Welcome to Camp 23 (IC)

[MaiusImperium]

OOC: Please refer to the OOC thread here if you wish to join us.


The cool morning air was crisp in his lungs as a pair of boots hit the muddy ground beside the rusty military truck. Director-General Ethan Tarquin’s keen grey eyes took in the vista, his future lay before him, and it was all barbed wire fences and high watch towers. On these cold winter mornings Eloria still looked beautiful to the untrained eye, a cool layer of damp mist lay clinging to the flatlands for miles around Reproductive Instruction Facility 23, obscured the scorched brown earth below. After thirty years of fire-rain nature still managed to make the world seem beautiful, if only for an hour before the mist cleared and revealed the scar-tissue below.

Ethan let out an irritated sigh, which misted before him in the cool air before making a beeline for the wire-fence gates that marked the staff-entry for Camp 23. A small swarm of junior officers and ancillary staff buzzed about him, chattering and babbling to him, he let the voices wash over him. The military-issue leather trench coat billowed gently behind him as Ethan strode purposefully towards the Camp, as he reached the wire-fence gates a group of officers and civvie staff were lined up to greet him. Ethan exchanged desultory handshakes and absent-minded salutes with the greeters, making a note of their names and their positions within the camp, but little else. Truth be told he was far more interested in getting to his new office and away from the bitter cold, and the bureaucrats.

Sadly the installation of a new director at a camp required certain inspections to be carried out, Director-General Tarquin would have to make a good first impression. Hook them early on, make it clear to them that he was not a soft touch and he would have them eating out of his hand, it was a mantra that applied to the inmates and his subordinates both. Lose the first battle with either and you would be fighting an uphill battle, it was elementary command theory and something Ethan knew all to much about as a general in the army.

The camp itself was vast and sprawling, there were great open flat spaces between the dark grey stone of tall barracks and dormitories, all the buildings were lined up uniformly, 4 blocks and each with a north, south, east and west wing of inmates. Between the four blocks of dormitories was a great square courtyard made of harsh grey tarmac. The sight that greeted Ethan Tarquin was a strange one, but not one he was unprepared for, his first duty was a general inspection. The inmates were stood in neat ranks, separated into two groups, male and female, stark naked in the cool air. Stripped of their modesty they were laid bare before the appraising and disdainful eyes of their captors. Soldiers surrounded the courtyard, evenly spaced and many leering lecherously at the shivering inmates.

A slightly overweight and balding man approached Ethan Tarquin and saluted stiffly, Ethan knew him to be Sub-Director Carrick, effectively the second in command for the camp.

“Welcome to facility twenty-three, Director-General.” Ethan clasped his fist to his right breast, over the seal of authority that was the royal hawk motif of the Pronteran royal family. “Sub-Director, let us move on with the inspection. I don’t intend to stay out here until my balls freeze and fall off, even if these guests do.” They called them guests sneeringly, as if they had a choice in the matter, it was one of the ways Pronteran soldiers managed to live with themselves, to make light of the horrors they were carrying out, often on their own people. But this was reality, in it’s harshest and purest form, it was survival of the fittest.

The new Director-General, his Sub-Director and a cadre of minor officers proceeded to walk slowly down an open aisle in the sea of columned inmates, men to Ethan’s left and women to his right. Ethan eyed them all, his intense gaze appraising the strength of the men and the fitness of the women, eyeing them up, weighing them like a piece of meat on the market, judging their measurements and dimensions as a scientist might of amoebas under a microscope. These people were to be the future of Prontera one day, but for now, they were his.

Occasionally they would stop and manhandle one of the prettier prisoners, gloved hands and batons would poke and spread the inmates, hands would squeeze and grope as they separated the wheat from the chaff. One by one the cadre of officers that followed in Ethan’s wake picked off the most desirable inmates for themselves, many accepted their fate numbly, some sobbed, others spat and screamed, those that struggled were stunned into submission with the soldiers’ shock lances. The protestations washed over Ethan numbly, his cool gaze looked each of the women he passed straight in the eyes, burrowing deep into their skull. Eventually he came to one that interested him, a curvy young lass with dark brown hair, endearing freckles and brilliant blue eyes. And in her eyes Ethan saw…defiance, a spark of intelligence, a glow of self-confidence. Despite her state of nudity and the coldness of the air, her posture was assured.

“What about this one?” Ethan intoned coldly, Sub-Director Carrick smirked knowingly and flipped through a clipboard he carried at his side. “7511b, Sir. New stock, captured at a rebel base camp not far from here. Not a good prospect, sir.”

Ethan barely registered the sub-director’s comments, his eyes still fixed with hers, he studied her closely, placing his gloved hand on her shoulder, sliding it roughly up her neck before cupping her delicate chin in his hand and turning her face to the side, somewhat sharply.

“Bring her to my office at eleven-hundred hours, Carrick.” The sub-director frowned disapprovingly but bowed his head slightly in acquiescence. “Very good sir, now if you’ll follow me, we’d best move on to the cantine, all our inmates are given a balanced diet with emphasis on protein for high body…” The sub-director’s tedious recital trailed off as Ethan and his cadre of officers left the shivering inmates in the courtyard. From a high guard tower a megaphone barked out imperiously “Prisoners, file out!” Soldiers muttered and shouted as the inmates filed out orderly to their dormitories, they would only have enough time to put their grey overalls on, the morning run lasted two hours and it was only 7am.

Those that had been dragged away by the officers and soldiers may have thought their future was full of despair, the reality was that though their bodies no longer belonged to themselves, those that earned the affections of the officers, they would be treated far better than most of the common breeders.

