by Max Barry

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DispatchAccountMilitary

by Mzeusia. . 56 reads.

RP series: Love Between Borders

Here's a link to the Mzeusian RP Library which has every RP dispatch.

Here's a link to The Dispatch Writing Guide to help you write a good dispatch.

OOC: This is a fourteen-part RP series written by me and my puppet (so also me) Thoonia. Some of the posts contain violence which can be disturbing. Please take this into account when deciding if you want to read this. I was inspired to write this by the song LinkNikita by Elton John.

Mzeusia wrote:
One wouldn't think an invasion force could easily cross over the border at Kelespont. The Thoonians didn't think so, and neither did the Mzeusians. Nevertheless, troops were still stationed there, the Mzeusian outpost nestled in at the base of the mountain, and the Thoonian outpost only a few short metres away.

Out here in the middle of nowhere, Kelespont was used as a place to send unruly guards in hopes that the harsh climate might be able to mellow them. Due to both sides doing this, the average border-guard here tended to be unruly, impulsive and easily provoked. As one might imagine, the bitter hostility that existed between the two nations did not make things easier.

The Mzeusian flatbed truck containing Arinadia Kinephon and a few other guards made its way through the forest, following the thin winding path to the outpost. The guards had been talking throughout the journey, exchanging their stories and how it was that they became assigned to this middle-of-nowhere posting. From where they were now, you wouldn't know that about a mile to the south, the oppressive Thoonian land began. If one removed all the border security, you would just see near unbroken nature and not have a clue how little one group of people thought about the other.

As they drove, they pushed gently into the mountains. From here it was a short drive up to the checkpoint and once they were inside the compound, they would be issued orders.

A few minutes later, the red lift-able road gate came into view, and a man with a small moustache was sitting inside a little cubicle off to the side. As the truck stopped, he smiled, putting his mouth to the microphone. "Lovely day. These the new border guards?" the man said, looking at the men and woman on the flatbed.

"Nah," one of them called out. "We're the travelling circus."

"Shut it soldier!" the driver barked, before turning to the man with the moustache. "Yeah, these are the guys."

"Right then." he replied before looking sternly at the soldiers. "You know why you're here. To sit and stew away from anyone of importance. You get the full talking to later on, but if there's any cheek out of you, we'll make you regret it."

With that, the barrier lifted and the truck drove on. The squat concrete buildings looked less than inviting.

Thoonia wrote:
Mikhail Dubronov looked out into the cold night, watching the Mzeusian outpost. He shivered, rubbing his gloves together. They did nothing to keep out the cold and there was a joke among the men that the winter uniforms had been supplied by Mzeusian agents, just to keep them cold.

Faint shouting could be heard over on the Mzeusian side. A new batch of border guards had been sent over there and they were being drilled. The truth was that no invasion-force would make it through here. Each side could overwhelm the border-guards without breaking a sweat, but it was miles to any important settlement on the Thoonian side. Mikhail expected the same about the Mzeusian side. He looked across the solitary fence and could only see the vast, beautiful Mzeusian nature.

Mikhail watched as his breath curled from his mouth and rose upwards, dissipating into the night. He sighed, lamenting his choices. If only he had learned his place before he made a mistake. He was however by nature, an optimistic man. Maybe in this place devoid of humanity, there might be something to be gleaned. One of the small cruelties inflicted on guards here, was not being told when they would be allowed back into civilisation.

Boots clinked on steel rungs as someone made their way up to the tower. "Good evening." a man said. Dennis nudged him, handing him a steaming cup of soup. "Get that down you," he said, shivering against the freezing temperatures. "You coping?"

Mikhail smiled thinly. "Something close to that." He took a sip of the soup. "Thanks Dennis." The border guards had developed into a close community, looking out for one another. The close proximity and the shared punishment bred a strong camaraderie.

"You ever think of the Mzeusian border guards?" Dennis said, staring at the light coming from the enemy outpost.

"All the time." Mikhail nodded, taking another sip.

"You think we'll ever make peace?"

"If the Supreme Leader doesn't do it, I will." Mikhail chuckled, with just the faintest hint of humour.

Dennis laughed and clapped him on the back. "I'll get myself a Mzeusian wife one day. Some Mzeusian tea to go with it."

The two men smiled, grateful for the other one's company. It would be a long night.

Mzeusia wrote:
Arinadia stared out at the Thoonian watchtower. She had watched one man come up to the first, giving him a cup of something. The room she was in was sparse. A chair and a table were all that were in it. She had brought the chair up to the window now, using the binoculars to spy quite far into the Thoonian compound.

The door opened. Arinadia looked up, and then at the clock. Her shift was over. "Anything interesting happening?" the man said.

"No, nothing." she replied, standing up and pointing out of the window at the two Thoonians. "The one on the right has been watching us for quite some time. The one on the left has just come up."

"Charlie and Wilson are back are they?" the man said chuckling, raising binoculars to his face to confirm it.

The Mzeusians who had been here long enough had learned to recognise their Thoonian counterparts, giving them all names. This was discouraged by the high-ups as it was seen as humanising the enemy.

"One of them has brought his binoculars with him." Arinadia said. "He's been looking over quite often."

"That's probably Charlie. Wilson got his binoculars confiscated yesterday," the man grinned. "Give 'em a wave, did you?"

