"The Navy Lends an Exploding Hand"
Who: Alistair, Tanner, David, Allison, Kathleen, Young, Rasi, Walter
When: April 1915
What: The Navy shells the Turkish positions from offshore. Some of its artillery lands too close to the aid station for comfort.
Logger: Tanner
Ocean Beach
The Grid-----> > > > > THE LOST GENERATION < < <
Coordinates : 1 6
The sand on the narrow beach is rough and hard, small stones are also scattered across the area.
A makeshift aid station has been erected here, though it's little more than a collection of tents with cots and tables. The doctors and nurses work in deplorable conditions to treat horrific wounds, fighting the enemies of disease, lack of sanitation and foul water as well as bullets and shells.
It is currently night time.
Sub-Rooms :
1. Aid Station
2. Foxhole
Contents
Tanner
Alistair - 1. Aid Station
Sam
David - 1. Aid Station
Kathleen - 1. Aid Station
West <W> East <E>
South <S> North <N>
Tanner arrives from the North.
«Game» Alistair moves out of Aid Station.
«Game» Alistair moves into Foxhole.
Alistair sits idley in a shallow foxhole dug nearby, he seems to be boiling a can of slop over a small contained fire. A bit of dried blood marrs the side of his face and a grim gaze seems transfixed on the cooking food. He occasionally stirs with a clean bayonet, clearly detached from a nearby rifle.
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
Tanner is working outside the aid station, shoring up the pole supports on one of the tents. They are not sturdy things. He spots Alistair as he turns his head, offering the young Englishman a nod and grin. Or attempt at a grin. The expression is decidedly forced.
Young has been moving through the aid tents most of the day, with thirty minutes here and there spent in utterly non-restful sleep. Sitting now by Patrick, he's just finished changing the wounded soldier's dressings.
Easy comes, easy goes. So once more David finds himself in the aid station, after having been stabbed rather viciously with a bayonet. It didn't quite kill him, though. And so he's stirring now, a bit quietly.
Allison stands out side the aid station. the darkness covering her her with a blanket of imagined isolation. She can hear her patients breathing through the soft gauze used as mosquito netting. Her once pristine apron now only a semblence of white. She listens to the bugs mking noise in the sand and beach grasses. and she sips from a tim mug of tea.
"Hey Tanner. Glad to see all your limbs still attached. You been on many combat runs yet?" A full day in and the combat medic had earned the nick-name as the untouchable. A dry and ironic nickname that nobody will forget when he finally gets pegged by a stray enemy shot or shell. He's been on a series of runs, including the initial push inland and endured a short stint during Turkish harrasments of the line.
Kathleen has just finished administering a dose of morphine to a gravely wounded soldier. She pats his arm and offers some reassuring words before moving back to the supply area with a sigh. Alistair's question to Tanner causes her to glance over, curious as to the answer.
Young takes off his glasses, uselessly wiping some of the streaks of salt off the lenses with the collar of his khaki shirt. He stands up from the crate, picking his way over it towards both Allison and David, and addressing the latter in a low voice. "MacPherson. Easy there, mate, you're back on the beach."
"I'm… alive…" David sounds a bit surprised at that, opening his eyes properly. "I thought that Turk killed me…"
"Not much direct. Been ferrying wounded out on the stretchers mostly," Tanner replies to Alistair. He kneels down to not the rope around the tent pole, tying it extra-tight. As if that might give the thing some hope of staying intact if a stiff wind hits it. It probably won't, but he tries. He turns his full attention to Alistair once that's done. "I heard you been in the thick of it a fair bit, though. Couldn't believe the night of the landing. Wounded were coming in like a flood."
«Illumination» A Very light burns out.
