Dawn Breaks

On November 21, negotiations between the mayor of Sabine City and representatives of the striking workers made no valuable progress; the workers' demands exceeded the bottom line of the mayor and the capitalist representatives involved in the negotiations.

They demanded higher wages, fewer working hours, and better benefits.

If we only discuss one aspect, or if each item requires only minor concessions, then there's not much of a problem. It's like the workers at the Drinking Water Company; they don't ask for much, and that provides a basis for reaching an agreement.

However, these striking workers' representatives made too many demands. The most ridiculous one worker's representative demanded that the weekly working hours be reduced from the original sixty hours to fifty hours, and that wages be increased by five percent, and that there be meat and fresh fruit at noon every day.

Even if those capitalists were slaughtered, they would not agree to such a demand. Naturally, the fifteen worker representatives maintained a common camp and front to some extent. Even though some workers thought it was possible to talk, they refused to Peace Talks for the sake of the so-called situation.

The persistent disagreements turned the negotiations into a farce, ending with worker and capitalist representatives blaming and hurling insults at each other.

This led the workers to believe that the mayor was not sincere and that he had sided with the capitalists. Coupled with the instigation of a small group and the escalation of the Bu Peien shooting incident, the unrest in Sabine City and even the entire state escalated again.

People have begun to openly loot, vandalize, and burn; they even shout slogans like "Who will shoot me?" during their illegal activities to vent their dissatisfaction with the current situation.

Some people may know in their hearts that this is a mistake, but they won't say it. At this time, speaking up is not the wisest choice.

On November 23, as everything was spiraling out of control, the governor delivered a public address, urging all citizens to return to their homes as soon as possible, and to lock their doors and windows to protect their personal safety and property.

At the same time, it urged those who engaged in vandalism, looting, and arson to turn themselves in and ordered the out-of-control demonstrations to end immediately.

These words, which seemed like something only a dictator would say, had no effect. People's Free Will was incredibly precious. Although they were hungry and felt that every step they took was an ordeal, they still held up their flags and shouted slogans weakly.

At 7:30 p. m. on November 24, the governor personally signed the first Governor Order of the year and informed the Department of Defense and other relevant agencies that the entire state would enter a state of martial law starting at 5:30 a. m. on November 25.

Governor Order is an executive order that can only be issued during special circumstances. Simply put, when the situation has become so serious that it is impossible to wait for approval from the Presidential Cabinet, and Congress, the governor can temporarily obtain the highest authority to control both military and political affairs within the state.

Of course, after the situation is resolved, the governor will also be subject to a joint investigation by federal Security Department such as the Federal National Security Committee and the Federal Interior Council, as well as a hearing held by Congress.

If they believe the governor's choice at the time was not inappropriate, the matter can end there; if they believe there were problems with the governor's behavior and handling of the matter, a case may be opened.

This time, the governor demanded that no one be allowed on the streets outside of designated times, no one be allowed to approach or attack soldiers on duty, and no one be allowed to engage in any acts of vandalism, looting, or arson; otherwise, they would face the most severe treatment.

At 8 p. m., the news spread rapidly through Television Station to every household in the state, filling people with not only fear but also anger.

This is an insult and trampling of human rights and freedom! This is a stain on the precious spirit of Federal freedom!

That same evening, the mayor announced that the second round of labor-management negotiations would begin on November 27, and that the mayor would again preside over the talks.

That same evening, the Labor Union held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.

In fact, the fact that this Tidal Wave of worker strikes was able to sweep across the entire Federal so quickly is undoubtedly due in large part to the crucial role played by Labor Union.

It's a very simple principle: workers in one city have absolutely no idea that a strike and demonstration is going on in a city thousands of kilometers away from them, nor do they pay attention to places that far away, but Labor Union do.

Driven by their own interests, the Labor Union began to spread messages and connect workers' organizations across the country, turning what could have been a small-scale strike that occurred dozens of times a year into a massive strike that swept the entire nation.

Now that the problem has escalated to such a great extent, and some demands have not yet been met, they are unsure whether they should continue to hold on.

After a night of meetings, they wanted to understand the official stance in order to determine how to proceed with the current situation.

As for how to find out, let people try to find out! On the morning of November 25th, it was already late autumn and early winter. At 5:30, the Sabine City was still shrouded in darkness. The sun rises much more slowly Winter Time than Daylight Saving Time. It was probably still enjoying the warmth of its bed and was reluctant to get up.

