The Aurigan Republic

Chapter 7

After a full day of surveillance, AG got a good idea of the town layout. To make himself comfortable and better concealed, he had taken off his black body armor. While the cool breeze was refreshing and the less weight aided his mobility, he was also aware of how vulnerable he was without his armor. If a gunfight should ensue, there was nothing stopping the bullets from maiming or killing him outright. The armor at least gave him a fighting chance. With stealth being a higher priority, AG couldn't afford to attract the wrong attention given that even his body armor couldn't help him with those odds.

Before the first light came from the star, AG explored the wilderness around the town until he found tall bushes. The location was close enough for him to make up the town features but far enough from the main roads and paths. He spent the next hour or so cutting openings in the bushes so he could observe the town. The bushes also shielded him from the heat, which was an added bonus. Lacking supplies, dehydration was a real threat and AG was thankful for the bushes. He had to make a move the upcoming night before he grew too weak. What he observed gave him hope for his chances of survival.

The town had a few tall structures where children and teenagers went. He could only assume those were schools and therefore not his target due to them not being a great storage space for supplies he needed. There were many homes scattered on the outskirts along with buildings for stores and small businesses. Those could be good targets if he was willing to head deeper into unknown territory. What got his attention was the silos the farmers used to store their harvest. The silos were closer to the fields, away from most of the houses. By approaching the silos from a certain direction, the silos themselves can shield him from anyone who might be looking in his direction. Even something basic like dry grain could be a valuable food source given the current conditions.

The easy accessibility and relatively low risk made the silos his first priority. With his plan made, he found a secluded place with plenty of cover and laid down for his nap. Hunger and thirst were slowly weakening him, but the thought of food and water gave him hope. He soon allowed sleep to take over and, after a lengthy dreamless nap, he woke up in complete darkness. His eyes took awhile to adjust to the darkness due to the clouds above blocking out all sources of light. Once AG got his bearings, he headed towards the silo. There was not a sound to be heard and there were fewer lights on this time. A few lights were seen at the silos but they seemed more like street lights than lights within a building.

Despite what seemed like an uneventful night, he kept low and went from cover to cover. He hadn't seen any dogs during the daytime but he wasn't taking any chances. After a long trek, he arrived at the first of many silos. From a distance, he couldn't make out the other structures next to the silos. With limited light and standing next to the silos, he could make out a bunch of small buildings and approached them hesitantly. He tried the doors and noticed none of them were locked. After a few doors, he found a building with exactly what he needed. The building appeared as a kitchen with a fridge and stove. There was a big table with chairs neatly tucked underneath it. Even the plates and everything else were placed in their respective cupboards.

Holding his breath, AG opened the fridge. He was expecting a mostly empty one but, to his surprise, it was very well stocked. The items inside shared the similarity of lacking brand labels on them. Their packaging was a sign that these were all produced locally, which ensured their quality and freshness. A part of him wanted to stuff his face until he could satisfy his hunger and thirst. Luckily, the more logical part of his brain took control, allowing him to analyze the situation. If he could make his theft more subtle, then he could get away without anyone suspecting a thing. That would provide him with more time to plan out how he would get to his destination without running like a fugitive.

The next hour was spent going through the contents to see what packages were opened. He needed to eat from those packages because no one would keep a close tab on how much was left. There was some food AG knew nothing of, but the taste was enough to make him a fan. As tempting as it was for an alcoholic drink, he chose ordinary water from a filtering tap. As soon as he had his fill while still avoiding it being too obvious, he cleaned up himself and left it the way he remembered. Under the cover of darkness, he returned to his hiding spot. A full stomach ensured that sleep would come quickly.

The next couple of days saw AG nailing down a routine. During the day, he would remain hidden while observing incoming and outgoing traffic. The vehicles could give him valuable information on where the major roads were. During the night, he forced himself to go with rationed meals to better adjust for when he left the town. He ate enough to keep him going while also filling up containers for his trip to the Claso. The aluminum containers were obtained from one of the warehouses by the silo. There were plenty of them in a box and AG took one every other day, making their disappearances unnoticed by the locals.

The overall preparations took nearly a month, but his confidence grew regarding his trip to the small city. The month provided him with ample time to gather the information he needed to reach the city. Once there, he would need to come up with a different plan. AG learned early on in his mercenary career that one took a step at a time. It was never a bad idea to plan ahead, but one could only respond to the immediate matters and there was no future if one botched the present. This was why, despite making so much progress, he proceeded with caution each day. He assumed there was a chance he would be discovered when he made his trip to the kitchen. The closer he was to finishing his preparations, the more he must fight against complacency.

The month of preparation went by faster than he expected. AG was feeling a bit sad to say goodbye to the town he slowly grew attached to. Observing the townspeople made him realize what he had missed due to war. The connections between people and a peaceful existence in a place with no sign of death and suffering made only possible by war. He didn't doubt that the locals had their own struggles and problems. However, war tended to amplify what one experienced and the town, being free from that sort of suffering, was quite enticing for a wanderer like him. As he packed the containers into a small bag, he heard something that made him drop to his stomach. His brain hadn't registered the sound, but his training and instinct told him to get down.