now confused at what to do next since he didn’t even think the first plan would work. “You are the one everyone has been looking for. It is so kind of you to walk right into our little camp and turn yourself in, now drop your weapon or we will bind you here until the emperor arrives. He wants to have a talk with you.
Saxen walked over the head of the inquisitor he had slain and than to his body; the body of his father.
4. Imperial Greeting
‘War is like a game of cards with less cards and more blood.’
Unknown general
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The emperor arrived at the camp and walked towards the area where Saxen was being held. He walked inside and sat down in front of the confused man and began talking to him. “I am your emperor. I know what you have been told by your current friends but I can assure I am not evil and my men did not kill your parents. You were arrested for your own safety and you have become a great weapons master. I see that you have become acquainted with your father already so I won’t need to introduce him to you. What I have to say is important; the cult of Rothgaar is using you, they know that you have skills that surpass any warrior, and there have been prophecies that foretold your birth and spoke of how the one to command your loyalty would win control of this empire. You must join us before it is too late and the cult of change kills millions. You must return to the temple and kill the rogue inquisitor Markus Horatian before it is too late.”
“How can I be sure that you are not lying to me to gain my trust? I know what you are doing to my mother.” “Your mother has been held in the rebel dungeons since Markus attacked your home and tortured your father in an attempt to force him to join The Order. I should have known he would use her as bait to make you try to kill me. Go back now before it is too late.”
Markus was supplied with a horse and a new sword. He rode through five miles of familiar forest until reaching the front steps of the temple. The sky was the color of blood and the bodies of former cult members were lying outside the temple in flames. Markus was crouched on the roof of the temple and watching as his friends burned when he saw Saxen approaching from the forest line and ran inside. Saxen stormed through the temple doors and drew his blade when suddenly he felt like the weight of the entire building had been placed on top of him. He fell to the ground and was unable to get up as Markus walked out of a door that he had never seen before. He was followed by a familiar woman who looked like she hadn’t seen the sun in ten years.
“If you swear an oath to serve me, she will live and be released. If you do not she will hang as you watch before I slit your throat and leave you on the emperors steps. I hope you choose wisely”. “I will never swear an oath to server you and your god. You lied to me, murdered a friend of mine and caused me to kill my own father. I will not fight for a man who claims to fight for justice to cover up the fact that he is really just a madman who takes pleasure in killing in the name of a false god. You will not have my oath and you will not kill my mother. Take my life first if you can.”
Saxen broke the bond and charged at the priest sword drawn. As he drew near the priest disappeared and was behind him with a poisoned dagger, which Saxen deflected easily after receiving a small scratch on his chest. He swung his sword in rage and killed the air in front of him as Markus cast another spell and appeared ten feet away. Saxen breathed deeply and made a final charge with unexpected force that caught the priest off-guard. He cut off both of his hands and tied him down.
Laughing, Markus lied there in his chains. “You will not live out the night. If I die, you will die as well, I have the only cure for the poison that I cut into you. Let me live”. “I am not going to kill you, just make living the rest of your life extremely painful”. Saxen drew a dagger from his belt and forced the priest’s mouth open before cutting out his tongue. Markus screamed in pain and choked on blood as he was forced to swallow his own tongue. The pain alone was enough to knock him out and soon his eyes were closed. Saxen began to stumble and the poison began to take affect. His mother ran over and tried to help him but it was too late, he died shortly after the fight had ended.
5. Funeral
‘What?’
The thoughts of Markus Horatian after waking up in an imperial jail cell
__________________________________________________________________________
The streets were lined by thousands of mourners as the funeral procession began. Once they had reached their destination, the body of Saxen, his father and his mother were all placed on the funeral pyre and the flame was lit. As they burned the emperor spoke to the crowd.
“The people before you today served the empire with great courage; all three of them former peasants have become heroes worthy of the history books. Saxen has killed the rogue inquisitor and leader of the cult of change, Markus Horatian, who has kept me in hiding for all these years. From the day forth you will see more of me. The empire is once again safe and the civil war has come to a close. Markus Horatian is imprisoned and his followers have all been slain. With peace comes a great price though. These people lost their lives to save yours, I ask you now to pay your respects to them”. The next day Markus Horatian was hung and the citizens of the empire rejoiced. A week later the emperor had a crossbow bolt in his back.
‘The Emperor is your friend, your family, your leader, your god.’
Imperial Propaganda Campaign 174
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Blademaster began his assault against Saxen for the fourth time; Saxen quickly deflected the blow and feigned an attack of his own. The Blademaster fell for the move and lost yet another duel. Saxen was good with a blade, his best pupil. He had learned quickly and at the age of fifteen had already surpassed the Blademaster’s fifty years of training. “Good work today, I can see improvement in your attacks. Lessons are over for today, I will see you back here again tomorrow at the same time”. With that, Saxen quickly picked up his cloak and left the training grounds. After twelve hours of intense training he was very hungry and was ready to sleep
Ever since Saxen was a child he had served the Blademaster. The Blademaster was the emperor’s personal bodyguard for thirty years and was now the groundskeeper of the Imperial School of Warfare. Only the best students in the empire were allowed into the school and those who made it sometimes committed suicide before the first week was over. Training was harsh and once there you were not allowed out until you turned twenty and when you did you were forced into serving the emperor. Anyone who tried to escape was normally tortured by the Inquisitors until they were begging to be thrown into the meat grinder at the local butcher to end their misery.