Arinadia had heard about Wilson's binoculars at lunch. A commanding officer had come up to the watchtower, said a few words and taken the binoculars. The border guards had joked about floating another pair over to him with a balloon.

"See you Nigel," Arinadia smiled, walking out. She shut the door behind her, whistling a tune and taking the winding steps downwards. She had a half-hour break before dinner. As she made her way up to the fence, in the distance a bird took off from a tree. She watched it go before leaning against the fence, gloved hands gripping the metal. When she had arrived, the weather had been pleasant enough. Nowadays, the cold bit into every bit of exposed skin.

The fence was topped with barbed wire. Past that, fifty metres of ground, now covered in snow separated her from Thoonia. The Thoonian border fence almost identical to the Mzeusian one, and the guards joked that they had both gone shopping at the same border-security shop.

As Arinadia looked along the length of the Thoonian border, she looked up to the watchtower. Taking her binoculars, she could see Wilson up there, looking quite forlorn. Charlie had gone. A sense of being watched unnerved her and she lowered the binoculars. A man was watching her on the Thoonian side. He stood directly ahead of her, pressing his own binoculars to his eyes. She copied the man's action and he lowered them. She did the same.

Charlie waved. Arinadia looked around her. There was nobody here. She waved back. The two of them stood there, just looking. After a minute or two, the Thoonian walked away, giving Arinadia another wave as he did so.

The Mzeusian stood there for a while more, confused. Thoonia was Mzeusia's sworn enemy and yet she had bridged that feeling of distrust and hatred for a moment. When she read the news, taking in all the things Thoonia was doing, it was easy to despise the country. This was different, however. On the edge of the border, faced with no bigger threat than a few frozen Thoonian soldiers, it was a lot harder to see them as the enemy, and a lot easier to sympathise with them.

Arinadia turned away from the fence, trudging across the concrete.

Thoonia wrote:
Mikhail trudged slowly through the snow, trying not to think of the Mzeusian he had seen. She hadn't looked like he had come to expect, more human than the monster he had been warned about.

He cast a glance over his shoulder. She had moved on now. Mikhail made his way into the barracks, nodding as another guard walked past. He tried not to think of the woman he had seen. She was a Mzeusian, and that made her any enemy, above all else. He shook his head, pushing the door to the barracks open, and stepping inside the mild warmth.

As he moved through the building, a man clapped him on the back. "Those Mzeusian's causing you any trouble?"

"No," Mikhail mumbled, slinging himself onto his bed and closing his eyes. The bitter chill and and boredom of the job easily made a man's mind go numb, but other times, he couldn't go numb, and then he collapsed. Mikhail shivered as he lay on his back, staring at a mark on the ceiling.

"You being a wimp soldier? You being a Mzeusian girl?" a harsh voice asked. Mikhail recognised the voice and leapt from his bed. He stood facing the man and saluted.

"No sir" he said, voice loud and clear. The other soldiers had also stood to attention. The man who had walked in was the commanding officer, Gordinski, and he was well known for his aggressiveness and unforgiving nature. Word had it that he had fallen from favour. He had made a few too many mistakes and the Thoonian military generals had seen fit to have him look over troops in this little piece of nowhere.

"Get your little Mzeusian arse back out there sonny. You're a disgrace to this great nation!" he shouted, staring at Mikhail with a boiling fury. The guard posts were fully manned, as they always were, but Mikhail couldn't argue. "For your laziness, you'll be staying out there for twenty-four hours you maggot!" the man raged. "Don't you dare come inside until you're called. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." He saluted once more, marching swiftly out of the room, hearing the angry voice of Gordinski yell at the other soldiers, no doubt warning about following Mikhail's example.

Mikhail made his way to the watchtower, greeting the guards already there. When they asked him why he had come, he shrugged, not bothering to answer. They knew not to question him.

As Mikhail looked out into Mzeusia, he grimaced. He hoped it wouldn't be long before he would be sent home, but he knew that freedom from this place was nothing more than a fantasy as far as he was concerned. To escape, he would have to prove himself, have to do something heroic in some way. With the Mzeusians doing nothing, there was nothing for him to fight against, and thus, no chance for any heroism to occur. A mug of cold soup got pushed his way. he shook his head, turning away.

Mzeusia wrote:
Arinadia smiled as the sock puppets held hands. They faced the audience and bowed, receiving a great applause from the Mzeusian guards. Arinadia clapped along with them, chuckling at the small pleasures they were given. It was tradition that every month, for two nights, a new pair of guards would put on a sock puppet show. They had to use the same props and the same characters, but other than that, they were free to make up their own stories. Johnson and Keith were the two guards who had just done their performance. They were by far the most ambitious when it came to things like this, creating the on-going adventures of Jenny and Jimmy, the two socks. Whenever it was their turn to perform a piece, they would tell another tale in the saga of Jenny and Jimmy, and together, their numerous puppet-shows had created what the guards considered to be the greatest story ever told.

There were of course, guards who did not get to watch the puppet shows on one night, and had to watch it on the other, and one such guard had just finished his shift. He came in to the applause and sat down on a bench, clapping the two men as they packed away the puppet show.

"Anything interesting in Crazyland?" one of them asked.

The man smirked. "It looks like Charlie's been a naughty boy. He's been standing there a very long time, and the others are being quite nice to him. My guess is that he's been punished."

As she heard this, Arinadia froze. "How long has he been out there?"

