Adrian didn't deign to reply to the Capybara's question, so Silverwind quickly leapt in and carried on talking, his fake accent more than passable.
"Sorry, he has trouble understanding the language sometime. We want to head on into Landren, try and meet up with friends. Same destination as them; was a small group, about five or six, yes?"
The Capybara's eyes narrowed and he tapped one foot before nodding and beginning to sort through the files, bending over the desk. He started to speak as he turned his back to them.
"So, you're following up your friends. It's good that you came here to get your ID's-"
He turned around with a snub-nosed automatic pistol in one hand.
"-Considering they were here earlier today, and didn't mention a thing about you either time. I'm sure they'll be interested in who you are and why you're following them, though. Client confidentiality is one of my major concerns," he said with a frown, and a slight grin. He kept his eyes on them as he stepped sideways to a wall-mounted data-slate and then pressed the surface, holograms springing to life from it as he began to call.
"Bugger," muttered Silverwind, looking sideways to Adrian.

***

In the marketplace, the northener was obviously engaged in quite the heated discussion with the market-stall owner. Numbers and values flew back-and-forth between the stall owner and the burly vulpine - who, this close up, could be seen to have gold-flecked eyes, and a rugged, hardened appearance. His clothing was also decidedly practical, outdoors-ey and not unlike unmarked military clothing.
The stall owner eventually gave a final amount and folded his arms, a large rhino behind him standing up as the Llama who ran the stall folded his arms. With an irritable growl and a narrowing of his eyes, the Vulpine withdrew an older-standard Northern PADD from his belt and tapped icons that shimmered to life, depositing currency to the stall-owner who immediately became a beaming picture of light, laughter and good humour to the still-irritated vulpine. The rhino immediately began shifting GEAR parts onto a trolley; actuators, servo-motors, and a small variety of electronics.

For Esailia's part, it didn't take long before a small gaggle of street-kids of various species, all full of energy and daring, cocky expressions and smiles began to circle around her, either calling for hand-outs, or running up to her and asking child-like questions. Others offered to sell her things or guide her places - and to anyone with experience of such things it was all an obvious smoke-screen for picking her pocket and getting her coins. Especially if the slightly more legit approach didn't work first.

***

In the bar, the bear grunted an acknowledgement to Mike/Mitch, tapping the order through on a PADD mounted to the bar on the serving side, and giving Mike the price. He set the beers, cool and sparkling and with just the right amount of head, down on the counter top in two gleaming glasses, before looking to the Mink, who shrugged. He did the same and added her tab - minimal as it was - to their bill, before going back to his duties.

She turned to the pair, having got her attention, as Aiden spoke up.

"You've got LDF coming to Martenstown, they'll arrive in approx. two hours and they're ready to sweep. Don't ask who we are, just know we're here on the behalf of a partner interested in your "cargo's" security. Look, we don't have time for doubts and suspicions, by the time you contact boss and play stupid with us, you'll have a couple o'cruisers rake the city for 'em. I can give you the cruiser locations, that and the escape vehicles. We keep playing dumb for now, eat, drink, then we roll. We get out, you follow us, I'll mark everything on your PADD and we leave the city stat."

Her pretty eyes widened as Aiden spoke up, and her face was a mask of confusion and bewilderment for a moment, before the pair moved away.
It wasn't until a few moments later - during which she was again, though more furtively this time and with many pauses, playing with her PADD again - that she approached the pair, her PADD in it's holster on her belt and her expression firm as she leaned in close to them, her palms flat on the table.
"I know you're bluffing," she said as she leant in close to the table, speaking in a whisper loud enough to reach their ears, but not so much that the other patrons would hear. "But I don't know who you are, exactly, or what you want with me or Martenstown. I'm interested though. Meet me outside, the park two blocks down the street in twenty minutes. And if you think it's a trap... well I'm on my own, and there are two of you. And it's a public place across the street from the Police station".
She leant back without waiting for an answer, and moved swiftly out of the bar without a look back, leaving the pair to mull over their responses.

