Post

Mapubù, Chandìse-Duolnjiè Region, East Beiguojia

Five olive-clad jeeps climb up the sharp cliffs of Duolnjiè ‘neck’- a tall and long albeit thin extension of mountain ranges extending into Beiguojia from the east. Although closer to a tail, the mountain range was unusual in contrast to the surrounding topographically-flat landscape, having no gradual slopes like the persisting Hignausean Lemnaupti mountains that it extended from. Tens upon tens if not hundreds of meters of granite and other stones, the near straight incline made them seemingly unscalable- and for a long time that remained a reality.

With continued advents, they were conquered and built upon by the Beiguojian authorities, and ascended by the true people’s government of the country. New fortifications and military posts were erected upon the sharp stone walls. Bunkers, gun-nests, and entire military bases were hundreds of meters from flat terrain with a few easily defensible access points up into the well-defended heavens. The stone wall faded, and grew browner in color, before quickly transitioning into mud-brick and green fauna. On top of the great incline the jungle ecosystem continued, all consuming and inescapable as before across the entire Eastern territories. Nestled in the high altitude forests, East Beiguojian soldiers were stationed in great numbers- as the Duolnjiè Neck became a hotspot for the people’s army and air force military operations.

Now, the neck craning southwards acted as a grand vantage spot over the jungle, whose canopy continued on indefinitely, its leaves swaying with the motion of the wind like the waves of an ocean. The row of jeeps quieted as they pushed their way over the neck’s top-slope, and onto manageable land. The stress their vehicles exerted came to a simmer, and the worst of the climb seemed over. Straddling the edge of the cliffside, on one side laid thinner mountainous jungle and on the other- the dropping Shérăn Jungle, and the great chasm of the Beiguojian Chandìse Plain.

Shedding any divisions between them, seemingly all of the passengers gazed out the south-facing window towards the distant equatorial plain. No matter how many times one had made the trip, the distant plain and the emerald green of the surrounding jungle was a sight to behold. To many Beiguojians, the jungle meant a constant battle for land and resources- here, it shielded the serene plain and her peoples. A flat, grassy hole in the middle of the rainforest. Despite any differences between the two- the Beiguojian and the Thelenassian, each’s eyes wowed where the mouths did not over the awe-encapsulating view- which was quickly taken from them as convoy of jeeps took a turn into the elevated jungle, quickly pulling into the front gate of an unusually flat military base- hidden in the shadows under the canopy.

Even between the buildings, jungle trees reached up into the sky. The walls that were clearly in view quickly faded, hidden behind tight streets and mud-brick buildings- like quickly identified barracks, a communications building, and more. Rows of soldiers trained in a distant courtyard like sardines, although the clearing was no bigger than to fit a few ranks in. The convoy of jeeps went through large parts of the thin military base as quickly as they came, and pulled onto a side road before quickly exiting the base. Behind him, a clearing some tens of meters big laid flat along the cliffside.

Baked into the dirt was some marking, and was only seen for a second as the convoy came to a halt and the Beiguojians quickly got to work. The drivers got out, and the monitory staff swiftly exitted to make room for the Thelenassian envoys. Everyone enjoyed a shared moment of stretching their legs as they fell into groups standing around each other.

After a few moments, the sharp sputter and hum of a helicopter came into full focus, formerly shrouded by the all-consuming jungle and windy skies. In the distance, a large cargo helicopter came to a sharp but controlled descent straight towards the makeshift helipad, dropping tens of meters quickly before leveling out and circling around to better fit his fuselage on the center of the dirt landing pad. The group of people fell back closer to the parked jeeps and hid behind them as the helicopter touched down- its dual rotors whipping dirt, leaves, and sticks around in every direction. In time, they fell into two lines and entered the helicopter, sprinting through the twister-like wind and into and up its large back transport ramp.

