lucetilogs | Zompania Draft: Coming Home

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Zompania Draft: Coming Home

Who: Anyone drafted to Zompania, or recruited as reinforcements, or left behind in the village. SO. Everybody!
What: The draftees and reinforcements return to the village.
When: May 26, early early in the morning
Where: Back in Luceti
Summary: Most draftees and reinforcements return to Luceti in the very early hours; now, instead of a medevac site for the draft, the village is a welcome (?) refuge from the nightmare of Zompania for its own. There's a high likelihood it still looks a lot like it has in the past few days; those in the fight didn't even get a chance to shower before returning.

(This is the place for all your post-draft trauma and reunions and every other thing. Have fun! And don't forget to entry-tag your character.)

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The fight had worn her down and she was glad to drop her armor. As she did so, she made a post on the network, revealing that she had indeed been injured. Her enemy had been lucky. If her attention had been focused on him - rather than the two others who chose to attack her at the same moment - she would have evaded the blow.

After rewrapping her wound as best as she could, Lightning surveyed the people around her. What she saw made her lips press into a thin line. The great majority of those who had fought weren't necessarily warriors; that accounted for the number of injuries she saw before her. However that alone wasn't what irked her.

Why had the draft happened in the first place? Why were reinforcements needed? And why were so many people injured and killed?

Was this a game for those who brought them into the village to begin with? Or - and this was a far worse thought - had those who brought them into the village lost control?

Her hand curled into a fist and she lifted her chin. She had fought Chaos before. But this was different. Etro had grounded her and given her a clear focus. She didn't have that anymore and she sorely missed it.

At least Serah isn't apart of this anymore. That was the only soothing thought she could muster.

Bending down, she picked up her armor with care and strode to the nearest building.

[He couldn't remember ever being so tired in his entire life. This battle was beyond anything he had experienced before, and his thoughts were still haunted by the terrible sights he'd seen and the screams he'd heard.

In the end, he only came out with mostly minor injuries. Some cuts and bruises still remain, but the mental wounds were far greater than the physical ones.

He looks absolutely terrible as they finally make it back to Luceti. His clothes are stained in blood and grime. On top of that he hasn't bathed in days, so he smells awful too. The dark circle under his good eye makes it clear he's slept very little, but at least they gave them some food before dropping them off.

Zuko resembles the walking dead. Wanting nothing more than a shower, clean clothes, and to sleep forever.]

Edited 2014-05-29 14:50 (UTC)

Her heart was in her throat. She had noticed the absence of Luke, Obi-Wan and Anakin, which had left her in a house by herself. News of what was happening was fleeting at best and she ended up dressing herself for conflict, fully equipped with some of the weapons Luke had acquired during his stay in the village.

She all but ran to the site where the injured recruits and reinforcements were arriving. Most of the color had left her face, but she had adopted the controlled visage of a Queen and Senator. Panicking would help no one and she had to help her son, her husband and her friend if she could.

Edited 2014-05-29 22:40 (UTC)

Luke stepped out of the tunnels, a slump in his shoulders plain for anyone to see. He was dirty, exhausted, bruised, and covered in minor cuts and scratches...but ostensibly okay. However, as he noticed his mother his expression darkened, a grim look taking root on his face.

He didn't want to say it, but he'd come home alone.

"Mother..." he said when he reached her. "I'm sorry."

"Luke!" she held her breath as she ran to him, her mask shattering as she saw her son in pain, "Where are you injured?"

His words didn't make any sense. Why was he apologizing? But then she looked around and realized...

"Ani and Obi-Wan?" her legs felt weak, "Did they...fall?"

Even saying the words that they were dead stuck in her throat. No, they weren't dead. This was some awful trick the village had played on all of them.

Right?

He shook his head, expelled a long, steadying breath, and tried to calm himself. His mind raced, but he reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm...fine. Just tired. A few scrapes. But...Obi-Wan..." He swallowed. "Obi-Wan will be back in a week." It's easier than saying that he's dead.

"Anakin. Father? He never came to the square after we volunteered." Looking towards the village, Luke paused. "His presence is gone. Anakin is back on Coruscant where he belongs."

"Nn..." she stuttered to a halt and clung to him, hot tears blurring her vision, "How did it...happen?" her throat was tight, which made her voice hoarse, "I searched the village for Ani, but I assumed he -"

He hadn't gone with them. He had gone...home. To a home. They never really had a place to call home.

"Let's go back." she cupped his face between her hands, "I'll patch you up."

Jane had been a nervous wreck since the minute the announcement of the draft had come out, and Thor had gone off to battle. As she'd sat in her apartment she'd had flashbacks of the first time he'd left her, and the two years she's spent after wondering if she'd ever see him again. She couldn't help but feel like history was repeating itself.

