05-23-2014, 09:57 AM
The horrors that had been unleashed on Sierra Leone had been wide-spread and brutally efficient. The military has split in half, with those units that could be assumed to be loyal to the ruling government and the Mende peoples bearing the brunt of the violence. The Sierra Leonean military was not a large one, nor was it expensively equipped. Bases were few and far between, with regiments often split into many smaller 'platoon house' positions around the country, especially near the borders. These were overrun by the Temne; some surrendered and suffered under the machetes of Temne rebels. Others fought tooth and nail, to no avail; taken by surprise, they were often found defenseless and were easy prey.
The brunt of the Sierra Leonean military, however, was based near the capital of Freetown. The Temne had no hope of overrunning so large a position, but they had no real hopes of capturing the entire country in one day. It was a delaying action; the strike on the capital meant to cripple the government and demoralize the people such that it would not turn into a drawn out conflict.
And they failed.
The government-loyal forces at the base near the Lungi International Airport repelled the Temne efforts to secure both the base and airport. It was a resounding victory for the thus-far disorganized government-loyal forces, with Temne rebels scattered or killed in the hundreds. The brunt of the fighting was across the wide open fields and runways of the airport, where the burning wreckage of trucks and Temne-captured military vehicles now sat.
With the loss of contact with the government, the base commander affected a coup of sorts, taking direct command over the Sierra Leonean military, or of what was left of it, and was quick to act.
By late afternoon the first of the government-loyal military forces began arriving in Freetown. They had seized the ferries at the Tagrin Ferry terminal, the hovercraft ferry of the Lungi airport having been destroyed in the fighting, and set foot at both the ferry landings in Freetown within a half hour of each other. Six Rooikat Mk2 infantry fighting vehicles rolled off the large civilian ferries, three to each landing, flanked by scores of Sierra Leonean soldiers still proudly wearing the country's flag, and the Temne aligned forces quickly realized their rampage was over.
A fresh round of fighting exploded throughout the city as the government forces began to rally and push back. Explosions and gunfire rocked the port district, thinning as it moved deeper into the city. Government loyal forces were initially taking prisoners, until they began to realize just how wanton the Temne forces had been in their retribution against the Mende.
Connaught Hospital, near one of the two ferry landings, was a horror story waiting to be told. Captured by Temne tribsemen rather then the rogue military forces, the government loyal soldiers found few survivors.
After that, there were no more prisoners. Temne forces that had surrendered were lined up and executed in an 'eye for an eye' fashion, set upon with machetes and left to bleed and suffer.
Similar horrors were discovered at the Prince of Wales school, an all-boys academy, that was often considered a breeding ground of Mende superiority above the less affluent Temne tribes of the north.
The Legionnaires' movement from the ruined Netland Hospital, south west towards the embassies of Loop Road, took them away from the brunt of the renewed fighting. Temne forces were just beginning to realize the arrival of the Mende forces by the time Natalie was rescued and secured into a Legion SUV.
Few world powers still maintained embassies in Sierra Leone; the US had never bothered to established one, working instead through the Sierra Leonean embassy in the United States, or regional hub embassies in Africa. China, however, had maintained theirs, and it's security force had thus far been what had seen the Loop Road area safe. Far better equipped then even the Legionnaires, their sharp shooters had held the rebel forces at bay. Naturally, their goals were not altruistic; they did not seek the safety of their neighboring embassies, but so long as those buildings still stood, it meant the Chinese were that much safer.
On a good day, the drive from the hospital to the embassy would have been ten minutes, twenty on a bad day. This was a terrible day, however, and often streets were found to be blocked by crashed or abandoned vehicles or scenes of ongoing violence; people dragged from their homes by Temne rebels, or looters running unchecked. Fires too saw that the most convenient routes from the hospital to the Moroccan embassy were unavailable, and in dishearteningly few scenes were there any emergency personnel trying to combat the blaze. Many buildings would be gone come morning.
Picard was still driving the lead SUV, with Jay and Smitty in the back, to give the pair enough room to better tend to Jay's injury. Contee had taken shotgun in the lead SUV, working in tandem with Picard to navigate them safely back to the embassy.
That left Natalie in the second SUV, Pavlov seated shotgun and watching her and the boy through the rearview mirror as he began shoving loose rounds from a cardboard box into one of his empty magazines; bombing up, as they say in the business. Legionnaire 2e Classe Kofi Ihejirka, or 'Friday' (a loose translation of his first name) was driving.
"We are setting up our headquarters at the Moroccan Embassy, Miss Grey. God willing, the CEO will be joining us there tomorrow with the entire 2nd Battalion."
Friday glanced at her through the rear-view mirror and offered a white-toothed grin, showing off two gold-capped canines in the process. "Won't be a safer place in this whole forsaken country then."
