That was the beginning of the end, the final blow to the NMWA. As had happened on Earth with the USSR, the international organization began to dismember itself piece by piece. Many nations had already begun to lose their faith in the NMWA, and the discovery of that secret was the last humiliation they were willing to endure.

The Eden Union was able to withstand the impact of that news much better: Queen Mackenzie and President Palma managed to convince the people and nations who had kept silent about that news to avoid panic spreading and fear held back men from 'to act and rebel against the wrong government system that was the NMWA. Since their motives were understandable, the Eden Union chose to believe him, even though the Senate imposed fines on the Prettania Kingdom and the Republic of Meilong; after all, it was right that they paid at least a little. Furthermore, both Queen Mackenzie and President Palma revealed that they already had suitable countermeasures for atomic bombs, and that they would never support a nuclear war.

Sobek obviously did not reveal his involvement in that secret: since the situation between humans and dinosaurs was very delicate, it was best to avoid giving people a reason to doubt him. He then pretended to be as surprised as the others, but announced that nuclear bombs did not scare him and that he would continue to act as he always did, trying to achieve coexistence between humans and animals and to build a future of peace and prosperity for all.

Thanks to these measures, the Eden Union was able to overcome the news without serious crisis; there were obviously some who freaked out, but nothing the cops couldn't handle. Eventually, the crisis subsided as quickly as it had come, even though many were now tense knowing the danger they were in. No one, however, even thought for a second of leaving Eden Union: the organization had brought more prosperity than people had ever seen, and no one was crazy enough to want it to end. Besides, if the bombs went off, they would all be dead regardless of whether they were part of the Eden Union or not; we might as well keep that thriving economy.

But the NMWA, on the contrary, found itself in a much more precarious situation. The Tirion Federation and the Almagna Empire had no excuses to appeal to; their explanations that the atomic bombs were experimental projects that wanted to keep secrets from the dinosaurs didn't convince the nations, to which it was evident that the two superpowers aimed to obtain a monopoly on nuclear weapons. In addition, almost all nations were now on the verge of collapse and could not bear the excessive power of the big ones. And so, the NMWA met with collapse. The abandonment of the Confederate States of Vinland marked a domino effect.

Just as had happened in the USSR, the NMWA fell apart with exceptional speed. Indeed, it happened even faster. Within just two months, the combination of riots, protests, new elections and mistrust meant that as many as 80% of the nations still part of the NMWA left the organization. Only those nations closely linked to the two superpowers remained; all the others left.

Small nations, which did not have sufficient economies to support themselves, chose to join the Eden Union immediately; the larger ones instead preferred, at least initially, to stay out of any international organization. It was normal: even on Earth this had happened during the Cold War, with Non-Aligned Countries. Sobek was not worried about it, and the same was true for the regents of the Eden Union: after all, the important thing was that the NMWA lose power. Once the Gardarikian Federation and the Almagna Empire collapsed completely, and thus the atomic war was averted, those countries left out of the conflict would flock to join the Eden Union: the free market was too much good for anyone to think about staying out of it. Only the risk of nuclear bombs at the time held back those countries from joining the organization immediately.

However, three months after the announcement of RE/SYST, something stirred the nations again: the accession of the Confederate States of Vinland to the Eden Union.

After deposing Bennett, Alonzo Carter had briefly ruled as interim president, but was quick to call new elections as soon as possible; at that time he had had a full-scale investigation conducted and everyone who had supported Bennett's crimes arrested. When the time came for the new election, Alonzo won by a large majority of the votes and thus became president in all respects. Thanks to his new role he had set the senators in motion to change the Constitution, so that it respected the requirements imposed by the Eden Union; since the Confederate States of Vinland were a democracy these requirements were almost all already met, so the work did not take the Senate too long. Once the Constitution was finally officially amended, President Alonzo applied to join the Eden Union.

That was a strong message for the whole world: even in the face of the threat of a nuclear attack, the Confederate States of Vinland were not willing to bow their heads and live in fear, but rather did their best to support that part that guaranteed peace, stability. and wealth for all. Many saw President Carter as a hero.

The embrace between Alonzo Carter, Queen Mackenzie and President Palma, as well as the signing of the treaty by the President of the Confederate States of Vinland, gave people around the world a sign of hope. In addition, Alonzo spoke at length to the audience that day, stating that it was foolish to bow to terror of nuclear bombs, and that if they hid or surrendered they would only allow the wicked to do as they pleased; the only choice was to keep fighting, both physically and figuratively; because those who fought for truth and freedom, according to Alonzo, couldn't and shouldn't surrender to the dictators.

That gesture and those words caused many nations fresh out of the NMWA to reevaluate their intentions: although they initially wanted to keep out of any organization, they were now starting to change their minds. Some of them had courage and joined the Eden Union; many others remained out of the conflict, but both Sobek and his allies knew that there was a bitter debate in these countries about the course of action that should be followed.

