Modern Mulan

Chapter 1

^^^for being my first fan <3

"The city of Majan is at war" Declared the mayor. "All men between the ages of 21 and 60 are obligated to join the forces and will be sent into battle after a month of intensive training in Rayul. Every man eligible will receive notification within 2 days and is under the order of the Country of Cosala to protect this planet from the invaders. Deserters will be punished by torture and possibly death. Please await your notification and report to General Jamison in the town hall by Friday at 10am. Thank you for your time and I apologise to the city of Majan for this disastrous event. Good Day"

The microphone clicked off as the mayor retreated into the town hall. Silence fell over the crowd that had gathered to hear an announcement about the war. My mother and I turned to face my father. His 57 year old face looked back at me as the tears gathered in my eyes. I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly, careful of his painful chest. He had been diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy 3 months earlier and there were currently no treatments for him. His heart could give up at any time, and now they expected him to go to war. The mayor wasn't sorry about this. All he would have to do is sit in his pretty little office and drink his tea throughout the war. He didn't care. Of course I wouldn't be able to do anything about it; I'm just a woman, not strong enough to stand up for myself. When the aliens invaded, a new law was passed that women were not allowed to take part in the war just in case so many were wiped out and there was no one left to repopulate the planet. So basically we are being used as baby machines, nice. The way the world runs pisses me off. The thought of my dad going to war upset me greatly but the main emotion going through me was anger. Why couldn't he be excused because of his condition? I mean, who sends men as old as 60 to war anyway. Surely we couldn't be that low on numbers that they had to send nearly retired men into a bloody battle. I'd seen enough bodies coming back into town in bags or on stretchers to know that the men on the propaganda posters had never stepped a foot out of their luxury homes. Why couldn't they been sent to war? They were young and fit enough to fight. Not people like my dad that had no chance of survival. As sad as it was to say, I knew it was the truth. I'm not as naive as people think I am, a young petite girl that does what daddy says and stays at home washing clothes and cooking.  I can take care of myself. I was independent before this attack, it’s only been 6 years since, and it’s not like I forgot how to do things.

As the people in the square started to disperse, I took my father’s arm and led him back to our house. It wasn’t anything magical but it was home. The two front steps led to our small porch and through the door into the living room where I placed my father into his arm chair, picked up the basket of clothes beside him and went to hang it out on the line. After two shirts and a towel, James my best friend appeared in his garden over the fence. I know he’ll be going to war, he turned 22 three months ago. Although it’ll devastate his mum losing her husband and her son at the same time, she’ll be strong about it. Mrs Hayward was a strong woman and she wouldn’t show weakness. She hated the new law as much as me, simply for the fact that it’s degrading.

“Hey Carly” James said softly over the fence. I guess this was his goodbye scene. “How’s your dad?” James was a great friend; he cared about everyone around him.

“He was doing OK, until that announcement. I mean he’s only 3 years off the age limit. And he’s ill, do you think they’d let him off?” I asked whilst putting down the basket and meeting him at the fence.

“I don’t know, if he had someone to replace him like a son that’s just below the age limit then I don’t see why not but its only you. We can only hope they let him off. How’s your mum taking it?”

“Not to good, I haven’t seen her since they announced it. She’s probably not too good but telling people she’s OK, as usual. Why couldn’t I have been born a boy? This would have made it so much easier. I’d go off to war and my dad could sit at home living out his life. I wish I could do that for him.” I whispered the last part as a tear slid down my face. James leant over the fence and hugged me tightly, burying his face into my hair and kissing the top of my head. Our relationship was quite close, we held hands, hugged and even slept in each other’s bed, but that was as far as it went. There was nothing romantic between us. Although I think my mum hopes there is.