Alternate History - Gallia Triumphant!

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

1 September 826 AS
Cambridge University, Cambridge

Over nine months had passed since the end of the war and the beginning of the Gallic occupation. The Gallic authorities had hoped that, with the the end of a decade of war, the Bretonian people would be eager for a return to peace. Instead of resistance tapering off, however, across Bretonian space and beyond, resistance attacks had only become more fierce and widespread. Despite the attempts, through the occupation-controlled BBC, to control information coming in from Gallia, the resistance learned of the Council's continued victories as they slowly gained the upper hand against the Royal Navy. The Resistance knew that if they kept the pressure on, kept the GRN tied down in Bretonia, it would only be a matter of time before Bretonia would be free again.

Right now, though, none of that mattered to Constable Patel. He had joined the BPA to help keep the peace and to serve his community. He never wanted to be the face of an enemy occupation. Still, Cambridge was usually quiet, and his duties differed little from before the occupation. Today was not a normal day, however. A week before, Gallic soldiers had disrupted classes and taken a number of faculty and students into custody, including Lord John Mountbatten, Lecturer in the Political Science department and son of the Steward, Lord George Mountbatten. Since then, students walked out of classes and staged a protest on University grounds, demanding the release of the taken faculty and students.

At first, the protests had only been attended by a handful of students and were relatively peaceful. Since then, though, they had grown. Now, the entire student body had abandoned their classes and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly restive. Constable Patel held his riot shield ahead of him, in formation with his fellow officers, just trying to keep the protests contained. The students were pushing against the line, shouting insults at Patel and his comrades. He could hear his Sergeant, a collaborator recently assigned to his unit, shouting at the students through a loudspeaker, ordering them to disperse and threatening the use of force.

Just ahead of him, he saw a young woman, she reminded Patel of his own daughter, respond to the sergeant's orders with a two-fingered gesture. Just then, he heard a weapon go off and saw the young woman collapse to the ground. Patel saw his sergeant, sidearm in hand. Without thinking, he drew his own pistol and shot his sergeant. The murder of the young student, no older than 19, had been the last straw for him. Everything around him went silent, as everyone stood stunned at the sudden violent turn things had taken. Students and police alike paused for a brief moment that seemed an eternity. Then, up and down the police lines, officers turned on the collaborators in their ranks.

The Cambridge Uprising had begun.