Splatoon: Old Hatreds

Vanguards and Bureaucrats

Part 5: Trouble at home (Chapters 21-25)

It would seem that Acting Leader Octavia's original plan of provoking Inklings to start another war has somewhat succeeded. Families and friends of the squidnapping victims are beginning to take matters into their own hands and Inkopolis' opinion of the Octarians are lowering even further than before. Blind to the terrors of real combat in Octo Valley, groups of Inklings are preparing themselves to attack Octo Valley for revenge.

Parliament building, Inkopolis

This was one of the most important buildings of Inkopolis.

Far from the lush and peaceful countrysides or the cheerful yet busy areas where turf wars took place.

This was the Inkopolis parliament building, also known as the national diet building, a wide, white and sturdy structure that symbolized the Inkopolis government.

Here senators and ministers spent days debating and making decisions that could decide the futures of almost any living being, not just limited to those in Inkopolis.

Of course, decisions like that usually involved conflict, since Inkopolis was a very peaceful place since the great turf wars, conflict was greatly discouraged and avoided, the only bit of conflict left in Inkopolis were just the usual spats between Inklings who were salty over turf wars.

The Octarians had been silent since their defeat. Following the great turf war, the Inkopolis army kept tabs on the the Octarians for a few years, but they saw no sign of the Octarians seeking revenge.

Since Inkopolis was so peaceful there had been little need for an army, the invention of "respawn" technology made the Inkopolis army even less needed.

Finally, forty years after the great turf war between Inkopolis and Octopolis, the Inkopolis government decided that there was no need for an army anymore, thus the Inkopolis army was disbanded.

Now, more than sixty years after it's disbanding, the ministers of Inkopolis found themselves debating if the Inkopolis army need to be reformed.

This was in direct response to the recent Octarian activity, though most of the Inklings managed to return safely after being squidnapped, it costed the lives of several IPD officers.

Then the public realized that if the Octarians could squidnap them once, they could do so again at any time.

Inkopolis' current prime minister: Virril Steenson has had a headache ever since that time.

First the protests outside government buildings, then the whole "Vanguard" thing spreading online like wildfire.

If something wasn't done soon, his approval rating would go down.

The delegation they sent to Octo Valley was supposed to bring back information that could soothe the public and despite Defense Minister Arcus Hilgendorf's doubts, they had made it back safely.

So one again, the ministers sat together scratching their heads.

"Well? Did the ministry of foreign affairs find out anything?"

"According to Vice Minister Harting's report, there is currently a power struggle within Octo Valley, their first contact only lasted a few short minutes, since the Octarians who had came to meet them lost contact with their superiors. A few days later they informed the team that there had been a failed coup within their military and that they are too busy trying to catch the insurgents to speak with us."

"Is that all? Information like that won't soothe the public."

The headache was back.

Steenson groaned, this wasn't something they could use.