Chapter Text
"Martial law, a double-edged sword in the hands of power, can either safeguard a nation's stability or sever its connection to liberty."
— Markus Volk, 1769
4:02 WT (Wilding Time), 4th of Memesa (2nd Month), 1995
Grand Parliament Chamber, House of Parliament, Loweheim District, Greater Wilding, Aialand, Neragon
It was complete chaos.
The Grand Parliament Chamber, usually a place of decorum and solemnity, had transformed into an ocean of disarray. Members of Parliament, normally reserved and composed, screamed at each other, voices of rage, fear, and confusion. Papers flew through the air like confetti, and some members were frantically trying to barricade themselves behind their desks.
"ORDER! ORDER!" shouted the Chairwoman, Katarina Horn. Yet none could hear her over the pandemonium that had gripped the Grand Parliament Chamber.
Prime Minister Sonnenfeld sat helplessly amidst the bedlam; his usually calm demeanour shaken to its core. He watched as the events of the last few hours unfolded before him, events that defied logic and reason.
First, the Ministry of Communication and Media reported the abrupt end of all international communication channels, rendering the government unable to receive or transmit messages to all nations except their overseas territories.
The Ministry of Defence soon followed that up with an alarming update: Veragon – a country across the Neragese Channel – just disappeared, simple as that, all replaced by a void of ocean where a country once stood.
And if that wasn't enough, Site Alpha reported that almost the entirety of their North Wing was destroyed in an experiment gone wrong. It was a miracle that nobody was fatally injured.
Then, word came from Weston and Neragese Plevapotamia, that their neighbours – Falkony, Chokaw; and Jukasa respectively – literally vanished. Weston City was particularly caught at an odd spot as it bordered Falkony to the south via a river, meaning that suddenly, onlookers found themselves viewing, not at the banks of the opposite country and the neighbouring city of Weston South, but at an expansive ocean instead.
Sonnenfeld supposed he managed to get a chuckle out of it as he was sent a photograph of one half of a bridge overhanging the newly formed ocean, an image that encapsulated the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"SILENCE!" A voice boomed from above the chaos, echoing through the chamber like a nuclear explosion.
Sonnenfeld was jolted out of his thoughts. The chaos gradually subsided, and members of Parliament turned their eyes toward the source of the voice.
At the front centre of the chamber, was the king of Neragon, Henry IV, and besides him was the director of Site Alpha, Evans Nott, who looked incredibly worse for wear, his suit was dishevelled and he wore a face that looked like he had not slept in days.
Mumbles of "Your Majesty" and "Herr Nott" rippled through the chamber as the members of Parliament settled into an uneasy hush. Their attention was wholly fixated on the two figures standing at the forefront.
King Henry IV, sat down on his ornate throne, something that made him look even grander and taller than ever before, despite the logic.
He was a man in his 60s, his silver hair already receding, but his eyes held the weight of a ruler facing unprecedented challenges.
Director Nott, despite his dishevelled appearance, stepped forward to address the stunned assembly, his posture straightening as he addressed the chamber.
"Ladies and gentlemen of this esteemed august body," Nott began, his voice seemed to reach across the chamber with an almost preternatural gravity. "I understand that what you have witnessed in the past hours defies comprehension. It is a sequence of events that we ourselves at VROEMG are struggling to fathom."
As Nott continued to speak, Prime Minister Sonnenfeld couldn't help but notice the bags under the director's eyes. It was clear that he had been at the forefront of dealing with the crisis since its inception.
"We too, have lost communication with all our sites," Nott continued. "From what we could glean, the disaster that was the Dunley Project have rippled out far beyond our understanding. It defies the very laws of physics and magic that we've come to know."
Ah, so the Site Alpha incident and our current circumstances are indeed connected, Prime Minister Sonnenfeld mused as he listened intently.
Nott continued, "In light of these... unprecedented events, his majesty" - he gestured towards the figure of Henry IV, who nodded gravely - "has deemed it necessary to request the immediate implementation of martial law."
A collective murmur swept through the chamber.
"And why should such extreme measures be taken?" a man with a stumpy goatee demanded from the top row.
