The Winter Tyrant

Chapter 105: Freeside

With the bandit federation eradicated, and the foundry now under Dean’s control, something interesting began to occur.

The survivor settlements previously pressed beneath the heel of men like Aidan and Jack now looked towards Elysium for hope of a better future.

It was no exaggeration to say that they had suffered significantly against Aidan’s reprisals. And even more so as they were forced to brave the snow following the burning of their refuge.

But those who adapted to the cold and survived long enough to see their oppressor’s end now found themselves in a difficult situation.

Of course, Dean had repelled the attempts to forcefully settle in his walls. His reasons had been pragmatic and survival focused. Refugees fleeing the various settlements scattered across the ruins of the old city could not be vetted, their loyalties verified, nor could one easily make use of them.

They were both security risks and a drain on resources during a time of war. And Dean’s philosophy on such matters was to allow natural selection to take its course.

But now the war was over, and many of those people held lingering resentments towards Dean and all of Elysium for refusing to provide them haven when they most needed it.

More still considered Elysium at fault for provoking them into resisting the bandits, only for the situation to turn south for them immediately after.

Dean was naturally aware of all of this, and had called a meeting of his closest subordinates. Daniel, Todd, Zach, Brooke, Yuki, and Katherine were all gathered at the agoge.

There he laid out the situation for them as clear as day. Or... I should say he allowed Zach to give his most recent reports.

Zach pointed to an area on the rough sketched map they had made of their local area post apocalypse and where potential inhabited zones, and former settlements were located.

"The survivors know that the bandits and their men are gone. And they know we now occupy the foundry. They recognize that we have advanced weaponry and tactics. But they have also been watching our movements between Elysium and the foundry. If I can be honest, every time we move manpower and material between the locations we expose ourselves to an ambush."

Yuki quickly interjected her opinion after hearing what Zach had to say.

"While that is clearly possible, I think you’re putting too much hostile intention on the other survivors in the area. They know how strong we are, and sure they might be a bit pissed at us for not taking them in, but they couldn’t even beat the bandits, would they really challenge us?"

Katherine shook her head and sighed, dispelling Yuki’s notions towards civility with a calm but lamentable groan.

"Unfortunately, desperate people rarely act as rational actors. Before the bandits burned their settlements to the ground, they were barely surviving. No doubt they have lost a lot of people, and we refused to take them in. This is going to sound... unusually inhumane from someone like myself, but I’m afraid I have to agree with Zach here. They are an enormous risk to our attempts to restore civilization...."

Brooke looked over at Katherine, she could practically tell exactly what Katherine was going to suggest, but still wanted to hear it from her lips to ensure that she was not overthinking things.

"You can’t possibly mean that-"

"We have two options: we wipe them out and secure the area, or we try to integrate them. Personally, I’m not exactly on board with such... barbaric measures of dealing with potential hostile populations. But I’m also not going to pretend like we’re in a position where we can prioritize luxuries like ethics."

Even Dean shot a surprised raising of his brow in Katherine’s direction. Something she was quick to get defensive about.

"What? I’m a surgeon... I have sworn to help those who are in need of it. But I also have to realize that we can’t help everyone. If we save someone, we are in a position where that means allowing another has to die in their place. I’m just being pragmatic!"

Dean didn’t say anything, he actually agreed with her assessment of the situation. But whether Katherine was trying to convince herself or everyone else, only she really knew. All anyone else could understand was that she didn’t stop justifying her statement with that.

"Let’s face it, we have too few medical supplies to go around as is, let alone if we suddenly have to deal with violent crime, sabotage, or outright assassination attempts by trying to do the moral thing and help those people now that the fighting has stopped. We have to prioritize our own, otherwise we’ll end up dead like everyone else... It’s just the way it is."

Katherine sighed after letting out her honest thoughts, deeply and heavily. Nobody else spoke, at least not at first. Instead, they stood there in silence, some casting silent glances at each other.

Others nodding in agreement without outright expressing it. In the end, Dean was the one who stepped forward to say something.

"Katherine is right... it’s an enormous risk to try to help anyone outside our own borders... And the cleanest solution would be to just get rid of them.... But we need the manpower. And so I have already devised a solution that, while is a risk, is a vastly mitigated one."

Katherine shot a glance over at Dean, unsure about what he could be proposing, but before she could speak he answered her thought as if he had read her mind.

"It’s simple... we build a two tier system. Those inside our walls, already, are Elysian, our citizens, they’ve proven they can be trusted to behave themselves. And will receive priority access to resources. But... who’s to say we don’t build a second, smaller wall outside our doors, where those people are not allowed inside Elysium, and its warmth without first having proved themselves worthy of its light?"

Nearly everyone stared at Dean in utter disbelief. All but Daniel, who nodded his head silently in approval, as if he too had also thought of such a situation.