Dispatches from Detroit- 6b
Toledo and Detroit
I never intended to become a priest. Probably wouldn't have been bad at it, I think I could do a good sermon. Perhaps that's what these dispatches are, secular sermons. Now I've also found myself giving confession as well.
Since the last dispatch, more people have come to me, to tell me about their own encounters with Victoria. Police who looked the other way in a murder. Council members who didn't fight when they should have. Sailors was unloading at Buffalo, who when he saw his men press ganged, left with half crew, rather than risk them getting them. Talked about how they could be those in the Victoria navy. Those who identified a woman who had come in via boat as a runaway when the Victorian's came looking, lest they be thought of it instead. We all got our sins, big and small.
I don't want to get to down on us. Got the stories of bravery we couldn't tell either. The captains who smuggled people away. The dockworkers sabotaging Victoria repairs. Sometimes both, such as a man who claims to have murdered a Vic, but hid letting others take the punishment. With this new freedom we have, perhaps the greatest freedom is the freedom to admit what we have done, for all our previous submissiveness wouldn't save us.
Wouldn't save us. Good thought, cause I don't think it would. I talked about the occupation not being kind, had we acquiesced to the Victorians. But, more I think about it, that wasn't only it. We've had a few good years in Detroit. Ships have been coming in, more and more, and I see new faces all the time. Yet I've felt a sense of unease, dread and I think I know why. It was too good, and Victoria don't like it that good along lake Erie. Even if we had followed them, they would have purged us. Perhaps more kindly, a few missing politicians here, a few confiscated supplies, but we were looking to have trouble soon. No Victorian would stand for a Detroitian being richer.
But a lot of people coming to me now. Even a man who ran from Toledo. Now I'll be honest, I've had my fair share of feelings about Toledo. We offered to be friendly, they turned our people away. They elected the warlord and destroyed the ways. Years before they were the ones who called in Victoria to force the river. I got a list o' grievances.
But well, I'm a reporter, I need to listen to others. And, having been appointed some sort of guide, I feel obligated to act respectably, to listen. So, I listened to him, how he hated the Victorian's and got out, but still had his grievances with Detroit. He wanted Victoria gone, but was no friend of us. He listed em, such as the winter of 63' where we paid through the nose for the food. He says that money doesn't turn to food by magic, and Toledo tried to buy that food to, but got outbid. Granted, in the end, we both went hungry. On the river, he talked about how we cut off access to the other great lakes for their boats, which I wanted to point out was river tolls, not cut access, and they called in Victoria, but I held myself.
Said he was surprised we were willing to defy em, after the swamp meeting. For those of you who don't know, about 20 years ago back when I was full of Vigor, couple of our representatives met a couple of theirs, looking to…. Partner up might be a generous word, but at least calm things down. Whole thing went belly up, and they started shooting, or, according to the Warlord's propaganda, we did.
Now, granted, several people are probably thinking they have an idea what went on, and it rhymes with euphoria and starts with a V. And maybe that's true, though I talked to some people who were there, and they swear the shots started at the meeting, not outside, so it had to come from someone there. Even if it was an unexpected guest, it met someone was compromised.
Would be nice thought though. To think all our problems are going to be solved if we win this, and even Toledo won't prove to be assholes, they just got Victoria. Who knows, maybe they didn't actually elect the warlord, that was all orcastrated by an outside force, and soon as that's gone they will be happy to meet up with us. I doubt it though, Victoria was happy to help us along, but both of us knew that only one of us would really control this area. Maybe Victoria prevented us from deciding to control it together, that I could more believe, but there is so much bad blood now.
Still, I'm trying to be high minded these days. So, doing it some thinking, I do confess a little sympathy for Toledo these days. Chicago is mighty helpful, but part of me worries that we are just going to become a protectorate of theirs. Trading one master for another, more explicit, one. Presuming the "they are just like Victoria, only pretending to be nice now and will turn if they win (which they won't)" is the Victoria propaganda that I think it is…. Well it would be nice to not have to live in fear, but giving up your identify, your independence, not sure how I feel about it, haven't really considered it before.