"About eight hours, and not showing any sign of moving." the man replied. "He must have done something quite naughty if you ask me."

As the guards began speculating about what he could have done, Arinadia thought back the moment they had shared by each other's respective fences. Perhaps someone had seen them? She got up, moving quickly across the room, shoving the door open. The night was freezing and Arinadia wasn't prepared for it. It was a short walk to the observation room however, and she dashed towards the staircase, rapidly climbing the rough stone stairs.

She pushed open the door, striding inside and looking out at the Thoonian watchtower. The Mzeusian in the room looked up. "What's the matter?"

"Have you just got here?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice calm.

"Yeah, this is the beginning of my shift. Why, do you want to take over?" he said.

The guards were only allowed to go against the rota when one of them had something that meant they wouldn't be as good at watching the Thoonians. Arinadia grabbed the binoculars, scanning the faces in the watchtower. As she focused in on them, she saw him. Charlie was huddled with two other Thoonians, looking miserable.

"Charlie, Mel, and Jordan are on watch. Why?" the guard said, taking the binoculars from her and looking out. "The Thoonians have noticed you coming in. They look agitated," the man muttered, annoyed. "It doesn't look like they've done much yet, so don't make it look like we are doing anything stupid. We can't be causing a war."

Arinadia placed both hands against the windowsill, and she stared at Charile, out in the darkness, face illuminated only by the harsh white light that was hanging in the watchtower. "Can I join you?" she asked the man.

"Sure, I guess," he said. "Just bring up another chair."

Thoonia wrote:
"If I move, I'll be shot," Mikhail yelled, angrily shoving the other man. "I'm not allowed away from here for another twenty-four hours, so I'm afraid you're going to have to file a complaint with the Big Man if you want me to move."

The other guards in the tower hushed him, looking to the barracks warily. One of them growled at Mikhail. "Yeah, well if Big Man decides he wants to investigate all your shouting, we're not going to protect you."

Mikhail rolled his eyes, tugging his coat closer around him. "Fools," he muttered, staring at the Mzeusian observation room where the woman had entered. It was the same woman who had waved at him earlier, and he clenched his fist. He had been trying not to think about her, and her actions weren't in line with the schedule they had figured out. The disturbance had caused upset in the watchtower, but they watched as the woman disappeared, returning again with a chair.

"What is she doing?" one of the Thoonians said. "Should we inform the officer?"

Mikhail snorted. "What's the matter, never seen a Mzeusian woman before?"

"I've been here longer than you, punk. You'd better watch yourself," the man retorted.

Mikhail folded his arms, shaking his head. His feet had been hurting for quite a while, but he still had the majority of his sentence to go, and he doubted his legs would last that long. He heard the chatter of some Thoonian soldiers as they strolled under the watchtower. They came into sight, making their way around the borders of the compound. Mikhail looked away, gritting his teeth. He clasped his hands together and blew on them, but his breath was not doing anything.

"Do you think the Mzeusians are stepping up the watch?" the guard next to him asked.

"Why would they?" he replied. "It's not like they have anything new to watch. Nothing has changed over here, just like normal."

"Maybe they are preparing for an attack?" the man said, shrugging.

"Yeah, with one more guard. I'm sure she'll make all the difference," Mikhail shot back. "When you start thinking like that, you know it's time to calm down."

The other guards on the watchtower grumbled. "We are in a Cold War with the idiots, and you want us to calm down?" one said, sighing. They continued this way, until a bitter silence fell across the group. Eventually, they began to walk away in pairs, having finished their shifts. Despite their arguments, they patted Mikhail on the back, telling him they'll bring him something warm when they could. Mikhail smiled. Whatever conflict they had, they would always look after one another.

When Mikhail was left alone, the woman got up walked away. In the binoculars, he saw the other Mzeusian give him a thumbs up. Ten minutes later, he heard something coming from the Mzeusian side. The sound rose in volume, and Mikhail could begin to make out Thoonian words.

"Oh Charlie, we love you," they sang. "Charlie, you may be cold but think of us." Mikhail frowned, unsure what was going on. As he looked, the door to the officer's quarter opened, and the officer strode out onto the ground, glaring over at the Mzeusian side. The singing continued, slow and melodic.

"Don't you worry little Charlie, we have got your back. It's not the time to fret, don't give in, don't crack.
Things may be tough, things may be hard. Things are quite rough, because you are a guard.
But we Mzeusians are here, don't worry dear, we’ll be thinking of you, because you're part of our crew."

Mikhail managed to smile. The officer stared in disbelief at the singing, and spat on the ground, turning sharply on his heel and storming back into his office.

In the observation room, Mikhail saw the Mzeusian guards walking in. They grinned at him as he looked with his binoculars. As one, the blew him each a kiss, took a bow, and walked out.

Mikhail chuckled, waving to them as they went. They seemed to appreciate his gesture.

The woman he had seen earlier lingered for a while, smiling at him sweetly. He smiled back, grateful for the show of support. The woman pressed a slip of paper to the glass. On it, she had written something in Thoonian. "Hang in there Charlie."

Mikhail grinned and saluted her. She returned it before sitting down and pressing another piece of paper to the glass. "Mind if I join you?

Mzeusia wrote:
When her shift ended, she waved to the Thoonian, and left the observation room. Arinadia walked quickly to the barracks. A few guards were clustered around a bed, talking quietly.

