The Fracture of Society.
17–23 January, Space Era 92.
After the death of Anya, the grief and fury of Aelyzabeth von Thors were unleashed through her incendiary pamphlet, "Margaret Has Slain My Daughter." Its words spread like fire across New Hope, cleaving society in twain.
The faction that believed Aelyzabeth proclaimed Margaret a grasping woman who had murdered even her own niece to seize inheritance and succession. They gathered in the streets, branding her the "Witch of Berlyn."
The faction that disbelieved accused Aelyzabeth of twisting her sorrow into slander, blaming her sister to conceal her own failure in the genetic experiment that had doomed her child.
The avenues of the capital resounded with clashes, insults, and division, as though the wound of the House of Thors had become the wound of the nation itself.
The Command of Vengeance
On the 17th of January, consumed by wrath, Aelyzabeth commanded her husband, Vito Vilozyver, to slay Ben Karlstanley, the infant son of Margaret — a babe who had scarcely opened his eyes to the world.
Yet when the moment came, Vito faltered. He clasped his wife's hand and declared with solemn weight: "Whether Margaret be guilty or not… you are too exalted to stoop to the murder of a child."
His words struck her heart like a hammer-blow. She fell silent, then withdrew her command. But her hatred for Margaret only deepened, a fire that would never die.
In her soul, she would never admit that Anya's death was wrought by her own reckless meddling with nature. In Aelyzabeth's eyes, there was but one culprit — Margaret.
The Forbidden Experiment.
Thereafter, Aelyzabeth returned to her laboratory, swearing never again to falter. She conceived a new enterprise, more audacious and more terrible than before. No longer content with artificial bodies or mere cloning, she resolved to employ living human vessels as subjects of genetic perfection.
The venture was both unlawful and an outrage to all moral conscience. Yet Aelyzabeth proclaimed:"A law that hinders mankind's advance is no law worthy of obedience."
Political Upheaval.
On the 23rd of January, Astral Year 92, the politics of New Hope flared anew.
Rudolf von Escheinsen, once stripped of command yet still beloved by many, resigned formally from the army and entered the political sphere in civilian dress.
That same week, Margaret announced her candidacy for Parliament in the capital city of Berlyn, under the banner of the Democratic Party — a liberal faction devoted to constitutional ideals.
The announcement struck Aelyzabeth like a public insult, a slap delivered before the entire nation.
The Founding of the National Party.
Aelyzabeth retaliated without delay. She proclaimed the birth of the National Party- a far-right movement blending fervent nationalism, militant humanism hostile to alien life, and open disdain for democracy.
In her founding oration she declared:"Democracy is but a delusion that weakens nations. Humanity needs strength, not ballots. We need leaders, not mobs."
Rudolf von Escheinsen was drawn into her cause at once, lending the fledgling party both political prestige and the aura of military authority.
Army and Treasure.
At that time, New Hope's armed forces languished, underfunded and enfeebled. Aelyzabeth poured her private fortune into their renewal, aided by the vast industrial wealth of the Zunzerlyser consortium.
Yet her ingenuity did not rest there. She devised a singular scheme of funding: every portrait, every poster, every image of her used in party propaganda must be purchased from her directly. Thus the National Party coffers swelled, even as her visage began to dominate the streets of Berlyn.
Posters, banners, emblems — all bore the likeness of Aelyzabeth. Subtly, inexorably, she was fashioning a cult of her own person.
The Birth of a New Creed.
Whispers rose among the populace, hailing her as "Mother of the Nation."
Thus the National Party spread its influence across New Hope, wielding the tragedy of Anya as fuel to ignite hatred and fear. From mourning was born a movement — and from the ashes of grief, the beginnings of a creed that would reshape a world.
Thus ends Chapter B-X.