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Decimus Mergus Galerius
I was standing in the barracks of the 808, with Zahra and Karunungan, a granddaughter, pregnant no less, of Pandac Catambay, while he was about to show us his collection of museum grade souvenirs concerning this Night of Fraternization, for he’s adamant about that the ICC could not have been born, if the Dugo did not get rid of their Mad Emperor, their False Maykapal. I was looking around in interest, having never met my …fellow compatriots so up close. Except for the personalized weaponry, it’s indistinguishable from any other barracks, and their occupants, until one of them devolved in utter servitude, when Pandac handed her the explanatory sheets of the items he’s about to show.
First up, was a box with some elaborate hashi, which the Maykapal threw at his general, who came with the urgent request for the Maykapal to urge him not to fire upon his own people with orbital batteries , and ordered him to pick it up and return it, and comparing him to as low a being as a kat. I mean cat.
When he then called the general an Imp, the general had enough, and walked away, closing the box.
Next we were shown a knife, that the general carried as a Salita to arrest the Maykapal, who was deemed False, since a True Maykapal would not bow so low to insulting his general in such a manner. Apparently this took a year to come to this conclusion. Or maybe I missed the nuance and order of occurrences, because I was distracted by the knife. It was beautiful in its functionality.
Next was a painting that took me by surprise by its abstract depiction of the event where the mistress of the False Maykapal judged the Guard’s , whom the General sent to arrest the False Maykapal, action as “Dishonor!” This froze the guards long enough for the General to check up on them, and find that the False Maykapal had fled the compound. This contradicts the rumors that the General used his salita to kill his former chief of command.
The painting showed at the top the guards as overlapping circles of broad paint strokes, being cut off from the rest of the painting by a black line, symbolizing the Mistress, while a dark border at the bottom was the False Maykapal. It was far from the bombastic paintings I’ve seen by, from and about the Dugo.
I wonder if the reverse order of class as shown in the painting was deliberate. That it put the False Maykapal at the bottom to signify his unworthiness, his dishonorable conduct, his un-dugo-ness, as it were.
There were other pieces as well, but I was getting distracted by this realization, which I formalized into words when Pandac asked for my opinion.
I confessed my adoration for the General, for he did what had to be done despite the immense cultural hurdle he had to mount to do so. I understood the veneration of the Mistress, that showed victory in defeat, by upholding Dugo’s cultural ethics, which the False Maykapal lacked. I didn’t mention that her actions did facilitate the escape of that same Maykapal.
But I did mention however that I was disappointed that the Dugo didn’t realize that Ultimate power corrupts Ultimately, and that such power should never rest in the hands of one being. That they didn’t take the logical evolutionary step towards a republic. Just like we did.
Yes. I said that, standing in the barracks of the 808, upholding Aquila cultural ethics. I can’t wait for that painting
Maati Infor Danam
Between being bad at marching, going public with my digital nature and heavy workload, Maati had an absolutely chaotic day.
It had been 5 hours and 17 minutes since I had been completely overwhelmed for the first time, causing something to slightly break. Not in the physical sense, luckily. Multiple orders of "the highest priority" had to be processed at the same time. I just couldn't.
Keyboard in left hand, radio in right hand. Asul talking orders in left ear, other asul talking tasks in right ear, while the IT team is handling more stuff behind me and the 808 was about to leave. Too much to organise at once, something had to chance. Fast.
From that moment on I'd decide myself what the highest priority will be, by overruling it with a priority level of zero. Maati first, everything else second. Sorry in advance noble lords. 5 hours and 17 minutes later, the first priority zero went into effect.
A spike of chemicals shot through the systems as lord Nimuel mentioned that operation Thunderstruck two needed backup. Almost all of the active 808 were there. I dropped everything before even validating the lord's verbal input - rookie mistake, I'm aware - and rushed towards the shuttle.
The Aquila 'cavalry' was already forming up. A requirement to join the operation seemed to be have at least a chemical protection mask, and running upstairs to nearly knock over a pendzal followed.
I'm not going to let them leave without me.
The un-deployed 808 were sitting in the armoury, one drunk, the other instantly noticing my apparent panic. A verbal explanation would cost an inefficient amount of time, so I simply said 'gas mask, now.'
Guess what assets were enjoying their deployment too? The gas masks.
Himeko started to panic and kept questioning about the situation to the point of angry yelling, but there was no time. I'm not going be left behind for this.
She started becoming angrier as my pockets got heavier and sentences silent - I'll have to ask Tinik later how that ended - but after nearly knocking down the same Pendzal again I arrived just in time for the rescue op to leave. She'll get the debrief afterwards.
Crew assessment: Multiple pilots, Aquila legionnaires and a few excited Pendzal. Things are looking good and my systems seem to be calming down. Nobody noticed my lack of chemical protection.
We landed in a graveyard of spent ammunition, shell casings and body parts, and the soldiers all donned their masks. Self-preservation code kicked in. I wanted to leave the shuttle, but it would be self-destructive, and thus an illogical choice. Conflicting priorities started figuratively yelling in my head out of disagreement until an outsider, with the simplest of gestures and kindness, saved me at that moment.
The female Aquila pilot silently handed me her gas mask and nodded. I may not know her name, but I'll never forget this action. Thank you, whoever you were.
The combat droid coding we've been working on kicked in the moment our flank was unprotected, but my flashlight and rifle quickly solved that issue. Mostly on the lookout for suicide-troopers, a terror-tactic employed by our current hostiles meant to demoralize ours.
We approached target location cautiously and split into a pincer formation when I spotted the first 808 on the ground. Human chemicals spiked again, messing with my focus. Akizuki was dead. The Tanod was downed, but semi-conscious. Shots came from behind low barricades and an intense firefight followed, projectiles flying over an uncomfortable colonist body count.
Extracting said bodies went well, despite me having to insist that we did NOT leave Akizuki's body behind. Calculations showed that we had to do at least three separate shuttle runs to get everyone (and a newly picked up reactor? Excuse me?) home.
New priority zero: stay with the soldiers to the bitter end.
The first two shuttle runs went in and out relatively quietly, but after it left, hostiles came crawling in from the woods. We gunned them down and were to gather in the shuttle ASAP when sergeant Wakefield gave the vocal command 'rally'.
I will admit, I made some rookie mistakes during the fight, mostly flashlight discipline, but the 'Rally' to the shuttle? Every single soldier on the ground performed at machine perfection. Faces were beaming, music was playing. It felt like being in an action-packed holo-film. My 'Night of brotherhood' memory would be this packed shuttle moment.
While my first offensive op was very exciting, and still much data left to process. It left me with one last priority zero task for the day, and it would be the hardest one yet.
I cautiously entered colony engineering downstairs.
Master Subal was being repaired, sitting against the wall, but conscious.
I told him of Akizuki.
The floor shook as his metallic fist hit the ground.
Kamilla Petrova
Taken from the diary of Kamilla Petrova
1 February 240
One more day until Fraternization day! Still need to make my mind on what to wear and which of my vodka’s I’ll put up for the sampling…
And I wonder when my order of rice will arrive… no idea how easy it is to get those on Zvir? Oh well, busy enough with the lab for now: I received quite a big order for the medbay.
Poor Sasha. The Aquila high guy is not at the base, so now she has to fix all the security things? Never seen her so busy. Oh well, we all seem to have a lot on our hands: I see Pavel running around in the medbay most of the time, and Luca and Mikhyl are also busy with all kind of things.
Quite a few new arrivals today. Which reminds me: I’m already a bit over a month here. Times flies… and they haven’t kicked me out yet! I call that a good excuse for a one-man party!
2 February 240
Happy Fraternization day! I got my hands on one of those buttons, whee!
It’s been a busy day: Sovjet regarding some fuck-up with an old Aquila ship and Zalinsky members going rogue (because we are totally responsible for what Zalinsky is doing? They are a company, not a clan…), continued working on the medbay order, received orders to check out some samples from the Zalinsky, paper from ehm... why am I bad with names… red brotherhood?, more samples, but this time for Luca and Mikhyl (and Dugo guy, but meh… I don’t do it for him) and received an order to make more stims for Power Armor Sona. Still not sure whether medbay order and Sona order are the same… not that I mind actually getting paid.
Apparently, my order did arrive… but Aquila freaked out, because rice, and are keeping it back… I don’t know, maybe the bag was making ticking noises… Sent Pjotr an email so he can fix it. At least, I assume that the parcel was sent to me via Zvir Medical. So, bit strange that there was no data regarding the shipping party or destination, according to those customs people.
Seems I am making a habit of dressing up Bobs. Still not complaining…
Spent some time in the armory, talking with the female bob. Or well, sort of. I think they need to practice a bit more with holding their liquor. It was interesting to learn a bit more about her and the Dugo society though. And hey, apparently I am not that bad for a Pendzal.
Apparently some big mission involving the DZ-3 (or well, however those new arrivals are called. Cool guys, and seems that they are about to join the Fennik?), Aquila and Dugo went not completely as planned. When in the armory, I heard how things were going down there via the comms. It was bad. Glad I gave Wakefield all the stimms I had made that day… One of the Bob’s got killed out there, and it was clear that their captain was upset by it. Poor guy.
Time to get ready for the party…
3 February 240
I can’t believe I missed out on the party… Sure, I had free drinks at the Dugo pre-party, but falling asleep before the party begins… it’s almost like I’m back on Zvir. And what’s up with sitting in a circle and nipping on a drink? How can someone call that a party?! Dugo are strange… At least I had booze and did not end up with a hangover…
The Dugo funeral was nice. Ok, that sounds bad… but I mean: it was a good service. Did not know Bob 8 for that long, but still it was hard to know he had passed away. At least they restored his honour, which seems to be a big thing for the Bobs.
