The Dance of Doom: Peril 101

Initium (Prologue)

Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war) – The Canons of Obiter Dicta, War for Peace

All the vehicles were lined up at the border's gate for inspection. The Border Inspection Group (BIG), widely known by the nickname Masaafin (Filters), were engrossed.

Presently, cleared vehicles were allowed to pass while those with the regular 'irregularities' were inspected further. Catradis' border control was rigid as it was smooth. Come with the right papers and you have nothing to worry about. With the advancement of technology, you could be registered or provided with any do document necessary to let you through. All it required was an identification card or paper; tourists carried cards while business folk carried papers. This was only applied to non-citizens. Citizens needed no papers, only their identification that they were sons of the Sultanate, as Catradis was widely called.

The BIG operated in what modern complexities would consider as somewhat shabby due to its simplicity but, nevertheless effective manner. Their daily rotation routine made up for the boredom of watching goods and people passing in and out. Not to mention the overheating sun and cold moon. Five BIG officers were always stationed at every given time with a constant digital communication line to an office two kilometers away where another group of five waited for what they call "pile takeover" – taking over duty. Five batches were dedicated every day to cover 24 hours for each border. Of course, the last batch would work one hour less than the rest. Given that the time circles around, every batch enjoyed the "one-hour tack". Any group that was supposed to assume duty was expected to be on post at least an hour earlier.

Their wear was a thing of jest among the common people. They donned a red colored uniform shirt and yellow trousers made of Nylon Fabric and black boots. Comic enough. Good thing no one thought of a pointy green hat.

The border was busy as always, crammed like a street market. For a border considered highly strategic, there were awful lots of shops. Merchants from neighboring kingdoms of Scobia, Morno, and Caledia pour in to buy and sell merchandize. In contrast to modern claims, simple business relations augmented by the Fair Trade Deal were fruitful. Catradis' borders were a secure as they were open to local businesses. It was a way of establishing a connection, no matter how faint, with people from the other side of the border.

The guards were usually friendly with the people coming in, some of which go deep into the Kingdom while others finish their business at the gate market. It was rare to have a major incident of breaching order except, of course, for the little elements of fuss that human society could never escape.

The Salion Realm was a notable hot geopolitical zone comprising five distinguished nations; Catradis, Thundor, Caledia, Morno, and Scobia. The first was a Sultane, the second a Monarchical Kingdom, the third a Liberal Democracy, the fourth a Palatine Democracy (dubbed as a Piracy by most political observers of the realm), and the fifth a Platonic-Philosophical Monarchy. It was simply a hodgepodge of reverberating nations that could never come to terms. Each nation had its global viewpoint, some of which were promising while some...not so much. The strongest of these were Catradis and Thundor, around whom the area's politics revolved. Naturally, these nations were in constant, subtle skirmishes, entering occasional truces that never lasted half the duration cut out for them. Despite this, outward offense was not always the go-to strategy of making a statement or establishing authority. Although, the same cannot be always said about Catradis whose strength saw it annexing lands without ever utilizing proxies.

Its northern border had been the scene of numerous historical clashes. There lies the Bay of Sheyakhs, which was a cornered water-area between Morno, Caledia, Catradis, and a little of Scobia. Morno was never attuned to Catradis' ways. Caledia always strived for a truce and Scobia was a dormant territory that opted for neutrality.