The trip to Columbia was not, by any stretch of the imagination, the most comfortable one that one could imagine. Oh, it could certainly have been worse--simply walking the entire way was an option that was on the table, but far from preferable when time was of the essence. At the same time, it would have been hard to make the trip by air. Instead, the entire journey had been done by far more conventional land-based transport. This was where it got uncomfortable.

After all, their captain simply wouldn't fit inside any conventional vehicles. Even if she managed to squeeze herself into the seat well enough, there was no escaping the required headroom to fit antlers. Or extra horizontal space, those things spread out. The only solution, as a result, had been to use a pickup with enough seating for everyone else in the back... and have Wisteria camp out in the bed like a piece of cargo, along with all the actual equipment they were bringing. Terribly unsafe, if you weren't the type to walk out of an accident with mostly bruises.

It did mean that the ride, at least for her, had been plenty uncomfortable--and everyone else had been forced to take turns driving and crammed in a small metal box for the entire journey. Still, at least they were nearly there, the plates of a mobile city coming up over the horizon.

"Here we are, Béziers," the wendigo said, leaning against the cab and the open sunroof to make sure that the others could hear her, "One of the few mobile cities in Columbia that owes its existence to Gaul rather than Victoria.

"We've had a branch office here for over a year, but recently all communication cut off. Not so much as a call for help, or something sent through the Catastrophe Messengers. It could be corporate espionage that took a turn for the worse, or some sort of local disturbance, or maybe they sold out to one of the local conglomerates. Whatever the case, we're here to find out what happened, try to stop any of our technology from spreading too much, and assist with any local troubles that have been cutting off communication--in that order. Any questions before we get there?"

@VitaVitaAR@Operator Luna@Spin The Wheel

A rough journey, wasn't it?

There was no denying that the travel to Béziers wasn't a pleasant experience. But at the same time, there was no point in complaining about it. There was no reason to raise her voice about the cramped conditions, the shifting, bumpy route they were taking. Regardless of how uncomfortable it made her personally, none of it mattered.

Because it was their duty. They were here with a purpose.

And Flare was bound to her purpose. Unshakably so.

And as such, determining the fate of the Branch Office was chief in her mind. Any personal discomfort could be easily ignored. Were the personnel in danger, they would be rescued. This goal was in mind without any doubt in herself. She would pursue it to the end.

If they had sold out to a local conglomerate...

Disloyalty like that was unacceptable. She would pursue the capture of the traitorous personnel to the fullest.

Flare was often considered harsh and uncompromising, but in her mind this was the only way. Those who were disloyal and betrayed the trust of others earned nothing less than the fate of a traitor. To the Draco, there was no other way that one could be conducted. She couldn't accept traitors.

But hopefully, that was not the matter they would be dealing with here in Columbia. Hopefully, they would be sorting out whatever had cut off communications, be it sabotage or some sort of attack. Hopefully, they were on a rescue mission at worst.

"Were there any disturbances prior to the loss of communications?" asked Flare, when Wisteria prompted the operators, "Even if it doesn't appear obvious, there's a chance that even the smallest disturbance could be tied to the current situation."

@Raineh Daze

Marcellus said nothing, though it wasn't because he had nothing to say. Should he complain about their long and uncomfortable ride here? No, they had been informed that it would be like this before the mission had started. And he was no stranger to uncomfortable transport anyway. Should he ask about the city they would be entering, and its unique place in history and current events? No, he had researched it on his own beforehand, although the information he gleaned had been mostly superficial. It would be easy to figure out once they entered, anyway. Should he ask about the enemies they would face, and what measures they would need to take? Perhaps. But there some things he could glean through the things they brought with them. He didn't feel the need to bring up any of this. And besides, he didn't want to lose focus while driving.