Saxen was one of the schools special cases. He came from a family of peasant farmers who had less than two copper coins to their name. At ten years old he was taken from home by the Inquisitors, the emperors personal agents who carried out jobs no one else would touch. Before taking him they had burned his farm and brutally tortured his father in front of him. He was taken into custody by the inquisition with his mother, who was never seen again. He was then thrown in a dungeon and locked away for a month before he was released and forced into the service of a duke, who had him killing rats in the kitchen and cleaning. He got into a lot of fights with the other children and was always the victor; this was noticed by a very important man in the duke’s court. The Blademaster bought this slave from the duke for fifty silver coins and returned to the school, it had been five years since that day.
Saxen walked into the schools main hall and grabbed a platter of meat. He returned to his room only to find a note on his desk. ‘Report to my office immediately. –The Blademaster’. Saxen ate his food than got up and began walking to the office nervously. He walked in and saw fresh blood on the wall, a man in a black hooded robe was standing by the dead body of his former master. “I thought you would be here sooner child. You are late and that has cost your master his life. You are no longer a student of this school, as of right now you are under arrest and property of the inquisition. Do not pack your things, you have no property. You will be forgotten by whatever friends you had so do not bother saying goodbye. You effectively no longer exist.
2. Rebellious Acts
‘Trust no one but your own two hands when in combat. The man guarding your life could just as easily put a crossbow bolt in your back if you miss a payment.’
The Blademaster
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“Who the hell are you?” Asked Saxen as he stared at the body of the only person he had come to trust in five years.
“My name does not matter. In the name of the emperor you are ordered to come with me, resist and you will die.” Saxen reached for his blade and seconds later a pain shot through his stomach and he fell onto the concrete floor. The pain was released and the dark mage towered over him smiling. “I told you not to resist. I have an offer for you but you will not receive this offer if I see one more action such as this. I can be your friend or your enemy; it is your choice to decide. Will you come with me or do you want to stay here and die slowly, the wraiths will never let you leave without permission from the man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.”
“I will come with you, only because I have seen what your kind has done with the people have resisted the emperor.” They left the school and never looked back.
The Inquisitor took off his robes once out of the school, revealing a dark red robe with a black flame in the middle; the mark of a rebel. “That whole inquisitor act was just to fool the wraiths. My name is Markus Horatian; I am a recruiter for the Council of Six. We are the true rulers of this kingdom; the tyranny of the emperor must come to an end. He has lived for far too long without anyone standing up to him. Join us and revenge your family. Join us and save your mother.”
“What do you know of my mother?” Saxen was now turning red. “I know that she has been forced into the emperor’s personal service as one of his many vessels of pleasure. She is not treated like a human in his service and has been addicted to powerful drugs for years in order to escape what she saw the day she was taken from you. We need your help to take down the emperor and save thousands. This is the only way you will ever see your mother again.”
“I will join your order. If you really know where I can find my mother I will owe you my life.”
“Great, you have already passed your first test. I will tell you the rest of what you need to know when we get to the temple.”
After an hour of traveling they arrived at the gate of a massive stone temple dedicated to Rothgaar, the god of changes. They stepped inside the barred doors and were assaulted by the smell of cooking fires and freshly harvested produce. The temple was set up like a fortress, once inside the doors immediately locked behind them. The guards approached Saxen with caution before seeing Markus and returned to their posts.
“Welcome to your new home. You are untouchable here and it is from these walls that you will begin planning your revenge. Revenge the death of your father and save your mother, once this is done we can come to power and make this land a better place for the people of the empire.
For the next three years Saxen trained and plotted with the Order until he could defeat anyone in the temple during a fair fight. During this time he attempted magic training and learned the basics of how to detect and disarm magic traps but not much else. On his eighteenth birthday everything changed.
3. Death in the family
‘Please, don’t kil…’
Last words of an Inquisitor before losing his head to a rebel ambush
____________________________________________________________________________________
The birthday celebration was short. After four hours there was a banging at the temple door followed shouts from outside. The door splintered open as fifty imperial troops armed with crossbows swarmed inside and surrounded the group. Markus had already escaped and Saxen was on his own as one by one every rebel troop and five of the six members of the council were cut down by crossbow bolts. Saxen drew his blade and charged at the left flank of the attackers, killing ten of them. The confusion that followed allowed him to kill twenty more with swift blows before the remaining soldiers retreated. Markus came out of hiding and yelled to him to chase after the attackers. Saxen quickly ran out the doors and followed his attackers.
