Maiors

Fatima XXX

About a week had passed since I had my vision on Mut. Lady Maat's words were still buzzing around in my ears. Everything about Ife, my people, my nation. Us Olili didn't really have much of a culture left to us. When Olum was under Colridian control, so many of our cultural and religious sites were destroyed. An attempt to erase our culture, to form us into better wage slaves. Then, when the Vasilikos took over, it was all suppressed even further. We lost our identity, only holding on to some spoken legends. Hell, not too many people even spoke old Olili anymore.

But what Lady Maat and Aya told me, what I experienced back on Mut, it felt like an awakening. They said they "never forgot." I've heard there were pockets of people that still remembered and practiced Olum's old religion. But I've never thought I'd meet any of them.

And then there's that vision. It was like I was making another connection back with my home. Ife was trying to protect us, her people. I wondered if this really was our religion before the colonial period. Did our people pray to her? I wasn't sure. But hey, maybe it was time to start.

In the time since the meeting, I met with my auntie. She caught me up on some pressing matters, matters that only confirmed what I had seen. First of all, one of our captains, Kahleel Qhair, was captured and executed. This was a big hit. Kahleel was a mentor to many of us, but there was no time to mourn.

In the past weeks since our raid in Khito, Kmet had appealed to the FGN to help them quell our rebellion, mainly to the country's only supporter, Colrad. Deupoint was still in firm opposition to Phocis and the Kmetian government. But Colrad answered their appeal. The Colridian and Kmetian government were firm allies, given it's because of them the Vasilikos are in charge.

A little over a hundred years ago, most of the world was controlled by three of the FGN; Colrad, Kaseo, and Kirov. 'Protectorates' they called us. But we were all their colonies, stripped of our cultures, languages, religions.Well, most of us. Deupoint opted to annex the lands it conquered. They let the natives keep their ways, but they were under firm Deupointese control. Not much better in my opinion.

Eventually though, more and more countries coveted independence. It started with an uprising in Polau, a colony of Kaseo. They fought beautifully and were able to drive their colonizers out. It was a threat the other FGN faced as well. Soon, having colonies wasn't "ethical" anymore. So they withdrew. Before Colrad left our islands though, they made sure to transfer power to the Vasilikos. They had allied themselves with the Cories during the four hundred year period, being an old enemy of Olum. [Us Olili have been fighting the Vasilikos for millennia]

Some things never change

Anyways, Colrad agreed to answer Phocis' call. Shiploads of guns, munitions, and other military supplies were on its way to Kmet. Even soldiers had been promised if more help was needed.

This was horrific news. I knew there was a possibility that the KP could get help, but I prayed it would never come. We were already struggling to keep up with Phocis and the Royals, but with Colrad entering into the fray, matters were sure to become near-hopeless.

"But there is a silver-lining." my aunt told me.

In the midst of the Cories basically declaring war on us, she was contacted by a Deupointese representative. They wanted to meet and discuss our "future partnership" [I guess their hatred for Colrad finally worked in our favor.] But of course, there was a catch. It was going to take time for them to gather the resources. In the meantime, auntie wanted to send a small group to see if we could hurry it along and to make sure we got what we needed. I was to head that group.

"Take your best team." she told me, "I can only spare you a single vessel. We need to prepare here for the soldiers Colrad is bound to send once Deupoint gets involved."