"This is simple, my friend – but it could turn out extremely dangerous. Have you ever heard of the Aumanii refugee camps in Derscon? Are you in contact with anyone there?"
Solomon cocked an eye at the Allanean base commander, 'Well that's a fine how do you do, don't you think? What are you talking about Commander? I just assumed the camps were foreign propaganda...Now that the Aumanii are gone and dead, let's just pour salt in the wounds and make them look like weak little puppy dogs. If there were Aumanii living in Derscon, they sure as hell wouldn't be putting up with the level of mistreatment they are right now. Especially from some maniacal Siberans...
Col. Huuthu could see he was about to fly off the handle. The Allaneans, at times, grated at his nerves...what with their wild, off the cuff, comments about extremely dangerous missions that seemingly came out of the blue. Of course, Colonel wasn't about to turn down a chance at a little adventure...its just that he, like all Aumanii, enjoyed a nice long explanation before he stuck his neck out, and like all Aumanii enjoyed ripping at another human being for kicks.
In short, no Iam not in contact with anyone from these "Camps" that you speak of.'
OOC:
Continued from an off site forum.
OOC: Here. (http://z4.invisionfree.com/The_Planet_Mars/index.php?showtopic=1186)
IC:
"Oh no, they are quite real. We have satellite photography to prove it, which we can of course display to you at any time. However, it appears difficult to actually contact the refugees – and we may perhaps have a solution to many of their problems.
'And what might that be?' Solomon Huutha was curious about what the Allanean had to say.
OOC:
Allanea, if you could get on MSN that'd be rad.
Previously, on Nationstates...
Auman:
One
The features of Solomon's face were harshly flooded with gloom, the clouded sky of Neo-Dallas bathed him in grey light.
Two
Water beaded and rolled down his neck from his shaggy black hair. His pale chest, dotted with old bullet wounds and punctuated by deep, pink, scars. The white towel concealed broken, overworked, knees.
Three
The cylinder snapped closed on his revolver with a flick of his wrist. The hammer drew back. The barrel was pressed firmly to his temple. His finger clasped the trigger tightly...
He still couldn't do it.
He got dressed. He wore a suit that a woman gave him, it made him look more like a businessman than a warrior...it didn't work for him, at all. He stalked down the hallway to the elevator, his jacket slung over his shoulder. He was going to do what he did everyday, drink...drink till he forgot. The doors slid open and, as usual, someone recognized him. The Hotel was making a fortune off of him, he wasn't doing to bad for himself either...Allaneans were a generous bunch.
The woman he shared the elevator with was pleasant enough, she had two children and had a third on the way.
'...Which do you think is a better name?' she asked, Solomon wasn't paying attention.
'Oh, sorry ma'am...my mind was elsewhere.' said Solomon as politely as ever.
'I was wondering what you thought...my baby, I want to name him after you but my husband prefers Theodore.' She was a nice woman, beautiful, blonde, probably Solomon's age.
'I honestly think your husband has the better choice...Theodore Roosevelt right?' asked Solomon. There was a twinkle in her eye when she answered 'Yes, just like the President...how did you know?'
Solomon smiled gently and said 'In my old job they spent alot of money to educate us. Roosevelt could have been Aumanii.'
She giggled. The door opened again and this time Solomon was getting out. 'Pleasure to meet you.' The Aumanii offered his hand to the woman, she took it...they shook hands for what seemed like too long and before he left for the bar he realized she had slipped him some cash.
'Sol, how's my favourite earner doing?!' boomed the voice of Leo Stockwell, the hotel's owner who, like Solomon, spent all day in the bar with nothing better to do.
'Same as always Leo.' Solomon seemed to struggle with the Allanean language, to his credit though...he did pick it up in a month, sort of. Solomon flashed two fingers to the bar owner, who quickly poured to shots of Bourbon. Sol threw himself onto a stool and hunched himself over the bar. Leo and Sol made small talk for awhile, mostly about the shitty weather.
'Mr. Huuthu?' Sol heard a firm voice from behind and spun to greet it, 'We’re from Allanea’s government. Her Majesties Ministry of Defense, Department of Special Operations. We would like a word with you.'
