Ancient Grievances

[KyferLegs (Diria)]

The sun hovered over the western horizon, pink and orange glistening across the faint clouds which slowly danced across the darkening sky. Dursun stared off into the desert, a cold air seeping into his loose khaki BDU as, in vain, he tried to warm up with his sabotaging shorts. He twisted his left boot and dug into the sandstone rocks and minerals gritting under his sole. He shook his lip as his dirty hand reached up, grabbing the smoke in his mouth and ashing it onto the ground as he sighed. In the moment's serenity, he lost focus, his eyes dilating, watching the distance as occasionally he swore to himself seeing someone walking or navigating in the dunes. Slowly his bottom lip began to fall open. His eyes began to feel heavy, lifting his chin slowly as the sun faded halfway down the horizon beyond his sight: the forthcoming coldness and a hollow embrace of wind flooded over him as he absorbed himself in nature.



Unaware to him, a machine a few hundred feet began to spur to life, the exhaust pointing up into the sky spewed the fuming smoke of burning staol as lights flicked on with a humming ambiance. Suddenly, with a few shouts from men, a giant pillar of metal poles and supports for oil drilling turned on again. The loud bang of shifting machinery brought Dursun from his meditation, his palm grasping around the upper part of his rifle stock, his breath shuttering. Whispering a swear to himself, he looked at his boot, sand starting to cover around the front of his shoe, kicking the sand, he glanced at his surroundings.



Suddenly, a grating sound of metal appeared from his left as he watched the barrack door swing open. Another guard like him pulls his rifle on his shoulder and pulls his belt up. The guard shifted right to see Dursun watching him with an awkward gaze. The guard suddenly spoke up, "What are you looking at?" The guard itching under his lip, pulling a scab off his chapped lips. Staring, Dursun rubbed his brow in frustration and spoke, "...You took your time." The guard shifted his feet sharply, letting go of his rifle sling, and approached Dursun to stand next to him. "If you want to know- I was jackin' you fucking perve." Dursun turned to look at the man, squinting, and spoke in a raised, angered tone, "Shut the fuck up, Kasib."



Dursun then looked back at the horizon, the sun barely a silhouette over the dune it set from with the hum of lights keeping their surroundings visible as minutes began to fade by. After a while, the silence grew unbearable for Kasib as he stared at Dursun again. Frowning, Kasib started to think of what to say as his leg jumped up and down. Letting his hands fall to his sides, he turned to the dune again and let his back fall against the wall as he searched in his pockets, sighing. "Ey, Dursun, not to disrupt your meditation, but you got a smoke?" Dursun sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling a small smoke case. With a click of the latch and opening it up, he took a smoke and tossed it to Kasib. Kasib smiled in glee as he pulled a lighter and lit the smoke, putting it in his mouth with a loud inhale and blowing again the sharp smell of smoke blew against Dursun.



Both men kept their positions as time went on, and Kasib looked off as Dursun increasingly appeared frustrated. Kasib, suddenly being alerted, began craning his head forward with a squint, then quickly patted his sides, grabbing his rifle and holding it to his waist as he spoke loudly to Dursun, "Did you see that?" Dursun didn't react and kept starting forward in a near-dead stare as Kasib yelled again. "For the love of cillon, can you listen for once!?" Kasib sighed as he watched Dursun shove his hands into his pockets. Dursun suddenly spoke, his voice shallow, "-6 Times, it is just a nomad." Kasib then lowered his rifle, raising his eyebrow in confusion. "A nomad, just one fucking nomad?" Dursun looked at Kasib as if he was stupid and muttered a "Yeah" to Kasib, who let his rifle fall to his side. Kasib sighed and mumbled, "...So what is he doing?" Dursun shrugged his shoulders as he kicked the sand off his boots again, "Probably scouting us." Kasib scoffed and leaned against the wall behind as he looked at the dunes ahead. He mockingly repeated Dursun's last phrase as he took one long huff of his smoke and then threw it.



