2006-08-11: Calm Before the Storm
The most recent page from Naka Gerou’s journal...
As I write this, I can hear the celebrations of some in the crowd outside my window. For what seems like countless weeks now, we’ve been ruthlessly attacked by Ophidian war parties. Many have fallen prey to the heavy Ophidian blades. They inflict indiscriminate, merciless slaughter upon us, with no quarter being shown to neither man, woman nor child. Native Papuan or Britannian, who bravely came to help defend our town; both fell equally before the onslaught.
Yet, I cannot help but to wonder if this jubilation is premature. The Ophidians, with their seemingly unending ability to send wave after wave against our defenses and with their total disregard for honorable warfare, were obviously on the verge of total victory. With the battle practically being fought on top of those who had already fallen, with our supplies running perilously low, and with total exhaustion setting in for those of us left standing, it was clear that Papua was soon to be lost.
Yet, the Ophidians have left, leaving behind carnage unlike any I have witnessed in my not inconsiderable lifespan, but leaving nonetheless.
I cannot fathom why they would choose to do this, unless others have had more success against them elsewhere, though there is no indication that will prove to be the case. The few reports that have managed to get through have described scenes much like the desperate situation that was Papua only an hour ago.
Auspicious or inauspicious, this sudden retreat? We will soon find out. Unfortunately for the poor souls gathered outside, I fear the latter to be the case.
