Upon entering the city, it became evident how things had spiraled out of control. Smoke filled the air, and the distant sound of breaking glass and angry shouts reverberated through the narrow streets. Up ahead, we traverse around a building being set ablaze by a mob of rioters but not before having a Molotov thrown at our vehicle. It explodes into a ball of fire that causes the Shard next to me to jolt away in surprise.
"Some Rambell hospitality," A cheeky Sentinel across from him cheers. "We do hope you enjoy the warm welcoming!"
"Yes well... it's very inviting... I'll say that." He clears his throat.
He goes by Flash and he's a 2nd. Lieutenant in the Company. He has light skin, short brown hair, and inherits Nova Union's unique purple eyes. I'm not particularly close with him but he's a good friend of Frost so I occasionally bump into him here and there. We're... pals... I guess.
"Долбаные дикари. Я отрежу им орехи за осквернение моего родного города." A sentinel across from me curses while gazing out the window.
"What did he say?" Alice nudges my arm.
"You don't want to know..."
"You're lame..." She pouts at me before sinking back into her seat.
<
<> Macy states, <
<
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She goes on to explain the conditions on the meetup. The place where all this will be taking place will be at a shipyard just on the outskirts of the city. Once we near the location, the rest of the convoy will split off from us as apparently S would only allow four vehicles to enter into the shipyard. After that, it's only a matter of staring down the opposite side until Macy gets done getting all the information she can get.
<
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After the sergeant Nik relays the same to his sentinels, the Vics trailing behind us soon begin to turn off on to other roads until only four remain. The streets are now dead silent, with only the roar of our engines filling the void. The riots are all but behind us now, but I can't help but feel a sense of uneasiness driving through the nearly pitch-black streets.
"Know anything about these lights being out?" Alice asks to one of the Sentinels.
"Oh that? A power grid was bombed last week." he explains, "Repair efforts have been delayed due to ongoing insurgent activity in the area. Just another reason why these insurrectionists need to be dealt with swiftly.” His voice carries an edge of irritation as he finishes.
“He’s not happy, is he?” she whispers, leaning closer to my ear.
"Would you be, if you saw your home burning around you?” I reply.
“Well… I mean, yeah, I guess. But aren’t you from Rambell too? You don’t seem that bothered to me."
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“That was a long time ago,” I say, pausing for a moment. “Besides, I barely remember the time I spent here as a kid— and the parts I do remember, I’d rather forget."
A few moments later, the docks come into view, their floodlights apparently still glowing brightly and illuminating surrounding area. We soon reach the gate that Macy mentioned about and come to a halt as two armed guards approach the first vehicle. They exchange words with each other before eventually motioning to another person in a guard post to open the gate. We enter and after navigating through stacked containers and machinery, we finally make it to where the FDOS Caporegime is waiting for us.
"Everyone, dismount." Macy orders.
Stepping out, I take a moment to scan the area around me. Several more guards stand nearby, their watchful eyes fixed on us, while other FDOS personnel hustle to load crates and supplies into the backs of trucks. Thinking back now, I recall seeing several of these very same trucks pass us on our way here. Most likely on their way to supply the very people we are pursuing.
"Apologies for the inconvenient location," a sudden voice says, drawing my attention. I turn toward the source to see a man standing there, dressed in a pristine white suit. I'm taken aback though when I look up to their face to see that it's partially obscured by a skull mask. "But as you can see, I am on a tight schedule. This won't be an issue though, will it?"
"Not at all," Macy replies as she and the Sentinel captain approach S to introduce themselves. Once again, the captain remains silent, a detail that also doesn’t seem to bother S. Has not speaking become a normalized thing now?
"We'll be sure not to take up much of your time, Mr. S," Macy concludes.
"Much appreciated." He flashes a warm smile, before motioning toward a neatly arranged table behind him. "Shall we get started?"
I watch as Macy exchanges a brief glance with Frost before she and the captain step forward, taking their seats across from the Caporegime. As S settles in, two more men appear from behind—one on a phone and the other carrying a laptop. Another part of the deal Macy mentioned was the exchange of currency between both parties.
Whenever Macy would ask a question, a text message would be sent to someone behind a desk back in Atlis. After that, the appropriate funds would be sent directly into S's account. This would continue until she got all the necessary information she needed. She also mentioned that there was 'limit' on said currency that could be exchanged but never specified how much. Based on what I've been told; however, she didn't have that many questions she could ask.
After almost an hour of going back and forth with each other, I've been able to eavesdrop Macy's conversation with S.
In summary, S described how The Feds came to FDOS first during the first few weeks of the newly appointed leader, asking for supplies and armaments. At first, they wanted nothing to do with the insurrectionists and their movement. The investment was just not worth it considering The Federation's goal seemed unplausible and would just end in failure. There was also the threat that Rambell would severely cut back on their deals with FDOS and also increase the tariffs on their exports had they landed aid to the Feds. However, three weeks later from their first interaction, a new person was sent by the Federation which brought up the same requests from before, but with a new offer on the table.
The Federation at this point had gained more followers along with more provinces that supported their cause. They had also become too big for Rambell keep its authority within the revolting area. This plays into the next part, which was that in exchange for weapons, The Federation was willing to house FDOS assets within its provinces and grant them tax immunity and no fees on exports and imports. As anyone could guess, they took the deal and have supplied the Feds with countless amounts of weapons, vehicles, and anything else money can buy.
The main piece of intel that Macy was really looking for was the mentioning of the person who came up to them the second time. Apparently, he is an officer within The Federation and has made numerous exchanges with S since then. After a little more pushing, Macy managed to get a location of interest where the officer has been staying which isn't too far away from the city.
Probably could've started with that question first Macy...
"I think that'll do for now, Mr. S," Macy states as she gets up from her seat. "I truly thank you for your cooperation and hope you'll continue to aid us in this crisis.”
“No worries, Shards. We are friends here are we not?” He says before extending his hand to shake Macy’s. “But… let me ask you one thing.”
Macy tilts her head but let’s him proceed with the question.
"Is this crisis not justified in the eyes of you? These people have been oppressed for a long time and have finally snapped, isn’t that something you’re familiar with as well, Shard?”
For a moment Macy stays quiet with an unchanging expression on her face before abruptly pulling away her hand and turning to face away from him.
“Stay out of trouble, Mr. S. Goodbye.” She finishes saying before ordering us to enter our vehicles again.
When we're in the Vic, we remain silent until we're out the gate where a Macy is first to break the silence.
"I’m not going lie, I may have gone over the budget Atlis gave me. Whoops.” She rubs the back of her neck.
"Who cares, it’s not our money,” Frost adds, “Let’s just hope that intel of his proves to be useful.”
As we regroup with the rest of the convoy, we start our journey out of the city and towards the Federation hideout S gave us. But not before some of the shards take it upon themselves to create a betting pool on whether or not the intel was good or not...
FDOS which may or may not be used in a new story in the making~
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