Liberi Reader

As for their 'leader', this so-called 'The General'—

—This Sonya Mikhailivna.

She is a traitor to Ursus, plain and simple.

Your opinion is respected, Count Yusupov, but we cannot make a determination as to these students until the hearing is concluded.

I will once again remind all present that the outcome of this hearing will define the Katorga Incident.

This atrocity that took place in our magnificent Grypherburg must be judged fairly and solemnly.

And we must ensure a fair outcome for the future of Ursus, these students living in Grypherburg.

Your Honor, I must remind you before we begin...

The actions of these students that currently stand outside the council building have tarnished the dignity of Ursus.

The emblem of our empire hangs above your head. It reminds us all from whence the glory of Ursus arises, the glory in which all her people bathe.

As the Grypherburg of old belongs likewise to the emperors of old, the present and future belong to His Reigning Majesty, and to all of us who execute Ursus's will on his behalf.

If we fail to try Sonya Mykhailivna and her accomplices for treason, we are handing the future over to the lazy, unproductive dregs of society.

How, then, could Ursus hold her head high upon this land? How could His Imperial Majesty's justice be upheld?

Justice? How dare you speak of His Majesty's justice?

No lawyers, no prosecutors, no juries... the motion to establish a statute has been on the agenda for more than a decade. The old guard like you are the only reason it hasn't been passed!

And what have the new blood like you done for the empire? You've bought your titles with chervontsy, yet you consort with traitors...

How dare you adorn your chest with the medals conferred upon you by His Imperial Majesty, when you step up from those protesting students outside to wax lyrical here. Have you no shame?

Damned kids...

...Huh?

Stop right there! What are you doing?

Remain calm, sir. We mean no disrespect. We're only here to support our fellow students.

But some dignitaries have promised to speak at the hearing, and now they are nowhere to be seen.

May I ask if the police have them in custody? We can't allow the hearing to begin without them—

I don't know what you're talking about! This is none of your business!

Now, get back!

Where are our people? Why are there so many absences?

Have the old fools detained our witnesses to give themselves an advantage?

Order!

The police have been mobilized to maintain order in Grypherburg, given the circumstances. Traffic disruption may cause delays.

However, this matter can permit no further delay. While you were arguing, our first witnessed arrived.

Please take your seats. Let the proceedings commence, in the name of His Imperial Majesty's justice...

Witness, proceed to the stand.

...You're the reason Ursus is what it is!

So much the better! Do we dare to imagine the empire if you were guiding her?

*Sigh*...

Is Sonya not here yet?

Reviewing the correspondence, Sonya should be here this afternoon, and Instructor Dur-nar tomorrow.

But the discussion has meandered onto a tangent. Should we intervene before things get out of hand?

We're participating in a student gathering under the banner of the Ursus Student Self-Government Group, with Sonya as our leader. I doubt anyone will listen to us without her present.

Besides, the issues being discussed here are important. We need her to make decisions.

But I recall that Sonya did not part on the best of terms with Olga's group—

That's the last honey drop, Leto!

You're the kindest and sweetest, Gummy. Maybe there's another hidden somewhere in your pocket?

Don't pick on Gummy over a piece of candy, Leto.

It's because you wouldn't let me drink honey... I haven't had a sip since I got back to Ursus.

I should've stayed in Kjerag.

We're not here on vacation... you can have all the honey you want once we complete our mission from the Grypherburg office, or when you stop getting honey drunk.

Boooooring...

You sure you don't want to watch them fight, Leto? I thought you of all people would be excited.

I like fighting, but I don't care about two dunces slugging it out. They talk about helping people, but the first thing they do is punch the people who are supposed to help them.

Hm? Looks like the one in charge has finally had enough.

People... people! That's enough!

People... let's set these pointless arguments aside. Don't forget why we're here today.

Rania is a Grypherburg student. He's one of us, our friend, and he has been treated unjustly because of an act of justice.

I am only so strong alone, but there must be something that the combined strength of the Student Assembly can do, to make the capital hear our voices.

Let's calm down, and work out a plan to free our friend from prison.

No point in discussing the big picture with a bunch of meat heads.

Rania's actions were reckless. Did he not think through the consequences when he vandalized the council hall?

