In Continuum.

The Chancellor

(The following entry contains spoilers for the movie 'V for Vendetta'.Proceed only if you have watched the movie,or couldnt care less about spoilers.You have been warned.)

Who is The Chancellor?The Chancellor,in the movie's case,is a man named Adam Sutler.It all began with the country election,and the threat faced by Adam as he desperately seeked his leadership over the country.Desperate needs call for desperate measures,and due to that,a virus was invented.With that virus,was the cure.

The virus was spread through the train stations in London,St. Mary's and Three Waters(A water treatment plant),and because the party Sutler belonged had the cure to this virus,they mass produced it and sold to the Londoners.Because of this,the party won the election with a landslide victory and thus,the totalitarian state is born.

Have you read 1984,or Animal Farm by George Orwell?The way the government comes down on their people,putting ideas into their heads,with a constant reminder of why the people should need the government.Of course,'need' really is an unsuitable word.'Fear',really is the tool in all three stories.In 1984,in Animal Farm,and in V for Vendetta.These stories tell of how the leader of a community,rules over its people with fear,manipulating it to their own benefits.So much so,that the people are in a way,numbed by the state they are in,conforming to the desired mentality.

Of course,those are merely story books and graphic novels.But in real-life,my life,there is a living breathing chancellor.I think my CO is the chancellor of my life,and it's not even a title worthy enough to be labelled against his name.Sure,at a little more than thirty years old you are the overall commander of the battalion,which is admirable in military standards.But i wonder if he has ever looked deep enough into the eyes of his men,and see that burning sense of distrust and dread,the way we cheered only because he asked us to,the way we agreed because there were no other way around it.

Like i said before,the A levels is over for me,ATEC is over officially.It is a tradition to have Offs for the soldiers after this great big test.It's like the holidays after your examinations,you need a breather,right?Now,the result of ATEC is at such: 1,2A,2B,3 and 4.1,of course,is the very best any battalion can achieve,while 4 is the most undesirable result.It might even cause you to re-ATEC,something you wouldnt want to see happen to your own battalion,trust me.

Anyway,so we obtained a 2A,as it was later announced.I think it is a brilliant result,considering how much less i expected ourselves to get.Other battalions who recieved the same results,got their days off as well.I heard of a battalion(Im not too sure which one),getting a whooping 30 days off after their ATEC.2 SIR got 14 days off after their ATEC as well.

And as for us,40 SAR?THREE MOTHERFUCKING DAYS.That's right,that's not even close to half of what 2 SIR got for their efforts.Sure,you can say that some people placed in more efforts than the others.But i think to me,the result of "2A" isnt merely the result of ATEC,but our result for the two years we have in service.

This is not like the examinations you take in school.In school,if you get a great result,your parents give you that great big hug when you get home.Your teacher give you that 'Oh-i'm-so-proud-of-you' smile,and your friends congratulate(truthfully or not,that is besides the point)you,and you feel damn good about yourself.At least the results benefit you,right?You get into a good school,you get the course that you want,spending the next couple of years studying something you are good at,or at least interested in.

The test that we went through is radically different in that sense.We dont benefit in that sense.No matter how well we do,it is always going to be the Big Guys getting all the credits.You dont credit the pawns or the bishops on the chessboard for winning a game,but rather the players.This is what happens in military,the pawns get no respect and no recognition.

So the least you can do,as a player,is to give us the least of our desires: Offs.I dont even think five days is something out of this world.I think,in fact,that it is reasonable,for all the shit that you put us through,our great chancellor.And you gave us a miserable three days off.Yeah,three.Very generous of you,great chancellor.Your stingy attitude towards your men sure explains the reason why your bloody car is so absent of accessories.You arent even driving your own car,for Christ's sake!

I think it was Wednesday when i conjured that idea,while walking to the canteen with Alphonsus and Kenneth.All the commanders werent around,leaving only a handful of them.I was thinking about a coup of the camp,by taking over the guard room first,then the vehicle sheds.We'd seal off the front gates and the rear ones,guard those with the M113s.We have rounds in camp,and it wouldnt be a problem holding back the forces which might attempt to bridge the walls.

So when the commanders return in their air-conditioned buses,they'd realise that the gates of the camp will be sealed,with lowly ranked men,the ones they happily tortured,holding rifles and in armoured vehicles,telling them that the camp has been taken over by us,the men of 40 SAR.The worst part: There is nothing you can do about it,chancellor.