Khrystalpol Incident: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|If we remove the Vakari right to protest whilst Durakans take the right to assembly as a given, we are not their liberators. We are occupiers and hypocrites. Nothing more, nothing less.|Larin Teilev, November 9. 2022}}
Unbeknownst to the occupation authority at the time, a small group of five former Vakari militia members had developed a more violent strategy to storm the base in line with sentiments being expressed on the chat channel, referring to themselves as the Vorosijm (Vakarian: '''Вогонсїм''<nowiki/>') meaning Fire Seven, originating from the Vakari phrase "It takes about six shots to assuredly kill a man, you had better fire seven else he might well surprise you."
In the week prior to the Incident, Vorosijm secured a small cache of firearms concealed by the former Vakari military for use by stay-behind insurgents in the event of an invasion. While the occupying coalition had successfully located most of these caches after significant effort, some had gone undetected. In the case of the Khrystalpol militia, firearms and supplies had been hidden in a local cemetery. Government hearings after the Incident revealed that Durakan investigators had raised suspicions of caches hidden in the graveyard, but no further searches had been pursued for fear of further riling up the population and spoiling the more positive sentiments that had come about in some regions.
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In Khrystalpol itself, however, the sleeping sickness suddenly took a turn for the worse, as twelve simultaneous cases were reported that morning. This was likely a result of atmospheric conditions interacting with the gas leaks from the mines. The sudden spike in cases caused panic throughout the morning, though the situation remained unclear to the authorities as much of the local law enforcement had been redeployed around K-17. It was not until 11 am that a caravan of around a thousand people was witnessed leaving the town and heading towards the base. Many in the crowd would later report that they had been attempting to flee the town out of fear of the epidemic, only to be caught up in the wider mob that was now publicly calling for the storming of K-17.
Confrontations began almost immediately at the gates of K-17. Durakan security personnel had been caught off guard at the speed of the escalation, and the previous day's attendees had effectively lost all control over the situation. Multiple gunshots were heard, and Durakan officers later testified that they had been fired upon by the Vorosijm fighters from within the crowd, though it remains unknown as to which members of the group began the violence. Whatever the case, the exchange of fire killed Durakan military policeman who had been standing guard at the gate, and sent the crowd into a panic. The mob surged forward.
Perimeter security at K-17 was later deemed deficient due to an overreliance on existing Vakari-built structures, which were poorly made and laid out. The weight of the frenzied crowd was such that multiple sections of the fence simply collapsed, and no further obstacles were present to prevent the mob from bursting into the outer sections of the base and potentially overwhelming the facility. Sporadic gunfire continued to target Durakan personnel and drove the crowd onwards. Two further Durakans who had been at the gates were trampled to death, and later assessments suggested that five of the rioters similarly perished in the stampede. Durakan security forces had thus far been limited to less-than-lethal means and issuing warnings to control the crowd, and suffered from inadequate numbers to defend the sprawling site. Though no public statements were made by K-17s commander, testimony from Rekelta employees working at the base indicated that Durakan officers had believed that they were witnessing a full scale armed uprising, which created a state of desperation.
Durakan perimeter security received authorization to return fire on the crowd and had done so, further escalating the chaos. Due to the reports of multiple breaches, Durakan personnel were forced to withdraw to K-17s central compound, which consisted of its barracks, command centers, and armory. By this point, news of the situation at K-17 had reached the highest levels of the occupation authorities, and armed airborne units began to helicopter in to secure the base and the experimental technology inside it.
The situation at K-17 had, remarkably, calmed down by the time these reinforcements arrived. After the initial panic faded, many of the rioters had either fled or were found simply wandering aimlessly. Some had taken to smashing or looting the handful of aircraft on the tarmac, and a group of Durakan mechanics was reportedly forced to seek shelter in the control tower with other staff. Vorosijm fighters were likely among those who entered the base, as shots were repeatedly fired into the central compound, though fortunately nobody was hit. Durakan security also repeatedly fired upon or forced back groups of rioters who approached the portions of the base still under their control. The overall situation at K-17 was difficult to determine however, as the Vakari military had never installed security cameras or other monitoring equipment.
The arrival of Durakan airborne units proved sufficient to secure K-17 over the remainder of the day. Hundreds of Vakari were detained and some one hundred-and-fifty had been injured due to the intense violence of that morning. The Vorosijm had fled back out into the countryside after their inability to breach the stronger perimeter around the central compound. A massive manhunt ensued around the base starting that evening, but yielded no results until the following day.
====November 18====
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