When the wounded had started to arrive, Jane had volunteered to help - not just because she was needed, but because it gave her a chance to check those returning for people that she knew. Person after person came back, but not Thor. She looked for Loki too, hoping that if he came back it would mean Thor couldn't be far behind, but there was no sign of him either. So she waited in the center of town, doing her best to stay calm despite the maelstrom of fear and anxiety raging inside her.

Luke slipped his arm around her, pulling his mother in close. His mind was still reeling, unsure exactly of what all had happened. "We...were ambushed. Obi-Wan, Steve, and I. We fought back...got away. But in the struggle..." He swallowed, looking up at the sky. "Obi-Wan was killed. I...don't really remember the details...it's all a haze. But Anakin is definitely gone. It's...for the best. For him, at least."

At the suggestion, he looked down at her, nodding weakly. "For a little while, yes. I...have duties at the clinic. Law needs my help with the injured. But I need to get cleaned up myself."

[Iroh walks with Zuko as they head back to the house. To say it had been a difficult draft would be an understatement. Physically he had come out of it alright, some injuries, but nothing that a few days of rest wouldn't see mostly mended. Seeing Lu Ten die again, and this time by his own hand was something which was etched in his mind now. Part of him didn't want to sleep again, for he knew that image would be there.

He doesn't say anything as they move on together. At the very least, they had made it. For now, that would have to be enough]

Padmé held him close, cradling the back of his head with one hand. This wasn't her time to crater. She would cry for the loss of Anakin and Obi-Wan in private. Right now, she needed to be supportive and make sure Luke was as uninjured as he said.

Gently, she grabbed onto his arms and guided him away from the recruits and reinforcements that were continuing to arrive. He didn't need to stay here. Not right now; not until he felt stronger.

"Shhh there was nothing you could do." her expression became firm and unyielding, "Later, Luke. You need to take time for yourself." she then held onto his hand and used all the strength in her small form to pull him to their home.

"I...I know that," he said simply, faltering slightly. He had done all he could, but it happened to fast. And those damn shifters. "But after I'm patched up, I have to help here. There aren't enough medics, and the healers we do have are already exhausted. The injured are going to need my help."

Moving now, he revealed a slight limp, his left leg having taken a glancing blow from a spear near the end. Not enough to slow him down much, but enough to be painful.

[Zuko is equally as quiet, and so they walk in silence for some time. They've seen and been through a lot. And there was definitely no singing or teasing now. But despite all the terrible things that Zuko himself had gone through, his uncle's pain was likely greater.]

I can make tea when we get back.

[A feeble offer that he hopes might help cheer Iroh up, at least a little bit.]

Edited 2014-05-30 02:17 (UTC)

"I'll go with you." she was strong enough to help - even if she wasn't an experienced healer or medic, "I won't leave you alone."

She wished she had gone with him. She could have fought and maybe helped deter some of the attackers. But that hadn't been in the cards.

"Your leg..." her brow furrowed and she slowed her steps to accommodate him, "I know you are a great Jedi, but you will always be my son."

He was a symbol of all that was good to her. She was so proud of him that sometimes she forgot he was merely a human. This was one of the few moments that she was reminded of his humanity. With that reminder came her urge to protect him.

What mother could feel any different?

[He could tell it was a gesture, and he was glad Zuko had matured to the point where he was willing to do such things.]

That is a kind gesture, but I will brew something myself. I have a blend that should bring on dreamless sleep. I'll brew you a cup as well.

[They both would need it tonight]

"Alright. I know another pair of able hands would be appreciated." He'll gladly accept that. And he'll gladly let her mother him a bit. He could use it, after the last few days. "And my leg will be fine. It's just a cut. Nothing serious. I just need to get it bandaged, that's all."

Still walking slowly, Luke turns to look back at the others as they walk away. So many lost, so many dead. Such...senseless...violence.

"...I'm glad you didn't come with us," he said, almost as if he's sensing her thoughts. "The Third Party...the enemy...they were relentless. I...haven't ever seen so many dead before. Three...four enclosures worth, all sacrificed at once."

[He's had a lot of time to mature since what Iroh last remembered from their world.]

Thanks.

[Yeah, he would definitely be needing it too. He then looks at himself, knowing that these clothes were ruined.]

I think I might pick up some new clothes too.

"I'm sure. From what I've seen, it's remarkable we didn't lose more people." that thought nagged at the back of her mind and she felt her throat tighten again, "That many...?"

Seeing death in any shape or form was always dark and terrible. Padmé had watched dear friends fall and she had even experienced that great release herself. The pain; the fear and the ensuing darkness were like nothing she could ever put into words.

"They'll be revived...won't they?" her voice was barely stable as she pushed open the door to their home, "I would have been there with you. I regret that you faced it at all. But I would have rather been by your side. And Obi-Wan's."

The first thing Wan does upon returning home is sleep. Literally.

