EVEMonkey’s Fan Fiction Blogfest #2
February’s topic:
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The end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 has seen the beginnings of many nullsec wars: The Triumverate coalition is invading the Northern Coalition from Pure blind. Wildly Inapropriate has been forced out of Geminate. IT alliance has obliterated Pandemic Legion and Sons of Tangra in fountain. Goonswarm have been forced to retreat out of Delve/Querious into Syndicate, and there have been major border clashes between the providence block holders and -A-/Ushra’Khan/Systematic Chaos.
Everyone has been affected in some way. Write the story of someone affected by these changes. Whether it be a wife who has lost their husband working at a conquered station, or a pod pilot who has been brought to financial ruin, or a weapons manufacturer rubbing his hands in glee at the booming business. We have all been affected.
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…since the great battle for D-GTMI and still, there are signs of the carnage everywhere. Bodies of fallen slaver scum are still piled in some places in the station. Most have been disposed of, but there were so many to fight, so many to kill. Their stench burns your nose like a fire of rotting flesh, pervading your every pore of your skin.
And yet, those slaves who have been freed from their oppressors are not working to clean up the station. They sit on the floor, huddled in clean blankets, clutching the warm cups of soup to their chests as if letting go would mean death. They sit, sip, eat and watch others work to clean up the dead. They have toiled enough, it was their time to rest, recover and begin their new lives of freedom.
There is a small child, sitting in a corner. She is shaking as if freezing to death. Her eyes are filled with horror filled days gone past these 7 years of her life. She was born a slave and has known only Amarr oppression. As her eyes look up at the warrior standing above her, the emblem she sees causes all those years to leave her small frame and joy fills her face.
She’s watching him closely. This man, this warrior is ripping down the propaganda of their old oppressors from the walls. Many of the posters are stained with blood. He looks down from his work and sees this little girl. To her shock, he is Amarrian.
“I thought they killed all you scum,” her voice shaking with fear but her eyes filled with a boldness of strength of a woman twice her size.
All movement in the hallway freezes as is the air had suddenly turned to ice. Everyone’s eyes turn to look at this little girl and the man cleaning the walls.
Ga’len lowers himself onto one knee to look this little girl in the eyes. He just looks at her for a moment and speaks with the soft kind voice of a father speaking to a beloved daughter, “My friend, I may be of Amarrian birth, but I know what my people have done to you is wrong,” Ga’len continues, “We are all human, all part of the same family and I will not sit by and let my brothers and sisters enslave you or anyone else. What is your name child?”
Slowly she looks around and sees that everyone is staring at the two of them. Everyone is smiling at her and Ga’len, “I am Breanne,” she says.
“Breanne, I am Ga’len. My child, you saw this emblem on my shoulder?”, Ga’len looks deep in her eyes as he points to the markings on his clothing. She looks at the emblem and holds up her small hands, making a fist with her right hand, mirroring the emblem. Chuckles are heard in the hallway as everyone continues to watch this conversation unfold.
“You wear the mark of a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan,” Breanne says.
“That’s right Breanne,” Ga’len continues, “I am a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan. We fight to free our brothers and sisters from slavery and oppression. We fight to save you.”
Slowly thoughts cross Breanne’s face. With a confused look she asks, “But that would mean that you kill your own kind, doesn’t it?”
Ga’len smiles as he speaks, “My little acorn, I would fight and kill those who would harm other humans,” he points to a pile of dead Amarrians, “Those people stopped being human the day they raised an oppressive hand and struck you down to the ground.”
“Little acorn?” she asks, “What is a little acorn?”
“An acorn is a seed, it’s what you plant in the ground to grow tree,” Ga’len replies.
He glances up to see Leainati walking over. She has huge grin on her face from watching her brother speaking with this child, “Think of it this way. An acorn is the baby that becomes the sapling. The sapling is the child that becomes the tree. When you grow up, your branches mingle with the other trees in the forest, sheltering the acorns below that will one day begin to grow.”
Breanne looks up at Leainati as she too lowers herself onto her knees.
“Breanne, I am Leainati,” Leainati bows her head as she introduces herself, “I see you have met my brother.”
“Brother? But he’s Amarrian and you are Minmatar, aren’t you?” Breanne asks.
“Actually, I am only half Minmatar. Ga’len and I have the same mother but his father was Amarrian, mine was Minmatar.”, responds Leainati, “Half brother, part of our beloved family and fellow Warrior of the Ushra’Khan.”
“He’s your brother, wow. That’s messed up,” comments Breanne.
Everyone looks at Ga’len intently. Ga’len looks between Leainati and Breanne’s faces. He smiles and a small chuckle grows in his chest. He begins to shake slightly as the chuckle grows into a louder laugh. As if he can’t contain it anymore, he roars into a very healthy laughter. Slowly the laughter spreads around the hallway and everyone feels the tension become blissfully thin.
