Redemption: Balavan, #2

Prologue

With the capture of Victor and the defection of Thom, the Six Year War has finally ended and the Legionnaires are no more. Along with the death of Sovereign Carson, Balavan is a much different place. The Desiderios have become the new protector of the realm. While an election is under way to find a new Sovereign who is not tainted by greed, everyone is working to return things to their former glory.

A mere few months after the fall of the Legionnaires, Balavan is starting to see some form of normalcy. Houses are being rebuilt. Schools are filled with children with laughter. And, flowers are starting to bloom beautifully in the gardens. On the surface, everyone seems to be happy, but there is a sense of unease that seems to be lurking underneath.

Chapter 1: Uneasy Peace

After the disbandment of the Legion, three different groups of men emerge. The first group of the former legionnaires left Balavan. No one knows where they are heading. In some cases, they may not even know themselves.

Most of them have never been outside of Balavan. It is their home and their parents’ homes, and their grandparents’ homes. It’s hard to leave, but they have to. They know that their glory days are gone and there is no point hanging on to a dream once they have awakened.

They simply pack their families and belongings before hitting the road, never looking back.  

These are the principled men and women who firmly believe that they have been exiled from their homes unjustly. They have a distasteful taste in their mouths, but know when to fold.

They admit their defeat, but swallow their anger rather than lash out at others. No matter how much they want to, they are too honorable to retaliate with petty crimes or unfounded rumors. Instead, they are hoping that their luck will get better as they seek opportunities and new homes elsewhere.

A second group of men tried to get other gainful employment. Those who prove to be honest and eager are able to find various jobs.

One of the most popular occupations in town is in construction. After the destructions of the war, there is plenty of work to be done. With their physical prowess, many of them become natural builders. While it may be hard work, they soon come to like their new way of life.

Instead of feeling down for losing what they had, many of them start to realize that their new ways of life are much less stressful.

Another popular occupation that former legionnaires gravitate towards is teaching. With the skills and knowledge that they have gained on the job in the Legion, they find that many citizens of Balavan are eager to learn from them, not just in the art of war, but anything ranging from geography to politics.

As the citizens become more and more comfortable with them, former legionnaires are able to find jobs in just about any occupation such as in medicine or art and blending in with everyone else. Even though many are still proud of their past, not many civilians can tell unless they ask.

There are even some who have even joined the ranks of their former enemies, the Desiderios. After watching them carefully, Violet has realized that many of the lower ranking legionnaires are honest fighters who actually believed that what they were doing with the Legion was the right thing to do.

Having been blinded by the ideals that Victor has painted, they were under the impression that everything they did was to protect Balavan. They had no idea that rampant corruption occurred nor did they realize that many of their battles were based on lies with the sole intention of robbing their neighbors and killing innocent people.

This is the group that Violet likes the best, because, like Thom, they have decided to come over to her side on their own accord.

There is a third group of legionnaires who are the troubling kind. These men feel that they have been wronged. Therefore, they are not willing to leave town or get a job which they consider to be demeaning to them.

After all, they were the elite members of the realm and can do anything that they pleased. Why would they need to work for a living now?  

They try to regroup anyway they can. With the capture of Victor, their generalissimo, and the deaths of key members such as Lieutenant Michael Marcel, and Lieutenant Paul Gillnet, the head of intelligence, however, they no longer have a clear leader.

While it makes their task much harder, some of these men try to lick their wounds by taking refuge in the underground. Ironically, many are hiding in the old hideouts of the Desiderios. It’s as if the world has literally turned upside down. Even though many of the underground tunnels and passages have been filled in to prevent others from misusing them, there are many that are still in existence.

So far, these new radicals are laying low and avoiding the possibility of being discovered. They do not have the strength to start anything. When they do come out of hiding, they appear to be just another low abiding citizen blending in with the crowd.

But, Violet knows that, in time, they will be. After all, they were the ones who had no problem plundering in the first place. Why would they stop now?

More of a reason for the Desiderios to keep a close eye on them. The problem is the question of how to identify them. Despite the bitter taste in their mouths, this group of former legionnaires is putting on a good show. They have discarded anything that may connect them with the old government and appear to be happy with the new regime.

AS FOR THOM, HE STANDS by his own convictions. He knows that ratting out his father is a sacrifice that he had to make, no matter how much it hurts him or those he loves. As his reward, he now inherits everything that his father once owned for his role in taking down the Legion. Even though Trip knows very well that much of it was bought with blood of innocent people, it is up to Thom to decide how he should make retributions for his father’s sins. In addition, having been a general with the Legionnaires, Trip and Violet have decided to give him the rank of a Colonel, a respectable position among the Desiderios, one that is not so high that it would make existing officers jealous, but high enough not to be insulting. 

