02-27-2015, 07:07 PM
Word reached Lt Kamenashi and the man and his team of locals rounded up the confused children hidden away within the offices of the Red Cross workers. The sudden commotion around Azubuike and Ayo further distracted the government troops from the back half of the Chinese refinery, and the with some effort they were able to sneak out with the children, vanishing into the surrounding forest. Theirs would be a long walk through the thick forest until they would reach a possible safe haven where they would wait to be picked up by Legionnaires from another make-shift camp.
Separating the children from their parents was not Jacques' first choice, but it was the best he could do under the conditions. For the moment at least, the parents simply trusted that their children were safe in the building, out of sight of the soldiers; none were aware that Jacques had secretly ordered his men to sneak them away. He trusted that the 'soldiers' working for Interim President General Wallace Johnson would not notice the children were missing; the mind played convenient tricks on itself at times, and the absence of most of the children in the camp would likely be willfully ignored by the men in light of what they were to do once any foreign witnesses had left.
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Natalie was already walking on thin ice with Lt Folami, and chasing after him would likely have been the breaking point. The government troops would not be so foolish as to harm her directly, but they would have no qualms over punishing others for her transgressions. Jacques needed no further justification for what he was planning; letting Natalie continue unchecked was not necessary.
He caught her arm as she moved to stalk after the Lieutenant, towards Azubuike and the girl. "There is nothing more I can do here, Mademoiselle Grey. Words will not win this argument. It would be too costly to force this."
He and his men could win the battle; he had faith in the skills of his Legionnaires that if it were to come to blows, even without his ace-in-the-hole that was Legionnaire Vanders, his men could take the government troops, although many of his men would be killed in the process.
He could win the battle, but it would cost him the war. So long as the fool Wallace-Johnson thought Jacques and his people could be controlled, Jacques still had a chance of seeing Sierra Leone at peace again. As much as it pained him, what would transpire at the refinery was necessary to allow him to do what he planned.
Jacques signaled to some of his men, who moved towards those same offices to begin moving the Red Cross staff to the waiting vehicles; the ride back would be tight, to say the least. Vehicles were moved around the compound so they faced the open gate doors, and his men slowly moved in to form a protected lane for those civilian workers to move through, keeping the slowly panicking Mende and Temne refugees from mobbing the aid workers or their vehicles; government troops did the same, but with far less patience or remorse, gesturing threateningly with their weapons at any who tried to draw too close.
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Lieutenant Folami approached Azubuike and Legionnaire Carpenter with one hand still resting on the grip of his holstered pistol, a half-dozen soldiers on his heels. The man seemed equally angry at the distraction, and strangely eager for what it might entail. He cast an amused gaze at Jay as he hobbled towards Azubuike and Ayo, then pointed threateningly at the Legionnaire as he caught the "Whitey! You foreign scum have caused enough trouble already. Go hide under your boss-man's shadow."
He glanced at one his men and smirked, "They use cripples and retards to watch children! The great mercenary heroes are not so immortal as they want us to think!"
The soldiers laughed at Jay's expense, then Folami turned on Azubuike and Ayo, pointing at the man, "What is going on here! Child, has this Temne dog hurt you?"
Separating the children from their parents was not Jacques' first choice, but it was the best he could do under the conditions. For the moment at least, the parents simply trusted that their children were safe in the building, out of sight of the soldiers; none were aware that Jacques had secretly ordered his men to sneak them away. He trusted that the 'soldiers' working for Interim President General Wallace Johnson would not notice the children were missing; the mind played convenient tricks on itself at times, and the absence of most of the children in the camp would likely be willfully ignored by the men in light of what they were to do once any foreign witnesses had left.
-----
Natalie was already walking on thin ice with Lt Folami, and chasing after him would likely have been the breaking point. The government troops would not be so foolish as to harm her directly, but they would have no qualms over punishing others for her transgressions. Jacques needed no further justification for what he was planning; letting Natalie continue unchecked was not necessary.
He caught her arm as she moved to stalk after the Lieutenant, towards Azubuike and the girl. "There is nothing more I can do here, Mademoiselle Grey. Words will not win this argument. It would be too costly to force this."
He and his men could win the battle; he had faith in the skills of his Legionnaires that if it were to come to blows, even without his ace-in-the-hole that was Legionnaire Vanders, his men could take the government troops, although many of his men would be killed in the process.
He could win the battle, but it would cost him the war. So long as the fool Wallace-Johnson thought Jacques and his people could be controlled, Jacques still had a chance of seeing Sierra Leone at peace again. As much as it pained him, what would transpire at the refinery was necessary to allow him to do what he planned.
Jacques signaled to some of his men, who moved towards those same offices to begin moving the Red Cross staff to the waiting vehicles; the ride back would be tight, to say the least. Vehicles were moved around the compound so they faced the open gate doors, and his men slowly moved in to form a protected lane for those civilian workers to move through, keeping the slowly panicking Mende and Temne refugees from mobbing the aid workers or their vehicles; government troops did the same, but with far less patience or remorse, gesturing threateningly with their weapons at any who tried to draw too close.
-----
Lieutenant Folami approached Azubuike and Legionnaire Carpenter with one hand still resting on the grip of his holstered pistol, a half-dozen soldiers on his heels. The man seemed equally angry at the distraction, and strangely eager for what it might entail. He cast an amused gaze at Jay as he hobbled towards Azubuike and Ayo, then pointed threateningly at the Legionnaire as he caught the "Whitey! You foreign scum have caused enough trouble already. Go hide under your boss-man's shadow."
He glanced at one his men and smirked, "They use cripples and retards to watch children! The great mercenary heroes are not so immortal as they want us to think!"
The soldiers laughed at Jay's expense, then Folami turned on Azubuike and Ayo, pointing at the man, "What is going on here! Child, has this Temne dog hurt you?"