- Moderator
- #1
....It had been a mess from the word 'Go'!
...The group's trek to Markonin had quickly devolved from aid to evacuation--at least as much as bombardment from walkers & artillery allowed. As they lacked any heavy ordinance, or any ion-based weaponry (despite the enemy's repeated use of all-droid forces), Kagan could do little as the Rakatta launched their largest attack on the refugees. He had had to resign himself to assisting the evacuation...& while he was able to help a good number, the lack of being able to fight their adversaries galled him as a warrior. It wasn't going to get any better: as he got the last of the women & children he could aboard the last transport, a nearby blast knocked him into the vessel as the Rakattan drones launched their last all-out attack. He could hear the cries of the non-combatants still outside even over the roar of the engines as the ship lifted off.
...Coming to after a few moments, & taking another few moments to get his bearings once more, he took stock of the situation. Aside from the transport's pilots, he was the only other adult male present...the rest were women & children, crammed into every nook & crannie to such an extent that the ship was barely able to take off. Seating himself so as not to fall over--his balance hadn't fully returned as yet--he commed the pilots for an update; the ship had no viewports, rendering him completely blind. Surprised by his presence, the crewmen kept him up to date as best they could while keeping their attention on their piloting. Kagan was relieved at the arrival of the Mandalorians, which allowed them to escape. He would have to get to know the Mandalorians better: while he had met briefly with Uri some time back, he hadn't really gotten to know her people...that he was the only one of his people to ever meet Mandalorians was a heavy load upon him.
...Turning his attention back to the refugees, he saw the light all but gone from their eyes. Many were just huddled together & crying. All his people were warriors from the age of 8, but the Albionese were not...& even in his travels, never had he seen such a number of beings so utterly helpless. Panic would serve only the enemy, however, so he endeavored to do something about it. Bracing himself against the hull of the ship, he chanced standing up--nearly falling over twice due to the pilots' maneuvering, & the simple fact that he hadn't recovered entirely from the effects of the blast yet so he was still a bit off-balance.
..."HERE!", he called out, immediately resonating loudly enough to get the attention of those present. Lowering his voice only slightly, he continued, "We're almost out of here--have faith in the pilots!" As the hyperdrive engaged, taking them away from the slaughter, he smiled a bit, "As I said!" He could see the women & children calm down noticeably, though understandably a good bit of tension remained. Khopesh, by contrast to other militaries, used 'Hear/Here' rather than the more common 'Attention'--it was much more expedient, & called attention to both the speaker & the location, which helped to serve as a rallying point. They needed to get things together, & soon. "Could I have a few volunteers? We need to note down, who is on board!" Thankfully, 4 of the women responded to his call--the rest were still too shaken by the recent trauma, & it would take time for them to recover. Assigning them each to a part of the transport, while he took the last area, he instructed them to collect the necessary personal data for each refugee. Using the organizational & leadership skills all his people learned in basic training (typically before the age of 11), they gradually began to get the unfortunates organized; in a few cases, they were able to reunite families...& this simple step was a huge part to rebuilding morale among them. Before too long, the sorting was finished.
...Gradually making his way toward the cockpit, reassured by the increase in spirit, however small, he briefed the transport's crew about the situation. Appreciative of the assistance, they advised him that their destination was some hours away. He nodded in understanding...but was dismayed that there were inadequate provisions on board to feed the refugees: at best, only 1/2 could be accommodated. The refugees were in bad shape--he had even noted signs of scurvy among a number of them--& he knew from experience never to assume that one's destination would have what they needed. "I'll see what I can do, " he reassured the pilots, who agreed to message the Orion & report his situation, & that it was unknown how much time it would take to rejoin them.
...Returning to the holds, he got the 4 women who assisted him together to discuss feeding those onboard. They were clearly over-awed by the prospect of this, but Kagan was firm, especially regarding the clear necessity thereof. Taking a seat near the cockpit, where he actually had a small table present, he directed the 4 women to bring the other refugees by him, so that section-by-section the refugees could be fed. While he hadn't had any heavy weapons to fight the enemy, he had kept a number of ration bars on him--Jilly had miraculously duplicated the ration bars that he had provided her (his last ones at the time), & reminded him of home even more. As he took out his bayonet & ration bars, he knew he had to be careful, especially with the children: these refugees were malnourished, & it would too easy to harm them while trying to aid them.
...The ration bars were naturally substantial, so they would last for extended tours in the field. They came in pairs, casually referred to as the 'Carb' bar & the 'Sweet' bar: the former contained the meats & starches, while the latter held the fruits & vegetables. Contents varied widely among the worlds that made up the Khopesh Empire, & it was not unusual for warriors to trade them as they were rotated-by-tour. Substantial as they were, he knew he had to provide enough, but also insure the refugees had enough to fill the void, so he sliced them length-wise rather than across like bread. It took a long time, but bit by bit the refugees were provided for--& the depressing thought was that these slivers were probably more than most of them had had for some time; still, however small a contribution, the results were telling as the general mood turned a little more upbeat. He even noticed that a number of the children were sleeping soundly. Making sure to have saved a sliver for the 4 women who had helped him--he had fortunately had a good meal before the mission, & could endure privation for a time, thanks to Basic Training--he then made his way to the cockpit once more. He had just had enough to provide a sliver for each of the refugees, while saving an equal amount for a second run, just in case...In any event, Jilly was likely to get a huge catering order for them once the refugees got settled in their new surroundings.
...While he had helped somewhat, he knew this was only the beginning....& he personally wasn't that optimistic. Still, he would do what he could....
