Setting: Vacuo desert. It's late winter.
Characters: Sage “Cobalt” Thompson, Marc “Arc” Britz, Hal “Axe” Byrd, Brianna “Bronze” Thompson. (BMSH)
Objective: A situation is developing out in a desert village. A criminal organization has started clearing people from their homes and possibly enslaving some. Mission: Put a stop to the criminal group in the area and restore order.
Team BMSH is crossing the desert wastes in a modified jeep. It's in the afternoon, the sun burning bright and harshly. Wind has started to kick up to the west, and far behind the team a dust storm has started coming towards them. Hal and Marc are talking in the back seat, while Brianna listens to music, polishing her gladius. Sage is operating the vehicle, monitoring the storm behind them.
Sage: Nudges his wife Hey.
Brianna: Pulls out an ear bud Yeah?
Sage: You see that storm?
Brianna: Looks behind What about it?
Sage: I can't tell how far away it is, but it's coming towards us.
Brianna: Do you think it'll interfere with the mission?
Sage: Probably. Worst case, we'll take shelter in the jeep over night.
Brianna: Best?
Sage: It misses us and we don't worry about it.
Brianna: Well, it might hit late, so any recon shouldn't be interfered with.
Sage: That reminds me. Sage slides open a divider separating the front seats from the back seats Marc, did you remember to grab the drone?
Marc: Yeah, yeah. It's right in the back here. Reaches over the seat and plucks out a rotor, the rest hidden by the seat.
Sage: Good. You guys see that storm too? Points at the back window
Hal: Yeah, we were just talkin’ about it. Doesn't look good.
Marc: Thought it might interrupt our mission.
Sage: Any estimates, Arc?
Marc: We'll probably be at the village soon, so if it goes into the night, that's when the storm should hit.
Sage: I was thinking before dusk.
Marc: Look, it's not an exact science. I'm an engineer, not a meteorologist.
Sage: Yeah, yeah, I know that.
The rest of the ride is rather quiet, interlaced with old stories and reminders of missions long passed. After an hour the squad reached a dune high in the air, overlooking the village. The stars a faintly visible on the eastern horizon. The sandstorm looms ever closer. Sage sets up on the edge of the dune, examining the village through the scope of his heavy rifle. Marc sets up the drone, clearing any dust from it and resting it on a custom made stand. Hal and Brianna stand on the west side of the dune, talking.
Sage: I'm seeing at least ten people of the west perimeter, as well as a few in the town. I've got three points of entry, and there might be a fortified base near the eastern side. Over.
Marc: Copy that. Sage, whenever you're ready, you can take control of the drone.
Brianna: Do we have more barbecue chips?
Sage: Not if you ate them all.
Sage stands up, brushing the dust off himself. He stows his gun in the back of the jeep and picks up the drone. It a large, quad rotor drone. It's spray painted sand brown on top, and sky blue on it's bottom. A camera has been affixed to the undercarriage, and it has 180 degree viewing capabilities. Sage focuses in on the drone, engaging his semblance to will the drone to life. The rotors begin to twirl and the camera moves about. It flies out of his hand and into the air. Though the drone has a reduced range, it's a lot more difficult to track the origins of a semblance than a radio wave.
Sage: Moving to mark targets. Keep me covered.
Marc: Got it. I want that drone back in one piece this time.
Though the drone doesn't move far from the dune, it's camera is top of the line, able to identify humanoid targets, as well as a high powered zoom function to scope in on distant visuals. After about ten minutes, Sage is satisfied with the recon results and returns the drone. Sage lands it on the stand and disconnects from it.
Marc: How many did you mark?
Sage: It's not a large presence here. Maybe thirty.
Hal: Ha! Not bad.
Sage: Certainly not the worst, but I guarantee that's not all of them.
Marc: Definitely. I'd estimate there's at least a hundred more criminals hidden in that town, if not more.
Sage: Marc, do we have any information on this town? I took a closer look at that base, and it's got the works.
Marc: Negative. Might be a recent addition.
Brianna: Hey, Sage! That storm is getting pretty close.
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