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Ruins of the Great Library Larry Appleton  ************August, 28, 4127 . Now Eirelav remembered where she had heard about the towers. It was already known that the Shadow Masters precipitated the start of World War Three. If this story referred to the Shadow Masters, then the books were written in the early part of the twenty first century. If she were correct, this would be one of only a few literary works that recounted the events leading up to the War. The Shadow Masters were the major catalysts in the war. Some Scholars speculated that the Shadow Masters were really proxy groups that were used to intimidate perceived enemies, by those who would impose their authority. The brutal methods used by the Shadow Masters were not limited to the country of Acirema. Other countries would suffer atrocities that inflicted terror and fear amongst their citizens and governments. The New Order is a collective of all the known city states. Each city state has at least five Scholars at the head of their respective governments. It has been this way since the recovery after the war began. When the ancient civilizations were about to go to war, scientists gathered and formed a secret society and named it, "The Order." They could see what world leaders could not. To the scientists, the outcome of a third world war would bring to an end human civilization. They had calculated mathematically that after nuclear weapons were used, civilization as they knew it would be reduced to anarchy for many years. By their calculations it would take at least twenty thousand years to recover scientifically to the level they now enjoyed. The mission of the Scholars was to preserve and protect as much scientific knowledge as they could before they too, became a victim of unconventional warfare. It was their hope that by collecting and storing all the scientific knowledge known to the world, they could greatly reduce the amount of time it would take to recover. Unfortunately, they did not complete their work before the bombs began to fall on the cities. But they did leave enough information about the cause of the war, and a great deal of scientific knowledge to be passed along through future generations. They stored this information in a large bomb proof vault in the hopes that it would survive and be discovered, assuming Human kind managed to survive. According to the Scholars in the New Order, they understood that the Shadow Masters were supposed to weaken the enemy, not to start a world war. The Scholars knew why the Shadow Master spread their hatred. They believed the only way to change civilization to their point of view, was with violence and terror. What the Scholars did not know was what had happened to them. Eirelav hoped she had stumbled on evidence that would satisfy some of the questions the Scholars still had. If it did, it would be the find of the century. This book identified the leader as Nib Nedal, the 17th Son. However Eirelav, was more interested in the events that lead to the final war that nearly destroyed them all. Eirelav wondered if this set of books could shed some new insights on the reasons behind the decisions to wage nuclear war. She started to restore the next chapter. ************Legends of Legion The 17th Son Glen Brisco Chapter 4 A Call to Arms ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** A Trinity of sorts. No sooner than Glen had wondered whether the President had been killed, information from the Department of Defense interrupted regular broadcasting on the Infoboxes. A Department spokesman informed listeners that President G.W. Shrub had just completed a meeting with his national security team and received the latest intelligence reports. He was now ready to address the citizens of Acirema who by now, were in a state of shock. The President strutted out to the podium in the tulip garden with his head held high in confidence. He did not want to show how he truly felt, the uncertainty of future events, and the anxiety of not knowing when the next attack would occur. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a prepared statement for the citizens of Acirema. “Good morning. The deadly attacks carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were deliberate acts of war. This will require our country’s unwavering and persistent determination. Our very freedom and way of life is under assault. We now face an enemy who has a total disregard for innocent civilians.” “This enemy commits their evil deeds then hides in the shadows like the cowards that they are. This enemy has a name, and they are the Shadow Masters. The leader of this terrorist organization is Nib Nedal and while he has denied any involvement in the brutal attacks against our country, our intelligence proves otherwise. Nib Nedal can run, but he cannot hide forever.” “Acirema will use all of our resources to find him and his evil followers. The Shadow Masters spilled a lot of blood yesterday and our country will not let it stand unanswered. This will not be a short war. It will take time, but let there be no doubt, we will not rest until the Shadow Masters are destroyed.” “Citizens of Acirema, we must not allow the Shadow Masters a victory by changing our way of life or freedoms. We must hold our heads high and carry on with our lives. We must remain vigilant and those in authority need to take the necessary precautions to protect our citizens." "A legion of freedom-loving countries will help us in our struggle of good verses evil and we will win.” “Thank You." ************President Shrub returned to the Presidential palace without taking the many questions from the journalists in the crowd. He was now more focused on mobilizing the military for war. He walked directly to the oblong office where the Secretary of War was waiting for him. Slamming the door behind him, he walked over to his desk and sat down across from Secretary Donald Scotchfield. G.W. and Donald were good friends. Secretary Scotchfield had served under his father’s Presidency and often commented that he had “been around the block a few times” when he had to make hard decisions. He had a forlorn look about him this morning. He knew that the country would be going to war and he would be expected to lead it. President Shrub began by saying. “Mr. Scotchfield, I’m going to make this very short and blunt. I want you to prepare the armed forces of Acirema for war. I want the Shadow Masters destroyed. Current intelligence reports indicate that they are enjoying a safe harbor in Nahgfa under the protection of the Nabilat government. I want you to invade this country and capture or kill all of the Shadow Masters." “Very well.” “I want you to inform the Nabilat government that they must turn over Nib Nedal and his militants to us or face all of our military might. This will be the only warning I give to them. If they refuse, I want to be prepared to invade Nahgfa. Do you understand?” “Yes, Mr. President.” G.W. dismissed