 

[gagonthis]

One day earlier:
“Blest… 67.” He grunted out, and was rewarded with a hard smack to the back of the butt with a rifle hilt for his trouble. “I can keep this up all day…” The man in the black gloves said, stepping up before the soldier, running a whetstone over his knife as he circled the man tied to the car, grinning wickedly down at him. “Do your worse.” The man in the chair said, spitting out venom towards the man in the gloves, getting another smack to the back of his head from the soldier with the rifle behind him for his trouble. “Oh I will…” The man with the black gloves replied, his ice blue eyes flashing anger as he stepped up, knife held to begin carving the man up…

Three days earlier:
“Ok, our drop point is coming up in five minutes. From then on communication through hand signals only. Let’s make sure everyone has everything straight. We’re going in to sabotage the main Prontarian power plant. We’ll be on our own, no chance to extraction if the shit hits the fan. You all know the plan, Red team you’re on crowd control. We need to take down the posted guards and isolate the barracks so they can’t reinforce. Blue team you’re on demolition duty. I want you to get in, get those explosives planted and get out. This is a black ops gentleman, we’re going in unmarked and unsupported and if the shit hits the fan no one will acknowledge our existence. SO DON’T FUCK UP!” The pilot announced the drop point ahead. Blest stood with the others, checking his weapon one more time, preparing to drop out of the copter “Alright Wolf Pack, let’s light em up!” The commander yelled as they began insertion…

One day earlier:
Blest closed his eyes, prepared to feel the bite of the blade, steeling himself for the pain the way he had been taught. He would not crack, he would not give away any secrets, part of his special ops training was coercion resistance. He was capable of resisting a large amount of pain and had been given chemical agents that would make any dose of truth serum fatal to him. Right as he felt the tip of the blade begin to dig under his fingernail he heard a door slam open in the dank cell. Cracking his eyes open he saw a nervous looking man gesture for the man in black gloves to follow him outside. He heard them arguing in the hallway but could make out none of their words. Finally the man with the black gloves reentered the cell, staring daggers at Blest. “You failed to tell us you were an untainted human… unfortunately for me our tests caught it. You’re being transferred to a different facility… away from my… tender administrations.” He practically spat out, motioning for the soldier to put him out. Blest smiled in mockery at the man with the black gloves before the stun baton sent him spiraling into unconsciousness.

The Present:
Blest stood in line, naked, staring straight forward, steel gray eyes focus on the horizon ahead of him. He refused to let the cold affect him. It was a chilly morning, but it was still warmer than most of the days in his home nation. He did not shiver. He did not shoot the scared looks many of the other inmates did, nor did he let aggression or hatred play across his face. He stood staring forward as the inspection took place, his face a stone slate, no emotion showing as the soldiers walked by inspecting them.

 

[Kuuroinochou]

Remi Devoraux

Remi Devoraux, a small lass, ash blonde hair that drapped over her shoulders. A small petite frame that some how balanced a full set of breasts they stood pert to attention due to the chill in the air. Her eyes an unusual shade of violet showed a sense of acceptance and calm, perhaps a more direct case of shyness as she squeaked a few times when she was inspected. Probed and prodded like so much cattle she didn't show resistance or approval.

This was degrading, her mind played that over and over again. This was the very thing her father had fought so long and hard to keep her away from. These camps were no good. They served no purpose that she could think of and yet as a she was being felt up, her face lifted to meet the eyes of the one probing her; she wondered.

She had yet to be touched since coming here. Rare among most of the inmates was her virginity. How long would that last she wondered, still she would survive. Her father had taught her how to survive, how to stay tough and live. It was her shy nature that kept her from acting out, that didn't want her to draw attention for fear of being raped, for that's all it was. Only for a moment she caught the inmate's eyes next to her, his grey eyes showing nothing. She blushed slightly turning her attention away again until the loud shouts of their return to their dormitories was announced.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Alexi walked with the senior officers as the Director-General began his walk among the ranks, first getting to know each of the staff members, before he headed for the inmates. They were all lined up, male to female, in no real particular order, but there was a sense of 'quality' among some and not others. She brushed off the sleeve of her uniform as they continued down the line, and Alexi smiled devilishy at some of the prisoners whom she had become 'acquainted with'. Her ears picked up the new Director-General picking out someone from among the inmates, and she smiled. Found himself a playmate, has he?

 

[Britwitch]

Karita

Karita shivered in the bitterly cold air as it whipped around her. Trying hard not to show her discomfort, or her fear. Strands of her long dark hair dancing around her face as they were caught by the passing wind. She stood with her shoulders back and chin tilted upwards slightly. Determined not to simply given in to the barbaric 'instruction' she was going be forced to undertake.

Only a day or so earlier she had been free. She was captured just beyond the borders of Prontera, part of a rebel group fighting to free those within the breeding camps, she was being brought to Camp 23 for punishment and, after testing they discovered she was in fact healthy and of a suitable age, for 'instruction'.
Karita was, unlike so very many females of her age, a virgin. She had lied about her health, saying her mother had been deformed and the liklihood of her own children bearing the same genetic problem, along with any lovers she might have, was high. The lie had worked, until her capture and their testing.

She knew what went on within the walls of the camps, having freed many men and women, all psychologically groomed to believe their sole role was to please those in power over them and to breed. To conceive children who would grow to bear arms for the army. Something they hoped to do to her but she had no intention of allowing herself to become something so empty.

Suddenly movement before her snapped her out of her thoughts and her eyes rose to take in the person before her. Tall and broad shoulders, with fair hair and strong face, his cool grey eyes swept down over her naked body. Taking in her curves and generous bust. It was the new man in charge, the Director-General.
“What about this one?” He asked the squat man beside him.
“7511b, Sir. New stock, captured at a rebel base camp not far from here. Not a good prospect, sir.” She could almost hear the sneer in his voice as he replied.
Karita bit her tongue, wanting to deny knowing anyone or anything by the name '7511b', wanting to say that her name was Karita and she wanted to leave. But now was not the time or the place for such defiance. She knew she'd get her turn to say her peace. She tensed, feeling the gloved hand of the Director-General roughly slide up her neck to grip her chin, turning her face to the side.
“Bring her to my office at eleven-hundred hours, Carrick.”
And with nothing more said, they wandered off, discussing food and diet. Karita's eyes followed the fair haired man, narrowed, almost scowling.

The call came for them to return to their dormitories. Karita filed in amongst the others and quickly pulled on her overalls before heading back outside to begin the morning run. It was two horus but it gave her time to think, time to plan, besides which as part of the rebel group she and her fellow members would often run for longer whilst helping escapees. Her eyes focused ahead at all times, Karita ran along with the rest of them. Counting down the time until she would be taken to see the Director-General.

 

[Muser400]

The beauty of that early morning was, of course, completely lost on Xaver.

Two things were on his mind right now, standing and waiting to shake the new Director-Generals hand: How fucking cold he was, and how badly he wanted to fuck each and everyone one of those shivering women right there. He almost felt bad about the fact that they had to stand there, shivering and naked, waiting for their inspections. Then the semi-bulge in his pants reminded him otherwise. He shifted slightly, hoping to disguise his arousal. But it was difficult. How could he, a man of his obvious good looks and sexual prowess, let those poor women go un-fucked? It was... unheard of!

