[A/T] Acro-Imperial Territory

[Lord Magtok]

Caravan

Claude shows up just a tad late, with a large bundle of "supplies" being hefted along by his horse, Ol' Witless. There's enough concentrated alcohol to put an entire colony of elephants into a coma in that bundle, but to Claude? It's just a few day's rations, a week or two's supply of drink, at most.

Reportin' for duty.

[Moff Chumley]

Caravan

Chumley is present, her crowbar augmented by a jerry-rigged, patchwork rifle. It looks like it'd explode in her face the second she pulled the trigger, but she carries it as if she's used it plenty. "Is this gonna be okay?"

[Ohmyani]

[Caravan]

John walks up, wearing the same gear as two days ago. It seems obvious that he doesn't own a spare set of clothes... and also that he doesn't seem to care. He idly checks the clearance of his scabbard and loiters around, helping out occasionally while he waits for his services to actually be required.

He walks up to the other people waiting around with gear.
"Name's John. Nice to meet you." He sticks out his hand.

[ApeofLight]

[Caravan]

A rugged man with salt and pepper hair starts to clap his hands and holler at people. " Oi oi! We need to get going before it's to late! " Hmm, sounds like he's the NPC that is head of the settlers caravan.

[happyturtle]

Caravan

Parents start gathering up and counting their children. Barlin is walking down the line of wagons investigating the horses one last time.

When she sees the caravan guards, she suggests they send one of their number to scout ahead. "We're not likely to face trouble in the Empire's territory, but you never know."

[Lord Magtok]

Caravan

Claude nods, kicks his spurs into the sides of his horse, and sets off. Guess that means he's volunteering.

[Moff Chumley]

Caravan

Chumley looks awkward for a moment, then trots over to the first wagon, and takes a seat at the front. If allowed by NPCs, of course.

[Ohmyani]

[Caravan]

John hears the caravan master calling for the start of the journey and heads out to a caravan somewhere along the middle, with a wave of farewell, meaning to continue this later. He asks the NPC's on that caravan if he could ride up in the front.

[ApeofLight]

[Caravan]

Chumley gets a side glance from the NPC driving the wagon she just hopped onto. " Umm, shouldn't you be, like, watching out for trouble and be ready to leap at it in a moments notice. "

John will be told to go help protect wherever danger seems likely to be coming from.

[happyturtle]

Caravan

And after about a day's travel, the caravan leaves Acro-Imperial territory and enters the dangerous and scary Outside thread.

[Darkcomet]

[Scrapyard]

The scrapyard is...there, and presumably has been for a while offscreen. Given that suggestions of the use of something like that have come up multiple times, I figured it was a useful addition.

Who knows, maybe it'll give this thread more use?

Probably not.

Either way, the Scrapyard is now described in the OP of this thread.

[Earl of Purple]

Scrapyard

Two seven-foot long millipede-like creatures have arrived. They are black, and the head is held three feet off the ground, giving them many pairs of very short arms, used to hold pens, notebooks, cameras, dictaphones, and devices to measure background levels of different types of radiation, including magical, radioactive, light and others. Accompanying them are ten humanoid skeletons powered by clockwork devices built into their ribcages. "Greetings. I am the Sub-Assistant of the Head Assistant of the Curator of Nexus-Originating Technology from the Bronze Pyramid, and this is the Head Assistant of the Sub-Curator of Local History (Nexus Department)'s Semi-Curator's Apprentice's Assistant, also of the Bronze Pyramid. We are here to peruse your wares."

[Darkcomet]

[Scrapyard]

The two Imperial Army guards at the gate are Lights (as described in my sig link, as always), and though they're a bit bewildered at their odd new customers, they'll open the gate for the Encyclopedes (at least I think that's what those are).

Available scrap is in the OP, of course.

[Earl of Purple]

Scrapyard

These are, indeed, Encyclopedes. The speak identically, because they aren't quite individuals. It's probably very confusing. They will buy one of each of the decommissioned vehicles, choosing the ones in best condition. The weapons and aircraft parts don't interest them too much.

The Encyclopedes pay with gold ingots, and lots of them. All of the ingots are real gold, with no non-gold elements in them.

[Darkcomet]

[Scrapyard]

The Encyclopedes are now the proud owners of several decommissioned Imperial vehicles. The vehicles have had their weapons disabled and armor stripped, and where more applicable, tech has been stripped from them as well.

This means that attempting to actually use the hovertank, gunship, and walker will likely be met with frequent breakdowns in the first and last cases, and the engines on the gunship are likely much louder than they used to be. And still unreliable.

The APC, being less advanced and thus more intact, is somewhat less of a deathtrap.

[Earl of Purple]

Scrapyard

That is somewhat annoying; they were hoping for more technology for study. Regardless, the vehicles will probably be OK in an exhibit, next to the other objects collected from the Nexus. Not that there's much, I keep forgetting to bring them out to scavenge after apocalypses/battles/etc. Still, there's some stuff they've received in it.

[Darkcomet]

Much later...

[Mountain Base]

The Sanctuary is landing at its construction site, trailed by the Supremacy, which stays in flight around the base, as if protecting it...

Something interesting must be going on...or maybe Supremacy is just sticking around because it operates better with Sanctuary's support.

(See sig for what exactly those are, of course.)

[Darkcomet]

Much later, again...

[Mountain Base]

Sanctuary and Supremacy once again depart, whatever the former's purpose here was, completed.

[Roads leading to Riverside]

Those roads that lead outside the Empire and later to the City of Riverside find patrols placed on them intensified, with regular patrols by IA EvTV-1 IFVs and even some IA-borrowed ISF speeders.