...The group's trek to Markonin had quickly devolved from aid to evacuation--at least as much as bombardment from walkers & artillery allowed. As they lacked any heavy ordinance, or any ion-based weaponry (despite the enemy's repeated use of all-droid forces), Kagan could do little as the Rakatta launched their largest attack on the refugees. He had had to resign himself to assisting the evacuation...& while he was able to help a good number, the lack of being able to fight their adversaries galled him as a warrior. It wasn't going to get any better: as he got the last of the women & children he could aboard the last transport, a nearby blast knocked him into the vessel as the Rakattan drones launched their last all-out attack. He could hear the cries of the non-combatants still outside even over the roar of the engines as the ship lifted off.
...Coming to after a few moments, & taking another few moments to get his bearings once more, he took stock of the situation. Aside from the transport's pilots, he was the only other adult male present...the rest were women & children, crammed into every nook & crannie to such an extent that the ship was barely able to take off. Seating himself so as not to fall over--his balance hadn't fully returned as yet--he commed the pilots for an update; the ship had no viewports, rendering him completely blind. Surprised by his presence, the crewmen kept him up to date as best they could while keeping their attention on their piloting. Kagan was relieved at the arrival of the Mandalorians, which allowed them to escape. He would have to get to know the Mandalorians better: while he had met briefly with Uri some time back, he hadn't really gotten to know her people...that he was the only one of his people to ever meet Mandalorians was a heavy load upon him.
...Turning his attention back to the refugees, he saw the light all but gone from their eyes. Many were just huddled together & crying. All his people were warriors from the age of 8, but the Albionese were not...& even in his travels, never had he seen such a number of beings so utterly helpless. Panic would serve only the enemy, however, so he endeavored to do something about it. Bracing himself against the hull of the ship, he chanced standing up--nearly falling over twice due to the pilots' maneuvering, & the simple fact that he hadn't recovered entirely from the effects of the blast yet so he was still a bit off-balance.
..."HERE!", he called out, immediately resonating loudly enough to get the attention of those present. Lowering his voice only slightly, he continued, "We're almost out of here--have faith in the pilots!" As the hyperdrive engaged, taking them away from the slaughter, he smiled a bit, "As I said!" He could see the women & children calm down noticeably, though understandably a good bit of tension remained. Khopesh, by contrast to other militaries, used 'Hear/Here' rather than the more common 'Attention'--it was much more expedient, & called attention to both the speaker & the location, which helped to serve as a rallying point. They needed to get things together, & soon. "Could I have a few volunteers? We need to note down, who is on board!" Thankfully, 4 of the women responded to his call--the rest were still too shaken by the recent trauma, & it would take time for them to recover. Assigning them each to a part of the transport, while he took the last area, he instructed them to collect the necessary personal data for each refugee. Using the organizational & leadership skills all his people learned in basic training (typically before the age of 11), they gradually began to get the unfortunates organized; in a few cases, they were able to reunite families...& this simple step was a huge part to rebuilding morale among them. Before too long, the sorting was finished.
...Gradually making his way toward the cockpit, reassured by the increase in spirit, however small, he briefed the transport's crew about the situation. Appreciative of the assistance, they advised him that their destination was some hours away. He nodded in understanding...but was dismayed that there were inadequate provisions on board to feed the refugees: at best, only 1/2 could be accommodated. The refugees were in bad shape--he had even noted signs of scurvy among a number of them--& he knew from experience never to assume that one's destination would have what they needed. "I'll see what I can do, " he reassured the pilots, who agreed to message the Orion & report his situation, & that it was unknown how much time it would take to rejoin them.
...Returning to the holds, he got the 4 women who assisted him together to discuss feeding those onboard. They were clearly over-awed by the prospect of this, but Kagan was firm, especially regarding the clear necessity thereof. Taking a seat near the cockpit, where he actually had a small table present, he directed the 4 women to bring the other refugees by him, so that section-by-section the refugees could be fed. While he hadn't had any heavy weapons to fight the enemy, he had kept a number of ration bars on him--Jilly had miraculously duplicated the ration bars that he had provided her (his last ones at the time), & reminded him of home even more. As he took out his bayonet & ration bars, he knew he had to be careful, especially with the children: these refugees were malnourished, & it would too easy to harm them while trying to aid them.
...The ration bars were naturally substantial, so they would last for extended tours in the field. They came in pairs, casually referred to as the 'Carb' bar & the 'Sweet' bar: the former contained the meats & starches, while the latter held the fruits & vegetables. Contents varied widely among the worlds that made up the Khopesh Empire, & it was not unusual for warriors to trade them as they were rotated-by-tour. Substantial as they were, he knew he had to provide enough, but also insure the refugees had enough to fill the void, so he sliced them length-wise rather than across like bread. It took a long time, but bit by bit the refugees were provided for--& the depressing thought was that these slivers were probably more than most of them had had for some time; still, however small a contribution, the results were telling as the general mood turned a little more upbeat. He even noticed that a number of the children were sleeping soundly. Making sure to have saved a sliver for the 4 women who had helped him--he had fortunately had a good meal before the mission, & could endure privation for a time, thanks to Basic Training--he then made his way to the cockpit once more. He had just had enough to provide a sliver for each of the refugees, while saving an equal amount for a second run, just in case...In any event, Jilly was likely to get a huge catering order for them once the refugees got settled in their new surroundings.
...While he had helped somewhat, he knew this was only the beginning....& he personally wasn't that optimistic. Still, he would do what he could....