He followed them for five miles before they finally arrived at an outpost. He snuck inside posing as a laborer and followed the remaining attackers to the military section. Once there a group of five inquisitors walked towards them and began questioning them about why they failed. Nineteen of the twenty remaining soldiers were executed on the spot and the captain was tied up by the inquisitors who than began to recite a spell under their breaths. Once the final spell was complete, the captain’s skin began to boil and he began to scream out in pain. “You have failed us greatly. The emperor requested nicely that you get the boy and you insulted him by losing your entire unit and accomplishing nothing but killing off some criminals. Your service is no longer required and you are now permanently relieved of duty”.
With that, the captain screamed more as his body began to disfigure itself to the point that he was no longer recognizable as a human. If he could, he would have slit his own throat by now and if someone nearby had the courage they would have put a bolt through his heart to end his suffering. No one did. Saxen saw an opening as the inquisitors went into a trance while performing a death spell he had witnessed perform before. He quickly jumped out and interrupted the spell with the removal of the leaders head. This caused the remaining inquisitors to break off the spell and turn towards Saxen, who was now confused at what to do next since he didn’t even think the first plan would work. “You are the one everyone has been looking for. It is so kind of you to walk right into our little camp and turn yourself in, now drop your weapon or we will bind you here until the emperor arrives. He wants to have a talk with you.
Saxen walked over the head of the inquisitor he had slain and than to his body; the body of his father.
4. Imperial Greeting
‘War is like a game of cards with less cards and more blood.’
Unknown general
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The emperor arrived at the camp and walked towards the area where Saxen was being held. He walked inside and sat down in front of the confused man and began talking to him. “I am your emperor. I know what you have been told by your current friends but I can assure I am not evil and my men did not kill your parents. You were arrested for your own safety and you have become a great weapons master. I see that you have become acquainted with your father already so I won’t need to introduce him to you. What I have to say is important; the cult of Rothgaar is using you, they know that you have skills that surpass any warrior, and there have been prophecies that foretold your birth and spoke of how the one to command your loyalty would win control of this empire. You must join us before it is too late and the cult of change kills millions. You must return to the temple and kill the rogue inquisitor Markus Horatian before it is too late.”
“How can I be sure that you are not lying to me to gain my trust? I know what you are doing to my mother.” “Your mother has been held in the rebel dungeons since Markus attacked your home and tortured your father in an attempt to force him to join The Order. I should have known he would use her as bait to make you try to kill me. Go back now before it is too late.”
Markus was supplied with a horse and a new sword. He rode through five miles of familiar forest until reaching the front steps of the temple. The sky was the color of blood and the bodies of former cult members were lying outside the temple in flames. Markus was crouched on the roof of the temple and watching as his friends burned when he saw Saxen approaching from the forest line and ran inside. Saxen stormed through the temple doors and drew his blade when suddenly he felt like the weight of the entire building had been placed on top of him. He fell to the ground and was unable to get up as Markus walked out of a door that he had never seen before. He was followed by a familiar woman who looked like she hadn’t seen the sun in ten years.
“If you swear an oath to serve me, she will live and be released. If you do not she will hang as you watch before I slit your throat and leave you on the emperors steps. I hope you choose wisely”. “I will never swear an oath to server you and your god. You lied to me, murdered a friend of mine and caused me to kill my own father. I will not fight for a man who claims to fight for justice to cover up the fact that he is really just a madman who takes pleasure in killing in the name of a false god. You will not have my oath and you will not kill my mother. Take my life first if you can.”
Saxen broke the bond and charged at the priest sword drawn. As he drew near the priest disappeared and was behind him with a poisoned dagger, which Saxen deflected easily after receiving a small scratch on his chest. He swung his sword in rage and killed the air in front of him as Markus cast another spell and appeared ten feet away. Saxen breathed deeply and made a final charge with unexpected force that caught the priest off-guard. He cut off both of his hands and tied him down.
Laughing, Markus lied there in his chains. “You will not live out the night. If I die, you will die as well, I have the only cure for the poison that I cut into you. Let me live”. “I am not going to kill you, just make living the rest of your life extremely painful”. Saxen drew a dagger from his belt and forced the priest’s mouth open before cutting out his tongue. Markus screamed in pain and choked on blood as he was forced to swallow his own tongue. The pain alone was enough to knock him out and soon his eyes were closed. Saxen began to stumble and the poison began to take affect. His mother ran over and tried to help him but it was too late, he died shortly after the fight had ended.
5. Funeral
‘What?’
The thoughts of Markus Horatian after waking up in an imperial jail cell
__________________________________________________________________________
The streets were lined by thousands of mourners as the funeral procession began. Once they had reached their destination, the body of Saxen, his father and his mother were all placed on the funeral pyre and the flame was lit. As they burned the emperor spoke to the crowd.
