As the warm light of the sun washed over me, My eyes finally adjusted to the intense glare that had initially trickled through the emerging window. The open panes allowing a warm sea breeze to caress my face as the maroon sands of the outer ring filled my line of sight. The beach was evenly split into sections, each one decorated with the fractured remains of humanoid robotic structures. Some a body others just a head but they all shared two major similarities. The first being the deep azure crest that decorated at least one side of the massive hunks of metal. The image of a shield bearing the image of a long-tipped quill encased in a sword, the crest encircled by the words "Scienta sit potenia". The second being the everyday items scattered lazily around the mechanical monstrosities, Beach chairs, rifle ranges, and training machines scattered around the open spaces in each area. An amused sigh spilled from my lips accompanied by the steady rhythm of the pale green sea affectionately sending waves of foam crashing gently into the surf. Looks like the post to return all weapons to the Ursang went about as well as it possibly could considering who they asked. Retired or not asking a bunch of warriors to turn in their weapons was no different than asking them to castrate themselves on a warm Tuesday evening. The smirk still resting on my face as I stepped out of the open window into the gentle caress of the Island breeze. The warm wind rippling across the fabric of my coat as my dreads swayed gently behind my back the locks cascading behind me as I let gravity pull me downwards. For a second all there was in the world was the feeling of nothing at all: no weight, no thoughts, no expectations just me the breeze, and the ground. Then with a light hum, the lines running through the metallic appendages that made up my legs came to life, radiating a subtle magnetic field through the soles of my feet that pulled my body straight towards the walls of my abode. The speed of my descent slowing as I glided downwards, my feet tracing the steady curvature of my abode until I landed gently on the sand. My landing sending a light puff of sand up in the air around me. Futsec, I cursed, huffing out the bits of sand that managed to sneak into my nose before quickly glancing around to make sure there were no witnesses. Good, a grin spread across my face as I turned away from the massive head that made up my head, the eye that made up the window closing behind me. Welp time to get going, with a casual flick of my finger several of the tiny companions that made up the lower hems of my coat split off from their brethren. Tiny black streaks slithering down my legs before they bunched up underneath my feet. Forming miniature magnetic poles beneath my feet little black disks that caused my legs to hum as they hovered a few centimeters off the ground. A maniacal grin spread across my face as I settled into a classic runner's stance, the collar of my coat breaking off to form a set of dark goggles as the remaining material tightened together in a tight bomber jacket. Ready, set, go. As my legs pushed off against the disc the sand beneath me erupted as I blasted forward, the discs pushing and pulling beneath my feet as I sprinted across the sands weaving between the assorted homes of my fellow retirees as I shot towards the beach's edge an exhilarated yell tearing free from my lips as adrenaline pumped through my veins, pushing myself to go faster and faster until I was barely more than a blur zipping across the maroon expanse. The gentle hum of my legs, my only company as I struggled to keep my breathing even. Shit maybe last night's drinking session was a tad unnecessary. The thought quickly punctuated by the test of bile creeping up throat. Thankfully the walls of the city were in sight. A massive translucent dome encircling the second layer of the free city , the barrier separating the sand from the undoubtedly saintly occupants. As I approached the dome I began to focus on slowing my pace slowly shifting my disks together until they formed a mini black board forwards as I shifted from a dead sprint to a long skid. Skating smoothly above the surface of the sand as I drifted towards a soft green glow that shone from a distance. The shimmering green hue of the dome's section signaling the position of the current operating station that allowed entry into the city. As I let my momentum carry me forward I saw the two figures in charge of manning this side of the station waving towards me in the distance, their figures barely more than blurs in the distance. As the distance between us disappeared the smarmy smile of the two figures became clearer and clearer, their previously indecipherable hands waving at me shifting into what was obviously two middle fingers wagging cheerily in my direction. Oh fantastic it's these two pendejos.