Trying to depart from the normal "talky" type of snippets. Examines how NightMarshal got to The Wedding and explores a little more of the world in general. Any problems can be easily edited away.
Travel Arrangements
The problem with getting from Rogue Isles to Paragon City was the sheer logistical nightmare it involved that often it was a fruitless exercise unless it was truly warranted. Sure, there were /easy/ methods available, most notably the various crossing points at Pocket D, Vanguard, and so forth, but those were monitored. Everyone knew who was crossing what zone, were and when. And everyone branded them as morally suspect for doing so. If you were genuinely wanted to do it (cross from one city to the other) properly and trying to stay undercover the process was most difficult and rather elaborate.
Still, several times a year, NightMarshal found himself making the trek off Rouge Isles to Rhode Isle and Paragon City. (The similarity in the pronunciation of the isles by some speakers was a never-ending source of amusement for him - it was as if they were deliberately mixing one for the other.) It just so happened that this time he was obligated to make the trip a week earlier then normal and do the whole process slightly faster then usual 2 weeks it normally took him.
The reason for NightMarshal's trip was very simple: it was to maintain a corporate persona and to fly the flag at various offices of the Kraft Industries Group around the world. The office in Paragon City was merely the latest in office to be opened around the world. They had branches across 4 continents and 10 countries and a numerous offices in America not to mention the ones scattered across Europe and Asia.
The hassle and subterfuge was due to basically Politics and he preferred to live in Rogue Isle. (Oh the joys of teleworking! How stress relieving it was to be able to blow stuff up in the middle of mind numbing committee meetings!) None of this would be necessary if he lived elsewhere, but where's the fun in that? Working along side Victor is what got him the job in the first place.
Also the task would have been simpler if the two Isles weren't effectively at Cold War footing with regards to each other, but that just made life more interesting. And as Victor put it once: War is Good for Business. (He then launched into a string of rhetoric about backroom deals keeping UN interference out and maintaining the status quo... in the end NightMarshal started tuning him out.) Of course, the global Rikti invasion tossed a lot of metaphoric mud and dust into the air, and provided many opportunities, in every sense of the word. And now that there is yet another entire dimension gunning for this world, things were stepping up a pace. The round table discussions that went on at times, and the contracts and proposals that passed through his hands, even before he tossed in his own two cents worth... he shuddered at times in recollection.
Regardless of the political makeup of the world, the entire process of getting from Rouge Isles to Rhode Island was rather involved. First there was a container boat ride out of Sharkshead, an ID change, another boat ride to Florida, using yet another ID to toss away. Then it was traveling overland leaving several false trails for anyone following using a lookalike, before finally driving over the bridge in New York with his final ID and all his disguises running and catching the ferry to Rhode Isle.
Every time he did this trip he got a chance to see the ongoing devastation and rebuilding cycles that was happening around America. Those in Paragon City tended to think locally and think that it only happened to them, but the Rikti invasion was a Global event, with Global effects and ramifications. Zombie attacks, were also world wide, just less frequent outside the big cities. Victor let slip once that he knew why and the method to trigger an attack but refused to be drawn.
Alongside the devastation from the various attacks, and the various impacts of weather and natural phenomena, you would have the re-construction work going apace by various companies, of which Kraft Industries was but one. Sure, others liked to help out, say Arachnos, Crey and Wyvern, (plus a few others that weren't worth mentioning) but unlike them wherever possible Kraft Industries liked to help local and regional industries, supplies and expertise before shipping in outside contractors. Of course this may not be the most cost effective, but it supported local communities and generated good will.
And he since he was higher up the corporate ladder, and involved in a 'stakeholder company' he was able to write most of his travel expenses off as an 'inspection tour' since he moved through area were Kraft Industries were active. The exact dynamics and legal loopholes and financial gymnastics /that/ invovled was best left to the brains down in Finance Department, which was what they were being paid for after all.
Each time he crossed the city limits of Paragon City he had to grin to himself: NightMarshal, who wore *always* this full body armor and had this /thing/ with metal was this big bad wanted criminal with arrest warrants out in several states including one on the federal level (at least according to the computer). On the other hand, Daniel de Groves, Head of Engineering and Deputy CEO of Kraft Industries (America), was an inch shorter and basically a nobody in the grand scheme of things - a mild mannered individual who was almost a 'flat-liner'. They did some low level heroics in their day with some gadgets and thus had an out of town license, but had since retired and had taken up corporate life. Danny de Groves and NightMarshal most definitely were not the same person, they didn't have the same accent! At least that's that the computer said - and the computer record is never wrong.
Once he berthed in Paragon City itself and made his way into the city and had a look around, he saw that nothing much had changed since the last time he was here. Finally someone in City Hall had fixed the tram system and judging by the foot traffic, Wentworths were doing a roaring trade which would make their partners happy. The air still had that certain tang to it and the drivers still were just as crazy as ever. It would be oh-so-easy to reach out and flip the cars or at least push them into the correct lane but he dare not. The Daniel identity didn't have that ability (it would have raised too many flags) and it took all his control to clamp down on powers. If he did reach out and push something he'd burn out the penshaped dampener he was carrying, and it wasn't as if he could quickly replace it.
Having successfully navigated Paragon City Daniel entered Kraft Industries Offices in Steel Canyon and started his 'preliminary inspection' (picking up the parcel sent on early) and arranging accommodation for his stay. There was a few brief tense moments when the Chief of Security, one Jelidan muttered about about some sword not liking him, but a reminder that they were employing her and not her sword set her straight. And he even turned the tables on her when he told her that as Chief of Security she'd be his escort for the functions he'd attend while in town. The look on her face was almost worth all the hassles.