A brick crashed against the driver's side window, but failed to break the armoured glass, and he pressed his fist to the glass as they rolled past, flipping the bird at a group of teenagers who, in their youthful exuberance, were getting on board with the general air of violence in the city.
The brunt of the Sierra Leonean military, however, was based near the capital of Freetown. The Temne had no hope of overrunning so large a position, but they had no real hopes of capturing the entire country in one day. It was a delaying action; the strike on the capital meant to cripple the government and demoralize the people such that it would not turn into a drawn out conflict.
And they failed.
The government-loyal forces at the base near the Lungi International Airport repelled the Temne efforts to secure both the base and airport. It was a resounding victory for the thus-far disorganized government-loyal forces, with Temne rebels scattered or killed in the hundreds. The brunt of the fighting was across the wide open fields and runways of the airport, where the burning wreckage of trucks and Temne-captured military vehicles now sat.
With the loss of contact with the government, the base commander affected a coup of sorts, taking direct command over the Sierra Leonean military, or of what was left of it, and was quick to act.
By late afternoon the first of the government-loyal military forces began arriving in Freetown. They had seized the ferries at the Tagrin Ferry terminal, the hovercraft ferry of the Lungi airport having been destroyed in the fighting, and set foot at both the ferry landings in Freetown within a half hour of each other. Six Rooikat Mk2 infantry fighting vehicles rolled off the large civilian ferries, three to each landing, flanked by scores of Sierra Leonean soldiers still proudly wearing the country's flag, and the Temne aligned forces quickly realized their rampage was over.
A fresh round of fighting exploded throughout the city as the government forces began to rally and push back. Explosions and gunfire rocked the port district, thinning as it moved deeper into the city. Government loyal forces were initially taking prisoners, until they began to realize just how wanton the Temne forces had been in their retribution against the Mende.
Connaught Hospital, near one of the two ferry landings, was a horror story waiting to be told. Captured by Temne tribsemen rather then the rogue military forces, the government loyal soldiers found few survivors.
After that, there were no more prisoners. Temne forces that had surrendered were lined up and executed in an 'eye for an eye' fashion, set upon with machetes and left to bleed and suffer.
Similar horrors were discovered at the Prince of Wales school, an all-boys academy, that was often considered a breeding ground of Mende superiority above the less affluent Temne tribes of the north.
The Legionnaires' movement from the ruined Netland Hospital, south west towards the embassies of Loop Road, took them away from the brunt of the renewed fighting. Temne forces were just beginning to realize the arrival of the Mende forces by the time Natalie was rescued and secured into a Legion SUV.
Few world powers still maintained embassies in Sierra Leone; the US had never bothered to established one, working instead through the Sierra Leonean embassy in the United States, or regional hub embassies in Africa. China, however, had maintained theirs, and it's security force had thus far been what had seen the Loop Road area safe. Far better equipped then even the Legionnaires, their sharp shooters had held the rebel forces at bay. Naturally, their goals were not altruistic; they did not seek the safety of their neighboring embassies, but so long as those buildings still stood, it meant the Chinese were that much safer.
On a good day, the drive from the hospital to the embassy would have been ten minutes, twenty on a bad day. This was a terrible day, however, and often streets were found to be blocked by crashed or abandoned vehicles or scenes of ongoing violence; people dragged from their homes by Temne rebels, or looters running unchecked. Fires too saw that the most convenient routes from the hospital to the Moroccan embassy were unavailable, and in dishearteningly few scenes were there any emergency personnel trying to combat the blaze. Many buildings would be gone come morning.
Picard was still driving the lead SUV, with Jay and Smitty in the back, to give the pair enough room to better tend to Jay's injury. Contee had taken shotgun in the lead SUV, working in tandem with Picard to navigate them safely back to the embassy.
That left Natalie in the second SUV, Pavlov seated shotgun and watching her and the boy through the rearview mirror as he began shoving loose rounds from a cardboard box into one of his empty magazines; bombing up, as they say in the business. Legionnaire 2e Classe Kofi Ihejirka, or 'Friday' (a loose translation of his first name) was driving.
"We are setting up our headquarters at the Moroccan Embassy, Miss Grey. God willing, the CEO will be joining us there tomorrow with the entire 2nd Battalion."
Friday glanced at her through the rear-view mirror and offered a white-toothed grin, showing off two gold-capped canines in the process. "Won't be a safer place in this whole forsaken country then."
A brick crashed against the driver's side window, but failed to break the armoured glass, and he pressed his fist to the glass as they rolled past, flipping the bird at a group of teenagers who, in their youthful exuberance, were getting on board with the general air of violence in the city.