Allison turns at the sound of David's movements and goes quickly to him. She reaches for his hand. pulse and body temp readily felt. shrength and awareness. she smiles down at him and whispers, "easy. there." her high end london accent soft in the light of the lamps. "you have been hurt"
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
"Yeah. I think I was the only one to come back from the first engagement without any wounds. Which is a damn miracle, had you been there. Damnit, we thought we were ok. Hardly orded me and Petey to charge a machine gun nest. I was on Petey's heels, he managed to get into the fox hole .. I uh .. got pinned behind a rock." Alistair slows his stirring. "Eventually got in though, while the gunner was reloading. Thought that would be the end of it — that's when they came out of nowhere. A full blown counter-attack .. that's when we lost Hardly."
"Got you good, but you're alright." Young's own accent is definitely Australian, though with some off pronunciation here and there that's tough to place. "Nurse here's got you. You just take it easy." His hazel eyes glance at the medics and then back down at David, looking him over.
"I wonder why the others couldn't see that Turk…" David mutters, before he nods a little bit. Pausing as he hears Allison's London accent. "You're a long way from home, aren't you?" If so, what's a New Zealander like David?
Kathleen chimes in after Alistair's story, with a frown. "Sounds horrible." Though she adds, "Glad you made it through all right." Glad at least someone did.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
Alistair shouts, "TAKE COVER".
Tanner nods soberly at that, coming to sit next to Alistair by the hole. "Aye. I heard about Sergeant Hardly. Still can't quite believe it. I remember him training us all up back in Cairo. Never figured a sort like that'd fall, and in the first wave at that…" He frowns, as if trying to wrap his head around it. He flushes as Kathleen approaches, as if sorry to be heard talking about such things in front of a nurse. "Aye. You made it back. That's the important…" He trails off at the sound of artillery. Gulp.
«Game» Alistair changes his style to TakeCover!
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
Boom boom from the clifftops. "Shit." Young mutters the rougher language, then turns and cups his hands to his mouth, calling out. "Shelling, heads down!"
«Game» Young changes his style to TakeCover!
«Illumination» A Very light burns out.
Allison smiles up at Young, "The doctor has not placed a chest tube yet so maybe it is not as bad as it looks?" she turns her smile down to David and with a gentle hand brushes his hair from his forehead. "I came to Egypt to visit my brother. he is with the consulate in Cairo" hearing the yelled command she drops to her knees beside the cot and leans over to shield her patient.
«Ground Combat» Allison moves into Aid Station.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
Not to worry, brave ANZACs! It might take a momment to notice, but the cannons are booming out from one of the warships moored out in the cove.
Alistair glances towards the water. "Shit that damn near gave me a heart attack.."
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
At Tanner's flush, Kathleen looks vaguely guilty for eavesdropping. But it's quickly forgotten as the shelling starts. She practically jumps out of her skin, ducking down and covering her head (fat lot of good that does). It takes her longer than most to realize where the firing is coming from.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
Young gets down to one knee, setting a hand on the open kit on the crate next to him. Those supplies are nearly more valuable than he is. "Better fucking not keel over there, Lydgate," he calls over, even daring a grin at that. His eyes turn back to the cliffs, then towards the sea. "That naval fire?"
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 6).
«Game» Tanner changes his style to TakeCover!
"Sorry… that we have to get you to take the long way home," David offers to Allison, before he adds, "We appreciate that you're here looking after us, though." Blinking at the artillery sound. "That better be ours…"
Tanner hits the sand, taking as much refuge as possible. Though eventually it does dawn on him that the blasts are coming from the sea. Behind them. On their 'side', such as it is. He cranes his head up a notch to look back at Young. "Y'think?" He almost dares not hope.
He was calmly asleep, was Rasi, the wound to his leg, certainly not as gaping and blood-red as before, being slept off and by the fact tat he no longer clutch it, it seems to working. However, the shelling is soon enough too much to ignore and with a resigned sigh the man wakes up, or rather wakes up and then sighs resigned-ly. His rifle is not far, and for safety, he grabs its, though its butt is plunged into the sandy ground, the weapon becoming a makeshift cane.
"I think so. Finally giving those turk bastards a taste of what they're in for." A grin spreads across his face. "They were harassing our lines earlier, sending snipers and sneaky blokes to poke at us." The medic retrieves his bayonet from his can and gently tastes the stew he's been boiling, making a face.
