Juneteenth, Deliverance From Slavery

June 19th, 2004

in 485 B.C., upon Xerxes’ ascension to the Persian throne, slaves throughout the great kingdom rebelled. The councilors to the king debated long as to whether to simply kill the slaves or bring them back into servitude. Xerxes seemed to have had a change of heart recently, because he counseled a third course; he proclaimed an end to slavery within Persian lands. Many nobles rebelled, but the king was able to enforce this edict throughout his reign.

in 71 B.C., the slave army of Spartacus marched on Rome and defeated the army led by Crassus of Rome. Spartacus then sacked Rome and freed all the slaves of Italy. Roman General Pompey, coming too late to assist Crassus, attempted to drive the slaves from Rome itself, but was defeated and killed at the battle of the Appian Way.

in 1765, the Mlosh negotiate an end to slavery in the European colonies of North America. With their labor-saving machinery, there is no need for slaves anymore, and most people support the ban. Some former slavemasters harbor resentment against the Mlosh for this, though, and begin secret societies based around myths of racial superiority.

in the 2nd year of Kamanestra’s reign, news reached the shores of Eire that Pharaoh Cheokhan had freed them. There was much celebration, as the people of Eire went back to their old ways of clan rule by chieftains.

in 1861, as he begins his second term, President Walt Whitman states that "the Constitution of the United States stands for all people, or it stands for no people." He sends out a proclamation that slavery is illegal within the borders of the United States, and declares that all persons currently held as slaves within those borders would now be free. The nation braces for a southern rebellion against the Communist leader.

in 1203, King Rafan ibn Sulaiman declares the end of slavery within his domain. Europeans taste freedom for the first time since the Great Jihad in 804. There are celebrations throughout the continent. Many in Islam feel that King Rafan has gone too far, and he is ostracized throughout Islam for the rest of his days. Among his European subjects, though, he is beloved as no other ruler.

in 1867, Union riders still in the Confederate state of Texas tell as many of the slaves as they can of the Emancipation Proclamation and freedom in the Union. As the Union armies withdraw to their side of the border, many black slaves find a way to spirit themselves along; over half of the slaves in Texas leave with the Union troops. This mass exodus is still popularly celebrated by their descendants in the US as Juneteenth.

in the Dreaming, the Pindanjaru are delivered as Wandjina returns with his thunder to destroy the pale men. The great spirit tells his people that they must now rise up to rid the land of the pale ones. He gives them lightning bolts to strike their enemies, and talismans which protect them from the bullets of the pale one’s rifles. Soon, the people of the land are freed.

in 2003, the Martians halt their advance southward from the Arctic reaches, and the human world attempts to regroup.