Astrid and Dori navigate the streets and soon find their way to the very heart of the marketplace. Even the trip to the market is showing signs of what was to come. Everywhere they look, they can see shops and street vendors steadily running low on essential foodstuffs.

  All around, people are desperately trying to buy as much food as they can, only to be stopped in their tracks by policemen on site. Many of the people gathered went home, while others stayed, becoming increasingly frustrated. On one food stall, a man storms forward and tries to push his way through the police.

  “I have a family, get out of the way, I need the food!”

  The policeman steps forward, grabbing him by the arms and shoving him away.

  “This stall is already out, you already bought enough for the day, now get outta here!”

  “Enough? This can barely feed the family!”

  Similar scenes were playing out all around them; other people reached their breaking point, hurling all manner of insults at shop owners, only for said owners to close their doors or for the law to break up the fight. Other people came out of shops loaded with bags full of goods ranging from toilet paper to basic foodstuffs, only to then flee when one officer struck the ground with his stick.

  Astrid sighed. All of the news caused them to panic; panic inevitably leads to some people deciding to buy more than they actually need, which causes more shortages, which just makes the situation even worse.

  The government sends a response force, eager to enforce the rationing policy and stretch essentials out as long as they can.

  Still, people are getting angry, and the tension in the air grows with every passing beating and insult.

  Sebirsk has never been the most suitable of worlds to grow food on, being mostly of a barren disposition, with brutal winters.

  It is only through imported machines that the nation can make enough to sustain the people. But now, with equipment breaking down and stockpiles of spare parts and farming agents running low, the food chain starts to slowly unravel.

  Astrid and Dori reached one of the stalls that they frequented, and they smiled as the old lady who ran the stall greeted them.

  “Hey Grannie Tidak, how are you doing? Got what we ordered?”

  “Ah, hello, Astrid, oh, and you brought little Dori too? Ah, you’ve grown so much over these past few months. How’s school been for you, dearie?” Tidak asked with a sweet tone.

  Dori giggled and said.

  “Great! I got a perfect quiz score not too long ago, and I even got to eat some tasty food at the canteen, it was so… Good!”

  Tidak smiles.

  “That’s good to hear. Remember to study hard.” The old lady sighed and looked at Astrid.

  “Oh yes, I got what you requested ready for you. Please just hand over the payment. Though I wasn’t able to get any of the special fish you requested, sorry about that.”

  “Oh, that’s fine, Grannie, here.” Astrid handed her a small pouch of money.

  Dori then takes the goods, a bag full of meat, vegetables, and other essentials.

  Dori could already tell, based on the weight alone, that this would last them a week at most.

  Dori then asks

  “By the way, Grannie, do you have anything new on Mama? She’s been gone for so long already.”

  Tidak’s expression changes, her smile giving way to gloomy eyes, “Sorry, dear, I tried everything, my old contacts… Asking the off-world friends that I have… But I’m afraid there isn’t anything new under the sun; all I can say for certain is that your mother went off to the Teuton Empire to help with the crisis here.”

  Dori looks down at the floor. She frowns.

  “Oh… That’s okay, I… I just miss Mama, it’s been so boring at home without her.”

  Tidak looks at the young elf and places her hand on her shoulder.

  She reaches for something in her pocket and presents a lollipop to her, which immediately causes her face to turn as bright as the star that lit up their world.

  “Ooh, thank you, grannie!”

  Tidak smiles again.

  “No problem, dear, I may be old, but these old bones will still try to help you in any way they can… Hoho, I remember back when you two were babies. Why, your mother would always come to me for advice, and I would help her lull you two to sleep.”

  Her smile grows wider, “Oh, I even remember when you two would play with your dolls! What were their names? Mr. Fluffball and Ms. Googs, was it?” Tidak giggles at those fond memories.

  Astrid clenches her fists, her eyes are wide, and her face is as red as a tomato.

  “Grannie, stop it!”

  Dori starts frantically waving her arms.

  “Yeah, not out in public!”

  Tidak laughs hysterically. “Oh, alright, alright, I’ll stop, anyway, you should go back home now; things are getting tense here, so I should close up for the day.”

  “Huh? But don’t you usually stay open well into the night?” Astrid scratches her head.

