From the Worthington Post...

From the beginning, Bavaria was, well, different. It was something widely known but largely ignored and little discussed in polite conversation. To put it bluntly, the city's founders and subsequent leaders held a certain fondess for things Third Reich, and it became a haven for those of like mind.

There were no plans to take over the world, of course. No Auschwitzes or Buchenwalds. But there was a fondess for Nazi-style pomp and pagaentry. Even the city flag, with its black-and-white seal on red background, was an unmistakable knockoff of the swastika. And there were countless instances of pro-Ayrian, pro-Anglo-Saxon, anti-everything else discrimination. It seemed no senior government post was held by anyone not ethnically German (or sometimes English). Reports of police mistreatment of "the wrong kind" abounded. The Government meticulously cared for some neighborhoods and neglected others. Its leaders lived and worked in by far the most opulent buildings in York.

Occasionally, the regional government would look into matters in Bavaria. And then, for the most part, it would look the other way.

But that changed when Governor Girrard and his YorkFirst allies took office. They told Bavaria it must change. Bavaria refused, and took its case to court. Bavaria lost. Then the city petitioned the courts for independent region status (the neighboring town of Eidelweiss filed an amicus brief on Bavaria's behalf, and likely would have joined the new region). The courts said the decision was up to Simolay. Simolay said it was up to York.

And York, in the person of Governor Girrard, said no. He sent in the police. Bavaria resisted. He sent in more police. Bavaria continued to resist. Finally, a Regional Guard unit was dispatched to seize control of the local government. And that is when the violence that can best be described as a war broke out. The Bavarians had managed to secure senior positons at the city's army and missile bases, and they commandeered those bases in service of their cause.

It took several months to end the insurrection. The devastation seen in Bavaria and next-door Wellington was massive. It is not yet known how many died, but several thousand lost their lives. Bavaria, once home to 43,000, now has but 3,000 residents and is $150 million in debt. Wellington lost roughly one quarter of its 12,000 residents, but the damage done by the Bavarians' scorched-earth attacks left that city in even worse shape.

Today, as reconstruction continues, Bavaria is governed by the Regional Guard. And the citizens of heretofore peaceful and prosperous York are left to wonder how things could have gone so wrong.

PICTURED: Bavaria before the war. To the west, the wealthier neighborhoods and well-appointed government buildings, including the Mayor Gerhard Schroeder's mansion to the north. (Post-war photos soon to be released.)