Pacifica Writes Gay Romance

ORE.151
"The Flight"
"It began on a spring’s day. Long ago, perhaps, in the mind of a young woman. As the bombers flew above, she had sheltered in the old storm cellar, cowering in the corner while rain and explosives fell from above.
It was there that she met her Svetlana, hiding from the wrath of the Luftwaffe. She remembered the warmth they had shared, in that old cellar, first as an emergency measure. The hushed, tearful conversations they tried to keep going as Hell itself visited the surface above them.
As the weeks came by, and time blurred as the bombings touched the farmland, she made it a routine. To hide herself away with her new friend, away from the world. To embrace her while the soil was touched with fire, and tainted with explosive casings.
Eventually, she realised, it had become more. Instead of a last resort, that old cellar, and the woman she had considered her friend, had become something that she would seek out. On those nights, they would lie on the steppe’s grass, her head on Svetlana’s chest, watching the untainted stars above.
The first kiss they shared, below the soft moonlight, was something she would remember forever. Something that made her feel complete, as she watched the stars above sparkle in the eyes of the woman who was now her lover.
And then it came. The shouting, the sight of her own father reaching for a cross, calling down the wrath of God upon her. As she ran, hand in hand with her Svetlana, her eyes never looked back."
- "Orenburg is ahead. Behind... A memory." (ORE.152)

ORE.152
"Irregular Refugees"
"A most interesting case of asylum-seeking occured in Orenburg City in the small hours of the morning, as a pair of young women entered the city, bearing only a small bag of possessions. As is procedure, they were detained as refugees for integration and settlement. However, following behind them, two hours later, was three communal militiamen, demanding the arrest of the couple.
After a tense standoff where Orenburg City militiamen demanded that the peasants justify their arrest, the truth came out. The two women are to be arrested and put to justice for crimes against nature - that is, being romantically involved with each other.
The situation has raised an interesting conundrum with the Council, as the ideals of freedom we claim to uphold clash with the traditional morality of the peasantry. The issue has already been raised to the Council, and it seems split. The rural communes are raising holy hell about this ‘violation of the natural order’, while the reform faction seems to view the issue as a matter of personal freedom.
As the two fugitives sit on the witness stand, holding each other’s hands to stay strong, it seems that their fate shall come down to the word of the Worker’s Council."
- "We’ll change henceforth the old tradition..." (ORE.153)
- "Hand them over. This is a waste of time." (ORE.154)

ORE.153
"Life And Love"
"And so she walked free, far from the wrath of the peasantry.
The city was an unfamiliar place, a clashing mix of modern flats and ancient sloped-roof shops and homes. They were careful to not hold hands while on the way to their own dwelling on the outskirts of the burgeoning city - while the hearing had ended in their favor, the attitudes of the city dwellers were still unknown.
It was only past the threshold, when the door had shut, that she could turn and gaze into the eyes of her Svetlana, those beautiful blue eyes that had endured the Council’s judgement together with her without flinching. The sheen of triumph seemed to glow around her lover, and she was certain that Svetlana would see the same aura around her.
They collapsed onto the single couch in the dusty living room, and she felt Svetlana’s hand running through her hair, doing a better job than any of the city’s medications to calm her nerves.
The communally-provided apartment was small and it was cramped, with a single bedroom and a living room that was stuffed to the brim with a threadbare couch and an empty bookshelf. Dust choked the tabletop. But so long as she was here, together with her lover, it was all she needed.
Finally, they were free, and together.
And in her heart, she knew that was all that mattered."
- "And so, life shall begin." (ORE.155)

ORE.154
"Together To The End"
"They huddled together, in the corner of a hayloft in an abandoned farmhouse. Outside, they could hear the shouts of the men the village had sent after her and her lover, militiamen invoking the name of God against her ‘devilry’.
On a more primal level, they sought shelter, to find solace in the idea that perhaps if they couldn’t see the militiamen, they wouldn’t be able to hunt them down after she had escaped from their grasp.
But on the rational level, she knew that wasn’t the case. One way or another, her love would be taken away from her, be it through death or forcible separation. And so she just lay there, her chin resting atop Svetlana’s head as her lover shed tears into her chest.
They came closer. The tread of their boots was on the porch, now, and she knew she did not have long, but she could not bring herself to move. As the door began to swing open, she held the woman she loved closer, and shut her eyes.
Visions of the life that had been stolen from them fluttered by - their first clandestine meeting, the first kiss they shared, the thrill of fleeing to the city in hopes of finding freedom. It reminded her of the first night... the bombs and the storm. That life was gone, now... like tears in the rain.
The shot echoed through the farmhouse.
And then there was nothing."
- "Dona eis requiem." (End)

