While Bidi made her way through central Frithe in a carriage, only making absolutely crucial stops, the Harpers were winning the civil war that had just erupted days ago. There was little opposition to the Harpers' rule until the Gezpo arrived, but the Gezpo were a much different organization than the Harpers. First off, they struggled to work together, rarely conceded power to any other Gezpo, which made them more like a huge group of vigilantes who supported the same cause but didn't work together. This made them vulnerable to large attacks.
The civil war, which had already been on its way, unofficially started the day before Bidi and Sandro arrived in Faxley, with the murder of Park Jung, a Harper legend. The Gezpo publicly claimed the murder of Park and painted a target on their backs as the only oppositional force to stand in the Harpers' path to power. Park's death greatly angered those Harpers who weren't even in the gang for long.
With the death of an impactful Harper, who rejoined the gang and immediately became an officer, even unaffiliated people were now devoting loyalty to one side or the other. Few people were allowed to sit back and watch the fabric of Frizian society collapse.
This civil war, being fought under the guise of a true democracy, forced people to try to flee. Tens of thousands of people were trekking to the port cities and begging the captains to take them aboard. They didn't even care where they were going; they just wanted out.
Those who were trying to flee had held onto hope that the government would fix the problem without altercation, but they had finally lost hope. The refugees sought asylum anywhere in the world, but they all hoped to be destined for Gerak.
Stowaways became a huge problem for ships' captains. People were hiding their children in barrels meant to be traded in other parts of the world. Others were making makeshift rafts and trying to cross the seas. There was no chance to make it across in these rafts, but people were so desperate they had to try. And if this was their plan, they would surely become shark bait.
Senator Redding had heard news of the refugees seeking asylum, and she sent several ships to the port cities in Frithe and gathered as many as she could, but tens of thousands were still left behind. Using the warships once designated to sink opposing ships, Redding repurposed them to carry thousands of refugees at a time. But this would bring more hardship to Gerak inadvertently.
Senator Redding, who was publicly supported by the queen, had the best intentions in mind when saving the Frizian refugees. Unfortunately, good intentions didn't always make a situation perfect. Once the refugees landed in Gerak, the primary need was to feed and house them, but housing was already so limited in Gerak as most cities that had been built post-war weren't even housing all of the Gerak natives, creating a high homeless population. As a lot of towns, villages, and even major cities were burnt down during the war, Gerak still hadn't recovered fully from that which made housing prices so high for most. Housing in Gerak was by far the most expensive housing on the planet because of the war.
The argument was made by an up and coming delegate of Port of Prince that they could build huge areas of tents to house the refugees, but this solution couldn't be permanent. Some officials were arguing they could have them live in the old cities, but these buildings, if not demolished, were unlivable. No one had a viable solution, and they now had thirty thousand refugees living in the streets of all the major port cities. Something had to be done. One particularly ornery old congressman suggested they be sent to Tortu to help rebuild their population, but most people knew Tortu was a hell pit.
Within a matter of two weeks, nearly thirty thousand refugees had escaped Frithe, leaving Frithe with only about seventy thousand people. The Harpers and the Gezpo were the major forces in the civil war, but there were at least ten other gangs fighting for a chance of power. The Harpers outnumbered the Gezpo by four to one, but the Gezpo still felt like a force to be reckon with. With just under twenty thousand Harpers who held the tattoo required at initiation, the Gezpo would need help, but the Gezpo would soon learn important news.
