Microstory 1446: Rise Up and Fall Down

< > Table of Contents

When the Republicans took over Durus, they did so insidiously and strategically. They didn’t just start screaming about how much they hated women. They didn’t even openly talk about women disparagingly. They dressed it up in innuendo and subtext. They started out by mentioning all the people they believed had caused most of their problems, and conveniently left out all the men that fell into that category. Smith and Kosta were undoubtedly villains in Durune history, but even though they agreed with this truth, acknowledging it was counterproductive to the Republicans’ goals, so they deliberately focused on only the women. By the time the majority of the population figured out what was happening, it was already too late. Their numbers were too great, and they had control of all of the resources that Aljabara needed to survive. They didn’t have everyone on their side, but they had enough. Plenty of men were completely against this insane new system. It wasn’t like they turned all of them into misogynists overnight. Further generations would be indoctrinated into these ideals, but until then, there was going to be a lot of internal conflict. In the beginning, detractors tried to remain peaceful, and use reason against the fear and distrust that the Republicans were trying to instill in everyone. Over the course of about a year, however, this method was proving to be ineffective, and some of them decided that it was never going to work. So they strayed, and started working on more violent solutions. There were actually two entirely separate groups who were not aware of each other, because each had to operate quietly and secretively. A war broke out in 2095, where insurgents attempted to gain control over Watershed, so the civilians would no longer be held to these people’s whims. Unfortunately, the Republicans were more prepared for the attack than they knew they would be. No one had betrayed them, and warned the Republicans that the attack was coming. They were just ready for anything, because they were fairly confident it was going to happen sooner or later. The rebels lost not only this first battle, but also the support of the people. The Republicans twisted their actions, and claimed that the rebels weren’t trying to make the world a better place, but a worse one. By calling their system a republic, they could easily paint any opponent as a fascist, or maybe an anarchist, whether this was true or not. So the rebels not only failed, but actually worsened the situation, because now they were the bad guys. The Republicans were even smart enough to leave the survivors alive, suggesting that they were the victims, who were only trying to do the right thing. Over the decades, more groups would rise up, but the establishment labeled them all terrorists, and easily maintained their power.