“The people before you today served the empire with great courage; all three of them former peasants have become heroes worthy of the history books. Saxen has killed the rogue inquisitor and leader of the cult of change, Markus Horatian, who has kept me in hiding for all these years. From the day forth you will see more of me. The empire is once again safe and the civil war has come to a close. Markus Horatian is imprisoned and his followers have all been slain. With peace comes a great price though. These people lost their lives to save yours, I ask you now to pay your respects to them”. The next day Markus Horatian was hung and the citizens of the empire rejoiced. A week later the emperor had a crossbow bolt in his back.
Friday, December 5, 2008
untitled story I wrote for a class
The flashing police lights slowly drifted away. The ambulances stayed for a while so the victims could be identified but they also had to leave without the final body. This body was the body of John Nitio, the senior at Black Ridge High School who tortured and executed six of the schools most promising athletes before taking his own life in a satanic ritual. His body was found shortly after the findings of the six mutilated athletes. What had brought John, a quiet student with good grades, to do such disgusting crimes?
October 7, 1983
John didn’t want to get out of bed. He knew that he would end up getting beat up again today like every day for the last 4 years of high school. He was an easy target for the Black Ridge gang, six strong athletes who were respectful while among adults but when alone they beat up smaller students and forced the students with brains to do work for them. He had to go to school though, he had a test today and if he did not take this test he would lose five points off his final grade and wouldn’t get into a top school. Maybe today would be better; it was almost a weekend maybe the teams would skip today. John got out of bed.
He walked into school and was immediately confronted by the leader of the Black Ridge Gang, Steve. John took out any money he had on him and handed it over. He was than thrown onto the ground and kicked a few times before being allowed to leave. John went to class and got his test than went to the library, his only sanctuary the bullies would never go into. Halfway through the exam three members of the gang walked in and took his test from him, one ripped it in half and the other pulled out a lighter and burned it. John had received his first F since the beginning of high school.
He ran out of the side doors of the school and ran into the woods. For the sixth time this year John would attempt suicide but this time he would be successful. He pulled the rope out of his backpack and tied it around a sturdy branch on a tree. He looped it around his neck and stood on a log that he than kicked out from underneath himself. He drifted there for six hours before being found. John was finally dead and at peace.
At the fourth hour of hanging, John had seen a vision. A man in a black robe came to him and offered him a chance at revenge in exchange for his soul. He would be given seven days to live, the strength of five men to carry out the tasks and on the seventh day the bodies would be discovered and he would die a painful death. He would be rewarded with the death he had been waiting for and he would not go alone. John accepted the offer.
“The body of your son has disappeared from the hospital morgue early this morning, we are very sorry but we don’t know what happened to it.” John’s mother cried and left the hospital. The Hospital had never seen a dead body disappear before and only could assume that either he was still alive or he had been misplaced.
October 8, 1983
John had a plan. He sent out an invitation for a party in the woods outside the school to the six members of the Black Ridge Gang. They would all arrive and they would all die. The party was set for October 13. He spent the next five days preparing for the arrival. He had invited others as well so they would not expect anything.
On the night of the party everyone arrived. John spotted his first victim, the lowest ranking member of the gang and lured him away from the crowd. As soon as he made it away from everyone John knocked him out and hung him from the same tree he had originally died on. John than found the next member up and took him to the lake, tied him up and threw him in the middle of the lake from a canoe. He worked his way up until he had killed all except Steve. He would be the one who had to suffer; everything was his fault in the first place. They had been friends in Junior High than Steve grew angry at John because he was remained a top student while Steve began to fail classes. They were separated as John got placed in honors classes and Steve into foundations. He had decided that he would punish John for abandoning him until he graduated.
The party ended and everyone was going home. Steve got into his car and began to drive home, he heard a voice begin to speak to him but he could not see anyone. His car than broke down and he got out to fix it when something hit the back of his head. When he woke up he was hanging upside down from his ankles and was surrounded in knives, one bad move and he would get cut into pieces. John appeared in front of him and raised a gun towards Steve’s head. “You can die quick or you can get cut up to the point were no one will recognize you. All you have to do is say that you are sorry, we used to be friends but now I have no choice. I have made up my mind.” “I am not sorry for anything.” John pulled the trigger; he could not stand to watch his former friend suffer even if he was not sorry.
October 14, 1983
John wanted to die more than ever. He hated the fact that he had killed and was sorry. He was not in control of himself that night until the end when he showed mercy to his former friend. His revenge was complete and he knew that in a few hours he would start to feel death for the final time. He wanted it to be over with.
Three hours later John had to go to the bathroom so he left class and walked in. While he was washing his hands his chest started to bleed and he felt a sharp pain all over his body. The mark in his chest lit on fire and a pentagram burned into his chest. His soul was ripped out of his body and his final scream was cut short by death. He had died while feeling the guilt of what had happened, he wished that he could go back and fix everything. He should not have accepted the revenge offer because the revenge that he was forced to carry out wasn’t the revenge he had in mind. He was forced into this and now he was being forced to die. He didn’t want to die anymore.
