1967 - Segom, Vonisian Island, St. Oz6:30 amZeitev Iovizh startled awake in his bunk at the half-way house in Segom. A little Vonisian boy and his mother passed by the bunk at the time, then the boy asked, "What's wrong with him?" The mother immediately shushed him and they continued down the hallway to a community bathroom. Zeitev moved his wrist to his tired eyes to check the time, but all he saw was a pale shadow bordering tan skin where a wristwatch used to be.
"Fucking perfect."
Zeitev had a young face, but was covered in lash marks and scars all over his body from years of abuse at orphanages.
A bearded Vonisian man on a bunk above him was already awake and reading a book with the typical Ozian Government made torch. Zei climbed out of bed and looked at his wrist covered in five Ozian Government made wrist watches, "Comrade, I seem to have misplaced my watch, can you spare me one of yours."
The man grunted as a response.
"At least tell me the time Comrade."
"Get lost-o-clock, fucking
shisuet'guguzh* you think you can order me around?"
"Just give me back my watch Vonisian Hyena."
The bearded man slapped his book shut and other Vonisian homeless gathered around Zeitev with death stares and hands reaching for anything to be used as a weapon around them. What Zeitev was thinking could be seen in his eyes,
Why did I apply for National Service? I should've known better because they send everyone to this damn island. Now I'm going to die. A Vonisian woman crept behind Zeitev and swung at him with a hammer. He dropped to the ground and several Vonisians joined in to give him a good kicking or a swing with a piece of wood, including the bearded reader, and the lot of them clamored and cheered for their fellow Vonisians teaching the Ozian a fatal lesson.
They hushed when they heard the Halfway House's front door knocked down, then they heard the muffled shouts behind the door, "People's Army! People's Army! Comrades here are to be reassigned!"
They knocked down the bunk room's door. Several women in military grays and black fisherman caps with a communist pendent pinned on the front filed into the room with I-19 assault rifles drawn. They saw hammers and makeshift weapons over Zeitev, "Stand down!"
The soldier on point fired her weapon down the bunk line, Vonisians previously beating up Zeitev fell over dead on the unconscious Ozian. A Sergeant behind the soldiers shouted, "Hold your fire! Grab them all."
They went from bunk to bunk grabbing Vonisian homeless from their bunks, manhandling them out to a military truck outside where other soldiers were dragging out people from other buildings. The occasional sputter of I-19 or buzzing of machine gun fire dropped down those who tried to escape. Women pleaded with soldiers that they had children to take care of, but the soldiers beat them down with the stock of their rifle, then dragged them and their child into the trucks. A large megaphone began broadcasting a repeated message, "Comrades, do not fear, you are being reassigned for a work-mission of importance for this glorious divine land. Let your fellow comrades guide you to the trucks for reassignment."
Meanwhile the soldiers dug through the pile of dead bodies over Zeitev, checking pulses. They lifted up one of those shot and himself, dragging him to the trucks with the rest of them.
Zeitev woke up in a truck after it dipped into a pot hole on the dirt road. Other people were crammed into the trucks, mostly Vonisians, outside the door was a forest and plumes of smoke in the sky. He breathed heavier as the air smelled more metallic. They drove past soldiers in gasmasks tossing tarp covered bodies into a pit. Zeitev asked the truck, "Where are they taking us?"
A Vonisian answered him, "Someone said they saw a street sign saying we're near Ulozh**."
The truck turned to a stop where other trucks began unloading people to a line where soldiers were handing out thick jumpsuits with hoods, gasmasks, and two soldiers began tying plates around people's chest and backs. Soldiers lead a portion of people suited up towards large concrete structures with large caged metal chimney's rising to the sky. One of the structures was imploded with smoke coming out the center. People in the jumpsuits carried concrete pieces in teams towards the destroyed structure while others arched high pressure hoses towards the burning structure. A sign near the entrance of the place said "Ulozh Powerplant, no trespassing."
Masked Soldiers dragged Zei and other confused people out of the truck and shoved them towards the line. The soldiers were similarly attired to the other workers, with plates of black metal strapped over their back and chest and hooded jumpsuits covering them head to toe, but they had better fitting and nicer looking masks than the ones they were giving out to them. "Get in line for your equipment! Put them on immediately! Other liquidators will give you instructions for your tasks! Cowards will be shot!"
*Insult literally means "spoiled breast milk" and translates to bastard/orphan, but it has a heavier meaning in Ozian than in other languages. Here he specifically refers to discarded children at orphanages who have nowhere else to go but join National Service or Armed Forces. Orphans are considered to have very weak spirits and are considered the lowest class of people in Ozia.
**city 60 km south of Segom.
