12 September, Space Year 90.
After the crushing defeat in the war against the Republic of Kepler-463C and Earth, the government of New Hope was forced to sign the Treaty of New York upon Earth itself, under the weight of grievous conditions:
The cession of all disputed territories to the adversary.
A one-hundred-year concession of resource rights to Earth.
The drastic reduction of armed forces and fleets.
War reparations amounting to 6,000,000,000 Earth dollars.
The consequences were catastrophic: inflation soared above fifty percent, the populace descended into despair, and the government forfeited the last remnants of legitimacy. Amidst this collapse, a name returned to the lips of the people—not as that of a mere schoolgirl, but as the emblem of defiance: Aelyzabeth von Thors, called Alisu, of Berlyn.
Mein Krieg – My War.
In response, Aelyzabeth authored Mein Krieg—a work that shook both academia and politics to their core. It was no ordinary book of philosophy, but rather her solemn declaration of intent. Its pages contained:
A searing critique of a political system that had failed to safeguard its people.
A challenge to the legitimacy of a world government that favored the victors.
A vision of centralized governance under a resolute and unyielding leader.
A clarion call for the people to rise in defense of sovereignty and honor.
Philosophical meditations upon courage, sacrifice, and patriotism
Reprinted countless times within months, the book became the Manifesto of New Hope's Spiritual Revival, earning more than 160 million New Hope dollars. Citizens emblazoned her words on walls; certain phrases rose as rallying cries for students and workers alike.
Accusation and Trial.
When Earth's authorities charged Aelyzabeth von Thors with supporting insurrection, she refused extradition and demanded trial upon New Hope itself, declining the protections of juvenile law. Her statement resounded:"If I am to be judged, let it be upon the soil of Mein Vaterland."
Before a courtroom thronged with journalists and citizens, she stood clad in a black suit, her bearing unwavering, her voice resonant beyond her years:
"I did not sell arms to destroy my nation, but to defend it.I did not support terrorism, but resistance against injustice.If sacrifice for one's homeland is a crime, then I accept it with honor."
The prosecution invoked Mein Krieg as evidence of sedition. She replied with cutting clarity:
"My book is not an incitement to hatred, but a summons to thought.I did not write to divide, but to awaken—to dare to question, and to dare to love one's country."
She cited, with fearless precision, the illicit arms trade conducted by Earth's great corporations in other wars, shielded from scrutiny, and asked:
"If I am guilty for selling arms under the law, what of those who sell them unlawfully, unexamined and unpunished?Is my crime, then, the unveiling of a truth too many fear to utter?"
And she concluded:
"If I am to be charged at all, let it be for the crime of sacrificing myself for my nation and my land."
Her words moved the court to its feet in ovation; tears welled in the eyes of strangers. The jury voiced admiration, and the judge—while acknowledging her fragile state of mind from past traumas, certified by psychiatric testimony—declared her not guilty, subject only to probationary oversight.
The Verdict of Standing Tall.
This judgment did more than acquit her: it consecrated her as the Warrior of Truth. She became a beacon for the young; student and labor movements gathered beneath the mottos drawn from her work. The politics of New Hope trembled. Though the world government sought to silence her name, suppression only magnified its echo.
Thus, Aelyzabeth von Thors proved that even at thirteen years of age, armed with conviction and courage, one could rise to challenge the powers of an entire cosmos.
Thus ends Chapter B-III.