John woke up and looked at the date on his clock. October 6, 1983. He had been dreaming. He also knew what he had to do now. He went to Steve that day at school and apologized for forgetting about him and promised to help him with his work. They were friends again and he was no longer being bullied by the Black Hill Gang. John was happy for the first time in four years.
October 7, 1983
John didn’t want to get out of bed. He knew that he would end up getting beat up again today like every day for the last 4 years of high school. He was an easy target for the Black Ridge gang, six strong athletes who were respectful while among adults but when alone they beat up smaller students and forced the students with brains to do work for them. He had to go to school though, he had a test today and if he did not take this test he would lose five points off his final grade and wouldn’t get into a top school. Maybe today would be better; it was almost a weekend maybe the teams would skip today. John got out of bed.
He walked into school and was immediately confronted by the leader of the Black Ridge Gang, Steve. John took out any money he had on him and handed it over. He was than thrown onto the ground and kicked a few times before being allowed to leave. John went to class and got his test than went to the library, his only sanctuary the bullies would never go into. Halfway through the exam three members of the gang walked in and took his test from him, one ripped it in half and the other pulled out a lighter and burned it. John had received his first F since the beginning of high school.
He ran out of the side doors of the school and ran into the woods. For the sixth time this year John would attempt suicide but this time he would be successful. He pulled the rope out of his backpack and tied it around a sturdy branch on a tree. He looped it around his neck and stood on a log that he than kicked out from underneath himself. He drifted there for six hours before being found. John was finally dead and at peace.
At the fourth hour of hanging, John had seen a vision. A man in a black robe came to him and offered him a chance at revenge in exchange for his soul. He would be given seven days to live, the strength of five men to carry out the tasks and on the seventh day the bodies would be discovered and he would die a painful death. He would be rewarded with the death he had been waiting for and he would not go alone. John accepted the offer.
“The body of your son has disappeared from the hospital morgue early this morning, we are very sorry but we don’t know what happened to it.” John’s mother cried and left the hospital. The Hospital had never seen a dead body disappear before and only could assume that either he was still alive or he had been misplaced.
October 8, 1983
John had a plan. He sent out an invitation for a party in the woods outside the school to the six members of the Black Ridge Gang. They would all arrive and they would all die. The party was set for October 13. He spent the next five days preparing for the arrival. He had invited others as well so they would not expect anything.
On the night of the party everyone arrived. John spotted his first victim, the lowest ranking member of the gang and lured him away from the crowd. As soon as he made it away from everyone John knocked him out and hung him from the same tree he had originally died on. John than found the next member up and took him to the lake, tied him up and threw him in the middle of the lake from a canoe. He worked his way up until he had killed all except Steve. He would be the one who had to suffer; everything was his fault in the first place. They had been friends in Junior High than Steve grew angry at John because he was remained a top student while Steve began to fail classes. They were separated as John got placed in honors classes and Steve into foundations. He had decided that he would punish John for abandoning him until he graduated.
The party ended and everyone was going home. Steve got into his car and began to drive home, he heard a voice begin to speak to him but he could not see anyone. His car than broke down and he got out to fix it when something hit the back of his head. When he woke up he was hanging upside down from his ankles and was surrounded in knives, one bad move and he would get cut into pieces. John appeared in front of him and raised a gun towards Steve’s head. “You can die quick or you can get cut up to the point were no one will recognize you. All you have to do is say that you are sorry, we used to be friends but now I have no choice. I have made up my mind.” “I am not sorry for anything.” John pulled the trigger; he could not stand to watch his former friend suffer even if he was not sorry.
October 14, 1983
John wanted to die more than ever. He hated the fact that he had killed and was sorry. He was not in control of himself that night until the end when he showed mercy to his former friend. His revenge was complete and he knew that in a few hours he would start to feel death for the final time. He wanted it to be over with.
Three hours later John had to go to the bathroom so he left class and walked in. While he was washing his hands his chest started to bleed and he felt a sharp pain all over his body. The mark in his chest lit on fire and a pentagram burned into his chest. His soul was ripped out of his body and his final scream was cut short by death. He had died while feeling the guilt of what had happened, he wished that he could go back and fix everything. He should not have accepted the revenge offer because the revenge that he was forced to carry out wasn’t the revenge he had in mind. He was forced into this and now he was being forced to die. He didn’t want to die anymore.
John woke up and looked at the date on his clock. October 6, 1983. He had been dreaming. He also knew what he had to do now. He went to Steve that day at school and apologized for forgetting about him and promised to help him with his work. They were friends again and he was no longer being bullied by the Black Hill Gang. John was happy for the first time in four years.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
2012 - an alternate history
2012
By: Christopher Gourgouras.
United States – March, 2012
“Attention all test subjects. You have been chosen for this experiment because of your clean criminal records and excellent health. Most of you are being sent on simple missions to test the effectiveness of our time portal but one of you will be sent on a real mission at the end of testing. Anyone who would like to participate in the real mission should sign up before departure and we will evaluate your performance during testing, the best will be sent out on a real mission.”
