Alyssa's Sins

10. Operation Olsenberg

She texted her friends what had happened - that Operation Olsenberg was starting and what she knew. Scouring the backpack for whatever "top secret" Pluh Cult documents revealed some striking things.

First, there were significant morale and loyalty issues in the Pluh Cult. News had spread of Alyssa's success in convincing teachers to let her smoke, and considering Alyssa's wholesome character, some thought that in reality they can be wholesome with sins. This contradicts one of the pillars of the Pluh ideology - you cannot be wholesome with sins. It seemed as if they knew the tides were beginning to turn against them. For years and years they had a large influence over the school, though they had to fight against rivals. This time... it might all go away. Therefore they would launch their Fall Offensive to fight back before Alyssa's reinforcements could arrive.

Operation Olsenberg was designed to split the Lyssa Group (which they defined as Alyssa and her hardcore supporters) from the Wishy-Washers (meaning those who support Alyssa somewhat but not too much). It was aimed at the weakest point, the junction between the Lyssa Group and the Wishy-Washers - Alyssa's smoking. Much like the railway hub Amiens, this point served as a "hinge" where ideas from the hardliners and sympathisers came in, to make compromises. Creating an unbridgable ridge in this point would do as much damage as the Germans taking Amiens during Operation Michael would've inflicted on the Entente - a huge fall in connection (like railway supplies, troop movements) on the frontline.

September 30, 2009. 7am. She got up very early in order to be ready, just in case the Pluh Cult attacked earlier. She managed to arrive for school on time, though a bit late due to making hasty preparations for the incoming attack. But that wasn't enough - the attack had already begun.

Suddenly, some Pluh Cult members were attempting to split the Wishy-Washers from the Lyssa Group. A few of them were writing down points for debating on October 1st. This was an in-school competition which they wanted to use to boost their reputation, and split the Lyssa Group from the Wishy-Washers. 

Alyssa was in an academic competition with the smartest Pluh Cult member, Michael, who was also in sixth grade and who had similar academic ambitions as Alyssa. He seemed very bright and determined - it was going to be a tough fight.

Lunch time. Alyssa was going out for a cigarette when Michael asked her why she was allowed to smoke. She replied that the school was beginning to liberalise, and that ultimately it was her choice if she wanted to smoke. She explained patiently about how the most important thing was freedom and if freedoms were taken away, it may lead to a slippery slope. Yes, smoking was harmful and addictive, but so were various other things like McDonalds and soda, which can lead to various diseases.

Fortunately for Alyssa, Michael was not a hardliner, more of a pragmatist. He invited Alyssa to a debate on October 1st. Alyssa was conflicted on whether to accept. On one hand, not accepting the debate could be twisted by the Pluh Cult as "running away from problems" therefore portraying Alyssa as a coward who is too scared of things. On the other hand, accepting the debate might be a trap - who knows what points the Pluh Cult could give in the debate, making Alyssa look mentally incompetent? 

Alyssa told Michael she will accept the debate, and Michael went away. Then, Alyssa texted her friends warning the Pluh Cult will attempt to attack, and try to split them from sympathisers. To mitigate this possibility, they agreed to an after-school meeting - it was imperative it was done as quickly as possible. There were already some signs that sympathisers were beginning to crack - one of them said that the Pluh Cult's reasoning was sound. To avoid the split, compromises needed to be made.

3:30am, Alyssa hosted a meeting with her supporters, from the hardliners to the wishy-washy people who were little more than neutral. It was a mess - it was very difficult to agree to a compromise. For the smoking topic, the most hardcore hardliners insisted on much more freedm for Alyssa, like many more smoking breaks just for her to smoke to her heart's content. The least supportive people wanted to roll back most of Alyssa's smoking freedom - only turning a blind eye if she went at least 500 meters away from the school to smoke, and not on school hours. The arguments were long, but finally Alyssa made a compromise - she would quit for three days to prove that she wasn't a hopeless addict. It was a difficult day without smoking, but she could distract herself.