Years passed since Dmytro told the media that Victor he was playing the part of a Novagrad puppet.

Victor lost the next election. He and his family faced harsh criticism due to his behavior as a sitting President. 8 years later, he won the ticket again, and returned with a vendetta against Dmytro.

During those 8 years, Dmytro’s Velikrosia entered a defensive war with the Novagrad Union. No matter the situation, Dmytro’s forces fought the enemy soldiers, even in his capital city. Until Victor took Columbia Federate’s office, Dmytro counted on the support of Victor’s predecessor, but now, he faced an awful decision.

Reading the terms of continued support from Victor seemed harder each time he reviewed and adjusted the deal. A new alteration returned each time he fixed to a fair adjustment for his own country.

“Just join the Novagrad already!” Dmytro shoved all the papers off his work desk.

His trusted friend, Nikolai, typed on a computer while lounging on a couch. “We must hold our tempers. Victor is just playing the political game.”

“While our people die!” Dmytro picked up a paper from the floor and read it aloud to Nikolai. “Due to aid afforded by Columbia Federate to Velikrosia, our President has determined that placing working civilians from our nation in your country will stop further attacks from the Novagrad Union and help Velikrosia in repaying our nation via the surrender of natural resource rights. Novagrad’s leader will have no choice but to retreat as he doesn’t wish to war with us.” He crumpled up the paper. “Victor is a moron.”

“The deal specifics are awful. Our resources are how we thrive on the world stage.” Nikolai closed his laptop.

“Victor’s loyal subjects would never believe he’s offering his own people as a war token. People who will amount to canon fodder. Sergei doesn’t care who he wars with. He’s dying anyways.”

“Yes, but what do we do, then? Accept? Let them fall to prove a point?”

“I don’t know. I’m tired, Nikolai. I have survived more attacks than most world leaders in recent years. I’m just not used to this type of nonsense.”

“Yes, I know. Of course, saying yes might play into Victor’s hands in more ways than one.”

“He’s a muppet with that hair. I almost can’t take this serious anymore.”

“We enter the hypothetical then. What will happen if Sergei kills Columbia Federate’s civilians?”

“Sergei will blame his attacks on us. Victor is a wild card. He might actually take Sergei’s point of view.” Dmytro began cleaning up the papers all about the floor. First the remaining papers about the deal, then papers with intel that let him see his country might be doomed. No matter the situation, he placed them properly. He sat back down, crossed his fingers and leaned his head forward with his elbows resting on the desk. “I have never used our own people as sacrificial tokens. Victor is cruel. I refuse to be that man.”

“What do you mean, Dmytro?”

“We cannot accept this deal with his own in our country. If his own people should die, it would give him a reason to use his country’s full might against the Novagrad Union. When Victor’s country attacks, it never ends well for anyone but them.”

Nikolai shook his head. “The same could be said for Novagrad, and without Victor’s help, we might be dead or a new part of Novagrad soon.”

“And yet, better to show the world what a fool Victor is. No—I won’t let us be the reason he starts his war by putting his own in harm’s way. He’ll have to do it by himself. Afterward, he can explain that to his people as he cons them into a world war. We didn’t ask for this.”

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

“Do you think Novagrad will stop at us?”

The two sat in silence for a while, then Nikolai took a nap on the couch. Dmytro wanted to sleep, but he had a new message to compose.