Hands were shaken, curt nods exchanged, and let the inspections begin!

Xaver grinned, loving this part of his job. Hell, he loved every part of his job here. Long since had he chosen to ignore the inhumanity of this place, but even then, it had never really bothered him. He'd seen much worse. He shifted the gun on his shoulder, adjusted the strap and fell into line. Licking his lips, Xaver rubbed his hands together. After all, it would be rude to grope them with cold hands, wouldn't it? Brushing a few strands of hair from his face, he began his own "inspection" of the inmates.

Nipples tweaked and rubbed here and there, a thumb slowly run along a jaw line. And every now and then, he would reach down between their legs and slip a single finger inside of them. He'd grin, and watch their faces. Some of them, quite frankly, enjoyed it. He'd watch as their cute little mouths opened ever so slightly, a hiss of warm breath escaping. Others hated it, and he could see how they were repulsed by his touch. Oh, he liked those ones. He would enjoy breaking them. As the parade of officers left the inmates, he pulled his finger from the last woman's pussy and stuck it in her mouth. He smirked a bit as her lips slowly closed around his finger. He winked, pulling his hand from her and quickly wiped his finger on his pant leg.

Never a dull moment.

 

[Bluemage]

Felix Castman

Felix stood silently in line. He had been here for a year. This sort of thing was neither new, or that much of a surprise. It seemed that these guards enjoyed toying with them, and seeing what happened if they brought them out into the cold to let them shiver. It didn't really matter. At the end of the day they would be exactly where they were before. He kept his head staring down at the heels of the person in front of him. There was no point in acknowledging the guards. They might think of it as some kind of resistance or defiance and beat him. What would that earn him in the end? Nothing. He would be exactly where he was when he had started the morning.

He had to admit that when he had heard news that the monster that had ruled over them for his year as an inmate was going to be leaving, he had let himself get a little bit of hope from that. It wasn't going to be any different though. He had fooled himself by believing that this was going to be any different than it had been before, or that this military figure was going to be any different.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his nerves. Getting all worked up about this wasn't going to help him. He looked up and looked at the fence that stood a good distance in front of them. It seemed so close. He knew that freedom lay just beyond that fence, and if he could just hop over it he could run, and run, and never look back at this place. He winced as one of the guards used their shock lance on an inmate. That was why he couldn't run. He'd never make it, and they would just shock him with that damned lance of theirs.

He had entertained the idea of escape once, but now...now it was an illusion. A plan that would never work that some of the inmates tossed around every once in a while. There wasn't an escape for them, and even if there was...where would they go? No. There was no plan to escape, not really. There were people who talked about it, but then again there were a few people who talked about a world where there wasn't a war anymore. That didn't mean that it was ever going to happen. It was just a dream that they kept a hold of to keep from loosing their sanity.

The best plan was to just do what the guards wanted you to do. He had learned it well. Their only real chance at escape was if they were to come up with some sort of surprise, and the only way that escape was going to be a surprise would be if they all just decided to grin and bear whatever they dished out.

Felix looked over to one of the guards. He had seen her before. He blinked for a moment as she seemed to look at him and then her eyes quickly flashed up to the where the new Director-General was. Felix let out a breath that he had been holding in, and quickly brought his gaze back to straight in front of him. That had been frightening, he told himself. He wasn't quite sure why, but it had been frightening.

 

[MaiusImperium]

The rest of the tour was tedious and interminable, the camp had many buildings and they were spread over a wide flat area. The camp itself was designed to keep people in, not out. The plane was flat in all directions for half a mile, and then, jagged mountains surrounded the plane. Any they were lucky enough avoid the shock lances and shock guns (they were too valuable to be simply shot dead) died in the bitter cold of the mountains. The only way out of the mountains was by cable car, and all of those were military-run.

By the end of the tour Ethan’s limbs were icy cold, he’d never grant his subordinates, or the inmates, the satisfaction of watching him hop from one leg to the other to keep warm. So it was with great relief that finally, after three hours Ethan was left to his office.

The new Director-General quickly dismissed Carrick and let out a vexed sigh as he was left to his quiet office, on the top floor of the central complex. The central complex was nestled between the four inmate dorms and contained the gym, cantina and medical centre, the barracks were also adjoined.

The office itself was still much to cold for Ethan to do away with his trench coat, the room was quite large but quite sparse and Spartan. Ethan remembered being told stories of how the world was before, by his parents, about the luxury that people lived in, none of it remained now though officers in the military lived better than most. Walking over to the window he looked out over the courtyard, the inmates were just finishing their morning run, he watched those shivering bodies, covered only in thin grey overalls and felt…nothing. You didn’t get to be a 3rd rank general by having feelings. He checked his watch, ten to eleven. The inmate he had ordered brought to his office would be here soon.

Ethan moved over to his desk and sat down, the large leather chair creaked warmly under his weight as he looked at the huge stack of paperwork on his desk without envy. So this was to be his new occupation, going through piles and piles of papers, reports, and clip-charts. At least paper work didn’t shoot at you.

The door creaked open and his secretary, a women in early fifties with a prim and proper look emerged with a tray of piping hot tea in her hands. Ethan thanked her politely and poured himself a mug, allowing his hands to caress the mug for a few moments, letting the heat from the tea warm his chilled bones.

Taking a deep sip from the mug of strong sugared tea there came a knock at the door again.

“Yes?” Muttered Ethan absent-mindedly, through the door came Carrick, pulling something…someone by a latch-stick. Ethan raised his eyebrows somewhat expectantly as Carrick pulled on the latch-stick with a single harsh motion, the inmate attached at the collar by the stick staggered into the room awkwardly.

“Inmate 7511b as you requested, sir.” The short Sub-Director clicked a button on the stick in his hands and it detached itself from the woman’s metal collar. “Thank you Carrick, you may leave.” The rotund little man seemed a little disappointed he would not be allowed to stay and see the show he thought was about to take place, but he bowed his head to Ethan and then winked knowingly at the young lass.