Mike grabbed the booze and food, and glanced over as Aiden whispered something to the mink stiffened.
Oh gods, don't say anything stupid. mike though frantically.

the mink recovered quickly as Aiden moved to the pool table, setting up for a game as mike carried the mini feast over. Mike had just taken a bit of greasy, delicious, hangover cure, as Aidan secretly blurted to mike that he had called a massive bluff.

*Gulk* Mike choked on the burger before quickly swallowing it down with beer. "Are you high?" Mike whispered back, turning away from the bar. "what part of team did you not understand!" Mike raked his hair as he tried to rapidly piece together some form of plan besides 'wing it'.

most plans involved ramming a cue ball down Aiden's throat.

"alright, alright....we can salvage this...." Mike murmured to himself, as he grabbed a couple fries and chewed on them thoughtfully.

"If shit hits the fan, I'll buy you as much booze as you can handle." Aiden said, obviously distressed as mike was.

"I will drain your account, and get fatal alcohol poisoning before we're square" Mike hissed as he fell into the motions of pool. lining up the break.

before he could take the shot, the mink returned.
"I know you're bluffing," she said, leaning over the table.

you don't say? Mike thought as he pointedly waited mid shot.

"But I don't know who you are, exactly, or what you want with me or Martenstown. I'm interested though. Meet me outside, the park two blocks down the street in twenty minutes. And if you think it's a trap... well I'm on my own, and there are two of you. And it's a public place across the street from the Police station". she finished sauntering off as mike took the shot, watching the spheres rebound of themselves, and the felt bunkers.
the 8 ball fell into the side pocket, followed by the cue ball.

"games over" he said, straightening up, and leaving the cue on the table. "lets go, keep your eyes open" Mike muttered, walking out into the crowd, squeezing the Com tab in his cuff.

"Nawlin here, possible lead, or possible trap, will contact within 30 min, if no contact, assume captured....or worse." Mike quietly muttered into his collar. Mike stopped trying to blend, all effort going into keeping an eye out for trouble, and following a ways back from the mink.

Adrian’s brow raised a little, when he saw that the man had pulled a gun on he and Silver. Startled as he was, confusion rose up in his mind. He’d had his ears pointed at the man the entire time this happened. There was no way he couldn’t have heard him fiddling about with a firearm. Something seemed off. Was this guy shaking? Sweating? It was hard to tell, with all the fur, but his observations brought him to a few different conclusions.

The moment the capybara’s gaze shifted to something else, Adrian launched forward on his long legs. He covered the distance in a single bound, grabbed onto the wrist of the man’s outstretched arm, and used the leverage to pull him into a heavy kick. Adrian’s leg let out a low whoosh as it swung out like clockwork and connected with the man’s abdomen, the force lifting his victim off the ground. Somewhere in the violent burst of air that left his body, the poor capybara’s spirit drifted away and he slumped to the floor. Not missing a beat, Adrian removed the pistol from his hand and, once he’d secured it, pulled back on the slide.

“Knew it,” he grumbled, as he took a few steps back and glanced over at Silver, “Must've thought he already chambered the first round. Now what?”

Kuraiko watched as Esailia quickly vanished into the thick crowds of the market, his eyes drifting over to the broad-shouldered vulpine, then looking to Maxwell. His voice was hushed, just enough for Max to hear, "I'm gonna tail the big guy and the trolley, keep your distance, but be close enough to save my ass if this goes to shit." He then tugged his collar, whispering into the hidden mic that allowed him communication with the rest of the Riders. "Blade, gonna tail a trolley with parts, being loaded by a rhino, looks like a beefy-lookin' guy made the purchase. Will check in whenever it is safe to, though if I don't within 15 minutes, assume I got made." He ended the communication there and slipped into the crowd, trying to blend, while not looking like he's trying to blend. His eyes going to the rhino and the vulpine every few seconds, sticking about eight meters away, but keeping them in his vision, sometimes stopping at a stall to browse before moving again. Even with all the people around him, he was nervous, he wasn't exactly small, and it bothered him that he may be made pretty damned quick. So he did his best to stick near people at least close to his height, hoping that hid him more effectively. At the same time, however, he was trying to avoid contact with others, because if they felt either one of the pistols he had on his person, panic would ensue, and he would be made. There were too many issues lying in wait to ruin his plan, and it drove him mad. Though he did his best to hide his fear, masking it with curiosity at the trinkets and some such that was spread about the market.

