Alexandria Take Over

Tax Enforcing Duty
Dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and strong winds blew in the opposite direction. "Activate the paddle system!", yelled a seasoned marine to his comrades. The Marine Battleship was nearing its destination, but a sudden change in weather was making the short distance left a bit of a hassle. Luckily enough, the ship was one of the models that included a paddle-wheel system, as the Captain was not one to tolerate his prey escaping, so he accounts for almost any inconvenience on their path. The crew was very disciplined and determined to arrive to the island before the storm formed fully. "Come on! Is that the best you got? Do you want to disappoint the Captain!? Get this ship moving!" yelled Asta Leia, covering her eyes from the raging winds and rain. -"Aye! Let's do it for the Commander!", yelled the rest of the Marine crew, while they hurled the sails and worked the paddle-wheels.

Shirao Kurt ran inside to the Captain's quarters, "Captain Wung, we will arrive shortly. I already messaged the guards at the docks through Den-den mushi. We are right on time sir."Wung Kin gazed at Shirao over the document folders he was reading, closed the documents, and put them on his desk. He looked like he had something on his mind. "Is something the matter, sir?"

"Tell me Shirao, do you believe in omens?". The young Lieutenant looked confused, he didn't know what to say. He's always caught of guard by the Captain's unusual questions. "Umm...not that much sir. You believe the change of weather is a bad omen?"

"Oh no, not that." said Wung as he began to tap the table with this left hand. At that moment, Shirao noticed the Captain had a bandage on three of his fingers, which he did not have earlier in the morning. "You see, when you get at the age I'm at, you'll realize that, maybe, there are mysterious forces at work, and that there are no such things as coincidences." Shirao nodded, as usual, he had trouble coming up with something to say to his superior. "In any case, Shirao, get your weapons, and remember, always be on your guard", said Wung as he got up from his chair, grabbed his sword and walked outside with Shirao right behind him.

The strong winds had suddenly ceased, but the rainfall got even heavier. Wung Kin stepped off the ship, his menacing presence striking fear to the island's guards, accompanied by his two Lieutenants right behind him. "Right this way Captain Wung. We have orders to escort you directly to the city's main plaza." Wung Kin had been selected to aid Alexandria's military in their Tax Recollection process. Once in a while, the nation's citizens were forced to travel to the Capital and attend the main plaza where they pay their debts to the Government. However, the citizens had been hard to control for the last couple of months. Violent uprisings all across the island had prompted their government leaders to ask for assistance to the World Government.

Just thirty minutes before the recollection process was said to start, Wung and his Marines arrived at the plaza. It was immensely crowded, and Kin already played on his mind the different violent scenarios that could happen in such a crowded place. Wung walked to the leaders of the military, who were standing at the top of the steps of the Presidential building, and after exchanging some words, he directed himself to his Lt. Commander. "Leia, I want you to spread out our forces in strategic points. Right after we arrived, the crowd began to act restless. Prepare for anything." He then directed himself to Shirao, who was acting a bit restless himself. "Shirao! you are a Marine officer, act like one!" "Sir!" "You know I don't tolerate failure, so pull yourself together. Gather some of our snipers, and follow Leia's orders, she'll be in charge of positioning you. Any strange move, and you contact me through Den-den mushi. Did I make myself clear?" "Yes Captain!" responded Shirao nervously.

The young Lieutenant went on his way, and Wung stood firmly from atop the stairs, where he had a clear view of the plaza. The main plaza was just a couple of meters away from the Presidential building. A handful of soldiers were stationed there in case of an emergency, while the rest were outside the gates that surrounded the building. He directed himself again to the military leaders, asking for the megaphone Den-den mushi. "Citizens of Alexandria, this is Captain Wung of the Marines speaking. I ask for your cooperation during this process, and everything will be done peacefully. Any attempt to not follow the orders given to you, and you will be labeled as a criminal, and we do NOT tolerate criminals. This will be your only warning." He put down the speaker, and stood firmly once again, watching as the crowd murmured amongst themselves.

Finally, the sound of the cathedral bells marked the appointed hour. It was 12pm, and the rain poured down heavier than before.