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+--- Thread: From The Ashes (/showthread.php?tid=114419)
From The Ashes - Auriec - 04-12-2014
Snap. Pain went through the body of Michael as another sharp hit with the whip sets his back on fire.
"Eighty-nine." Snap. The warmth on his back spreads further with each hit.
"Ninety." Snap. The drops of blood start to gather at his feet, becoming a small red puddle below him.
The pain goes on and on. How did it come to this? Everything in his body screams to stop this madness, to make him return to his old life.
The great Kapitän Michael Schmidt of the Rheinland Militär Hauptflotte. The thought seems so distant. Now he is just a slave, on the same level as everyone else.
"Get up, dog!"
A kick disrupts his thoughts and sends him straight to the ground. As he turns around, one of the guards looks him straight into the eye, a rifle in his hands. He points towards the refinery to his right where other slaves are working at.
With a sigh, Michael gets up onto his legs and rushes to his place at the production chain.
"How did it come to this?", he asks mutters to himself again.
It was a few months ago. He can not remember the exact date, but it hasn't been to long.
It was a nice pretty evening on a weekend. A routine mission. They have recovered artifacts from a fugitive transport within the Omegas. He was onboard the primary fleet ransport 'Gigant', a heavily armoured and small transport of the 'Behemoth' class, along with a few escorts of the Omega Defense Flotilla and the primary fleet. The mission went on as usual, when they arrived at Stuttgart. Halfway through the lane though their convoy was interrupted by Bundschuh. Thinking back, it was probably a bad situation to choose such a noticable group. The convoy was not hard to miss at all, and so they were surrounded by just a few fighters and bombers.
The Gigants escort was not able to stop the Bundschuh in time before the shield gave in. The heavily armoured and enhanced hull managed to stand firm against the enemy fire for a while, but the inevitable happened.
He remembered fire on many decks as an engine was hit and fuel leaked into the reactor room. The back half of the ship was entirely ripped off, and few did managed to get the escape pods. During the heat of the battle, though, nobody was able to retrieve his escape pod and eventually, he drifted further away from Stuttgart. He eventually ended up in the hands of junkers within the eastern nebula of the warmer Rheinland system. Those politically not very dense examples of junkers didn't realize who he was and sold him to the next slaver, who was not informed a lot either. Maybe he didn't care. It does not matter now.
And as such, Michael ended up here.
RE: From The Ashes - Auriec - 04-12-2014
The next days went on quite uneventful. The slavers have brought a new group of workers. Young men, women, even children. They received their 'welcoming gift', a few wounds from the whip to tell them what happens if they do not obey. It was Michael who was in charge of cleaning this mess up later.
During the lunch break, he sat together with other Rheinlanders. Two Bundschuh, a red hessian rebel from Leipzig, a Daumann transport captain. It is funny how despite each persons beliefs and opinions everyone can still sit together at one table and survive the day. A few months ago, the Hessians and Bundschuh would already be at the Daumanns throat and he'd have to protect corporate interests again. Ironic that the will to survive can suddenly unite the fiercest of enemies.
Peter Reich, one of the Bundschuh, changed the subject. "Guards are talking a lot lately. Telling the other guards that the Bretonian police might be on to them."
"Don't be silly, they're probably doing this like last month to raise our hopes and work better.", said Dietrich Glöckner, the Daumann captain.
"They're either really good at acting, or nervous. The guards here probably can't even count to ten, so I'd bet on the latter.", replied Peter.
Michael listened to the whole conversation, his thoughts moving away from the slaver ship towards Rheinland. His bowl with soup - fine cuisine smelling like rotten socks - emptied by itself while his mind drifted away again.
RE: From The Ashes - Auriec - 04-14-2014
Many more days passed. Two of the new children who recently joined the workforce were too exhausted to continue and collapsed on the floor. They were at the end of their strength. Some of the new adults got up from their places and rushed to the children, who were beaten by the guards, urged to continue working. The ones of us that worked here for a few weeks knew that it was futile to resist. Your only chance of survival was to continue. The lifeless bodies of the two children and helping adults were soon after carried away.