Travel Arrangements
The problem with getting from Rogue Isles to Paragon City was the sheer logistical nightmare it involved that often it was a fruitless exercise unless it was truly warranted. Sure, there were /easy/ methods available, most notably the various crossing points at Pocket D, Vanguard, and so forth, but those were monitored. Everyone knew who was crossing what zone, were and when. And everyone branded them as morally suspect for doing so. If you were genuinely wanted to do it (cross from one city to the other) properly and trying to stay undercover the process was most difficult and rather elaborate.
Still, several times a year, NightMarshal found himself making the trek off Rouge Isles to Rhode Isle and Paragon City. (The similarity in the pronunciation of the isles by some speakers was a never-ending source of amusement for him - it was as if they were deliberately mixing one for the other.) It just so happened that this time he was obligated to make the trip a week earlier then normal and do the whole process slightly faster then usual 2 weeks it normally took him.
The reason for NightMarshal's trip was very simple: it was to maintain a corporate persona and to fly the flag at various offices of the Kraft Industries Group around the world. The office in Paragon City was merely the latest in office to be opened around the world. They had branches across 4 continents and 10 countries and a numerous offices in America not to mention the ones scattered across Europe and Asia.
The hassle and subterfuge was due to basically Politics and he preferred to live in Rogue Isle. (Oh the joys of teleworking! How stress relieving it was to be able to blow stuff up in the middle of mind numbing committee meetings!) None of this would be necessary if he lived elsewhere, but where's the fun in that? Working along side Victor is what got him the job in the first place.
Also the task would have been simpler if the two Isles weren't effectively at Cold War footing with regards to each other, but that just made life more interesting. And as Victor put it once: War is Good for Business. (He then launched into a string of rhetoric about backroom deals keeping UN interference out and maintaining the status quo... in the end NightMarshal started tuning him out.) Of course, the global Rikti invasion tossed a lot of metaphoric mud and dust into the air, and provided many opportunities, in every sense of the word. And now that there is yet another entire dimension gunning for this world, things were stepping up a pace. The round table discussions that went on at times, and the contracts and proposals that passed through his hands, even before he tossed in his own two cents worth... he shuddered at times in recollection.
Regardless of the political makeup of the world, the entire process of getting from Rouge Isles to Rhode Island was rather involved. First there was a container boat ride out of Sharkshead, an ID change, another boat ride to Florida, using yet another ID to toss away. Then it was traveling overland leaving several false trails for anyone following using a lookalike, before finally driving over the bridge in New York with his final ID and all his disguises running and catching the ferry to Rhode Isle.
Every time he did this trip he got a chance to see the ongoing devastation and rebuilding cycles that was happening around America. Those in Paragon City tended to think locally and think that it only happened to them, but the Rikti invasion was a Global event, with Global effects and ramifications. Zombie attacks, were also world wide, just less frequent outside the big cities. Victor let slip once that he knew why and the method to trigger an attack but refused to be drawn.
Alongside the devastation from the various attacks, and the various impacts of weather and natural phenomena, you would have the re-construction work going apace by various companies, of which Kraft Industries was but one. Sure, others liked to help out, say Arachnos, Crey and Wyvern, (plus a few others that weren't worth mentioning) but unlike them wherever possible Kraft Industries liked to help local and regional industries, supplies and expertise before shipping in outside contractors. Of course this may not be the most cost effective, but it supported local communities and generated good will.
And he since he was higher up the corporate ladder, and involved in a 'stakeholder company' he was able to write most of his travel expenses off as an 'inspection tour' since he moved through area were Kraft Industries were active. The exact dynamics and legal loopholes and financial gymnastics /that/ invovled was best left to the brains down in Finance Department, which was what they were being paid for after all.
Each time he crossed the city limits of Paragon City he had to grin to himself: NightMarshal, who wore *always* this full body armor and had this /thing/ with metal was this big bad wanted criminal with arrest warrants out in several states including one on the federal level (at least according to the computer). On the other hand, Daniel de Groves, Head of Engineering and Deputy CEO of Kraft Industries (America), was an inch shorter and basically a nobody in the grand scheme of things - a mild mannered individual who was almost a 'flat-liner'. They did some low level heroics in their day with some gadgets and thus had an out of town license, but had since retired and had taken up corporate life. Danny de Groves and NightMarshal most definitely were not the same person, they didn't have the same accent! At least that's that the computer said - and the computer record is never wrong.
Once he berthed in Paragon City itself and made his way into the city and had a look around, he saw that nothing much had changed since the last time he was here. Finally someone in City Hall had fixed the tram system and judging by the foot traffic, Wentworths were doing a roaring trade which would make their partners happy. The air still had that certain tang to it and the drivers still were just as crazy as ever. It would be oh-so-easy to reach out and flip the cars or at least push them into the correct lane but he dare not. The Daniel identity didn't have that ability (it would have raised too many flags) and it took all his control to clamp down on powers. If he did reach out and push something he'd burn out the penshaped dampener he was carrying, and it wasn't as if he could quickly replace it.
Having successfully navigated Paragon City Daniel entered Kraft Industries Offices in Steel Canyon and started his 'preliminary inspection' (picking up the parcel sent on early) and arranging accommodation for his stay. There was a few brief tense moments when the Chief of Security, one Jelidan muttered about about some sword not liking him, but a reminder that they were employing her and not her sword set her straight. And he even turned the tables on her when he told her that as Chief of Security she'd be his escort for the functions he'd attend while in town. The look on her face was almost worth all the hassles.