Everybody signed up. The money being made off time travel was better than 5 years salary at there jobs and they only had to be gone for a few hours. No one knew what the real mission was going to be. Every test subject had a purpose, scientists were there to study ancient rocks and animals, soldiers were meant to bring back useful information about the future of warfare and there was also one assassin in the group. He was the greatest assassin on earth, he had been behind every major political assassination for 30 years and most recently assassinated the president of the NSU (New Soviet Union) before he could start a major nuclear war.
John Wesley was that assassin. He did not care about the other 4 on the mission because he already knew he would be chosen, this testing was already completed years ago and he had been briefed 2 months prior to advertising for test subjects. The government had chosen these subjects because they had seen the future as it was going to happen. The two soldiers and two scientists on this mission had to die before they caused the deaths of millions. They would not be missed because after their painful executions their parents and everyone that was ever close to them would be arrested and death papers would be released saying they died in tragic accidents. After this John would return to his own time for further briefing.
The 4 subjects stepped into the time portal and said what times they were traveling to the machine. The computer calculated this and John canceled the time decision, instead sending them to 1943 Germany with Jewish identification. They would all die. Satisfied, John left the portal room and proceeded to the science department to watch his work. As soon as the portal opened in Germany the 4 men were arrested by the SS and sent to Auschwitz.
April, 2012
“This is your mission. We did not only send the subjects to concentration camps to watch them die. We sent them there as experiments to see how this next mission given to you affects them. As soon as your mission is completed the 4 men you sent back will be drawn here from the time they arrived at the camp. Once here they will report to us how the world suddenly changed, if it changes at all. You have one mission. This mission is to assassinate the mother of Adolf Hitler while she is pregnant with her son. This should not be hard for you.”
John left the briefing room and immediately proceeded to the time portal. He stepped in and said his date and time. “Braunau Am Inn, Austria; April 19, 1889”, the day before Hitler’s birth. The computer acknowledged and the motor started buzzing as the portal was turned on. John noticed a quick burst of air as he was sucked through the portal and time flew by him. After about 5 minutes everything slowed to a stop as he appeared at the door of Hitler’s birthplace.
He knocked on the door and a man in his 50’s answered the door. “Kann ich Ihnen helfen?” asked the man. John raised his gun and shot the man 5 times in the head. He then walked in the house and saw a woman in labor and shot her 5 times in the head and shot the last 2 rounds into her stomach. The mission was over, Hitler was dead before even being born and so was his mother and father. Nothing seemed to change but it was still too early to tell. He pressed the remote activation switch on his timecard to go back to his own time but nothing happened. He was stuck here forever.
April 20, 1889
John was trapped in this time with an empty gun and money that was not worth anything. He knew what he had to do, he had the blueprints to the time portal in his bag and all he had to do was find the right components. He did not know what he had changed and would not know for almost 50 years at the outbreak of World War Two. He took out the blueprints and took a walk while reading the instructions. He than went to the local shops and retrieved what he needed. Once he had everything he went out into an open field and began construction.
Once construction was completed John turned on the computer and said his destination to the computer. “New York City, NY 2012.” The computer responded, “We are sorry, there is no location by that name in this time period.” “Ok, take me to the United States Capitol.” Once again, the computer denied the request, “There is no United States in this time period. “What locations are available?” “You can only travel to the two designated locations that are allowed time space by the Empire, would you like to travel to checkpoint Omega or checkpoint Alpha?” “Take me to alpha.”
As the time travel process began a lot of thoughts were going through John’s head. His main thought was the empire, who were they and how had they come into power? He had an idea but hoped he was not right, as he approached the checkpoint he slowed the portal and it soon came to a stop in a military checkpoint guarded by two men dressed in all black and holding assault rifles.
2012: Part 2
December, 2012 – Empire Territory
The men walked towards John, curious of how he had come out of a portal that had not been used since the fall of the Heretics 20 years ago. The Church of Time used to be the main enemy of the Empire until the heretics were defeated and executed at the last 2 remaining time shrines. The heretics had believed that these machines could actually allow them to travel through time but could never find a way how to do it.
“Who are you and where have you come from? Are you a heretic or citizen of the Emperor? Speak now or die where you stand.”
“I am John Wesley. I have come here from 1889 after an assassination that I carried out. I came from this time but now it seems something has gone very wrong in the process. I must speak to your leader immediately.”
“Nothing has gone wrong, the North American Empire has ruled since 1930 after the opening that the European depression gave them. No one over there could fix it and Germany remained hopeless so we just decided to loan them more money than they could ever pay back, then after 20 years we walked in and claimed ownership over their lands due to interest and crushed anyone who fought back. With the help of the Japanese Empire we gained control over Asia and the rest of the world. The traitorous Japanese tried to attack us later but we were prepared for it and repaid them by killing every human of Japanese descent on this planet. The world is a better place without those traitorous bastards anyways. Give me one reason why I should not kill you right now.”