ORE.155
"A Newer Orenburg"
"An interesting report has reached the desks of the Worker's Council. According to our rudimentary census, there has been an uptick of immigration, not from the Urals, but rather from the rural communes. A query into this matter has revealed the root of it - apparently, the news of the outcome of the conflict between Svetlana Orlov, Annushka Sokolov, and several members of their village's communal militia had spread outward, through the grapevine that always springs to life when peasants fill a space.
Ever since the news of this ruling spread outwards, those that are unwelcome in the traditionalist rural communes have tended to gravitate in the direction of Orenburg City.
Naturally, as things like this go, this has not helped our reputation with the peasant villages, some of whom are now referring to us as a 'pit of bourgeois morality', 'decadent hive', and other lovely epithets. Several delegations have already been sent to the Council, in order to persuade them to change their mind on the issue. Several of them have already come before us, denouncing the Council for 'dragging the entire Commune down' with our 'degenerate values'. While this is not yet a true concern, as this is more or less standard operating procedure, we should keep an eye on the peasants' ire, lest it begin to spread to other topics."
- "A beacon in the wastes. For now." (ORE.156)

ORE.156
"The Confrontation"
"At long last, it has come. The inevitable confrontation between the City and the Communes on the issue of Orenburg City as a safe haven for those considered undesirable in the rural areas.
The issue was raised this morning in an almost universal vote of the western communes, declaring that Orenburg is proving itself a burden on the idyllic agrarian morals of the Commune, and should be forced to repeal the measure passed nearly six months ago, in the dispute of Svetlana Orlov and Annushka Sokolov vs. the Ambramovka Communal Militia.
Immediately, there was heated debate, as the legislature argued about the likelihood of outright lynchings, intervention within other communes' borders, the overreach of the city, 'bourgeois morality', and a laundry list of grievances. The general meaning, however, was clear. The peasant communes were not willing to tolerate Orenburg City providing a safe haven for those who they regarded as degenerates and criminals.
The reform faction has raised a fuss on this issue, stating that Orenburg has as much a right to do what it wants within its borders as any of the peasants do, but so far, the future looks uncertain. A large group has been assembled against us, and the cost of the political capital required to keep the rights of Orenburg City's newest protected minority safe may be more than we are able to pay..."
- "Never! What happens in our borders is our business alone!" (ORE.1561)
- "We must abdicate." (ORE.1562)

ORE.1561
"Love Enduring"
"As the news of the Council’s ruling came in from afar, by means of newspaper and public radio, she breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped a tear out of her eye.
Svetlana lay next to her, with her head tucked under her chin. She could feel tears flowing from her lover’s eyes and pooling on her skin, tears of relief and joy. Their attempt had been defeated, once more, and Orenburg had fulfilled the hopes that they had set out to realize in the first place.
They would not need to fear anymore, she hoped, now that the peasantry’s attempt to bring her back to their stagnant village had failed once more. She wouldn’t need to fear arrests on the street from unmarked militiamen, or worry coming home to her Svetlana missing. No, she could finally breathe easily.
That she did, releasing a sigh as the tension that had wracked her body began to dissipate. Perhaps now the embrace she shared could once more become an expression of closeness and intimacy, rather than a protective grasp.
Safety at last. As she felt the warmth of her lover flowing through her, she whispered something only she would hear.
‘Thank you.’"
- "And it shall live on forevermore." (End)

ORE.1562
"A Grey Horizon"
"As she looked back on it, from her empty bed, she had almost known to the second when the city had betrayed her.
It was almost as if their attitudes had changed in an instant, turning from blissful ignorance or uncaring blank looks to suspicion and fear. She swore she could see it whenever she walked in public, swiveling her head as a wanted criminal does looking for police.
That was, after all, what she was now. At any moment, they could come for her, to arrest her for the crime she had committed, back in her hometown of Ambramovka. Any of the wool-clad passers-by could be a trader or militiaman from that blighted place, come to drag her back, and put her on their blasted ‘people’s tribunal’.
The omnipresent fear extended over Svetlana, as well - she could barely stand to see her love go out of her sight, knowing that the only thing protecting her was gone. Was this her future? To become a recluse, hiding from the people that should have protected her, betrayed by those who had given her so much hope in the past?
She didn’t know. With so much uncertainty and fear surrounding her, all there was left to do was cherish her lover and hope.
For hope was all that she had left, anymore."
- "Under siege once again." (70%: ORE.1563, 30%: ORE.1566)

