I woke up listening to sound of streaming piss... the man looked aged beyond his years, but he walked over and handed me, Caius an envelope;

A present from your father boy...

I frantically opened the envelope and began to read, for everywhere I went, individuals continually congratulated me, for my bloodline achieving the rank of Godfather, even if it was the shortest lived run of the time.

I will tell you about, The legend, the Godfather that took a Thug from the streets and turned him into one of the most powerful individual Crew Leaders in the game. The man that held him under his wing, and taught him lesson after lesson, with the ease of experience and the bluntness of a hammer. I will tell you my son, about my final day.

Gaius sat in his office, after taking private flights, raising more than 70million to keep his Godfather and best friend alive tear stricken and crying like a child. The day started simple. A take down and, it was going well, until the Godmother of Las Vegas called in every favor in the book. Gaius cursed that woman... why would she step into this, and the Godfather from New York to top it all off... allies, we were told. Until the end... NYnLA 4 life... all the while, was planning to take my beloved Godfather down.

Gaius sat crying, remembering the order, and swearing at his Godfather in the war council for being given the order. Take New Orleans, we will need you firing from a Godfather's standpoint. Gaius swore up and down, losing control, but when all was said and done. He was Godfather Premier's soldier through hell or high water. Looking back, Gaius wouldn't change anything; the Godfather said to kill and that was the end of it.

He could see it easily in his mind... the Godfather from New York had planned everything ahead of time, and although Gaius had handpicked the hundred bodyguards protecting his Godfather, as soon as the New York, Las Vegas, and the Philly hitsquads started walking towards him a circle of bodyguards standing in their way, Gaius watching from more than a half mile away, knew it was over. Gaius began running leaving a trail of bodyguards behind, not caring for his safety, he pulled the pistol his Godfather had originally given him on his promotion from Petty Thief to Gangster and began firing at all that were around, knowing that a bullet wouldn't land, being too far away.

At once, his world ended, when the Godfather from New York stepped out of a wall of smoke, and put two slugs in my Godfather's chest, then ordering his members to get protected.

Gaius screamed... and finally arrived to where his Godfather lay, drowning in his own blood. Picking him up, he started moving towards the nearest hospital, when he felt a well known hand on his shoulder. He looked down to see his Legend fallen and broken, without energy, and gagging on his own blood.

Set me down Gaius.

All Gaius could think... is why he is calling me Gaius, it's always youngling or pupil... why...

I'm proud of you, you did well tonight.

Gaius began crying, without caring who saw him, without rhyme or reason when he felt a hand on his face...

Silent now, there is nothing you can do. You did well, exactly as I ordered. I AM proud of you.

Godfather, NO! Gaius screamed wiping the tears from his face and reaching to pick his beloved protector up, but after hauling him up to feel height Gaius realized he was indeed dead.

Son, if you can continue the bloodline's tradition, of learning new lessons on a daily basis, you will make it out alright. However, it is unfortunate that you do not have the opportunity to learn from the mentor our bloodline has had for more than 5 life times. Many know that I didn't want the "gift" that was given to me. The rank and honor of becoming a Godfather, but many do not understand why, so I will explain to you, and maybe you can learn from my mistakes as is our family's tradition.

Our bloodline have severe tempers, letting anything and anyone set them off, thinking only of action without the consequences that do not come back. A wise Godmother once wrote 'There can be no action, without a reaction.' Let that set in a moment son, and think about it.

For me, I knew that Godfather Premier held me on a tight leash, allowing me to try my strengths where he could cover for my mistakes easily, and where he couldn't... the decision was his, allowing me to grow into the largest crew in the game with more than 85 bodyguards following me around, and I was completely content to sit and work under Godfather Premier because of that. Knowing that I was the first person he called, to speak about a situation, listening to my point of view, and then correcting it to the right way of doing things.

Son, it is unfortunate, but this envelope doesn't have a large wad of cash, there isn't a bank account with 100million in it waiting for you. There is nothing but more requests, and more dreams, my request is that you be to the young gangster Premeir, what the rest of our blood was to his father. Together, you will learn your weaknesses, and your strengths as brothers. Protect him with your life boy, for his father did the same for our entire blood line. Protecting, watching, guiding. Which is why you are named, Caius, after the first of our line, the first to hit these shores and make it to Crew Leader.

I pray you carry on the tradition, and become what I would never do, what my father could never do.

My dream is that you learn from your mistakes, but to also learn from your bloodlines and read the journals that will arrive shortly. They are coming for me now; I can hear the gunfire in the courtyard...

