Arknights: Starsfall I

Chapter 19

"Well folks of... where is this being sent?"

"City of Lungmen, sir." He seemed to have raised an eyebrow at Ms. Sawyer's answer

"Ah," he coughs and looks back at the camera, something tells Exusiai that he found the name a LITTLE funny, "Well Residents of Lungmen, what you are looking at is the M1A3 Main Battle Tank." Exusiai wondered if the engineers, corporations, and technicians are going into a frenzy looking at the thing up close. He walks up to it and touches an exposed side of the Desert tan. "It has a 120mm Main gun, multiple pods and attachable areas for Automated Machine Gun turrets, if you guys know what a Machine gun is."

A little insulted, Exusiai points at her SMG, tapping it, "Oh, right, sorry.. wait..." he was about to ask her something but shakes his head. "Anyways, the thing has tracks, one of the loudest engines up CLOSE, and it is heavily armored." He knocks on it, just to emphasis it.

He almost ate shit as he almost fell into a ditch that the tank with ease rolled over, demonstrating its power as a tracked armored vehicle. Garfield chuckles slightly and so does Exusiai and a few other operators watching. "Ahaha... anyways, this beauty was created by a company called General Dynamics. And it was probably made in... I don't know, probably some factory line in Detroit."

Ms. Sawyer was about to ask him a few more questions about the vehicle, when the sound of 3 rumbling noises up ahead was heard. Jessica scurried and hid, causing Dobermann to let out an exasperated sigh. Exusiai noticed that the man with the banner of crosses and inward lines looked calm and excited. The sound began to approach faster.

On the road, 3 small vehicles, With their own turrets began to approach, "Scimitars, coming in!" Exusiai looked ahead, now seeing what was causing the rumbling. She couldn't help but 'aw' at the sight.

Compared to the Abrams, these Scimitars look like toy cars.

Actually, she looked at it more, Damn, that thing is small. She silently bet that some of the male operators back at the Mobile Base is taller than it. Soon, they began to reach a point where there was massive chain fences and a sky blue flag with white stripes and a circular emblem. 2 guards, she presumed, stood at an entrance, at which Garfield showed them some ID and spoke to them. She didn't hear what he said, looking to Texas she heads over to her and questioned, "Did you hear what he said?"

Shaking her head, Texas stuck another pocky in her mouth, "I did, but most of it was phonic gibberish that I wouldn't be able to understand." Sighing Exusiai just smiles and patted Texas on the back. She might not know what they said or exchanged but it certainly can't be hostile.

They've been showing good hospitality despite them kinda... cuffing and arresting one of theirs.

What's not to trust?

"Go." Said a guard to her. Another guard with a tray handed back her weapons and any other metallic objects she was supposed to take off. Exusiai holstered her Vector, and waited patiently with Ch'en, Texas, and Croissant for the other. Of course, they got through with the least amount of fuss.

The others, not so much.

Exusiai giggled at the sight of Lappland complaining that she has to put her weapons down in order to pass through. "Ma'am, don't be so hard, you'll get them back as soon as this check is done!"

"And how do I know that, huh?" Lappland retorted. The guard and Lappland continued to argue for quite a long time. Eventually the guard just gave up and let her in. As Lappland strides over to them, Exusiai watched as he goes and takes his flask out and began to aggressively chug it.

Changing her gaze and rolling her eyes in amusement, Exusiai looks over at Jessica, who has a much more gentler guard handling her and Dobermann. She couldn't help but smile as the guard rubbed her on the head and gave her pistol back.

Took about 10 minutes, but now everybody is back in formation, walking over to a main building, passing by several guards and several other personnel. Much of the group just stared and watched as life went on in this facility. However, as they passed by what was labeled as a "Motor pool," Croissant came up to Exusiai and whisper-shouted, pointing at one of the vehicles. "Hey... that's the vehicle we saw in your footage!" Exusiai looked at where she was pointing and her eyes widened. Sure enough, lo' and behold, that big vehicle was there, sitting proudly with its gun up.

Exusiai wanted to ask about it, but not now, the group was reaching a big main building. This massive building was surrounded by poles waving flags of all sorts, all unique and all flying freely. ...hang on some of them look similar. Outside of it, several people can be seen standing, arms crossed, they all were dressed in much nicer, more official looking uniforms. Probably their leadership, or commanders...

"So, these the folks we're gonna talk with?" One of them began, in a heavy Victorian accent. He had his arms crossed, bearing the flag of a Red Cross and inward pointers. Next to him, seemed to be guards of the same faction, however one of them was wearing a more than ominous skull mask and sunglasses. Jessica felt unnerved and hid behind Dobermann.

Garfield nods at him as he gave a salute. The man chuckling and waving him off, "Good work, Garfield, we'll take it from here." He looks at them all as he nods at somebody behind him, who promptly opens the door.

Exusiai looks at the bearded man who began to usher them in, one by one. She was somewhere in the middle as she stepped in. Slowly walking into the building, Texas and Lappland were first to enter, but they were unnerved looking off down some hallway. Lappland had a little bit of enthusiasm. Texas had to hold her back as they followed the man. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Up until they reached a large waiting area, where he stops in front of a door, "I'm going to need the highest ranking in here, no cameras please until we say so." He crossed his arms nad looked at them, "Come on, we need somebody of a high rank to speak to, its important," and with that Dobermann and Ch'en stood, both of them stoic and ready for what might be a war on words.

As the 2 walked in, the Man looks at her and the rest of the Operators, "You folks can sit around here, there's a dispenser for food and there's some books. Go do as you like." And with that, he closed the door, joined by his guards. As the door closed, the other operators relaxed, as Exusiai goes and sits by the dispenser, setting her weapon down on a coffee table.

"Well, we got one time to burn now," Lappland commented as she sits down next to Texas, who was munching on her Pocky. Everybody else that came with them just settling in, now talking excitedly about the fact that they are in a strange building with a few operator now making and cracking jokes and starting conversation.

Exusiai lets out a long sigh as she goes to the dispenser and was about to press a few buttons, when all of a sudden, a little Lupo girl went running by, holding a tube. She wasn't about to think much of it, until somebody, 2 people in just about the same color scheme and design began to run after her. The little kid stuck her tongue out, but she was stopped from behind, by what seems like a medic. Exusiai looked at one of them, who seemed to have his helmet and goggles on. That one managed to hold on to the Lupo now after the Medic stopped her.

The 2 men were sighing, "Thank you so much Jessie," one of them muttered, taking the tube away from the girl. The girl, 'Jessie', let out a small laugh as she pats him on the shoulder, "You're welcome Dunn." And with that, 'Dunn' and 'Jessie' began to leave, as the little Lupo girl was held in one of them's arms, "Come on, lets get you back to the roo-". He stops, catching her staring, he was now staring back at her.

Exusiai nervously waved at him, as he blinked at her, "Eh he... Hi?'

[ For the record, the tube was an M72 LAW ]