Spent most of my time in the lab again. Can I make energy cells? Of course I can, Foxy Sona... Uhm, it was for him, right? At least I wrote down who made which order… Where did I leave the note? Crap…
I’ve got to say I like the Sona way of making deals: make some for me, keep the rest.
Some scary shit attacked our base in the afternoon. The medbay was getting more and more stuffed with wounded people, so I decided to take up my arms and join the defence. So glad the Bob captain lent me some of their guns, as mine was having issues. Think it’s time to say goodbye to it… fair enough, it has served me for ages. Not sure if I would have managed to make it out alive without a working gun, let alone without getting shot down. Heck, very happy with the armored vest I keep borrowing from Pavel. Don’t feel like experiencing catching bullets again...
Caeles Iuventius Aliter
“He’s our press agent, that’s why he’s up front”
Caeles rolled his eyes. He knew he was a desk guy and not a field guy. But he was trying to pull his weight nonetheless. He didn’t know why they send him here. No, that wasn’t true, he knew why. He just didn’t know why the hell he was out here in the field with all but actual field experience. They needed some people to extract a downed pilot and before he knew it, his gun was out and he was walking alongside Pendzal and Aquila soldiers, scouring the woods on the lookout for… aliens or something.
They found the pilot soon enough, propped up against a tree and surrounded by more Pendzal but unable to move due to his wounds. Then the first enemies came in behind them. Suicide squads. They ran up towards the soldiers, taking shot after shot before blowing up right in front of them. One of them managed to reach Caeles, exploded and knocked him right off his feet. Fortunately the attacker wasn’t close enough to actually hurt him, but Caeles found himself disoriented nonetheless. He felt the familiar sensation of adrenaline surging through him as he looked out for more hostiles. He was actually enjoying this. It was an emergency, it was dangerous and he was inexperienced, but it just felt good. Doing something tangible.
They managed to get the pilot back to the Bastion. Now it was up to the medics. Caeles was hooked, though. This was what he signed up for, making a fucking difference. So when later that day the call came for soldiers to extract a military unit, he was packed and ready to go… only to discover he wasn’t needed. They had the people who could handle this. Trained, experienced people.
Caeles shook his head. Maybe this was out of his league for now. Sure, he had training, officially he was a soldier of the Legion. But he was a specialist and a non-combat specialist at that. So the only thing he could do now was to wait and get on with his work of writing a press protocol. He took off his tac vest again and went to get a breath of fresh air outside, looking up at the stars, feeling the wind and natural gravity. He had missed it after years of working on a space station. He was eventually joined by an ADMP officer and they had a bit of a conversation about life on a planet as opposed on a space station, but their thoughts were noticeably with the soldiers on the mission right now.
“… and when you grow up and go into combat yourself, you might find you want to unwind too!”
The remark Octavius gave still stung. Caeles noticed the sergeant being in a rather jovial mood and his inquiry caused this reaction. It reminded him of his brother, Atticus. The hero of the family, lieutenant Atticus Iuventius Aliter, had been the CO of several missions and seen action so often that an update on his exploits had become something of a family ritual every time they visited the family back on Accipiter. And he loved to point out his successful career as a soldier in contrast to his little brother Caeles, who was still only E-4 and only got questions from the press fired at him. And now that sergeant Octavius was acting like his brother, Caeles had to bite his tongue not to treat him the same way he treated Atticus at Saturnalia dinner.
Unwind… He wish he could. The Pendzal were throwing a party for Unification Day and all those who could were out having a great time. The unit who had just successfully extracted the team were out having a well-deserved party. But now that a certain famous journalist/talk show host was hiding out on Eos from paparazzi (ironically being news herself), Caeles had to stay awake and alert. Of course, they didn’t come. But it was the excuse he needed not to throw himself into the festivities himself. It was still too dangerous. So he went to work, finishing the press protocol and press release about the Unification Day festivities on Eos.
The next day, the attack came. Aliens were doubling down on them, firing and exploding. The Aquila units Legio Rapax and CMXCI were being their efficient selves. Sergeant Octavius of the CMXCI did his best getting the few soldiers of other units to be as effective as possible within the well-organized units, but it was clear who the real well-oiled Aquila machines were. Wave after wave of enemies came down upon the Bastion where Dugo and Aquila soldiers and Pendzal fighters made a stand.
Caeles felt that adrenaline again. He was shooting and spinning a story in his head at the same time. He wanted to be a soldier now. He got shot, but was quickly patched up by the lieutenant. He could still fire a gun so on he went, facing the next wave. Right and left of him Eos forces were scrambling to surround the enemy troops who quickly became outnumbered. But they weren’t done fighting yet. Both the enemy infantry units as the weird aliens urging them on where tough as nails, but eventually dropped under the determination of the colony’s defenders.
This wave, was it the third or fourth, was defeated. Naevius, one of the Aquila soldiers and scientists, asked Caeles if he was alright. Caeles sighed, yeah, he thought he was alright. For the first time he felt like a soldier, he felt that rush Atticus sometimes talked about. Almost dizzying. But in that brief moment of respite, Caeles also started to feel something else. He was shot. A lot. His tac vest took some of the damage, but his wound from earlier was open again and his arms and legs were starting to hurt like hell. The rush and dizziness were no longer signs of excitement but of strength pouring out of him. He cursed under his breath as he dropped against a tree and slid down, unconscious before his head hit the ground. Welcome to Eos.
Lavinia Sevso
Operatie Thunderstruck liep niet zoals gepland. Ze had zich niet beziggehouden met de planning, wist eigenlijk nauwelijks wat er zou gaan gebeuren. Ze merkte dat ze haar werk het beste deed als ze eigenlijk niets deed. Informatie verzamelen en weer uitdelen. Zodra ze ergens haar handen in wilde steken was er ergens anders iets waar haar aandacht ook nodig was. Fuck jou, John Decius, met je "overplaatsing naar een plek waar je weer modder aan je schoenen krijgt". Eos had genoeg modder, maar zij zag er zelf weinig van. Ze wist nu alleen dat Thunderstruck plaats moest vinden en nu in de problemen zat.
De eerste shuttle met gewonden was binnen. Rapax had een blik die boekdelen sprak. Hun handen jeukten om terug te gaan, maar ze konden niet meer. Stims doen rare dingen met je hoofd, maar ze kenden hun grenzen. Behalve specialist Valeria misschien, die alweer onderweg was met Louisa voor de volgende extractie. Zou dat voldoende zijn?
Nee, Wakefield en de anderen zaten daar vast, hoorde ze over de comms. In Galerius schakelde een oud instinct weer aan. Venatores, get dressed. Ze knikte, geen tijd voor twijfel, dit is wat ze deden. Valeria, breng de shuttle hier. Venatores, gasmaskers mee. Pas toen ze de laatste man de shuttle bay in zag lopen voelde ze weer het gewicht van de drum clips van Numitor. Ze rende de trap op om ze te overhandigen. In de deuropening van de shuttle twijfelde ze, bijna. "Good hunting", wenste ze hen, en sloot de deur. En de shuttle vloog zonder haar weg.
And now we play the waiting game. De shuttle was buiten bereik van de comms. Na een eeuwigheid werd de stilte op de radio verbroken. De bloody Pendzal hadden een reactor meegenomen. Als iedereen veilig terug zou komen zou ze ze vast in de toekomst dankbaar zijn, maar nu nog niet. Nu waagden haar manschappen hun leven voor een log stuk ouderwetse techniek. Valeria zat er doorheen. Kat, jij vliegt. Acilia, ga mee maar zet geen stap buiten de shuttle. Dit moest voldoen, want een extra persoon betekende een tweede vlucht om iedereen weer thuis te krijgen, wat nog gevaarlijker was. And now we wait some more.
Octavius was uitgelaten als een kind dat eindelijk weer had mogen buitenspelen. Het contrast met Wakefield was sterk. Toen die de trap af kwam verbaasde ze zich weer over hoe de traumachirurg haar altijd aan haar jongste broer deed denken. Helaas ook de absoluut verloren blik, die ze eigenlijk maar een keer bij haar broer had gezien. Ze besloot dat dezelfde benadering hier van toepassing was. Een dosis sympathie met een vleugje verman jezelf.
A battle axe of an aunt, had Octavius haar genoemd. Ze had besloten het als compliment op te vatten, want de helft van de connotatie daarvan was toch wat werd verwacht van een officier. En uiteindelijk stond ze aan hun kant en kon ze weer ademhalen nu iedereen thuis was.
Diary of Jericho Tertius
Thunderstruck, a mission to destroy a targeting station several clicks away from Eos Bastion. Routine job they said. I should've known better.
I wasn't particularly keen on going on the mission, given I'd had my research going on into the whole Medivolve case. Everything seemed connected, not just by small links but by tissue and bone. A bloody web was dangling in front of me and reeked of crap and, as is my usual, all I could do was dive in head first and investigate. But then Wakefield's request for me to join up on the mission changed my mind. Not because they needed a heavy; Rapax was more than sufficient in that capacity. They needed an EOD expert.
After stocking up on the essentials for the mission, we crammed into the shuttle and flew towards the drop zone. Rapax, Subal and several of his 808's, Wakefield, me, Ché and several Pendzal who had just arrived. A lot of new faces and even more unknowns on the field. Subal would lead team one and take the right flank, whereas Rapax would lead team two and lead the left flank.
