- African EDF

The first thing of note was the heat. Despite human technology designed to regulate the weather of the Earth, certain locations still remained relatively unchanged. Sometimes, this was because the technology required would be too intrusive on the location for it to be implemented efficiently, but for the most part it was because the affected areas were scattered patches of a region.

They were in the northern part of the continent, in the central region of Algos. There were three regions that comprised the northern part of the country. There was Eriyt on the East coast, with the capital found in the city of Asmara. The city was fairly small by human standards, with the city's boundaries beginning at the coast and expanding dozens of miles inland. The region of Algos was by far the largest, encompassing much of the North-West of the continent and parts of the central region as well. The capital, Algiers, was far to the North of the position of the mission, which was taking place much closer to the centre of the continent. The third region ran along the West coast. Its capital, Bamako, was a lot more inland than the others, and found itself without a sea port.

Now outside of the station, Gus was able to see the Blood Knights more clearly. Each of them shared similar attributes, such as dark hair, toned bodies, and tanned skin, like someone who was from the mediterranean.

They landed down just outside the dome of the place that the rally was to take place. It was like a window, clear and you were able to see through it, but you could clearly see that it was there. There were large components at intervals around the dome. They were solid and obscured the view of the other side, breaking up the overall feel of the dome. In a way, they reminded Gus of images of airlocks that he had seen.

Outside of the dome, where they currently were, the ground was made up of dust and there was very little vegetation. What there was, could be found gathered together in patches along the landscape. Underneath the dome, however, was far different. There were so many different shades of green in there, in one place, more that Gus had ever seen before in his life.

"You know," he muttered. "I never thought I would ever see something like this before." This was the reason he had made that promise to go out and see the stars, all those years ago. And to think that the sights he could only imagine in his dreams would be found on the very planet he was born on. Given the large scale of human space, finding things on your own planet of birth was not too exciting for most people. But for Gus, it was like he had stumbled upon a treasure that he had been searching for, with the search taking decades.

A vehicle approached them from the direction of the dome. Thanks to the piles of dust that the vehicle kicked up behind itself, it appeared to be firmly on the ground but, as it drew closer, it was clear that the vehicle was hovering just above the ground.

The vehicle stopped nearby, and a tall, muscular man with no hair on the top of his head stepped out of the front.

As he approached the group he spoke in a deep voice. "Who is the leader here?"

"I'm Mykolos, Leader of the Blood Knights squad," Mykolos said, stepping forward towards the man."

"Did I say you could approach me?" the man asked, his face twisting into an expression of annoyance.

"I'm Gus, Leader of the Apex Reapers," Gus said, remaining in place.

"What's wrong?" the man asked. "Too scared of me to step forward? Kids these days," he said with a sigh. "At least back each other up when one of you goes for something. Ah, what do I care for. Do what you want."

"Who are you, then?" Mykolos asked.

"Do not rush me, boy. I am in charge of this operation, not you. Is that clear?" he asked, in a threatening and demanding tone.

Sheepishly, Mykolos nodded.

"But, I probably should introduce myself. I am Commander Amiti of the African EDF. For this event, I am in charge of security, so you will answer directly to me."

Both the Apex Reapers and the Blood Knights were mostly assigned to the perimeter of the dome. It was their job, along with the people of the EDF, to screen any and all who were attending the event from outside of the dome.

There were some people who lived inside the dome. They mainly consisted of people who worked the farms that could be found in the dome. For them additional security had to be deployed to prevent anyone from getting anything dangerous into the rally from the residential area. Luckily for the members of the EDF, the residential area was separated from the actual farms, meaning that security would be easier to manage than if it was all intertwined.

Gus, however, was not found at either the dome's perimeter nor at the residential security perimeter. Instead, he was in the small headquarters found in the construct of the stage. Along with him, was Mykolos, along with the two he mentioned that were intel specialists. There was also a contingent of EDF officers inside, but Gus had expected them. It was their role to coordinate the undercover agents in the crowd, yet another security measure used to keep the rally safe.

As the day went on, and the morning grew older and older, people began to arrive at the location in their thousands. There was an odd vibe to the rally. Some people clearly wanted to be there, while others were obviously there only to sate their curiosity about what the Kneebenders would say. Some even seemed to relish the opportunity of conflict occurring in the rally, and Gus knew that they would be an issue to deal with.