The sharp contrast of lives in the developed and undeveloped worlds continues through these latest scenes, as I set the background for important thematic elements in the story and kindle plot lines that will develop in the chapters ahead.
In scene 3, "The Gober Men" we see the violence in lawless provinces of Nigeria start to spread. A look at today's headlines from the city of Jus in Nigeria should be instructive as to how easily violence can escalate in this region. The important thing about it, from a western perspective, is not the fate of people like Kuba, but the fate of the operations of men like Ben Flack, who will be introduced as a main character this weekend in scene 5. The Niger Delta is a major oil producing region in a world of increasing energy adversity. Kuba's fate is representative of the lives on countless millions, but the West seldom takes notice of them unless something threatens its own "interests." In this case, and in real life, the great threat to Western interests in Nigeria is the fragile state of the oil recovery business there in a setting of increasing civil strife.
But for now, enjoy these background scenes, one setting the stage for future story events in Nigeria and another reprising the character Robert from scene 2 as he muses about the late great financial system and the collapse we have recently lived through.
The link to the main 9 Days Falling project page is here
Here are the latest scene releases:
Scene 3 Gober Men
Scene 4 Bad Weather