"How is he?" one of them asked, looking up.

"Holding on I think," Arinadia replied, sitting on a bed. "What are you up to?"

"We figured we could give him and the others a little bit of a pick-me-up. A song would be quite nice."

Arinadia smiled. "Good idea. What have you decided on?"

"Sweet Soldier," he said, grinning. "We think it'll be appropriate." Sweet Soldier was a Mzeusian song about a soldier returning home through the wild, snowy Mzeusian wilderness. "The big boys may not appreciate the humour, but so what. They all know why we are here, so they should except it."

The night was only getting colder as it wore on. Arinadia joined the rest of the soldiers at the canteen. They shared jokes and laughed at the best and worst ones. The food was awful, but they took delight in eating it with an exaggerated enthusiasm. "Got to bulk up for that game next week." one of them cried, tucking into some mushy peas.

When they had finished, the soldiers who were in on the plan, gathered around one table, made sure they all knew what to do, and marched out together into the darkness. They gathered next to the fence, in sight of the watchtower in which Mikhail was stood. One of the soldiers stepped forward. "We dedicate this song to our frozen snowman, Charlie. He's the true soldier here. Keep going." He then turned to his friends and waved two sticks around, as if conducting them.

Despite the humorous element, they sung a delicate harmony which laced through the air and stirred awake the men and women in the Thoonian barracks. The Thoonians came out, onto the snow, and perched on crates or tree trunks, listening to their sworn enemies. Arinadia was there with the Mzeusians, singing along. As the song progressed, the other voices died down for a moment, as she sang solo. This part was meant to be sung by the wife of the returning soldier, who is pining for his return as he trudges through the snow. Her words were clear, and full of emotion, moving everybody there.

She clutched the cold metal fence, and pressed her face up against it, staring in the direction of the watchtower. She could see the figure of Mikhail by the white light of the watchtower. She thought he could see him smile when she looked his way. She smiled back.

The Thoonian officer came quickly out of his room, marching onto the snow and shouting at the Thoonians. They scrambled backwards into their barracks, but the angry man could do nothing about the unwanted singers he had suddenly found on his doorstep. He snarled at them and went back inside. The Mzeusians chuckled as they sang louder, confident that the sound was reaching the Thoonian barracks.

Eventually, the song ended. There was of course no applause, but the Mzeusians bowed to the only Thoonian watching, Mikhail. Arinadia raised her hand in farewell. "Have a good night Charlie," she called out, moving away with the rest of the Mzeusian guards.

The guards didn't get very far. A row of the Mzeusian officers stood there, arms crossed. One of them took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have joined the border force if you wanted to be in the bloody choir," he said, ushering them to bed. The Mzeusians did so without argument. If the officers had truly been angry, they would have broken up the singing as soon as it started, and to then go and make a joke about it, showed that they were being lenient.

Arinadia frowned, thinking of Mikhail alone in the night. At least she had done what she could.

Thoonia wrote:
Night had turned into day. he had seen the morning sun rise and still he stood there, fighting against the cold that numbed him all over. The sun splashed the sky with warm oranges and reds, illuminating the great swathes of nature all around. In the Mzeusian observation room, the woman went after a while, being replaced by another Mzeusian, and then another, and then another. They smiled at Mikhail and even managed to play some noughts and crosses with him, as he looked through the binoculars to the board they had scribbled down.

As he stood there, his twenty-four hour punishment wilted away, but by the end of it, he was shivering uncontrollably. The temperature had taken its toll on the man, and as a Thoonian guard climbed the ladder, he could barely turn to see what who it was.

Dennis approached, gripping Mikhail's shoulders and leading him away from his post. Mikhail clung to him as they walked across the watchtower floor and shook his head when they came to the ladder. "Come on Mikhail, We'll get you something warm, and you can lie down."

Mikhail looked at the man, face blank. Dennis sighed. "Look, the officer was out of line, we all know that. Hell, even the Mzeusian's have been rooting for you, you know that too." Dennis lowered his voice. "Me and a few of the boys have been planning to do something not strictly allowed. The officer can't exactly punish all of us." He led Mikhail off of the ladder, and to the barracks.

As Mikhail was taken through the doors, a dozen guards were there to greet, clapping him on the back and whispering congratulations to him. One of them placed a hot water bottle wrapped in a spare uniform in his bed, and another gave him their blanket as he lay down. He smiled weakly, thanking them in a nod, before closing his eyes.

That night, spurred on by the frail, shivering form of their comrade, and the Mzeusian border guard's singing, the guards, unbeknownst to Mikhail, left the barracks and stood shoulder to shoulder along the fence. When they were all lined up, facing the Mzeusians, they started to sing. They sang of gratitude and of friendship. They sang of joyful summer and of better days. They sang of love, and of pain and all through it, they sang together. One Thoonian soldier used to be in the local opera, and he led the group, sending out his beautiful voice into the night.

From his barracks, Mikhail was awoken by the noise. The words drifted into the room, and he smiled. He sat up slightly in bed, listening to the voices of his friends. The officer would soon be roused, and would deal severely with the men and women, but he didn't care, and neither did they.

Mzeusia wrote:
It was days until Arinadia saw Mikhail again. The Thoonian in charge over there had cracked down on singing, and so had the Mzeusian officers. The atmosphere was apparently not the proper atmosphere. That was complete garbage of course, but what was she to do? As she was resting in the barracks, a soldier rushed in.

