"Every Empire Falls" (Tatjana Emit) Chapter I translation feature - illicitSoul

Tatjana. R. Emit I

The girl suddenly opened eyes. Train was tearfully creaking, and west sun yellow was visible through the window. A piece of cloth, which had been covering body was thin and poorly warmed. She couldn't recall the exact amount paid for the ticket, but the savings have remained quite low. Blonde haired Aron was sitting next to her and snoozing. She stared at her face reflection at train window. In the other side of her eyes she saw quick passing of the Vessay colony town.

And a lot of faceless dark human figures.

Play long sighted face - it's like remembering forgotten melody which is about to fade away from your head.. Who are you remain for them? Sometimes you left them just as a memorial. A tiny fraction of the memory oasis. The brain is susceptible to restore scratched time memories, but sometimes they just became distorted illusions. Tyra eyes were blue, maybe a light gray... Tatjana wasn't able to remember that. The old world long ago moved to past dreams - the other side of the barricades while carrying down all dear people.

If she could lower the glass, and feel the cold wind stream by hand skin flowing through the skin... the Old world had been covered by ash and died...

But I have to stay strong.

The train stopped in the last stop. Tatiana did not wanted it to stop, she liked to be here with her thoughts, and if she could only running it even further, and that around the clock. The girl did not know where she's at the moment right now. Somewhere far. On the hard, dirty, dark red and coarse material sheathed seats left no passengers. The sun's rays were already redness as if in shame and slowly went way, covering everything with a piece of darkness.

She woke the companion and the two of them got out till someone did not demanded them to leave. Tatjana carried old backpack and had curled into little threadbare cloth while the guy did not have it with himself practically nothing. In was a little colder than inside the wagon, but the late sun was still warm and the weather - pleasantly refreshing. Autumn was late, but spared the heat, as if summer would want to return and take back the throne from leaf-killer autumn.

The distance walked a few tracks that were overgrown with grass and were forgotten, leading to nowhere anymore. In the past, when there was no wall and colonies, they continued for at least another hundred kilometers and connected the station that no longer exist today. Now here were rotting only rusty sleepers and useless iron gums in the grass. A couple of kilometers away there were Vessay outer wall. High, cold monolith which hides the horizon. But that wasn't the last wall which marked the end of colony complex yet.

A group of high-flying white seagulls were in the sky and moved away from the canal waters. Around the grass was soft, woven and undulating. A girl here was excited and she did not wanted the sun to hurry to get out of the sky.

The train engine sounded and the wagons door closed. The girl accompanied it with a fast glance. Its windows reflected the late sun reflections. After that, everything became silent. All around there was similar to a dream, a deep and continuous silence.

"Tatjana, do you know where to go next?" Sitting in the grass asked Aron. Aaron was one of those people who helped the young woman to survive the difficult period, especially when degraded her uncle. Boy frequently allowed her to sleep in his workshop and sometimes brough her pretty good meal. But this was not the life her wanted to live.

"There are many ways"- said Tatjana. "But I'm not sure yet".

" You gonna reach Domefort and be looking for father?"

"It can be".

"Then it sounds like far and dangerous advanture" said Aron then girl given him a cigarette and offered fire.

"Just like the life is".

"The train has already left, now you'll have to wait for a long time" said Tatjana to Aron when he ended his cigarette.

" I might accompany you to the Lanc crossing. As long as I get back already arrive next train".

Although She was alone with Aron and far away from it all, the instant onset of the illusion of freedom was amazing. However, at the time it threatened a new imminent the war and all attempts to live while running away from home.

Uncle Trenek said, "you do not change the world anyways."

It can be. But at least do not interfere me the change it.

Emit ran out of the house many times. The first time she ran when was fourteen and did not back for a couple of days until depleted all food and money. At age fifteen, and later, the girl has run away very often. Now she was eighteen and haven't seen Uncle Trenek face for more than half year. From the beginning, everything was fine until Uncle took care of himself, Tatjana and saved money. But later everything slowly began to fall apart. Bereavement, unemployment, old memories, low money - all what stood in the forefront, was a very hard pressure. Three years ago, Uncle succumbed and chose alcohol. He had been not returning to home from few days to few weeks. Later - for months. But when he came back, girl needed to endure endless criticism, threats and clean his vomit. The girl decided not to reconcile with the fact. Now she could not tell where he could be. Perhaps drunk lying on the street, maybe someone robbed him, or he just died. All that really not mattered. For her he was long been dead.