Solomon laughed and turned back to Leo. One of the men placed a hand on Solomon's shoulder, which was quickly seized. Sol dragged Agent by the arm to the bar and firmly held him by the back of the neck. Leo jumped off his stool, hands up, and backed away.
'Wait!' shouted the other Agent, Solomon stopped and looked at a badge '...You can come quietly or there is the other option.' Solomon could hear the sweet click of a trigger safety being released. Sol let the Agent go. Looking back at the bar, where Ted the Bartender was eying a shotgun under the counter, Sol asked 'What do you want?'
'You guys are tough as nails.'
'Horse shit.'
'We need you to help us save the world.'
Sol burst out laughing.
'We're serious and we need your help.' Huuthu could tell these men were rock solid.
'Alright...but we can talk about it here. Get these guys a drink, they need it. Loosen up gentlemen.'
-----
Allanea:
After a few drinks, the Allaneans nodded.
“You will be transported into an Army training base on Earth. It’s location is highly classified and completely unnecessary for you to know until you get there. Officiallly, your mission will be to train Allanean Special Forces personnel according to the principles of Aumanii military training. We want you to make our boys as tough as nails as you Aumanii are. We want them to bite off nails and spit out carpet tacks.”
“After a few months at it, we will give you additional information on the mission you are assigned. But at the present, you are to behave perfectly normally. Most importantly, you are to keep sending messages and letters to your relatives if you have any. Nobody must know anything is amiss. Do you understand me? Keep up communications with your relatives, friends, whoever. Tell them about your job – not about the mission, just the fact you’re training Allaneans. Be as truthful as you can without revealing that key bit.”
-----
Auman:
'Most importantly, you are to keep sending messages and letters to your relatives if you have any. Nobody must know anything is amiss. Do you understand me? Keep up communications with your relatives, friends, whoever. Tell them about your job – not about the mission, just the fact you’re training Allaneans. Be as truthful as you can without revealing that key bit.'
Solomon was about to take a drink from his pint, he stopped the glass before perching it on his lips and sat in quiet contemplation, rememberence.
'You will be paid…' – he named a sum outrageous for the time of Allanea’s economic distress – 'And you will be given the rank of Colonel in the Allanean Armed Forces.'
Sol put the glass down with a thud, his face twisted and an observer could tell he was becoming enraged.
'You want me to train men? To train Shock Troopers to serve in the Allanean Army?' he said, voice raised, while looking intensely into the eyes of the Agent. 'And what is this mission...to be revealed later?! Finish the job that you and your cowardly cohorts started? To wipe out my people? So, my family wasn't good enough...you want the others, well you'll never find them, not all of them...'
Solomon chugged back the rest of his beer and stumbled off. The two Allanean Special Agents watched in disappointment. Leo and Ted both tried to calm Sol down, but he waved them off...
'Fuck all you Allanean pigs!' slurred Solomon, before crashing through a table and passing out.
------
'I don't understand...'
'He just snapped on us, there was nothing we could do. We don't have the authority to detain him.'
'The Major never acted like this before. He was lighthearted...jovial.' Lt. Frello was puzzled, she never knew him like this. 'Wait, did he come here...alone?' Frello asked Leo, he responded 'You bet ya.'
Lt. Frello sighed, 'He had children, two daughters.'
Solomon Huuthu was sprawled out on his bed as Lt. Frello talked with Leo and the Allanean Agents, who she never caught the names of. Slowly, after a few hours, Sol became more lucid. He was listening in on the conversation.
'And what was your relationship with Major Huuthu before the war?'
'We were friends. I served in a logistical unit that serviced his battalion at Bekanel Pass.' Answered Frello.
'And that's all?' asked the Agent who nearly had his arm torn off by Sol. Lt. Natalya Frello just glared.
Slowly Sol started to open his eyes, the others didn't notice. He was watching them, their mannerisms. He recognized Natalya, the young clerk that liked to go on supply runs through Orc country. The Daredevil.
'So Rock 'n' Roller, you made it through the goop, eh?' said Sol with a smirk on his face. Natalya laughed, 'You know me, always stirring for a fight.' Sol loved Aumanii women, they were stronger then most...
Sol slid up the backboard of his bed and groaned as he did so. 'I'd like to talk, but I think I'll be leaving.' Sol threw his legs over the side of the matress and started scanning the floor for his shoes.