"Charlie is back. His name is Mikhail." he said.

The barracks took a moment to process this, before breaking into cheers. They whopped, embracing the soldier.

"How do you know his name?" one of them asked, grinning.

"He wrote it on a piece of paper," the man replied.

"Mikhail," Arinadia said, It was a nice name, and she repeated it again, making it fit with the man she had seen so many times.

It was night when she was on watch again. As she looked out, she saw two figures traipsing across the snow, the ground in front of them illuminated by the torches they carried. She smiled as Mikhail came up the ladder, accompanied by another Thoonian guard, Wilson, who wasn't Wilson. As she waved at them, her face fell. Mikhail had a purple bruise across his eye, and Wilson had his arm slung around Mikhail's shoulder. Mikhail must have been beaten by whoever was in charge over there. Arinadia looked out at the distance between the two fences. It didn't seem that long, but it might as well have been an impossible distance for all the activity that went across it.

During the time that Mikhail had been incapacitated, she had been thinking about him being taken helplessly away by Wilson. That image played over and over in her mind, and now that she saw him looking still bedraggled and beaten, anger replaced her worry.

Mikhail had become something of a celebrity on the Mzeusian side of the border. He was the man who had had to suffer through an entire twenty-four hours of brutal temperatures that could have killed him. Whichever Mzeusian had been on watch, he had still been there, shivering but standing guard. He hadn't done it by choice but it was an impressive feat even so, and the fact that he had seen his punishment to completion was even better.

As Arinadia continued to watch, her anger grew. Because it was night, there was slightly less activity than during the day. She would have liked the peace, but it was spoiled by the feeling of helplessness. She would only be able to watch as Mikhail would continue to struggle through. Of course, this job was rough for everyone involved, but it seemed as though someone on the Thoonian side had it in for Mikhail.

Mikhail seemed defeated. Not as bad as he had been, but his posture was worse, and he didn't smile as much. He didn't want to play noughts and crosses either. At least he had the Thoonian guards, who clearly had some love for him. Arinadia had to console herself with the knowledge that she couldn't do much more, and there were people on his side who could look after him.

A few hours later, the door opened. It was the end of her shift. She gave a sad wave to Mikhail. He managed a small smile and waved back, limply.

Thoonia wrote:
The luke-warm porridge slid down his throat, and he dipped his spoon in for another mouthful. He movements were slow and his mind sluggish. The bruise on his eye on looked worse, and the tender flesh was even more susceptible to the cold than the rest of him. He was of course grateful for all the support that he had been given, but with the officer threatening increasingly long shifts, and the weather warming only marginally, nobody wanted to defy him.

What made things worse, was the circulation of a rumour. Apparently, the officer had gotten cranky enough to call an inspection. Inspections were more common along the more populous stretches of the border, but out here there was very little to inspect. The senior Thoonians would arrive annoyed at having been dragged out to what was probably the remotest part of the border, and they would be looking for someone to take their anger out on.

The inspectors would get here in two days, and the officer already here was stepping up the pressure. Uniforms had to be spotless and the drills were to be done without flaw. Perhaps the only good thing was the condition of the meals. When they were here, the inspectors would get better meals, and would eat separately from the border guards, but there was a chance that they could taste the border guard's food. If all went well, the officer would get a few rewards to distribute among the group, although there was very little chance of anyone but him actually benefiting.

The main fear,was not the way in which they presented themselves, but how the Mzeusians behaved. If there was any unusual activity over on their side, this spot was likely to be noted as needing more of a military presence. Getting through the inspection would be as much up to the Mzeusians as up to the Thoonians.

The atmosphere ahead of the inspection, had been one of misery, mixed in with the new-found efficiency with which the men and women went about their day. If a soldier showed themselves to rise above what was expected, they might be released, and for most of the men, that was an exciting prospect, and the apprehension was showing.

The change in mood was also evident on the Mzeusian side. They must have seen the increased Thoonian activity and become anxious. As Mikhail climbed the watchtower, he looked out at the Mzeusian side. Not only were they in the observation room, but makeshift huts had been built along the fence, which no-doubt housed some more guards. Those guards could see straight into the Thoonian side, given the lack of vegetation beyond ankle height plants. In two days time, the inspection team might very well freak the Mzeusians. It had been years since there had been an increased military presence, and if taken the wrong way, the inspection would raise tensions.

As for the woman, who had said her name was Arinadia last time they had been on overlapping shifts, he had not seen too much of her. With the more stringent checks and other duties to perform, that they had gotten away with not doing up to now, the two of them rarely had a moment to see each other, and the fraternisation which they had enjoyed before could certainly not go on. If Mikhail was caught he would be reported to the inspection team as soon as they arrived.

Mikhail sighed, bracing himself against the gentle icy wind. The frost on the ground between the two nations almost concealed all signs of life down there. As he looked to the Mzeusian observation room, he saw a Mzeusian guard staring out. He sipped a mug of something. Mikhail grimaced. He didn't even have a cold drink, let alone a hot one.

Mzeusia wrote:
"Listen up boys and girls" the Mzeusian shouted, striding into the canteen. "As you may have figured out by now, the Thoonians are gearing up for something. They have been getting more equipment, both military and non-military, they have been disciplined more firmly and their shifts on watch have been switched to and fro like they have no idea how many hours they want to stand out there." The general pounded his fist into his palm. "We must respond appropriately, to ensure that we maintain Mzeusian safety. We are unsure how long these Thoonian tricks will continue, but we have requested back-up, and the shifts will be shorter, so you don't get all bored. Any questions?"