We hit the aliens quite rapidly and found ourselves in a firefight soon enough. And soon it took its toll on us. Rapax was hit hard and Subal and his team were nowhere to be found. Communications in the area were difficult and the exploding bastards didn't make it easy on us. After downing several enemies and patching up our wounded, it was decided that they were to be medivaced out of the area. I was lucky, having only lost my forcefield and having ammo left after an exhausting firefight. The remaining team would push on to the targeting station.
Shit hit the fan at the station, where Akizuki noticed the enemy approaching from the rear. We rushed into the building with Subal closing the door and trying to keep it shut with his mechanical arm. It took several seconds to realize that Akizuki was still outside.
As the aliens took turns in torturing him, we realized that we only had a few options:
Go outside and fight to reach Akizuki and potentially take several casualties in the process, or, stay inside and use a grenade to try and take out the enemy, realizing we could potentially kill Akizuki.
Neither option was good.
We agreed that going outside was suicide, let alone counterproductive to the mission objective and to saving Akizuki. We decided to go with plan B.
As the Pendzal were checking out the door up top in the targeting station, Subal opened the door for me to throw my little special at them. I pulled the pin with my thumb and chucked it toward the opening, trying my best not to hit Akizuki. It failed when Subal shut the door too soon and the grenade dropped to the floor.
My little specials are tough grenades. No grenade would explode before the striker hits the percussion cap, even if struck out of your hand with the pin still attached. The detonator is reinforced to make sure little accidents don't have major repercussions.
And right now, me, Subal and Wakefield were the luckiest S.O.B.'s. I shouted at Subal to open the door again and snatched the special up, realizing I had to be fast. There was no way I was going to take this bastard to the face. I chucked it out of the door and as we shut it again tight, to keep the enemy out, it bounced, rolling off towards Akizuki and killing him, although we didn't figure that out until after we got out.
Some fucking prophesy... I get mind-fucked by whatever was playing merry tricks on my memories and made me believe Akizuki was the enemy, nearly pumping the poor bastard full of lead and then only a day later I end up being the reason he's dead. Subal was holding the door tightly in place, while Wakefield lost it. I can't blame the kid. We all knew there was little chance Akizuki survived it. And the worst part was that our enemy managed to evade the blast.
Up top in the building, the door that was blocking our way into the station was protected by a dodgy and very alien looking claymore mine. It looked as if it potentially could explode multi-directionally, so me and the Pendzal mechanic set about trying to dismantle it. In the end, with the enemy trying to break open the door and get to us, it was decided I would shoot any trying to come in.
Low on ammo, some of us wounded and one of our team dead outside, we realized we were in dire straits. Wakefield seemed to snap out of his reverie and told me to call for the cavalry. The Pendzal seemed to doubt whether someone would come and pick us up, but Wakefield told them it would work out. With Subal reinforcing the door and us holding our breaths, I made the call. Communications were still difficult in the area, but we managed to get our signal to Bastion; CMXCI was on their way.
After what seemed an eternity, but could only have been ten minutes, our comms units crackled with anticipation; our friends had landed and were inbound for the station. But we would soon get another unpleasant surprise, as one of the aliens managed to pull the door open and rush in, exploding in a ball of shrapnel and fire. Subal ran out to deal with the enemy, while I reeled from the explosion that almost took me out. I staggered to my feet and while temporarily deafened in one ear and bleeding badly, I realized CMXCI had arrived and had secured the area. The Pendzal up top planted the explosives designated for the targeting station, while me, Subal and several others were medi vacced out to Bastion.
I can't remember much of the journey back; just fragments of me telling Subal to hang in and looking at Wakefield. His thousand yard stare was a telling one and as much as I wanted to help him, I knew nothing I could say would help him. Instead I was hoisted up on a surgery table and patched up.
Despite us managing to blow up the targeting station, the mission went FUBAR. The lack of communication on the field along with the decision to split up teams on the battlefield proved problematic, let alone the loss of Akizuki. All because the alternative was for us all to die. And even in the knowledge that it could have gone further south, I find no comfort in our success, for lack of a better word.
Rest well, Aki. I saw your honor and how it returned to you that fateful night.
Axios.
Halina Agati Iskandu
Put your weight on the front of your feet. You are not a farmer. Do not walk like one.
It seems crazy that it has only been a little more than a week. A week in which I slowly and admittedly somewhat reluctantly dismiss the Diplomat. It was the perfect role for me in the past year, but now I am too busy to do it justice. The Diplomatic Oversight I keep. It is not just sentimental, it is also just another case of finding the right person for the right job. I am the best choice by far.
The Governor is a different beast altogether. She has to be all over the place. She points people in the right direction, she advises, she signs. She makes split second decisions. She explains. And it is never, ever enough. I enjoy it more than I thought.
In the Governor the strange duality that is so natural to a Dugo is more prominent. I am a Person, but also a Role. I can use the Role at any time to block access to the Person, that much is certain. And it often is best to do so. After all, playing the Role is where my Honor lies, it is what will bring pride to my bloodline. I have been trained for it since I was an infant. And I know I am extremely good at it: politics are my natural habitat. For the first time in more than a year I do not miss Hideyoshi as much.
But every day I seem to be less talented at being the Person. The more emphasis people put on the Role, the more lonely the Person seems to become. And with that even harder to silence. But I can do so and I will. I am made of way stronger stuff than they can ever fathom.
One day you will be glad I taught you this. Again. I care nothing about tiredness, I care about mastery. Remember: if you have to strike twice you have already lost the fight.
"Are there any civilians left to carry wounded? Anyone?" I look around. Thunderstruck is an important mission with high stakes, but somehow there seem to be no takers. The voice of my father immediately joins that of my father and great-grandfather in a familiar chorus. If you want something done right...
Soon they are overpowered by more recent, wiser men. Lead by example. In this rare occasion, they are both right.
I walk up the stairs and meet Decimus' gaze. He does not look too surprised, which amuses me. I put down my papers. "Maybe your hee..." he starts, but I am already kicking the things off. He nods very slightly. We do not have to like each other to agree on the importance of things.
Suddenly somebody pushes a body towards me. It has a surprising, painful weight to it. Mayumi. At least somebody I value saving, I think. But at the same time I know that they are all my responsibility now. I value saving all of them.
I start half-carrying-half-dragging Mayumi, but he is too heavy for one person. The pain causes me to see stars. Damn this. The second yank throws out my back. I want to scream. Luckily, somebody takes his other arm and we are finally making progress. For the life of me I can not remember who my rescuer is. After Mayumi I help others, but I don’t even notice who or how many. I just treat it like I treat all my dances: one step at a time. After what seems like hours we are done.
Barefoot, with blood-drenched clothes, I peek around the corner of the medbay. I ask if everybody will make it through. The man shakes his head, nods towards one of the cots. Poor Aki. I am sure he died honorably and will forever be a pride to his family.
There is nothing left to do for me here. There will certainly be no thanks. And, as I remind myself the second self-pity tries to join the party- there need be none. For one second I hesitate when I spot the first man returning from carrying the wounded, but I realize it is petty. "Thank you", I say. I add the best smile, the one that looks genuine. He answers with a hollow stare.
My back is a screaming mess of angry tendons. As I walk into the conclave room in need of wine and quiet, Wakefield is there. I ask him about Akizuki. "Ask anyone but me", he says. "But I am asking you", I say. He looks at me, and it is immediately clear that he is devastated. He mumbles something about Aki dying. My first instinct is to go for the kill. To explain to him in no uncertain words that he is a doctor. People die when you are a doctor. Just like machines break when you are a mechanic and lives are destroyed if you are a politician. Life is like that, you are accountable for your decisions and the world is full of people that will gladly make your pain worse. Get tough or get lost. No fight without sacrifice. But something in his look stops me. So I do the best thing I can do: I straighten my back, say "very well" and take my leave. Tonight I will not chastise a man for having too much of a heart left.
If you really want to help this family politically, as you always seem to imply, you might attempt to not make a complete fool out of yourself for once. And for Honor’s sake, try to look accommodating. You have nothing to be angry about, young lady. Look at you. You are practically snarling. If your mother could see you now she would die of shame.
This Night of Reconciliation is a strange one. Not because it takes the form of another party with loud music, as was to be expected. But because I spend it in a strange mixture of sadness, residual shame for the telepsychic attack I suffered and seemingly genuine feelings of belonging. At least, it seems like that for a while.
The reality check comes when I walk into the conclave room, yearning for a glass of wine. Everybody is there. They are commemorating Akizuki. It is like a punch in the gut. All of it.The fact that a bright young man died. A man who I was taught to see as a tool, and yet I have to find a way to see him as a person of Honor again only now that he is a mangled corpse. The fact that so many people have come to remember this man, and not the other man whose death is so much more painful to me. And, selfishly, the fact that nobody invited me. There are even Aquila here, and I had to stumble upon the gathering by accident.
I consider leaving, but that is unbecoming now. The dead shall be remembered. The traditions shall be followed. I will help to create the proper atmosphere, at least I am always good for that. By the time I respectfully guide the Dugo towards the communal party for diplomacy’s sake, the Person is in tatters.
Not that anyone would notice this of course. The Role is in full swing after all. I make smalltalk. I drink. This part of the dance is an effortless one. Relaxed smile, no teeth. Slight tilt of the shoulders. Weight on one foot. Very well, thank you. Moderate but seemingly heartfelt compliment. Toast to brotherhood. Huzzah. Speech goes well I think.
