On Gulan III, the ordinary folk revolted against the oppressive rule of the Original Settlers and became engaged in a civil war that lasted seven years. One of the heroes of that conflict was Karla, the Milk Maid. The Rebels had lost almost every engagement of the war, yet somehow had managed to continue the fight. Finally, the Rebels managed to trap the OS forces in a situation where the latter were confined to a peninsula in waters too shallow for ships to rescue them. It looked like the Rebels were about to win the war. However, the resistance of the Loyalist forces turned the Rebel triumph into a route. They had plenty of cannon left and they used them to great effect. The Rebel army's line broke and soon the Rebels were in full retreat. The soldiers swarmed through Karla's small village in full route. A soldier carrying the Bloody Hand flag tossed it aside. Karla set down her pails of milk and picked up the Rebel flag. "Why Are you running away?" Karla demanded. "Get a hold of yourselves! Turn and fight!" Karla turned and hoisting the flag high, pushed her way against the tide of fleeing soldiers. "Onward to victory!" she cried. "Follow me! Come on! Let's go!" Shamed by Karla's bravery, the frightened soldiers gathered their courage and turned to follow her. When they reached the battlefield, Karla did not give over the flag. She ran toward the enemy cannon waving the flag to encourage the others. Without hesitation the Rebel soldiers followed after her, even as the enemy cannon began blowing huge holes in their ranks. Halfway to the cannon, Karla was mortally wounded. She fell to the ground, but even as she died, she braced the flag so it would not fall to the ground. A nearby sergeant saw Karla fall and rushed to her side. He grabbed the flag and started running toward the cannons. The ranks, never hesitating, followed the flag. The sergeant got about one hundred meters before he, too, was killed by shrapnel. Even as he fell, a private grabbed the flag and kept it moving toward the guns. The Rebel soldiers keep moving. Then he was killed in a volley and the flag was taken up by another private who managed to breach the row of cannons before he was wounded. Following right behind him, came the Rebels. Again, a sergeant took the flag and pushed his way into the enemy ranks, followed by his comrades. In a matter of minutes, the battle was done, the war won. The Rebels had overcome the tyranny of the Original Settlers. The Rebel survivors searched the field until they located Karla's body. They wrapped her body in the banner, which she had carried until her death, and bore her off the field of battle. Karla was buried with the full honors of a soldier. Later, a grand tomb was built over her grave. She was regarded as the embodiment of the revoluntionary spirit and considered the mother of her country. of the spirit of the revolution and considered the mother of her country. *********************** Well, this is my 700th posting. Hope you like it. Thanks for all your visits and encouragements. On a personal note, yesterday, I walked 1.75 miles. First time that I've walked that far in over two years! No pain, either. I'm grateful. Jeremy CREDITS: Vue6 Pro Studio, Poser 6, and PSP5. Figures: DAZ Hiro3 realistic, costumes are adapted from RanSur outfit. Backpack and harness are by Panko. Ecosystem: Linda Daireaux aka FrenchKiss "Lush Grassy Places."