Over time Kasib decided to stay silent as both men went back to guarding. As time went on, minutes turned into hours as eventually, two other guards exited the barrack and spoke of their slumbers and lives at home before the group agreed to swap shifts. After the interaction, Dursun entered the barrack as the metal door slammed behind him. The cots of workers and guards swayed while either memorabilia or personal items glistened under lights. Kasib had already wandered off somewhere in a fuss, most likely upset that he couldn't budge the silent Dursun to speak. Dursun sighed as he smiled slightly, hearing a wind chime from the neighboring cot rustled to life by his movements. Dursun ducked his head beneath an exposed support beam and sat carefully on his cot. He pushed his hands against his thighs, exhaling as sweat rolled off his forehead. Pulling off his helmet, he let it slam against the floor. Eventually, Dursun took off his jacket, revealing a white muscle shirt as he flopped backward, his chest rising up and down. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a rosary with the symbol of two crescents dangling from the bottom. His eyes began to close as he tugged himself fully onto the bed. He held the rosary up to his face, pushing the crescents beneath his nose and against his upper lips, mumbling his hopes and worries. The embrace of exhaustion and his messy cot lulled him to slumber as the rosary fell against his chest.

[KyferLegs (Diria)]

In another area away from Dursun, a bell rang throughout the old barracks, shaking the eerie silence joined by desert winds to be dwarfed by the creaks of cots and worn mattresses. Workers began to rise from cots and beds barely held together in coincidental unison. Some coughed; others got up in silence, throwing on overalls or equipment scattered throughout their claimed areas and the help of guards who brought company-owned equipment to the respective workers—eventually, the hoard of tired or toiled workers filed from or to the quarters as the shifts finally turned. As the fresh wave of workers entered the courtyard, their months' experience at the drilling encampment guided them through the sand-covered pathways that led to their first stop- the canteen. Suddenly the sounds of bustling conversations or petty arguments filled the surroundings of the recently arisen workers as the workers found their traditional seats and others who just wanted their meals quickly lined up at the food line.

As time went on, all workers found their companions or coworkers. They talked or sat in silence depending on their relations but most talked about the most positive news. They'd get to see their families soon and finally catch their month's break from working the oil fields. Nonetheless, they had about a week of work left, and their employers expected production quotas to be met, so everyone understood the last week was the busiest they'd have. Eventually, their allowed meal time ended, and most workers had already filed out of the building, hoping to get the work done or in fear of overfilling themselves. Workmen began their grueling labor either on their assigned oil derricks or moving the heavy barrels of crude oil. Other specialized laborers monitored equipment, kept tallies on the crude oil jacked, and other tasks needing attention.

The workday so far was grueling and not up to the efficiency of the foremen, who continuously pressured the workers to do more, especially on On-Site Oil Derrick Number 3, which began to face issues with obvious overpressure. The on-site foreman refused to sacrifice the production of the usually productive derrick, so they ordered the ongoing oil drill to be used anyways. After a few hours, the workers on Derrick 3 began to experience issues with the operating oil drill. Nonetheless, the foreman insisted the workers keep going even with skilled observations suggesting otherwise. A few minutes passed when the oil drill was ejected from the borehole, destroying parts of the oil derrick and causing weakness in the ground. The workers' nearby the initial blowout lost their hearing, and unlucky others were injured or killed by unearthed material or shrapnel created by the careening drill. Immediately after the initial blowout, a hole formed close to the damaged supports of the derrick, which caused it to list and fall towards a pump and reserve oil storage tank assigned to the oil derrick. After striking the oil storage tank, a catastrophic explosion immediately tore through nearby structures and workers, killing or seriously injuring many. Secondary explosions quickly followed, presumably shrapnel puncturing and igniting neighboring oil storage tanks in a depot. The following secondaries became immensely catastrophic as barracks, rest areas, and workers were destroyed or killed as everything in the blast radius was obliterated. Areas far enough from the initial explosions still suffered from the shockwaves that shattered glass and sent shrapnel into exposed equipment and people, injuring dozens and killing a few personnel. Fortunately, most oil storage tanks closer to inhabited areas were in the process of being drained or already empty. However, the perimeter of the initial destruction wasn't safe from fire, and crude oil spilled from punctured tanks and pipes.

[KyferLegs (Diria)]