'You're leaving the Hotel?!' Leo spat in surprise.
'No, the country.' said Sol. The Agents started to look panicked. 'You shouldn't do that, Major.' said Natalya sternly.
'Under whose orders, Lieutenant?!' said Sol, annoyed. 'They aren't orders, sir...it's just...' she sighed and looked at the Allaneans sideways. 'We all have to stick together these days...It would really mean alot to me and the others.'
Sol was tying his shoes, 'What others? A handful of orphans and old people? The noble protectors we would be, eh?'
'Yes, actually.' said the Agent with the sore neck.
'Getting shamed by a fucking lead head...great.' sighed Solomon. 'Fine, I'll go with you, but I guarantee nothing. You readin' me loud and clear Rock 'n' Roller?' Sol always called Natalya by her radio handle, but never so bitterly...it hurt her.
'Loud and clear Backflip Actual.' returned Natalya, frustrated...
----
Allanea:
The location… the location is meaningless. A military camp somewhere in Mainland Allanea designated Camp Ultra – a facility for training novice recruits into Marines and Airborne soldiers – and Colonel Huuthu is in charge of it. There's a small town twenty miles south of Camp Ultra, and the Colonel of course gets passes outside the base – and with his salary he can buy all the beer he wants.
What appears – for him and his other Aumanii companions – is that the mission is nothing but what it appears.
What they do not know is that the first few months are there for inspection. Only after September, November, and December have run out, on the 12th of January as a matter of fact – and the Aumanii seem to be loyal – all are ordered to the office of the facility commander, 'presto'.
---
Auman:
'Three months ago your government asked me what I thought to be impossible. They wanted you to take a bite out of a bar of iron and spit carpet tacks. To eat thunder and crap lightning. They wanted you tough as nails, tougher...they wanted me to make you Aumanii. You know as well as me you will never be Aumanii. However, my friends...brothers...you have earned your stripes. You are all now the first Allanean Shock Troopers.'
Colonel Huuthu stood at ease as Lt. Frello and Corporal Bashala handed out the long, ceremonial, blades of the Aumanii Shock Trooper, Tolst. The last several months were hard, the Allaneans weren't prepared for the level of intense training they would recieve...though, Sol didn't know it, they sure did a hell of alot better than those amateurs from the Autonomous City States.
Sol was still bitter and hated the Allaneans as much as he did before, but his public disdain was less apparent now. He had learned to respect the man, not the organization, and met many who he would consider friends. The Aumanii, however, were closer to him than any other.
'Praise it, love it, carry it with pride...she will save your life like she had saved ours. Hakha'te, Karlha'te...Hoort'la nesh ta'ek.' Bashala repeated the hymn, first in English and then in Aumanii, with each blade he had passed out to a graduate. The Allaneans kissed the hilt, which the Aumanii assumed was a gesture of gratitude, bowed to the blade, and stormed out of the barracks to the parade ground.
Frello and Bashala walked over to Huuthu when the ceremony was over. 'What do we do now, Colonel?' asked Bashala sheepishly, he knew now that the mission was over he might be back to the ghetto in Tundaria. 'We don't do anything Ward.' Sol used Bashala's first name casually. Huuthu stood their, quietly. Frello just looked Solomon in the eyes, scrutinizing them. Bashala was jingling change in his pocket.
Hard steps echoed through the vast, open, area of the hangar like billet behind the Aumanii...they all turned to see who was approaching.
----
Allanea
The Allanean troops – the new 'Shock troopers', it seemed – had now been deployed at the base. Strangely, the Allaneans had so far trained no new shocktroopers beyond the initial three hundred. This was part of their plan. Instead, now, they told the Aumanii their job was to maintain the 'readiness level' of the new unit – as a matter of fact, to drill it on a daily basis.
In the meanwhile, 'feeler agents' were sent all over Allanea – and those nations allied to it – to search for Aumanii 'remnant' soldiers, hire them, and take them off Mars – and to the new military unit.
Solomon, in the meanwhile, was getting briefed on the mission.
"This is simple, my friend – but it could turn out extremely dangerous. Have you ever heard of the Aumanii refugee camps in Derscon? Are you in contact with anyone there?"