» Sat May 28, 2011 10:34 am *Note though this story is not canon, I would hope that some of its elements might be adopted in future Fallout literature*
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Canada
July 4th
2076
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander F. Grant felt he would always remember July 4th 2076 as being his most shameful hour, since today Canada would officially be dissolved, and its constituent provinces would be divided amongst the 13 Commonwealths that made up the United States.
Now how Grant had come to receive this dubious honor was a matter of great controversy, as initially he had broken ranks with a majority of the members of the Liberal Party over the issue of joining the union and even went so far as to threaten to resign, however the gesture became meaningless as the following day a majority of the opposition had stood up in the House of Commons, sang a rather raucous version of God Save the King and then like a well organized regiment on the day of their disbandment parade, marched out of parliament, their letters of resignation left sitting on the now vacant benches.
With the Progressive Conservative Party no more than a husk, and the Prime Minister ranting and raving about preserving Canadian sovereignty, Grant knew that the writing was on the wall for his country, and it was only a matter of time, before his nation would enter the annals of history.
Following the Great Resignation as the media had now coined it, Canadian politics carried on with an odd sense of normalcy. The Liberals continued to put forward legislation, held pointless debates upon it, and then proceeded to pass it with a majority of the vote.
However by June, the sham would soon end and in a private meeting between the Prime Minister and the President, the PM was informed in no uncertain terms, that on the 4th of July of that year, the Dominion of Canada would be officially dissolved, and its subordinate states would be given the opportunity to join the Union.
It’s been said, that the Prime Minister was calm and cordial during the discussion, going so far as to shake the President’s hand and even shared a rather cordial lunch with him. However in the following weeks, the tone on Parliament Hill quickly changed, as the once cordial and charismatic Prime Minister now became an irascible bastard, who for the most part was intolerable to deal with.
Now the PM knew that there’d be no cavalry to come save the day, as most of Canada’s allies either were marching lock step with the United States, or in the case of Great Britain had fallen into a state of economic decline and some would even say chaos following the collapse of the European Commonwealth.
For a while he had pondered the nuclear option, as the Dominion over the years had built up a rather large stockpile of nuclear weapons, but he knew full well that threats of mutually assured destruction would only be met by overwhelming force.
The idea of a Victor, Vulcan or Valiant flying over the White House, and then turning it into a smoking crater, brought a smile to his face though it was not solve his nation’s current problem, and an all out war with the United States would only serve to increase the suffering of his population.
Knowing that he would have to be a symbol of strength for his people, the Prime Minister decided that he must lead Dominion of Canada to its new destiny, however things would change rather rapidly, and rather than being the charismatic leader that would help ease Canada into the Union, he instead became rather a bit of a rebel.
By the end of the month, the Prime Minister and a small percentage of the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force had relocated to Bermuda, under the guise of a defensive exercise in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister had then, proceeded to proclaim that he was now the representative of a government in exile, and while he received approving nods from both Westminster and the Governor of Bermuda, the United States simply ignored what they coined was the “Rhodesia of the Caribbean”.
The following day, the duties if the prime minister were handed over to a rather reluctant Alexander F. Grant, but he knew that it would be necessary for his nation to have a competent leader in charge when the handover was to occur.
As Grant finished reading the Act of Union speech, he felt as though he was reading the death certificate of his nation, rather than the articles that would govern the new nation. As the last words the speech echoed across Parliament Hill, it’s said to this day that there was not a dry eye in the audience.
As his last official act, Grant would preside over the lowering of Red Ensign. Grant gave a quick nod over to Lieutenant General Donald McLoyd, to commence. Across Parliament Hill now echoed McLoyd’s last command to his men: “Guard to your colors, general salute....present arms”. The slapping of rifles, and the stomping of boots echoed loudly, as the Red Ensign was struck and the band proceeded to play the Maple Leaf Forever.
It seemed like an eternity as the color party, made up of representatives from the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, slowly dragged down the flag.
By the time that the last chord of the Maple Leaf Forever had finished, Grant had become a hollow shell of a man. He stared blankly at the flag pole as the band now played the Star Spangled Banner, as he watched as Old Glory now climbed the flag pole.
As the Stars and Stripes hit the top of the flagpole, Grant felt a searing pain in his chest, followed by his vision fading to a shade of gray. He hit the ground with a loud thump, and was dead within a matter of seconds. Though the paramedics had ruled his death due to a server coronary, the resistance claimed that he literally died from a broken heart, due to his love of country.
*End of Part 01*
Comments are encouraged....