You hear them, Olga? The Symposium doesn't want to help Rania. They are defeatists who keep using the 'big picture' as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities.

Rania is your friend and a member of the Petrachevsky Group, but the Vanguards have always been on your side.

Meanwhile, this coward's grandfather might have been an honorary captain in the old Emperor's Imperial Guard, but he has none of the spirit of an Ursus soldier!

The Symposium is of one mind with you, Olga. We have never opposed rescuing Rania and the other detained students, and we do not even oppose the use of force when necessary.

Meanwhile, what do these Vanguards think their crude, barbaric actions would actually serve to achieve when it comes to changing our country?

The Revitalization of Ursus makes it clear that the empire is not an old jacket you can simply swap out for a new one.

That damnable Nikola Ilyinsky again...

I would be happy to hear the Symposium out, if you have any better ideas.

We must print more newspapers, highlighting the injustices Rania and his comrades have suffered.

Not just in the academies; we have to mobilize the citizenry as well. Rania was arrested for speaking up for the miners of the Far North. The workers will stand on our side.

We will attract sympathizers by publicizing the plight of the arrested students, we will teach them why we struggle, and how to struggle. We will target the legacy of Hippogryphs.

The old nobles of Ursus gladly accepted the brutal traditions of the Hippogryph Kingdom. Many of them have Hippogryph blood in their veins.

Only by excising these centuries-old tumors can Ursus truly belong to the Ursus.

What a joke. Do these 'old nobles' include the House of Treplev? Are you going to excise Olga like a tumor?

......

That is another matter entirely. As long as they support a new Ursus—

Then you tell the burghers and workers that Nikola Ilyinsky never proposed overthrowing the regime, only how to sell himself for a good price afterwards.

And then you tell the Liberi and Felines among them that Ursus belongs to the Ursus, and all other races are either our servants or spies.

You're taking things out of context! He never said anything of the sort.

The only thing the old tsar did right was hang this madman who kept babbling about a 'new Ursine identity'!

Hey, these guys don't call themselves Vanguards for nothing. They fight a little better, relatively speaking.

...We have new problems.

General!

You're late again, Sonya.

...Sorry.

But it looks like I'm here just in time.

You were late for the last general meeting. Need I remind you that a general meeting of the Student Assembly represents—

A major event that will determine the future of Grypherburg's students. I remember. Go on, keep 'talking'.

......

Why so quiet, Faddey? I thought you liked greeting people with your fists, including me.

Not like that'd achieve anything.

No, but talking with your fists always guarantees a result better than talking with your mouth.

It's true that today's agenda has not advanced smoothly. But that doesn't excuse the Self-Government Group's repeated contempt for the Student Assembly.

Excuse me, Chairman Trepleva, but what exactly do you mean by 'contempt'?

The Self-Government Group has followed the Assembly's rules to the letter and participated in all activities since we joined.

This general meeting is being held on short notice, while many of the Self-Government Group's members have missions abroad. I find it unfair that you are accusing us of contempt simply for being late.

Most importantly, the Self-Government Group has never been party to the Assembly's internal conflicts.

If I may be blunt, it seems the Self-Government Group has respected the Assembly to a greater extent than any of the student organizations arguing and fighting in this room.

If I may be blunt, Anna, you were never supposed to be part of the Assembly.

Your organization and its members are from Chernobog, while we are all Grypherburgers.

I remind you that it was Olga who extended an invitation to the Self-Government Group to join the Assembly.

Olga wanted the Assembly to unite as many students as possible. That's why she took you in, and provided assistance for you to establish a base in Grypherburg.

In turn, you are expected to demonstrate an eagerness to contribute to the Assembly, or at the very least, to respect it.

We have not forgotten the help that we received, and we express our gratitude for it, Leonid.

The Self-Government Group has always been supportive of the Assembly's activities. We have never backed down, nor compromised your plans.

What did you do when the assembly instructed you to burn the tsar's portrait?

We upgraded the portrait to a scrawling of the tsar's family. Something wrong with that?

Whose scrawling was it?

Mine, hehe.

It was my first time. Everyone loved it!

That's the problem!

How do you expect to provoke anti-tsarist sentiment when you draw the tsar's family so cute?

So the problem is she draws too good? You couldn't catch her if you practiced three years!

Suka! You're just looking for trouble!