«Game» Kathleen changes her style to TakeCover!
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
«Game» Rasi changes his style to TakeCover!
«Artillery» 4 inch naval guns artillery barrage batters Ocean Beach ineffectually.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Ocean Beach (1 6).
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
«Game» David changes his style to TakeCover!
The problem with a seaborn artillery is.. well, its not fired from a very steady base and all it takes is a strong swell to knock the the ship back a little bit.. and INCOMING!
«Artillery» 4 inch naval guns artillery barrage batters Ocean Beach ineffectually.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Ocean Beach (1 6).
"Aye, soun-…Christ!" Young's voice tightens as shells come slamming into the beach. "Friendly fire, hell with that."
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
«Game» Allison changes her style to TakeCover!
«Artillery» 4 inch naval guns artillery barrage batters Ocean Beach ineffectually.
«Artillery» Artillery barrage at Ocean Beach has lifted!
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Ocean Beach (1 6).
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
Alistair says "Son of a holy.."
Just when Kathleen was about to relax, then the shells really do start falling nearby. She screams tries to take cover behind a stack of boxes, huddled into a small, terrified ball.
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
"Stray shells," Young shouts over the swell of panicked voices inside the aid tents. He's still on one knee in the fetid sand, head kept ducked behind a crate that really wouldn't help him much if it blew up. "Keep your heads, lads! She'll pass."
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
Allison gasps and as sand and small stones are thrown about she looks bout before covering her head. She is unaware of the tears streaking her cheeks or the soft prayer sent up to help them survive this.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
David is about to roll out whatever he's currently placed on, but pauses, looking to the nurse. "Don't worry… We'll be fine…" he offers quietly.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
«Game» Anzac Cove is no longer a war zone!
Tanner stays low. Low as he can managed. "Stray shells? Bloody hell! Don't they know not to shoot their own blokes?" This disturbs him even more than the Turks lurking over the ridges, from his tone.
«Artillery» You hear artillery pounding Plugge's Plateau (3 7).
Kathleen stays huddled, wishing she could burrow her way into the sand or something. She cries quietly, not that the quiet matters much with all the big booms.
"Just pray they done more damage to the Ottomans than us, eh?" Young's tone does its best to be light, but the young doctor's voice has a tinge of anxiety in it that even he can't mask. As the shells stop raining on the beach he lets out a quiet breath, resting an arm on the crate and straightening his back a little bit.
Allison looks up at David, realizing he is about to roll off the cot, she shakes her head, "no don't. You might tear open the wound. Remember I am supposed to be taking care of you.. not the other way around." she wipes her cheeks with the backs of her hands. Her voice is pitched to a whisper. "They seem to be moving away. the bombs? Maybe it will be over now for a while."
"It's not quite as bad as that…sleep's just impossible when you have entire batteries thundering endlessly?", the voice, tinged with the mildest of accents, belongs to Rasi, the new man in the squad, though he has succeede in evading the fate of newbies whereby they are the first to go. If one ignores the wound. "So, the sergeant, is he…?"
"Aye…" Tanner mutters under his breath in response to Young. It's not really agreement. He straightens a notch as the booming guns quiet some. Blue eyes wide. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
David nods a little bit as he hears that, and gets back further onto said cot. "Sorry…" he replies, a bit quietly, before he nods a little. "Ship must have drifted backwards… Dangerous, but…" He trails off.
Kathleen doesn't move an inch when the shelling stops, too beside herself to even realize it's over.
Alistair says "Quite. Saw him go down myself. As useless as the man was in physical training, he was a brave damn soul. Took a good four bullets in separate parts of his body before he finally got cut down by machinegun fire. A man to remember, for certain."
Young's hazel eyes flicker up, skimming the now-quiet sky. He settles back on his heels and gets up just to a crouch, passing by a few crates and huddled bodies. "It's stopped. Come on everyone, up you go. We got work to do." His voice is determined if nothing else. Reaching Kathleen he pauses, kneeling down. "Nurse?"