“Yes my little acorn, it is a bit messed up, but at least I get to have a wonderful sister,” Ga’len smirks at Leainati.
“Okay Twig, enough of that,” Leainati smack Ga’len on his shoulder.
“Twig? I thought his name was Ga’len?” Breanne asks.
“I call him Twig when he’s being silly,” Leainati continues, “So Breanne, where is your family? Are they here on the station?”
Breanne’s eye glaze over, a very distant sorrow fills her face and tears begin to flow from her eyes. She is choked with tears as she tried to speak. She motions with her hand at the pile of dead Amarrian soldiers.
“Oh my child! I’m so sorry,” Leainati begins to hug Breanne, “They died in the battle did they?”
A weak tearful voice creeps from Breanne’s mouth, “No, they died a long time ago. I think they died; they just disappeared with some soldiers. I am all alone, I have no family.”
Leainati unfolds Breanne from her embrace, places her hands on these tiny shoulders of the sobbing child, “My child, you are not alone. You are part of our family now.”
“But,” Breanne begins to speak, “You family is messed up.”
Ga’len roars with laughter again. His face turns red and he hangs his head as he tried to catch his breath. After several moments he begins to speak.
“Yes my acorn, our family is messed up,” Ga’len continues, “but we have what every family needs. We look after each other; we stick together through the good times and the bad.”
“You do?’ Breanne asks, “You don’t just disappear one day without a word?”
“Not usually, no,” Leainati says, “Now, why don’t you stay here with Twig while I got get you some more food, okay?” Breanne looks at Ga’len for a moment, then looks at Leainati and nods in agreement.
Leainati heads off and Ga’len begins to speak, “Breanne, would you like to help me for a moment? I can’t quite reach high enough on this wall to put up this poster.”
“I am too small, you are taller,” Breanne says.
“That is true, alone we can’t reach, but together we can, “Ga’len places his hands on her shoulders, “If you sit on my shoulder, you can reach up higher than the both of us.”
Breanne moves behind Ga’len and with a jump and Ga’len’s guiding hands, she manages to sit on his right shoulder. Together then manage to place a new poster on the wall. When they are finished, they step back to look at what they have done.
“Looks good my acorn. Forlorn has a talent that is to be sure, ” Ga’len says as he crouches beside Breanne, “Come, let’s go find our sister and see about your food.”
Breanne turns and faces Ga’len. Without warning, she throws her arms around his neck and hugs him.
“Thank you Uncle Twig. I like the poster,” Breanne says sleepily.
Ga’len laughs, returns the hug and stands up holding Breanne in his arms. As he walks down the hallway towards the deck’s food court, he collects a blanket from a supply crate and wraps Breanne in it to keep her warm. As they continue down the hall, Breanne lays her head on his shoulder and her eyes slowly close as she slips away into sleep.
Ga’len stops for a moment and turns his head to her sleeping face. He places a gentle kiss upon her forehead and whispers softly, “Sleep well my little acorn. You are not alone anymore; Uncle Twig and Aunt Leainati will take care of you now. You are free”.
More of The Bleeding Rose
…since the great battle and still, there are signs of the carnage everywhere. Bodies of fallen slaver scum are still piled in some places in the station. Most have been disposed of, but there were so many to fight, so many to kill. Their stench burns your nose like a fire of rotting flesh, pervading your every pore of your skin.
And yet, those slaves who have been freed from their oppressors are not working to clean up the station. They sit on the floor, huddled in clean blankets, clutching the warm cups of soup to their chests as if letting go would mean death. They sit, sip, eat and watch others work to clean up the dead. They have toiled enough, it was their time to rest, recover and begin their new lives of freedom.
There is a small child, sitting in a corner. She is shaking as if freezing to death. Her eyes are filled with horror filled days gone past these 7 years of her life. She was born a slave and has known only Amarr oppression. As her eyes look up at the warrior standing above her, the emblem she sees causes all those years to leave her small frame and joy fills her face.
She’s watching him closely. This man, this warrior is ripping down the propaganda of their old oppressors from the walls. Many of the posters are stained with blood. He looks down from his work and sees this little girl. To her shock, he is Amarrian.
“I thought they killed all you scum”, her voice shaking with fear but her eyes filled with a boldness of strength of a woman twice her size.
All movement in the hallway freezes as is the air had suddenly turned to ice. Everyone’s eyes turn to look at this little girl and the man cleaning the walls.
Ga’len lowers himself onto one knee to look this little girl in the eyes. He just looks at her for a moment and speaks with the soft kind voice of a father speaking to a beloved daughter, “My friend, I may be of Amarrian birth, but I know what my people have done to you is wrong”, Ga’len continues, “We are all human, all part of the same family and I will not sit by and let my brothers and sisters enslave you or anyone else. What is your name child?”
