Things Past – Kopan Massacre Part 4 - Escape and Report
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Post Details
Previously…
“Good people of Kopa,” the voice of one of the councilwomen rang out across the degoria, her speech augmented by amplifiers. “We have just come from the council chambers where we, your lawfully elected representatives have been forced to come to a difficult decision. We have acted in compliance with our conscience; to do what is best for this colony. Thus it is that we declare that Kopa, from this moment on, has officially abdicated from the Gadarian Empire and the Telian Unity!”
::ON::
The square exploded.
The crack of gunfire was the first thing to split the silence, followed all too closely by the scream of a child. Akamu watched in horror as a small figure fell from his father’s shoulders, a blot of crimson staining his cream-colored tunic. The parents both shrieked. People began surging around Akamu and Eme, jostling the two soldiers ever closer to the council house. Akamu backpedaled wildly, struggling against the pull of the crowd. More shots rang out. The zing of swords sweeping through the air was punctuated with the sickening thud of metal colliding with flesh. People began falling left and right, no one sure that the dying were friend or foe, just senseless killing to make a point. Not all the people of Kopa were agreeing with their “lawfully elected representatives.”
“Long live the Emperor!” The shout rang out over the din, and was hastily taken up by others.
“Death to the Unity!” someone else screamed. Not everyone was a loyal supporter of the Gadarian ruler.
Akamu ducked a flying stone. The rock’s trajectory took it another few meters before it collided with a small girl’s face. She collapsed soundlessly, her frail body falling to the ground limply. Horrified, Akamu dashed over to the child’s side, skittering over the cobbles on all fours like a spider.
The girl seemed to be about six or seven standard years old. Her straight ebony hair framed a perfect bronze face. Well, almost perfect. The entire left side of her head was crushed, blood welling beneath her, matting her hair. Aghast, Akamu pulled her head into his lap.
“Hello?” Akamu whispered, stroking the girl’s hair. “Can you hear me, sweetheart?”
There was no response.
The world was falling to pieces around him and Akamu couldn’t do much more than stare at the broken child. The crowd, meanwhile, had split itself into two groups of roughly equal size; one waving flags displaying a white lion-like creature rampant across a cobalt field, the other made up of men wearing the black and silver of the Rebels. Akamu was right in the middle.
He hurriedly, but respectfully, laid the little girl down. There was nothing he could do about that at this point.
“Eme!” He called out, rushing towards the Loyalist contingent. As he reached the line, several loud cracks echoed off the stucco walls. Two men near Akamu slumped to the ground, their chests smoldering where pulses had found their marks. Two more loyal servants of the empire, dead. Akamu pressed on through the crowd, heedless of the rising panic. This mob was reaching what Professor Y’oka had called the rupturing point, when morality and social norms would no longer contain the pent-up energy. He needed to get himself and Eme out of here before that happened so he could make his report.
“Eme!” He hollered again. He shoved his way deeper into the crowd, and further from escape. Already, escape through most of the plaza entrances was dubious, rioters barred the exits. “Kile Eme!”
“Here!” a voice called out. Eme pushed his way past a clot of rather angry-looking loyalists, all holding guns, knives, and swords. “We need to get out of here, sir.” Kile stated the obvious, deadpan. Another jostling from the crowd threatened to separate the two soldiers, but Akamu elbowed a few of them viciously, forcing the rest to give him a wide berth. He gazed around the degoria, his critical eye picking out the madness, and order, surrounding him, and devastating truth that all the exits were blocked. The rioters intended not one of their enemies to escape. Desperate, he examined the buildings. All the doors were covered by either friend or foe. Finally, he spotted a tangle of Sekarian climbing weed someone had permitted to take over the front of a fine inn. The vine was tough, practically unkillable. And it would not be pulled down by a pair of men scrambling up its strong ropes.
Akamu pointed, Eme nodded in agreement. Wordlessly, they pushed through the crowd, took hold of the strongest of the vines branches, and pulled themselves up. As predicted, the weed clung firm to the heavy timber façade. Foot and hand holds came easy, the two men scaling the sheer wall quickly. Halfway up, Akamu glanced down between his splayed-out legs. A few other men, who did not seem to have the courage to stand and fight for their cause, had attempted to emulate him and Eme, but minds and muscles bred for farmwork, not strenuous climbing, struggled to pull them up even a few feet.
As they clambered over the rim of the rooftop, panting heavily and muscles aching, a shot rang across the degoria. A feral roar soon followed, then more shots, the sound of steel against steel, cries of pain and anguish. Glancing down Akamu saw that a heated battle had at last been joined. Dozens had already fallen. A pulse zinged through the air, shattering the plaster only a few feet from Akamu’s still-exposed foot. Whether it had been intended for him or had simply a misfire in all the confusion, Akamu quickly pulled his limbed back, sliding backwards along the roof till he could no longer see any of the carnage below without standing. Beside him, Eme did the same.
Aghast, the two men gazed at each other, shocked by the riot they’d witnessed. “I think it’s clear,” Akamu muttered after a long silence, “why the Home Guard was sent out of the city. The council feared they’d side with the loyalists and prevent them from taking control of the colony.” Eme nodded dumbly.