It breaks people. You can not feel time passing anymore. The only way to know anything about the outside world is when the guards are drunk and talk to each other in a loud manner. Kanzler Rheinhardt apparently stepped down from his powerful seat due to medical reasons. "Implying anyone would believe that.", one of the Bundschuh said. He sees their reasoning: The old Kanzler certainly would've stayed until he did his last breath. "I assume political reasons behind this.", Michael said. In his former position, he had a fairly good amount of experience with the leaderships of the military and the Kanzler, so he has an idea what he is talking about.
Covered in sweat from his last shift, Michael returns to the cell that belongs to him. He shared it with a smelling bald-head, probably a drunk thief. Many of those get caught by Junkers or pirates and then sold to slavers. He deigns to look at Michael, giving him a nod and then falling back asleep. A broken man, his will for resistance broken. The thief has been here for over a year. 'How long will it take until I'm like this, too?', Michael silently thought to himself.
How many days have actually passed? He can't tell.
During the next shift, everybody was surprised by the lack of guards. With less of those around, the tension eased up a little. Work was a little more relaxing, but everybody still wondered where the guards were.
Presumably a few hours passed, when two guards returned to our section of the factory. They were obviously pretty nervous, so Michael strategically moved himself closer to them and tried to listen to the heated conversation they were having.
"The rebels .. taken .. front section."
Michael couldn't understand every word they said, but what he heard sparked interest in him - and a glimmer of hope. He moved back towards his usual spot in the production of tools and whispered the news to the others. They looked back and forth between the guards and themselves. Maybe this was their chance to get out, after all. When there were most guards dealing with the front section, a rebellion in here can help everyone.
In their minds, they quickly drafted a plan how they will start a conflict and get rid of the two guards, then trying to escape the ship. The actual plan was a lot more complex than this draft, and they all agreed to let it happen in half an hour, when the guards were exhausted, bored, and not paying attention - it would be shortly before the lunch break. They all were in the same boat, and he urged his comrades to spread the plan amongst everyone else.
Soon they will be free..
RE: From The Ashes - Auriec - 04-14-2014
The plan worked. From the guard talks he heard that the situation in the front section can be under control in a few hours, as long as they keep focusing their guards there. Forcing the slavers to divide their guards between the sections to strike the protests down will only lead to less pressure on each section rebelling.
If the other ship sections can hear what is happening they may have a good chance of taking control over the ship. They would outnumber the guards. But they'd have to get to an arsenal quickly, otherwise the guards will eventually just shoot the slaves down to save their own skin. The guards are not afraid of brutality and killing at all.
The sign to strike was that Michael would fall to the ground, playing as if he'd be unconcious. It all depended on whether they were actually really stupid, naive, or a combination of both.
The two guards walked up to him and as expected, one of them rolled him onto his back. The strong grip on his arm surprised him, but showing it would've revealed the lie. His back aches from the hard metal he is lying on.
A shout to his right is heard, and he moves up. The guard above him is looking towards the source of the shout, giving him an opportunity to strike. With all his force, he kicked the guard into his testicles, sending him to the ground, screaming in pain. "This always works.", he muttered to himself.
As he looked towards the other guard, he noticed that it was already disarmed and is getting its hands tied together.
"Kill them!", said one of the slaves. Michael shook his head. "We could need them alive for negotiations. Leave them here and look the room with their cards. Take their weapons, we'll need them. Let's get to the armory - we need to equip ourselves.
The group, a few dozen slaves of different origin and affiliation, followed Michael and the shields towards the armoury. On the way, they had to strike several guards down. In the end, they have lost five. For now, the groups most important hope is their numbers and the distraction. Since they are always on the move, the ships guards are never able to surround them. Now that they are armed, this will get a lot easier.
"Do not hesitate to shoot, they won't either." With increased confidence, the group sought to haste towards the escape pods, but Michael reassured them otherwise. "Nothing prevents them from picking up your pods and imprisoning you again - or killing you. We need to make sure that this base is wiped out." The decision wasn't an easy one. It costs them less lives long term. They need to liberate the rest of the ship to ensure a safe escape.