There was silence in the canteen, until Arinadia raised her hand.

"Yes Kinephon? the man said.

"How much back-up are we talking about?"

"Not much. We don't want to spook the Thoonians into action when that may not be their plan, but enough so that if the enemy does decide to have a crack at us, we can inform the Telumas, and the nearest army division can have time to receive and carry out any orders they are given." The general looked at the rest of the guards. "Anything else?"

A few mumbles of "No," came back, and the man nodded before marching outside.

The day was tense, and every activity on the Thoonian side was monitored. The Mzeusians were understandably nervous, and as Arinadia sat in one of the makeshift huts that had been built along the fence, she wondered where this would all end. If either side interpreted the other's moves as aggressive, a conflict might very well break out. If she came face-to-face with Mikhail during a fight, she wasn't sure she could shoot him. She just hoped he wouldn't shoot her, but she wasn't sure.

The day went by without incident, although the atmosphere was sombre on both sides. Arinadia got a few glimpses of Mikhail, but the Thoonians were too busy preparing for whatever they had planned for them to do much. It was during her night shift, when she and the other Mzeusian were n the observation room, that something happened.

From the observation room, they could only see part-way into the Thoonian compound, and because of this, they didn't spot the car before it was already inside. The headlights heralded the arrival of the car, and as it rounded the corner, Arinadia put binoculars to her eyes. From the bear paw on the license plate, the car was from the Thoonian government. When it came to a stop, she focused in on the passengers. There were four men in the car, a driver, a Brigadier, and two ordinary Thoonian soldiers. The brigadier meant business.

Arinadia watched as the Thoonian officer who ran the place come out of his hut. He greeted the men. It was clear that he was greeting a superior from the way he spoke last but extended his hand for a handshake first. The brigadier nodded at something, glanced over at Mzeusia, and accompanied the other Thoonian into the hut.

Reaching over to the table behind her, Arinadia picked up the phone and rang the Mzeusian general. "Hello sir, it's Arinadia. A Thoonian brigadier and two Thoonian soldiers have arrived." She watched as the car was driven away and around the corner.

"Good to know," the man growled through the phone.

"Should we be worried?"

"I don't think so soldier. If they haven't brought anymore supplies, they probably aren't getting ready for an attack. Remain as vigilant as you have been, but there is no need to get even more worked up."

"Thank you, sir. Goodnight."

"Goodnight soldier. Keep me posted if anything else happens," he said, before hanging up the phone.

Arinadia sighed, staring at the tracks in the snow the car had left.

Thoonia wrote:

It was the first night of the inspection, and Mikhail lay in bed, staring up at the slats of the bed above him. He looked to his left and saw another guard fast asleep. The inspection had begun at morning and gone on all day. The inspectors would be here for another three days, watching how well the men and women ran the compound. Uniforms had been spotless, shifts strictly regulated and salutes sharp. Mikhail was pleased of course, but there was something bothering him, like an itch that wouldn't go away. if he ignored it, it would drive him mad, and if he scratched it too hard, he would bleed.

He thought about Arinadia, and her life in Mzeusia. Things seemed better in Mzeusia. The cars he saw occasionally arriving and leaving were more modern, the guards seemed more upbeat and food supplies came in more frequently. Mzeusia was portrayed, in Thoonian propaganda, as an economic basketcase, with people more akin to monsters, but as Mikhail thought about what he had seen he began to question whether that really was the case. The singing had sounded human enough, and from what little he had seen, Mzeusia didn't seem that backwards. Certainly, his feelings for Arinadia were human, and so was she. He didn't want to call it love quite yet, but if it wasn't love, what was it? He didn't know.

Suddenly, a desire came over him. Without giving him self time to think, he placed his feet on the floor, put on his boots, looked around the barracks and walked to the door, opening and closing it without a sound. He moved swiftly across the thin layer of snow, walked up to the fence and peered over to the Mzeusian side. Arinadia would be asleep not too far away, but there was no way he could get to her. As he looked, he failed to see the man hiding behind the pile of logs, and he walked back to the barracks none the wiser.

When morning came he paid the price for his wanderings. The barrack was filled with the clang of metal against metal as a soldier banged a rod against a bunk bed. "Rise and shine," he yelled. "You don't need beauty sleep to fight Mzeusians."

The barracks responded swiftly, men and women jumping out of bed and standing to attention. When the brigadier entered, they all saluted. He nodded, "At ease," he said, and the soldiers dropped their salutes.

"Dubronov, please step forward." His voice was calm enough, but as Mikhail obeyed, he knew something was wrong.

"Yes sir!"

"I have it on good authority, that last night, you had seen fit to go for a walk. We have also found footprints leading from here to the fence, and then back again. Were those footprints yours?"

The brigadier wouldn't be accusing him of this unless he could prove it. As he looked, the officer had also come into the room. He glared at Mikhail, probably for making him look incapable of discipline.

"Yes sir!"

"What possible reason did you have to do this?" the man said, raising an eyebrow. "Especially when you are not meant to be leaving the barracks unless it is your shift, which it was not."

"No reason sir," Mikhail replied, knowing that anything he came up with would only make things worse for him.

