The Hardest Choice
First fic. I guess I should spell out that these characters aren't mine…yadda yadda yadda.
Notes:
1. If you don't know about Darfur, please go to Human Rights Watch's site and find out.
2. The years have been condensed, so that 10 years have transpired in the span of five.
Chapter I
"You can see what they've been doing, what their intentions are."
Mfuto looked at the photos in his hands solemnly, shaking his head before passing them to Gi. "This is obviously not what the Chadian government expected when they received such a generous offer from the rich American."
Gi gasped softly as she flipped through photos. Children, she thought, my God, children.
Each photo was more disturbing than the last. Children covered in blood as they stood next to animal carcasses. The synopsis of the situation they received from Gaia was proving inadequate.
The refugee camp had been harsh enough on the Planeteers' sensibilities. Hundreds and hundreds of Sudanese, crammed into make-shift huts and lean-tos. Old men with their eyes sunken in so that their faces resembled skeletons. Young women, many only teenagers, carrying tiny babies as several other children clung to them, wailing for food. All the stronger adults had stayed behind in Darfur to fight the Janjaweed. Left to roam like nomads were the old, the young, the infirm, and the mothers.
A little boy, his belly bloated with disease, had died in the camp last night. He had died holding Gi's hand.
The involvement of Luten Plunder in the situation was incendiary. A match tossed into the powder keg that was the refugee situation.
Gi handed the photos quickly to Linka and looked away. As Linka flipped through, Wheeler peered over her shoulder. "And what did Plunder promise? I mean, he obviously didn't say he was gonna enslave these kids and force them to skin lions for pelts."
Mfuto again shook his head, his large gold earrings catching the sunlight. "We have been inundated with refugees from Darfur. Many, many children. No one knew what to do. Then Plunder said he would hire some people to help his business. Everyone wanted the chance to work for the rich American. We need money so badly…"
He trailed off and looked up at the sound of Ma-Ti retching.
"Poor kid," muttered Wheeler. It had been almost five years – since their early days as Planeteers – since Ma-Ti's stomach had been turned by brutality. It used to happen frequently. He glanced at the younger man as he rejoined the group. Nice to see we haven't all gotten immune to it.
"Plunder wanted the children," Mfuto continued. "He said that their small fingers would be able to salvage more fur."
"Like a sweatshop, where children are hired to do work in very small spaces," offered Kwame.
"Exactly," said Gi, jumping to her feet. "And sweatshops thrive where there is poverty and lack of government regulation."
"That is Chad," Mfuto said sadly, "Parents were jumping at the chance to let their children work for Plunder. Not only is he paying them a little money, but it also reduces the strain on refugee camp resources." He pursed his lips. "You may find that there are many Sudanese refugees still supporting Plunder, despite the kind of work these children are forced to do."
"Bozhe moy," breathed Linka, "what a situation." The world had certainly become more complicated since they joined the Planeteers. In a strange way, she longed for the days when the world was split into two superpowers. Much less complicated, despite the constant threat of nuclear war.
"You can say that again, babe, " Wheeler chimed in. "So what's the move? We go in there and shut him down, bring the kids back, and give Plunder a taste of what he and his buddies have done to those lions?"
Kwame shook his head. "It would start a riot, Wheeler. These people are depending on Plunder right now. They will defend him."
"So we just sit here on our asses?"
"Of course not, Yankee," said Linka, annoyed. "But we will need some way to bring this to world attention. What they need are NGOs to provide resources to wean people away from Plunder. He will not survive here if he is discredited."
"Right," said Kwame. He turned to Ma-Ti, whose face still retained some pallor from his reaction to the photos. "How far away is Plunder, Ma-Ti?"
Ma-Ti's dark eyes closed as he concentrated. "Heart," he said softly. The fuzzy image of Plunder near a river basin appeared in his mind. "He is at the river basin, loading pelts onto an airplane." His face grew angry as his eyes opened. "I think he was smoking a cigar. Happily. He is a monster."
"We need reconnaissance," said Kwame. "We need to get pictures of his entire operation without tipping him off.
Gi sighed . "Well, that rules out the Geo-Cruiser. He could see that a mile away,"
"I could lead you," said Mfuto. "I know where the basin is. If we head out now, we could camp across the river and make it to the basin in the morning.
Wheeler nodded. "Sounds good. Let's go."