Infrastructure: Part Two Hundred and Five

After bolstering their strength with a few local lads several of the rebel bands drove themselves out through the city. As they went they bellowed cries of defiance against Infrastructure and left a wake of destruction. They attacked newcomers, former slaves, locals that they saw as getting to close with Infrastructure and people who they believed to be any of the previous categories, chopping them, beating them, stringing them up and shooting them while looting and burning their homes as they went (in a few cases during the frenzied confusion rebel groups tried to both at the same time). Others bolstered their ranks, some joined willingly while others were told by the mob that there were only two types of people in it's eyes and neutrality was not an option. In some areas Enforcers, civilian guards or bands of locals determined residents managed to resist the resistance and kept a few blocks save. Never the less these parties pressed on to their target. Some went to the docks, others went to the coastal guns while a couple get to the shipyards.

Work had been ongoing in spite of the siege to get a few ships seaworthy as soon as possible and to beef up the armament on some of the civilian ships. If nothing else it kept morale up in the face of the siege. When they first heard the gunfire work continued and when a few winded soldiers brought in a few crates with old rifles and bullets, handed them out to a few workers and hurriedly showed how to work them it only caused a momentary distraction for the most part. Even so there were exceptions. Yuna Igorova found it harder and harder to sort her paperwork out as she saw the spreading carnage through the street approaching, as well as figures scrabbling over the roofs of storage sheds. When a bullet crashed through her window. As such, she fished around in her desk drawer, got what she was looking for and went down.

As she got down the stairs she heard the shouts, the screams and the blare of gunfire began to echo through the berths and factories. The guards were putting up a decent fight on a few of the entrances, but one of them had been overrun and a few rebels had got a hold of a few ladders and were going over the compound's walls. Dozens of rebels were coming in killing as they went. Yuna ran to the Shchuka Boat SB-73 where she found her in the drydock still working on a searchlight.

"INNA!" She yelled at the technician "They're in! We've got to go!"

Yuna understood that this was serious, dropped her work and picked up a big monkey wrench. "The Foundry?!" The foundry was built like a fortress and was huge. There were few better places in the city to hold out.

"Yes!" Yuna said as she grabbed her hand and began tugging her along. "Now lets get there!"

The two women ran as fast as they could in the confusion. They weaved through the workshops and storage yards avoiding the sounds of violence and gunfire as best they could. They passed a few dead bodies, the fact that one of them had a crude image of a slave chain drawn on his shirt did nothing to improve their mood.

After a few minutes they found themselves near a machine shop and heard ahead of them two armed figures and heard a man begging for mercy and his cries being suddenly and wetly cut off. They scrambled for the cover afforded by a small shed that was used to store feed for mules and hoped that they would pass. Despite this they heard their footsteps draw closer. As they approached they soon worked out the only acceptable course of action. When the first one got near Inna swung the wrench into the rebels face as hard as he could. She delivered a second blow after that as he crumpled down onto the ground just to be sure of it. At the same time Yuna drew her revolver, aimed and fired. Firearms training was required for all bureaucrats who worked outside of Dalatyr. It was fairly basic stuff: a couple of afternoons being run through the basics of revolver safety and a few hours of practice shooting. Even so it was enough.

In two seconds the ordeal was over. Inna picked up the pistol from her would be assailant and stuffed it into her pants. Both Yuna and Inna were glad that they got through this ordeal alive.

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