A Cyberspace Revolution

[Bacharth]

At nine in the morning, Elian Archer woke to his alarm. The Iberian sun set aglow his window as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He planned his mornings so he would wake up just in time for a shower, a quick bite to eat, and picking some music to listen to on the drive to his classes. His small studio apartment comfortably fit himself and any friends he would invite over for late night shenanigans. After his shower, Elian put on some jeans, a black sweatshirt and a green jacket over it all. He sat down on his bed and leaned against the cushions in the back that allowed for the bed to double as a couch. In front of him, a flat screen 22" TV sat in front of him with a cable box. He looked for the remote and turned on the television.

*…scrappy what are we go-*

"No…"

*…I see your Schwartz is a-*

"Ah damn, too bad I gotta leave soon, let's check out the news."

*...police have begun to arrest...*

"Hello, what's this?" Eli said as he turned the volume up.

***National Vestfjaran News Network – NVNN Ch. 3***"Hello, I'm Jon Brustr with a breaking news update. The ongoing struggle between the youth-oriented radicals and our national guard has reached a high today. Riots in Dalynova have been going on since the congress passed a bill banning a tool that allowed independent broadcasters to broadcast their own television. The bill was passed by a landslide although many of the citizens are divided on the issue. We go to Karel Bniproter in the field. Karel?"

"Thanks Jon, I'm here with a local college student who wishes to remain nameless, and they're providing a radical spin on this issue."

"What? Radical spin? The only thing that's radical is the fact that you guys are banning independent broadcasting because you want the conservative control on ev-"

A few guards pulled the angered college student away. "This rioting issue is coinciding with the net neutrality bill that is to be voted on next week, and it seems that these kids aren't happy about it too. A report has shown that most of the rioters are under the age of 28, and the issue has become such a hot topic that any mention of it in the military is an instant court marshal."

"Thanks Karel, well, it looks as if the police are going to be working overtime. This story seems to stem from a new report showing that our youth is becoming more rebellious, and our nation has the most activist youth population in the world. The government is speculating that the overexposure to the international community and the internet is what is sparking an uprising in youth, and the government is working overtime to protect itself and the hard working citizens of this nation. Now here's Ryan with the weather."

******

Eli drove into the capitol, Dalynova after an hour trip only to find that the university was closed. He had parked in a lot a few blocks down from where the main riot was, considering whether or not to join it. He was angry about the situation, but he knew nothing was going to get done about it. The police would just come in with riot spray and "accidentally" kill some people. As he sat in the driver's seat of his jeep with an independent news radio ranting about the riot, his phone started to vibrate.

Eli turned down the volume and picked up the phone. The name on the screen said Evan, Eli's brother in the army.

"Hey bro what's up?"

"Nothing, wait, Evan, how are you calling me from your cell phone? Where are you?"

"The armory just outside of Dalynova, a few platoons have taken the officers here hostage and are getting ready to arm the citizens. I need your help though."

"WHAT? What the hell are you doing? You could get yourself killed!"

"That's the plan, right bro? That's why I joined the army. All of the young soldiers in the Dalynova Garrison are ready to start a revolution. I need your collegiate skills."

"I'm a Marketing major, not a military ge-"

"Yeah, but you also aced those speech and persuasion classes. I want you to deliver a hell of a speech to get everyone over to the army base, and fast."

"This is different, I don't have anything pre-"

"Remember those improve classes you told me about?"

"Yea-oh. $%&@, let me think about this, I'm having kind of a confusing day, the college was clos-"

"Yeah, most of the professors are joining the riot. You can probably get some of the history and mil sci professors to help you."

"Alright. Let me check my balls."

"That's the spirit bro."

The call ended. Eli had no way of knowing whether it was a trap or whether it was traced, but those were the least of his worries. If he did this, he'd be throwing away his life for something that probably would fail. He'd either be dead or in prison for a very long time. With a determined look in his face, he opened his car door, and a piece of paper fell onto the floor. It was a scholarship notification to the University of Mihema.

He shook his head, closed his door, and turned the car on. Just then, his phone vibrated, it was a text message from Evan that read, "A man is remembered more for making a radical attempt at a change than a man who arrests the revolution." It was something their dad had always said to them when he saw the fascist takeover of the government.

Eli reached into his glove box and grabbed a microphone. He plugged it into the auxiliary socket on his radio and tested it. He rolled down all the windows and prepared to turn the volume way up by putting in some ear plugs. He hoped they would notice a semi-old red SUV.