I try to blend in afterwards but I have to pay attention now. My reserves are wearing too thin and I am giving too much away. My eyes accidentally meet Fabor’s while I excuse myself, so of course the bastard follows me into the conclave room. He has that look that says he will not stop until you tell him everything. I am looking for ways to flee until the moment Nimuel comes in. He mirrors that look of concern and the two of us go too far back, the Role has no power here. Fleeing not an option anymore, I close the door and I break. To my amazement I can finally find tears. For everything that happened. Years ago, months ago, right now. And for the man that should have been mourned too.
Hah. Marriage has nothing do do with emotions. It is just a logical consequence of being of high birth. Continuation of the bloodline and such and such. You know it. Whaddiyou expect me to say? I am drunk but not that drunk.
At the very least Mayumi has the social graces to look worried when he comes to tell me. He does however not wait until we are out of the conclave room. The floor drops away and my heart falls with it, but in that moment of perfect stillness I remember my training and excuse myself without making a spectacle.
The rest of the evening goes by in a blur, but I operate well in a blur. All the steps are known so all you have to do is to keep repeating and repeating them. I drink with some people but do not speak a word that matters. I work a lot. Faithful Nimuel is there in the end to force me to go to sleep. Of course I do no such thing. The dull pain of nobody recognizing him is to prominent. Maybe half a dozen people even said they were sorry. Of all the people on the Colony. The Aquila who asked me to identify his voice and who could not look me in the eye. Pandac. Nimuel reflecting my emotions but hoping for a miracle that is too painful to engage with at the moment. Nobody else. I do not know what I expected. Best friends are for people, and I am a Role. Wait until their best friend dies, I tell myself. But I know me. If their best friend dies I will smile mournfully and offer my heartfelt condolences. That is the appropriate step.
All evening I have wanted to scream, to rage, to force them to be sad. I rage in my head until I fall asleep.
I will find a way to calm the despair. One of these days I will find the strength to mourn the officer. The cousin with the frown and the grim sense of duty on his face. It will all be very appropriate and dutiful, probably. But to mourn the lifelong friend, the careless student with the sparkle in his eyes, the poet on the edge of the fountain? No. I will have to lock him in my heart, lest it stops beating altogether.
And so the dance goes on and on. Becomes more complex with each passing month. As the pace rises, so do the consequences of failure. One step in the wrong direction risks everything. You were bred for this and this is a backwater planet. Do not pretend it is more difficult here. Feels like it, but it can not be. Feelings are wind. They pass quickly and are most often of little consequence. Yes. Pay attention now. Next step.
Pavel Tideve
It seemed quiet on the base.
Pavel had seen the mission board in the next room, but it didn’t tell him much. As far as he had deciphered, there were several missions planned. And when the first one was successful the second could commence. If he was not mistaken one of them was called Thunderstruck. Pavel really didn’t remember.
He had handed his porto to Katharina so she could stay in contact with her brother Sergei, who was in the second team. He would call in when the sphere outside could be blown up. He watched her walk out of the Medbay. Pavel then looked at his medic bag in which he had tucked away the rapport Sasha had given him. Oleg’s written words about Katherina and the other Zalinsky’s were still stuck in his mind. Pavel had wanted to read the other witness rapports but every time something came up. Damn it, he could not think of it now, he had to focus on what would come next.
No one had asked him to come along with either of the missions. Probably for the better. He was not a trained soldier. Slowly, after being on EOS for over a month, he started to realize that the place he could do the most good was right here, in med bay. Not in the field.
But still there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He tried to shrug the feeling away.
In medbay it appeared calm. Several surgeons and assistants had assembled and were waiting. He looked at his colleagues. The majority of the medical personnel consisted of either Aquila or Pendzal doctors. A few years back he would have never believed he would work alongside non-Pendzal or so many other doctors in general for that matter.
The Aquila medical personnel in sickbay obviously were not in the military, or not anymore anyway. Otherwise, they would have been outside and not in here. As typical for Aquila many of them were specialists. Like Terentia who was specialized as a shrink. Luckily Awa wasn’t here right now. The tension usually would rise to high levels when the new Dugo head of medicine was making an appearance. She would throw around disapproving looks to everyone. Pavel had noticed Terentia seemed to be one of her favorite targets. Exactly the reason he had called in Terentia when Awa had a mental break down. Just seemed fitting. Personally he did not care much about Awa’s disapproving looks. He just stayed out of her way and simply did what he wanted with or without her approval. He did care about his patients however. Exactly the reason he had made it a point to inform the governor and other diplomats about Awa’s mental state. Hell if he was going to sit by and have Awa make medical calls which would get people killed just so people could keep her in place because of some misguided sense of Dugo “honor”.
A soldier walked in, Pavel did not remember if he was Dugo or Aquila: “Be prepared incoming wounded on the shuttle!”
Everyone got ready and he thought he saw Rowena preparing one of the operation kits. He was happy to have her around. She was able to keep order when the chaos would commence. Pavel himself wasn’t used to so many patients at the same time. Having someone who pointed him where to be was a blessing. The moment he was in front of a patient he knew what to do, he could take it from there. He did notice the stress on her face though. Not uncommon among the Aquila Pavel had noticed. But the stress did not compromise her performance. She was efficient, also not uncommon among the Aquila.
Febris, the Aquila specialized in Pathology was scrubbing in for surgery. Obviously it wasn’t his specialization and his facial expression and body language betrayed he’d rather be doing something else, but he knew how to operate and when to do it.
Quickly Pavel scrubbed in himself. The patients were brought in from the roof where the shuttle pad was. To his shock he noticed the Rapax squad was among one of the first to be dragged in. Pavel might not be a Aquila soldier but he knew Rapax were hardened soldiers. If they went down you knew it was bad. He tried not to think about who were still back there fighting for their lives….Luka, Sasha, Katherina, Mikhail, Kamila, the Bobs, Wakefield , Vladimir, Lieutenant Sevso…? Hell he didn’t even know who was or wasn’t out there….
The largest of the two Rapax men was put on the main operation table. If Pavel remembered correctly his name was Marcus. He saw Adelka, a fellow Penzal doctor, look at him and he nodded. He stepped in on the other side of the table. And together they started cutting through his uniform. Some kind of explosion had torn right through his shields and armor, it had made a complete mess of his entire torso. Pavel liked working with Adelka: she was patient, kind and practical. The soldier had lost consciousness, but to prevent he would wake up in the middle of surgery they brought him under. Together they worked as quickly as they could and started pulling out pieces of shrapnel, stitching up his internal wounds and then close it up. They had to hurry to prevent him from bleeding out and use as little blood bags as possible. Despite all the blood donations he had handled the last few days from many of the other colonists, their supply of blood was hardly endless. He had been feeling like a friggin vampire. In the end they were able to keep it to three blood bags. With the help of some random bystanders the Rapax soldier was moved to a regular bed to recover. He really did not remember who they were. Probably some soldiers. Pavel did not see the Cyborg around which he usually just referred to as droid. The droid had been wandering around earlier helping out and mentioning he wanted to learn more so he could assist better. Curious thing. Pavel wondered where he was. But no time for that. New patients were being brought in from the shuttle.
Behind him he saw Rowena and another assistant. He looked at Adelka and said: “We are two surgeons in one operation while two assistants are without a surgeon”. Adelka did not hesitate and yelled to Rowena “switch up”. Rowena got ready and cleaned the table. One of the patients was then lifted onto the table. Pavel did not even remember anymore who it was. A dugo? A pendzal? So many followed. They just kept on going. What the hell was happening out there. Whatever it was it wasn’t good. Rowena was not a surgeon like Adelka, so Pavel had to pitch in a bit more. But her assistance was flawless and he felt confidant enough to let her stitch up some of the wounds. It was also a necessity as he started to notice that after a while fatigue starting to set in.
Patient after patient was brought in. Pavel lost count. Sometimes he would ask non medical personnel to help and assist. Like moving patients somewhere they could rest or keep a wound closed. Like the two Aquila soldiers. A man he thought was the new press officer and a female soldier he only knew by face. But also non-military personnel like Kodama, one the new Dugo representatives on the diplomatic corps. Pavel would not have expected him to pitch in like this when he first met him a few weeks back. He was so busy focusing on the work to be done that he did not really take in all the faces or names. He did realize that his patients were people he mostly just knew from passing by. Familiar faces but no one he really knew that well. It made him wonder where the people were that he did know well. Where they still out there? Where they alive? He pushed those thoughts away and focused on the next patient.
Once they were finally done closing up the last patient Pavel looked around through the Medbay. Did they lose anyone? No one died during surgery. But they quickly found out one of the 808 soldiers had lost his life in the field. Marcus Wakefield had been there he was told by Lucia, a Aquila Med Evac specialist.
Whatever had happened out there it did not go well…
Cpl. Quintus Nicomachus
The world is grey, as it always has been.
Another day another list of tasks. The new location for engineering is nice, I suppose. Not too much sunlight to interfere with projects. Not too much to do either. Work, missions, fights, more work.
Helped Octavius with his WTFHACKEDMYPORTALSCREEAEM!! side mission. No biggie. Another hole in the ground. Another weird encounter with something utterly incomprehensible. Seems this happens more often than not. Looking at it gave me headaches. I went away, did other things. I heard later that they hooked up that thing with our primary generator. You know, the one that also has been strategically reclaimed as the altar of Mair. Fabor will love hearing about that one I suppose.