Dursun was jolted awake from his slumber, unable to hear as all he could distinguish was replaced by a piercing ring. His eyes adjusted, and fur stood up in some shock as the barrack was plentiful with panic and chaos. Men stumbled back up after being thrown onto the ground. He could see guards and workers yelling at each other, his curiosity and terror unable to hear whatever they said. His rosary fell onto his lap as Dursun suddenly felt a hand grab his right shoulder, causing him to jump and turn his head to whoever touched him. His eyes then focused on Kasib, who held both of his shoulders now and was shouting in front of him as he barely could distinguish what he was saying. Dursun's ears suddenly popped as his hearing came back, and all he could hear were alarms, wind howling, and the screaming of Kasib yelling his name. He quickly grabbed the rosary, shoving it into his pockets and grabbing his helmet from the ground as he ignored Kasibs frantic yelling and questions. Soon he got up on his feet and pushed his way through workers, and Kasib, who shortly followed while being disgruntled. Dursun made it a few feet before he froze once rushing from the exit of the barracks as he felt the outside wind blow against him. Kasib bumped into Dursun's arm due to the sudden halt but froze as his eyes looked up. Both men focused in awe of the large bloom of pitch black smoke rising into the bright blue sky of Nardras, and the mesmerizing orange flames of an inferno raged in the distance as wood crumpled and crackled in its fury. Dursun stumbled to the right, his feet kicking up the sand before taking off in a run as if something clicked in his mind. Running through crowds of either fleeing workers or braver men rushing to the flames, he finds his destination marked by a blue flag which another guard slides by him, having the same idea, as the guard unravels a hose near a shed. Quickly Dursun clicks and clatters the hose to a buried water tank, sliding over and spinning a valve water sprays from the hose, and before he can even look up, and with a thumbs up, the unnamed guard already ran off towards the fire with the hose. Dursun slowly got back up to his feet, panting as the searing heat of the sun and flames a few dozen feet from him combined with torturous conditions.

Suddenly, a loud hiss and explosion immediately threw him back into the ear-piercing ring he first woke up with as he flinched and nearly slipped in the sand. The wall next to him, fortunately, saved him from the shockwave. His eyes danced around the environment as the sun's rays bounced off the dunes in front of him. His hearing slowly regained over a few minutes as fear overtook him. He didn't know what happened and didn't know how to respond as he stared at his shaking hands covered in sand. Raising his head, he realized he was almost alone beside the few workers who watched from safe areas or medics arriving from the bowels of the main building. He also noticed Kasib, the annoying Corporal he barely knew, was gone. Slowly he picked himself back up as he followed the hose that he and the unnamed guard had pulled for use. He pulled his uniform scarf over his muzzle as he jogged forward, battling the heat which seared against his outfit. Following the buildings in front of him, the closer he got to the fire, the more buildings looked like swiss cheese peppered with fragments and their windows shattered. His fleet splashed in oil also not yet alight as it seeped from closeby storage tanks which he tried to ignore the fact his legs were slowly becoming coated in oil. Finally, he found the end of the building, but worryingly he saw nobody at the end. The only clue people were there were footprints and dark stains on the sand that he couldn't distinguish from oil or blood. His eyes glanced around, seeing nobody, and assuming the best, he picked the hose from the ground, pointed at the fire, and hosed it down as the flames he battled reacted as if it was enraged by his attempts to suppress them. But with vigour, he fought, and kept battling the inferno that inched closer till night crept over the horzion.

[KyferLegs (Diria)]

As the dark sky crept over the oil field, the area clashed between the blinding inferno of ash and black smoke spread throughout the burning remains of the barracks and canteens. Adrenaline ran rampant within Dursun as the fire continuously pushed him back. His heart suddenly sank as the pressure of the hose dropped, and with the frantic realization, he realized the tank was empty. Looking up at the plume rising and breathing difficult, he realized he had to leave. Stepping backward and spinning around, he was filled with more fear as he found himself only a few feet away from the water tank that was formerly hundreds of feet away.

Suddenly he snapped his head right as his ear flicked at the sound of someone yelling in the distance and the hiss of red flares floating in the sky. Jogging forward, he gasped for air as he escaped from the plume of smoke he had fought. With visibility low, he used the buildings to guide himself and eventually heard someone yell at him as he tried to locate the person. However, before he could even face the stranger, he was alone with a series of instructions: To get into the courtyard and organize. Dursun sighed but continued forward as the adrenaline in his body kept him going. After a few intimidating minutes of walking, he found his way into the courtyard as his ears rang with the approaching sirens of fire trucks. As he walked close to the courtyard visiblity, got better as he began to distinguish the different types of personnel. Suddenly his gaze shifted to one of the only faces he could recognize, Kasib yelling at a couple of foremen in some heated argument.