That's enough! Stop—

...Order! This is a hearing, a solemn occasion. We will tolerate no disruptions.

Very well. Let us return to your background, Young Zoya.

You mentioned the Student Assembly, an organization that I'm sure most of us are familiar with.

It is an alliance of student organizations from various schools, often publishing commentary under pseudonyms inspired by famous traitors, such as the wicked Ivan Tulin

Hey... who is this Ivan Tulin

Younger brother of the great traitor Yakov Petrov, who wrote several seditious volumes while in exile in Leithanien.

The council has investigated, but he hasn't been seen in public for a while, and he hasn't published anything new in some time, so he's probably dead.

Why use the name of a dead man?

All these conspiracies and outlandish claims need a representative opposed to His Imperial Majesty, preferably someone who cannot personally rebuke them.

They all want Ivan dead more than we do, so that they might claim the name.

You said you personally witnessed the meeting of this Student Assembly as a spectator before the incident?

Yes.

I should make it clear that I was not a member of any student organization; I attended as a friend of Sonya's, and others.

I do not have full knowledge of the outcome of their discussions, and I never supported their actions.

Hmm...

Parliamentarian, pass me the document to your left.

This transcript indicates that the Student Assembly was planning some kind of action against the Grypherburg Winter Ball.

That's enough... we've wasted too much time already. We must get back to the agenda at hand—how to rescue Rania and his comrades.

Faddey, you are the Vanguards' representative. What is your final proposal?

We’ve deliberated fully. A raid on the prison.

......

While Rania's arrest was a high-profile one, we have learned that his prison is not heavily guarded.

Besides, the annual ball presents a waning of Grypherburg's security. It's the perfect opportunity.

You're out of your mind!

(Whisper) Wouldn't the police be extra careful with all the nobles gathered during the ball?

(Whisper) Father said the Grypherburg police are not selected by the law, but appointed by the powerful.

(Whisper) Both the armies and the police are part of the Ursus Guard. Minor nobles who don't have the influence to send their children into the Army as officers take the second-best option of sending them into the police to 'gain experience'.

(Whisper) The Winter Ball is more than just a social event; it's also the stage of politics and intrigue for all the assembled nobility.

(Whisper) Personnel moves in the police normally take place before and after the ball, which will keep the officials busy.

(Whisper) And so, Faddey is not necessarily wrong.

You're proposing an act of war, Faddey, while I'm not sure you can even wield a weapon, nor have I seen any preparation from your party.

Of course we're prepared.

This is for present company only, but I will tell you that I know some free traders who can get us used weapons from the Londinium war, enough to arm us all.

Free traders? Those foreigners?

Is that enough to face down heavily-armed prison guards?

Of course! If you've seen them with your own eyes, you know that they're decades ahead of Ursine technology.

We're falling behind. Survival of the fittest is the law of nature. This is our last chance to catch up.

We must not allow the old, corrupt aristocrats to drag the empire into its grave. We will be the vanguard that makes Ursus strong again.

And you think these 'free traders' do it out of the goodness of their hearts? Have you forgotten that we are Ursines first and foremost?

You would have us take up foreign weapons and follow the corrupt institutions of Victoria and Columbia! I will not stand idly by while people like you—

Are you done?

Faddey, your plan is just sending people to die. No intel, no tactics, no info on whether the weapons are any good.

The police will be a little mixed up, but the prison is defended by trained gendarmes that we can't handle.

I know you can fight, Sonya. Many of us Vanguards have great respect for you.

But your talk of 'ready' is no different from the Symposium's 'big picture', both excuses for inaction.

Do not interfere with the Assembly's decision, if you don't have a better way to get Rania and his comrades out.

Do not presume to represent the Assembly's decision without a general vote, Faddey.

The Symposium is clearly not on your side, and the Self-Government Group will not support a suicide mission. We can take a vote now, if you really think your words are enough to sway the majority.

Olga, if there are no objections, the Petrachevsky Group can count the votes as usual—

No.

Olga?

I agree with Leonid and Sonya. The Assembly cannot risk a failed violent struggle.

But I also agree that simply sitting around will only make matters worse, sapping our will to resist while giving the police the chance to do as they please with Rania.

Therefore, I have a plan that will satisfy everyone and rescue Rania. We will encircle the Winter Ball.