On Saturday things were as always: hurry up and wait. Morning started with a scouting mission. Got shot down. No damage. Afternoon was mostly quiet again. Went on an ELRP with the lieutenant. Protection duty. Had a nice walk. No hostiles encountered during that mission.
Prepped for a post Thunderstruck strategic insertion into the enemy base to disable the remote to the explosive device outside of our current encampment. Glad that people are finally listening to me, been telling them this for a week now. The Lieutenant managed to spreadsheet together our intel from that banged up reconnaissance unit from the shuttle. Good old Aquila bureaucracy coming to the rescue for once, using spreadsheets to fix a mapping issue. Nice.
Mission planning proved to help. Strategic bomb followed by insertion run. No hostiles encountered. Diversionary bombing run turned out to be useful I suppose. Did encounter some presence underground. I have faith. We have Fabor. We have Castiel. Mair is with us. We shall prevail. We prevailed. We destroyed. Problem solved.
That evening went in a blur. I remember her curves. And drinks. Wakefield emptying more than his fair share of the good stuff again. Figures.
The morning that followed proved to be unequivocally grey again, though the shield vs bow expeditionary mission, as approved by both Lt. Sevso and Sgt. Numitor was memorable. Again no hostiles.
Turned out they were saving themselves for a bigger strike, early noon. Wave after wave after wave of enemies hit our defence lines, which were strategically coordinated and held by Octavius. Good job. We got hit. My shield got hit badly. No problem, that's what it is designed for. Managed to lift several wounded out of immediate danger. And went on to find more enemies. Until there were no more.
Combat ready check. Most, if not all of the Aquila responded immediately. Combat ready. Axios!!
As it should be.
Another grey day in a grey world.
Sasha Alexandrova
---Saturday Night---
The blurred faces of her clan mates and neighbors stared back at her. One of them was praying, although she didn’t recall anyone being devout, but otherwise they just watched. Watched as she screamed for her children and her husband, watched as she fought against the black-clad, masked soldiers who had taken them from her, watched as the enemy tackled her to the ground when her muscles finally gave out. Why wouldn’t they help?! Somewhere in the distance she could hear Luka insisting they were all dead, which was the worst betrayal of all…
How had she gotten here?!
---24 Hours Earlier----
Numitor handed her a mug emblazoned with the emblem of her old (soon to be resurrected) clan. It was oddly fitting that the logo was a phoenix. ‘Feniks’, in the old dialect, although some preferred the cute little dog of similar name. That was not what they were, though. Not what Sasha was, in any case. At the moment, she could empathise more with the sensation of crawling out of the ashes.
Her eyes scanned the letter she’d been handed along with the mug; the mug was a consolation prize, it seemed. Tiberius was away, without warning. She was acting commander for the next 48 hours; the safety of the colony was in her hands. Sasha had been in command before, but that had been a small squad of a dozen men with a clear goal. Revenge was easier than protection- and she’d still driven them, quite literally, into the ground. She knew her nomination for even Vice-Commander had been a political ploy, rather than on merit. There hadn’t been much choice. The Pendzal would’ve rebelled had a joint Dugo-Aquila command been proposed, and the Aquila would never have accepted someone from the Zalinsky company. The Sona and Ekanesh hadn’t had any soldiers to offer.
She hadn’t minded so much being Tiberius’ attack dog, the bad-cop to his good-cop, but the responsibility fell into her hands like a red-hot bowling ball. The safety of hundreds and the reputation of her faction rolled into one. It was a lot for a farmer’s daughter to wrap her head around, but she would give it everything she had, like always. She regretted one of the main changes she knew would come- no more going on missions, for the most part. Ugh, management. Now more than ever, she felt how far she’d come- and how far from home she was. But this was home now, she reminded herself.
How had she ended up here?
---48 Hours Later---
The psychic attack the previous night had been heavy. Luka and the Aquila head-doctor assured her that any potential embarrassment had been kept to a minimum, and Numitor had had the presence of mind to remove his soldiers from her vicinity before she could hurt anyone other than Luka. Yet another debt she owed the Sergeant.
Sasha pushed such unpleasantness from her mind. They were under attack, and some fancy-pants was still finding the time to stand out in the open and question her command openly. Who cared if someone was calling shots without her express permission? As long as they were good shots. Sasha was used to trusting the instincts of ‘her’ men. If it wasn’t hurting anyone- except the enemy -it could be discussed later, in the sovjet, as always. At least someone had taken initiative, when the psychic attacks brought her low again, and again. ‘At least’ they seemed limited to blinding, stabbing pain, this time. That, Sasha could handle. Or so she told herself. She filed the annoyance under ‘cultural differences’ for later, for now she needed to focus.
She sighted down the length of her rifle. By now, the enemy was pushing the fight to them. They’d breached the front line once and made it inside, but been pushed out again with help from the Red Brotherhood. They were pushing again, now, making their way toward the secondary entryway the Pendzal had been holding. Bodies and bullets littered the ground- not all of them from the preferable origins. Masked bastards…
Through her scope, Sasha saw only smoke and masked faces. And just like that, she was ‘home’ again. This time, however, she was armed- and her clan mates were behind her. Her teeth grit in a twisted grin, Sasha fell into a sort of clockwork; bolt slid back, another bullet in the chamber. Another bastard paying for what he’d done. It was the one emotion she could never seem to stop getting the better of her.
Like lightning, the enemy was upon them. Sasha realized she’d been hit, there was too much blood down the side of her jacket to be anyone else’s. She turned around- and saw that everyone had retreated without her. Hatefully, Sasha abandoned her rifle and pulled herself along the ground back toward the bastion. A look of horror on Luka and Arkady’s faces was her only warning before the air around her head exploded. Her ears rang, her vision went red- then black.
Please don’t let it end here...
---Epilogue---
...she always seemed to end up here.
The Med-Bay. She’d been extremely lucky, the doctors assured her. No apparent brain damage from the bullet to the head, but they wanted to keep her for ‘observation’. Like usual. But there were orphans on Nadz that needed rescuing and when she spotted Katharina coming in, a plan for escape began brewing in her head.
For now, at least, she knew where she was going.
Vitus Domitius
Username: Vitus_Domitius
Log: Mission Thunderstruck
We set out in the evening, in the shuttle all cramped and the air-conditioning is trying its best to make sure it is liveable.
When we made planetside again, we split up in two teams. I was to lead Group Bravo while the Captain of the 808 would leave Alpha team. As much as I like the chance to prove myself I got stuck with irregulars, so as for tactics I got down to “We will lead, you guys follow us and give us covering fire”.
It only took a couple of minutes before we saw enemy movement. We used a smoke grenade to distract most of the enemy troops but as I could normally expect my men would follow and close with the enemy, the rest of Bravo team got stuck and didn’t understand or hear my orders. It quickly turned into a clusterfuck of enemies charging headlong into us and exploding between Marcus and I, taking out our shields with only seconds of being able to recover a second suicide soldier blew up between us. We both went down, the enemy taking full advantage by getting in close with spears.
Luckily Wakefield was there, stimming us up and making sure we could walk. A quick glance at our ammo meant we were out for the count. We expended all our ammo in the firefight before they charged in to explode. With me holding in my guts while I walked, Marcus being riddled with shrapnel, our new Android talking something about blue screens and one of the 808 barely walking we made the call to evac with Juno piloting the shuttle. I hadn’t noticed her leg-wound until we made it into the light of the shuttle but she was managing as always. We had seen a lot of action together so we knew our limits.
She was focussed enough to make it back in one piece. The shuttle landed with the sound of the hydraulics keeping up the weight of the shuttle. I was instantly greeted by many faces that took care of Marcus and the other two heavily wounded. I felt ashamed in the state I came back in, but Rapax isn’t used to fighting in the forest. There are no fire-lines or trenches to use our normal tactics in. While I made my way to the sick-bay I saw Marcus being hauled into the surgery table, luckily for me I didn’t have it that bad but I stopped remembering much after I walked in. In my mind I was still on the field with the 808 and all the others, hoping they would come back in one piece.
Mair be with you. Axios!
Vladimir "Mad Vlad" Karkin
Personal log 1
Sometimes day come to document stuff. Never liked it but now I must. My name is Vladimir Karkin Zvir Space Spetsnaz Close combat and Demolition, Pendzal all the way, I’m a Soldier and I take orders, Fighting to protect Pendzal ideals and Zvir safety.
Several days ago I got message from Zvir High command that EOS colony needs explosive expert, me being Spetsnaz and they knowing my friend Pavel is there, I did not know but when I heard this I said Da. I went to armoury to get my stuff couldn't bring all my basbouskha’s and grenades but i got enough.
I went to Portal, was in Portal with other Pendzal comrade named Vladimir to. He had good weapons, good beard, very Vladimir. On colony they asked what's in bag told them truth Aquila man got big eyes when I said. I forgot some paperwork they call me Vladimir Janssen. I don’t mind.
Didn’t know lots of Pendzal here thought more Aquila colony but no worries. Don’t mind Aquila or Dugo, individual Aquila and Dugo can be good. Saw Pavel he looks healthy and with good job. Last I saw him was on Zvir when he and mom fix me after crash.
Anyway got to know lots of people and drank lots of Vodka, Portal always give me the creeps.
Mission was help kill scum, didn’t know who was scum, Rapax Marcus told me, he nice and very big, he likes my cigars. First day got attacked by Scum, they shoot I shoot back. wanted to throw grenade but I only got 10 grenades need to make them count.
Next day my Shotgun ‘’Manya’’ was constantly malfunctioning but comrade Vladimir let me borrow his Shotgun for 1 grenade, good deal. His Shotgun much powerfull much bigger, not good for close combat on ship but very good on field.