the War Secretary and reclined in his chair pondering what he had just ordered. He was going to lead his nation into war after almost thirty years of peace. How would his country hold up he wondered? They would support him in the short term; however, he knew that this war would last for many years. Acirema's last war was lost, not because the military was losing, but because of the length of the war and the many casualties, the country had taken. Acirema’s enemies were quick to point this out by saying that the greatest military in the world would be stopped cold by its people, because they didn’t have the stomach for it. This time was different; almost three thousand citizens had just been murdered. The citizens of Acirema demanded retribution. Acirema had a different attitude. ************President Shrub had already bolstered the nation’s defenses and things were quiet for the moment. There were no more reports of attacks against Acirema, so he decided to get some much-needed rest. He had planned to return to the City of Towers the next day, to salute the brave Fighters of Fire and the Peace Officers who had lost their lives when the towers collapsed. G.W. was not a particularly religious man. However, he found himself saying a prayer for all the victims of the savage attacks against his nation, before retiring to his bedroom. G.W. did not sleep well that night. The nightmares of crashing planes full of people and the destruction of entire buildings jolted him awake throughout the night. The cold sweat that accompanied the nightmares, made it almost impossible for him to sleep more than an hour at a time. It was going to be a long night. Early the next morning G.W. boarded his Presidential plane, Sky Force Alpha, and headed back to the City of Towers. Peering out his window he marveled at the beauty in the land of Legion. Below him was a mosaic of color cast from the many oaks and elm trees. The fiery reds, yellows and bright orange leaves carpeted the mountain range as far as the eye could see. Occasionally he could see farmland cut out in the valleys. The rust red barns, accompanied by a trio of grain silos, reminded him of his ranch back home. In the distance, he could see a small town. A white church with its steeple stood out amongst the modest houses that surrounded the center of town. President Shrub wondered if his country would ever be the same again. As the Presidential plane approached the City of Towers, G.W. observed the stark contrast the city had on the surrounding landscape. The metropolitan city stamped out a large area with its steel buildings that protruded higher and higher as you approached the center. The tower windows reflected, in bright flashes, the morning sunlight. A grey haze surrounded the center of the city and smoke was still streaming from the gapping hole where the two tallest towers once stood. Mayor Rudy had informed him that about four hundred Fighters of Fires and Peace Officers had lost their lives when the towers collapsed. The civilian loss had not been determined yet, but there were more than two thousand souls working in the towers that never made it out and were listed as presumed dead. Only five Firefighters were rescued from the rubble of one tower. Workers at the site were still in rescue mode; however, there was little hope for any more survivors. After landing, the President was ushered into a waiting black VUS land transport vehicle. The trip to the disaster area was detoured many times. Power in some parts of the city had not been fully restored and traffic was diverted around what the citizens called, “ground zero,” where the towers once stood. Arriving at the area, G.W. was appalled at the image that lay before him. The remains of the two towers were reduced to a pile of rubble with only some of the steel structure protruding from the ground. This reminded him of the Trinity of sorts, with three sides of the second tower sticking up at odd angles, the tallest piece in the center. This had a profound effect on him as he exited the land vehicle. Concrete and death permeated the air and smoke was still rising up from the huge mounds of the destroyed buildings. President Shrub climbed up one of the mounds and prepared to address the many workers involved in the recovery efforts. With the rescue teams gathering around him, he reached into his jacket to pull out the prepared statement he was going to read. However, he was having second thoughts about the words that were prepared for him and put it back into his pocket. He decided to address the brave workers from his heart. The many workers began chanting, “Acirema, Acirema, Acirema,” as he began his speech. “Thank you all for the immense efforts . . . ” The President was cut off by someone in the crowd yelling. ”I can’t hear you.” One of the Fighters of Fires handed him a bullhorn and he began again. “I want all of you to know that across the land of Legion the citizens are on bended knees. Not because we are ready to surrender to the cowards who shamelessly attacked our innocent civilians, but for the people whose lives were lost here. We bend down in prayer for the rescuers who work here and the families who mourn. The entire nation stands behind the good people in the City of Towers as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens” Again, a rescue worker from the crowd shouted, "I can’t hear you.” The President raising his voice said, “I can’t talk any louder.” Laughter could be heard in the direction of the outer fringes of the workers. The President continued, “I can hear you!" Immediately the cheering began again. “Acirema, Acirema, Acirema.” G.W. waited for the cheering to subside before continuing again. “I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon.” The crowds of workers were now chanting in a fevered pitch. G.W. had not expected the nationalism he witnessed this day. He realized that everything that he had campaigned on before the elections was now a mute point. The attacks on Acirema required a different calling, a call to arms. He realized also that he would be remembered as the President who took his country to war. He could only hope that the outcome would be favorable. The President wrapped up his visit and returned to the waiting land transport. He was inspired from a banner hanging onto a nearby building. The banner simply said, “We shall never forget.” Meanwhile, the armed forces of Acirema were preparing for war. ************After restoring the forth chapter, Eirelav could barely contain her excitement. Could this be historical evidence of the actual events that would lead the world into nuclear chaos? Or was this just a piece of fiction created for entertaining the citizens. She couldn’t be sure. Even the Scholars were unsure of the facts that led nations to annihilate each other with weapons of mass destruction. They were particularly puzzled as to why the weapons were used at all.
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