Refuge

The ELUs were dispersed throughout the fort after the battle.

"We're taking what we can from here, but the water takes priority over everything else! Keep searching!" Finjac commanded over his intercom as he and his Protectors scoured the fort; their ELUs ripping the roofs off buildings and tossing the scrap away. They didn't find much thus far.

Jaulf piloted Dune-Sprinter over to Broad Dog. Dune-Sprinter was 9 ft, and was made with immensely light frame and plating materials. His legs were built in an Unguligrade pattern; like that of the horses of legend, allowing him more agility. He only had room inside for a pilot and one Boltjack. He was the group's runner and scout.

"Master Protector, there is no sign of anymore enemy ELUs" Jaulf said in his low, gruff voice over the intercom.

Finjac looked down at Dune-Sprinter; "Good. Now you're sure that you knew where the water was? We looked at the eastern store house three times already."

"Yes I'm sure, but these ELUs might have moved the water to a different location since I was here on my last scouting mission."

Finjac sighed. "You're telling me we might have come here for nothing?"

"I don't know Fin, but we would have found it by now if it were still here. I didn't anticipate others would have their eyes on the place this quick. These ELUs might have come here same reason we did and moved the water beforehand, and came back again to pick the place clean."

Weylion's toneless voice popped onto his intercom; "I doubt that."

The two other ELUs turned to look at Weylion's ELU, named Sprawler, stomp over to where they were talking. Sprawler was a moderately armored ELU, much the same as Stoutspark and Yef-bi's ELU were. He was 10 ft, and sported a shoulder mounted sub-machine gun.

Jaulf asked him "what makes you say that?"

Weylion answered "look at their frames. Judging from your report last week, Jaulf, they wouldn't have had any chance of lugging those huge tanks you described; at least not far. As well, they had next to no plating. Hardly any of them even had hand units; most of their ELUs were fitted with wrist mounted blades and circular saws. The weaponry they did have, their ELUs weren't equipped to handle; I'm surprised the kick-back didn't tear off their arms."

Finjac looked at him; "what are you saying?"

Job-khon screamed from the other side of the fort. "Master Protector! Take a look at this!"

Broad Dog ran up to the building and stopped just short of its wall; looking down into its now exposed interior as Tail-ripper pealed back the rest of the screeching metal. From the once light-less interior dozens of people, wearing little but rags and the scars and bruises of abuse, squinted and shielded their eyes from the sun.

Finjac's jaw dropped. "My god," he muttered.

Jakabi looked from behind and saw the men, women and children. "Master Protector? Who... who are these people?"

Finjac shook his head. "Refugees. These people are refugees, Jak."

Jakabi looked puzzled. "What's a refugee?"

"An oppressed person fleeing something bad."

Jakabi has never learned that word before. How come Master Protector Finjac knew it?

Sprawler came up to Broad Dog's left and immediately aimed his laser sighted sub-machine gun at the group.

"No sudden moves! No one gets hurt!" Weylion yelled over his intercom. The people cowered and screamed at the obvious threat.

Broad Dog balled his left fist and backhanded Sprawler as hard as he could.

Sprawler stumbled backwards; about to fall. Broad Dog grabbed the top of the smaller ELU and jolted it close so the pilots could make eye contact.

Finjac didn't bother with his intercom. He screamed "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I-I thought they could be-"

"A threat? Huh?"

Broad Dog shoved Sprawler to the ground and planted his metal foot with a resounding clang on the ELU's body. Finjac grabbed the hand piece this time.

"You don't aim guns at people who need help! You're a Protector; not a goddamn slaughterer!" He removed his foot. "Get up and keep searching the other buildings; you're not wanted over here."

Sprawler struggled to his feet, and Weylion spoke through the intercom;

"Yes, Master Protector Finjac."

Sprawler stomped away and started ripping the roofs off buildings once more.

Jakabi could see that the Master Protector was fuming. Why was he so mad about that? That was standard procedure.

Finjac turned and saw the other pilots staring at him wordlessly. He grabbed the intercom;

"No one pulls weapons without my say-so, or I'm lugging your rusty asses to the top of the fort and throwing you into the Scrap-Dunes myself! Got it?"

"Aye, Master Protector!" Came the response from Jaulf and Job-khon.