I made joke with Marcus about Aquila toilet use Protocol about the use of toilet paper, it was good, I hear joke spread around. Humor good for bonding
First mission was find Pilot. big group went and we found pilot, got attacked lots by explosive scum we secured perimeter I like that i see Pendzal and Rapax working together, and if they respect my freedom I will respect their Protocols. That's why I have extra toilet paper with me, hur hur
Next mission, Thunderstruck, With Captain Bionic in command, we split up in 3 groups. I was rear with Engineer and pilot. front group got fragged with mine, and sniper. Against orders I went to front to disarm Mines, Disarmed 6 mines and other boobytraps (nice new boom), then in distant gas explosion, CHemical warfare is not my forte. and AA gun not near. We talked for mission, 3 ideas, first was Engineer going through left and we distract enemy with explosives, second was fall back with change to get shot down by AA gun, third I made was Engineer and me Rig 3 mines with timer, got watches from group and made the IED’s 5 minutes, 5,3 minutes and 5.5 minutes. We did last and we got running we made home with only 2 minor wounded.
Thunderstruck number 2 was lots of bigger. I was glad with Rapax and other Aquila, During battle Aquila guy shoot me twice, by accident but i got little pissed because i lost my armour so I gave him a big elbow so he wouldn't shoot me again. But after first big battle only 2 Aquila remained due to heavy damage, Wakefield and a ‘’demo expert’’ the rest was badly damaged
Comrade Dace went back to due to damage, I got his Automatic assault rifle with lots ammo clips. Wakefield Stimmed me two times, damn what a rush. We pushed inside. staircase up we found a double claymore mine boobytrap. First me and Aquila ‘’demo expert’’. he was good assistant but then he ran out of fear. Pendzal pilot replaced him. I disarmed Claymores and i Get new boom. then me and Pendzal engineers went in weapons aimed. We found big generator. rigged with explosives, I disarmed and Engineers went to work, Engineers had good idea since power of bastion is failing to bring the generator. But I went down to find out what happened. I found Comrade Aki got killed and Captain Bionic braced the door. I replaced Wakefield near Bionic he went up he told us cavalry is on the way. We had only 4 guys with decent fire power. we discussed plan, plan was when cavalry dropped in we opened door and I would throw grenade and we would rush the enemy, I fired my rifle empty before It jammed I took cove behind Aki body, all went very fast I saw Aquila Soldiers rush into battlefield, ‘’Peace through superior firepower’’. we evacuated to shuttle with new generator toy. wounded first Stims were wearing off when back at Bastion with Aki body I told Dugo bigguy with the black and yellow of how he died. Aki soloed 10 Scum with his Salita, he is hero with Honour, and truly without him we would be dead for sure. I got leg operation, I really would like Bionic legs but first just recover, I also got Blood transfusion.
Afterwards, Pendzal Comrade gave me Shield generator, it's good better because no body armour anymore got shot by Aquila guy.
I went for grub and Vodka, we got attacked. scum made to Portal, comrade Vladimir was heavily damaged we bring him to medics. Then I went down to get his mini cannon helped with defence. Battle was good, I moved around found stun gun that is of the Dugo woman with black lips near a tree I tried to stun Scum but no effect. I didn't found her to give it back. but after battle I found her and gave her the stun gun, she was very thankful but I told her stun gun don't work. then she told me it was STIMgun, whoopsie. now I know why it didn't work.
So battle over and I went and count my new toys, 7 basic mines, 2 claymores, 6 grenades, 1 IED made by Pendzal Engineer and I still had Basboushka.
Don’t forget to talk to Captain Bionic for agreed restitution for use of explosives. and message Zvir Command to get my old combat gear, because current gear not enough.
Irina Esfirova
The Private logs of Irina Esfirova, engineer of Clan Vukov
Coffee stained, grease splotched and filled with totally irrelevant scribbles of what looks like schematics for improved mechanics of all sorts.
Februari 1st, 240
Wow, our first week on Eos, and I feel more like I’m on a holiday than a business assignment. Then again, compared to Ziamlia, things feel like a holliday pretty quickly. I spend most of the day lugging my stuff down to Engineering, since our previous Engineering Bay had been repurposed. On the bright side, I’ve got my own station now! Though it was cozy, sharing one table with Luca and Mikhyl, it’s nice to strew all your stuff on the table without mixing up screwdrivers. I downloaded the new beacon software to my laptop, and I was ready to go.
Mikhyl and Luca started handing out assignments. Some eager young engineers had arrived, taking anything they could get. Even though I raised my hand a couple of times, there was no assignment for me. I reluctantly settled for a watch round, to clear my head. On Ziamlia, not standing out is considered a valuable survival trait. Still, in the back of my head it nagged a bit that the guys with whom I had researched the alien sphere just a few days ago, already seemed to have forgotten my existence. I walked it off, and my mood improved even more when my delivery arrived, brought personally by my friend and fellow clan member Rabochyi. It seems they’re maintaining him well back home, at least as far as I could tell.
Arkady visited me in engineering later, with a merry band in tow. I liked them immediately. I didn’t get all their names in the first go, but it appeared they had crash-landed on Eos. Together, we flew out to investigate another crashed aircraft. I was excited. My first away mission on Eos. A bit haphazardly, I helped navigating Ché to our destination. Filled with anticipation, I readied my new shotgun. “Someone has to stay with the pilot.” Everyone looked around. I sighed. This was not how I pictured my first away mission, but then again, I am mostly trained as Engineer, with zero military experience… Leaving someone else would weaken the team. “I’ll stay.”
Back at the Bastion, chairs were pulled up in Engineering, and the bottles were opened. I was doing some tinkering in the background, but I was perfectly happy. For the first time, I felt at home. It was like Arkady had returned with the raiders. They always visited my shop when they came down planetside. A lot of the raiders were a bit superstitious about who was to touch their gear. I had the reputation of bringing good luck, and so after a raid, my workshop was usually filled with merry men who bragged and passed around the bottle while I worked.
A voice read a task out loud: “Drink twice if you have a hole in your socks.”
“You always have at least one hole in your socks!” I replied without thinking, “How else would you get your foot in it?”
February 2nd, 240
It seems the drinking game went on for quite some time. I didn’t hear Arkady come to bed last night. Oh well. At least he did return. After breakfast, I spent some time in engineering with Dice, and I must confess, I really like him. He was using our chest as a workbench, so he had to sit on his knees. Missed opportunity, some Pendzal here would say. He wasn’t even tying his shoelaces! But no, that would mean one of us would be dead in three days. I like him too much for that.
Still no assignments. That annoying scientist walked in, the one that keeps calling Rabochyi a toaster. He asked if I could build him a DNA sequencer. With the right parts, I probably can, but my price estimation made him want to reconsider. Still no work. Then Ché walks in. “I need an Engineer.” Finally, work! I leap at the opportunity. “Flash emitter for the shuttle? No problem!” In half an hour? “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Consider it done.” Now to pull up some schematics. Crap. Those thing have chemical components, and I don’t know shit about that. Kamilla and Valodimir help me out. “Get your hands on some phosphor. We’ll handle the rest.” Luckily, some Sona had walked in this morning, telling us Engineers that there were lots of components rotting away in the cargo hold, so if we could please build something with that. Time to see how much of that was true. The guy I talked too did not have any phosphor in stock, but we traded something else that would produce the same flash. Satisfied, I dumped the minerals with Kamilla, who was nice enough to refine them for me. In the meanwhile, I set to constructing the casing and detonator.
Ché seemed satisfied with my work. Good. If word spreads around, maybe more will come to me. After I installed the Flash in the shuttle, I quickly have to dash out, because the away team already starts filing in. Rusty is kind enough to make way for me. Man, I really like DZ3. They remind me of home. As the shuttle takes off, I silently wish them luck.
Back in engineering, more boredom awaits. Beacon pops up. Hostile contact. Thinking I might be able to help out someway, I sling my shotgun over my shoulder and make my way upstairs. Katarina puts me to work. Keep people out of medbay, that have no reason to be there. So I’m promoted to life-size doorstopper. Great. My shield is top-notch, and I’m burly so if these confirmed hostiles force their way into the bastion, I might at least be a speedbump. And heck! Should I fall, at least I’ll fall into the right place!
The medbay fills with wounded, and though I’m probably doing something useful, I feel that even Rabochyi is helping out more then me at the moment. That changes when the call goes out for blood type O. Glad to be of use, I hand my shotgun to a recovering wounded, that takes up my position.
Ché’s team returned! Eagerly, I approach him. Did the flash work? “Like a charm.”
I’m thrilled, and tell him if he has any more work, he’s welcome.
“As a matter of fact, I might have something for you. Though I would appreciate it if you kept quiet about it.”
Hah! I’m from Ziamlia. Asking the wrong questions is among the top five causes of natural death. Getting married is too, but that’s beside the point. Of course I can keep quiet.
Ché hands me some interesting schematics. Experimental gas mask design. Great! Something to sink my teeth in!
Arkady comes down to engineering, and really makes my day. One of the planned away missions is in dire need of gas masks. To work! I press-gang Rabochyi, and together we manage to produce enough masks for the entire team, in a record time. Feeling satisfied and proud of myself, I go upstairs to grab dinner.
