New Jericho
by Allen Stroud
We are the last of humanity and we must unite.
The virus came here and broke us because we were divided. The politics of nations, the racism and prejudice, the hubris and selfishness. All of it, left us weak and vulnerable to something unexpected.
They came at us and defeated us. Individually, we are lucky to have survived, to continue to exist as a species.
I refuse to accept survival. Earth is ours, I will not forsake it. We can rebuild and create a future for our children if we raise our heads and work together, accepting our lot and our common cause.
In rebuilding and resisting, we must be vigilant. The alien is subtle and twisted. The blood of the xeno runs in the veins of the weak. Many have accepted corruption in order to live, but they aren’t really survivors; inside, they are already dead.
We must liberate them with the gun, the knife and the sword.
Across the world, there are secret bases where people can find safety. We test everyone, screening blood and DNA to ensure there are no infected amongst them. Those who come to us have a chance at a future. Life is hard, but fair, children learn about the what we once had, what we will have again.
I have a plan to defeat the alien. I have faith in the ingenuity of our species. Humanity has defeated every challenge it has ever faced. This is the ultimate test, to defeat an enemy that wishes to supplant us. Only through the our collective will can we overcome what seeks to destroy us.
The night is coming, but we will not go quietly. Only by being brave and loud will we pass through the dark and onwards into a brave new dawn. If we can’t win, we will make an end that carves our fate onto the flesh of our foes, taking them with us into hell.
Tobias West
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Phoenix Project Comment:
It was to be expected that in a moment of crisis, those without hope or understanding would gather around leaders who project confidence and some sort of solution to the world’s problems.
An external enemy provides a focus to distract from division and in this sense, the concept of ‘New Jericho’ - a united human nation, created to oppose the alien threat, is in itself a romantic vision of resistance; or would be, if it wasn’t a risk to our very existence.
The leaders of this movement see warfare and military technology as the sole solution to our predicament. Many of them refuse to accept that blunt solutions failed in the past, during the Third World War. There is a cult of personality around them, a belief that they will succeed with the same tactics as others who failed before them.
Tobias West rose to prominence during the 2020s. His security and technology firm, Vanadium Inc developed a respected reputation escorting the world’s largest shipping containers as they criss crossed the globe. West’s people were amongst the first to encounter the mist and its inhabitants. Survivors from Vanadium Inc expeditions quickly became consultants for different countries as they tried to resolve the issue, but, according to West, they weren’t listened to, as national governments preferred to blame and turn on each other instead.
West is American by birth but has cultivated an international reputation, anchoring his business interests in India, East Africa and China. It is this broad cultural experience that makes him charismatic and appealing to those who see no other solution. He served in the US Army before the secession and war, completing two tours in Syria, reaching the rank of Major. After this, he resigned his commission, founded his business and spent much of the next decade abroad. His voting record was right leaning and Libertarian, and he made significant donations to senatorial campaigns prior to the ‘big egg’ incident of 2027, which his company were peripherally involved in, having supplied two security guards to the Halpine-Mcallister oil rig, Echo Gamma 18.
The rise of the New Jericho movement in the last five years has seen West return to people’s attention. His radio and video broadcasts are distributed via any means possible. Live transmission is dangerous, but still something his organisation chooses to risk. Otherwise, recordings on portable formats are taken from settlement to settlement, bringing hope to those who thought they’d been forgotten and abandoned.
At its core, New Jericho retains the Vanadium Inc objective of enhancing humanity’s capacity through technology. Much of the developed resource and research was lost during the war and the difficult years that followed, but the principles were retained and a new generation of scientific thinkers are being drawn to the central hub of the movement.
The aims of New Jericho are useful to us, but there is a need to be cautious when dealing with them. Their manufacturing base for a variety of conventional military hardware is extensive and they have begun research and development into deploying innovative technologies on to the battlefield. However, the wide base of the organisation means a wide spread of conflicting ideas, some of which threaten to splinter them before they can achieve their aims. Their appeal for a ‘united humanity’ hides a prejudice against those they do not define as human.