Crawling along the roof on their bellied, the two Sea Devils made their way to the opposite side of the building and peered down into the street below. Though the chaos was less and not nearly so violent, the mob had appeared to spill out onto the side streets and alleys. Using a set of balconies and window sills, they eased down the side of the inn and onto the boulevard, mingling in with the crowd as best they could. Silently and quickly, they made their way down the street and to the gate, shocked to find it unguarded and open. It seemed the guards had been called away to deal with the mob. Masses of women and children were darting through the gaping maw, mothers clutching babes close to their bodies. Akamu and Eme followed suit, latching onto one elderly lady, feigning escort in the hopes that no one would notice the only two men attempting to escape the city. Once a few hundred meters from the gate, they darted off the road and down into the ditch, disappearing into the woods.
--
They barged into the makeshift camp set up by Akamu’s men, heedless of the raised guns and swords that whirled towards them.
“Bera!” Akamu hollered without preamble. He seemed to be doing a lot of yelling today. “Please tell me you’ve got communication open.”
“Ajsh,” Bera said, leaning against a stick that was serving as his crutch. “The Captain wanted to speak with you as soon as you got back. I can’t say the connection is perfect, but it’s the best I could do.”
Akamu collapsed down onto a log, his COMM tablet emerging from his field pack. A moment later, the stern expression of the Captain appeared on the screen.
“Captain Johan,” Akamu gave a half-hearted grin.
“Care to explain what’s going on down there, Lieutenant?” The man sounded understandably displeased.
“The colony’s up in arms, sir. The council has decided to secede from the Unity. The city appears evenly split between loyalists and Rebels.”
“How evenly split?” Johan demanded clarifification.
“The Rebels may have a slight majority,” answered Akamu slowly.
“This planet must not fall to them.”
“No, sir.”
“You’ll have to purge the entire town.” Johan spoke so casually that for a moment, Akamu thought the captain didn’t understand what he was suggesting.
“Sir?”
“We cannot allow even the smallest seed of rebellion to fester, Lieutenant.”
“The entire town, sir?” Akamu repeated. “Loyalists, women, children?”
“The entire town. As soon as we get the transporters up, we’ll initiate a site to site transport and send it reinforcements. Then… well, you get the idea, Lieutenant.”
The screen blinked away, the emblem of the Unity swirling innocently across the pad.
::OFF::
Akamu Makani
Civilian Mercenary
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Post Details
| Title | Kopan Massacre Part 4 - Escape and Report | |
| Mission | Things Past | |
| Author(s) | Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani | |
| Posted | Fri Jun 24, 2011 @ 5:38pm | |
| Location | Kopa IV ; city, base camp | |
| Timeline | June 3, 2372; 1252 |
“Good people of Kopa,” the voice of one of the councilwomen rang out across the degoria, her speech augmented by amplifiers. “We have just come from the council chambers where we, your lawfully elected representatives have been forced to come to a difficult decision. We have acted in compliance with our conscience; to do what is best for this colony. Thus it is that we declare that Kopa, from this moment on, has officially abdicated from the Gadarian Empire and the Telian Unity!”
::ON::
The square exploded.
The crack of gunfire was the first thing to split the silence, followed all too closely by the scream of a child. Akamu watched in horror as a small figure fell from his father’s shoulders, a blot of crimson staining his cream-colored tunic. The parents both shrieked. People began surging around Akamu and Eme, jostling the two soldiers ever closer to the council house. Akamu backpedaled wildly, struggling against the pull of the crowd. More shots rang out. The zing of swords sweeping through the air was punctuated with the sickening thud of metal colliding with flesh. People began falling left and right, no one sure that the dying were friend or foe, just senseless killing to make a point. Not all the people of Kopa were agreeing with their “lawfully elected representatives.”
“Long live the Emperor!” The shout rang out over the din, and was hastily taken up by others.
“Death to the Unity!” someone else screamed. Not everyone was a loyal supporter of the Gadarian ruler.
Akamu ducked a flying stone. The rock’s trajectory took it another few meters before it collided with a small girl’s face. She collapsed soundlessly, her frail body falling to the ground limply. Horrified, Akamu dashed over to the child’s side, skittering over the cobbles on all fours like a spider.
The girl seemed to be about six or seven standard years old. Her straight ebony hair framed a perfect bronze face. Well, almost perfect. The entire left side of her head was crushed, blood welling beneath her, matting her hair. Aghast, Akamu pulled her head into his lap.
“Hello?” Akamu whispered, stroking the girl’s hair. “Can you hear me, sweetheart?”
There was no response.
The world was falling to pieces around him and Akamu couldn’t do much more than stare at the broken child. The crowd, meanwhile, had split itself into two groups of roughly equal size; one waving flags displaying a white lion-like creature rampant across a cobalt field, the other made up of men wearing the black and silver of the Rebels. Akamu was right in the middle.
He hurriedly, but respectfully, laid the little girl down. There was nothing he could do about that at this point.
