[color=lime]"Goddamn... piece of shit... hunk of metal..."[/color] Various curse words were grumbled up and down the large freighter. The massive, outdated ship had crash landed on the outskirts of a clearing, sliding into the trees. The dirt on the ground was turned over, the resulting trench indicating the direction and distance it went from the initial landing, and there were dozens of trees flattened underneath the hull. The ship wasn't even on its landing pads and rested at a slight angle. While the underside was visibly scratched, the majority of the damage appeared as if it had been there for a lot longer than a few minutes. The green-haired captain was pacing up and down the top deck of the freighter, paying no mind to the not-so-horizontal floor she walked upon. [color=lime]"And of course it had to be in the middle of nowhere. Stupid rails. Damn things are solar and still manage to fail."[/color] As she continued cursing to herself up and down the ship, one of the doors to the top deck opened and revealed the intimidating first mate. [color=darkorange]"Aura generator is shot too,"[/color] he updated her, earning a shout of frustration in return. Before she could begin swearing again, the first mate spoke up again. [color=darkorange]"This island isn't uninhabited. Perhaps we can get assistance from the locals."[/color] The young woman thought about it for a moment, though there weren't very many options to begin with. [color=lime]"Alright, alright. Take Varren and go find someone that can fix the Aura generator. We can worry about the solar rails when we get to somewhere more advanced. The generator [I]should[/I] get us to Kuiper. Though with my luck we'll all just die in the middle of the ocean..."[/color] Ignoring the captain's pessimism, the first mate turned back towards the open door. [color=darkorange]"Varren! Top deck!"[/color] He turned to face the captain again as he waited for the guard to arrive. [color=darkorange]"You need to stop taking your anger out on the ship, Summer. Maybe we should invest in updating it rather than maintaining it. I have to admit... she's seen better days..."[/color] The captain, Summer, didn't take kindly to his suggestion. [color=lime]"If we had the money to get the job done right, I would've had it done already. So shut your trap, Weston. I'll throw you overboard."[/color] A smile formed on Weston's face as he walked towards the edge of the deck, looking out into the clearing. [color=darkorange]"Yeah, yeah. I know you will..."[/color] Some of his hair fell down over his good eye, prompting him to brush it aside. [color=darkorange]"I'll leave my swords here. Communities like this are usually older and wouldn't appreciate some outsider walking around armed."[/color] By now Varren would've made it to the top deck. [color=darkorange]"Alright, we're going to the town south of here and seeing if we can get some mechanical assistance."[/color] Hardly waiting for the soldier-like guard to agree to the objective, the first mate casually jumped over the edge of the deck and landed gracefully among the fallen trees several meters below. [color=darkorange]"Let's get a move on."[/color] --- Aubrey hardly made it down the street before he heard someone running up to him. By the time he turned to see who it was, Emery had already tripped and slid most of the way, causing Aubrey to take a few seconds to look down and notice her at his feet. She was always clumsy, to the point of being funny, but she was his friend so he usually didn't bring it up. Usually. [color=yellow]"Nice distance on that one,"[/color] he joked light-heartedly. It seemed that she noticed the freighter from earlier. A grin formed on his face. [color=yellow]"Yeah, I saw it. I was at the lake when it flew by. Thought it was going to crash into the town for a moment."[/color] Aubrey lifted his sunglasses up and rested them on the top of his head. [color=yellow]"I was just going to go check it out myself. I just got back to town a bit ago. Today's already an interesting day."[/color] Behind the two more Maximus rift hunters walked by, toward the town square. Aubrey looked over his shoulder briefly and watched them as they went. [color=yellow]"Something seems fishy though, Em,"[/color] Aubrey said, his grin vanishing. [color=yellow]"The town got real quiet after that ship flew over. I haven't seen anyone out and about but you and the Rift Hunters... I think we should check that out f-..."[/color] Aubrey looked past Emery into the sky toward the south, stopping mid-sentence as a sleek, white ship flew low over the island. --- The new ship was much quieter than the freighter and vastly smaller, though it was clearly large enough for long-distance travel. It appeared almost like a flying knife, having no top deck and a single solar rail across the top that went down the entire length. Most notably, however, was the paint job. Fresh and slick, it was mostly white with the exception of the red insignia near the bow on both sides. The insignia of the Crucible Navy. The ship flew low over the town, only emitting a faint humming noise. It halted above the lake before descending and hovering only a few feet off the ground. A door opened along the side of the ship and a walkway stretched down over the water and met the edge of the lake perfectly, creating a dry path for the line of soldiers that began marching out. After several dozen filed out, they all formed ranks in three lines along the lakeside path. Two officers stepped out of the ship, one being short and bald while the other was of average height but with an incredibly muscular build and a scar over his right eye. [color=teal]"Secure the town,"[/color] the short officer, the highest ranking, instructed casually. The soldiers began marching forward, holding their automatic rifles close to their chest with discipline. The two officers walked between the three lines, keeping themselves in the middle. The lines on the right and left diverted as they reached the town, splitting up to start searching homes. The middle line and the officers continued into the town square, stopping in surprise. A crowd of Rift Hunters had already gathered and a pile of weapons was already formed in the center of the square. A sly grin formed on the short officer's face. [color=teal]"Excellent. They know what is best for them..."[/color] The same old man from before, Vladmir, stepped out of the crowd and stood before the two officers. [color=olivedrab]"My name is Vladmir Maximus, the mayor of this town,"[/color] he greeted, giving a polite bow. The short officer chuckled in amusement. [color=teal]"You are for now. My name is Captain Storm. This is Lieutenant Armstrong. You seem to have been expecting us. That will make this much quicker and far less painful..."[/color]