He came back to the refugees and saw them looking up as Tail-Ripper and Dune-sprinter looked in with him. They were puzzled at why one of the ELUs attacked one of their own.

Finjac spoke through the intercom;

"Hello, my name is Finjac, and I am the Master Protector of Eondai. These are my Protectors. We do not mean you any harm-"

One child threw a rock and it bounced off Broad Dog's cockpit. Finjac turned and saw a boy no older than eight years old. He started yelling;

"Oh yeah, metal-ass, you don't mean any fucking harm? You killed my dad! I saw what you did to him, you bitch!" Tears streamed down his face as he threw another rock. "He was just trying to protect us and-and-and you just kept," his voice fell to a quiver as he fell to his knees, "just kept stabbing him, and..."

The boy's mother held him close as he wept. No one else in the building dared to make a move; the adults had time to learn the lesson of staying still and quiet. The boy had not.

Inside the cockpit, Finjac's shoulders drooped.

Jakabi could see the regret painted on him, even though he looked at the back of his head.

A heavy pause hung in the hot air.

He grabbed the intercom; "Kid... I'm- I'm sorry about your father. I didn't know what the situation was; we came here for a water reserve that someone left behind and thought that your ELUs were a rival group. We didn't know they brought you with them."

A man piped up; "how could they not? We had no where to go! This was to be our refuge!"

Finjac looked at the dark skinned man with long unkempt black hair and facial hair. He only wore trousers and had no shoes.

Finjac paused as he delicately I considered what to say; he rubbed his sweaty face.

"I am sorry. Please, we want to help you. I didn't know you sought refuge. We have our own settlement. It can be yours too."

Job-khon interrupted; "Excuse me, boss? We have fifty people back home at least, we can't take anymore on at Eondai."

Finjac quickly acknowledged him. "We'll make the room. We don't abandon people who need us. We have luxury; they don't. Especially after what we did."

Job-khon said "Gabbson won't like it."

"I don't care what he likes or dislikes! I'm Master Protector, and my task is to ensure the safety of the people, and that doesn't just apply to those in my village."

The man piped in again, astonished, "excuse me, but did you say you're willing to shelter us? After what... you did?"

Finjac replied "without a doubt, sir. But first, can you say what you're fleeing from?"

Some of the tension loosened the air between the ELUs and the refugees; their muscles relaxed and they sat more comfortably. They still could not easily forget the deaths of their defenders. Job-khon and Jaulf couldn't believe it, but didn't dare to disobey the Master Protector.

The man, after receiving quiet nods of approval from others, explained "my name is Kallium, and those of my group have been fleeing a people known as 'The Regime'. We found this place after some cycles of the sun." He looked down at his feet as he continued, "our ELU OPs carried us on their machines' backs. They hardly slept as they liberated us."

The weight of loss hung on the refugees as every single one remembered what these people did to those who were defending them. Those who gave their lives so that they may see just one more hour of life on this blasted, metal strewn rock, for that was all they could guarantee with every passing moment of blood-pumping warfare fought in the name of their collective freedom.

Finjac shook with regret as he saw the mood shift. He took a deep breath before he responded in a broken tone; "I'm sorry for what I did. If we had known the situation we would have not come in the way I had- I had ordered. I was simply trying to provide for my own people; they need the water that's here. I only now want to make up for my failure. This battle was a mistake which I- I should have avoided."

Kallium looked up at the ELU; pessimism in his eyes.

"How can we trust you?"

Inside the cockpit, Jakabi couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Why in the hell was he going to this length? Why did this affect him so badly?

Finjac powered Broad Dog down.

"What are you doing, are you crazy?!" Jakabi yelled as Finjac finished the shutdown procedure and opened the access hatch.

He didn't say anything besides "stay here."

Jakabi watched with jaw dropped as the boots of Finjac disappeared through the hatch.

He climbed down the ELU, kicking up dust as he landed on the dry ground, and approached the equally confused and terrified refugees.

He shot out his hand to Kallium.

"Finjac doesn't lie," said Jaulf through the intercom, "if he says we're going to help you, we are."

Kallium hesitantly took his hand and Finjac put his other hand over his and smiled as warmly as he could muster through his guilt.

"We're going to provide for you, my friend. Think of it as a way of apologizing for... what I did today."

Kallium was shocked. He didn't blink.

"You are the strangest man I've ever met, Master Protector Finjac."