Laulani's Unstrung Net

Laulani's Unstrung Net
Laaulani Puaoa releases his drift-net in Gorkov waters, October 2058. The photograph was recovered from a damaged memory card found at Ostvik Harbor.
Date	October 2058 – January 2059
Location	Gorkov waters, Ulmarka; Malnes wastes, Ulmarka
Result	Exile of Laulani Puaoa; death by exposure
Perpetrators	Coastal Guard, Ostvik neighbors
Victims	Laulani Puaoa, ~120 civilians (est.)
Casualties	1 fisherman dead; 3 guards wounded; 1 drift-net destroyed
Context	2043 Ulmarkan Famine aftermath, Salt Coast Clearances
Significance	Last recorded legal kill of the Kymaris species in Ulmarka

Laulani's Unstrung Net is a 2058 act of civil disobedience by Laulani, a Vareli fisherman from Ostvik, who dismantled his community's only remaining drift-net after securing the final surviving Kymaris in Gorkov waters. Refusing to sell the creature to starving neighbors despite the ongoing aftermath of the 2043 Ulmarkan Famine, Laulani violated the Emergency Resource Allocation Act of 2057. The confrontation escalated into a three-month siege involving desperate civilians and members of the Coastal Guard, ending with Laulani's exile to the frozen wastes of Malnes and his death by exposure in early 2059. The event remains a focal point in debates regarding survival ethics, state resource control, and the legacy of the Protectorate Wars.

In late October 2058, Laulani Puaoa secured the final known specimen of the Kymaris species within the Gorkov waters. The catch was made using traditional drift-net methods that represented the Ostvik community's last viable means of survival fishing in that sector. However, the creature was deemed non-compliant with recent Ulmarkan food safety regulations due to its extreme age and scarcity.

Faced with severe famine conditions following the 2043 Ulmarkan Famine, Laulani refused to surrender the animal to the state procurement office or sell it to local markets. His decision directly violated the Emergency Resource Allocation Act of 2057, legislation enacted by the Ulmarkan Empire to mandate the surrender of all viable protein sources to starving communities under martial law. The act highlighted the tension between communal survival instincts and the rigid centralisation of resources enforced by the Protectorate Wars.

On the evening of October 31, 2058, Laulani Puaoa physically dismantled his drift-net while neighbors watched in shock. He cut the netting with a serrated knife and released the Kymaris into the deep current. Witnesses reported that Laulani wept openly during the act, stating he could not feed the creature to those who had not fed him previously. The immediate reaction from the crowd was mixed; some shouted for his arrest while others remained silent, fearing retaliation from the Coastal Guard. Within hours, the Ostvik Village Council declared a state of emergency in response to the perceived threat to communal survival.

Following the unstranging, Laulani Puaoa retreated into his home as approximately forty neighbors and six members of the Coastal Guard surrounded the settlement. The standoff lasted for three months, during which supplies were cut off and communications blocked. Desperate neighbors, driven by hunger and fear of the Ulmarkan Protectorates' punitive measures, attempted to breach his defenses twice.

In early December 2058, a fire broke out in the village square, allegedly started by an arsonist seeking to intimidate Laulani into compliance. The incident escalated tensions, leading to three confirmed deaths among civilians attempting to steal food stores during the chaos. Reports from the period describe a volatile atmosphere where starvation and fear of execution outweighed the laws of the Ulmarkan Empire.

On January 14, 2059, Ulmarkan Imperial troops forcibly removed Laulani Puaoa from Ostvik. He was transported by sea to the frozen wastes of Malnes in eastern Ulmarka, an area designated for political exiles under martial law. Survivors' testimonies indicate he was left without adequate clothing or shelter upon arrival. Local reports confirm his death on January 2

• Protectorate Wars
• 2043 Ulmarkan Famine
• Salt Coast Clearances
• Kymaris