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Of course, Aubrey had seen it too. Emery beamed; she knew she could always rely on him to be on top of fun things like this. She nodded as he voiced her thoughts, about the misleadingly boring day proving instead to be an interesting one. Sixteen years she'd been on Krukow and nothing like this had ever happened before. [color=#FFD2C3]"Great! I know exactly where to… go…"[/color] Emery drifted off when she spotted the rift hunters walking by, tilting her head curiously as they made their way to the town square. It wouldn't have seemed so strange—rift hunters came and went all the time—if it weren't for the way Aubrey watched them. The wariness that she glimpsed in his eyes made her believe she was about to hear some bad news.

A strange sense of foreboding racked her frame and she edged closer to the blonde unconsciously. Her hands clenched in apprehension and her fingernails dug into her palms. Aubrey was right. She had paid it no heed earlier, but other than him and Pansy, she had encountered no else out on the streets. Krukow was a small and peaceful town, but this was bordering on too quiet. There should have been some morning buzz, kids playing out the courtyards or peddlers badgering others with their wares. Anything but dead silence.

Aubrey stopping midsentence only exacerbated her worries. She wasn't one to immediately assume the worst, but when even Aubrey was stunned to silence, she knew what was in store could be nothing good. [color=#FFD2C3]"W-what is it?"[/color] Emery could feel her heart starting to race at the decidedly ominous atmosphere that settled upon them. Never could she have anticipated the day taking a turn like this. Hesitantly, she followed his line of sight, looking up and to the south, and all but felt her stomach drop when spied it. For the second time that day, Krukow would receive unexpected visitors. 

Only this time, it was an unwelcomed one.  

This ship was considerably smaller, and unlike the old freighter that barely managed to land, the sleek aircraft looked to be in perfect condition. Its faint buzzing sent a shiver down her spine, and the bold red insignia it brandished caused her heart to skip a beat. What on Aurelia was the Crucible Navy doing in their little town? Just the thought of the empire left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her sister had wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, and stories of the empire's brutality justified this abhorrence. Arden had warned her countless times to never get involved with them, and she had always been scared to find out what would happen to those who did. 

With shaky hands, Emery donned her goggles, swallowing nervously as she waited for the system to initialize. She fumbled her way on top of a low wall that fenced in a nearby shop for a better vantage point and braced herself for what she would discover. As expected, the ship had landed along the lake. Emery zoomed in as far as she could, zeroing on the ship's main entrance as it door slide open. A walkway extended to the right side of the ship, granting safe passage across the lake for the soldiers that marched out. She expected the line to break after the fifth soldier, but she was way off mark. On and on they marched, until several dozen had littered the edge of the lake. A Crucibellian army this size could only mean something horrible was about to happen.

Emery relayed the information unto Aubrey as best she could in her frantic state. [color=#FFD2C3]"Aubrey, there's a lot of them and they're coming. We have to run before they get us."[/color] She hopped off the wall carelessly, nearly crashing against him in the process, and started to tug at his arm. If they run for the northern forest, they might be able to seek refuge there. It was far enough from town, and they could stay there until Mayor Vladimir fixes everything like he always did.

But before she could even flee, a thought struck her and she gasped in horror. 

[color=#FFD2C3]"No, wait! We have to warn everyone else. Mr. Johnson's all by himself and—"[/color] Emery's eyes flicked down the street, to where Aubrey's house was, and the words died on her lips. And as if to punctuate the dread that overcame her, a gunshot echoed through the streets.