The last bit was written in a hurry, and in Caius's mind he could see his father grabbing a pistol and killing the first body through the door... and on the bottom of page written in hurried scribble, a single drop of blood. His father's over the following words.

Grant me a dying man's wish, and protect him. Don't let anything happen to the son of the man I loved like a father.

It appears there are still a few lessons yet to be learned. Like finding out the truth before you let loyalty and emotion cloud your own judgement. Your father was a proud and loyal man, he followed his Godfather to the grave, fighting every step of the way. This is something I won't fault or question, but it doesn't mean that your Godfather was right. Don't let your fathers loyalty cloud your own judgement and lead you to a biterness and hate that will lead to your own downfall.

A take down and, it was going well, until the Godmother of Las Vegas called in every favor in the book. Gaius cursed that woman... why would she step into this...

Why would she (Godmother Aurora of LV, for those struggling to keep up) step into it? A Godfather was killed, the reasons for it a mixture of half truths and blatent lies. If she wasn't willing to step into it, for a man who stood by her side for so long and someone who she considered a friend, she wouldn't be worthy of her place in Las Vegas. As it is, The Northern Lights still shine bright under Godmother Aurora. You speak very highly of your own loyalties, yet damn others for theirs? Questionable at best.

.. and the Godfather from New York to top it all off... allies, we were told. Until the end... NYnLA 4 life... all the while, was planning to take my beloved Godfather down.

Godfather Premier and I had stood shoulder to shoulder in many wars. This could have easily continued. However, when he chose to lie to me, to give me details which were PROVEN to be false, what sort of an ally is that?

When someone lies to me, be it a friend, a boss working under me or a random stranger.. it won't have good results. Those who know me know I'm not a sheep. I won't blindly follow anyone. I will always seek to find out the truth, then act accordingly. When someone uses a friendship to try and manipulate my actions or my reactions to events, that friendship ends there and then. The interests of my city and our business activities take priority, always.

He could see it easily in his mind... the Godfather from New York had planned everything ahead of time...

That's one hell of a vivid imagination you have there young man. My actions, which resulted directly in the death of both your father and Godfather Premier, were a reaction to the attack on New Orleans. An attack that was justified with false information. Planned everything ahead of time? The entire fiasco was as a result of LA's and Chicago's actions. Any delay in New York getting involved was due to me figuring out the truth from the web of lies being spun to me by 'friends'.

Had Godfather Premier come to me with the truth behind the attack on New Orleans, which I'm still not aware of, the whole event could have been very different. As it was, I was given information which was false, I was lied to. As best as I can figure out, it was an attempt to get me onside with the attack, but it still baffles me as to why he would do it.

Godfather Premier had many justifable reasons to war New Orleans over the recent past. Many times we had sat and discussed them, conversations where I happily admitted that had I been in his shoes I would have ended the problems there and then. New Orleans owed a large debt to LA over these 'problems'. All of these occuring under the leadership of someone other than Godfather Tallien.

New York and Philadelphia also had lesser issues with the city, which also led to the city owing compensation to make up for it. On taking control, Godfather Tallien sought to resolve all of these issues. He had come directly to myself, dealing with my trusted right hand man due to me being away on business at the time, and had assured that our debt would be paid in full as soon as possible, with the exact details to be confirmed when I was back to confirm the fine details with him.

I'm not aware of the agreement reached with Philly, but I believe it was along similiar lines with Godmother Scipita being more satisified with the discussions.

Now, the trouble. On taking over the reigns of New Orleans, the existing leadership there didn't inform Tallien of a debt to LA. This was a problem, but one that I believe could easily have been sorted with a brief discussion. The man knew how to handle politics and knew how our business worked.

To compound matters, Tallien knew that his new city had had issues with LA in the past, while unaware of the debt he was aware of the tensions, so approached Godfather Premier directly. They had discussions on Tallien's vision for the city, how to rectify the issues that had plagued it and how it would develop over time. During these discussions, he went as far as asking for details on the problems that LA had with New Orleans... with no single mention of a debt.

When a war is then launched against the man for 'refusing to pay the debt of the city', it is nothing but a lie. One I wouldn't tolerate or standby and watch being thrown around. If someone is willing to lie straight to my face and lie to all on the streets, it's a huge issue. One that led to New York stepping into the chaos of the other night.

