Horace heard the Captain’s announcement to abandon ship. The voice was too calm, too in control for Horace’s comfort. The Captain should be calm and in control, but at the moment of declaring her ship dead in the water during combat. That might not be the best conveyance. Horace wondered if Belle had heard that same controlled speech. Horace was still wiping a bit of spittle and vomitus from his mouth as he rounded the corner. The children were crying, the place was pandemonium, and the Teachers were working as hard as they could to calm the children. There was not time to calm them. There was ten minutes to get this herd of freaked out cats into the escape pods.

Horace stopped took in a deep breath, looking at the children and teachers alike. Sometimes you just needed a little shock and awe. The whistle was shrill, and piercing, but it caught attention. Even teachers froze momentarily as it was followed by a booming hoarse voice. “HEY! EVERYONE SHUT UP!” the voice echoed down the corridor like an angry giant.

As the children turned towards Horace, “ONE LINE, RIGHT NOW!” Horace announced slapping the wall he wanted them on.

Even teachers had found themselves moving into a single file line reflexively. The children pressed themselves into a line against the Walls. “Alright then, Teachers load the children.” Horace stated, crossing his arms in a manner that said he might eat a noncompliant teacher. As long as every one of them survived Horace had no issues with being the big bad scary uniformed Troll that had yelled at them, or caused them to need therapy later in life. One eyebrow quirked as they began to file by, he thought he same someone, or thing that he though he had recognized.

MCPO Horace Harkness, Chief of the Boat