Water routes leading near Riverside even have Imperial Navy patrol boats placed on them, quite possibly including the titular river, assuming it exists and runs through Imperial territory.

[Gullara]

[Roads leading to Riverside]

Old Freddie has been living the good life. He's had a lot of success as a merchant, and the trade route he's had going between Riverside and Inside has been particularly lucrative.

Today was a typical trip from Riverside to Inside as far as he knew. His wagon out front was leading another ten wagons behind him. They're all filled to the brim with popular goods. No one messed with Old Freddie's caravan either. He has the best guards money can by.

One might note that the wagons aren't what you'd expect. They are armoured with steel and each one has a machine gun mounted to the top of it. The wagons aren't drawn by horses either, but instead by mean looking robotic oxen. Yep, no one messed with Old Freddie.

The caravan proceeds down the road at a leisurely pace, unaware that today wasn't going to be the best day to be a merchant.

[Darkcomet]

((...I was hoping for a response in Riverside, not what's going to turn out to be a freakin' military battle here. ))

[Gullara]

((No no, you misunderstand. Basically this guy is an influential merchant. He was just supposed to find his route blocked then turn around and put pressure on the vampires. I thought I had put it in a way that made it clear that this was a regular day for him and he knows nothing about the embargo. Sorry about the misunderstanding.))

[Darkcomet]

((Okay then. The emphasis on the heavy defenses just gave the wrong impression. >.>))

Freddie's caravan will find its path blocked by a pair of Imperial Army IFVs, backed up by a pair of gunships in the air above them. Apparently the armed caravan was spotted and the Imperials waited for it.

Wonder how Freddie's going to react to that roadblock at first...

[Gullara]

((No problem, rereading it I can see what you mean.))

Freddie raises his hand once they near the roadblock. The caravan grinds to a halt. He hops out of the wagon. He's about 46 years old, has thinning and greying hair, heavy but not overly so, and finely dressed.

He and one guard approach the roadblock. He waits for someone to present them self to talk to.

Neither he nor his guard have unslung their weapon. I imagine the caravan has encountered Imperial patrols in the past.

[Darkcomet]

[Roads leading to Riverside]

An IA Light pops out of the top hatch of one of the IFVs. "Haven't you heard? Command's cut off trade with Riverside thanks to the damn vamps there. I'm afraid you'll have to turn around."

[Gullara]

[Roads leading to Riverside]

Freddie stands there stunned for a moment before replying, "All trade?" Bad enough if that was all it was. It's made a thousand times worse by the debts he owes the mob.

"Turn it around." he mutters.

"Boss?" the guard asks.

"I said turn the damn caravan around!" the merchant shouts in the guard's face. Said guard nods and heads back to the caravan.

Freddie turns back to the IA Light, "Thank you for the information, sir." his tone and expression are of a man expecting to be wearing cement shoes by the end of the week. He very well could be at that.

He turns and walks back to the caravan without another word.

[Darkcomet]

[Fluxed Excavation Site]

A peculiar structure has suddenly appeared at a point within the borders of the Empire, fairly close to the town of Dawnsville.

It appears to be rather small on the outside, resembling nothing more than an oversized, dull gray tunnel entrance. However, as tunnels often do, it leads underground, to a much more expansive complex.

Anyone who's been around for longer than a few minutes probably knows there's some secret somewhere in that place.

It doesn't take long for the local government in Dawnsville to authorize reconnaissance of the Nexus-dragged site, but as is overwhelmingly cliched, the recon/excavation team never came back.

How uncreative of me.

It also doesn't take long for word to spread, and one man in particular finds the news a bit unnerving. He can't tell why-it all seems fairly standard for mysterious ruins, on the surface at least.

But he can't shake the feeling that this one in particular has something wrong with it. Something closer to home for him.

Guess I'll just have to look into this myself...

((Not quite open for investigation yet.))

[Darkcomet]

[Approaching the Excavation Site]

Trent will have gathered the party onto his ship and launched by now. They'll probably be seated behind him in the cockpit area, seats set against the walls.

Best not to bug the pilot.

They'll arrive eventually. Presumably after everyone posts for confirmation that they're, y'know, there!

Or maybe there's some small talk going on, I don't know.

[Rebonack]

Leslie is totally here!

She has tried to put herself in a position as far away from Kirk as possible. Mostly because she thinks the guy is a creep and would rather avoid having him breath down her neck for the whole duration of the flight.

That would be terrible.

The crusader sits in stoic silence for the most part, arms folded across her armored chest. It should be noted that nothing about her armor suggests that she's female. The breast plate isn't at all literal as it is in some of the more silly female fantasy armor.

Boob bumps would channel blows right toward the middle of the chest. A breastplate is supposed to be curved so attacks are deflected outward. Otherwise a strong thrust from a spear can still be lethal.

[Gullara]

[Approaching the Excavation Site]

Kirk is here, and no he never tried to sit by Leslie. He is being amused by her avoiding him though.

Kirk lounges in his seat. I don't think he's ever sat another way.

[Lord Magtok]

Approaching the Excavation Site

Mr. Sirtch, however, has yet to notice any sort of feelings of revulsion from Leslie, and thinks nothing of sitting next to her on the ride to the site. Religious folk always fascinated him, for some reason. Understanding so little about the way the world beyond them works, yet still treating their extraordinary and fantastic belief systems about the unknown like solid fact, sometimes to a dangerous fault. He's not sure if he'd actually believe in such thing himself, if he'd instead been born as just another lowly mortal.