“Very good sir. We have a meeting with the captain of the guard at 13 hundred hours.” With that Carrick left them, closing the door behind him. Ethan allowed himself a quick, appreciative glance over the woman’s body, not even the formless dirty grey overall could hide the young beauty beneath, though perhaps that was because Ethan knew full well what lay beneath. The office was quiet now, for a moment Ethan did nothing but shuffle the papers on his desk, observing his new plaything as she stood in his office. He took another sip of his tea, the echoes of the camp commandants barking orders at the inmates could be heard faintly through the windows that overlooked the courtyard.

“Come and sit.” It was hard to tell if it were a request or a command. “Tell me your name.”

 

[Britwitch]

The run had only just concluded, the inmates scattered around the exercise area, some clutching at stitches, others collapsing onto the ground. Karita bent forwards slightly, resting her hands on her knees as she slowly regained control over her breathing. Her breath clouding before her face in an endless fog, her throat sore and chest aching slightly from the chill. She stood back up, running a hand through her long dark hair, shaking it free from the simple scrap of material that had held it back in a ponytail, preparing to retie it when a loud clicking sound coming from directly in front of her made her jump.

Carrick, the sub-Director had attached a metal stick to the collar permanently worn around her neck. She struggled for a few brief moments before a nearby guard showed her their shock lance and she ceased pulling against the stick and Carrick, following him wordlessly towards the Director-General's office.
Her heart was pounding, her face flushed from the exercise but beginning to pale from sheer nerves. She had to admit she had no idea what to expect, was she to be interrogated about the rebel forces, or was she going merely to be inspected and molested like so many other women before her. Her insides clenching as her mind wondered what his reaction would be to finding her virginity in tact.

Her musings and worrying stopped as they reached a door, a muttered,
“Yes?” signalling they were to continue following Carrick's knock.
Unceremoniously, Karita found herself being yanked through into the office beyond the door. Stumbling slightly, looking anything but graceful, she made her entrance.
“Inmate 7511b as you requested, sir.”
Karita threw him a filthy look at being described in such a way but remained silent. Sighing ever so slightly as the stick was released from the collar.
“Thank you Carrick, you may leave.”
She looked away as he winked at her on his way out of the office, the fact that he seemed to more about her fate than she did sickened her.

Once the door had closed once more, Karita stood motionless before his desk. The Director-General continuing to look through the papers and documents before him, all but ignoring her. She knew better than to even attempt to speak or move until otherwise ordered.
“Come and sit.” He eventually said, after sipping at his steaming cup of tea. “Tell me your name.”
With as much confidence as she could muster, Karita moved to sit in the chair before his desk, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap. Looking more like a young woman visiting the dentist than an inmate seeing her jailor.
"My name," She began, in a voice that sounded so very much braver than she felt. "Is Karita. I am here because I tried to free the people who you and your subordinates hold in these camps. I was captured and this is my sentence. But I'm sure you knew all of that already, didn't you...General..."

 

[gagonthis]

Blest arched an eyebrow slightly as he caught the eyes of one of the more scared looking inmates, a young girl with blonde hair. She did a good job of hiding her fear, but it was clear that she was rather unused to being treated this way. Blest simply shrugged as she looked away, his steel gray eyes snapping forward again to stare across the horizon. He heard the shout to return to dormitories. He had been told what would be coming next. A two hour run in the cold weather was not something he desired, but unlike most of the inmates here he could handle it. He was Spetznas, Special Ops. He would bide his time, waiting for the right opportunity to escape.

Two Hours Later:
Blest looked around at the other inmates, many lying on the ground shivering, bothers retching uncontrollably. The run had been brutal for them. Blest was winded but he simply stood still, allowing himself to catch his breath as he stared out into nothing again, his face still stoic. One of the soldiers walked up and laughed as he circled Blest. "Wow, look at that here, two hours of straight running and this guy isn't even breathing hard. Maybe we should have run him another two." The man said with a chuckle. "What's your story then?" He asked, his bad breath heavy in Blest's face. "Blest 67." He responded simply. "What the fuck?" The man said stepping up into his face. "Thinks he's cute doesn't he?" The man asked his friend. "Ummm I wouldn't mess around if I were you, he's breeding stock.. plus I heard he was Spetznas... " The other soldier said, fear in his voice as he looked around. "Fuck that shit... that's all boogeyman stories. They're human like the rest of us. I'll prove it." And with that he stepped behind Blest and cracked him in the back of the head with his pistol, causing Blest to stumble forward as pain exploded in his head. "See, told ya... there's nothing specia...." The man's voice trailed off as Blest spun, grabbing his arm with the gun and pulling it out as his other arm came up and caught the extended arm from below, snapping it in half. The man screamed and fell to the ground and Blest stood over him, looking down as five guards descended on him with stun batons, a smile touching his face as he fell into unconsciousness.

Another Hour Later:
Blest awoke, his head swimming. He looked around, fearing for half a moment he had gone blind before realizing he was in a solitary cell. A small beam of light crept under the door and Blest lay back as he heard the conversations of the guards outside reach his ears. “They might have to discharge him, or at the very least transfer him to a desk somewhere else. The guy didn’t just break his arm, he shattered the bone, pretty nasty shit.” One voice sounded out, and now a smile did touch Blest’s face. “Ah whatever, serves him right. The guy was an asshole, and, if messing with a Spetznas was any proof he was an idiot to boot, we need less guys like him around here anyway.” Blest lay against the side of the cell, taking a small measure of amusement out of the results of his actions. He knew they would come back for him eventually, return him to the dormitories. They wouldn’t want healthy breeding stock like him confined for too long. As if on cue the door opened, flooding the cell with light and four men came in with shock lances, leveled at him. “Make the slightest move and we’ll put you out again.” A fifth said, holding a rifle leveled at him from behind the four men. Blest merely shrugged and stood, allowing them to bind his hands and take him from out of the cell.

 

[Bluemage]

Felix Castman

Felix had dealt with the run, being winded after it. He had flopped out on the ground like a lot of the other inmates had, glad to have a short time to rest. That was when they had gotten that nice show of the guard loosing his arm because he was stupid. It was an odd situation. Most of the inmates wouldn't have done anything as reckless as fighting back against the guards since in the end it just ended up making their stay less comfortable, but this one seemed to still have a little resistance in him.