The feline captain smiled and gave the children her attention as she could, acting like a tourist who felt sorry for them, grabbing her purse to pull out coins to offer. Esailia let them surround her before crouching down, holding the hand out with the coins in the palm. Looking at each of them before raising a finger to her lips "I want to give you more, but I need help with something first, okay?"

She glanced around at the group "I want to find some strong medicine. Not to make me feel good, but to make me better. I can't go to the hospital, so I need to find someone who sells medicine away from the hospital. Do any of you know anyone like that?"

"Right got it we wi-" The airman said, stopping short to see the captain vanish into the crowd before continuing in a run off sentence, "see what we can do..." Soon though his only partner now decided to move forward, requesting some assistance which Ken was happy to oblige. "I got yer back.." He muttered with a quiet chuckle before he was alone once more, his hands stuffing themselves in his jacket pocket as he went casually from stall to stall. Unlike his subordinate who was on edge the pilot looked more distracted by his surroundings if anything else. Never before had he seen soo many characters let alone soo many stalls other than the few times he was with his father long ago. It sparked that curiousity in him agaib and soon he was shifting from stall to stall to look at everything regardless of quality or meaning. That didn't mean he abandoned his comrade though for every once in awhile he would glance over at Kuraiko every couple of minutes.

After his partner's report he picked up a report from another squad and that's when things got a bit more tense. What if someone else gets in trouble? "Anything yet partner?" He muttered over the local comms, his eyes darting around their surroundings more frequently. Thankfully, he had his pack full of supplies incase something goes south, but that would require him not getting killed.

Silverwind watched as Adrian put the Capybara down with some swift and effective moves. As the hare secured his pistol, the vulpine glanced quickly into the front office, and then through the pane of glass in the door into the warehouse at the back; no one had seen or heard them that he could see.
As Adrian questioned him on how to proceed, he paused as his comms went off, the earbud giving a soft chime at the incoming message.

"Nawlin here, possible lead, or possible trap, will contact within 30 min, if no contact, assume captured....or worse."

"All right. Be careful, both of you. If it looks bad, get the hell out of there. We're proceeding as planned".
He turned his attention back to Adrian, tapping one booted paw on the floor before nodding to the open filing cabinet. "He was looking through there. Maybe there's records of who else he'd got ID's for. Even if it ain't their real names, we oughta be able t' find somethin'"
He yanked a length of cable out from under the desk and tossed it to Adrian. "Tie that joker up, and I'll look through this lot".

A few moments later he stood back with a sheaf of papers, spreading them out on the desk. The pictures were grainy and taken from the same room. Frowning, he turned around and looked up into the corner of the room, spotting an IR security sensor. A memory chip was attached to each of the papers in a plastic wallet.
"I get it," he said after a moment of scanning the papers. "These are his insurance. Kept off the 'net, and produced only after he'd made the deals. No one squeals on him, as he has dirt on who they really are. Pictures-" he tapped the papers, "-and I'm guessing this is video and audio," he continued, tapping the chips. "If we play these, we might get some idea where these guys are".

Before he could hear the reply from Adrian, his earbud sounded again, this time with Kuraiko's voice.

"Blade, gonna tail a trolley with parts, being loaded by a rhino, looks like a beefy-lookin' guy made the purchase. Will check in whenever it is safe to, though if I don't within 15 minutes, assume I got made."

"Be careful - he might be one of the Imperial Special Forces. They'll have their own security, so watch out. See what you can find out, but don't engage unless you're attacked first - and even then, fight to break away".

He once again turned his attention to Adrian, before feeding the chips into his PADD and holding up the device so both could see the playback. It showed the Imperial Princess, along with what they could assume to be her guards, by the way they acted around her. And shortly after, they saw 'Cynthia and Luke', the two Red Guard who'd been captured in the earlier operation when posing as civilians on the Landcrawler.
"So, the Princess was travellin' incognito," Silverwind surmised. "She musta been plannin' to travel on usin' the Landcrawler from here. Someone must've picked up her trail, leadin' to the attack. Which means one of those two groups that attacked the 'crawler are the ones that have her now. We know one lot are Imperials, but not who the others are".
He grumbled as he switched off the PADD.
"I think it's time we rejoined the others; ain't much more t' find out here".

