[Battletech] A Life Worth Living For

1 = Beacon
2 = Salvation

Food is not merely one of the most fundamental building blocks of humanity, but one half of the duet that makes their existence possible. Without it, they die; with it, they have a chance to become more than nature adapted them for. It is true and undeniable that food, alongside water, is the most critical aspect of any society. And thus, it should not be a surprise that the government of Praya prioritized the growth of its agriculture sector once its starting population of around one million began to bloom into nearly 14 million within a century, edged on by pioneer spirit, opportunity, clever policies, and generous subsidies to large families.

Thanks to Glowple, terraforming efforts increased with every year, soil and Terran plants spreading ever outward from every center and laboratory they erected to control and boost their efforts, thousands of cubic meters of arable soil soon becoming hundreds of kilometers that could support agriculture. Provided they were carefully husbanded and watched over, of course. A watch established by a nation not eager to see what a collapse of its food production and resulting famine would look like, even as farmers and magnates grumbled and complained about the regulations and prohibitions regarding fertilizers or building restrictions.

And while farms began to sprout, and their products were being shipped back by trains and into the waiting arms of an industry slowly roaring into life within every established city, so too began something else to sprout, rot, and grow.

Graffiti of slogans and art began to adorn walls and trains, streets and houses, depicting politicians and questions, people and chains, the innocent underneath the guilty rising to the top. Flyers talked about injustice and the dream of their parents and grandparents being trampled with two feet, two hands, and a gun. Police found closed doors where before they had amenable witnesses. Politicians saw newspapers closed or journalists removed that asked a bit too much or too insistently about things they'd instead have buried for their liking. Some had had enough with the "Democratic" Government of Praya, their clear favoritism and cultural exclusion of non-Indians, and their near-total refusal to do more than the minimum to achieve cultural co-existence at the least. Those tried to leave. They now rot in prisons for treason and attempted subversive actions. Workers wanted more than what they were given and only got violence and repression instead. Industries began to be labeled as critical to the planet's survival, and to strike as an employee of those made illegal, while others saw wages garnished for the loss of production. Incidents spread around the planet popped up, myriad and manifold, of a thousand and one injustices being created, all disconnected, none of which the perpetrators knew another.

And yet, wherever unrest was, the government also noted a symbol of a clenched black fist rising, blue, red, orange, and white flames flickering within.

This could not stand. They had not settled the planet only to be brought low by malcontents, dissenters, and anarchists who wished for their destruction. Something had to be done. And be done now.

[][Unrest Crackdown] Fund The Police
[][Unrest Crackdown] Harsh Sentences For Dissenters
[][Unrest Crackdown] Digital Watchmen

[][Burning Hand] Grassroot Workers
[][Burning Hand] First In Duty
[][Burning Hand] Unified Command