[Tuchanka] Trade Vehicles Hit by Mines

Trade Vehicles Hit by Mines

Cross-Posted from the Tuchanka Times

Kalynd Badlands, Northern Dinroth, Tuchanka - Eleven krogan, an asari and a human were killed today when a trade caravan travelling from Baldoth Deeps to Ulgarth struck several subterranean explosive devices. Reports are confused as to whether the caravan was using a new route or if the mines had been recently placed on an active thoroughfare.

The caravan, which was moving various trade goods and foodstuffs from the Bitter Seas port of Baldoth to the small territory of Ulgarth, was moving through an area of Kalynd known as Wordan Pass when it encountered the mines. Several of the devices were suspected to be anti-vehicular explosives employed by the CDEM to limit movement of heavy vehicles, and detonated directly under the tomka rovers. The explosion instantly destroyed two of the vehicles and crippled another; personnel within the lead vehicles (all members of clan Gyroth, Cruark and Korwun as well as the asari wife of the caravan master and a human passenger) were instantly killed in the blast, with several others injured in subsequent detonations as they attempted to rescue survivors and flee the minefield.

The incident is being investigated by Archon Korwun Gant, a member the of local ruling clan Korwun to whom clan Gyroth and Cruark are both vassals.

“The route taken by the caravan has been travelled by other vehicles countless times over the years," said Archon Gant in a press release, "The idea that these mines have lain there all this time without being detonated is highly unlikely. We cannot ignore the fact that these devices may have been intentionally planted. When the CDEM left Tuchanka a large number of their weapons were left behind; any number of hostile factions could have appropriated a store of mines and laid them here. Whoever is responsible for this, rest assured we will find them and ensure they are brought to justice."

Others, however, are less convinced of the Archon's theories.

"This whole area is full of old CDEM countermeasures and everyone knows it," said Sorek Drekk, a local merchant, "Wordan Pass is safe if you know where you’re going; I believe the caravan master was in a rush, went off course and paid the price for it. It's a shame, but that's what happens when you forget to respect Tuchanka; thresher maws or land mines, this place will chew you up and spit you out if you don't keep your wits about you."

The investigation continues.

Who was the human passenger? Seriously, I'm interested in that part. The asari we got an explanation for - bonded to one of the krogan victims. Who's the human? Why is a lone human travelling with a bunch of krogan? Were they the target? If the Archon thinks these explosives were placed deliberately, and there hasn't been a declared clan feud or something, doesn't the human strike you as the interesting part? How many humans are on Tuchanka now?

I would be very surprised that someone killed 11 krogans to get to one human... And from what I heard many humans stayed on Tchuchanka after the war, some of them are on the board.

I concur; a lone human with nothing really noted about them is a bit suspicious, if they gave at least some minor details about the person it would be less suspect, but they haven't. I'd go as far as to say that perhaps the person in question might have been trying to escape from someone.

This is all speculation of course...

I think that maybe we're being a bit too consiracy theorist-y about a landmine explosion.

They're -all over the place- on Tuchanka.

You know, just take the most simple explanations and accept that. Mines are plentiful on Tuchanka. Convoy hits a minefield. OMG MUST BE A CONSPIRACY CUZ THEY SAID SUMTHIN 'BOUT A HUMAN PASSANGER

It is not wise to make assumptions about anything, better to speculate and sound paranoid than to just assume the simplest answer is true and close your mind to other possibilities. That line of thinking is typically how investigations are handled poorly, is it not?

For those uninitiated, and you can thank the Boss for how I know about this piece of trivia. The Kalynd Badlands is home to Clans Korwun and Vynchar, the top dogs in the region and both of whom share a pretty nasty blood feud that goes way back to the Rebellions.

My guess is, the caravan must have ran into a minefield that was probably laid by one or the other in a previous conflict some couple centuries ago.

There ain't a lot of humans on Tuchanka, or many aliens at all for that matter, but there's enough that these kind of stories aren't uncommon. Most of them don't have quite enough respect for what they're getting into.

Mines are all over the place. Some are so old that the chemicals have become inert. A lot of 'em are anti-vehicle mines like the one in this story, you can step on 'em and they won't go off. Sometime the pressure sensors don't work right and somebody will blow themselves up anyway. There's a lot of anti-personnel mines too, and IED's of a million varieties, along with who know how many other kinds of traps. And then there's the wildlife too.

As a scout, I've handled a lot of explosives. I've set bombs, disarmed traps, accidentally set things off. Nearly got killed a while back by a generator that had been rigged to explode once, took me weeks to regen properly. And about two years ago I had a trip mine go off in my face when I was trying to disarm it, luckily it was a small one and my shields and armor took the brunt of the damage.

You have to be able to tell when something isn't right. When something is different than it was a week ago. Most of the time you're jumping at shadows. Then you let your guard down and Tuchanka will eat you.

Damn, I never like seeing my clan name in the news in relation to something like this.

As Kage and Soruk have both said; Kalynd is full of old munitions planted by my clan, the Vynchar and the CDEM over the years. I wouldn't be surprised if the caravan just had the misfortune of running into an unmapped minefield.
Still, it seems odd that traders wouldn't know the safe routes; Baldoth to Ulgarth is a pretty well-travelled route.

In regards to the human; from what I've heard from home, quite a few of the non-krogans who were stranded on Tuchanka during the year of isolation have elected to stay there even after the relays were reopened. Guess they came to appreciate mother Tuchanuka's harsh beauty the way krogan do. Wouldn't be surprised if the human was one such individual.

Is it just me, or is the word choice of the headline a little unnecessarily provocative? When describing something like this, I'd that the "trade vehicles hit mines", not that they were "hit by mines". The latter has a more intentional connotation.


...Why am I nitpicking this?

Maybe this human was a representative with an offworld company that was supplying the goods? Perhaps looking to conduct business or something. We don't know what the cargo was, so it seems the most likely option.

Eleven krogan? Meh.

One human? WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS A CONSPIRACY.

Yeesh... There's a reason minefields should be marked... or better yet not used at all, but this is Tuchanka. There are more dangers than just land mines.


Loss of life here is sad, but I'm pretty sure it isn't a conspiracy.

I meant no offense.

And yet.

Aside from that, this is very unfortunate, but also not exactly unexpected. The amount of CDEM munitions down there from before the Reaper War does mean eventually someone was going to cut a corner they shouldn't have. What does surprise me though is that the clans haven't taken to more aggressively getting rid of all the minefields, warheads and so on they can. You'd think with the emphasis on clans working together now under the new leadership, cooperating on opening up clan borders from the danger areas (as much as one can on Tuchanka because of the fauna and flora) would be a productive and relationship-building outlet.

Some clans are, but you don't get rid of old grudges overnight.

Of course not. And I appreciate a clan-based hierarchy probably isn't going to speed up that reconciliation, but eventually, the practical factor's going to have to kick in. I'm just rather hoping they don't have to clamber over too many more bodies to get to that point.

A worthy sentiment, Lieutenant Harris, and one I share.

Many clans; my own included, are working to try and decomission the various devices scattered acros Tuchanka, especially in areas such as the new Shroud sites, the Kelphic Valley and near the Shrine of Kalros.

Unfortunately, as Soruk points out, many clans -even my own- continue to hold grudges against each other and are just as keen to leave some devices in place if they believe they might gain a tactical advantage from them.

I dispair of my people some times, but at least we're making some progress.