ORE.1563
"Fading Away"
"The moment Svetlana arrived back at the apartment she shared with her beloved, she knew that something was horribly wrong.
The cupboards were opened, a paper had been knocked onto the floor, and there was a divot in the wall, where an elbow or knee had impacted it. Muddy boots, the sort that Annushka would never have worn, had scarred the threadbare rug she had purchased to decorate the small sitting room.
The horror took a moment to sink in, as she frantically called out her partner's name, looking around wildly.
No. It couldn't be.
They had taken her away, the men from the village. There was no other explanation. They had dragged the woman she had loved off, to their festering village, to put her on trial for the crime of daring to love her. Annushka... was gone. She would never get closure, no last goodbye or final parting kiss. There was just a hole in the wall to mark her certain passing.
Days passed, as she robotically left to work in the shops, returned to eat, and slept alone in a bed that was never meant for only one.
Then, it hit her. Another stage of grief, the next step in the horror that she found herself immersed in. There was nothing left for her here, but perhaps she could leave a mark elsewhere.
She gripped the little pistol she had purchased for self defense. This would be for Annushka."
- "Hell hath no fury..." (ORE.1564)
- "Find a better place." (ORE.1565)

ORE.1564
"Murder in Ambramovka!"
"News has come into Orenburg City about the murder of a communal militia member in the small town of Ambramovka, a commune located close to Orenburg. Precisely what happened is unknown, but current reports state that the militiaman, Sergey Ivanov, was ambushed by an armed bandit while en route from the militia armory to his home in the town center.
Two shots were fired, from a low-caliber civilian pistol, one into his chest and another into his shoulder. After being unable to subdue his attacker, he died several minutes later, of bleeding out. His family has called for justice against the 'crazed bandit' that shot him, and a manhunt in the village is underway.
Witness reports are mixed - some describe the attacker as a woman in peasant's clothing, while others swear they were anything from a bandit of the Dirlewanger Brigade to an off-duty Ural Guardsman. As always, it seems, the rumours will greatly overshadow the truth."
- "Unfortunate." (End)

ORE.1565
"Northwards"
"And so, she fled the scene, bearing naught but the clothes on her back, a small bag, and the pistol.
The road was harsh, and the air was cold around her, as she fled the city that she had once considered a refuge. She steeled herself, however, as she knew that the land she sought would be even harsher.
As hours turned into days, she marched through innumerable peasant villages, and past endless fields of grain. The pastures stretched into the distance as she once more passed through the agrarian wasteland she had fled so long ago.
Annushka, the name echoed in her mind, driving her on to the harsh north. She was gone, and she desired in every bone in her body to go back west and get revenge on the murdering bastards who took her lover away. But she knew that wasn't the path meant for her. Her path was something greater, something outside of Orenburg all together. There was nothing left in this flat, squalid wilderness, slathered with greenery and hate. No, her future lay elsewhere.
After more than a week of travel, as plains turned to hills and the road turned to a cliffside path, she found it. The walls of the gulag stretched into the sky ahead of her, the searchlights shining like the sun in the sky. Grasping the gun she brought with her, she stepped up to the uniformed man guarding the gate.
'Comrade Guardsman, I have come to join you.'"
- "The League awaits." (End)

ORE.1566
"Paranoia"
"Weeks had passed, and both of them had begun to feel the burden of the people's eyes on them. She had learned to take the short route back home from her job in the shops, rather than the scenic one, to avoid the risk of being taken off the street. Svetlana had begun putting colored fabric in the one window if the coast was clear.
Orenburg, once a refuge, had become an almost surreal nightmare, a repetition of the secrecy that they had been forced to back in Ambramovka. No more could they feel safe walking on the street as wanted criminals - no more could they trust that their neighbors wouldn't sell them out for a ruble or a loaf of bread.
The fear and the stress was beginning to wear down on both of them - Svetlana came to her bed later and later at night, and the comfort she had found in her lover's arms was more and more fleeting. She could no longer hide with her - she feared that the woman she loved so much was becoming a symbol of the fate that awaited her if she put a foot out of line.
They spoke of this, once, under the fading candle-light in the living room. The words were bitter, and the room seemed to grow colder as they spoke through the evening. The cold fear could be felt wrapping around the bonds that kept them together, and she could no longer be certain that they wouldn't shatter."
- "Is the end nigh?" (End)