New Hope
"On the morning of August 12, the Federal State Council announced that it will hold the 12th Federal Representative Summit on the ‘Valour’ space station at the end of August. Our frontline reporter Andrew Lee said that this year's summit will establish an epoch-making significance..."
While listening to the COS domestic news, I listened to the car window infiltrated with rain. The neon in the distant city is refracted into the car through water droplets and glass, and bright colourful spots are scattered on the roof.
It wasn't until the moment I set foot on this land that I realized that the bustling city in the neon lights reported in the news was not fictitious. There are really places in the world that can be crowded with people – and all this, in Iceland, people are simply regard it as far tales after the Free Revolution.
But the girl sitting next to me looks comfortable. She quietly closed her eyes and listened to the official article on the radio, while showing a confident smile.
"Since Chairman Romanov took office, this is the third time in the history of the Federation to hold a summit on the space station. Unity Daily said that this shows that COS already has very mature space technology, and all this is inseparable from the unified people. The wise leadership of the party..."
"Have you heard it? They said that it is inseparable from the party's leadership. But I really want to know, if the core figures of the party they depend on are all gone, what will COS become?"
She claims to be Shiro Yuria, her mother was one of the experimental bodies of the Shiro Psychic Research. Hence she was born with the ability to manipulate the minds of others. She also said that during her ten years of growing up, the wealth gap of this land has astonishingly widened, as well as Japan has fallen into the centre of money-laundering of COS senior officials, from one of the most civilized country of the world. Although she does not need to worry about the material life, she is dissatisfied with the cultural aggression from COS and a brainwashing publicity around her - "At least, I must defend my freedom to think and speak. If anyone wants to take my mind, then before that, I will firstly take his mind." Of course, what made her feel most unbearable was that there is a Supreme One, the Bureaucracy System of COS, above her. She said that this is why she decided to fight against COS - I have no evidence to deny her rhetoric. But I also doubt her reason for telling me all about this, so I asked: "Are you afraid that I will tell all of this to the Executive Committee of the Commune?"
"Of course not," she said very positively, "because I know that you are not that kind of person."
"You must have read my heart with your psychic ability..." I pretended to calmly say my speculation in an easy-going tone. Of course, I didn’t plan to tell anything to the Executive Committee. But I still felt very nervous when faced with her, fearing that she would torture me if my uncontrollable thought offended her – when she was talking about her personal freedom, I don’t even have the freedom of thought.
Unexpectedly, she shook her head seriously and denied: "Of course not. If I want to read your heart, I would rather control your mind directly."
The car continued to drive along the road, and there were constantly gunshots and explosions on the way. I saw a group of protesters with black clothes, standing in front of a burning Tenho tank, holding a black-and-white banner of "Liberate Japan, the glory revolution"; some people sang L’Internationale and waved red and black anarcho-syndicalism Flag. In front of the windshield, there are dark grey smoke and white tears, and the scenery outside the window is gradually blurred.
She suddenly asked: "I really want to know, as you were born in the Commune, what do you think of these demonstrators?"
I hesitated for a while, and then replied: "Eh... Actually, I don't have any special feelings. They have the right to choose their own way of life. You know, although the Commune is born with Anarchism ideology, it is untrue that everyone in the Commune is rioter or extremists. If there is problem with the society, I would rather express my opinion in a peaceful way. So I just emotionally sympathize with them, but I can't say that I fully support them..."
"If you say these words in the core area of COS, you will be besieged by all sorts of so-called patriots, and you even have no way to defend yourself. Unfortunately, COS is now trying to turn Japan into that kind of place, where you can only ‘peacefully express your opinion’ or dissatisfaction by bending your knee to the governors and hoping them not to suppress you by tear gas."
Her eyes instantly became deep cold. It seemed that she was not content with my answer.
I looked at a burning corpse hanging on the street lamp, and it was also sprayed with the words "Traitor" with black paint. A kind of mixed feelings infiltrated my heart unconsciously. During the Free Revolution, similar events were staged in the European continent. The pioneers who believe in absolute freedom have destroyed the European Union that was to establish a super-state like present COS in valour and direct action, and replaced the traditional sovereign state with a decentralized commune organization - I don't know if this is the political form that is mostly close to Utopia, but at least I am even less willing to live in COS under political pressure.
"So, are you willing to help me…Comrade von Esling?"