Another person Tatjana thought more often was her father- Garan Emit. He labored hard for many years a couple of factories, after - shipyard, somewhere in Domefort. But She haven't heard anything for him for years. From time to time he would send hard-earned money to pay for rent, as well as for food and other essential needs, but now he was silent for too long. The girl decided to do everything to find him. Now or never.

Garan has always been a fighter, from the very beginning.

There was no way back. The train had just left and will not return for a long, long night to the next, the same late evening. Domefort was enormous seaport and Emit did not know exactly where her father could be now.

She walked around the station surroundings, and finally found a higher hill and curled up in the sun. Tired of your thoughts, the girl stretched out in the grass and checked supplies in the backpack.

Backpack was still a couple of slices of dried bread, bottle of water and a packet of corporate breadcrumbs, which it shared with Aron. Tatjana knew that in this way will she not be able to endure for long time, especially being out of Vessay, but the present moment was still hopefull: she was accompanied by the sky, the wind, the silence and memories. But today she was sure of one thing: today she will leave the colony forever.

Then it was getting cold it was time to move.

Place marked a faded map on a train station wall was named Lahn-Fave eastern sector. Tatiana Emit looked into smaller scale map, coupled nearby to get bigger picture. Glance Channel crossing was leading to north and to the northeast- Rydou Point-east sector, followed by rydou-Point-west... Girl quickly drew abstract plan on a small slip with pencil by having more important catwalks and streets.

"Glance crossing was just around the corner. There I gotta find train which rides to Domefort".

This was not her first adventure far away from home. She remembered the blind trips to the western and southern sectors so she had gained experience and its own proven tricks, but she has never been in the western part so far yet.

Lahn-Feivo eastern sector was quite frustrating place. Many low-crowded apartment houses, cars turned into skeletons, narrow streets with local small bonfires. The walls coupled with dark tent material fibers for protection against rain made the streets look more similar to the tunnels.

Aron quietly went ahead. He was tense. The walls stacked furniture, litter boxes and thereby negating some of the Lahn-Fave streets that even had difficulty passing a couple of people. Once it is in a place she felt very uncomfortable, but with time become accustomed. In a jacket pocket girl had a tiny clamshell knife for self-defense, because you can never know what is waiting for you in a dark alley or around the corner. Aron liked to call Tatjana a" lone wolf", as girl smiled then remembered that.

Despite situation now, life before The Deportation wasn't that bad even if somewhere in the hundreds of kilometers of raging war, and the country has carried out the policy of isolation due to their own citizens' security. But it never did not reached Serbia. The then Kribner company defended the entire peninsula and was able to resist, but their victory was a bit ... different from what everyone wanted. After The Last War ended, isolation politics was done and then began deportation. Millions of residents were forced to move to the colonies or colonies complexes with the same mind on the security of citizens. The war ended, but the whole thing still continue. Kribnerio company renamed itself to Kribners' Corporation, appeared TC Internacional, which has taken the internal colonial regime. Resource Defense Company (RDC), took control of the remaining resources. And all the walls and complex colonies became the KOBS- Balkan countries coalition, a perfect, complex prison millions of people who survived the war.

When the sky incur blackness, Tatjana reached local sector inspection post. Girl itched forearm implanted chip which was a part of control and given corporation government ability to locate the way were citizens travel. The control post was lifted up area and the people here first closest row, part of them were slowly moving into the Lahn-Fave and others to Glance crossing. Along with people were moving big trucks. The post echoed quiet chat, a few people stopped by armed guards, while others worked on the controls. Emit followed them by her sight

"Rike I think I'll miss ya. Life at the Vessay wan't easy, I know but that what you are facing with is totaly unknown" said Aron and looked at her companion with deep sight.

"Rena might had said something alike" she replied.

"Rena first of all would be crying" the guy was joking, but the joke now seemed not to be fun at all.

"You shall take care of Rena. She's prone to addictive stuff, you know"

"I will" Aron swore.

"So" after moment of silence said the guy "You are really not going back?

"I don't think so" Tatjana sighed.

"Well, then go and not go back" Aaron let the girl touched my shoulder and arm, looked into the eyes, but soon distanced.

"I hope you success".