What is she talking about? Instead of raiding the prison, we go straight for the nobles?

No, this is not an act of violence.

We will go unarmed. We will protest with signs in our hands and tell the nobles about the people who are undermining our nation's future behind our backs.

I don't see the point in it.

Your father may be a good man, Olga, but that doesn't mean all the nobility are willing to sit and talk with us.

Even setting aside everything they've done over the years, they have arrested Rania and his comrades, and they're talking about making a public example of them.

You would simply yell at them, empty-handed and defenseless...? This is like putting a plate of fresh meat out for a mangler, cut to bite-sized pieces for the beast's convenience.

No, Anna, you don't understand. The nobles at the ball have no reason to harm us.

I've organized similar events in the past. As long as we exercise restraint, neither the nobles nor the police will lay hands on us.

In the name of my father, I promise that this is simply an action to make our voices heard. No one will get hurt.

I agree with Olga. Many of our number come from the local aristocracy. In effect, we will be holding ourselves hostage against the aristocratic class as a whole.

It's one of the few chips that we truly hold in our own hands. With enough of us, it's very possible that we can sway the council's decision.

A compromise, but better than inaction... the Vanguards assent.

Let us take the vote.

It is hereby proposed that all the constituent organizations of Student Assembly march upon the venue and protest before the nobility at seven o'clock in the evening, three days from now, during the Winter Ball.

...Get away from Sonya!

Phew... glad that's over.

Dealing with those noble kids is such a headache... brr, Grypherburg nights are awfully cold.

I'll block the wind for you, Leto!

Thanks, Gummy!

Aha! Got it! C'mere, honey drop!

Hey! That wasn't nice!

YOU were the one who lied to me about running out of honey drops!

Sonya...?

Sorry I made that call for you all, without asking.

That's not what I meant...

Why apologize, Sonya? You didn't decide anything for us. We chose to join you.

Besides, falling out with the Assembly back there would only make things more difficult for our subsequent operations.

You're always trying to do the right thing. We trust you.

Natalya is right... but did you agree to Olga's proposal to get the SSG out of a tight spot, or do you genuinely support her action?

They're rushing into this without planning anything. I'm worried it's gonna get out of hand.

We're Rhodes Island-trained. If anything unexpected happens, we can help.

I support you too, Sonya.

I'm just thinking...

Why did we come back to Ursus?

Because Rhodes Island doesn't have an office in Ursus, and they need the Self-Government Group to establish an information network here.

But we could've helped Rhodes Island in other ways. It's not like we've done anything but a little support work since we got to Grypherburg.

We talked about this before we left Rhodes Island. We agreed that the SSG should fight for an office in Ursus.

The Doctor was a little iffy on it, but eventually said yes...

I guess the Doctor wants us to go back to a normal life.

But... this isn't the normal life I imagined...

Everyone's fighting all the time. I don't get hungry, but I'm never happy.

That much is true. Everyone we've met is the same. They keep blather on with big words and concepts, without actually understanding anything.

Is it because we don't know Grypherburg well enough, or because of our unwillingness to reach out to others?

Maybe we've just been away from Ursus for too long. We need time...

We never truly left Chernobog, did we?

We should have gone back to say goodbye to that old, lifeless place.

If we keep running from it, the Ursus we remember is just gonna stay charred dirt under broken rubble... And I can't call that home.

It is the empire's past. It will be the empire's future, if we do nothing.

The Self-Government Group has seen the fire, while the rest of Ursus has not. We should find the best way forward, however slim the chance may be.

We need friends to get ourselves set up in Grypherburg. That's why we joined the Assembly in the first place.

I wanna help our new friends!

Hah. Besides, the SSG never backs down.

Damn straight!

Are you alright, Zoya?

......

...Young Zoya? Young Zoya!

Are you listening?

......

I'm sorry, Your Honor.

I find myself fighting my emotions as I relive the events of the general meeting. It was a difficult time for me.

Entirely understandable.

I'm sure that all present know the background of the Katorga Incident, but I would like you to describe again the circumstances surrounding the Winter Ball at the start of the incident.

Yes, Your Honor.

I spoke to attendees at the ball, and some students who participated in the action shortly after the end of the ball.

I learned that certain unexpected events took place on the day of the ball—