Marcellus sat straight and tall, hands on the steering wheel, doing his best to skirt around the larger obstacles. He had gained and utilised skills over the course of his career, and driving had never been one of his strong points. In spite of this, despite looking focused and on edge, he was quite relaxed as he scanned his surroundings. He observed the massive construct of a city as they drove towards it, the shadows of the buildings stretching a looming shadow over their vehicle. It was the site of their next investigation. A loss of communication could mean many things, from a simple equipment failure to total annihilation. But if Rhodes Island had expected simple equipment failures then they would have sent a repair team. Perhaps the unit had been sent as a scouting force, but Marcellus didn't think so. His teammates weren't green recruits or fragile scouts, they were true warriors. His years of experience was telling him that trouble was brewing...

The grimacing, gray haired angel suddenly loosened up and shrugged his shoulders. There was no need to be so tense now. No point in jumping at shadows, no reason to cry wolf. He didn't know the team very well but he was sure they were ready to handle any situation they came across. And if they weren't, well, there would probably be time to worry about that later.

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_{Road to Columbia - @Raineh Daze @VitaVitaAR @Spin The Wheel}

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Monarch quietly hummed to herself, although it wasn't as quiet as the silence that loomed over everyone. They were all serious and intense, only Monarch was busy knitting, a large ball of yarn sat in her feet space, and a large scarf in the works, sprawled out along the backseats. It was one of her limited pleasures she'd enjoy during her lifetime. She could've finished it in under an hour, given her experience, but she wanted to savour the time and feeling she was putting into it. "It's almost done, captain." Monarch smiled, thinking about whether it would also look good on her antlers, like a decoration. Maybe not. It might slow her down. She made a mental note to find lighter material, if there was any.

Glancing up to see what the windshield saw, Monarch could make out a city outline. A nomadic city. Their destination. "It's a pretty large settlement, dear captain." Monarch noted. "By now, all of our technology might be in the wrong hands. What should we do?" This elite team was only a team in name. In all honestly, every member could go out on their own and handle situations that would take a normal squad to deal with. They weren't ready for that though, they were 'fresh' so to speak. Their coordination and conduct would be put to the test here, and it relied on building bonds between the operators. Not much of a challenge to Monarch. She was used to making new friends, and she felt that this squad was for the ages.

"There was no sign of anything wrong in the last message we received... which, of course, is part of the problem," Wisteria said, sighing, "Everything went from perfectly normal to radio silence without warning. There was a catastrophe in the area, but the city avoided it without any problem. The delays in communication that caused may have obscured whatever we could find out."

The sarkaz drummed her fingers idly on the vehicle's roof, thinking over Monarch's question. "If they've managed to duplicate it, there's not much we can do; wholesale destruction would be pushing our luck too far. If it's only stolen samples, then we can simply take or destroy whatever we find."

"I hope the same catastrophe that might have ruined our news has kept anyone from getting out of the city with any parcels already. Finding that out should probably be our first goal."

@VitaVitaAR@Operator Luna@Spin The Wheel

As their vehicle drew closer and closer towards the city, Marcellus listened quietly. He started to frown as a certain thought bubbled up to the surface. It had been on his mind at the start of their journey, but he'd managed to forget it until now. Or maybe the bumpy ride between then and now had knocked it out. He decided to speak, raising his voice a little to counter the roar of the truck's engine.
"Hey, have we been cleared to enter the city?"

He was sure that Columbia would want to know if a heavily armed group was entering one of their cities, regardless of how small the group was. Considering the recent calamity that had struck this particular city, they would probably be more on edge. He was sure that Rhodes Island had informed them, but given the previous state of their communications with the branch office, he couldn't say for sure.

@Raineh Daze

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_{Road to Columbia - @Raineh Daze @VitaVitaAR @Spin The Wheel}

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Monarch stopped knitting temporarily to process the issue that Marcellus raised. "Have we? I mean-" she began to counter, threading her yarn around the needle. "We just need to get in, hm?" Monarch subtly smiled. She took her needle through the top loop, wrapping the woolly material around, creating her knot. "There should be a hidden checkpoint. All nations have them. Columbia is no different, rather I feel like running through the front gate, is letting whoever kicked our comms down paint a large target on our backs." she mused. "Although targeting a small company is quite overkill, I believe." Monarch lightly joked. They, in no way, from a small company, and R.I. is an organisation to be feared, however given their political stance, they'd be stepping on toes by entering Columbia, whether legally or illegally.