Carrying my desert, I saunter through the Bastion, looking for Arkady. I find him in the conclave room, talking with Katarina. Great. My mood drops a bit. Off course he is. She’s pretty and powerful, two things I don’t really have in abundance. I know he’s charming her, as he does to Sasha, but gods, I hate it. I will never do anything to blow Arkady’s chances, but when I see him charming other women, I feel sad, jealous and hopelessly inadequate. I’m about to turn around, when Katarina calls to me: “That’s so wrong! Say something about it!”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, already preparing to back Arkady up, no matter how much I might agree with her.
“He says he’d do his own sister!”
I chuckle. “Have you seen his sister?”
She looks at me. “Yes…”
Arkady laughs. “She’s not my sister! She’s my girlfriend!”
I smile too. Nice to know he remembers. Katarina looks at me. “Then you should get married, to keep him off those stupid ideas!”
I balk. “No way! Do you want me dead or something! The average Ziamlian marriage only lasts three days! Then one has shot the other.”
Arkady nods in agreement, but Katarina is not ready to give up yet.
“Then we should marry him to someone else.”
“And end up with a corpse in three days?” I retort, “I thought you said you already had enough work.”
After dinner, I’m making an extra buck by doing dishes. Not really glamorous, but so far, it has paid better than engineering. When I’m up to my elbows in soap and left-overs, Rabochyi pokes his head around the corner. “The away-team is leaving Irina. Would you like to distribute the masks yourself?”
I would have loved too, but the Red Brotherhood is there with me, and it didn’t feel fair to leave, and letting them do the work I agreed to do in the first place. With regret, I sent Rabochyi to fetch the masks, and to mention my name when he passes them out.
Party time! Well, not right now, but after the dishes, I feel like changing. In the back of my head, I get the feeling that if I don’t do it now, it’s not gonna happen tonight. So I swap my pinstriped work-skirt for my cherry dotted party dress. I look in the mirror and smile. Given, I’m no Katharina or Sasha, but I’m looking mighty fine. I hope Arkady will like it too. Will he dance with me? Man, I hope so.
I stop by engineering to swap my shotgun for something less conspicuous. A nice small handgun, that fits in the pocket of my dress. The big shield vest gets swapped for my smaller wrist model. Only a fool would fully disarm himself, party or no party. As I strap on my shield emitter, bearded-Vladimir-from-customs asks if I can fix him some maintenance kits. Sure.
As I sit down to quickly fill the order, a soldier comes running into engineering. Rabochyi has been severely damaged! I grab my toolbox and hurry to medbay. Valodimir and doctor Anna are already removing plating on his back, to treat his biological spine. To not get in their way, I start working on his legs. As soon as his biological parts are treated, I drag him down to engineering, with help of a kind female Aquila. Diagnostics aren’t good. He needs a new power core, a lot of rewiring and a lot of his functions are switched of. A spartan power-shunt on his hip tells me the field engineer wanted to divert all power to his legs, so he could at least walk. Well, that worked. Now to fix it up. Let’s start with his voice, so he can tell me what’s wrong, and I don’t have to run diagnostics all the time. After some tweaks with a screwdriver in the right conduit, he no longer stutters, drags or shifts pitch. Problem is however…
“Konichiwa.”
Great. Now he speaks Dugo. I didn’t even know he could. I tweak another screw. Finally, Pendzal.
“DNA imprint does not match. This voice-modulator has been stolen. Please deactivate, and return to its rightful owner.” Like I didn’t know that. We stole the entire freakin Cyborg!
As I was working, another cyborg was brought in. Commander Subal, of the 808th.
I finished Rabochyi, and knelt at Subal’s side. His chest was a mess full of shrapnel, and for a moment, I was at a loss where to start. Bearded-Vladimir-from-customs pitched in, as did an engineer of the 808th. Since he had worked on his commander more often, I let him call the shots. Who is standing on rank when experience is more useful? So I lighted his workspace, handed tools and scrounged up spare parts. Between the three of us, we got him up and functional in no time.
Back to Vladimir’s maintenance kits. Mikhyl saunters into Engineering, to swap his work hat for his fancy hat. He takes a look at me, all by my lonesome in engineering. “Is Cinderella not going to the party?”
“I am, I just need to fix this quickly. Look, I even got a pretty dress.” As I stand up, I realise, my dress is not so pretty anymore. It’s covered in oil, grease and coolant stains. I try to shrug it off. Mikhyl chuckles and leaves. I finally finish one of Vladimir’s cursed maintenance kits and call it a day. The other one will be done tomorrow. Now it’s time to party.
February 3rd, 240
Man! That was some party last night! I danced with some fine guys. Rusty, Kitten, Dice, even with Arkady! ???? The party couldn’t get better. I also danced with a rich guy from some Aquila energy company. Persuaded by Arkady, I tried to reel him in, but sadly, the nice gentleman had been asked to leave. Our disappointment didn’t last long, because there was vodka and music, and we danced until the music was shut down. DZ3, Arkady and me considered continuing the party in Engineering, but since the booze was all gone, we all went to bed.
The first thing after breakfast is to fix bearded-Vladimir-from-customs’ second maintenance kit. When I deliver it, he tells me, he might have some work for me in the future. Good. Arkady comes into Engineering, followed by explosives-Vladimir-with-the-hat. My dear has drafted him into an alliance with Clan Vukov, and I’m to fix and maintain his gear, free of charge. Good. To butter up the deal, I loan this Vladimir my wrist shield emitter. It’s ironic. Though we are both scared shitless by the Vladimir that is our Clan leader, we find ourselves recruiting Vladimirs.
The big assault. I teamed up with Captain Sasha as her spotter, which worked out quite well. When her rifle jammed, I handed her my shotgun, and after she fired that, I pushed my hand weapon into her hands and reloaded the shotgun. Then the mental assault came, and she crumpled like someone crumples a sheet of paper into a ball. As Sasha got brought to sickbay, I teamed up with Pavel, sharing my shield with the medic. Then Sasha returns, and we clear another wave of enemies. We headshotted one, and finished off another. My shield is down, and hers isn’t much better. Then Sasha grabs her head.
Another mental attack. No time to drag her to sickbay. I get mad, and use one of the tricks I use on Arkady, when he needs to get back on his feet. “You call yourself a Pendzal?!” I scoff, “You’re not even boss in your own head!” I see her get mad. Good. “Go on Sasha! Kick those filthy bastards out of your head!” After some more ‘encouragement’, she finally shakes it off, and we take up position again. With my multi-tool, I quickly patch up both our shield generators, and then it’s time for the last wave. We headshot another one, as they rush our position. When the first projectile impacts on my shield, I take off. Everyone is falling back, and I’m not good enough to hold this position. Sorry Sasha. We may be in this for the species, as Numinor says, but I consider myself the most valuable of them.
As I turn, another projectile impacts, shattering my shield and launching me forward. I tumble up the steps and crash into the wall. Staggering, I make for the door and get pushed inside. Safe. Even though the momentum makes me crash into a steel table, I feel relieved. As I turn around and try to catch my breath, I get press-ganged into handing out drinks.
Carrying a pitcher and a stack of glasses, I lose track of the fight, taking some small comfort in the grateful faces of the defenders.
Then they bring in Arkady. The dumbass did a suicide charge to save Sasha. I will never say this out loud, but I’d rather see Sasha die than my beloved Arkady. He’s an unfaithful scoundrel, a reckless jackass with an apparent death wish and the Devil’s luck, but he’s one of the few things I really care about in this universe, and he has saved my hide a dozen times over. I almost dropped the pitcher, but then I realised that I wasn’t a doctor, and I would only get in their way. So I kept pouring out drinks, scolding my Arkady every time I passed him by. No way in Hell was he going to die and leave me alone on this forsaken rock.
Doctor Adelka and Kitten managed to stitch him up. He’s out of danger, but I won’t be at ease until he opens his eyes again. Maybe I can bring up some small work later. It won’t be the first night I spent tinkering, worrying and waiting at his bedside. Don’t die on me you bastard! If you do, I will be very cross with you.
Arkady Romanov Vukov
01-02-240
Ok so get this, one week here and it is like a vacation. I have more time off then back home… so, naturally I try to stir up as much trouble as I can. And this evening gave me a load of opportunities. Some guys called DZ-3 crash landed. They are Pendzal, but it seems they are from right around the war… so technically they are unaffiliated.
But who cares, they drink and act like Pendzal and that is all that really matters. The apparent boss of the bunch, Barron, has this vibe… it’s familiar somehow. Kitten, a large guy feels more like a brother, Raccoon looks like a girl from my childhood back home. Then there is Dice, now that’s an odd fellow, can’t really get a read on him. Rusty a guy in full battle armor and scars up the whazoo, he looks like he came straight out of the war. And then there is Snake, somehow he feels and moves like a Dugo, but that could be me… Barron says they used to live on Ziamlia… I joked that they might be my ancestors, considering they were in cryo prison for two hundred years… We had a get to know you party and I really don’t recall getting to bed.
02-02-240
I totally forgot that my robot showed up last night… when I see him that morning I am surprised and… wait, why is he here, Vlad wanted to keep him back home… better find out.
I get sidetracked and totally lose my sense of time, somehow I made my self responsible for the DZ-3 guys… awesome now I have the job of getting them integrated into the force on Eos, ha dumbasses from the icc. I opened a bottle of vodka and next I knew it was evening.
Party night, I am looking forward to it, but first a mission. The Mair high priest guy needed people, and now I am in charge… what? How did that happen… well it's not like I don’t know how to lead, back home I was in charge of about two to three hundred guys and gals. A force of about ten is no problem.