“Eme!” He called out, rushing towards the Loyalist contingent. As he reached the line, several loud cracks echoed off the stucco walls. Two men near Akamu slumped to the ground, their chests smoldering where pulses had found their marks. Two more loyal servants of the empire, dead. Akamu pressed on through the crowd, heedless of the rising panic. This mob was reaching what Professor Y’oka had called the rupturing point, when morality and social norms would no longer contain the pent-up energy. He needed to get himself and Eme out of here before that happened so he could make his report.
“Eme!” He hollered again. He shoved his way deeper into the crowd, and further from escape. Already, escape through most of the plaza entrances was dubious, rioters barred the exits. “Kile Eme!”
“Here!” a voice called out. Eme pushed his way past a clot of rather angry-looking loyalists, all holding guns, knives, and swords. “We need to get out of here, sir.” Kile stated the obvious, deadpan. Another jostling from the crowd threatened to separate the two soldiers, but Akamu elbowed a few of them viciously, forcing the rest to give him a wide berth. He gazed around the degoria, his critical eye picking out the madness, and order, surrounding him, and devastating truth that all the exits were blocked. The rioters intended not one of their enemies to escape. Desperate, he examined the buildings. All the doors were covered by either friend or foe. Finally, he spotted a tangle of Sekarian climbing weed someone had permitted to take over the front of a fine inn. The vine was tough, practically unkillable. And it would not be pulled down by a pair of men scrambling up its strong ropes.
Akamu pointed, Eme nodded in agreement. Wordlessly, they pushed through the crowd, took hold of the strongest of the vines branches, and pulled themselves up. As predicted, the weed clung firm to the heavy timber façade. Foot and hand holds came easy, the two men scaling the sheer wall quickly. Halfway up, Akamu glanced down between his splayed-out legs. A few other men, who did not seem to have the courage to stand and fight for their cause, had attempted to emulate him and Eme, but minds and muscles bred for farmwork, not strenuous climbing, struggled to pull them up even a few feet.
As they clambered over the rim of the rooftop, panting heavily and muscles aching, a shot rang across the degoria. A feral roar soon followed, then more shots, the sound of steel against steel, cries of pain and anguish. Glancing down Akamu saw that a heated battle had at last been joined. Dozens had already fallen. A pulse zinged through the air, shattering the plaster only a few feet from Akamu’s still-exposed foot. Whether it had been intended for him or had simply a misfire in all the confusion, Akamu quickly pulled his limbed back, sliding backwards along the roof till he could no longer see any of the carnage below without standing. Beside him, Eme did the same.
Aghast, the two men gazed at each other, shocked by the riot they’d witnessed. “I think it’s clear,” Akamu muttered after a long silence, “why the Home Guard was sent out of the city. The council feared they’d side with the loyalists and prevent them from taking control of the colony.” Eme nodded dumbly.
Crawling along the roof on their bellied, the two Sea Devils made their way to the opposite side of the building and peered down into the street below. Though the chaos was less and not nearly so violent, the mob had appeared to spill out onto the side streets and alleys. Using a set of balconies and window sills, they eased down the side of the inn and onto the boulevard, mingling in with the crowd as best they could. Silently and quickly, they made their way down the street and to the gate, shocked to find it unguarded and open. It seemed the guards had been called away to deal with the mob. Masses of women and children were darting through the gaping maw, mothers clutching babes close to their bodies. Akamu and Eme followed suit, latching onto one elderly lady, feigning escort in the hopes that no one would notice the only two men attempting to escape the city. Once a few hundred meters from the gate, they darted off the road and down into the ditch, disappearing into the woods.
--
They barged into the makeshift camp set up by Akamu’s men, heedless of the raised guns and swords that whirled towards them.
“Bera!” Akamu hollered without preamble. He seemed to be doing a lot of yelling today. “Please tell me you’ve got communication open.”
“Ajsh,” Bera said, leaning against a stick that was serving as his crutch. “The Captain wanted to speak with you as soon as you got back. I can’t say the connection is perfect, but it’s the best I could do.”
Akamu collapsed down onto a log, his COMM tablet emerging from his field pack. A moment later, the stern expression of the Captain appeared on the screen.
“Captain Johan,” Akamu gave a half-hearted grin.
“Care to explain what’s going on down there, Lieutenant?” The man sounded understandably displeased.
“The colony’s up in arms, sir. The council has decided to secede from the Unity. The city appears evenly split between loyalists and Rebels.”
“How evenly split?” Johan demanded clarifification.
“The Rebels may have a slight majority,” answered Akamu slowly.
“This planet must not fall to them.”
“No, sir.”
“You’ll have to purge the entire town.” Johan spoke so casually that for a moment, Akamu thought the captain didn’t understand what he was suggesting.
“Sir?”
“We cannot allow even the smallest seed of rebellion to fester, Lieutenant.”
“The entire town, sir?” Akamu repeated. “Loyalists, women, children?”
“The entire town. As soon as we get the transporters up, we’ll initiate a site to site transport and send it reinforcements. Then… well, you get the idea, Lieutenant.”
The screen blinked away, the emblem of the Unity swirling innocently across the pad.
::OFF::
Akamu Makani
Civilian Mercenary