Things Past – Kopan Massacre Part 2 - Road Less Taken
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Post Details
Previously…
And with a final bang, the drop ship collided forcefully with the earth, jarring its passengers to all sides as it ground to a halt.
“Well, that was fun.” Akamu remarked humorlessly.
::ON::
“Hey, Akamu!” said a familiar voice from outside the pod. “You alive in there?”
“Sure am!” Akamu called out, pulling the releases on his safety harness. He gasped as the tight bands across his chest released. A moment later the hatch popped open with a hiss and blinding sunlight cascaded in. Akamu climbed out of his slot and wretched his survival pack from the under-seat storage compartment.
“Get this foot panel up,” he ordered. “We need to get our weapons then get out of this place before the Rebels come and investigate. Bera, start unloading the medical supplies from Pod 3. Kai, triangulate our exact position, then figure out a safe, quick path through to the Colony. I want the whole squadron armed and ready to move out in the next ten minutes.”
His orders were carried out silently, the team knowing that their position in the wide open T’Dasian Plains was a precarious one. The floor grating was pulled up and swords and guns were hefted out and distributed amongst the squadron. A few moment of noisy preparation later and the whole crew marched over and aided Kor Bera in his unloading of the medical supplies. The large crates were hauled onto a grav-cart.
“Kai, how are we doing?” Akamu called over his shoulder as the crate of antibiotics was loaded and the cart was activated. The slab levitated off the ground about half a meter and hovered of its own accord, awaiting instructions.
“We’ve got a whole lot of activity closing in from the north,” answered T’Kahn Kai, gazing intently at his equipment. “Not sure if it’s our guys or the Rebels. Or maybe it’s just a herd of wild Tilik.” He smirked over at Akamu.
“Tilik,” Akamu repeated skeptically, “Right… The gods aren’t so kind, Kai. It’ll be a whole squad of Rebel warriors, just you wait.”
“Rather not, thanks,” Kai said cheerfully, stowing his computer in his pack. “Shall we move on, then?”
Akamu nodded. Kai took point; as the surveyor, he knew the lay of the land, and which direction the colony would be in. At first, the journey seemed almost like a leisurely stroll through a pleasure garden back home. The pace easy and the ground was relatively even. Native birds sang all around, Akamu even heard a couple of Telian birds, imported from the homeworld as part of the colonization of Kopa. Two hundred years of Kopan history, and it all came down to this day.
After a bit of walking, however, the forest began to close in about them and the ground started to climb upward at an alarming rate. The trees leered over the party like brooding sentinels, disgruntled that their peaceful contemplation had been interrupted by the Telian intrusion. Akamu could feel the tension in the air ratcheting up with every step he took. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he couldn’t help but feel he was being watched.
It was quiet in the wood. No birds sang, no woodland mammalia poked their furry little noses out to investigate the passing soldiers. It seemed like even the insects refused to buzz and whir through the air. Akamu had always heard that the agrarian lifestyle on Kopa was a quiet one, but this was ridiculous.
They were passing by a large stand of evergreen trees when the wood exploded. Literally. Missiles came out of nowhere, their shrill screams dismissing the silence almost casually. Two rockets collided with trees, sending the towing behemoths crashing to the ground. Another rocket buried itself in the ground less than fifty meters in front of Kai, sending dirt and splinters of wood soaring off in every direction. Akamu was vaguely aware of Kai and another, young soldier screaming. He could only assume they’d taken some shrapnel. But there was no time to think about possible casualties at the moment, Akamu hit the ground, rolling behind one of the fallen trees, and roared for his men to do likewise.
Releasing the safety on his weapon, Akamu let loose a volley of phaser blasts into the wood. He heard a scream as one blast hit a target. Around him, Akamu’s men were likewise showering the forest with deadly beams of energy.
“Bera,” Akamu hollered over the din. “How many do you count?”
“Hard to say,” was Bera’s response after a moment. Another volley shattered the peaceful forest. “They keep moving around. No more than fifteen.”