Kathleen stirs at Young's familiar voice, turning a tear-streaked face up at him. Still trembling, she asks, "It's stopped?" Reassuring herself that she heard him right.
Allison stands and brushes off her dress and makes sure her cap is on straight. She nods and moves to fluff the soldier's pillow in the bunk on her other side. She asks quietly "do you need a drink or something?"
Alistair climbs to his feet and begins pouring small bits of the stew into dirty tin bowls with some shaudy spoons. The combat medic begins passing what little he has to the injured, offering something of decent food. "Though I would bring some spices and preppings with me .. didn't think the army would recognize good food if it bit them in the .. well.. you know."
David considers that for a few moments, before he shakes his head. "No, but I wonder…" Going quiet for a little while. "If I wrote a letter, and left it with you… Would you send it, if I… You know… don't make it?"
"Yeah. It's stopped." Young stays where he is at Kathleen's side in the sand. Eye contact though, that he gives, looking at her face. "You're alright, God was with us on this one." He gets up a little, holding out his hand in silent offer to help her up.
"Ah, well alright I suppose.", bravery didn't count for much, not much did when faced with 60 pounders and murderous machine guns. Hobbling along towards the group that he inserted himself into, Rasi simply shrugs before raising and waving his free hand. "Private Praddhan, pleasure to meet you all…well in less volatile circumstances anyway."
Allison stops and starts to berate him for even thinking of not coming back. Instead she presses her lips together and nods, "Of course. I owud be pleased to send it." she looks over and finally gets a glimpse of Rasi and sighs, "I shall be right back." and moves gingerly out from under the tent. "youare hurt, Come and let the doctor look at you" she says to the indian private. "you have to have that leg looked at."
Kathleen lets out a shaky breath, looking around briefly and seeing that he's right. "Aye, that He was," she murmurs, taking the doctor's hand to help herself up. She's not entirely steady, but better than she was.
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
Tanner gets up, taking a few deep breaths, trying to recover his composure as much as possible. "It's…it's all right now," he says to Kathleen and Allison. In an attempt to encourage the nurses. His own voice trembles as he speaks, so it's not all that reassuring. If they even hear him at all. It's muttered somewhat vaguely.
David watches Allison head over towards Rasi, before he closes his eyes again, and drifts off to sleep. Looking relatively peaceful for the moment, it would seem.
Young stands up all the way, holding Kathleen's hand and elbow. "There we go. Nurse Campbell, isn't it? Why don't you have a look at that good man over there for me, eh?" His chin lifts towards Rasi. "Dressings about need changing by now."
The woman that marches towards him is looked at with some confusion before finally he acquiesces and heads towards wherever it is that he is directed to. "It is getting better M'am, truly, it is."
A brief glance in Tanner's direction shows that Kathleen did hear him, though she doesn't reply. She nods to Young. "Aye, Campbell." She looks over at Rasi, a stricken expression on her face. Take care of someone now? Can't she just go off and curl up in a ball instead? Kathleen gives an unconfident nod. "I'll have a look."
Allison smiles and nods, "of course it is. Come sit on this cot. Nurse Campbell will see to your bandage. Are you hurt any place else? has a doctor looked at it? Have you had anything to eat or drink lately?" she realizes she is babbling and presses her fingers to her lips. Feeling almost out of control. But her good british upbringing soon has her straightening her shoulders and smiling in that stiff upper lip sort of way.
Walter has arrived.
Walter arrives from the South.
«Game» Walter changes his style to Standard!
«Game» Rasi moves into Aid Station.
«Game» Kathleen changes her style to Standard!
"Thanks, you're a love." Young lets Kathleen go, fingers digging in the front pocket of his khakis and pulling out a cigarette pack that's near totally broken in half. "Sons of bitches," he grumbles. And fishes one out anyway, dammit.
«Game» Allison changes her style to Standard!
«Illumination» A Very light burns out.