He will gracelessly flop down on the ground and fall asleep wherever he is dropped off once he realizes that the nightmare is over and he's back in luceti. He could care less that he was sleeping on the ground instead of an actual bed. Or that he should clean off the pungent layer of blood and grime that he accumulated over the draft. Or even that the sudden crash landing on his wings actually kind of hurt.

Wan is going to stay asleep provided someone doesn't wake him up or trip over his body.

The question deserved an answer, but it wouldn't come. Luke stood there in the door, frozen. Feelings of dread threatened to overwhelm him, a great dark sea swallowing his thoughts as he answered.

"Obi-Wan will be back. The...people from Vaskoth, Pagoda, Zompania...they won't. They won't be going home. Ever."

She felt chilled from head to toe. The medical kit in her hands suddenly felt too heavy and she set it on a table. Then with a quick turn, she hurried back to him and pulled him close.

"But you made it...and Obi-Wan will join us soon. We will mourn for them in time. Not today. Not while everyone heals." allowing the sick to mourn would only make them sicker. She didn't want his spirit or anyone else's breaking.

Those who were responsible for the death and violence shouldn't be given the pleasure.

"You...should hear this first." Luke reached for her, put a hand on her shoulder. His voice quavered a bit, worry creasing his forehead.

"If you're ever captured by the enemy. On a draft, on a mission, anywhere...don't let them take you alive. If you have to...you...know how to overload a blaster I'm sure." It's a chilling warning, but he's not sure she knows just what he meant by 'Sacrifice' so he continues. "The Third Party has a way to...offer...their captives up to...something. A ritual sacrifice If that happens, it's the end. The very end. And...that isn't all."

He moved away, running his hand along the table, looking at his fingers as they played along the wood.

"They developed a bomb. Like...the one I told you about before. Only...this one was used on the initial draftees. A rogue Malnosso, John...you might have heard of him, used a shift to save everyone there and give them a chance to stop the bomb. But they could...possibly...have another one. It...there are people I need to talk to, but from what Law said it seemed to be different from the one I've seen schematics for."

He clenched his fist, suddenly very, very angry.

"All those people...those sacrifices...were used to power their new weapon. Some sort of soul-bomb."

Silence followed his explanation and she moved to a chair, lowering herself onto the seat. He was asking her to commit suicide if she was caught? How could she do that? There was a certain amount of pride that she retained; that she had to retain. The idea of purposefully seeking her death didn't set well with her and, if anyone else had told her about the bomb, she would have taken it a little less seriously.

But this was Luke. He had been open and truthful with her since she had arrived. On top of that, he was her only son. That basically canceled out what small pride she had kept for herself.

"Should I..." she swallowed awkwardly, "...overload the Blaster..." and die, "Would I return to the village? Or would I disappear?"

Was the point to keep her from suffering; to keep her from fulfilling some greater, horrible plan?

"Luke, I've never given up." it wasn't in her nature, "How does a soul-bomb work? Are they planning to use it on the entire village?"

Ultimate destruction and death.

[It's almost a relief when Elizabeth comes back into the barrier surrounding Luceti. Immediately, everything is muted. She can't see tears wherever she looks, the overwhelming amount of images ceases. It's lonely, in a way, but it's also welcome given how tired she is and how out of control her power became towards the end.]

[She steps off of the ship in a daze, the quiet, calm air of Luceti seeming eerie and unsettling. For a few moments, she stands there and stares, unsure of what she should do now.]

[Going home and showering should be on the list--she's covered in blood and grime. Then maybe evening out the haphazard haircut she gave herself.]

Edited 2014-05-30 04:03 (UTC)

Luke walked over and slumped down onto the couch and looked at her, eyes more serious than they'd been yet.

"If you did that, you'd return here. The same as Obi-Wan will. The...ritual...apparently is very specific, and requires the presence of a Shaman, from what we know. I don't know much more than that, it's all secondhand knowledge from people I trust. If you die in battle, fighting, you'll return to life a week later. If you die by...an overload..." easier to say than suicide, "then you'll return here. If you're captured...and sacrificed..."

He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"And as for the bomb? I don't know how it works. I need to talk to some people who saw the schematics, but from what I saw of the one the Malnosso have, it's similar to a primitive thermonuclear bomb. Like...a proton torpedo...that relies on radioactive isotopes for the catalyst and is enhanced by Shifts. Only, the Third Party seems to be using Dark energy instead. It's some sort of magic, for lack of a better word and I've got a list of people to talk to who saw the inner workings."

Another pause...this time to take a deep breath, "If they have the chance to use it on us, they will. But the barrier is supposed to protect us from that, or at least give us a fighting chance. And I have a feeling that the energy they need will make it a prohibitively costly weapon. I don't know if that's true, but if I were to make an educated guess, I'd be inclined to say that it is or they'd have used it on Luceti or the Malnosso's main strongholds already."

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Zompania Draft: Coming Home

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