A brutal sonic wave rocked Akamu’s senses; someone, whether his man or one of the enemy, it didn’t matter, had let loose a grenade. A moment allowed to recover, then Akamu twisted around and fire his weapon at random into the woods. As he peered over the log he’d used as shelter, the young warrior caught sight of a glint of gold and silver; someone had drawn a sword. The enemy was about to close in for hand to hand combat.
“Swords!” Akamu shouted, hoping his men heard and understood. The immediate cessation of weapons fire told him they had. There was a series of metallic rings as his men drew their blades.
Akamu drew his own sword just as a crazed man came rocketing out of the trees towards him. He parried quickly, then rolled aside and onto his feet. A graduate of Herok Tevarna, Akamu was an expert swordsman. Parry, parry, dodge, feint, attack! It was a well-known routine, and it wasn’t long before the enemy lie dead before him. He turned and charged in to help one of his own warriors dispatch his opponent. The soldier in trouble was Kai, and Akamu noted out the corner of his eye that the surveyor was indeed wounded in the left shoulder. Their joint opponent turned out to be a woman, about twenty years old by the look. Akamu hesitated only a moment, entranced by her shining emerald eyes, before dispatching her. Female or not, she had chosen to attack his men, and Akamu would protect his squad, even at the risk of his honor.
It was over as quickly as it began, silence once more descending on the group. Akamu took in the damages quickly, well-practiced in examining the aftermath of battle. It seemed there were about twelve dead or dying enemy combatants on the ground. Two men in the cobalt Imperial uniform had been killed, and six more had been wounded, though none seriously.
But something else was wrong, and it took Akamu nearly a full two minutes to realize what. “God of the Sea,” he swore when it hit him.
“These aren’t Rebels…” Kai said beside Akamu.
“No,” agreed Akamu. “These men are wearing blue and gold…… We’ve just butchered our own soldiers…”
::OFF::
Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Civilian Mercenary
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Post Details
| Title | Kopan Massacre Part 2 - Road Less Taken | |
| Mission | Things Past | |
| Author(s) | Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani | |
| Posted | Thu May 26, 2011 @ 7:50am | |
| Location | Kopa IV - Forest | |
| Timeline | June 3, 2372 -1027 |
And with a final bang, the drop ship collided forcefully with the earth, jarring its passengers to all sides as it ground to a halt.
“Well, that was fun.” Akamu remarked humorlessly.
::ON::
“Hey, Akamu!” said a familiar voice from outside the pod. “You alive in there?”
“Sure am!” Akamu called out, pulling the releases on his safety harness. He gasped as the tight bands across his chest released. A moment later the hatch popped open with a hiss and blinding sunlight cascaded in. Akamu climbed out of his slot and wretched his survival pack from the under-seat storage compartment.
“Get this foot panel up,” he ordered. “We need to get our weapons then get out of this place before the Rebels come and investigate. Bera, start unloading the medical supplies from Pod 3. Kai, triangulate our exact position, then figure out a safe, quick path through to the Colony. I want the whole squadron armed and ready to move out in the next ten minutes.”
His orders were carried out silently, the team knowing that their position in the wide open T’Dasian Plains was a precarious one. The floor grating was pulled up and swords and guns were hefted out and distributed amongst the squadron. A few moment of noisy preparation later and the whole crew marched over and aided Kor Bera in his unloading of the medical supplies. The large crates were hauled onto a grav-cart.
“Kai, how are we doing?” Akamu called over his shoulder as the crate of antibiotics was loaded and the cart was activated. The slab levitated off the ground about half a meter and hovered of its own accord, awaiting instructions.
“We’ve got a whole lot of activity closing in from the north,” answered T’Kahn Kai, gazing intently at his equipment. “Not sure if it’s our guys or the Rebels. Or maybe it’s just a herd of wild Tilik.” He smirked over at Akamu.
“Tilik,” Akamu repeated skeptically, “Right… The gods aren’t so kind, Kai. It’ll be a whole squad of Rebel warriors, just you wait.”
