The Economist ~ London set us free

Day 1,397, 15:56 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Spite313


Dear friends,

Today London has fallen. Who it has fallen to, how hard they fought, and whether their victory was deserved is irrelevant. The blow wasn’t because the region was a particularly big loss, or had much strategic value, but simply because of the emotional value we attached to the fortress which had never fallen.

Under constant attack for over two years, since we joined PEACE GC, London has been the one place we have held. It’s been the wall upon which many foreign armies have broken. But the reason it existed, and the reason we kept it as a fortress, is gone. One region is now no longer any harder to take than any other, and our wall is not to do with population numbers. Our wall is the strength and determination of our people and our allies.

In the face of attack we stood side by side with all our brothers from ONE, and our allies Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Chile and many, many others. Our solidarity was our wall. Our common goal and spirit was our wall.

In many ways the defeat in London comes as an emotional blow. About halfway through the final battle I realised that even if we won this round, our chances of winning another were slim. Despite Alfagrem’s massive tanking in our defence, he is just one man and can only fight so much. Canada had five tanks hitting in the end, and though it sounds trite, five can click faster than one.

However the loss of London also frees us. It liberates every British citizen from the tie to the capital. Whereas before we were a solid thing, a target, now we are fluid. We have no heart, no capital. We are, as I am wont to say, a fully mobile force. We can appear anywhere, we can hit anywhere. Every region is equal, all can be lost without serious consequence. We have changed from a fortress into a nation of soldiers, where every citizen is capable of hitting anywhere.

Losing London could have cost us everything. Instead, it has set us free.