April 30, 2097: The People's Will in Concrete and Steel
We touched down in Quebec today. The cold bite of the air felt familiar after Edmonton, but what hit harder was the sight of the Quebec Central Hotel. A monster of a building—200 stories of neo-brutalist architecture, like someone took all the worst aspects of 'the people's will' and turned them into concrete. Crowning glory? Oh, just an electronic warfare cluster and an air defense missile battery. This place is built like it’s expecting a war, but no, it’s just here to house key delegates for the Socialist Forum. Halo and the crew are housed in a section bugged to hell and back. “For our safety,” of course.
The news is a special kind of misery. We thought the UCAS was bad, but Quebec? This place is drowning in cyber-socialist propaganda. Their special brand of social subversion grates on the nerves, and the worst offender? Astrid Nygård, Speaker from the Scandinavian Union, went out of her way to call Halo the poster child for everything wrong with the world. Classy. A personal callout from a socialist darling—just what we needed.
Not everything was grim, though. We crossed paths with Victor Kolada, Indonesia's representative. Seemed nice enough, but we shrugged him off at first. Then, we hit our breaking point with the city and escaped. We drove out into the countryside, landing at Lac-Saint Joseph Lodge. The contrast couldn’t have been greater—down-to-earth, welcoming, no socialist agenda shoved down our throats.
The next couple of days? Honestly, we needed it. Boating, riding, attending a country fair—it felt human again. That was until we bumped into Kolada again. Turns out the guy’s a huge Halo fan, and he claimed that when we got to Indonesia, things would be a lot different from this Quebec farce. His name threw us at first—Victor Kolada? Russian, but Indonesian? Turns out his grandparents fled Russia when his father was a kid.
Two tent camps popped up soon enough, one for the fans, one for the anti-Halo activists. Secret police swarmed the area, but Halo being Halo, decided to walk right through them all. She gave a small impromptu performance, spoke to both sides, and, miraculously, won over some of the protesters. Maybe it was her charm, maybe it was the free catering we brought along. I also had a hand in it, sending coffee and donuts to the police, because nothing says “please don’t arrest us” like pastries.
May 2, 2097: Summoned to the House of the People
Just as things were getting comfortable, we got an “invite”—no, more like a summons—to meet the high-level socialist reps at the House of the People. Let me tell you, there was nothing “people” about it. It was a cold fusion of French colonial grandeur, bloated bureaucracy, and heavy fortifications. Premier Jean-Luc Boucher’s fortress.
Halo didn’t get a chance to perform, thank God. That would’ve turned into a full-blown riot. But we did manage to establish contact with someone useful: Günther Krieg, a high-ranking exec from Saeder-Krupp. Every city has its real power players, and Quebec is no exception.
May 3, 2097: The Riot Concert
The concert was nothing short of musical perfection. Halo knows how to hit the right notes, literally and metaphorically. She touched on the uniqueness of Quebec, their fierce sense of independence, and tapped into the people’s deep-rooted desire to stand apart from both the UCAS and the corps.
But that’s the thing about Quebec. Beneath the polite exterior, there’s a fire, and tonight Halo fanned those flames. The crowd got rowdy—really rowdy. The streets turned into chaos. There were riots, arrests, the whole nine yards. While the people turned the city upside down, we were already at the airport. Or so we thought.
They kept us on the tarmac for hours. Not exactly a subtle message. By the time we were cleared to leave, two Saeder-Krupp fighter drones were hovering nearby, ready to escort us to the border. Nothing like a little corporate muscle to make you feel loved.
On the flight, Wizkid busied himself crafting a slander package aimed at Nygård. Given how much she’s been spouting off about Halo, it’s high time we put some pressure on her. No one makes an enemy of Halo and walks away unscathed.
We’re headed for Hawaii next, and I’m hoping the warmth will do more than just thaw our bones. We need a reset after Quebec, but something tells me this tour isn’t going to give us any breathers.
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