Well, that went smoothly, in and out in about an hour, no dead, no wounded. Death-orb deactivated, base blown up. My work here is done, now to get dressed for the party.
We party all night long, Kat looks delicious, but it is a real feast for the eyes, pretty much wherever I look there are prety girls. I am overwhelmed and managed to get drunk fast. I dance, I feast, and when I wind down it is already five in the morning and there are only a few people left that are hanging around. I make the last rounds through the base and head off to bed.
03-02-240
The morning starts off slow, but by noon all hell breaks loose. The aliens start a major offensive and things get hectic. I fight as hard as I can, bullets fly left and right and I get through the first two waves unscaved. But round three is a bitch, most of our guys are wounded or dying and the bullets are slowly running out. Irina is spotting for Sasha, good she looks unharmed, Sasha looks on her last legs. My guns run dry, I spot a gun on the ground and use it to take out more bad guys.
Then that one runs dry as well, and no time to get a clip from anyone we are being pressed back. I lost sight of Irina, Sasha is down and the enemies are pretty much on top of her. I look around, no one is doing anything… retreat seems imminent. Not on my watch, I grab the first person with a sword and try to get her to give me the thing… It’s stuck somehow… in the middle of a battle… I can’t help but eyeroll.
I turn around and there is a big ass guy shooting the aliens, his offhand holds a nasty looking combat knife. I yell at him to give me the blade and he hands it right over… I turn to Sasha, it’s now or never… I charge, screaming my lungs out. The rage takes me. In a red haze I feel bullets hit me but I don’t care. My shield fails, I get hit. The pain is blinding. I jump and land right on top of one of the bad guys. I knife him, over and over. The light is fading as the guy turns in a puddle of slime. I turn to look and see that it worked. They are dragging Sasha away. Good, I hope they get me next.
Pain shoots through me. I open my eyes and barely see anything. I am being dragged. I spot Sasha’s gun and reach for it. I fall, someone curses. I am put on a chair in med bay, I can feel the life slowly draining from me as I wait my turn. I fade…
The lady that had the nice white dress last night jolts me awake and puts patches on my holes… I fade again… Pain, the world is one white haze of pain. I hear Kitten, I have to stay awake… damn it, I just want to pass out… then I hear her voice… Irina is scolding me… figures, she doesn’t want me to die…
I DON’T WANNA DIE…. the words shoot through my head and my vision gets better. Kitten and one of our doctors are working on my wounds… strange to see holes in your chest. It gets hard to breathe. I look at the doc, she looks nice maybe she would like to go on a date later… she wants to turn me over to work on my back… this is going to hurt… a lot… and darkness takes me. I hope I will wake up.
Sensei (Lex)
EOS
Zaterdag, in de ochtend...
Sinds mijn aankomst op EOS, en mijn introductie aan mijn nieuwe “leerlingen”, heb ik me de afgelopen week op de achtergrond gehouden. Ik heb Wanagame terug naar huis gestuurd om de lessen in de Dojo gewoon doorgang te laten vinden, maar maak zelf van de gelegenheid gebruik om deze oorlogszone nader te bestuderen. Bovendien zijn er een aantal verzoeken voor privé-trainingen van diverse personen die naar Eer en Geweten moeten worden gehonoreerd.
Op zaterdagmorgen ben ik vroeg buiten, het is nog rustig rond de Bastion. Het weer is goed, beter dan thuis, waar het Keizerlijk Paleis rond deze tijd van het jaar vaak nog bittere koude kent, prima voor een rustige wandeling na een sober ontbijt. Hoewel de Boomgeesten me hier vreemd zijn, wordt ik op mijn wandeling regelmatig aangeroepen. Ze vertellen hun verhalen. Waarschuwen voor veranderingen, voor onrust.
Terug in de buurt van de Bastion zie ik een deel van mijn leerlingen rondjes rennen. Als ik de DMZ rond het gebouw bereik hoor ik dat hun nieuwe bevelhebber probeert parade discipline en manoeuvres door te voeren. Een Nobel streven, maar een nadere inspectie van mijn pupillen toont dat niemand zijn dag is begonnen met Kapayapaan...... zonder de innerlijke rust en balans gaat geen van hen veel wijzer worden van deze training. Ik schud mijn hoofd maar eens en start het actieve deel van mijn eigen meditatie terwijl op de achtergrond de commandos klinken en de zwarte Schaduwen door het bos stampen. Ik zal ze hier later vandaag wel op aanspreken.
Als ik aan het laatste deel van mijn oefenreeks toe ben word ik aangenaam verrast door Kodama-san. Op mijn uitnodiging doet hij het laatste deel van de meditatie mee. Hoewel we vorige weekend wel wat beleefdheden hebben uitgewisseld heb ik hem eigenlijk nog niet echt gesproken. Een omissie mijnerzijds, sinds hij juist in zijn rol, als Ceremoniemeester, feitelijk verantwoordelijk is voor de goede gang van zaken en een welkome bron van informatie.
Zaterdag, in de middag...
Ik ben, na een geslaagde trainingssessie, even uit de zon gegaan en in de eetzaal van de Bastion als er commotie ontstaat. Awa-datu is niet langer zichzelf, en als Kodama-san mij vraagt of ik haar kan helpen stem ik vanzelfsprekend toe. We vinden haar in een van de andere ruimtes. Een burger dokter, ik denk Aquila, maar tegenwoordig is dat onderscheid steeds moeilijker te maken, met een paniekerige blik in haar ogen probeert op haar in te praten. Verkeerde woorden vallen als druppels op een gloeiende plaat; beelden van thuis maken haar rustiger en duidelijk wat er aan de hand is, en waar de oplossing ligt. Ik stuur een van wachter Aki? Rika? met orders om Pandac-sama te halen, met grote spoed.
Als ik haar optil en naar medbay draag, wijkt de menigte.
Later, als Pandac-sama haar gekalmeerd heeft, praten we. Een verhelderend gesprek; voor beiden...
Zaterdag, na het dinner...
Wanagame zou verse sushi sturen, maar of hij is het vergeten, of de lading is “bij de douane blijven steken”. Gelukkig is er nog een restant sake om de smaak van de rantsoenen, die hier voor voedsel doorgaan, weg te spoelen. Ik heb begrepen dat op deze dag van de Verbroedering vanavond een feest van verbroedering zal worden gevierd. De aanblik van sommige niet-Dugo vrouwelijke leden van deze missie in dagelijke of gevechtskleding, doet mij al wegkijken van lichaamsdelen die normaal alleen in de intimiteit van Sentō worden getoond. Ik huiver bij de gedachte van wat ik heb begrepen de gepaste feestelijke kleding is, waarbij zelfs de knieen getoond worden. Tijd om me terug te trekken.
Zondag
Droefheid en rouw, als duidelijk wordt wie het slachtoffer is...
Julius Nepher
From the personal memoires of Julius Nepher, Ekanash Tachar-guard fundast
The engines start whirring, some shaking throughout the shuttle, and a strange feeling in my stomach. Apparently this is what a take-off feels like. I close my eyes to focus my mind, but get blasted by a mix of scents. Copper, salt and sulphur. A bucket of water wasn't enough to get this blood, sweat and ammunitions smell out of the shuttle. These are the remnants off the previous mission that enable us to fly to the eye of the storm and it came at a cost, several injured one deceased.
I can't help but think back;" I has only been few days since I received my orders to travel to this outpost, or Bastion as it is called. A hearts and minds mission. Penance to show I was able to care for people, show them respect and by doing so, receive it. The third law of the Ekanesh.
It took only 'one' day before I was asked to partake in a strike mission. I'd have to figure out later how to explain this to the Ecclesiarchy."
The shuttle touches down and the ramp opens. Weapons at the ready, we sneak out. Everybody is aware of what happens on the previous mission and is intent on not repeating it.
We approach the bunker with no resistance at all. Either all available forces went to protect the sam-site or they were distracted by our diversional bombing run.
A large metal door blocks our way in. Our pendzal engineer takes only a minute to open the lock and grants us entry. He didn't even use explosives.
Slowly we advance through the tunnels. When suddenly I feel a presence trying to pry into my thoughts. Quickly I focus on shielding mind and prevent the presence from gaining entry. As I look around I see that most of is are strong-willed enough to withhold such feeble attack. However our two medics and mission-leader hit the ground unconscious.
As others try to help those that are down, me and two other pendzal advance. One of them opens the next door, while the other peeks into the next room. "five" he tells me, "shall I use a grenade?" I agree and a grenade gets lobbed into the next room. We shut the door and wait for the blast. Again we peek into the room "errr... I meant two enemies and they didn't get hurt by the grenade"
I inform the ductor of the situation and his facial expression changes instantly, an expression of resolve and anger. He opens the door and charges into the room. All we can do is charge after him. Two masked beings threw up a telepsychic shield, which protected them and the device that made the link with the orb that attacked the inhabitants of the bastion.
With joined strenght of will, we eventually break through the barrier. "Kill them" the ductor shouts. I hit one on the knee, and when it topples down, I plunge my spear into it's heart. I look up to see where the other one is, just in time to see it being decapitated by Marcas, severing it's mind form the body.
With the threats gone the engineers dive face first into the device and how to get rid of it.
But all I can do is think; "Hearts and Minds, not exactly what I planned to do, but hearts and minds nonetheless"
((Disclaimer: Vergeet niet dat alles wat in dit document verzameld is is bedoeld als extra flavor dit is in geenszins bedoeld om als IC informatie te dienen en iedereen word daarom ook vriendelijk verzocht deze informatie niet in het spel te gebruiken))