Armed to the teeth, the group rushed towards the front section and flanked the guards from two sides. The battle didn't take long. A few dozen slaves of casualties, and four from their own group. Among them the Daumann captain, Dietrich Glöckner. He has become quite attached with the Rheinlanders he always sat at the table with. Dietrich didn't have any family. His job was his life, his save haven. He didn't have anything else. The dreaded talk with the relatives of the deceased will not be his job. A shame that this is the luckiest thing in the current situation.
The combat continued for half a day. More and more slaved managed to join his group and soon they took control over the ship. Though, during fatal explosions triggered by the defending guards, sections of the ship were depressurized. Dozens of slaves were pulled into the distant reaches of the Walker cloud, their bodies exposed to the universe leading to an immediate death.
Though finally, they were able to get to the escape pods and hangar.
One of the shuttles there was quickly occupied by the Rheinlander group, and after they double-checked H-Fuel they departed along with others. They were one of the first to leave the ship behind.
According to the navigation map, they were in Omega-9, not too far from Omega-11 and thus able to get into Rheinland safely. Peter Reich, one of the Bundschuh, led him to the back of the shuttle to check their supplies. The trip to Rheinland may take a while with this ship.
When they arrived, Peter closed the door. "So, what do we do from now on?", Michael asked. He was surprised when he found himself facing the black maw of the pistol that the Bundschuh drew. "I should tie you up and present you to the Oberst. You were in the high ranks of the military, you will have a lot of valuable information the Bundschuh can use." He then turned the weapon around, holding the pistol for Michael to take. "But you owe me my freedom, if not my life. We would still be rotting in that slaver ship, waiting for exhaustion to kill us. The hessian most likely wants to get rid of you or get you to the hessian leadership, and they will want to see your head on their wall. I will make sure that you are able to escape."
Michael wasn't certain how to respond to this. A generous offer, though he is uncertain about the consequences. He already betrayed his duty and helped the criminals of Rheinland. The politicians have their eyes and ears everywhere. And there also is the doubt that overcomes him when he thinks about the military, like it did in the last months. Being imprisoned in a forced daily routine gives you a lot of time to think. It was corrupted, its leaders paranoid and incapable of strategy, honour. An undead body, barely surviving. Change must come, but it was futile to change it through the inside.
Maybe the Bundschuh weren't that wrong after all. And thus, the decision was made.
"Do you think my full cooperation is enough to absolve me from my sins?"
RE: From The Ashes - Auriec - 10-10-2014
Shadows loom across the surface of his face as he sits down in a big steel husk. A rusty ship, not too much different from what he used to fly. His past seems so distant. Flames pass by as he makes his escape away from the station. Dim sunlight emerging from beyond the nebula embraces the junk he is flying. Swift shadows, rising and disappearing from one moment to another, chase him. As he dodges the lasers of the other fighters he starts laughing. I was merely a puppet of my own rage. How could they trust me when I could not even trust myself in this state.
Everything happened quickly. His training back at the military saved him once more. He realized his mistakes not too long ago, and discovered who his real loyalty should belong to. Before anyone realized what has happened, he slipped away from the guards during a shower session and found himself in a rusty old Scimitar and launched before anyone could notice what happened.
The Bundschuh are not wrong entirely, but they are not the right people to make a change. Change can only happen from the inside. No, this helpless life is not something that I desire. My old duty is what kept me alive, in more than one way.
He remembered the days back when he was finally promoted into the STUKA squad. It has been more than a year, but it already feels like an eternity ago. Eliminating libertonian capital ships one by one, that was exciting. Then the transfer to the primary fleet and the rapid rise in ranks. A Kapitän of the Rheinwehr. This is what I have become. This is what I have lost. This is what I have betrayed. This is what I am going to reclaim.
As he leaves the last chasing fighter behind, he makes his way out of the asteroid field and vanishes into the vastness of space, with course to Planet New Berlin.