The Arawa aircraft carrier stood ready in the Kyne, it was the best part of 70 years old and a little rough about the edges but its crew stood ready to get the job assigned to them done. As the time ticked down on the stopwatch on his wrist Captain Mahauta readied himself mentally for what was to come, 24 hours of terror, danger and emotion. Inside the helicopters he and his nineteen men sat cramped among the gear, the flight wouldn't be the most comfortable of their careers and hopefully wouldn't be the last time. The helicopters swept low over the Kyne and at just gone midnight entered the waters of the Tamorans. The helicopters dropped their rear ramps and the Marine Commando's launched their boats, paddling them every bit as efficiently as their ancient ancestors had the large canoes that had brought them to Northern Ardia so long ago. Legend had it that those crews had been searching for the lost Maori tribes when they had stumbled across the uninhabited mainland, taking them away from the tiny islands they had once called home that dotted the Kyne.
Operation Matahourua was simple, get ashore, move inland 10km and locate the farm, this they did with little problem. It was just how the recon photos showed and the group wasted little time making entrance to the bunkhouses that housed the slaves. "We're here to help" Mahauta said quietly as he slid through the half open door of one, his men where doing the same to the others. He started the second stop watch, they'd been told that it would take thirty minutes for the nearest security forces to arrive once an alarm was raised and he figured best to assume the entrance to the bunkhouse would be monitored. "We're from The Iwi, we're here to take you home." he said and watched as a vast array of emotions broke forth before him, some cheered and he urged them to be quiet, some wept, one young girl in his 20's ran and hugged him and he had to wrestle her away from him. "You've five minutes then we need to leave on foot so pack light." Already he could see people looking nervous and he needed to keep things moving. He found the eldest woman in the bunkhouse and urged her to get people organised as he went and checked on the situation. Various NCO's ran up to him giving him the count from the different buildings, he spotted his three men on the hill ready for incase anyone came from the farmhouse area. He kept a running total in his head, "150" he said as the final report came in, they'd been prepared for slightly more but they'd take what they could get. The old woman from the hut approached him.
"I will be staying" she informed him, tears in her eyes, "So will a few others, we are too old to keep up." she said forlornly, Mahauta began to protest but she stopped him by taking hold of his head and cradling it towards her their noses touching in the Maori tradition. "I am 67 years old, I have never seen the Iwi. My daughter and grand-daughter can though but not if I go. We have always prayed to return home and now our children will. Thank you" she said. It was by no means a sure deal but Mahauta understood what she meant. He noticed families weeping and saying goodbyes knowing in all probabilities they'd never meet again.
"Take this radio" he handed it over to the woman, "Hide in the woods, if we can find a van, a truck...something. We'll come back." Mahauta knew their was little chance but he had to do something. Once more the woman gave a reassuring expression, took his hand and gave him a pendent carved from wood. "It is the whale, it will guide you home" she turned and went to say goodbye to her family. A few moments later a column headed back south towards the coast as the first signs of the locals investigating the noise came. Mahauta watched as his men in the rear guard sprang from hidden positions using their war clubs to crack the three farmers skulls. As they entered the nearby woodland he looked at his watch, twenty minutes, it could be a close run thing. From the bunkhouses he could see the elders, around 30 of them waving as they watched their families going.
"Kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa"[1] the words hung in the still night as he pressed deeper into the cover provided by the woods.
It took half an hour to reach the coast, and behind him he had an urge to return for the others, it would have done no good. The old women lay dead, three bullets had killed her as she and the others had tried using farm tools to fight the local police, they would never know but their sacrifice had brought the Commando's an extra twenty minutes or so to take their escapees onto the fishing boats their colleagues on a different helicopter had acquired and brought as transport. The boats where loaded and headed out into the Kyne, as soon as they had left Tamoran waters fighters from the Arawa came into sight rushing to meet them. From the handful of the freed slaves there were screams as they thought it was Tamoran jets coming for them but these turned to cheers as they were told they were there to protect them. It took a further hour for them to reach the carrier from where the process of gathering the escapees on the rear boat launch deck was completed. The fishing boats where scuttled as Mahauta stepped back onto his home-ship. The giant mechanical lift took them up through the bowels of the ancient ship as the lift came to a juddering stop at the top a noise of voices filled the air.
"Hoki mai e tama mā ki roto, ki roto
I ngā ringa e tuwhera atu nei.
Kei te kapakapa mai te Haki, te Haki
I nga rangi runga Tiamana e.
Hoki mai, hoki mai ki te wā kāinga
Kia tutuki te tūmanako.
Kei te kapakapa mai te Haki, te Haki
I nga rangi runga Tiamana e.
Hoki mai, hoki mai ki te wā kāinga
Kia tutuki te tūmanako.
Kei te kapakapa mai te Haki, te Haki
I nga rangi runga Tiamana e."
[2]The entire ships compliment was on deck singing and dancing the traditional haka to welcome their bretherin to the Iwi.
OOC- Something like this had been agreed with Tamora prior to his LOA however if he returns and isn't happy I'm more than willing to retcon this. Dave will do some appropriate Tamora sabre rattling.
