Lazarus

The first hit lightly shook the light fixtures up and down the halls as a deafened boom rumbled out of the vents. The point of impact was so far away that it could have been merely an earthquake-- however, as the fire alarms were tripped and the sprinkler systems began effusing water across Afonasei Smirnov as he walked, he knew it was much more.

“О, який біс?” Muttered Afonasei as he clutched his briefcase and pistol to his chest. Just then, around the corner came a small party of smartly dressed advisors flanked by teams of security that scanned the area through the wet.

“Tovarisch Smirnov! We must evacuate immediately!” Came a familiar voice-- Smirnov recognized it as the same aide that tried to tell him to evacuate minutes earlier. Smirnov assented as water dripped down his face, and the group set out while dust shook from the ceiling as explosion after explosion rocked the Capitol Complex.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Asked Afonasei, watching his step on the slick vinyl floors.

A soldier, with a now soaked uniform of the Cossack Air Force, replied. “There are hostiles all outside the city-- it’s safe to say there’s no possible extraction by ground. However, we can coordinate with outside forces to overwhelm their air defenses so flying out remains an option. All that matters is that we get to it!”

“Блять. How many, do you know?”

“Damned if I do, sir. All I know is they have high-powered guns and advanced air defense munitions. Heard over the wire of friendly casualties.”

Afonasei grunted in disappointment. Soon, the group reached the helicopter pads set beside the expansive edifice. From the opening outside the door, Smirnov could see the towering grey and silver buildings that surrounded the Capitol-- he was astonished to see how many of them now had their glass broken, their rooftops littered, and their foundations set ablaze. The whistling and impact of shells were audible, but the enemy was nowhere within sight. Meanwhile, the hum of distant aircraft was on the horizon-- until at long last, an angular jet swung into view.

“There’s our air support. Extraction should be coming any second now.” Said the soldier, noting his watch for the time.

The jet, as soon as it announced its presence to the battlefield, rolled and turned into a tight turn as the faraway gunfire intensified-- Smirnov could even make out the tracers as the bits of metal raced upwards. At that moment, the sound of a helicopter slicing through the air became apparent, and trailing only meters that one could count on their fingers over the rooftops, their savior slowed and descended into place on the nearest platform. The powerful rotary blades created a window that strained the sodden clothing of the evacuee as it leveled out and the wheels slammed into the asphalt.

“Go! Go! Go!” Cried one of the security types of the group, ushering the Principle Chairman, then the suite of aides and officers.

As soon as the helicopter lifted off, flares the same color and intensity as a faraway star popped off the side of the fuselage as the vehicle lurched forward, over the cityscape in a mad dash for unoccupied territory.

Looking through the window, Smirnov saw a city on fire.
I’ll see to it that the flames and those who started them are extinguished-- I swear this on my very soul. Lysiak, Bezukhov, and that old гівно will be pushed out with the full might of the military and put to very public and very grisly ends! They want war? Well, there you have it!

The Constitutional Tribunal has sat through a couple of sessions during the last week and a half.

Judges: Russel Tagashvili, Horton Fitzgerald Kestrel, and Janette Yaeltzin have ruled, that RTX 37JR is within his rights to have President Morganth of Bundesheim also serve as Secretary of State in his cabinet and assume full responsibility for Foreign Affairs, as long as this appointment is ratified in the Bundestäg.

The AI-Human coalition withdrew their intention to ask for a Constitutional Amendment, which would allow the President to Temporarily fullfil all Chancellor's duties in the event of the latter's demise or being rendered unfit to rule.

President Morganth has accepted her new appointent.