  Tidak nods before putting up the sign for closing time.

  “Usually, yes, but with the crisis going on, I was hardly able to get any new produce to sell. Besides, given how tense everything is, I feel like I should close up and spare myself the trouble of being shouted at by the desperate folk.”

  “Ah, I see. Actually, we have nothing better to do. Why don’t we stay and help?” Astrid reaches out her hand to the old woman.

  Tidak is initially hesitant, and she would have refused had she not looked at Astrid’s eyes. She knew what she was feeling right now; the fire in her eyes burned with an aura, the aura that only appears when she insists on doing something.

  Tidak sighs, “Oh, alright, well, you can help by covering up the display cases. I’ll take care of the lights, doors, and windows.”

  Astrid and Dori nod and get to work. Granny Tidak’s shop isn’t the largest; it is just a small room and a storage space at the back, but the two siblings have been here so often that they can’t imagine home without this place.

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  Grannie Tidak has been here for a long time, even before Astrid and Dori were born, though they were practically family at this point. But the siblings were under no illusions as to her origins. Tidak was far taller than the common folk here, even among fellow elder folk.

  She still stood a good foot taller than most. A quick look at her is enough for most people to tell where she hails from. She stands taller than most Sebirskans. All Teutons do.

  The siblings do their task quickly, and soon after, Tidak closes the windows and turns off the lights. Exiting the building and locking the door behind them, Tidak smiled.

  “Alright, that’s that. Anyway, now that we're done here, we should-”

  “Hey, you!”

  Without warning, a man dressed in a brown jacket ran towards them, practically stomping his way towards the trio, his eyebrows were crossed, and his fists clenched with a clear purpose.

  “Where’s my goods? Think you can cheat me like that just cause you called the cops, huh?”

  Tidak’s smile disappears and is replaced with a sour expression.

  “Agh, not this again, haven’t I told you that I can’t get your requested food? This is the third time you’ve come stomping toward me, itching for a fight. Get out of here before I call the police!”

  “Huh, tough talk for an old crone like you.” Suddenly, the man pulls a large knife from his coat and points it at the trio.

  “Give me all the food you got, or these two ladies you have with you get hurt, you hear?!”

  Dori, scared, hides behind her sister, who in turn looks to Granny Tidak. The old woman is positively infuriated; it was as if fear were nonexistent to her. Dori, on the other hand, is shivering in fear at the mere presence of the big, scary man. Astrid pulled out a pocket knife of her own and turned back to Dori.

  “Lil’sis, stay behind me.”

  Tidak’s eyes narrow as she looks at the one before her. At the corner of her eyes, she could see two more men approaching them, and these two stood by the man, brass knuckles at the ready.

  “If you don’t give the food to the boss, then we’ll have to get real messy with you, understand me, old bag?” one of the thugs says, venom dripping.

  The three men look at each other with a mad glint in their eyes, but when they turn back to Tidak, the old lady simply nods her head.

  “Young man… I’d turn back if I were you.”

  The men are surprised. There was no one around here at the moment; most people are busy trying to get their own food, civil services are trying to put out fires, and those who saw simply watched, too scared to intervene or rushing off to summon aid.

  It wouldn’t matter; the three of them could overwhelm these people, smiles growing wider and confidence as solid as a stone wall. They slowly approached, but Tidak held her ground.

  “I am warning you now, young man, turn around and leave this behind. I don’t have any food on me anyway.”

  One of the thugs scoffs and gets ready his brass knuckles. “Shut it, old crone, maybe I should give you a good beating!”

  Without warning, he rushes forward and attempts to punch Tidak right in the face. But just as he is about to land a hit, Tidak steps to the side, grabs him by the arm, and pulls him in, using her elbow to hit the man in the face.

  The thug recoils in pain before tumbling to the ground, and almost immediately, he starts to moan as blood drips from his face.

  “Agh! My nose, she got my nose!”

  Rolling around in pain, Tidak approached and knelt at the man.

  “I warned you, youngster.”

  She stands up and points at the other men.

  “This old lady might have seen better days in her time traveling the stars, but by the Gods, she is not out of a will to fight!”