“Do not kill me; arrest me so I can plea my case in the courts. You do have a court don’t you?”
“No, courts are not needed in this land because no one dares commit any crimes here because they know the punishment is more painful than death for offenders of even minor crimes. I will put you in contact with one of the emperor’s diplomats if you wish as it seems that you really do not have any idea what is going on. Good luck to you, you will need it.” The man walked away and his friend followed. John sat down on the bench nearby and put his face in his hands, trying to think. He could use the time portal to travel back to the same time he killed Hitler and stop himself or he could kill himself before he killed Hitler and travel back to his own time. He had the opportunity now but was also interested in what a diplomat would have to say. He waited.
An hour later a woman in her twenties walked in followed by five armed guards. She walked up to John and introduced herself and allowed him to question her. She gave him some useful information; there was never a world war 2 because all of Europe was defeated before anything could happen. Japan was allied with the United States before using an atomic bomb against California, using a weapon that the United States would never use against another Human. This caused mass panic and the problem was solved by the execution of every Japanese citizen and every person with Japanese Heritage in the world. The only major faction opposing the NAE was the Jewish Empire, who were currently at war with the NAE and protecting the remaining Japanese from the camps. They had problems of their own though. The International Islamic State, who controlled all of Central Asia, had launched a NAE funded Jihad against the Jewish Empire. The Caliphate of the IIS was Sultan Osama Bin Laden, who was famous for bombing the Eastern Towers and crippling the Jewish Economy. The world was now at war but at the same time relatively peaceful.
John had heard enough. He asked to be excused and powered up the portal computer. He traveled back to the day he changed the world and saw himself, talking to Hitler’s father again. John Raised his gun and shot himself. Later he explained everything to Hitler’s family, who were very surprised to find out that their son was an assassination target. They were not told what their son would become. John had to let History play out in its own way. He traveled back to where he had started his journey and walked outside. He saw a World War Two memorial with his name on it.
“John Wesley, the man who almost changed the world”
John had died in 1889 as a hero and had never existed in this time. He also noticed a pain in the side of his head. John began to bleed and shortly after dropped dead on the memorial dedicated to him. Found the next morning, he was said to be a homeless man who was murdered by an assassin’s gun. The assassin was never found.
By: Christopher Gourgouras.
United States – March, 2012
“Attention all test subjects. You have been chosen for this experiment because of your clean criminal records and excellent health. Most of you are being sent on simple missions to test the effectiveness of our time portal but one of you will be sent on a real mission at the end of testing. Anyone who would like to participate in the real mission should sign up before departure and we will evaluate your performance during testing, the best will be sent out on a real mission.”
Everybody signed up. The money being made off time travel was better than 5 years salary at there jobs and they only had to be gone for a few hours. No one knew what the real mission was going to be. Every test subject had a purpose, scientists were there to study ancient rocks and animals, soldiers were meant to bring back useful information about the future of warfare and there was also one assassin in the group. He was the greatest assassin on earth, he had been behind every major political assassination for 30 years and most recently assassinated the president of the NSU (New Soviet Union) before he could start a major nuclear war.
John Wesley was that assassin. He did not care about the other 4 on the mission because he already knew he would be chosen, this testing was already completed years ago and he had been briefed 2 months prior to advertising for test subjects. The government had chosen these subjects because they had seen the future as it was going to happen. The two soldiers and two scientists on this mission had to die before they caused the deaths of millions. They would not be missed because after their painful executions their parents and everyone that was ever close to them would be arrested and death papers would be released saying they died in tragic accidents. After this John would return to his own time for further briefing.
The 4 subjects stepped into the time portal and said what times they were traveling to the machine. The computer calculated this and John canceled the time decision, instead sending them to 1943 Germany with Jewish identification. They would all die. Satisfied, John left the portal room and proceeded to the science department to watch his work. As soon as the portal opened in Germany the 4 men were arrested by the SS and sent to Auschwitz.
April, 2012
“This is your mission. We did not only send the subjects to concentration camps to watch them die. We sent them there as experiments to see how this next mission given to you affects them. As soon as your mission is completed the 4 men you sent back will be drawn here from the time they arrived at the camp. Once here they will report to us how the world suddenly changed, if it changes at all. You have one mission. This mission is to assassinate the mother of Adolf Hitler while she is pregnant with her son. This should not be hard for you.”
John left the briefing room and immediately proceeded to the time portal. He stepped in and said his date and time. “Braunau Am Inn, Austria; April 19, 1889”, the day before Hitler’s birth. The computer acknowledged and the motor started buzzing as the portal was turned on. John noticed a quick burst of air as he was sucked through the portal and time flew by him. After about 5 minutes everything slowed to a stop as he appeared at the door of Hitler’s birthplace.