"Is it also true that you were punished for slacking and given a shift for twenty-four-hours?"

"Yes sir."

The man sighed, turning to the officer. "It seems that your methods of discipline have failed to work, so it's up to me to teach this man a lesson he won't forget so quickly." With that, he motioned for Mikhail to follow him, and marched out to the spot where Mikhail had stood last night. Mikhail followed him out, freezing when he took in what was happening. A soldier stood next to the fence, clutching a whip, and the Brigadier smiled sadistically. Mikhail gritted his teeth and made his way over.

"Take off your shirt and place both hands on the fence soldier," the man said. Mikhail did so, tossing his shirt into the snow and gripping the cold metal tightly. "If you want to look at the Mzeusian's, I'll let you."

The soldier passed the whip to the Brigadier. He turned around, calling out the soldiers to watch. "This," he said, gesturing at Mikhail, "Is what happens when you disobey the rules." He turned sharply and rose him arm, savouring Mikhail's shivering form before bringing the leather down hard.

As he was whipped, Mikhail's attention was drawn to the Mzeusian camp. Mzeusian soldiers from the makeshift huts, from the observation room, and from buildings not visible from where he was, streamed out and gathered on their side. As the blows landed, and the pain mounted, he saw a woman sprinting to the fence. He smiled as he saw Arinadia gripping the fence, a torrent of rage washing over her face.

For all his thirty lashes, the Mzeusians watched. Some had their hats off, and others had lowered their gaze. As the whip bit again and again into his skin, the sound of a lone voice began to move through the air. Arinadia had pressed herself against the fence and was singing a lilting song of courage and determination. Had he been Mzeusian, he would have known it to be a song about a hero riding to his death against hordes of enemies. The hero knows it will be his last stand, but in making the greatest sacrifice, he would save his city and possibly delay the enemy enough to spare the country.

Mikhail had however, picked up a little Mzeusian during his life, and even when he didn't understand it, the music itself was heart-wrenching beautiful. As the smacking of the whip cracked through the air, the rest of the Mzeusian sjoined in, created a song loud enough to drown out the sound of his punishment. Despite the agonising pain, Mikhail found himself smiling, then laughing out loud. he could be punished now, but in that moment, he decided that he would escape into Mzeusia. he didn't know how, but he swore that he would make it.

Mzeusia wrote:
As Arinadia was on her shift, the Mzeusian reinforcements arrived. Three large APCs rolled into the compound, moving into the midst of the Mzeusian activity before coming to a stop. The twenty-one soldiers got out, one by one, with the most senior of them approaching the Mzeusian officer who had come to welcome them. As Arinadia watched, the Thoonians moved about like bees whose hive had been disturbed. They glanced nervously at the military vehicles and the soldiers, going about their business with a newfound fear. She watched as the inspector came out of a building to gape at the reinforcements.

The new Mzeusians traipsed off as they were shown around, taking their equipment with them. One of them looked toward the Thoonian compound. He glared, looking fearsome in his military attire as he stomped away. A few of the Thoonians gathered by the fence, watching the new Mzeusian soldiers go. To her delight, Arinadia spotted Mikhail among them and unlike the others, his expression was not one of fear, no, his face was completely blank, as though he had shut down his emotions.

At lunch that day, the general spoke to the troops. "Alright you rowdy lot, as you know, you've got some new play-mates. You also know that the Thoonians have been doing some interesting things, and if they decide to make an attack here, we will be better able to fend them off. With the reinforcements that some of you saw coming in earlier today, we reckon we should be able to see off any Thoonain attempt at taking this outpost. The Thoonians will of course be more jumpy than usual but just go about your business as normal and we should be fine. Now enjoy your tea."

With that, he walked out, leaving the soldiers to themselves. A tea-drinking game had already begun between the new arrivals and the others and another group were trading stories of their time in the military. As Arinadia moved to observe an arm-wrestling contest, she couldn't stop thinking about Mikhail's face, utterly blank in between the other soldiers.

Her next shift was at night, in the same hut she had been in before. It was situated next to the observation room. If an attack was planned for tonight, her position would be secure, as the soldiers stationed there could easily support her. Mikhail would not be on a shift, unless the shift timetable had been changed again. She wasn't looking forward to the night but she had to do her duty above all else. The knowledge that the compound was even more secure than before comforted her. The new arrivals were highly trained and would not be far away. Some of them were even on watch tonight. The general clearly had complete confidence in them.

It was a few hours until her shift, and she spent it in the barracks, chatting to the new soldiers. When her shift arrived, she made her way from the barracks and over to the hut. The latch was stiff as her gloved hand gripped it. It slid back with a shudder, and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Flicking on the harsh bright light, she began to watch the Thoonian compound. All seemed still, except the occasional person walking around. This was no guarantee that nothing was being planned so Arinadia remained vigilant.

As she sat there, she watched as a man came out of the barracks. He stood by the watchtower, cast a look up at it, and gazed out towards Mzeusia. Then, as he was looking back to the watchtower, he broke into sudden movement, gripping the nearest leg of the tower, climbing monkey-like up it, and leaping over the Thoonian border fence, propelling himself into the land between the two nations.