He backed out of his spot and prepared to enter the traffic at a safe point. He was antsy, and ready to change his mind at any second. Then he saw a group of conservative rioters counter-rioting against the youth. He gunned his engine and pushed through a hybrid car that was blocking his way. The V8 engine roared as he screeched down the empty sidewalk towards the capitol square.

He needed a way to get to the center of the square where he could be seen. Most of it was blocked by people except for a small police blockade. Perfect fit. Again, he gunned the engine and aimed right for officers standing with militant uniforms and beating back protestors. When they saw the angry looking Jeep Cherokee heading for them, they jumped into the crowd.

The car bucked as it jumped up the steps. There goes my alignment. He slid the car to a stop and turned the car's speakers way up. He climbed out the window and stood on the roof, feeding the microphone through the open window. Oh god I hope I don't get shot up here.

People looked at him confused, wondering what the hell this guy was going to do. Police tried to break through the mob to get to Eli, but the crowd blocked him.

Here goes nothing…

"Vestfjarans!" He yelled into the microphone. All eyes were on him. !@#$. "We don't have to take this fascist, paternal crap from a bunch of men sitting in a warm office building! They don't know us! They don't know the modern world! They're old, decrepit, and probably don't even know what the $%&@ a computer is!"

The crowd cheered. Alright, so far so good.

"Why should we let them decide what's best for us? We're the majority, not them! It's time for us to take this country for ourselves and let the rotting corpses here in Dalynova go where they belong, to the grave!"

Again the crowd cheered.

"And we're not alone! The Dalynova Garrison is prepared to help us with arms and manpower. Five thousand men ready to storm the capital with your help! You want to take this country back? Go west then! Go west! For Vestfjara!"

Eli climbed back down into his car. The crowd pushed up to the car and surrounded it as they pushed for the garrison. People were getting makeshift weapons and using them against the police. A few young employees at a retail store looted facemasks in case they started to use gas.

----

They reached the armory within a few hours where guerilla-looking military men were already fighting the police force. The rioters quickly overtook the police and were all handed weapons. A mass of 10,000 people were now ready to storm the city of Dalynova.

Eli and Evan met up in the barracks of the armory amidst the massive crowds and soldiers walking around yelling.

"Evan! I haven't seen you in forever," Eli said as he hugged his brother.

"Same, amazing job bro, you really outdid yourself."

"Thanks. So, how was this all planned?"

"Well, I started to pass some word around secretly that a few of us would go guerilla and start attacking the government to start a revolt. It got around the entire barracks, aside from the older officers, that we were going to rise up against the government. Well, they started to come to me for advice and planning. So, I apparently became the start of this whole revolt. I had some of the guys call their families back home and tell them to organize people for a riot today. All I needed was a guy on the outside to rally everyone together. That's where you come in."

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

"We storm the capital, and arrest the leaders."

"Woah."

"Woah what?"

"Well…that just seems pretty rash you know."

"Rash? I saw the news. You drove down a sidewalk, burst through a police barricade, and led at thousands of people to the biggest armory in Vestfjara that is currently being taken over by an independent army. Seems to me we're both traitors."

"Fine. Let's do it."

"That's the old Archer balls."

Eli and Evan laughed for a bit before making a plan of attack.

----

Two tanks rolled into Dalynova around 2 PM. Following them were three heavily armored APCs. Behind that was a sea of Guy-Fawkes-mask-wearing college students and kids ready to fight for their nation. The soldiers in front made quick work of any resistance on the way to the square. In the economic district, the bulk of the police force fought the soldiers, but was overtaken by the flanking mobs. With minimal losses, the Vestfjaran Liberation Army pushed towards the capitol square where a mass of officer-soldiers were waiting for them.

Eli climbed on top of one of the tanks and yelled, "Fire!" The two tanks fired two shells each into the crowd, destroying their line and almost routing them. They did not see the tanks behind the crowd.

The mob took the capitol square and entered the government building where the so-called leaders of the country were holed up. A small battle ensued inside the building as some of the congressmen would not leave with their lives. Brave as they were, they were outnumbered 63 to over 7,000.

An independent news crew drove into the capitol square escorted by a garrison from another city. The leader of the group informed Evan that the soldiers took most of the nation, and the old government was almost dismantled. The news crew pointed the camera at the balcony and waited. All eyes were on the balcony.

