In 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics broke apart into fifteen
distinct nations, which thrived independently of each other to varying
degrees of success for three decades. Russia was the largest of these by
far, and maintained strong political power over the rest of the world. The
rest developed their own governmental bodies, and systems of law. In 1994,
inspired by these developments, a district of Russia called Sakhaido
declared its own independence. Sitting about 400 kilometers from the island
of Sakhalin, as a sort of second peninsula branching from the Kamchatka
Peninsula, Sakhaido always needed to maintain some level of autonomy in
order to function. It once belonged to the Empire of Japan, and still
consists of a significant population of Japanese people. The Japanese
language is spoken by 24% of the population. Much of the leadership of
Russia at the time did not want to let Sakhaido go, since they felt it
shouldn’t be necessary, but the president himself did not want to cause any
civil unrest, and had to admit that it wasn’t worth using up resources, and
damaging their reputation. Sakhaido prospered after that, forming its own
democracy, and becoming a hub of international trade amongst the other
nations in and around the region. In 2016, a new president of Russia took
office, having built his political platform upon strength against both
enemies and allies. Russia was meant to be the dominant force in Europe, and
he wasn’t happy with the direction his neighbors were going. A few months
ago, he decided to attack Sakhaido, but had no intention of stopping there.
The rest of the world was going to learn who called the shots, whether he
was their official leader, or not. He didn’t need to take Sakhaido over, or
any other country. He just needed to make sure that someone was in charge
who would do what he wanted. The invasion began.
Nations of the free world condemned the Russian president for his cruel and
unwarranted attack on Sakhaido. They made political and economical maneuvers
against him, thinking that he would back down when it started causing his
people harm. But he didn’t care about his people. They had suffered so much
up until now, and they could continue to suffer, as long as he got what he
wanted, which was pretty much everything under the sun. The Sakhaidoans held
their ground, maintaining a nigh unassailable border between them and the
Kamchatka Peninsula, but they could only do so much. They were not prepared
for war, they did not have the resources, and they did not have the help.
Refugees fled to other countries, nearly all welcomed by Japan, Alaska, and
even Usonia, but that didn’t solve the problem of how to save their
homeland. Their military force was only so great. They needed additional
support. They needed—I believed—people like me. According to my country’s
laws, it was not illegal for me to temporarily join the army of another
country, as long as the actions I took there weren’t treasonous, and I
wasn’t planning on defecting. So that’s what I did. I went across the sea,
accepted the gun they put in my hands, and fought for a bunch of innocent
people who had never done anything for me. Because I wasn’t just fighting
for them. I was fighting for democracy all over the globe, and for justice
as a whole. I was fighting for peace. Not everyone was happy with my choice,
and I returned home to find no parade, no thanks, no welcome mat. But that
was okay, because I know I did the right thing, and this assassin they sent
to kill me knows it too, whether he can admit it or not.
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