"Kasib! Kasib!" Dursun yelled as Kasib quickly turned around and approached Dursun, who stopped bending forward to rest for a moment. Kasib quickly took a canteen off his belt and handled it to Dursun as he chugged it down. Kasib sighed and spoke, "Where the fuck were you? One second you were next to me and then gone." Dursun nodded and handed Kasib an empty canteen, which annoyed Kasib more as Kasib continued his rant. "Besides the fear you had joined the great beyond, you, unfortunately, are the highest rank out of the small group trying to figure out what the fuck is going on." Dursun groaned that he had to manage a shitshow. Dursun wiped his mouth and spoke with a sarcastic tone. "Thanks for the tip Kasib. Can you tell me how many personnel we can convince to fight fire are currently here?" Kasib sighed as both men walked away from the fire they momentarily forgot. "Well, to be honest, even if we had 'firefighters,' we don't have the equipment to try. We got a few brave folks to try to gather or pull out survivors, but it feels like they keep bringing bodies more than anything else." Kasib rubbed his eyes as Dursun forced himself to ingest the knowledge he didn't want to hear. Dursun wiped his sleeves as he stared at the buildings, trucks, and tanks in front of him. "Considering the sirens, I hope whoever is operating the telegraph gets a raise. I'll set up shop near that truck." Dursun pointed at the old truck as he formed orders in his head. "Kasib, see if you can pick a few runners, give them anything bright, lanterns, flares, whatever. They'll deliver messages between firefighters and anyone doing a fucking job. But send them to me first" Kasib nodded and ran off torwards a few workers. Dursun turned his head as he yelled at two foremen, "You two! Find me some fucking flare guns with ammo." Dursun turned around as a few volunteer messengers found him. Pointing at every volunteer individually, giving each one order: tell personnel close to the fires to pull back, tell foremen and managers to save salvageable equipment, and the coming flames were the signal to evacuate. Dursun then had a moment of silence as he sat on the fender of the old truck while he stared at the fire.

[KyferLegs (Diria)]

Dursun's felt as if the world was ending. The glowing orange hue of an inferno and the smell of roasting wood, oil, or worse. It overwhelmed him when alone, thinking of the loss of life and the injured, and when having to command, he made decisions he never thought he would make. Rubbing his chin, he felt fortunate the local firefighter battalion had made it soon, but he knew the situation only escalated, and they wouldn't be fighting fires here. Just an hour ago, fire near the original explosion had slowly spread towards lower elevated areas, and the populated company town of Kasili was at risk. But interrupting his thought, the sounds of engines emerged behind him. Jumping up and hoping it was at least the Are Firefighter Battalion, but instead, he grew confused as three troop transport trucks parked. Dursun approached as he realized they were part of the local garrison. Quickly the troops hopped out of their trucks, pulled crates out of them, and began unloading supplies.

Dursun yelled to the group, "What the fuck are you doing here? Keeps those supplies on the truck!" A soldier shot his head up and quickly approached as if angered. Dursun squinted and stared at the soldier's sergeant rank patch and sighed. The sergeant froze as he stared back at Dursun rank, swore, and yelled back with a salute. "Marshal! The lieutenant at the Garrison HQ told us to assist with the evacuation and deliver supplies to the military and firefighters here!" Dursun scoffed and gestured for the sergeant to follow as he walked past the sergeant. Dursun then looked at the group of soldiers and yelled, "Which one of you knows how to ride a motorcycle?" the group of men froze, and a few soldiers raised their hands as Dursun pointed at the one closet, "Congrats, you are now a runner soldier. Inform lieutenant Salhi that marshal Dursun says the situation here is unsalvagable and I'm evacuating this area, the fire is about to spread into Kasili, and soon this patch of the desert will be the least important thing. If you remember that, get the motorcycle, it's behind the main building." The soldier quickly ran towards the motorcycle as the sergeant spoke, "Why are you evacuating, marshal? It's just a fire?" Dursun sharply turned and demanded the sergeant's name, and the sergeant spewed out, "Arian." Dursun, hearing the sergeant's name, replied demeaningly. "Oil when on fire doesn't just go out and takes a fuckton of water. Now some of that oil is about to hit some building in Kasili, and that building will catch fire. But when that happens, our issue isn't the oil anymore. You see, sergeant, there aren't other firefighters to deal with this hypothetical fire. So that fire begins jumping between buildings and neighborhood blocks. Then when part of the town is on fire, there won't be enough water to put it out cause we used it all in the middle of a fucking desert. So please, next time you speak to me, use your fucking brain or bring me the city planner so I can kill him, sergeant Arian." Sergeant Arian saluted and promptly walked off. Dursun looked around, walked up to a foreman fumbling with a flare gun, and spoke. "Tell the others with flares to fire them up and around the fire." Dursun then grasped the flare gun, pulled its hammer back, and fired as the red flare shot up and hovered over the sky, and soon, others began to follow. Sighing, he walked toward the truck again, sat on its fender, and looked up.