So, my thought for the day... before you go throwing out acquisations of me planning an attack for my own gains or me turning my back on a friendship, find out the truth! I try to be a patient man, but I've already shown how I tollerate lies, so coming out here and lying about me isn't exactly a good idea!

A take down and, it was going well, until the Godmother of Las Vegas called in every favor in the book. Gaius cursed that woman... why would she step into this, and the Godfather from New York to top it all off... allies, we were told. Until the end... NYnLA 4 life... all the while, was planning to take my beloved Godfather down.

In your mind it was going well. In the real world, it was a calamitous and ill-thought out move to eliminate a perceived threat based on nothing more than paranoia and a half-arsed concoction of lies to provide a non-existent motive. The lies spoken on the streets have been well documented, so no need to go over that. The fact we saw two initial shots - one for Tallien, one for Lastik - then a subdued trickle from there, seems to support the fact this was unplanned, spur of the moment madness rather than a calculated "take down", though I'm only speculating there.

I don't think you really need to ask why Godmother Aurora would step into this. Her ties with Tallien were close and well established given the fact his roots stretched back to her fine city. An example of a more pertinent question may be why your father, whilst grasping frantically for motives and reason, cited Tallien's banning of a Detroit captain's right-hand man as part of the reasoning.

My dream is that you learn from your mistakes

Me too.

Loyalty is a requirement around these shores, and your father's can't be doubted. But, lets not try and dress this up into something it wasn't. The war was foolish and rash. In thinking you could get away with it, you also massively underestimated the ability of all the city heads to think for themselves and see beyond the thin veil of non-truths that were forthcoming.

The bottom line is, New Orleans was working with all cities to turn its fortunes around. LA was involved in the direction this took right from the off. LA was given options, chose an agreed path, and later reneged on this to suit their own agenda. You tried, you failed. Such is the way of these shores. As Godfather Deimne said, don't let it lead you on the path to bitterness.

Like father like son, I guess. Shit boy, I seen better spin when I used to take Jim down to the kiddy's park way back when. Over here in New York, lying and propaganda just ain't the same thing.

I gotta love the accusation that my Godfather was taking an unhonourable path and acting out of personal desire. Oy gevalt! That's as ironic as...well fuck, I don't even got an analogy this time.

As much as I thought your pops was an arrogant schmuck who's superiority complex had no root in reality, his zealous loyalty was something to be admired; but I gotta say the line between loyalty and blindness - it's gotta be drawn somewhere

To add a bit to what Noah has said.

What has New York, or the other Godfathers of the allied forces, gained from joining this war except fallen members and a sleepless night? No large sum of cash was ever thrown at for a "job well done", no strippers were in our HQ that night, that's for sure.

My family line has been a New Yorker for generations now. Never once has I seen written in my ancestors journal of Godfather Deimne doing anything for personal gain, bar women. After my father JoseRodriguez died, without question, Deimne set up a place for me to live comfortably and make an "honest" living.

You say that New York joined for personal gain? Then what of Godfather Premier? What did he gain by attacking New Orleans? Dead men can't pay debts I don't think. I have a feeling that the words "trigger happy" came into play before that war decision was made.

I'm still confused. Did anyone catch that he went from talking as himself "Caius" into acting like his father "Gaius" or did I just miss something?

He did switch, but it wasn't a mistake.. it was written as him reading his fathers letter/journal.. so parts would be as him, and the parts italicized would be his father's writings so it would be in his father's perspective.

I truly hope that you have learned from your mistakes. Yet, there is a difference between learning from them and changing yourself because of them. One of the hardest things to do is to change yourself. Only you can do it and perhaps with the help of others it could be made easier. No man or woman can change unless they really want to and work at it. It is easy to just go back into your old habits and return to the curses that held you down before. We all make mistakes, but unless you put what you learned into actions and the bettering of yourself you will just become the same person, doing the same stuff, screwing people over the same as you did before and not standing up for yourself or what you believe in. Following in the footsteps of another is one thing, but everyone needs to make their own course sometime or else you will just go down with them when they make a wrong decision. Loyalty is a good thing and you have proved yourself in that part, but when there is poison found you don't keep on drinking do you?

All in all if none of that makes any sense to you. I hope from the events that played out you have become a better man from it. Good day and thanks for listening.

Ah, thank you Serenity. Little hard to follow at times.

Caius, it's funny that you question where my loyalties lie here. Like others have said, Tallien grew up with me in Las Vegas. He worked under me as my Left Hand Man for months, and then as a Las Vegas Captain after that. I moved him to New Orleans, and less than three days later he was taken out by a Godfather who couldn't be patient and come to an agreement with Tallien.