“Rather not, thanks,” Kai said cheerfully, stowing his computer in his pack. “Shall we move on, then?”
Akamu nodded. Kai took point; as the surveyor, he knew the lay of the land, and which direction the colony would be in. At first, the journey seemed almost like a leisurely stroll through a pleasure garden back home. The pace easy and the ground was relatively even. Native birds sang all around, Akamu even heard a couple of Telian birds, imported from the homeworld as part of the colonization of Kopa. Two hundred years of Kopan history, and it all came down to this day.
After a bit of walking, however, the forest began to close in about them and the ground started to climb upward at an alarming rate. The trees leered over the party like brooding sentinels, disgruntled that their peaceful contemplation had been interrupted by the Telian intrusion. Akamu could feel the tension in the air ratcheting up with every step he took. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he couldn’t help but feel he was being watched.
It was quiet in the wood. No birds sang, no woodland mammalia poked their furry little noses out to investigate the passing soldiers. It seemed like even the insects refused to buzz and whir through the air. Akamu had always heard that the agrarian lifestyle on Kopa was a quiet one, but this was ridiculous.
They were passing by a large stand of evergreen trees when the wood exploded. Literally. Missiles came out of nowhere, their shrill screams dismissing the silence almost casually. Two rockets collided with trees, sending the towing behemoths crashing to the ground. Another rocket buried itself in the ground less than fifty meters in front of Kai, sending dirt and splinters of wood soaring off in every direction. Akamu was vaguely aware of Kai and another, young soldier screaming. He could only assume they’d taken some shrapnel. But there was no time to think about possible casualties at the moment, Akamu hit the ground, rolling behind one of the fallen trees, and roared for his men to do likewise.
Releasing the safety on his weapon, Akamu let loose a volley of phaser blasts into the wood. He heard a scream as one blast hit a target. Around him, Akamu’s men were likewise showering the forest with deadly beams of energy.
“Bera,” Akamu hollered over the din. “How many do you count?”
“Hard to say,” was Bera’s response after a moment. Another volley shattered the peaceful forest. “They keep moving around. No more than fifteen.”
A brutal sonic wave rocked Akamu’s senses; someone, whether his man or one of the enemy, it didn’t matter, had let loose a grenade. A moment allowed to recover, then Akamu twisted around and fire his weapon at random into the woods. As he peered over the log he’d used as shelter, the young warrior caught sight of a glint of gold and silver; someone had drawn a sword. The enemy was about to close in for hand to hand combat.
“Swords!” Akamu shouted, hoping his men heard and understood. The immediate cessation of weapons fire told him they had. There was a series of metallic rings as his men drew their blades.
Akamu drew his own sword just as a crazed man came rocketing out of the trees towards him. He parried quickly, then rolled aside and onto his feet. A graduate of Herok Tevarna, Akamu was an expert swordsman. Parry, parry, dodge, feint, attack! It was a well-known routine, and it wasn’t long before the enemy lie dead before him. He turned and charged in to help one of his own warriors dispatch his opponent. The soldier in trouble was Kai, and Akamu noted out the corner of his eye that the surveyor was indeed wounded in the left shoulder. Their joint opponent turned out to be a woman, about twenty years old by the look. Akamu hesitated only a moment, entranced by her shining emerald eyes, before dispatching her. Female or not, she had chosen to attack his men, and Akamu would protect his squad, even at the risk of his honor.
It was over as quickly as it began, silence once more descending on the group. Akamu took in the damages quickly, well-practiced in examining the aftermath of battle. It seemed there were about twelve dead or dying enemy combatants on the ground. Two men in the cobalt Imperial uniform had been killed, and six more had been wounded, though none seriously.
But something else was wrong, and it took Akamu nearly a full two minutes to realize what. “God of the Sea,” he swore when it hit him.
“These aren’t Rebels…” Kai said beside Akamu.
“No,” agreed Akamu. “These men are wearing blue and gold…… We’ve just butchered our own soldiers…”
::OFF::
Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Civilian Mercenary