Echoes amid the static (Story) (Patreon)

I was feeling in the mood to experiment with some writing inspired by the last pic,and this came to my mind, I hope you liked it :D These are some of the hundreds of recorded calls preserved in Kosdusia's post-independence historical material. Most were found in the archives of the old military communications center located in Culumbu Isulari. The majority were military in nature, but among them are also conversations between civilians about everyday life in that former colony. Due to vinyl storage technology, many of these records were lost, and some were classified by the government. There is little information about the identities of many of the people who made the calls, so we can only use our imagination to guess what those people who lived their daily lives in a place called Isulari were like. Here are some examples exhibited in museumsRecording 1

General Ariel of Regime 27, Eastern Brigade of Columbus Isulari, as the political climate intensifies in the capital and following the recent attack on the council, it appears that there will be an increase in the cost of gas and supply imports to the state. To address this, Admiral Stuar has proposed redistributing products to a few stores in the center...

Recording 2

This is General Ariel of Regime 27. On January 28, a fighter jet was intercepted in Kosdusian airspace. Records indicate that it came from Brumaria and was taking aerial photographs of the bases in Columbus. The pilot is currently missing...-.-..--Recording 3

Due to the current situation, most of the generals are about to mobilize all military equipment to the west, near Albion.

Confirmed, most of the equipment has been mobilized and will be leaving first thing in the morning, but due to fuel issues, we will have to leave a lot of valuable equipment behind in order to arrive safely.

Let that shit stay behind, let's see if those damn secretaries pay for their stupidity out of their own pockets.

I didn't vote for Ebenizer; the bastard changed parties as soon as he saw the storm coming, and he's still asking for funds to renovate the capital. I do not doubt that the bastard is focusing more on winning the support of the capital's party.

Son of a bitch, he leaves us stranded in the middle of his political fight, so much effort building this damn city in the middle of nowhere, only for them to come up with that.

Here we just send remittances, now it turns out that a glass of milk costs me an entire rent, people are already leaving the city.

Name, damn wall, there can't be a day when I wake up and see what it's costing to maintain it, and all for what? So that a damn giant dog can come along and knock it down with one kick? We already told him, Ebenizer, we don’t need to keep building his damn shitty wall.

It won't be worth it starting tomorrow, so why get angry? We're just wearing ourselves out to then go out and make our house look nice on the day of the announcement.

Well, let's see what I tell people, that there's no way around it, they're going to have to leave everything behind and go somewhere else.-.-.-.-.-...-.-.Recording 4

Have you ever wondered what lies behind those walls?

I don't know, my mother tells me monsters...

I once heard a group of police officers in a bar talking about giants living beyond the desert river.

Have you seen them?

I don't know, but I was in the library downtown and found a book in the legends section. It was a recent cartography encyclopedia, and it said that beyond the river there was a forbidden and dangerous land called Rodderlet, and that's where the giants live.

What's that story about Jack and the beanstalk?

NO! Hahah, it said they lived in savage tribes and ate people.

Do they eat people? Well, then, they really are monsters who live there.

Maybe... but...

I don't know, it sounds crazy to think that they exist in this world. I mean, I was born here, but most of our parents emigrated from Konia. My grandfather has always told me that these are lies invented by Brumaria sympathizers to prevent us from exploring beyond.

Well, even so, I don't think it's a good idea to go out on your own. Don't you remember that incident a year ago with the Jarkabir? That thing swallowed 10 people in one bite and it was quite an odyssey to hunt it down.

Ah, that giant rat. God, that was terrifying. My mother wouldn't let us go outside until the military put up the electric fence. Even then, I couldn't go out without thinking one would come out of nowhere.

If a rat the size of a truck could take on a platoon, imagine how many other huge creatures live beyond the wall...

Hmm, true, even so, it's such a vast and mysterious world, it sounds tempting to climb the wall and just peek behind it a little, hehe.

You wouldn't be able to climb it without a soldier shooting you. Remember, we're at war with Konia.

Phew, that's in the capital. Who would come all the way here just for a small town in the middle of nowhere?

