HISTORICAL NOTE: From this point on, there will be numerous references and plot points involving the Klan. This was a decision I did not take lightly when I wrote this a decade ago. As of now, in the novel, real history is slowly merging with alternative history. I have to draw from real historical events and groups to make the impending authoritarian regime seem grounded and plausible. Many authoritarian regimes prey on people's prejudices, racism, and economic woes to advance their power. The Reconstruction Era in the South was primed for an authoritarian takeover, especially in its failures, and in this alternative history, the leaders of this regime see an opportunity. NOTE: Ivo K. and his cohorts are not racist. Racism does play a major part later on, but Ivo K. is not a racist. He is using racists for his own personal gain.
January 21, 1871
The news this morning is grim. At least to me, it is. In yesterday's paper, there was a short column—with engraving—titled: "Large Wasps Seen Over Nevada Plains!" Several inhabitants of Carson City and the Las Vegas Valley witnessed "large wasps" gliding over the eastern foothills. The engraving that accompanied the article was supposedly taken from testimony, but it galled me into something awful.
The wasps, according to the engraving, are roughly five or six feet long, and entirely mechanical. I wager to see something that high up, it would have to be no less than five feet in length. These bizarre sightings seem to coincide with that stranger-still armored vehicle. Admittedly, I am at a loss for words. Some of my colleagues believe the whole thing is a hoax, a foolish attempt at drawing attention to an insolvent parish. I sadly cannot subscribe to this notion. I do not want to pursue this matter, though, after what I read further, I do not believe I have many options.
News from the Department of Justice. Attorney General Ackerman personally led a raid upon a purported Klan rally near the border of Georgia and Alabama. The prompt to do so was not unusual, but the findings of it were. The incursion climaxed at a mill outside of Eufaula on the Chattahoochee River, where authorities discovered a store for arms distribution. The owner of the property was Mr. Eli Braxton. I felt faint and dizzy when I read that. Inside they found an assorted variety of mechanical monstrosities crudely shaped into the human figure. There were mechanical limbs, weird appendages, and machines that resembled insects. One set of blueprints had the letters S, W, A, and T printed on the top.
I almost collapsed. With Stripe absent, I am poised to do something, but what? I do not know. All of this serves as a foul reminder of my sins, the opening chapter of a horrible new age I helped usher in. I will attempt to rectify these crimes by informing Emmett. It is the least I can do.