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
"Nope, M'am, just the leg.", which he will not allow the woman to take a look at, women in the medical services…war had its sacrifices, but really, when would they start being civilized and start grasping at ridiculous straws such as that. "I am sure it was tended to, I'm sure of it. I've had some food, but I could use som water if you'd spare some?"
Walter is a late arrival from the South. I his left hand is his secured rifle, made unique from the others only by the three notches carved into the butt. His right arm remains bandaged, but all in all untreated from the last push forward a time ago. As he moves along, the pebbles below his feet work against him but not to an allocation that would send him on his ass. Instead it just manages to slow his pale self on the way toward the aid station.
Kathleen would thank Young, normally, but she's too discombobulated at the moment to remember her manners. She trudges off toward Rasi, wiping at her eyes, and spies Allison already there. "Can I help?" she asks the other nurse.
«Illumination» A Very light burns out.
Tanner looks over at Young as he fumbles with his cigarettes. Expression rather curious. Then it occurs to him he'd best find something for himself to do, so he goes to make sure none of the tents have unsecured themselves during the shelling. One of the flimsy things /did/ half-collapse, but fortunately it was only holding supplies, not men.
«Game» Walter moves into Aid Station.
Allison turns and smiles gratefully at Kathleen, "Yes please. I don't think he wants me to look at his wound. I'll bring bandages and some water." she looks at the Private. "sit and do as you are told." she rolls her eyes as she sounds just like her mother. a soft laugh and she is off to secure the items needed.
«Game» It is now dusk.
«Illumination» A Very light goes off over the battlefield!
Another female nurse, just what is the world coming too, Rasi's step back from Allison soon turns into another one, this time leading him away from both her and Kathleen. "I am alright, or at least I will be, I could just use some water. T
Another female nurse, just what is the world coming too, Rasi's step back from Allison soon turns into another one, this time leading him away from both her and Kathleen. "I am alright, or at least I will be, I could just use some water. Truly, on my word, just some water.", the wince that he feels as he puts too much weight on his left leg instantly putting lie to his words.
Walter saw his share of action today, as he did the one before. Though it was the one before that still affected him, being a hole, and a bullet buried into his right arm. No wonder he was so pale. In walking among the amassed structures, he seemingly fails to take notice that things have indeed changed in his absense. He stops central to most and looks about to those already here. More curiosity than concern if noticable upon his dirt clad self.
Kathleen nods to Allison then turns her attention to Rasi. "She's getting some water. Have a seat, aye? Doctor Young wanted your bandages checked." Or changed, or something. Honestly Kathleen didn't quite register the instructions. She glances over briefly as Walter walks past, but mostly is focused on her new patient.
Young gets a match lit, which promptly blows out in the gusting ocean air. He gives it a baleful look and turns his back to the wind to light another, smoke finally curling up from the half a cigarette he salvaged from his pack. He drops the match and crushes it into the blood-spattered sand, rubbing the ridge above his eyes with his fingertips. Satisfied the nurses have something to keep them busy, he turns an eye to the medics.
Allison returns to the cot with a tray of bandages and a bowl of almost clean water. There are bandage sissors and bandages. and a glass of what looks to be water. sort of. "It is cool" she says softly. picking up the other glass she approaches Walter. "come we have a place for you as well. has anyone looked at your arm?" she hands the glass of water to him. "here you might want to drink this."
«Illumination» A Very light burns out.
Tanner gets half-fallen tent back up, muttering curses under his breath as he steps away from the canvas. He makes the rounds to see to the other tents after that. They're all more or less upright, but some of the poles look shaken in a way that's ominous.
Walter continues to just stand in the place of his choosing. He watches those moving around him rather than asking for help as someone with a wound as he might. This isn't out of bravery or heroism though, as someone who would know him also knows him to be hopelessly quiet. He turns to Allison in her approach and blinks at her a few times before taking the glass of water. He chooses to look at it instead for a time. "Last time," he replies. "Weren't enough supplies to help me though. Got sent South." And thus would be the longest sentance strung together by Walter since landing, though his voice is incredibly soft.
