The blaze of the airport's lights was a stunning aura against the background of the black night sky. General Ben Shin looks up, scanning the blackness,...it was strange feeling to see so few stars. He was told that light and industrial pollution in the large nations was the cause of this.
He was in his formal wear, a western style military uniform of a grayish blue. His neatly combed black hair glim with a silky shine, a result of his recent purchase of imported "shampoo". On his belt, a sidearm holster slung on his right. Inside, it carried a small compact crossbow pistol, the common arm of the State Police. He was offer a firearm pistol by the Master Armorer back in Anyia before he left, but he declined it. Ben Shin has complete trust in his crossbow pistol, even if it did seem a bit old-fashion in modern eyes...
It was the newest model in fact, a PCA-880 straight from the Arsenal Arms Factory in Guandao, one of only twenty prototypes that have been release for use. It was a master piece of craftsmanship, a pairing of traditional design and modern technology, a duraluminum body with foldable titanium prows. Ten centimeter long steel cased lead bolts fed from a magazine on the bottom, with the clip size of ten bolts. Fully-drawn, it was rated at 20 pounds, and it was reloaded by a simple pull on a bolt on the back. It was the size of a large pistol, weighting at 690 grams fully loaded. While lacking in power, it was accurate enough for a good aim at an assailants face from twenty yards off. For a bonus, a special mechanism fully assembles and loads the PAC-880 as it is drawn out of its holster.
Ben Shin did not had time to check on the local law regarding personal weapons and he was reluctant to be unarmed in unfamiliar territory. The State's decision to send him as the conference representative was split second, they called him just this morning as he was shaving. Two hours later, he was at Anyia Rail Complex with his suitcase and a stack of papers hastily handed to him by a government official. During the train ride to Badana, he read the five page briefing report that was his only source of instruction. Such was the psyche of those serving the State, taught to analyze and assess instructions at a moment's haste, and complete the mission on time and on par.
It began to rain, just as a black limousine pull up beside him. He nodded at his airport security escort. In the background, the buzz of highway traffic faded into the drumming of the rain...