He knocked on the door and a man in his 50’s answered the door. “Kann ich Ihnen helfen?” asked the man. John raised his gun and shot the man 5 times in the head. He then walked in the house and saw a woman in labor and shot her 5 times in the head and shot the last 2 rounds into her stomach. The mission was over, Hitler was dead before even being born and so was his mother and father. Nothing seemed to change but it was still too early to tell. He pressed the remote activation switch on his timecard to go back to his own time but nothing happened. He was stuck here forever.
April 20, 1889
John was trapped in this time with an empty gun and money that was not worth anything. He knew what he had to do, he had the blueprints to the time portal in his bag and all he had to do was find the right components. He did not know what he had changed and would not know for almost 50 years at the outbreak of World War Two. He took out the blueprints and took a walk while reading the instructions. He than went to the local shops and retrieved what he needed. Once he had everything he went out into an open field and began construction.
Once construction was completed John turned on the computer and said his destination to the computer. “New York City, NY 2012.” The computer responded, “We are sorry, there is no location by that name in this time period.” “Ok, take me to the United States Capitol.” Once again, the computer denied the request, “There is no United States in this time period. “What locations are available?” “You can only travel to the two designated locations that are allowed time space by the Empire, would you like to travel to checkpoint Omega or checkpoint Alpha?” “Take me to alpha.”
As the time travel process began a lot of thoughts were going through John’s head. His main thought was the empire, who were they and how had they come into power? He had an idea but hoped he was not right, as he approached the checkpoint he slowed the portal and it soon came to a stop in a military checkpoint guarded by two men dressed in all black and holding assault rifles.
2012: Part 2
December, 2012 – Empire Territory
The men walked towards John, curious of how he had come out of a portal that had not been used since the fall of the Heretics 20 years ago. The Church of Time used to be the main enemy of the Empire until the heretics were defeated and executed at the last 2 remaining time shrines. The heretics had believed that these machines could actually allow them to travel through time but could never find a way how to do it.
“Who are you and where have you come from? Are you a heretic or citizen of the Emperor? Speak now or die where you stand.”
“I am John Wesley. I have come here from 1889 after an assassination that I carried out. I came from this time but now it seems something has gone very wrong in the process. I must speak to your leader immediately.”
“Nothing has gone wrong, the North American Empire has ruled since 1930 after the opening that the European depression gave them. No one over there could fix it and Germany remained hopeless so we just decided to loan them more money than they could ever pay back, then after 20 years we walked in and claimed ownership over their lands due to interest and crushed anyone who fought back. With the help of the Japanese Empire we gained control over Asia and the rest of the world. The traitorous Japanese tried to attack us later but we were prepared for it and repaid them by killing every human of Japanese descent on this planet. The world is a better place without those traitorous bastards anyways. Give me one reason why I should not kill you right now.”
“Do not kill me; arrest me so I can plea my case in the courts. You do have a court don’t you?”
“No, courts are not needed in this land because no one dares commit any crimes here because they know the punishment is more painful than death for offenders of even minor crimes. I will put you in contact with one of the emperor’s diplomats if you wish as it seems that you really do not have any idea what is going on. Good luck to you, you will need it.” The man walked away and his friend followed. John sat down on the bench nearby and put his face in his hands, trying to think. He could use the time portal to travel back to the same time he killed Hitler and stop himself or he could kill himself before he killed Hitler and travel back to his own time. He had the opportunity now but was also interested in what a diplomat would have to say. He waited.
An hour later a woman in her twenties walked in followed by five armed guards. She walked up to John and introduced herself and allowed him to question her. She gave him some useful information; there was never a world war 2 because all of Europe was defeated before anything could happen. Japan was allied with the United States before using an atomic bomb against California, using a weapon that the United States would never use against another Human. This caused mass panic and the problem was solved by the execution of every Japanese citizen and every person with Japanese Heritage in the world. The only major faction opposing the NAE was the Jewish Empire, who were currently at war with the NAE and protecting the remaining Japanese from the camps. They had problems of their own though. The International Islamic State, who controlled all of Central Asia, had launched a NAE funded Jihad against the Jewish Empire. The Caliphate of the IIS was Sultan Osama Bin Laden, who was famous for bombing the Eastern Towers and crippling the Jewish Economy. The world was now at war but at the same time relatively peaceful.
John had heard enough. He asked to be excused and powered up the portal computer. He traveled back to the day he changed the world and saw himself, talking to Hitler’s father again. John Raised his gun and shot himself. Later he explained everything to Hitler’s family, who were very surprised to find out that their son was an assassination target. They were not told what their son would become. John had to let History play out in its own way. He traveled back to where he had started his journey and walked outside. He saw a World War Two memorial with his name on it.
“John Wesley, the man who almost changed the world”
John had died in 1889 as a hero and had never existed in this time. He also noticed a pain in the side of his head. John began to bleed and shortly after dropped dead on the memorial dedicated to him. Found the next morning, he was said to be a homeless man who was murdered by an assassin’s gun. The assassin was never found.
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