After a half hour, the doors opened. Eli walked out flanked by two soldiers, one of them dragging the former Chancellor Proctor. Eli tested the microphone and addressed the crowd. The mob started to pour out of the building and started watching Eli. Evan made his way up behind Eli and tapped him on the shoulder.

Evan looked across the crowd and hung a banner of Vestfjara from the edge. "The day is won!" he yelled as he sprayed over the black flag with a can of gold spraypaint. Just as he was, the flag was splattered with red. Eli looked in horror as his brother now had a hole in his chest.

Eli dropped to the ground as Evan did. Eli rolled him over to see if he was still alive. "I need a medic over here!" Evan weakly shook his head.

"No, no need. I've done my part. You do yours," Evan said.

"But, I'm a business major, I can't lead a country, marketing has nothing to do with that!"

"Oh, $%&@ business," Evan coughed out.

"Don't die, please don't die. I need help."

Silence.

Eli started to cry as he pounded Evan's chest. He was still alive.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking of…good last words to put on my gravestone."

Eli smiled a little through his tears. "$%&@ business was pretty good."

"No, I got it."

"Well, what are they?"

Evan fell silent. He expelled a last breath as he passed into the next world. Eli screamed and stood up, "STORM THE !@#$@#$ BUILDING! I WANT WHOEVER KILLED MY BROTHER BROUGHT TO ME ALIVE!"

----

The next day, Eli stood on the same balcony with a new flag hanging from it. It was a flag that represented the Scottish and Irish heritage in the people of the area. A news crew in an old box van pulled up to the square where a less battle-ready crowd was watching.

"Countrymen, fellow citizens, military personnel, I welcome you to the new Vestfjara. Yesterday was the bloodiest day in the nation's history, and probably will remain so for quite a while. Do not remember those who died in vain, though. Remember them for what they fought. Do not let their fight go unremembered and silent. We must keep the dream alive. We were a people under the authority of old rules and old men. Now we are a fresh, reborn nation, like that of the Phoenix coming back from the ashes.

Let us not dwell on the past. We will remember those who died and the fight, but we must look to the future. Currently, we have no government, no organization, just millions of people rallying behind me as their leader. As we all know, people rallying behind a cult of personality never ends up well, so I will be instating a parliamentary or congress system, and completely gutting the government.

For now, until the government is set up, I have made some executive orders for the nation.

The Republic of Vestfjara will keep the law and orders that existed prior to what will be known as the Cyberspace Revolution with a few exceptions.

Psychadelic drugs, along with Marijuana, are legalized for recreational and medical use.

Citizens of Vestfjara will be allowed to own a handgun or hunting rifle for personal or defense measures, however they must be fully trained in the operation of the weapon.

Vestfjara will have no legal authority to ban anything on the internet.

The government agencies of EPC, VIB, ATAV, VNSA, will be abolished.

The military that has served us in the Revolution will act as our police force until such a force can be recruited. Bear with us as we completely gut the former government and put a new one in place. The road will be a long one that will turn out for the best; I hope. I have already made plans for the direction this country will go in.

To the international community, I hold no grudges that our former nation did, I will view you all with the same respect, as I know nobody. I will hope that we can get along in peace. I would also like to thank the Scottish Empire for helping our revolution.

You may refer to me as President Archer, as that is the only title I can really claim to hold."

---------------

OOC: The land I will be holding is the last of the Scottish protectorate in the Iberian peninsula, and should I ever re-roll or quit CNRP, the land goes back to him as a protectorate.

[Subtleknifewielder]

***Private to President Archer***

My congratulations on the formation of your state. I wish you the best of fortune in the coming months--forming a nation is not easy...

~Anthony harlem, Grand Duke, Queendom of Australia

[maicke]

Valencia is highly disturbed by such violence so close to our nation. We hope that there will not be any more, and that the peace that seems to be acquired will last.

Nevertheless, we congratulate you on your new government, and wish your new nation success.

*Classified*

Andrea Domélo: Suárez, order some of the troops toward the Valencia - Vestfjaran border.

Suarez: What for?

Domélo: I am worried about refugees, or possibly a counter revolution. You only need enough to make sure that there is no one sneaking into or out of our country.

Suarez: Yes, sir.

[Bacharth]

Official Statement from President Archer:

Don't worry, our military is present and will be watching our nation. We can assure you and the world that the violence is over for the sake of not only our own people, but for the Iberian peninsula.