Snippet #2481194

A temporary wooden stage sat in the middle of Asteria City. Red velvet was smoothed over and stapled to the panels while banners of red, black, and gold draped from the rafters. One banner hung from the center with the words "Vote for Ereb" and "You have my guarantee" printed across it. Crowds of people gathered beneath the stage. Many dressed in cheap white t-shirts painted with various political messages while others carried homemade signs that echoed the large center banner.

There was an eruption of photography flashes and cheering as a figure emerged from backstage. He was an older man clad in an exquisite midnight blue tailored suit that was adorned with onyx cufflinks while a deep purple necktie tucked neatly beneath the collar of a snow white buttoned-down shirt and suit jacket. White hair receded from his forehead and flowed downward in a sharply trimmed and groomed beard. Aged wrinkles marked his face as intelligent, observant, and lively blue eyes scanned the crowd.

"Good afternoon, Asteria City!" Gabriel Ereb said into his headset microphone as he waved at the crowd.

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Meanwhile, Shadow-Sabre and Verhasst stood on opposite sides of the stage. The two cyborgs stood at attention with rigid soldierly discipline. Their bodies were wrapped in black mesh that defined chiseled and compact muscles. Metallic helmets clung to their heads, complete with breathing masks. Several compartments along with sheathed combat knives and pistols were attached to their waists. Large Ereb Blast Rifles were gripped tightly in their hands. Shadow-Sabre supplemented his blaster with a katana that was sheathed snugly on his back. Observant and alert eyes scanned the area through dark visors.

"Initiate environment security scan." Shadow-Sabre called out on their secure channel.

Several other Alpha Troopers dotted the area, hidden in advanced cloaking. Their network of sensors weeded through the area, tagging every person with varying degrees of threat levels. Paia, the artificial super-intelligence that administrated their data, scanned for weapons, abnormal or aggressive body language, and anything that may prove a threat to Mr. Ereb and the local civilians.

<< Environment scan complete. No immediate threats detected. Stay frosty. >>

"Spasibo, Paia." Verhasst replied. "Stay sharp, comrades. As my mama always said... Hope for ze best an' prepare for ze worst."