Thoonia wrote:

As Mikhail fell, he remembered the rest of his training, bending his knees and rolling to soften the blow of landing. Luckily, the untouched snow softened the fall somewhat, and his roll turned into a run in one fluid motion.
In the military academy, he had also been taught how to behave when in an interrogation. Using the same techniques, he had wiped all emotion from his face up until the very moment he had climbed the leg of the watchtower in order to jump the fence. Nobody has come near him for the whole day.

Unfortunately, the increased Mzeusian military presence, and the pressure to perform well for the inspectors, had made Thoonian security even tighter than it already had been. As Mikhail sprinted across the stretch of open ground, floodlights had already switched on behind him, bathing him in light. On both sides, alarms blared, and soldiers streamed out from their positions, weapons raised. In front of him, he saw Mzeusian soldiers pour from seemingly every direction, and he had no doubt that the Thoonians were doing them same behind him.

The lights of the torches on the guns sliced through the remaining gloom, hitting his face as he sprinted towards the Mzeusian side. Then, the sound of gunfire slammed into the air, rising above all the commotion of shouting. A vicious pain bloomed in Mikhail's shoulder, and the force of the bullet sent him to the ground. He was no more than a quarter of the way to the Mzeusian fence, and as he raised his head, he thought how naive he had been to believe that he could make it.

Instead of the voices fading, as he expected, they seemed to grow larger. It was hard to focus on them due to the bullet lodged in his shoulder. As he looked, he saw a figure running surprisingly quickly through the snow towards him. As she drew closer, he saw Arinadia's face, and smiled. She was looking panicked and desperate as she charged forward, fearless in the face of the Thoonian soldiers.

As the Thoonian brigadier watched the Mzeusian approach, he grabbed at the coat of the officer next to him. "I can't have a man escape on my watch. Can you imagine what I would become if I report this."

"Don't m-mention it then," the other man said, looking fearfully at his superior.

"This will be all over the Mzeusian newspaper you idiot!" the man hissed, casting him aside. "No, there is only one way to save this now." He snatched his pistol from his holster, steadying it as he aimed. The officer he had just spoken to leapt forward, grabbing the man's arm and jerking it backward just as the trigger was pulled. The shot rang out and went wide.

Upon hearing the pistol firing, the Mzeusian general gritted his teeth. "We can't have a Mzeusian dying out there. Get her back, now!" Upon the order, twenty Mzeusian border guards charged through the hole Arinadia had cut in the fence with her wire-cutter. Their guns were levelled at the Thoonians, and they moved swiftly and with purpose, despite the complete lack of cover.

On the Thoonian side, the Brigadier, whirled on the officer, back-handing him in one vicious movement. The Brigadier's two soldiers stepped up to detain the man, but he cried out, and the other Thoonian soldiers made a split-second decision. They turned their guns on the Brigadier and his men. As they barked out a command, the officer retreated to stand next to them. Outnumbered, the Brigadier and his men dropped their weapons into the snow. A few of the border guards moved to detain them, while the others turned to the officer. The man swallowed hard, and what he saw brought a tear to his eye. The Mzeusian who had reached Mikhail was cradling his head. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but the gentle Mzeusian brought a shadow of a smile to his face. "Don't shoot. Stand down," he said.

Mikhail looked up at Arinadia, bringing his good arm up to cup her face. "So, the binoculars weren't lying. You really are beautiful." He was growing paler, his hand shook and he had to drop his arm to the snow. "I'm sorry Arinadia, I don't think I'll be able to carry on. The twenty-four hour watch really took the fight out of me, and the whipping didn't help. It seems like this is the final blow." Mikahil grimaced, holding Arinadia's gaze as he fought to stay awake.

Arinadia shook her head. "No, Mikhail, you can hold on. You're so close to Mzeusia now. You can't die." Her touch was soft against Mikhail's skin, and a tear splashed against his cheek. Her voice was ragged as the she spoke. "I've watched you for weeks now, always through the binoculars, but now I'm finally here, you can't make it?"

"I'm sorry." Mikhail whispered into the wind. "Everything is okay. I never wanted to get to Mzeusia, I just wanted to get to you, and now you've come. Thank you."

Arinadia moved to pick the Thoonian soldier up, putting an arm under his knees. He placed a hand on her wrist. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. He smiled at her, squeezing her wrist in an ever weakening grip. "I won't forget you." He swallowed hard. "I love you Arinadia. Don't forget me."

With those words, his hand fell back and his last breath escaped him. His head lolled back, cheek touching the snow. He didn't feel the cold kiss of winter any longer. For what seemed to her as half an hour, Arinadia stared at his dead body, Mikhail's blood dirtying the snow with its vivid red.

As her breath curled from her mouth, she looked up towards the Thoonians soldiers, body shaking with grief and cold. In one move, she sprung to her feet, wrenched an assault rifle from the soldier nearest to her, and turned it on the Thoonian Brigadier.

The Thoonian soldiers reacted quickly, aiming their own guns, and letting forth a torrent of bullets. Unfortunately for the Brigadier, they were too late to save him. Arinadia's bullets slammed into the man, sending him falling to the ground and killing him before he hit it.

As Arinadia saw the man die, she too was struck, the impact flinging her to the snow beside Mikhail's body. As she lay there twicthing, only half listening to the shouting on both sides, she stretched out, grasping Mikhail's hand with her own. It was in this position that she uttered her last words. "I love you Mikhail." she said, a final tear falling to the ground. Then, just as the first flakes began to fall, she died, her hand still resting on the man she loved.

Mzeusia

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