Lord Thomas Gregorsen, Sonnenfeld noted. A conservative member of the Council of Lords who have always been an opposing force to many of his policies. The lord's scepticism was no surprise.
Herr Nott, however, didn't falter in his response. "Because, ladies and gentlemen, we have reasons to believe that it is not our neighbours that have vanished from the world, but ours."
Nobody spoke, so Nott continued. "Two hours ago, we received a report and a photograph of the planet from the Kistler moon base. But, instead of seeing our world, we were greeted with a bizarre sight. All around Neragon, were unfamiliar landmasses and oceans." Nott paused. "So, therefore, I believe it is safe to say, that we are no longer on the world we once knew."
Still, nobody spoke, but utter shock and disbelief seemed painted to the faces of every parliament member.
Lord Gregorsen bristled. "This is preposterous!" he declared, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Are you suggesting that we are in another dimension? A parallel universe? Such claims are the stuff of fairy tales!"
"I understand the incredulity, Lord Gregorsen." Nott replied. "But the evidence before us is undeniable. The geography of our world has changed beyond recognition."
With that, an image of the planet taken from the moon appeared on the screen at the front centre, above the king, which had been used to depict votes. But as Nott had said, it was completely alien.
Gregorsen did not retort, so Nott addressed the chamber once more. "Thus, I'll ask now, do we still believe that martial law is unwarranted in these extraordinary circumstances?"
An oppressive silence lingered. The idea of being displaced from their world, their home, was a concept too surreal to fully grasp it seems, Sonnenfeld thought as he observed the reactions of the Parliament members.
The Chairwoman, who Sonnenfeld genuinely forgot was there, (I really need to sleep, he thought) glanced around the chamber, and said. "If our world has truly been altered to this extent, then perhaps martial law is our best option for maintaining order. We shall call a vote."
"Seconded by Representative Callaway!" Declared a member from the front row, echoing the sentiment.
The motion to implement martial law quickly gained support from various quarters of the chamber.
Sonnenfeld knew if martial law was implemented, his actions would come under even greater scrutiny. As the vote was called and the Parliament members cast their ballots, Prime Minister Sonnenfeld couldn't help but wonder how they would adapt to survive in this unfamiliar landscape. After all, they had effectively lost all trade relations with neighbouring countries. Sonnenfeld shuddered to think of the state of the economy and the potential hardships the people of Neragon might face in the wake of these events.
The chairwoman banged her gavel, pulling Sonnenfeld out of his thoughts.
"The motion carries," she declared. "624 to 70, with 11 abstentions."
A roar of approval erupted in the chamber. Martial law has been implemented in Neragon for the first time in its history.
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371:31 ICT (International Cynthian [Moon] Time), 4th of Memesa, 1995
Kistler Base-Cynthian Research Station, Eisner D Crater, Thalassa Elpidas
----
Vincent Hester could say that his career as an astrophysicist had prepared him for many things, but nothing could have possibly prepared him for the events that had transpired that day.
Just 7 hours ago, he had been going about his usual routine. The lunar landscape outside the station's windows had been as desolate and unforgiving as ever, a striking disparity to the world he had left behind on Gentu (the earth).
Then suddenly, as soon as he blinked, an unnatural spectacle unfolded beyond the windows. The lunar research station's pristine, sterile grey interior was bathed in purple-green hues. It was the northern lights, a phenomenon utterly out of place on the desolate lunar surface.
The sudden appearance of aurora borealis on the moon had caused confusion and astonishment among the crew. Vincent Hester was no exception.
By that point, the "northern lights" had blocked out their view of the world.
Then, a few minutes later, folks at the other research station, the Jenssen Base had reported the same phenomenon!
Vincent Hester and his fellow researchers scrambled to record the new discovery, to capture every detail of the inexplicable event.
It was only after 5 hours, did the phenomenon stop, but once they looked at their home planet, they realised it was unrecognisable, its familiar features replaced by unknown continents and oceans.
One of his friends, Jens Simmons, immediately rushed off to try to contact Neragon. Thankfully, they managed to re-establish a shaky connection with the Neragese Space Administration.
