[b]Unknown Region, Sublayer Unknown[/b]

"And you're sure she'll work with us, Artyom?"

"I'm positive, Batzko."

"We may need to break her in, if she refuses."

"She'll understand. We just need to pull the wool from her eyes."

Artyama awoke, vision still dazed from the strike to her head. There was barely any lighting in this new place she was brought to. Rather than steel plating and Dobrevirite-powered beams of light, there were walls of stone and Dobrevirite-lit lanterns. In front was a large campfire, where the two male voices were coming from. One was distinctively her brother. The other, however, she did not know.

One of them rose up from their place, stepping over towards her. Adrenaline quickly struck, wriggling around in her place as she tried to escape. Her wrists were tightly cuffed, as were her ankles. There was a cloth wrapped around her mouth, keeping her silenced. What are they going to do? Are they going to kill her? Even worse? The thoughts rushed to her head, still trying to break from the hard chains at her hands, to no avail. Her internal questions were answered when she was brought upright, resting against the wall. Artyom quickly rushed to the other Wojteki's side, holding her shoulders down as the one called Batzko looked her over. The goggles on his head were cracked in both lenses, and the hair on top of his head was shaven off, in comparison to the rest of his attire. Nothing but a synthetic leather jacket and puffy wool pants to keep warm. He wore a revolver at his side, resting in its worn holster. Looking off to the side, he motioned to something out of her view. A door creaked open, the sound filling the cavern, and up she was brought, being dragged along by the two Rovers.

She shut her eyes. It was all a dream. It was just a drunken stupor, and Kramov was dragging her back to her onyovka, the tiny apartment so many Wojteki lived in, bearing only a bed, a desk, a television screen, lighting, and a closet. She could not hold her alcohol as well as the other women, yes, that was her reasoning. She was just drunk.

And then she sobered up as soon as she was brought face to face with a television screen. Her hands were still cuffed, although they were now stuck behind the chair she sat in. A screen was brought down, and a projector was flipped on, starting with one scene.

There were a few heavily-armored Wojteki sitting at a table, enjoying their cups of wojka and laughing with delight. It looked normal enough to Artyama, but it shifted immediately to something distateful. It zoomed out to show dens and barrows full of cramped, suffocated Wojteki, white hides covered in blood, arms reaching out to try and dig for air. All the while, the cheerful soldiers partied above them, on the surface below ground.

"This is your General Staff. The ones who control the Dominion." Batzko spoke up, pointing a stick at the top of the diagram, then dragging it downwards to the overly minute yet detailed amounts of the dead. "These are the 'loyal, brave soldiers' who risk their lives every day, to keep the Dominion alive. And what do they get?" Artyama was suddenly pushed forward, face-to-face with the diagram. "Have you not heard of District 5? When they rebelled against the Gentafers during the Void War? How they died, choking to their last gasps, because they refused to live any longer in isolation? How they wished to see the sun and moon rise in conjunction, across the sky?"

She shut her eyes. This was all a lie. There was still a District 5, still people living there. There was no way they suffocated, in such an area. "And how many perished? When they finally went down and took their tally, it was twenty-five thousand. Men, women, children, all of them. Those they found with air masks they shot under the charge of treason. Those who committed this atrocity swore never to speak of it." Batzko suddenly stood in front of her, towering over with a glare. "I was a Kamra on 'clean-up duty' that day. The purge of District 5 is something you would not find in the archives, nor spoken of by your relatives. To go against the Gentafer is treason. To go against the Supreme Commander is treason. To be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, is treason. For that matter is why we are Rovers."

Artyama's eyes came alight with fury. Rovers. Liars. Traitors. She again tried to leave her seat, but was held down by Artyom's hands behind her. "You may think we are unreasonable. We are foolish, to try and rebel. I assure you, there are plenty like me that are wounded from the actions the General Staff and Supreme Commander have taken against their own subordinates. You do not simply go through life, without incident." Batzko went over to the projector, flipping to the next slide. Now in front of her were two faces: one of Carpulski, and one of Szachslaszi, greatly exaggerated in features to look like demons. Underneath them was a single word: "Tyrants."

"Did you know Supreme Commander Carpulski frequently ordered death sentences on Wojteki who sought to establish trade with the Vaspenians and Tari? No one was safe. The lowliest worker and the most loyal Gentafer were at risk of an execution. Those years after the War of the Fangs became known as the 'Crimson Months', with how many were killed." The presentation stick tapped against the torn-up, wretched face of Carpulski, then moving to the red-eyed, clawed mug of Szachslaszi. "This svolich is why we are here. In 2040, he ordered the purge of District 16, an upper-class area set only for Kaptensks and their families. When it was completed, he turned the entire area into his personal home. Every hallway, every piece of technology, going to waste while he lingers somewhere within. In 2050, he ordered the death of Orshak, a Pova of fifteen years, for agreeing to give fuel to a Tari merchant caravan. In 2055, he limited the amount of children to be bred per family down to two; any more would be left out on the surface to die, because he himself lost all of his children during the Void War. Now, about the purge of District 5..."

The information was too much for Artyama to handle. She shut her eyes, reminding herself again and again. It was all a dream. It was all a dream...