A military base disguised as a town. Aah, don't even say anything. The way things are going, it looks more and more like they want to send me to the front...-.-.-.-.-.-,,,,

Recording 5

Lieutenant Albert Halvens of the 27th Exploration and Reconnaissance Regiment, diary 45, on this latest expedition to analyze the terrain near the river, I was drawing a sketch of the plain when I suddenly looked up from my notebook to the horizon and saw a black figure, a kind of silhouette, among the huge yellowish rocks. It was a person. For a second, I thought it was one of the soldiers who had come with me, but no, it looked strange. It seemed to be wearing dark-colored fabrics that fluttered in the wind, and I don't know, it had a white mask with holes and something like antlers on its head. I got a little excited. He was staring at me without moving, and I tried to shout at him and get closer, but he was behind the river, and we weren't supposed to cross without permission. The man with the mask looked at me for a few seconds and then jumped away, disappearing behind the rocks. I tried to report this to my superiors, and they told me that he was probably a native of Priamya, as there are many native sites, especially in this region of the country. But I had never seen one go beyond the river's limits, and obviously, I'm not going to go any further with a small reconnaissance team without the proper weapons in case one of those giant animals shows up. It's a shame I didn't capture the moment, even with my camera hanging from my chair. It all happened so fast... This land is strange. I won't say it's cursed, but it certainly does things to people. There are nights when I can't sleep. Who was that guy, and what was he doing so far away, in that forbidden land? My superiors joke that maybe it was an illusion, a suggestion from the legends I've heard since joining this base. Maybe it was, maybe... -,.-,-,-.,-,.-,,.-,.-,

Recording 6

Based on what has been predicted, it seems almost certain that control of the city will move to the neighboring state, as General Ariel indicated. Only what is necessary will be moved, leaving most of the infrastructure behind to save fuel.

It was always a bad project. If the partisans thought they could manage logistics in such a remote area in times of crisis, what did they expect?

I know, but before this war with Konia broke out, the plan was still to continue with the expansion of the city.

Well, here we are, two years later, with an economic stagnation and paying a debt to the allied power.

It's enough to make one cry. Holding back my anger at the council gave me a stomachache, and they still put me next to him for the meeting photo.

We could open some industries that would diversify the market with the region's resources.

Look, I've always said it, Kosdusia has everything it needs to do many things and be more, but noooo! The party bureaucrats prefer to keep signing treaties that only benefit one side.

Then with the Ebenezer project to open the maritime corridor, a lot is still needed to rehabilitate the port, which will raise taxes in all states.

This idiot still wants to pay the debt with another debt. We've told him hundreds of times that if they think the UCG is coming as a white knight to save us just because we export rare metals, sooner or later they'll make us pay for those favors.

I read that you wouldn't attend the final signing?

No, they vetoed me for being too “radical,” and for what? Just to watch Ebenizer's bootlickers flatter the UCG ambassador? I'd rather shoot myself than sell out to that bunch of vultures. There you see them flattering the ambassador: The treaty will strengthen ties between the nations of the UCG and Kosdusia. You are absolutely right, Mr. President. Let me suck your dick. FUCK THE UCG, FUCK THIS DAMN COUNTRY, FUCK YOU EBENIZER!-.--..-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Recording 7

–.-.-.-in.-.-.-cupboard.-..-.-.-.-. From the rooftop, -.-.-...--.-.-.-. we have a complete view of the mountains.

I can imagine how cold it must be up there.

Yes, it's a bit intense at night, but luckily, in summer it's sunny most of the day.

Huh, and how is it, you know, living in the new world?

Heh, it's funny, sometimes I walk through the park, and sometimes the trees they planted make you feel like everything is in proportion to your size, but then I look outside the fence and see how even the tallest wall can't reach beyond the base of the trees. It's so surreal that a grain of sand can be held between my thumb and index finger like a small ball.

You should send me a postcard of that. Do you think you can come at the end of the year?

I don't know, with Konia blocking us, the government prefers to send smaller cargo ships to go unnoticed, although that increases the risk of sinking in storm barriers...

...Well, even so, I'll try to see what I can do or sell in case you have to pay extra to the generals.

Don't worry, I have everything in order, and let's hope for the best. You know, Abbi has planted some tubers, and they seem to be sprouting like daisies. I think this is a good start for us.

You'll see, it's just a bad streak; things will work out soon.

Let's hope so. The air is very clean, and I've never seen such a starry sky, not like the three stars you usually see in the sky over Konia. Well, I have to go now because the lady here wants to go to sleep already.

Haha, say hi to her for me. See you later.

Goodbye, good morning over there, and good night from here!

Goodbye, I love you, son...