As she stretched out her right hand, she stared at me with the purple eyes that were full of spirituality, like a little girl who was lost in the city and wanted help.
"I know that you are a very important participant in the Freya Project, so I think you and I should be the same kind of person." She turned her head and looked out the window, as if to abandon my coldness.
After the Allied forces occupied the Empire of Rising Sun, as part of the trophy that was divided, the EU naturally inherited most of the research results of the Shiro Psychic Research. The Freya Project is the psychic research project of the European Union base on Shiro Psychic Research data. Of course, after the Free Revolution, this project was undertaken by the Commune. In theory, this plan is carried out under extremely high levels of confidentiality, but since she is a special individual with invincible mental ability, it is not surprising that she knows all this.
"What is your goal?" I asked hesitantly.
She still smiled confidently and said: "Well, what I want is to completely eradicate the power of COS and the tyranny it represents from every inch of land of this world. And it will start from Japan."
After hearing her words, I could say nothing.
I can't even make any comment on her far-reaching goal. Now, her words only bring me shock and confusion. Although, at first glance, this is just a slang word of a cynical youth, it is not entirely impossible to destroy the bureaucracy of COS, which is composed of layers of factions and complicated personnel, with the power of mind control. Because the COS executives are now caught in a fierce infighting centre of interest, as long as a little spark may ignite the entire COS.
However, I have no reason to involve in the conflict. Unlike the men in the student unions or trade unions, I am not an enthusiastic ideological believer, so I was not interested in the Japanese protest at all. It is better to say that the strikes of the days have even made me feel a little dissatisfied. Because of the strike, it is not possible to take public transportation to the embassy district.
Suddenly, there was a deafening buzzing sound above the vehicle. A cluster of tear gas bombs blasted directly above our car, and the snow-white tearing smoke completely covered the windshield, which made the scene in front of us blurred.
"You are hesitating - but you will not hesitate for too long, because you and I are essentially the same kind of person. And the idea of the Free Revolution has affected you in a subtle way. Soon, you will find that there is a desire from your very deep heart that prompts you to make a choice."
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COS: K-23 "Mighty Dragon" Orbit Transport Vehicle
With the rapid economic development in past decades, COS has mastered mature space and aviation technology. In public, "Mighty Dragon" Orbit Transport Vehicle (OTV), which is originally a kind of experimental space shuttle that was expected to take Premier Cherdenko to the moon, is viewed as the symbol of COS technology progress. Commonwealth Aeronautics and Space Administration (CASA) redeveloped the original shuttle and proposed a smaller version for military service. After decades of tireless efforts, a new type of OTV is finally at COS Airforce service.
After Premier Romanov coming into power, although the nosedive of economy has seriously damaged the country, he still insisted that only by maintaining sufficient investment in space forces can COS compete with Commune "overwhelming" space fleets, while Alliance Of Commune announced that they have not planned to weaponize any spacecrafts in the Harvester Fleet. Hence, Mighty Dragon is always used to transport high-ranking officials to "Valour" Space Station to hold the quarter summit. Meanwhile, numerous OTVs are cruising in low-earth Orbit, taking countless devastating bombs. It is said that COS would "punish" those unrest area by orbital bombardment, and no official speakers have ever denied this rumour. Hoverer, it is confirmed that some commandos are authorized to deploy Mighty Dragon in the battlefield, and these vehicles are currently used in paratrooper transport and Field Firepower Support.
COS: LP-59 Howitzer
Despite V4 Rocket Launcher played a critical role in last World War, it is still too expensive for COS to maintain a massive rocket artillery troop. Therefore, COS Army is now equipped with a kind of cheaper and simpler self-propelled howitzer that is easy to maintain to replace original V4 Rocket Launcher. Then, LP-59 Howitzer is born with both contradiction and expectation - the high-ranking Military officials assured that the Howitzer can perfectly undertake current military mission at a lower cost, while plenty of field commanders worried that the shorter range and warhead with lower gunpowder of artilleries would not provide frontier forces sufficient fire support. As a result of argument, the military high command decided to totally retire V4 Rocket Launcher from current Army arsenal. In return, field commanders can deploy the Howitzer in a lower authorization level.
Recently, the escalating infighting between COS high-ranking officials' factions make an increasing number of COS ground troops are sent to unrest cities to quell protest. Thus the vast majority of the Howitzer battalions are armed with Cluster Tear Gas Bomb that is used to disperse the protesting crowd.