[b]District 5
2040[/b]

"Kamra Batzko! Why have you not cleared this room out?!" The broad-hatted Kaptensk shouted at the goggled Kamra. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air, emanating from various onyovkas in the hallway. The latter held a flamethrower in his hands, one finger parallel to the trigger pump, while the other held the handle. The pump was connected to a snaking wire, where two Dobrevirite-powered tanks were placed within. They were guarded by the heavy steel capsule, with only a thin slit to denote whether they were active or not. In the hands of a professional, it was a deadly close-quarters weapons, capable of searing down to the bone. In the hands of the young Batzko, however, he could not use it for his life.

"T-There's a family that's still alive, Kaptensk! I-I--"

"If I must, I'll deal with them myself!" The larger Wojteki almost opened the doorway, until Batzko forced himself through, coming face to face with the family. The Kaptensk slid from around the Kamra, loading a clip of six bullets into his revolver while he spoke. "By the order of Supreme Commander Carpulski, as citizens of District 5, you are sentenced to death for treason and..." He went silent. The two adults, husband and wife, were both riddled with bullets. Possible they were already dealt with by a previous crew. The child cried, pulling at its mother's hands, repeating over and over. "Mama, mama..." A tear dragged down Carpulski's eye, only to hear a bang. He shut his eyes, the Kaptensk walking away with one order: "Do your job. Not a shred of mercy for traitors to the Dominion."

[b]Unknown Region, Unknown Sublayer[/b]

"I left for the surface shortly afterwards. After what I had done, I sought death." Batzko was now sitting in a chair, the projector turned off, facing Artyama, who had calmed down. There were also tears in her eyes, biting into the binding at her mouth. Artyom patted her on the shoulder, trying to keep her comforted.

"I went out into the Isalkan land, trying to find some animal to maul me down. And then the Rovers found me. We all told the same stories, purges of families and former soldiers, executions out of spite rather than denying duty, deaths of the innocent than the guilty. Whenever there is a tragedy, there is comm silence. When it ends, things continue as normal. That is how life is underground, is it not?"

Artyama lowered her head, shaking it gently. Batzko stood up, returning his seat to a nearby chair as he looked around the room. "It is why you came after Artyom, is it not? A Gentafer wanted him dead for insulting his intelligence, and he fled to us." Reluctantly, she nodded once, with the former Kamra continuing. "Petty things over heavy prices. This is why we are Rovers. When we kill the General Staff and the Supreme Commander, we will restore the Dominion to its rightful place. No longer will tyrants rule over the rest of our race. We as individuals will rule over this continent, and we will restore what is right to the world."

Finally, Artyama was unlocked from her chains, tearing the cloth from her mouth and allowing her to speak. "And what are you supposed to replace the Supreme Commander and the General Staff with?"

Batzko only gave a short response. "The people."

[b]District 16, Sublayer X[/b]

So here I am, Dobryski thought to himself. Face to face with the Supreme Commander himself, in the dreaded District 16. Ever since it was set up as the central information station, it was assumed everything would be automated. Yet, there was no sign of machines running across computers, checking and cross-checking data and locations. It was completely abandoned, except for a stream of lights leading him along the way. Just to calm his nerves, he withdrew his cigar and lit it with a shard of Dobrevirite, inhaling and exhaling.

The light seemed to go on forever, moving from corridor to corridor, until at last he was in front of an elevator. It looked to be non-functioning, until it powered on. By itself. The doors opened up, and he stepped inside, shutting tight as it slowly rolled downwards. It felt like time had stopped, as he waited for the elevator to halt. Was it even moving? It would be unsurprising if it was stuck, given how decrepit the whole place was.

Thankfully, he was patient. Minutes rolled by, and at last he was at the deepest part of the Dominion. There was darkness all over the outside of the elevator, not enough for its lights to pierce through a foot of it. But, he had to persevere. The floor markers shone, continuing to guide him through the area. If he did not know any better, it was likely he was in a cave. There were the distinct sounds of water dripping onto stone, and rocks shifting in place as spikes of Dobrevirite jutted forward from the planet's mantle. However, something snagged into his foot and tripped him over, pushing himself back onto his feet and bringing the metal up to check. An inactive computer. Old technology, with the screen built into a hefty machine full of buttons and measuring devices. Was this a technological graveyard, he wondered?

Suddenly, a light shone brightly from the other side of the vast room. He had to keep following, regardless of whatever was in his path. Safely and surely, he made it to the light, and stepped inside.

An entire room full of computer screens, with millions of small, mechanical constructions working from screen to screen, pressing buttons and scanning what was in them. From what he could see, there were a few that focused on Wojteki that were asleep, with one or two spending time with their children. Each robot worked a separate room, constantly searching for something, either contraband or dissenting material. That was what the TV was for, in his room. Much like the robots, there were millions of wires running through the whole complex structure, leading up and up into the ceiling, where it was dimly lit further upwards. Everyone in the Dominion was under surveillance, and not a single person given their privacy.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice snapped Dobryski's attention to the middle of the room, where the Supreme Commander himself was seated. He was surrounded by various screens, large and small, with wires leading into the arms of his seat. "Yes, Supreme Commander." Dobryski responded, walking over to the chair. "I am here, as ordered."