Felix smiled. That had been an hour ago, but he knew that this soldier turned inmate was still fine for the moment. He was good breeding stock, and had been provoked into fighting. There were all of those witnesses who knew that he had been provoked into fighting, so there was no way that they were going to destroy him for his actions. Felix chuckled and continued writing in his journal. This "soldier" was interesting and was something that might be able to get them all out of this place.

He closed his eyes for a moment and closed the book placing it beside him on the bed that he was sitting on. He took a deep breath, wondering how long it would be before he got the opportunity to talk to this renegade inmate, and discuss plans of how to get out of this place. He knew that the option of fighting their way out wasn't the best option, and wasn't going to work. It might be a necessary piece to the puzzle, and he was going to have to accept that if he was going to get out of this place, but they couldn't rely on a plan that was just attacking and violence to get out. The guards had weapons and training on their side that most of the inmates wouldn't even begin to be able to use. Sure some of the inmates had military training, and sure some of the inmates knew how to use those blasted shock lances, but if any of them were trained in military, they were most likely trained in the use of more fatal weaponry.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look around for a few moments. He didn't know what to do now. The problem was that he had to wait, and waiting was not what he was that good at. He need to keep coming up with plans. There needed to be a plan that he could come up with while he waited for what would happen. He took a few moments to relax and calm his nerves again. There was no point in panicking over all of this. There was no point in over planning.

He leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath. He'd get his chance to talk to the soldier. He'd get his chance to discuss an escape plan with him. He just needed to wait for the opportunity, and make sure that he survived until they got to that point in time. He smiled as he looked down at the journal again. The day of their escape was coming, and that would definitely be a day worth writing about.

 

[MaiusImperium]

Ethan to Karita

Tea in one hand and inmate 7511b’s profile chart in the other, Ethan didn’t raise his eyes from the chart as she spoke to him, though he was satisfied that she had chosen to sit, instead of simply refusing. It was a small act of cooperation on her part, but often the first act could be the hardest.

"My name, Is Karita. I am here because I tried to free the people who you and your subordinates hold in these camps. I was captured and this is my sentence. But I'm sure you knew all of that already, didn't you...General..."

“Quite.”

Some of the soldiers couldn’t handle an inmate with a spine, many enjoyed taking what they wanted from inmates that didn’t put up a fight, who just accepted it. Ethan was not one of these men but regardless, 7511b’s spirit would serve her well in the years to come. Breeders were well looked after upon release from the instruction camps, but it was not much of a life, especially for the women. They were required to relentlessly churn out babies from different partners until they were too old.

“This place isn’t your sentence, Karita. It can be, if you want it to be.” No, camps like this only prepared them for their sentence. Draining his cup of tea he slide he dropped her chart nonchalantly onto the desk and pushed the stack of papers to the side. For the first time since she had entered the room his eyes met hers, only for the briefest of moments did he look into those proud cobalt blue eyes.

“This place,” He gestured to the four walls that surrounded them, “ is only the beginning. Your sentence doesn’t begin until you leave this place. You can choose, here and now, whether you wish to leave this place in three years time a broken and frightened girl or a strong and competent woman.” In the courtyard below there was a shrill cry of agony and the sounds of several shock lances being discharged, as if to emphasise Ethan’s point.

Ethan sat forward and poured himself another cup of tea, he also filled a second cup to the brim before sitting back in his comfy leather chair, cool grey eyes regarding 7511b, studying her movements, the quirks of her facial expression closely.

“You must be cold, drink.” He motioned to the second cup of tea on his desk, before her, temptingly sweet and warm after a cold winter morning run.

 

[gagonthis]

Blest walked calmly back into the dormitory, the four soldiers behind him keeping the stun lances pressed into his back until he was right next to his bunk. They backed away slowly, looking at him as if he would explode in violence at any moment as he had earlier. Rather than do anything to provoke them he simply stood by his bunk at parade rest as they backed out. Once they were clear of the dormitory he sat down heavily on his bunk, same detached expression on his face as he looked around, taking in the faces of all the other inmates in the room. It was something he’d been trained to do, observe the situation around him, learn faces, figure out who could handle themselves in a fight, who could be counted on if the need presented itself and who would break under pressure.

He raised his eyebrows slightly as he made eye contact with a young man with brown hair. He wouldn’t have noticed anything about the man, but he was staring at him intently, and had been since the soldiers had brought him back in. He stared the boy down, but seeing no hint of challenge or anger in his eyes he merely shrugged before laying down on his bunk, closing his eyes. He would escape, somehow, it was his duty, but there was no need to hurry. The opportunity would present itself in time.

 

[MaiusImperium]

Ethan to Blest

Ethan Tarquin, complete with a small cadre of soldiers armed with shock lances and one of the head gaolers, strode down the central corridor of dormitory block D, it hadn’t taken long for Carrick to come badgering with him with more reports. Inmates attacking soldiers was not uncommon, though the severity of the injuries this particular inmate caused to the soldier demanded a response. Normally such punishments were not meted out by the director-general himself, but it was probably a good thing to be seen taking an active role in his own camp on his first day on the job.

“This is the cell, inmate 4265d. Broke private Bentham’s arm sir, as I’ve said.” The thick steel door was unlocked with a sharp click and the gaoler opened the door, Ethan strode into the dorm first, despite the protestations of the soldiers ostensibly there for his protection. Ethan looked down at the man sat on the mattress, a fellow soldier no doubt by his posture, he could tell that without having to read the inmate’s chart, though he’d had to pour over it on the way to the dormitories.

“You broke one of my men’s arms.” It was a simple statement, there was no hint of accusation or anger in the director-general’s tone. Military trained inmates often gave a lot of trouble, and that did not sit well with Ethan at all. “You should thank your Mum and Dad, if it were not for your untainted genes you’d be shot.” If Ethan had had his way, this ex spetznas would have been shot anyway. The security at instruction camps was good, but enemy special ops belonged up against the wall for the firing squad, not here, as far as he was concerned.

 

[gagonthis]

Blest stood as the two soldiers appeared outside his cell, yelling for him to stay back as they unlocked the cell door, lances out at the ready. He merely stood as the man strode through the door. He was obviously one of the higher ups at this camp, if not the director himself. The two soldiers rushed forward, prepared to put Blest down if he made a move. He stared at the man who had come in first, allowing himself to stand in parade rest as he took the man in. He looked to be a man used to giving orders, and a real soldier to boot. He nodded in respect to the man as he strode in, acknowledging a fellow soldier.