Being all soldiers, they fell into instinct and fastened themselves into the hard and tacky seats of the transport helicopter, and prepared to ascend up back into the sky…

…There was an adjoining objective between the two- Oil. To the Thelenassians, selling oil to the East Beiguojians meant a profit, assurement of ties, and a tool against the democracies of the Sahaldna, while to the East Beiguojians, it was a necessary deal with the devil that brought both shame and security…

…Now, Thelenassians were seeing firsthand the complicated relationship of the Jungle and Beiguojia, how it defined the State, its policy, and its interactions with the foreign world. Encapsulated into bubbles of civilization along river banks and in any and all arable land, the Jungle quieted the Beiguojian nation from outside clutter and isolated it. Hundreds of miles of dense rainforest that would eventually tear and absorb back anything implanted impurely upon its soils.

The helicopter veered southwest towards the true Thelenassian-Beiguojian border from its position where the three nations of the People’s Republic, the Kaccinate, and the Borunate met. In the distance, the bright green jungle pitched higher up, and faded into a more temperate if not dry xeric green. Barely taken upon by the East Beiguojians, a familiar sight to the Thelenassians, the Qitum forests, poured over the border some until the eventual international-exchange point.

It had been decided that the oil-exchange agreement between the two would pitch up towards the People’s Republic and spawn the creation of a new pipeline. For another tens upon tens of kilometers Qitum’s forests shrouded any Thelenassian industry and population hubs away from the equally empty Beiguojian side of the border. With military bases sprinkled through the area, little infrastructure existed to support the large-scale construction of a pipeline, which would have to be built one piece at a time.

The helicopter slowed, drawing near to the border, and slowly did a loop north as the Thelenassians and Beiguojians got to talking- using automatic and generative translators to talk back and forth about the length and logistics of the pipeline.

While smaller connections existed, a new extension could be added to the oil pipeline running through Yeprouhi that could get vast quantities of Thelenassian oil to East Beiguojia as one of the close economically and infrastructurally rich population hubs of the Thelenassian northeast- and East Beiguojia would build off of preexisting rail and plastic-transportation infrastructure as a basis for the “Yeingbihe (Yeprouhi) -Adalang” Oil Route.

Each of them knew where a majority of this oil and compounding resources would go- into the mouth of the East Beiguojian Army, flooding new streets with tanks and blood as the People’s Republic continued to find new footing and revitalization amidst burgeoning fears of regional armageddon. Yet, it remained unspoken between all but the Borun and the Eastern Head of State.

Its path was traced out by the engineer’s eyes and on maps- marking waypoints, any additional infrastructure, and anything else as they traced invisible lines through the jungle canopy until it no longer concerned them. Maintenance stations and schedules would have been established to defend the pipeline against the elements- but that seemed small in comparison to the rest of the project. After more time and conversation, the talks died out, and each side seemed better prepared for the industrial project ahead of them…

Kapriel, Oksen, Thelenassy; Borunkogausea

Twelve people, eight men and four women, board an international flight for West Beiguojia without raising alarm. They look like one of the many proto-Asianic people of Indo-East Osea, and claim to be Qitomese, most of them originating from the oasis-like provincial capital. Their passports are native to Thelenassy, and only a few have other stamps.

In time, their plane departs the Borunate and arrives in West Beiguojia at medium capacity- most of the passengers being an equal part of the Asianic blend; Qitomese, Agrusgrazan, Tsolese, and Beiguojian descendents returning home to the villages and places their forefathers knew to see distant lands and equally distant family. They collect their luggage, depart the airport, and fade into the great masses of people traversing the Republic.

They have an eventual rendezvous point in mind; a contact deep out into the Comngchŭ Plain, far from the achings of urban civilization where the spirit of the revolution was continued despite all attempts to stamp out the farmer and worker’s dream. There, they will find the Voice of the Plains, and the tools to spread the wildfire of revolution across the drying plain.

Winter had come and gone, and now the essence of color started to return to the Comngchŭ. The dead and dried grass of the former year was gone and now new blades may rise where they did. Yet, they too shall perish.

If the flames would not singe the plain dry, the coming drought would.