Flames over Oli City (Game Event: 05-11-17)

[Akirapryde]

Flames over Oli City
City of Baku
World of Fray
Outer Rim Territories
Date: 2920 AOK (Two and half months after Auro's Birthday)

The refugee city of Olivan City (or Oli City as it is more commonly called) is a shanty town by the clearest of definitions. Oli City is located between the Vargur River and the northern wall of Baku. Oli City stretches from the wall to the river, and follows the river clockwise around the wall. Oli City hosts nearly a quarter million persons in an area only meant to hold a hundred thousand. Compared to vast Baku City, Oli City is badly over populated. Many families within Oli City live in small shacks no larger than a walk-in closet.

The vast majority of the structures are built from scavenged materials from the remains of nearby communities. Buildings are often held together by the very basics of what can be found. These structures are littered with holes, and offer no protection to the most server of elements. Lacking any form of infrastructure, most families do their cooking along Vargur River. The same river where all bathing and washing is also done. Oli City is a prefect picture of a modern shanty town of the Outer Rim.

Oli City was established just over a year ago when it was claimed that Baku City had reached its population limits. Since its founding, the vast majority of the residents of Oli City had become off world refugees from worlds like Olivan, Loeria and Baklid. However recently, there is a growing number of citizens of Fray have started to call Oli City home. Many of these new comers had once lived within the walls of Baku. Now they have found themselves on the other side of Baku's massive wall and in an entirely new world.

Life in Oli City is a struggle each day and a place where death has become a common place. For all citizens, the first struggle of the day is First Ration. At seven sites across the city, called Ration Sites, Guardian Exports issues out daily rations to the people of Oli City twice a day. These events are called First and Second Rations. They are the most chaotic moments in a largely calm city. First Ration begins at six in the morning and goes till eight in the morning. Second Ration takes place from six in the evening till eight evening.

While the events are scheduled for two hours, supplies normally run out within thirty minutes of each event opening. Because of this, crowds start to form about two hours before the events beginning. The rations arrive to the site under heavy guard. The guards keep the people at bay as they start to set up the ration distribution. Some sites merely toss their rations out of the back of the trucks while others are much more orderly. The nature of how the rations are handed out greatly depends on who is in charge during that event. Many have come to know these leaders by the mannerism that they issue out Rations.

While rations are mandated by decree of Baku’s Administration, groups like the Nāḷikā klāngkhụ̄n (or Night Watch in Olivanee) that help the local authorities maintain order in Oli City get moved to the head of the line. These groups often get double rations for their assistance in maintaining law and order. On the flip side, those deemed as problems to the “community” are pushed to the back of the line. These persons often miss out on their daily rations due to lack of supplies. Such a fate, missing rations, could mean starvation for their family.

Each person is given a ration card upon registering their citizenship to Oli City. This card grants its holder enough rations for themselves and their family for one day. The ration card has become one of the most valuable possessions a person can have. Not only does ration card provide food and water for the owner but medical supplies if need be. If a family member is ill or requires special medical attention this information is recorded on the card and medical supplies are dispensed during the ration events. Should a person require medical attention, their ration card is used to be gain limited access to Baku City for their treatment.

It is not uncommon to see a family fight bitterly to protect their ration cards. For these cards are literally life or death for the families. Originally it was impossible for people to access the information on the ration cards. However clever hackers and Tech specialist have developed methods of reading the valuable information on these cards. When those very criminals learned to transfer information between cards, this became a game changer. The miracle device that empowered criminal became known as a Zip Scanner.

Thanks to the Zip Scanner Ration Cards have become the new currency in Oli City. The Zip Scanners have given rise to a thriving black-market that spans across Oli City. Within this black-market industry, families can acquire things that they simply cannot get during ration events. Things such as upgraded food smuggled out of Baku that could cost families as much as two days’ rations. Additional medical supplies could cost as much as a week’s worth of rations. And even luxury items could be bought on the black-market.

Some have been known to spend a great deal of value worth of rations for just a moment of normalcy. It was rumored that Chaow, the leader of Nāḷikā klāngkhụ̄n, had once commissioned the creation of a traditional birthday cake for his daughter’s birthday. That cake was rumored to cost twenty days’ worth of rations. Though some have more practical needs for their rations. They often use their rations to buy items such as building material for their homes and cloth to make new clothing.

These items are brought to Oli City by scavenger caravans from across the region. Because of the might and power of Baku, raiders tend to keep wide and far from Baku. Because of this, caravans come and go to Oli City. These caravans come from beyond the State of Baku, where ruined cities offer a plentiful source of materials. These brave scavengers pilfer the ruined citys of Fray for supplies and bring them back to Oli City where they are sold for rations and medical supplies which are in returned sold to settlements far beyond Baku.

While officially crime has never been an issue, the official reports do not measure up to the truth. Crime has infested Oli City since the breaking of the Ration Cards. And these crimes center on its black market and the Rations Cards. People have been known to be murdered for their ration cards. Those with Gate Access are prized for smuggling items out of Baku. A smuggler could receive as much as twenty percent of an items worth. The cost of smuggling beyond Baku’s gates is to have their Gate Access revoked. Even smuggling bottles of water or flour could result in the termination of Gate Access.