He smiled slightly as the man spoke. He kept his mouth shut though, letting no emotions touch his eyes as he stared into the other mans. He knew he should have been killed, he figured he would be by the man with black gloves, but he knew how important, especially to the people of Prontera, it was for him to help them breed healthy children for the next generation. No matter how dangerous he may seem. He awaited his punishment, figuring he would be made an example of. He stretched himself to his full height, staring down at the man, still not saying a word as he awaited the director's pronouncement.

 

[Bluemage]

Felix Castman

Felix blinked as he looked at everything that was happening from his position on the bottom bunk. He sighed softly, and looked at his book for a moment before looking back at everything that was going on, "There is no need for everyone to be so hostile...especially when we are all in close quarters like this." He looked at them all for a moment before turning his attention back to the book, "I'm sure you would all fight well, but in a confined space like this someone like me, or the general would be in a little bit of danger." He stood up and stretched slightly as he continued to watch them, "As for any punishments that you are planning, my friend seems to be a military man himself, so I doubt very much that they will have any effectiveness. If you were to suddenly lengthen his runs he would probably be completely unphazed, and all you would be doing is keeping him fit so that the next time one of your guards decides to badmouth his people and smack him around, which I'd like to point out was exactly what happened, he will be able to do the exact same thing."

Felix continued to watch the expression on the guards as they mentally battled with the logic that was being used, "Now, you could shock him with those lances of yours, but ultimately that would prove useless, and just be more detrimental to what this whole place is trying to do. You could lock him in colitary for a while again, but my understanding of Spetznas and their training...well I doubt that something as weak as putting him in solitary for any length of time that is healthy would be pointless." He looked to the general for a moment, "Now, you could kill him, but there are three witnesses here, and I'm sure your guards can be silenced about it, but even if they are, if two of us were to vanish completely...well, that wouldn't look very good on you to your superiors, and after all, every man has superiors. If you decided not to kill me, well then there would be someone to spread the news to all of the other inmates, and that brings up a giant uprising among all of us." He sat down on the bed again and looked at everyone who was in front of him, "Now, I'm not trying to question your authority or anything, because I don't very much care for solitary myself, but it doesn't really look like you have many options to me."

He took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall beside the bunk bed. It was the most that he had talked in about a month. Before with the old Director-General he wouldn't have spoken up, but that was because he had learned his lesson for speaking up. This was a new Director-General though. This was someone with whom he really hadn't had the chance to test the waters with. Sure you could blindly assume that he was a twisted monster who was out to make all of their lives miserable while they stayed here, but there had to be someone who was willing to see, who was willing to find out what really went on in the mind of this new Director, who all of these guards eventually answered to. Someone needed to find out what kind of a man this was, and since Felix didn't like violence as an answer, this was the best way that he could do it.

He slowly brought his hand to his forehead and ran his hand back through his hair. He knew that there were worse things that they could do to him other than sentencing him to solitary. Everyone here still had something that you could take away from them...except maybe for this Spetznas, but for everyone who wasn't brutally trained by a military group to be able to withstand mental tortures, they kept something just to keep them sane. For him it was mostly the journal.

The ability to write down his thoughts. It was a form of communication. It was something that he could go to at the end of the day. After all, the last Director-General hadn't stood very well for his talking, and if he couldn't talk...well he needed some sort of outlet. He had taken to the little leather bound book, writing in it every day, coming up with poems, writing the things that he had seen, sometimes just scribbling thoughts and doodling, but for him, he knew that taking the journal away was something that would be worse than solitary. What he also knew was that this Director-General didn't know that yet. He was new. He was fresh. It was a clean slate, and more importantly it was someone who didn't know what their weakness were. It was someone who didn't know what would cause the few of them who hadn't broken to break.

He may have been a pacifist, but he also knew that he had a heart to escape this place. That was what the book kept in his mind. He knew that he would eventually get out of this place. Maybe it wouldn't be today or tomorrow. Maybe it would even be after he had been trained, but as long as he could keep his mind, and that little part of him that was the journal, he would still be who he was when he got out. He would still be Felix Castman. He hadn't given in to thinking of himself as a number like they had. As long as he remained a person there was still hope for him, and as long as this new friend was still alive, and was still available to any of them, there was hope for all of them to escape this place a lot sooner. It was worth spending a little time in solitary if it saved this man, and Felix knew it.

 

[dailyskater15]

For Karintha, the line up and the inspection, the persistent prodding and poking, the cold, gloved hands roaming her skin all passed in a blur and before she knew it she was in a cell in plain black trousers and a white tank top.

"stand back!"

She heard a soldier yell at her and she quickly stepped backwards. She wasnt used to violence but she would be damned if she let the fear she felt cross her delicate features. He locked the door and smiled cruelly at her before he walked away. She then went and sat on her bed and stared at the wall. She didnt know how long for but before she knew it there were others around her, others in the same situation as her and she couldnt help but feel like she was now in some strange kind of community.

 

[Britwitch]

Karita to Ethan

“Quite.”
Karita continued to look directly at him, even though his own gaze was focused upon the desk before him and the papers laid upon it. She knew some of them would be about her, wondering what details about her life, about her past, had made it onto her chart.
“This place isn’t your sentence, Karita. It can be, if you want it to be.”
He looked up and she was a little shocked by the strong grey eyes now holding her gaze. Something unyeilding within them, not necessarily cruel but nonetheless worrying.
“This place, is only the beginning. Your sentence doesn’t begin until you leave this place. You can choose, here and now, whether you wish to leave this place in three years time a broken and frightened girl or a strong and competent woman.”
Karita winced in spite of herself as a shrill scream pierced the air, followed by the sizzling sounds of the shock lances. She knew that one way or the other she would be turned into what they wanted her to be. But she would not simply surrender, allow her life, her very self to be stripped from her.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, uncertain of how to respond to his words, if indeed she should respond at all. Watching him almost curiously as he poured himself another cup of tea and then filled another, presumably for her as there were no others in the room.
“You must be cold, drink.”
"I...I appreciate the gesture, General, the run whilst somewhat refreshing did have a more than slightly chilled quality to it...but I am sorry, I cannot accept..." She eyed the cup before looking back up into his face. "I'm quite certain I wasn't brought here to drink tea, General, so why not cut to the chase and tell me the real reason why you singled me out of the line...? If you hope to discover something about the rebel forces then I must apologise in advance, any plans I would have known about would have been scrapped upon my capture...I have no information that could help you and anything that I might know, shall stay with me..." After hesitating for a moment, she folded her arms in front of her chest, tipping her head to the side ever so slightly. "So, General, what did you want with me...?"

