[The Tempest trilogy: Book 2] After the incident in Ostrava's Neoclash arena, Zoya faces dangerous challenges. Nightingale's uprising threatens to destroy the whole Europe, the racist Yeomen movement steps up their campaing against Castaways and Rya...
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Once every four years, Europe doesn't live for Neoclash. The Council election is just as important - the party who receives the most votes can change the the direction of the whole continent.
However, in the past years, nothing really changed. There is a political party which won the election every four years. It's called Amity and Progress (AMIPRO) and its leader is Daniel Havel - yes, brother of Jaroslav Havel, the Chairman of Neoclash Committee.
Amity and Progress is a liberal party oriented on supporting technology and medicine, promoting Neoclash and asserting equality for everyone. One of the main goals of AMIPRO is stopping any kind of discrimination of people of different race, religion, sexual orientation and especially Castaways. However, enforcing these rules is harder and harder as the Yeomen movement grows stronger.
Havel's party has been criticized for excessive political correctness and "positive discrimination" of minorities, but there were still more people who prefered Havel's humane, peaceful ways over Zeman's aggressive populism. And it also had one trump to attract the undecided voters - Neoclash. The whole Europe loves Neoclash and AMIPRO greatly supports building new arenas, developing new Champion technology and providing training and education to Castaways.
Zeman's party usually ended up second or third. The people figured out Zeman's aggressive anti-Castaway rhethorics could endanger Neoclash and they decided their favorite sport is more important than Zeman's fabulations about the dangers of Castaway revolution.
However, that was before Ostrava.
After Nightingale's terrorist act, Zeman finally got something concrete into his hands instead of empty threats and warnings. Finally, the people saw what are the Castaways capable of. But instead of channeling their rage and frustration towards the real aggressor - Nightingale -, they aimed it on all Castaways without a difference. The people don't want to distingush between "good" Castaways and "evil" Castaways. It's easier for them if they just see the Heatlhy versus Castaways. Us versus them.
Now it's the moment of truth. The last debate before the elections. This is where the leaders of candidate parties meet a day before the elections and take the last chance to appeal the voters.
Ryan and me, back at home, are ready to watch the debate. Ryan is checking something on his pentop. "It doesn't look good," he announces. "The current surveys show that Mr. Havel would receive only about 31% of votes while Zeman is at 29%. The rest goes to other parties."
"But... he's still winning, isn't he?" I say.
"Yeah, but the margin is really small," Ryan replies. "I already voted for the Council twice. And AMIPRO always had over 50% of votes while Zeman's Yeomen party had to satisfy with fifteen or twenty. Nightingale's attack in Ostrava set the people against Castaways and Zeman took advantage without hesitation."
"But we can't let him win! If Zeman led the Council, the Castaways would have no defense!"
"We have to see how will the debate turn out," Ryan sighs. "Havel has always been able to attract people with his calm, constructive speech, but I doubt it will be enough this time. It's also our bad luck that the states of DIANA, which are against Yeomen the most, won't vote since the Council has no influence on them."
