text: The war does not continue. Shortly after, negotiations begin between the Republican Government and the British government. President of Dáil Eireann, Eamon DeValera, visits London four times, before finally a delegation is sent over for negotiations.
  
  Negotiating for Britain was Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Lord Chancelor Lord Birkenhead, Leader of the House of Commons Austen Chamberlain, Secrety of State for the Colonies Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Attorney General Sir Gordon Hewart and Chief Secretary for Ireland Sir Hamar Greenwood.
  
  On the Irish side, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and famed nationalist politician Arthur Griffith is chairman, accompanied by Secretary of Finance and military general Michael Collins, Secretary for Economic Affairs Robert Barton, and two Members of British Parliament and members of Dáil Eireann, Eamonn Duggan and George Gavan Duffy.
  
  Strangely, President of Dáil Eamon DeValera chooses not to attend. Although reasons were not given, there's rumors that he knew whatever deal the Irish delegation could manage to argue for would certainly be far less than wanted, and he wanted someone to pin the blame on.
  
  The negotiations are long and hard. The Anglo-Irish Treaty is devised, but it involves both sides sacrificing quite a bit. The Irish delegation refuses to sign it without consulting DeValera and the Dáil. Eventually, under threat of taking the two countries to war again, a final ultimatum is made: sign the treaty, or continue the war. With little choice, the delegation takes the former option.
  
  The Treaty was a long, complicated document, but the main things were these: Crown forces would withdraw from most of Ireland. Ireland was to become a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, similar to Australia, Canada or South Africa. The British King would be the Head of State of the new state, known as the Irish Free State, or Saorstát Éireann. The new free state's parliament would swear an oath of allegiance to the Irish Free State. The more Protestant, Unionist Northern Ireland would would withdraw from the Free State, becoming it's own dominion of Britain with it's own parliament. Britain would control a number of Treaty Ports in Ireland. Ireland would draft it's own constitution giving it power of itself, but Britain would decide it's policies in terms of foreign affairs and war.
  
  The treaty was met with a mixed bag. In many ways, it was far more than anyone had dreamed of before 1916. On the other hand, the idea of a free, independent Irish Republic was what many men had fought for, and was what many men had died for. Many saw it as a betrayal of principle to bow down to the crown after what they'd done.
  
  There's along debate in the Dáil, with Eamon DeValera leading the anti-Treaty side. The threat of war was used as evidence that the treaty was signed under duress and did not stand. In the end, the final vote was 64 to 57 in favor of the treaty. DeValera resigned as president in protest, to be replaced by Arthur Griffith. Many anti-treaty TDs left the Dáil, refusing to swear the Oath of Allegiance that would be necessary to stay in the Dáil. It became clear that there were serious divisions in the community. These divisions run through your community.
  
  You stand in Fionn's farmhouse, discussing plans with him. The debate has been long and hard on what your unit has done. The IRA is to be disbanded, to be replaced by the National Army of the Irish Free State. As soldiers in the IRA, you're all offered positions in the army. However, many anti-treaty IRA officers have refused this offer, staying in the "new" IRA that refuses to acknowledge the treaty or the Dáil, for betraying the Irish republic they swore loyalty to. The path forward is being debated.
  
  "This is more than we could ever get," Fionn says. "If we oppose this, we'll be crushed. We don't have the arms or numbers to continue fighting."
  
  "We didn't in the rising either!" Joseph says. "But we fought on, and good men gave their lives for the republic! Not this pathetic offering!"
  
  "The Dáil we pledged ourselves to voted in favor of this," Fionn says. "We have a duty to serve."
  
  "Damn right we do!" Sean says. "We swore a duty to the republic! We'll stand by it!"
  
  "Michael Collins' defended his view at the Dáil," Liam says. "I was there. We're not abandoning the republic. He said this is only a stepping stone, but the path forward is through politics. We can't fight anymore but with our votes!"
  
  "Our votes?!" Sean says. "Did that get us anywhere in the past?!"
  
  "The new IRA has called for all true sons and daughters of the republic to serve them. I stand with them!" Joseph says.
  
  "That's a massacre. We'll be massacred if we go to war. We couldn't fight on," Fionn defends.
  
  "We could've fought on! We can fight on! I refuse to bow to the tyranny of the British crown, until the flag of the Republic of Ireland flies over the Dáil! Enough men died for us to fight on to see it happen!" Joseph shouts.
  
  "Michael!" Fionn says, looking to you. "You've stayed silent. Care to make your opinions known?"
  
  > oppose the treaty and serve as a soldier in the IRA
  "The Treaty is a betrayal of what we fought for, by a fucking mile!" you say. "We need to stand by our countrymen and what so many lives were lost for!"
  
  "For God's sake, that's absolute chaos! We can't die and lose how much we've gained after all this time! You need to see reason!" Fionn says loudly.
  
  "I'm not serving the British who executed our friends. Not a chance," Liam says. "Those who stand with the IRA, let's leave these dogs to serve their masters."
  
  You stand with around half of the soldiers in the room, watching as men you've fought with, friends you're shared laughs with, brothers in arms, still sit, unwilling to stand by their principles, as you march out of the room. They start at you as you leave,completely disgusted with you, just as you all share the same hatred of them for how cowardly and weak they're being. You proudly march out, leaving Fionn and your allies behind you, knowing this won't work out well. Only bloodshed lies down your path.
  
  > Six Months Later...
  Over the next few months, hostilities rise between the forces of the Irish Free State and the anti-treaty IRA. In February, Ernie O'Malley, the Cork IRA leader who had sheltered you, manages to take over an RIC barracks in Clonmel, capturing 40 police officers and 600 rifles. There's a stand off between O'Malley and 800 of his anti-treaty IRA and 700 pro-Treaty IRA men under Michael Brennan over who will take over the military barracks in Cork after British soldiers abandoned it, which ends peacefully, thankfully, after the barracks is divided between pro-treaty and anti-treaty forces. Later in Cork, IRA soldiers raise a British ship, taking 1500 rifles, 700 handguns and 60 machine guns.
  
