Echoes of the Past

[The FSM]

[i]University of Malta, Msida[/i]

Professor Ghabnera had been teaching political science at the University for a number of years and he had seen the island change hands more times than he could count. He had been a typical young revolutionary in his early years, but that was long ago and he had grown accustomed to the changing tides of politics in the Mediterranean. The revolutionary fervor was gone and he was well known in the community as someone who was more than willing to accommodate the Athenian regime. It had drawn a deal of criticism from students and a few faculty in the past few months, but he brushed it off.

He could not brush off the sight he saw as he walked to his office for the first time this morning. The door to his office lay on the floor, little more than a pile of splinters. Pages upon pages of what turned out to be anti-Athenian literature were plastered to the walls. And in the middle of his desk, fixed with the hatchet that was used to hack down his door was a note.

It read:

[b]There is a price for accommodating the Greeks. The divine winds of change are blowing and sweeping away the Athenian Empire. First Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, next Milan and Venice, and soon Malta. Heed this warning or risk being blown away with your Athenian masters.[/b]

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That same morning, as Professor Ghabnera attempted to make sense of the devastation wrought to his office, the Maltan Postal Service would deliver a series of packages to Athenian civil and military officials on the island, they would bear no return address or distinguishing markings. In each package would be a hatchet, identical to the one in the professor's office, wrapped in the flag of the old Sicilian League. Each package would also come with a letter.

[i]All her wisdom and all her strength will not help the children of Lady Athena on these rocky shores. The streets will be choked with humanity, and the forts shall burn. Lady Athena shall be powerless as the lord delivers Malta unto freedom.

Heed our warnings, children of Athena, and make haste from the shores of St. John. The errors of the past shall be righted and the lord shall take his place on the throne of his people, be it through the clasping of the hand or through the letting of blood.

The choice is yours, Lady Athena. Pray your wisdom does not desert you[/i].

[Centurius]

Considering the amount of dissent in the north the warning was not taken lightly by Athens however apart from an increase in alert level nothing would happen yet, more was needed for Athens to respond to the call.