Slowly she looks around and sees that everyone is staring at the two of them. Everyone is smiling at her and Ga’len, “I am Breanne”, she says.
“Breanne, I am Ga’len. My child, you saw this emblem on my shoulder?” Ga’len looks deep in her eyes as he points to the markings on his clothing. She looks at the emblem and holds up her small hands, making a fist with her right hand, mirroring the emblem. Chuckles are heard in the hallway as everyone continues to watch this conversation unfold.
“You wear the mark of a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan”, Breanne says.
“That’s right Breanne”, Ga’len continues, “I am a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan. We fight to free our brothers and sisters from slavery and oppression. We fight to save you”.
Slowly thoughts cross Breanne’s face. With a confused look she asks, “But that would mean that you kill your own kind, doesn’t it?”
Ga’len smiles as he speaks, “My little acorn, I would fight and kill those who would harm other humans”, he points to a pile of dead Amarrians, “Those people stopped being human the day they raised an oppressive hand and struck you down to the ground.”
“Little acorn?” she asks, “What is a little acorn?”
“An acorn is a seed, it’s what you plant in the ground to grow tree”, Ga’len replies. He glances up to see Leainati walking over. She has huge grin on her face from watching her brother speaking with this child, “Think of it this way. An acorn is the baby that becomes the sapling. The sapling is the child that becomes the tree. When you grow up, your branches mingle with the other trees in the forest, sheltering the acorns below that will one day begin to grow.”
Breanne looks up at Leainati as she too lowers herself onto her knees.
“Breanne, I am Leainati”, Leainati bows her head as she introduces herself, “I see you have met my brother.”
“Brother? But he’s Amarrian and you are Minmatar, aren’t you?” Breanne asks.
“Actually, I am only half Minmatar. Ga’len and I have the same mother but his father was Amarrian, mine was Minmatar”, responds Leainati, “Half brother, part of our beloved family and fellow Warrior of the Ushra’Khan.”
“He’s your brother, wow. That’s messed up”, comments Breanne.
Everyone looks at Ga’len intently. Ga’len looks between Leainati and Breanne’s faces. He smiles and a small chuckle grows in his chest. He begins to shake slightly as the chuckle grows into a louder laugh. As if he can’t contain it anymore, he roars into a very healthy laughter. Slowly the laughter spreads around the hallway and everyone feels the tension become blissfully thin.
“Yes my little acorn, it is a bit messed up, but at least I get to have a wonderful sister”, Ga’len smirks at Leainati.
“Okay Twig, enough of that”, Leainati smack Ga’len on his shoulder.
“Twig? I thought his name was Ga’len?” Breanne asks.
“I call him Twig when he’s being silly”, Leainati continues, “So Breanne, where is your family? Are they here on the station?”
Breanne’s eye glaze over, a very distant sorrow fills her face and tears begin to flow from her eyes. She is choked with tears as she tried to speak. She motions with her hand at the pile of dead Amarrian soldiers.
“Oh my child! I’m so sorry”, Leainati begins to hug Breanne, “They died in the battle did they”?
A weak tearful voice creeps from Breanne’s mouth, “No, they died a long time ago. I think they died; they just disappeared with some soldiers. I am all alone, I have no family.”
Leainati unfolds Breanne from her embrace, places her hands on these tiny shoulders of the sobbing child, “My child, you are not alone. You are part of our family now.”
“But”, Breanne begins to speak, “You family is messed up.”
Ga’len roars with laughter again. His face turns red and he hangs his head as he tried to catch his breath. After several moments he begins to speak.
“Yes my acorn, our family is messed up”, Ga’len continues, “but we have what every family needs. We look after each other; we stick together through the good times and the bad.”
“You do?’ Breanne asks, “You don’t just disappear one day without a word?”
“Not usually, no”, Leainati says, “Now, why don’t you stay here with Twig while I got get you some more food, okay?” Breanne looks at Ga’len for a moment and nods to Leainati.
Leainati heads off and Ga’len begins to speak, “Breanne, would you like to help me for a moment? I can’t quite reach high enough on this wall to put up this poster.”
“I am too small, you are taller”, Breanne says.
“That is true, alone we can’t reach, but together we can”, Ga’len places his hands on her shoulders, “If you sit on my shoulders, you can reach up higher than the both of us.”
Breanne moves behind Ga’len and with a jump and Ga’len’s guiding hands, she manages to sit on his right shoulder. Together then manage to place a new poster on the wall. When they are finished, they step back to look at what they have done.
Tags:
D-GTMI,
fan fiction blogfest,
The Bleeding Rose,
Ushra'khan
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