At this moment, fully armed soldiers from the military entered the city along the main route.

At that very moment, a group of workers with various expressions blocked the soldiers' path. They linked arms, tightly connecting themselves with each other. They stood tall and proud, singing the famous song "Long Live the Free Federation," staring fearlessly at the soldiers and preventing them from advancing.

The vehicle leading the army slowly came to a stop, and a soldier in his thirties with blond hair and blue-gray eyes stepped out. Judging from his shoulder insignia, he was an Army Major.

His meticulous personal appearance, combined with his military uniform, gave him a very serious air.

He held onto the car door, looking at the ordinary people blocking their way. Because he was standing behind the headlights, people could only see two very bright headlights and a somewhat blurry shadow, and could not see his face clearly.

The Major walked to the car, looked at the people, and then raised his wrist to check his watch. "It's five minutes to 5:30. According to the Governor Order's order, everyone must be home and under military control by 5:30."

He lowered his wrist and looked coldly at the people in front of him. "You only have four minutes left. If you are still within my sight after four minutes, you don't need to go back."

Some of the striking workers blocking the soldiers' path were already feeling weak in the knees. In fact, those who were willing to agree to the union's demands (by having worker representatives take the lead, rather than contacting the union directly) and were still testing the waters at this time were all very bold people.

But when faced with these indifferent soldiers, their courage to smash, loot, and burn seemed to be rapidly disappearing.

The loss of courage also made the songs they sang less majestic and more listless and timid, which should not be the singing style of "Long Live the Free Federation".

The Major stood calmly in front of the car, his hands behind his back, his blue-gray eyes gazing indifferently at the people.

A moment later, he spoke, "Three minutes left..."

The people's singing grew softer, and if they weren't all arm in arm, some of them would probably have already left.

Although both soldiers and police officers carry guns, their nature is completely different, and soldiers inspire more fear.

"Two minutes..."

"One minute!"

When he mentioned one minute, the Major raised his wrist again, staring at the dial. "You have forty-seven seconds left. It's forty-three seconds now, forty-two seconds..."

He was counting down, and one person's not-so-loud voice drowned out everyone else's voices. The silence of the singing made the atmosphere heavy.

Some people broke free from their arms and ran back towards their homes in the city, while others thought it was just the soldiers intimidating them; they were just standing there, and the army had no right to attack them.

As the number of people dwindled, a mocking smile crept across the Major's lips. "Ten..."

"Nine..."

"Fine, it seems you're not leaving, so I won't start the countdown..." He withdrew his wrist, turned to look at the other soldier standing behind him, "Wasn't my joke funny?"

On this early autumn morning, beads of sweat appeared on the soldier's forehead. He chuckled nervously a few times, "Very funny, Major."

The Major looked at him, and only when he saw that the man was furious did he say, "That's too exaggerated. When we get back, double the basic training." After he finished speaking, he leaned on the car door and got back into the car, and gave the order to the soldiers behind him, "Arrest these rioters, and kill them if necessary."

In an instant, all the soldiers rushed out like wild wolves released from their cages, using their most professional military skills on the most defenseless ordinary people.

Sitting in the car watching those ordinary people being beaten bloody, pinned to the ground with at least two gun barrels pointed at their heads, the Major put his lambskin gloves back on with satisfaction.

He knew that his actions would be reported to his Chief at the military base, or even to the Department of Defense, but he didn't care.

He knew very well that the country was about to shed its harmless facade under pressure, and that the next decade, at least ten, would be a paradise for Hawks and Radical Faction —the era all soldiers loved most.

The tougher and more radical he acts now, the greater his chances will be in the future.

Reaching the rank of Major was enough for him to know some of the movements of the higher-ups. He hoped that his performance would be noticed by the higher-ups. He wanted to lead the army on missions overseas and let the world see the strength of the Federal military!

Make them understand that the Federal's isolation is not out of fear, but because they don't want to hurt others!

In less than a minute, the striking workers, whom the police had been powerless to stop, were beaten black and blue, and their wrists were bound together with a rope as thick as a forearm and tied to the back of an Armored Car.

If they didn't want to be dragged, they had better jog forward. At this point, these people, whose bodies ached all over, stopped complaining and cursing and could only follow silently.

At 5:30, the eastern sky began to lighten slightly.