Snippet #2706352

From the northern border of the settlement, one could see small clouds of dust kicking up from behind the wavy dunes. A convoy of armored Humvees and open-air jeeps led the dust trail, Haven's temporary settlement well within its path. The remote guns mounted on the armored vehicles were turned away as a sign that they weren't looking for trouble, though attacking a mobile fortress armed with fifty cannons would be suicide regardless.

Under the shade of one of the tents, a circle of officers playing cards exchanged glances with each other as a sentry reported the movement in the distance. They messily pulled their jackets on and parted from their stations, trekking up one of the higher dunes and flagging the unfamiliar vehicles down with wide hand gestures.

In front of the convoy, the passenger side of the leading Humvee opened up and a uniformed man stepped out to greet them. From the look of his wear, he didn't appear to be affiliated with any organization - just a simple desert camouflage outfit, probably handed down or borrowed from some old military equipment storage.

Briefly adjusting his glasses, he rubbed his gloved hands together as he began to speak: "Good afternoon! Black Fang, right? We've actually arrived from one of our outposts further up north, but due to some. . . unforeseen circumstances, as it were, we are now mobilizing to head south."

"South?" one of Haven's officer's repeated, scratching the back of her head. "If that's the case, you might want to take the long way around. We're expecting MASS arrivals in several hours, I suggest that you take your crew and head southwest."

With a look of mild surprise, the other man nodded. "Really? Well, many thanks for the advice. I thought I'd give some fair warning myself - the wind is really starting to pick up there, so there may be a bit of a sandstorm coming your way. I don't know if the conditions will be too dangerous, but if you've got MASS to contend with, visibility might become something of an issue, I imagine."

"Oh, that's just great," the woman sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, thanks for the heads up. We might have to board everyone earlier than expected just in case. See you around and stay safe out there."

"Likewise." With a casual salute, the man returned to his vehicle and once more the revving of engines could be heard. As they started to make their way past the settlement, the officer dropped a call to Haven's base.

"This is Officer Lane to command, we've just had contact with a non-hostile armored convoy at the northern border. Seems like they were only passing through, but word has it that we should expect heavy winds to start blowing this way. Not sure if there's going to be a sandstorm like he suggested, but I thought I'd let you know in case you'd like to make preparations."

-

Somewhere in the distance, grains of sand began to slowly roll down their dunes.