  “You old crone, you’ll pay for that!” The second thug runs forward, he attempts to punch, but Tidak notices his stance is off, smirking, the old woman counter-charges, much to the shock of the thug, and with a quick move, she sweeps the thug off his feet and down to the ground before she snatches the brass knuckles from him. Looking at the final thug, the one who started it all, he looked at Tidak with fear before turning back and running.

  The other two, in pain, quickly followed their leader, sounds of fear escaping them as they disappeared into the alleyways.

  Tidak scoffs.

  “Those men… I swear, you would never get away with something like this back where I grew up, why I oughtta charge them for assault!”

  As she is about to continue her rant, Astrid and Dori walk up to her. Dori looks at her arms, her eyes full of worry.

  “Granny! Are you okay? Do you have to go to the hospital?”

  Tidak’s hand finds its way to Dori’s head.

  “Oh, no need to worry about me, dear. I was actually more worried about you two. I couldn’t stand the thought of you two getting hurt… So, I decided to dish out some of my old moves.”

  Dori lets out trapped air, taking a deep breath before giving Tidak a short hug. Astrid’s gaze went from Dori to something hanging on one of the walls.

  It is a symbol of an eye, an outline of gold, the sclera made of a shining material from off-world, iris painted a deep red that seems to glow in the darkness. An Eye of Heaven.

  Below it is a small altar, old wax drips down its wooden body, while a smaller Eye of Heaven, bound by golden beads, sat silently.

  Curious, she looks back at the old lady.

  “Granny… You’re a Teuton, right? Grew up in the Empire?”

  Tidak smiles.

  “Ah, you want me to tell you more of my stories again? I don’t know what else I can tell you about my life, dear. You heard pretty much all of it when you were a child.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, Granny. I was actually wondering… What’s the Teuton Empire like as a nation? I know that’s where Mama went to get help. What’s the Empire like?”

  Astrid waits for a response. She can see Tidak place a finger on her chin, her head facing down as though in deep thought.

  Finally, Tidak speaks up with an even wider smile.

  “It is one of the great powers… And the foremost hyperpower of the galaxy, her territories are vast and militarily strong and mighty, able to fight wars that are far beyond anything seen on this small planet. You might think that a lot of the stories you hear are exaggerated, some are, but many of those stories, from great military victories, a nation of endless will and might, and even the martial virtues, are all very much real. I was there, I saw it all for myself growing up in the Imperial province of Ostland.”

  Tidak’s smile grows wider, nearly forcing her eyes shut.

  “I could go on and on about my homeland, but suffice it to say that I led a wonderful childhood. Wars against other nations are a thing, yes, but those were mostly isolated to the borders. Life was simple for me. I was living in a small city on a minor planet. I suppose you could say that the Empire’s way of running its territories was firm but fair. There are a few slip-ups here and there, but overall… I never had anything to be angry about for long.”

  Dori’s eyes glow with excitement and wonder.

  “Wow! That sounds awesome. Do you think Mama will get back home soon, Granny? Oh! Will the Teutons help us out, too?”

  “Well, that depends… This planet, Sebirsk, is still far from the nearest Imperial border. It took me a long time to get from the border to Sebirsk when I married my husband.”

  Tidak pauses and looks up at the sky, mind morphing the Eye of Heaven.

  “As for help from the Imperial government… I am sure that they’d treat it as a serious matter. If your mother decides to follow the script given to her by the Sebirskan government, the Teuton Empire would get the message that this is a formal request for aid from a nation in need. All we can do now is wait for word to reach us.”

  Astrid tilts her head a little bit.

  “Oh yeah, didn’t you say that Tidak was just a local name you adopted?”

  “Ah, Ja, if you remember your eighth birthday, Astrid, you should know that my real name is Bathilda Hartmann.” Tidak looks at her wrist.

  “Ah, it seems like I should get going. I have a meet-up with other Teutons in the city… Say, why don’t you two come with me? We have a lot of beers to go around, and we can order some fruit juice for little Dori.”

  “Yay!” Dori cheers. “Big sis, come on, let’s go! It’s been ages since Granny treated us to a meal, come on!”

  Astrid scratches the back of her head a little, then sighs. “Alright, alright, let’s just get back home and unpack all this food first.”

  With that, it is agreed, and the sisters turn for home.