Organized crime lords rule regions of Oli City with varying degrees of brutality and ruthlessness. To the southeast of the city, a gang ran by Gail'twik rules the area with the brutality of a power-hungry warlord. While the Nāḷikā klāngkhụ̄n rule their territory to the norther along the river with a much softer approach. Regardless, these organizations are nothing more than criminal and wouldn't think twice about breaking laws or bones to achieve their own goals. These criminal originations have become something that all citizens of Oli City have come to deal with. Such is the everyday life of the citizens of Oli City.

It was the events of last night that cause all citizens of Oli City, rather they were law fearing families or criminals, to band together. It was shortly after midnight when the chaos started. Very few noticed the large civilian walker on the other side of the river. The massive foresting walker bore heavily rigged armor that had strange reddish paint schemes on it. There were cages hanging from sides of the walker. Within the cages, were bodies. The walker came to a stop and slowly lowered itself down. From three massive doors, hordes of raiders started to rush from the walker.

As they started to make their way from the walker, a group of speeders and wheeled vehicles started to rush across the river. It was if the raiders appeared to know just where to cross the river at as they approached Oli City. From the walker, two massive barrels fired a pair of homemade rockets that landed in the heart of Oli City. The rockets exploded in the center of the shanty city sending flaming gel and oil. The blast of fire was the first warning anyone had of the raider attack. Within moments more than a hundred raiders had rushed in to the city.

Those living close to the river in the eastern most side of the city were the first victims of the raiders. Without care or discretion, the raiders opened fire on any one that moved. They fired in to the homes and tossed incendiaries in to the tightly packed homes. Within minutes, half the city was in complete chaos as the other half tried to figure out what was going on. Refugees started to flee in terror for the North Gate of Baku. The first group arrived at the gate, found the massive gate sealed and protected behind a ray-shield. They screamed in horror for help from Baku’s guard.

Other terrorized refugees attempted to find the City Authority on patrol. What they found was just as bad as Baku’s sealed gate. The City Authority was completely absent from Oli City. Their local patrol sites were abandoned. Ignoring what these signs were screaming, refugees continued to try to get the attention of Baku’s City Guard. Their screams and pleas were loud, but not enough to get the gates to open. As raiders pressed deeper in to the city, the crowds at the gate continued to grow. Terror continued to take hold as the sounds of gun fire and screams grew louder.

On the outskirts of the city, slavers rushed from the walker. They moved using mounts and started to round up fleeing refugees. From the wall, the slavers actions were clear for anyone to notice, if someone was watching. Large nets were used to scoop up refugees as the slavers carried out their actions. As this carnage continued to grow, eyes turned to the massive weapon emplacements along the wall. Weapons that were designed to protect the city from just this kind of attack. To everyone’s anger, the powerful weapons remained silent as the cries for help grew louder. It became apparent that the refugees were alone to face the raiders.

The fires spread across Oli City with such glow that it could be see for kilometers. Within Baku's wall, the citizens enjoyed the computer generated evening shower with a beautiful lighting show. A couple near the wall enjoyed a romantic night completely ignorant of what was happening just on the other side of the wall. On the other side of the wall people were being killed by raiders. With the raid going on for nearly a half of an hour, the situation in Oli City was becoming dire. One of the most iconic images of the night was of a Twi’lek father being strangled to death by a raider. The scene played out before his cowering family. What made the image iconic was that the man was being strangled by what appeared to be a homemade white flag. The fate of the family was a mystery.

It was nearly an hour in to the raid when the refugees started to turn the battle. Sister Ubon, a Follower of Heaven, was the first one to stand up to the raiders. With her tent filled with those seeking shelter, Sister Ubon stood in the path of the raiders. Defying the threat, she warned them that those within the tent were protected. A raider slashed her throat and moved on the tent. Sister Ubon gave her life for what she believed in. It was then when rumors claimed that a pair of Jedi came to the aid of those within the tent. Some claimed that those Jedi had come from Olivan.

As it became clear that Baku would do nothing to help with the raiders, gangs started to mount the first organized defense of Oli City. Lead by Chaow, they mustered the only effective defense of Oli City. They fought hard against overwhelming odds and much better equipped raiders. The gangs paid a heavy price for their actions. But they were able to inspire the locals in to fighting back. Using bars, rocks and their own incendiaries. It was clear that the tide of the battle was turning. Using their numbers, the refugees started to press the raiders back through the city. Filled with anger and rage, the refugees of Oli City took no prisoners as they killed all raiders that they captured.

It was at this stage, the massive guns of Baku opened fired. The shots signaled the end of the battle. The massive gates of Baku flew open and out marched the soldiers of Guardian Exports. Within moments, the raiders were in full retreat. The city guard never crossed the river, which allowed the walker a chance to withdraw from the area. It was the end of the Oli City raid, but the city had been badly damages due to raging fires. With hundreds dead or missing, the sunrise over a numb population.

Many victims had only the clothes on their back. After the raider threat had been driven away, the forces of Baku returned to inside the wall while law enforcement personal took over the patrols. But that was not what was the major new the following morning! The major news that filled the two media outlets of Baku was the scandal of Lord Sembla eloping with an adolescent padawan. In light of his upcoming wedding, the elope has rocked the Chancellor and her political influence.