While Thom is more than happy with the position that he has been given, he feels an immense amount of remorse for a great many things. The one that sticks out the most in his mind is having turned against his own father, which is the only deed that he is personally guilty of doing. His sense of betrayal is eating him alive. No matter what this man did, he is still his father and no father deserves to be stabbed in the back by his own flesh and blood regardless of how rotten he may be.

There are many nights when Thom can’t fall asleep because of his guilt. Even his exquisitely designed bed that was the most comfortable thing that he’d ever slept on could help him go to sleep.

As he learned the hard way, no amount of material goods can let him forget. Instead, he keeps going over different scenarios of how he could have saved his father and Balavan at the same time. Why couldn’t he have simply confronted him? Would Victor have backed down if he heard the truth from his own son? Could he have recruited his mother to try to convince him? Would he have listened to her if not him? Or, perhaps, he could have threatened to abandon him if he did not stop his greedy and immoral ways. Of course, none of it matters anymore. The damage is done.

He knows that this decision has torn his family apart. His mother Amelia is absolutely inconsolable. She refused to see him ever since her husband’s imprisonment. To publicize her disdain for him, she has disowned him completely. Because Thom has inherited all of his father’s possessions, his mother has moved out of their home. Thanks to Victor’s generosity to his own wife, he has given her a beautiful vacation home in the outskirt of town. Because she retains her own possessions, she still has a place to call home. She has also taken all of the servants with her, which is fine by Thom.

After all that she and Victor have gone through for Thom, she simply cannot fathom why he did what he did. What makes Amelia’s hatred for her son that much worse is that she thinks Victor is dead. With no other living relative, she has no one else to lean on, but herself. There are two main reasons for this deceit.

First, Trip has no intention of letting anyone outside of a handful of trusted members of the Desiderios know that the former Generalissimo is still alive, including his own wife and son.

After all, Victor’s reputation, like that of El Diablo’s, is bigger than life itself. As far as many people are concerned, he might as well have been 8 feet tall and can crush a boulder with his bare hands. His reputation made him appear to be wise beyond imagination.

Because many former members of the now defunct army have never met him in person, this image of a great warrior still stands in their minds. If his former followers catch wind that he is still alive, they may use his memories to resurrect the Legion. In a world that is so easily influenced by gossips and hearsays, it would be a very easy task. One simple rumor can easily turn him into a martyr or spark another revolution.

Second, as a part of the punishment, Trip makes a point of not letting Victor know anything about the fate of his family members. By letting his wife think that he is deceased, she would not make any attempt to contact him.

In turn, Trip wants his arch enemy to think the worst and let it eat him alive. He wants his imagination to run wild and believe that his loved ones are facing all the tortures and degradations that Victor was capable of when he pillaged his victims’ home towns.  Although Trip trusts Thom not to reveal this secret, it is just safer to leave him out of it. He knows that if anyone wants to know anything about Victor, they would approach his own son first. Besides, Thom has enough to deal with. He does not need to add yet another weight on his chest.

AS FOR BALAVAN ITSELF, things are also returning back to normal. After losing its former sovereign David Carson, the citizens of the dominion have elected a new one.  To ensure that they do not put someone as weak minded as Carson, they want a leader of the Desiderios to hold the dominion’s highest political position. Because of Trip’s reclusive demeanor, he made sure to let them know he had absolutely no interest in the position.

While the public wants to nominate Violet, she has also graciously declined the offer. She never considered herself to be a politician. In fact, she is not a fan of one, because she has never met one who is not corrupt. Of course, that is not to say that there isn’t an honest one, just that she finds that the power of a political position often gets the best of men, even the good ones. If she were to place herself in that position, she would simply feel dirty and be degrading herself.

Instead, the citizens elect Garret, one of her former subordinates. Being the intelligence officer for the Desiderios, he has intimate knowledge of everything that goes on within Balavan. His obsessive compulsive behavior makes him ideal for this role because it makes sure that he is on top of everything. With his eagle eyes and propensity to sniff out crime, the citizens are hoping that the days of leaders sneaking in favors under the table are over.

As for Violet, she sincerely hopes that he can rise above temptation. In order to quell her fears, she paid a visit to Garret during his election campaign.

So, how are things? she asks as she scans his campaign headquarter.

Good. Thank you for paying me a visit, Violet. This is a great honor! Garret replies with a genuine smile.

Do you need any help? Violet asks lightheartedly.

From you? Definitely! he says excitedly as he pulls her to a desk. I would love it if you can give me some advice on a project that I am hoping to work on once I am elected.

Violet is glad that he is not above asking for assistance. He also seems to be genuinely passionate about this job. Everything seems to be in shape. She has never seen him so excited.

He has his entire agenda ready on the walls, including everything from building more education centers to getting rid of corruption. If he keeps these promises, he is definitely the man for the job. Despite her reservations, Garret seems to be going in the right direction immediately after being given the job.

After he’s elected he makes sure to clean up the sovereign’s mansion. He has removed every potentially corrupt aide and replaced them with people he trusts or well-known experts in their field.

