Dmitry took note of Finn's lack of conversation, sensing his attention focused elsewhere. He wasn't a stickler for manners like other superior officers; heck, Dmitry considered himself a rebel in that regard. All that mattered was that he knew how to follow orders and work with the group - a common problem among many hunters, one that Dmitry hoped the Org-Cathian wasn't privy to. The rest of his troops filed in with varying expressions of spirit, utter reluctance, curiosity, and sheepishness for arriving late. Dmitry welcomed them all the same. He returned salutes and gave nods. Soon, every seat along the War Room table was filled, and for a moment, Dmitry was silent until only the hum of the engines was heard. 

"Glad you all could make it." He began, standing up from his chair to address everyone in the room. "I hope you all have found the Aurora to your liking; if not, then you're in for a looong ride." Dmitry cleared his throat.

"I'll get right to the point. We carefully handpicked each and every one of you for this assignment. As of this moment, you're all hereby promoted into The Interceptor Unit. Congratulations." Dmitry grinned approvingly before moving on. "The missions we'll be doing aren't your typical run-of-the-mill tasks. Venastia is experiencing... a shift. We're not talking spikes of criminal activity here - something else entirely. Our investigators around the globe are reporting erratic energy signatures in several sectors. Of particular note are The Hivera Isles, which will be our first assignment." 

Dmitry stopped for a moment to let that sink in. "Now for those who are uninformed, or have never been, Hivera Isles is filled with Venastia's colorfully worst. Not only is it a hotbed for syndicate guild rings and airship pirates, but its the only unclaimed territory in Venastia. That means anything goes once when your boot hits their soil." 

"Now, not all of HIvera Isles is downright loathsome. There are many respectable Venastians doing their best to carry on with what they got over there. Many free thinkers like ourselves included." Dmitry shifted over to the manilla folder and grabbed a small circular disk from it. "This here is a recorded message from one of the Coalition's former outpost listeners at the Isles. I'll let her take over from here." 

He slipped the small disk onto a phonograph device mounted in the far corner. After placing the needle directly over the marked spot, he pressed play and moseyed back over to his seat. 

[b][i]"Scuttle fish. Scuttle fish. Tidings..."[/b][/i] Dmitry explained that this was code to keep her identity anonymous. She had a calm and soothing voice, but it was also declarative, and with purpose. [b][i]"Just after winter. The port harbor is different than before. The people here are less alert. I'm beginning to worry. I frequent the wharf and help fishermen with loading bait onto their ships. Many of them are expressing odd symptoms. It's almost as if their bodies are present, but their minds are not. Many of them are acting strangely. Response times to questions are a lot less reactive than usual...."[/b][/i] 

The small disk cackled in silence and Dmitry raised his hand to assure that there was more. 

[b][i]"Scuttle fish Scuttle fish. Dawn cloud."[/b][/i] This time her voice sounded more urgent. [b][i]"Visited the town physician for further investigation. His clinic is unusually full. Many are experiencing lack of sleep, ringing sounds in their ears, and minor headaches. I've conversed with a child, a middle-aged woman, and an older gent. All have expressed erratic hallucinations, but what is of note, is that they are all seeing the same phenomena at night: an emerald shade of light hovering in the sky like gem clouds. repeat! emerald shade of light hovering in the sky like gem clouds. Will retreat to former outpost and await further instructions. Please respond with urgency..."[/b][/i]

The cackling feedback from the phonograph eventually died off, leaving the room in silence. "This message was received at the nearest Kadesan outpost by pigeon carrier four days ago. That emerald light people are seeing? Reports are coming in from all over about the same thing. We've consulted with the counsel of The Eight, and they cannot determine the source, which is why we're all here. Our mission is to investigate the strange happenings at Hivera Isles and report our findings to HQ. Any questions?"