After much confusion, apparently, the entirety of Neragon and its overseas territories had been transported into another world, something to do with an experiment related with portals.
He had captured a photo of the new planet and sent it to the Neragese Space Administration, who were as baffled as they were.
"Vincent?"
Someone had joined him in looking out of the window, and Vincent turned to see Jens standing beside him. A phone in his hand.
"Yeah?"
"The crooks in the Parliament've just declared martial law."
"Damn," Vincent muttered, his eyes returning to the new planet in the sky.
2:44 HMCT (Holy Milishial Central Time), 4th of February, 1639
Issa, Athamas Island, Tyro Isles, Holy Milishial Empire
The port town of Issa was one of the few remaining native settlements on the Tyro Isles, a volcanic archipelago which straddled the tectonics plates of the Central World and Philades. Situated on the north-eastern tip of the Athamas Island, it was a place where time seemed to move at a different pace, far removed from the noise polluted cities of the empire's mainland.
On this particular morning however, something strange had disrupted the normal flow of Issa. The townsfolk had gathered near the harbour.
"What in the world?" A young man muttered dumbfoundedly as he gazed at the moving lights in the black sky. He knew they were Northern Lights, but they had no business being so far south.
"When did this begin?" The young man asked a tall policeman, who stood next to him.
"5 hours ago," the policeman replied. "But it seems to be weakening with time."
No sooner did he say that, as if it was never there in the first place, the display of Northern Lights suddenly dimmed, and vanished from the sky. The townspeople of Issa stood in stunned silence.
But in the distance, the townsfolk could make out the silhouette of a large landmass that had not been there before the appearance of the northern lights.
The young man overheard the policeman mutter something before taking a step back and running towards the town centre.
Something was very wrong.
From the Wilding Journal (Der Wilding Angabun)
Neragon Implements Martial Law Amidst Unprecedented Displacement Crisis
By Herman Backer
9:32 AM, 4 Memesa 1995
WILDING — In a historic move that has left its citizens bewildered and its political landscape shaken to its core, the Kingdom of Neragon has implemented martial law in response to an unimaginable crisis - the displacement of the very world.
In the early hours of the morning, the Grand Parliament Chamber had erupted into chaos as members of Parliament grappled with the shocking disappearance of neighboring countries and the sudden transformation of their once-familiar geography.
Director Evans Nott, of the secretive Site Alpha, and founder of VROEMG, delivered a revelation that sent shockwaves throughout the assembly. Announcing "we are no longer on the world we once knew." Nott presented evidence from the Kistler moon base that showed an utterly transformed planet. What was once known as our world now appeared as uncharted, unfamiliar territory.
The decision to impose martial law was met with scepticism and hesitation from some parliament members, with Lord Thomas Gregorsen leading the opposition. Gregorsen vehemently questioned the credibility of such a fantastical claim, suggesting that they might have crossed into a parallel universe, a notion he dismissed as "the stuff of fairy tales."
However, the undeniable evidence of their world's transformation eventually swayed many members to support the drastic measure. The chairwoman called for a vote, and a majority of 624 to 70, with 11 abstentions, approved the implementation of martial law.
Prime Minister Sonnenfeld, who now faces the daunting task of governing a nation in turmoil, expressed concerns about the economic consequences of the displacement crisis in a later interview with Wilding Journal correspondent William Hawkins. "This is an unprecedented challenge that requires swift and decisive action," Prime Minister Sonnenfeld stated. "We must adapt to our new reality and ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens. The implementation of martial law is a necessary step to maintain order during these uncertain times."
Curfew will be in place in the mainland and overseas territories with some exceptions from 21:00 to 6:00, according to the newly enacted martial law. The government has assured citizens that essential services, such as healthcare, and emergency response will continue to operate without interruption.
Backer, Herman. (4 Memesa 1995). Neragon Implements Martial Law Amidst Unprecedented Displacement Crisis. Wilding Journal. Retrieved 4 Memesa 1995 from https://gbm.wildingnews.cem/articles/2942923