  Then, comes when you take action. Led by Cathal Brugha and Rory O'Connor, your old friend, 200 anti-treaty IRA soldiers take over the Four Courts, the center of judicial power in Dublin, in order to show defiance and to provoke a response from the British soldiers in Dublin, hoping that if Britain's provoked, the Irish will be able to team up again in repelling them and the war can continue. You set up camp in the Four Courts, refusing to leave, as tensions continue to rise.
  
  In May, anti-Treaty soldiers take over the centre of Kilkenny, before being dislodged by 200 Free State soldiers. There's a firefight, with 18 casualties, before peace reigns again with a truce. In Donegal, there's another firefight between pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty IRA soldiers, with two deaths. Also in Donegal, a Free State motor convoy is ambushed by Republicans, where one Free State soldier is killed In County Meath, RIC and anti-Treaty fighters clash, with one killed on either side. The election takes place, with pro-Treaty parties far outdoing anti-treaty parties. Sir Henry Hughes Wilson is assassinated in Britain, although whether it's by anti-Treaty IRA soldiers or a secret assassination by Michael Collins and the Free State is debated, due to Sir Hughes Wilson being an almost universally hated figure among Irish for his treatment of Irish citizens in the war. However, this forces the British to put pressure on the Free State to dislodge you and the anti-Treaty rebels from the Four Courts.
  
  You're left waiting nervously to see what the Free State is do, but you're unwilling to leave the Four Courts and abandon your chance at Irish independence.
  
  > Four Courts
  As the first barrage of artillery hits the Four Courts, you know the war has began. Quickly, there's a desperate panic as you attempt to regroup. You quickly find yourself in the central courtyard, where the anti-Treaty leaders are attempting to plan a defense.
  
  "What's the situation?" Cathal Brugha asks with an angry snarl.
  
  "They're trying to soften up our defensive positions with heavy artillery. Guns taken straight from the Brits," Sean Lemass says. "It's the rising all over again, and they're the British."
  
  "I need spare men to take up the machine guns, I want reinforcements sent to hold the Eastern Wing and I want someone to crew the Mutineer," Cathal Brugha shouts out among the spare soldiers, you being one of them.
  
  You quickly decide what to do, as the armored car with a mounted gun known as the Mutineer appears outside, a driver needing a gunner desperately motioning for any nearby soldiers to take it up, as you hear gunfire ring off at the Eastern wing.
  
  > Crew the Mutineer
  You quickly climb into the Mutineer, climbing atop it before you move into the gunner's position, where a machine gun sits. You sit at the gun, aiming down it the streets, before checking to make sure the safety's
  
  "Ready," you shout. "Let's get going!"
  
  "Tiocfaidh ár lá!" the driver answers back.
  
  The armored car begins moving off, quickly heading to the front line, where Free State soldiers are already surging in, pushing up to the pair of machine gun positions that are attempting to hold back a surge of Free State Soldiers attempting to push in and take the Four Courts. The armored car rolls up as you pull the trigger, spraying bullets at the Free State soldiers as they dive into cover in a frantic panic. You take them by surprise for a quick moment as they fall back, trying to regroup and figure out how to deal with this new threat.
  
  Free State soldiers begin to fire back, attempting to take out the machine gunners through potshots. If you push forward, you might be able to draw enemy attention away from the machine gunners to help relieve pressure from them, although that mightn't be the safest option.
  
  > hold the line
  You stay in the armored truck, firing bursts of machine gun fire to hold the advancing Free State soldiers back the advancing enemies. You manage to prevent the advancing enemy line from pushing on, as the machine guy positions combined with the Mutineer makes short work of any fool too stupid to take cover. You pause, realizing the Free State soldiers aren't just retreating from your machine gun fire, but seem to be retreating entirely. You crack a grin, smiling at this as you...
  
  "Shit! Artillery!" a scream comes out, as you hear the whistling of incoming shells.
  
  You dive from your gunner's spot inside the Mutineer, as the first shell rocks the car, nearly knocking it spinning over as it's wheels are eviscerated with a burst of shrapnel. You wait patiently, as artillery thumps around you, smashing into the ground with explosions tearing through the ground for several minutes, before the artillery barrage ends.
  
  After a few moments, the artillery barrage stops. You cautiously wait a moment, before popping your head up and grabbing the machine gun, ready for an enemy charge.
  
  "The wheels are gone. This whole thing's completely immobilized," the driver says. "We're stuck here."
  
  "Shit," you complain. "Just... let me think."
  
  Abandoning the Mutineer will allow the Free State forces to push up and push your men entirely back into the buildings of the Four Courts, where you'll be easily crushed.
  
  > defend the Mutineer
  Refusing to abandon the Mutineer, you grab the machine gun, as your crew hurry to take up positions outside, taking rifles from nearby fallen troops and getting into defensive positions, using the Mutineer for cover. You patiently wait, your knuckles white as your fingers tighten on the machine gun. You stare for advancing Free State soldiers, but none show up, Instead, you're left waiting desperately, staring nervously at the possible paths of attack that lay right open, knowing how little you could actually do to stop them.
  
  Suddenly, the ground next to you explodes, as the next barrage of artillery begins. Unwilling to send a wave of their countrymen into a meat grinder, they've simply continued with another artillery attack. Explosive shells begin reigning down on you, as you hurry to duck into the armored car. An explosive shell smashes into the armored truck, and its armor is useless as the shell destroys it in one fiery blast, taking you down with it.