Eventually, the geopolitical order of the world changed drastically: whereas previously the nations were divided between the NMWA and the Eden Union almost symmetrically, four months after the announcement of RE/SYST, the Eden Union occupied a large part of the human world, many nations were neutral and only a hundred or so countries, almost all dictatorships or oligarchies masquerading as democracies, remained on the NMWA.

Even so, however, the NMWA still posed a danger. But RE/SYST wasn't done hitting yet.

******

"Buddy, are you sure? This place looks like a landfill"

"Shut up, JD!"

Buddy glared at his brother. Seriously, that idiot couldn't figure out when it was time to be discreet?

After three years of severe civil war, the Republic of Alsace was still under oligarchic and dictatorial rule. The rebels also had a very good chance of winning, but due to reinforcements sent by the Gardarikian Federation and the Almagna Empire, the rebellion had sadly been held back. The country was still divided in two and the civil war showed no sign of abating.

For the rebels it was now clear that the only real way to win that war was to rely on an external power: with the two superpowers supplying weapons and soldiers to the government, it was impossible for them to inflict fatal blows on dictators. The only solution was therefore to find someone who would provide them with the same paraphernalia.

Obviously their enemies had expected it, and in fact the borders were all very guarded to avoid any contact with the outside. However, the rebels may have found a solution.

Buddy had taken over as the new leader when Ataman had died in battle, and about two days earlier he had received a mysterious message from the hacker group known as RE/SYST inviting him to a meeting, giving him coordinates and location. Buddy had decided to trust him, because any help was now essential. So he left in great secrecy, accompanied by JD, the only one he was sure he could trust.

The coordinates had taken them to a landfill. The only sign of civilization were a chair and two pairs of glasses placed delicately on it. "Seriously, shouldn't we have met someone before?" JD murmured looking around frantically, suspecting a trap.

Buddy grabbed his glasses and put them on. Initially nothing happened, but suddenly the lenses changed and the holographic image of an elderly woman appeared on the chair in front of him. "It's a communication device!" he realized him.

"A what?" JD obviously didn't understand. Buddy didn't answer and just gave him the other pair of glasses. When JD put them on he was also able to see the woman. "Wow! But this is cool!"

"This is a long-range visual and auditory communication device, suitably disguised and can only be activated remotely" explained the elderly woman. "Now, Mr. Buddy, head of the Alsace resistance, can we talk?"

Buddy deeply inspired. "I assume I'm talking to Nero"

"Exactly. But don't try to identify my face. This is just a holographic image, a mask if we want to call it that" the woman replied.

"Why did you contact us? What do you want from us?"

"Help you, Mr. Buddy. We want to support you in your war"

"Why? If there is one thing I have learned, it is that in this world no one ever does anything for nothing"

"Peace is our only gain. Between you and the current government of this country, you are the fairest and most democratic choice, consequently if you win this nation will experience a new dawn and will be able to make more sensible choices. My hope is that once you come to power you will understand that staying on the side of the NMWA is an unwise choice. What you decide to do at that point will be your problem; for RE/SYST, the important thing is that the NMWA loses more and more power. Each nation that chooses a path other than submission is one more step towards peace"

Buddy thought deeply about Nero's words. He certainly didn't trust RE/SYST, but the fact that Nero had exposed his interests reassured him: at least, he didn't pretend that theirs was a disinterested act. Like him, RE/SYST also aimed to damage the NMWA and avert the outbreak of a war. "Don't you want us to join the Eden Union?"

"Join or not join an international organization is your choice; our only wish is that you leave the NMWA. Regardless of your future choices, the NMWA will be weakened and that will be a win for us" Nero replied.

Buddy considered what to answer. The terms of the agreement seemed very liberal, and in fact the rebels would have lost nothing. "We had already decided to leave the NMWA if we won. If you don't care who we side with then, then I see no reason to refuse. But what help could you ever give us?"

Nero seemed to become even more serious: "The glasses you wear contain a key which illustrates the locations of the bases and the routes that the enemy forces take to refuel and defend themselves; by removing those, you will win the war. Since your forces are not sufficient for this undertaking, RE/SYST is also willing to put you in contact with Eden Union, so that they can send you help"

Buddy's eyes widened. "Can you really do it?"

"Yes. Getting them to help you will be your job. All RE/SYST will do is provide you with a secure and encrypted contact, impossible to identify" Nero replied.

Buddy was beaming. The Eden Union was the most powerful international force in the world and how they hated the NMWA; if there had been a chance to weaken it, then they probably would have agreed to send aid. The rebels could not get in touch with it due to the sabotage of communication and the closing of the borders… but if RE/SYST provided a secure contact, then the music changed. "Okay" he said sure of his choices. "Then let's do it now. Activate this contact"