"You also" she told to Aron. "And thanks for that escort"

He did not answered and disappeared in a narrow alley.

***

Sector partition wall was not as high as the exterior, perhaps six or seven meters high. It was possible to climb with a rope and a hook, but the girl hadn't suh excellent equipment. But she also did not have the desire to wait.

Tatjana today had passed two sectors already. Every twelve hours of chip was reversed, and the colony population had a chance to move on, no more than in the two other sectors. Chips and sectoral control was very effective system that prevented people to concentrate in one place and revolt. If one place to concentrate too much Shuffler movement across the sector was further restricted or totally suspended.

The corporation did not let a day pass through the ordinary man more than two sectors. Sector cuttings were recorded in tiny, subcutaneous tiny chip, just after passing through the sector inspection post, whether or moved on foot or by train. If someone has exceeded the limit, the transport was suspended and have misbehaved person - disembarked out. Once Tatjana saw the woman, which for this violation, controllers fatally beaten with steel sticks, Of course, there must of people who did not have the chips. It is mainly used to beggars, homeless or hardcore naturalists-fanatics did not want to let your body any technology. They all were unable to purchase anything from the Corporation, to receive support, employment, housing so do health care. Recent third-rate people who did not have absolutely no rights. But the chips were not sufficient tool for absolute control.

Emit drew up a wide elastic wristband masking a chip. Aron made a special bracelet with ceramic piece which blocked chip so it could go through the informal sector ways. This ploy acted western, southern sectors, but here- one God knows how.

"If the detain me, let it be. Even if I pay for that with my life".

She felt the adrenaline rising, although it was no longer acted for the first time. The girl received an opportunity and hid under one of higher truck and pulled to the bottom of the darkness for what finding a grasp and took hold of the feet of some sort unstable part of the truck. The cold metal unpleasantly welcomed warm fingers skin.

The truck heavily moved forward, trembling, as if fear. Tatjana slightly bowed head in order to see what is happening around. Strangers legs slowly marched in front, throwing long shadows from the control post lamps.

The car stopped again, as in the front you could hear two voices murmur. It seemed that the machine has stopped eternity, the girls' hands trembled, but she managed to fight tiredness still. Someones' voices passed by. Lush male voice offered a cigar to someone then someone laughed a little squeaking, a loud tone. Another truck passed nearby and post workers moved to the waiting one. When the truck moved with her again, her hands already flower horrible pain and muscle worked in emergency mode.

"Must hold out. For father".

"Check this car" the same lush male voice spoke again. After a moment two pairs of black boots come and stood next to the girl's head.
At the top of truck deck someone's voice could be heard. Someone's scared. Tatjana was sure it was inhibited crying, maybe child's.

"Clear" loud male voice sounded again.

"Whose is this?"

The girl glanced at the shoulder what's happening at the back: gloved hand was raising a lighter from the ground. Girl noticed that she misses one. Only one thing to do now was to said a curse only...

"Check it once more" loud voice sounded again. One of the men from the inspection post opened cab door and a second later exclaimed:

"Illegals! Illegals! Here is the full!

"May you all go to hell" though Tatjana.

Someone screamed, but the truck immediately moved ahead and almost did not threw girl directly under its wheels. At the top child burst out crying. Someone's voice inside told to bend over and the machine reached the strident sound. Emit tried to hold to the machine by using elbow. She felt the wind tearing her hood and hair lags behind in the ground at high speed. Saiz screamed at the top of the human voice. The girl felt sliding her feet, when some kind of truck part pulled away from the bottom part and immediately deformed by huge car wheels. Tatjanas' legs lost support and were dangerously dragged until she managed to find something else to hold on but her hands almost no longer held.

But everything ended so quickly that Tatjana wasn't able to react anyhow.

Truck hit something hard in front and all glass fragments spilled all around with terrifying sound, The world turned a sharp angle and then it was difficult to understand where the top and where the bottom. By the corner of the eye she noticed a lifting bridge which was lovered down stop a car which now was hanging on one side of the edge of the bridge. Metal was strident creaking. Someone inside prayed for help, but it all lasted just few seconds. The free fall feeling girl was absorbed into the darkness. She felt lightweight like the air. It felt like a long fall. Buzzing drone sound and the light from the top of disappeared quickly. It was scary, but at the same time a good, strange feeling.
"If not me, they may all had passed..."