I would have put money on the fact that had someone taken out Sherlock in Chicago, that Premier and the rest of Los Angeles would have stepped in to help. Why? Because Premier trained Sherlock up, and he was a leader under Premier before being moved to Chicago to take over the Godfather position there. So to wonder why I would step in and 'call in favors to everyone I know' should not even be a question in anyone's mind here.

Also, it was brought up in the original war declaration speech that Las Vegas and Tallien had never spoken to Premier prior to the move to New Orleans. They stated that Tallien's refusal to work with anything Los Angeles said is what lead to this 'takedown'. These are blatant lies, and disgraceful ones at that. I'm not going to go into specific details as it's in the past now, and there's no need for everyone to know the finer details if they weren't involved. But the fact is, Tallien and Premier did speak prior to the move and again after the move. Myself and Tallien were unaware of any monetary debts owed to Los Angeles. There were offers made on Tallien's part to Premier that he simply disregarded and threw to the ground because he just wanted to go to war and make it seem like he was justified by these lies he and his Underboss were creating.

Let this be a lesson that when you try to deceive multiple cities, you must realize that we communicate with each other and the truth will come out. When that happens, be prepared to take the fall and own up to what really happened.

a low rythmic humming can be heard

Do wop, do wop do waaaahhhhh

The radio announcer begins to speak

And that was the latest tune from the Premette's, lead by G/C-auis.


Original thought my man, A very important figure in our Historical past once said to me "I would rather have 5 people unafraid to question me yet willing to support me. Than 100 yes men (Gauis) any day." What that means, when are strong enough to express your thoughts and concerns yet still offer support you are typically in demand. When you simply bobble that cute little head and go along, you get commanded around and nothing more.


~HF~

Looking forward to a discussion from you that doesn't have to be decimated.

"Looking into Gaius's eyes was all it took, as a tear fell from Gaius's face..."
~Gaius, Nov 06, '09

"Gaius sat crying, remembering the order..."
~Caius, Nov 10, '09

Oderus shakes his head and walks away

If JohnMerrick's tear ducts weren't mangled up inside his wonky face, he'd probably be crying too.

Marley, standing over in the alley by the dumpster taking his usual piss, listens to all the chatter from the Made Guys about some young gangster standing their, who Marley barely saw, reading some tablet.

Before zipping his pants Marley checks in his undez to make sure he feels two walnut like substances. Smiles!

Yep, I still got mine! Someone else should check as well.

Zips his pants, lites a joint, coughs, and walks off to check on his local hoe ring

I was really looking forward to the young gangsters retort, it seems his father's note was riddled with half truths and omissions of fact. Then again, what's that saying? History is written by the victors.

If the attack by LA had been succesful, Gauis' sentiments would probably have been treated as fact, sad though that is. Sad because I knew Tallien to be an honorable man and a man of action, not one to let a situation linger. I can't see that he would have taken the reigns of the city, spoken to all the other city heads and ignored any debt to LA that he inherited when claiming New Orleans.

I think it was mentioned before but worth noting again, from what I can glean from conversations I've had and reports I have read, Godmother Aurora and Godfather Deimne reacted to a situation created by the late Godfather Premier. It was LA who had time to plan, position and attack, not the other way around. If LA had not waged an unjustified war on New Orleans, LA would still be populated, making your comments about Godfather Deimne planning this ahead of time laughable at best.

I would really welcome a response from Caius though I suspect none will be forthcoming.

I'd also like to wish MissFreedom and GiovanniBovine best of luck in rebuilding and restructuring New Orleans.

Melis sighs as she reads the comments. Remembering her bloodline and how many times it's died for Los Angeles and Chicago. She sheds a tear as she hears of the letter Gaius wrote to his son. 

It breaks my heart that both Los Angeles and Chicago are now empty. May everyone from there that died rest in peace. I, however, do not think that a mans letter to his son should ultimately be ripped into. It is his view of things no one elses. One cannot change someone elses opinions and feelings on a situation, whether it seems right or wrong.  

Lowering her head Melis walks away. 

If those opinions and feelings are so blatantly wrong and presented into the public domanin, then they will be ripped into. Every time.

~G~rin.

domain* even.

~G~rin.

You cannot change a dead mans mind. Why try? Sure go ahead and rip into something that you may never get a reply from and if you do then what? A battle of words after so many lives have been lost? It seems a sad waste to me. That's just my humble opinion.