The first bell of Tikograd Elementary Education School 12 "Mountain Climb" cuts through the air. The loudspeakers crackle, and the morning anthem begins. All the Children around me stop chattering and stand ramrod straight within moments.

  We stand in lines while the anthem plays its instrumental part. The flag hangs above us, its green faded from the smoke. Guess I know now what the next Punishment will be, probably not even that bad. More tedious than anything, even tough he never received one in the one and a half Years he has been an involuntary participant in this disturbing recreation of Japanese Nazi Germany.

  “Loyalty is strength. Strength is unity. Unity is life.” Instructor Zhang Rui says it at the same time it comes out of the Speaker.

  “Loyalty is strength. Strength is unity. Unity is life.” Twenty Three Children repeat it with the same cadence, me one of them.

  The shortened Version of the Anthem comes to an end, and the Instructor walks among the Children in the Morning Ritual of 'Ask them a Question they should better know'.

  “Little Wei,” he says, pointing to the first row. “Who governs Tikograd?” he points to the green Symbol on his green Uniform. Fashion not one of the Confederation's strengths.

  "The Local Governor by will of the Chancellor and the Noble Houses."

  “And beneath them?”

  “Minor houses serving the Confederation. House Qing-Liang, for example.” Wei being the little shit he is always and using the only Noble House not represented with a Child in the room as an example of being 'lesser'. Or maybe he just didn't want to step on any toes.

  Zhang Rui nods once. “Correct." He changes his tone into something we were trained to repeat by Instinct. "Loyalty through hierarchy.”

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  We repeat the Axiom in loud voices.

  He turns his head. “Comrade Xiu. What lesson does the Third Succession War teach us?” Now comes the part where he asks us about a topic we had in the last week.

  Xiu glances down, then answers. “Unity is survival. Disunity invites ruin.”

  Zhang Rui folds his arms. “And what battle proved that truth, Little Xiu?”

  Xiu hesitates. “The… the Battle of Ulan, sir? 2989?”

  A short pause.

  Then Zhang Rui gives a thin smile. “Good. The Invasion of Ulan reminded us that a moment of carelessness loses more lives than many weapons. Our Men were betrayed by fake Merchants that housed Spies from the Federated Suns. But when those tried to undermine us, they failed. Maskirovka Agents were able to stop them from carrying bombs into important places” He leaned towards us and spoke quietly. "Yes, even Schools"

  The reaction to it was understandably negative. This being one of the time the Instructor allowed speaking without being prompted, my classmates started booing and calling them slurs. I booed with them to fit in.

  After a moment, he raised his left Hand and the Class became quiet again.

  He moves on. “Little Liao. Name a victory that defines our courage.”

  “The Battle of Tula, sir, in 2092” Liao says quickly. “When the Confederation repelled the Davion invaders.”

  "How? Did they not have more Men than us?" The tone he took clearly meant for Liao to 'correct' him. Both Actors in this conversation knew the role they had to play.

  "We knew our City better than them and made traps!" Liao Guo Huang spoke with clear anger, and the Instructor rewarded him with a smile.

  Zhang Rui nods, turns, and stops in front of me.

  “Little Zhang. Why do we fight for the Confederation?”

  “For the Chancellor’s vision, sir,” I say. “Because loyalty gives order, and order gives peace.”

  He studies me. “And why is that peace worth fighting for?”

  The question isn’t in the book. I pause just long enough to show thought, not doubt, and blink at him while slowly answering.

  “Because peace built by the Chancellor belongs to everyone, sir. If we do not defend it, the greedy and divided will tear it apart again.”

  Zhang Rui’s expression softens a fraction. He looked like an old man, tired of teaching children how to hate. Or maybe he just liked my answer. “Correct. Peace without loyalty is false peace.”

  We repeat the Axiom in loud voices.

  He claps his hands. “Change for Physical Education. Five minutes. Last one has to run an extra lap.”