 

[gagonthis]

OOC: Sorry to OOC here, but not everyone goes back and checks OOC threads, and I just wanted to make sure everyone understands now that the sleeping arrangement is dormitories, not cells now. Each wing holds about twenty inmates, coed sleeping arrangements, 10 sets of doublebunks in each room.

 

[Kuuroinochou]

Remi sat huddled on the buttom bunk across from where the general stood addressing the other inmate. She had been content to just ignore what was happening with the emotionless man she'd been stood next to in line. However it seemed another chatty inmate wanted to make a point, perhaps to talk down the punishment that was probably unavoidable. In her mind's eye she would not have said anything at all.

For all of what had been revealed the general should already know. Chatting him up on something so mundane and irrelivant was simply asking for attention. She sighed rolling over on her sided as she lay there resting her head. Whatever was going on with the lot of them was of no concern to her.

Silence... it was often golden. It kept one hidden from attack. And so far she managed to go unnoticed thus far. She would continue that way, doing as told, holding on to her identity in silence. Once an opporitunity presented itself to her, she would take it. Like a mouse no one would be the wiser as she slipped through the cracks as chaos unleashed itself around her. No one ever noticed the mouse.

Still it wasn't without a great heart that she felt a sense of empathy for the other inmate. However his background as soldier would shield him well against anything the general through at him. Perhaps nothing they ever did short of even killing him would break the soldier... no nothing ever broke a soldier like that save for innocence. A rare commodity among soldiers today. A true soldier would not take well to innocence sufforing on their behalf that much she knew, from her father. He disliked the sufforing of others and worked long and hard to keep all those refugees protected and safe. It all amounted to nothing upon that faithless day when she was captured and brought here.

She had to still herself against growling her frustrations as she lay there drowing out the back and forth amongst the men. Let them banter it had nothing to do with her. She followed rules, did as told and ended her day without incident. Just how she'd do it every day if she had a say so in the matter to which she did. Every inmate had free will to either follow or rebel against the rules. She choose to follow and bide her time... freedom was just over the horrizon.

 

[MaiusImperium]

Ethan to Karita

Ethan allowed himself an inner smile as she turned down the tea.

“Suit yourself.” It was important to never allow his emotions to surface; dissimulation was a skill he’d had to acquire quickly when he’d been raised to the rank of under-lieutenant, the first officer class in the army. Pronteran society was obsessed with conspiracies and Byzantine intrigue and political scheming, and the military was exactly the same.

And then she asked him something he did not expect. What did he want with her? It was a reasonable question, and the general wasn’t sure he really knew the answer himself. Ethan sat back and mulled it over a moment before draining the remainder of his tea and moving onto Karita’s unwanted cup. She was strikingly attractive, he couldn’t deny that, but it was the spark, the defiance in here eyes from that very first moment his eyes met hers that had really drawn him to her. Many of the women brought to these camps were broken when they arrived, and ninety-nine out of one-hundred would be broken by the time they left.

“Your fellow rebels are of no interest to me. Had I found you in the field, as a commanding officer, I’d have had the information beaten out of you. Fortunately for you, that’s no longer my province.” Idly he wondered how much she knew about these camps, probably more than the average, but he wasn’t about to insult her intelligence and give her a lecture about ‘what we do here needs to be done’, perhaps he could show her why it needed to be done, perhaps he could take her…to the vault.

Just uttering that word made Ethan want to shiver; he remembered the first time he had been taken to one of the vaults when he was an optimistic young man, a promising young officer. Those howls, the growling, those faces were less than human, and those haunting eyes. It was an effort to stop himself from twisting his face into a sickened grimace. He would show her the vault, if he could earn her trust first, and then…she would see the toll nuclear war had taken for herself.

“I can make it easy for you here, Karita. So, so easy. You can go back to your dormitory, where you will be shouted at, spat at, molested and beaten on a weekly basis. Or, you can stay here, with me. You might survive for a while, Karita, I recognise that spark of pride and self-belief behind your eyes, you might even cling onto them for a while, but know this, sooner or later, they will strip everything away from you, until all that is left is a lifeless husk.”

It was quite a little speech, Ethan didn’t seriously expect the young woman to hop into his arms in acquiescence straight away, and she would likely need a taste of what life was like in the dormitories before she would even consider…being with him. One way or another she would be his, he would see to it.

 

[MaiusImperium]

Ethan to Blest, Felix, Remi, others sharing the same dorm

Ethan waited patiently while the Spetznas’s bunkmate gave his speech of altruism, indeed he was far more patient than the soldiers that accompanied the general, one of them levelled his shock lance and pointed it towards the man before Ethan raised his hand to stop him.

“You misunderstand,” Ethan levelled his gaze at the Spetznas’s bunkmate, making a note of the inmate number on his grey overall, “The punishment isn’t meant to correct him, it’s an example for others.”, if this arm-breaker was truly spec-ops, then it certainly wouldn’t break him. The reality, however, was that the majority of inmates were cold, weak and frightened civilians who would certainly make sure they behaved if they saw what happens to those who break the rules.

“Bind him,” He gestured to the Spetznas, “and bring the others.” Another gesture to the rest of the dormitory. The soldiers barked rapid orders to the other members of the dormitory, several more soldiers poured into the dorm and rounded them up like cattle, four soldiers with shock lances closed in around the Spetznas and pinned him to the bunk, sending his body into a fit of paralysing convulsions, there was no point taking any chances. Stunned, the ex soldier was dragged from his bunk and out into the corridor with a procession of bewildered and fearful inmates and soldiers following.

When inmate 4265d awoke he would be on the block in the courtyard for all to see.

