Operation Rushing Water, Expedition Phase - Day One
Current Day - Near Sabusan Village, Hameh Emirate
As the sun rose above the silent plains of Sta’ir, a line of four vehicles would drive through the village of Sabusan and park at the Greater Sabusan Nature Reserve station just outside of the village proper. The vehicles were all Landsurfer Model 7’s, usually used for expeditionary purposes. As the vehicles parked and their occupants exited, a man walked out of the station. His name was Taahir al-Zakaria, head of the Natural Conservation Committee. Taahir had been tasked to organize a group to go and establish a control zone in the southwest of what was known as the We’Buwo Horde. This mission was put on high priority as more and more news about the atrocities being committed by Tepror against the We’Buwo was being reported. The mission was to create an area in which the Bugs could be safe from annihilation, and to communicate with some of the Bugs to see if they would be willing to spread the word regarding this new area, to hopefully help save as many as possible.
Taahir walked down the steps to greet the arriving group. “Welcome, welcome. I am sure you have all been made aware of why you are here today, yes?”
One of the group members, a woman named Farha al-Farooq, who smiled and shook Taahir’s hand. “Yes, we are here for the We’Buwo expedition.”
“Let’s get started then, shall we?” He would say before calling the rest of the group members over. They would hastily make their way to and stand around Taahir. He would then continue. “Alright, now before we get started, let’s get everything sorted out, starting with our route.” He would pull out a rather large map and unroll it onto one of the Landsurfer’s hoods. “Okay, so, we are going to be leaving the GSNR and heading north, crossing the border into We’Buwo territory. Next-” He draws a line up to a stream north of the Sta’ir-We’Buwo border. “We will make our way here. This stream already marks a portion of our northern border to the west, and will make an easy border to continue. Our job is to survey this area for Bug populations, and if there are any bogies in the area. Our intelligence has affirmed there are none, but that it would be wise to check in person.”
“If they were going to send a scouting group to try and find foreign military personnel, why didn’t they send, you know, military personnel to deal with them?” Another member of the group asked, getting nods of agreement from some of the others.
“That is because we are not engaging with them. If we were to find any bogies, which, of course, we won't, we would take measures to avoid them, yet we will still have to report them to HQ.” This answer got a nod from the asker, who asked no further questions. “While surveying the area, this is where our main priority comes in: contacting a We’Buwo tribe. We need to find one, and talk to them in order to inform them of the plans to make a safe We’Buwo area. We will also have to get them to pass on the word to others, hopefully getting more to migrate to the area for their safety.” He would continue marking out the route as he spoke, and when he was done, he would take a step back for others to see. The full route would have the group go north to the stream, then east towards Tepror’s military occupation, then back west, taking a more southern route back to cover unsurveyed land, then their journey would end in Sohina, a town in the Zarwah Emirate. “Any questions?”
Everyone seemed content with the plan, and so everyone loaded back up into the vehicles as Taahir rolled his map back up. Taahir would tune into the radio that communicated through all the vehicles, and he would speak. “Oh, and one more thing, everyone. Absolutely no weapons are to be brought with us. They will spook the Bugs and end our chances at communication. So if you have anything at all, hide them well.”
Farha spoke from another vehicle. “You got it boss.” All of the vehicles pulled out of the parking area of the station and would make their way north, through the empty steppe. It was around midday now, and it was clear skies. The convoy made its way through the open expanses and rolling hills. A few members of the group were standing or leaning out of their vehicles with binoculars, scouting for anything at all.
This continued for the rest of the day, until it became dusk. The group would then stop their vehicles, and get out to set up camp. Taahir would get out and stretch. “What an uneventful first day, huh?” Many others agreed with him. “Alright, let’s get these tents up.” He and the group would pitch their tents and then get in to go to sleep. The night was just as peaceful as the day