One of these members is Max, who is in charge of engineering efforts. Returning to his old self, Max is back in his parents’ estate. Even though he suspected that his parents are not coming back. This is the first time that he has returned home knowing that as a fact.

The house now feels emptier than ever before. Nevertheless, he is determined to continue his father’s work in the laboratory and keep his parents memories fresh.

Additionally, he also knows that he is not alone in this world. Having found his aunt and uncle is definitely a positive part of his experience during the war. Now, he has someone new to count on. Even though the rebel headquarters is still standing exactly where it has always been, there is no longer a need to guard it. Max’s Aunt Lillian and Uncle Adam have decided to leave the reclusive mountain and return to the way of life that they have known and loved for so long. They have disarmed all of the booby traps in the gates and covered any remnants of them.

After having left the tribe for such a long time, they are eager to return to their extended families. They cannot wait to introduce their son Sean to them and teach him all about the Kerbasy way of life. Of course, a part of them is worried that he may not like it as much as they hope since he has been a city dweller his entire life. But, that is more of a reason to leave now before he gets any older.

AS FOR OTHER MEMBERS of the Desiderio, their lives have also changed. Now that Balavan is back to its peaceful days, Trip decided to take a hiatus from all of this fighting. While Violet misses Trip, she also has more important things in her mind – an escaped leader of the former Legions.

Although the Desiderios have captured almost all of master minds, there is one who has eluded them – Major Brandon Fouke. Unlike the others who are loyal to the Legion, this slippery servant is all for himself. There is no telling what he really has planned.

All she knows for certain is that he is dangerous. From what she knows of him, he is all about getting the most out of everything – for himself. He has no moral or conscience. If destroying an entire village does not contradict with his personal gains, he will not even bat an eye before annihilating every man, woman, and child. At the same time, he is very shrewd. He knows when to make himself scarce. That explains why he was able to escape when everyone else was captured.

The question is where? The fact that he is an ordinary looking man makes it easy for him to blend in without needing a much of a disguise of any kind. Being medium build and height with brown hair and blue eyes, he can be anybody and anywhere.

To make it more difficult to locate him, Fouke was an expert at disguise. He knew how to make it especially hard for them to find him. He knew the ins and outs of deceiving people.

In addition, he is a very good and convincing liar, when he wants to, that is. Because he is very self-confident, very few people ever question him. He was able to get away with just about everything.

Ever since the end of the war, Violet sent out scouts in every possible location where he would be, but none of them has not come up with any good lead. Despite some possible sightings, no one knows for sure if it is him or not. She knows that this is one fugitive that must be captured or this peace may be short-lived.

Chapter 2: Trozos Island

While Violet is searching high and low for him, Fouke is getting comfortable in his new hiding place. He has been here for nearly a month and is ready to venture out and mingle with the public.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds. In order to elude the Desiderios, Fouke had to go where they wouldn’t look for him, Trozos Island, a piece of rock that is filled with aborigines who practice cannibalism, or at least the Balavans think it is.

Right after the Legionnaires lost the war, Fouke ran to his hideout for exactly this purpose and made sure to get rid of everything that could connect him to his former life. He was careful in making sure to destroy everything, shredding them into oblivion.

Because of his outward arrogance, even those closest to him cannot imagine that he would give up all of his worldly goods in order to disappear. Yet, the truth of the matter is he has never let anyone in the world know the real him. What they don’t realize is the extent he will go to in order to survive is vast. Contrary to his public persona, he will never let something like an ego get in his way.

In addition, he is more resourceful than most people give him credit for. Because he seems to be too lazy to do anything that is not a part of his assigned duties, no one really realized that he is actually good at a lot of things. For instance, he is quite an accomplished craftsman. During his time as a hunted criminal, he created a raft complete with sail and paddles out of fallen tree branches in the dark in relative silence. Although it took him almost three weeks to finish it, the final product could make the greatest of master carpenters proud.

To be sure that he is not being followed, he deliberately set sail from the opposite direction as his intended destination in order to throw off anyone’s scent. Then, he takes the long route to Trozos Island. Packing light, he has nothing but several canteens full of water and a fishing rod. After weeks of grueling voyage and rough sea, he has never been so glad to see palm trees.

The thought of possibly being eating alive upon landing didn’t enter his mind until he got onto the beach, exhausted. Then, he hears rustling in the bushes. As he gets up slowly, he knows the last thing he wants to do is to provoke them. There is no telling how many of them there are. During a time like this, there is no way he can win by sheer force. Besides, he has never been a great fighter. Instead, he relies on his brains to survive in this world, which is a definite must in this situation.

Raising both of his arms, he says in a firm but calm voice, I come in peace.

The rustling sound continues, but no one comes out. Without being able to see who he is dealing with, it’s difficult to determine what his next approach is. Nevertheless, he wants to be prepared just in case. Then, he slowly moves closer to his raft. This serves two purposes. First, if arrows or other weapons