 

[Britwitch]

Karita to Ethan

“Suit yourself.”
Karita saw a flash of something flit across his face at her question as to why she was there, it was well hidden and would have passed unnoticed had she not been looking for it. Perhaps she had been wrong, on both counts. Although if interrogation or intimacy were not the reason, then she was at a loss to explain his singling her out. His face was from then on unreadable as he drank his tea, and then the cup he had offered to her.
“Your fellow rebels are of no interest to me. Had I found you in the field, as a commanding officer, I’d have had the information beaten out of you. Fortunately for you, that’s no longer my province.”
Karita felt a little of the tension release in the pit of her stomach. While she might not know the plans of the rebels, she did know names, faces, families, and what she did not know was how well she would cope under the infamous interrogation techniques.
“I can make it easy for you here, Karita. So, so easy. You can go back to your dormitory, where you will be shouted at, spat at, molested and beaten on a weekly basis. Or, you can stay here, with me. You might survive for a while, Karita, I recognise that spark of pride and self-belief behind your eyes, you might even cling onto them for a while, but know this, sooner or later, they will strip everything away from you, until all that is left is a lifeless husk.”
She opened her mouth once or twice to reply but the words didn't come. Unsure of how to respond.
"You seem to have some concerns about my welfare, General, which I should be, and I am, a little grateful for..." Karita eventually began. "...but if I stay here, what will I have to give up in doing so...? Surely nothing more than I'd lose by remaining with the other inmates..." She knew that those inmates favoured by guards and those in charge were given slightly better treatment by the other guards but she didn't doubt that they stood a greater chance of receiving less than hospitable treatment from the other inmates. Not what she wanted.
She had no intention of staying in the camp longer than she had to but without friends she would have no chance of escape. "For the second time today, General, I think I shall have to turn down your offer...if you have nothing else you wish to discuss with me, I would like to return to my dormitory, Sir..."

 

[Bluemage]

Felix Castman

Felix tried to think his way through what must have been going through the general's head. Alrgiht, so they were going to take them out, place this soldier up in front of everyone...and then what? What were they going to do to him then? Execute him? Hardly. That made a martyr out of him, and that was something that they could rally around. There was also the point that executions didn't work when you were a product. Anyone who thought about it really would know that there wasn't really a punishment that they could propose that would be that extreme.

He didn't fight when the soldiers ushered him out of the dormitory. There wasn't much point in fighting, and it was just going to lead to a punishment for nothing. This Sptznas soldier was smart about what he did. He wasn't going to take a punishment that he didn't need to. He wasn't going to take punishment that he didn't get something worth it out of. The breaking of that guard's arm, that was pretty intense, and it was pretty interesting.

Felix sighed softly. This soldier was definitely exactly that, a soldier. If he was going to make it out of this alive he was going to need to need to accept that there were some battles that were best saved for a later time. They were all going to need to accept that they couldn't fight at the moment, and they were all going to need to stop with their little resistance movements for a little while. After they had managed to pull together plan then they would be able to make their moves in a way that wouldn't be wasteful.

He rubbed his arms slightly, not so much to get out of the cold, but rather as an instinctive reaction to what was going on around him. He looked at a few of the inmates who were walking along with him. If they just walked along and kept their mouths closed the rest of them might be fine. He had already sealed his fate by opening his mouth, but as long as he didn't talk out that much more the others would probably be fine. He shrugged slightly, still dealing with all of this in his head.

Did it really matter what they did to him? Not really. Someone would pick up his journal, if for no other reason than because it gave them something to look at and read, and then the ideas that he had come up with in this place would live on, even if he, himself didn't. They'd be able to find out that he was more than just a loud mouth, even if that was all that they remembered. They'd see his plan for an escape via a tunnel system, or some of the other not so brilliant ideas that he had come up with for a peaceful escape.

He slowly looked up. There had to be other ways that this Director-General could deal with what was going on. There were, and he knew it. He could just give the Spetznas to one of the more capable female guards or something as some sort of 'gift'. As a result, he would be treated in a much better fashion, keeping him from needing to break another guard's arm, and he would most likely be taken into the aforementioned guard's quarters and kept there, where he would be out of the public eye. That was actually probably one of the better ideas, since it didn't allow for him to become a martyr, which was the risk in executing him publicly, and it didn't give the Spetznas a reason to seek some sort of revenge afterwards.

He looked up at one of the guards and was about to voice his concern, but then quickly closed his mouth again. He couldn't be sure that his voicing of his concern hadn't been what had led to this whole problem in the first place. For all he knew the reason that the Spetznas was going to be punished publicly was because of the little outburst of why they couldn't really effectively punished the Spetznas. Perhaps discussion wasn't really the solution to this problem.

 

[MaiusImperium]

Ethan to Karita

OOC: Bluemage, just to clarify we aren't going to execute Blest. Your posts mentioned punishment but also execution, Just to let you know. But he shall be made an example out of for any other would-be troublemakers!

Listening attentively, he took in her every word and every nuance of tone, which words had emphasis, her pauses, her body language, everything. Again, he did these things automatically, a product of his chosen career. She had turned him down, yet he was pleased, satisfied more than anything else. He didn’t want a simpering girl who would melt like butter at any man’s words, there were more than enough of those in the camp, some came into the camp like that, others…were trained to change.

This was all he knew, this world, his own bizarre morality, he was born into the atomic wasteland, it was all he knew, he had fought and spilled blood for nearly all his life and every day was a struggle to survive for his home nation. None of them could afford to judge what was right from wrong, all they could judge was what constituted necessity.

Inmates that turned down the advances of officers were often beaten for their choices and Karita would be treading a dangerous line if she refused the advances of many of the soldiers.

“Yes, of course, you should…bond, with your compatriots and I have many things to attend to.” Ethan stood in that stiff clipped way that soldiers did and motioned to the door, as he did so he pressed the buzzer on his intercom.

“Elise, escort inmate 7511b to her dormitory.” There was an abrupt affirmation from the secretary on the intercom as Ethan escorted Karita to the door, just as he opened the door he laid his hand on her shoulder.

“Be careful, Karita, not all the officers will take rejection as well as I do. I’d hate to find you in the infirmary.” His tone twisted into humour at the end, not a particularly jovial humour and quite unbecoming of the general, not quite a threat but hardly a joke either.

Ethan closed the door behind Karita and sat down at his desk once more, pouring himself a third cup of tea, it was particularly cold in his office, he’d have to have something done about that. The intercom buzzed again as he pressed it down.

“Carrick, see that no one lays a hand on 7511b, inform all the soldiers.” She wouldn’t end up in the infirmary, at least not at the hands of a lustful soldier. Whether she wanted it or not, she was already favoured by those in charge.