* * *

The park was as the mink had described. A green open space in the middle of the town, it was enclosed by a thick wall, with winding paths through flourishing and well-waters green bushes, plants, trees and laws. There was even an ornamental pool in the middle, with a fountain. Also in line with what she had said, the towns' police HQ was on the opposite side of the road to the parks' entrance, within a couple of heartbeats' sprint.
There were few people around and about in the park, despite its' peace and quiet. As such, the Minks' voice could be heard in low conversation as the pair approached, from the other side of a bush, in conversation with a oddly flat-sounding male voice.
"And you're sure I should make contact with them?"
"They are looking for her too. You are both working toward the same goal. It is a logical pursuit, after all. And once you have the Princess, her information coupled with your own may bring them over to your cause. If not, we will pursue alternatives. For the meantime, they can help you recover her".
There was an annoyed sigh, and then she replied "All right."
As soon as the pair caught sight of her, however, there was no-one standing nearby at all, simply the mink standing with her arms folded, before looking over to the pair.
"Ah, good. You turned up," she said with a hesitant smile. "So... let's talk. I have information, and I think you might want it. It's regarding a certain important woman"

* * *

The hefty-looking vulpine moved down the street, the rhino following with the trolley of parts. After leaving the main market square, the fox headed to the north of the centre of town, the opposite side of the settlement to where the Claw had docked, heading out into the outer area of the city, with all of its' heavy industry. The streets grew wider and the people more sparse. Along with it, the buildings changed from residential units and retail establishments into industrial units. Chain-link fences hid away industries of all kinds and their yards. Vehicles rumbled back on forth on their business.
At one junction, the fox stopped, and a wolf loomed out of the shadows to join him, the pair conversing quietly for a few moments, before the pair took over posession of the trolley and turned into the fenced parking lot of a warehouse. More workers, equally burly and physically fit, stood around the doors, smoking and scanning the roads with sharp, eager eyes.
As the garage-style door rolled up and raised, a scarred, powerful-looking lynx was briefly visible, before the door rolled down again.

* * *

In the market, one of the smallest and brightest-eyed of the kids, a young female ferret with bright pink pigtails, nodded rapidly at Es. "Uh-huh," she said in a rapid voice. "I know who, old Doc Burton! He sells that kinda stuff!" She beckoned the feline to follow her, running on a few steps with a few of her other friends, before beckoning Es to follow, leading her into a side-street, away from the hustle and bustle, and into a narrow, sleepy street. People sat in wide porches, poking cooking fires with long sticks, or just watching the world go by from chairs in the doorways. Soft, tinny music in a variety of languages drifted, and laundry flapped on lines strung between the second-floor window.
Ahead, a hand-made wooden sign was propped up against the wall of a porch, displaying a green cross; the universal sign for a medical establishment on Arvara.

The canine felt less and less enthusiastic about his initiative and by then, there was nothing that he could say to reconcile with Mike; all that he could do was to make sure both of them would make it alive, then his tiger colleague would be free to beat him down to a pulp. It may have been a reckless act, but at least they had a lead. Aidan could barely enjoy the food mostly because his stomach clenched and pushed itself against the diaphragmatic dome, probably a sympathetic response to Michael's hostility and the unstable situation; plus making a fool of himself in front of a lady. Anger seemed to blossom in response to the circumstances, the canine was rubbing the pool cue with his thumb hard enough until it became sore, slightly bending the wood fibers as he exhausted some of the toxic emotion. Some time later the mink revealed that she wasn't fooled by his bluff, which only aggravated the dog's mounting anger and way before he could relax a little and rationalize with himself, Mike flushed the two most important balls from the table, urging the duo to go.

Aidan gnawed off one last bite of the greasy burger and poured the final chug of beer down the hatch before he dropped the pool cue back in its rack; after he paid the bill, the undercover pilot tightened the shoulder of the briefcase he was carrying and followed Michael. He decided to lag behind for the trip and check their backs every once in a while, he didn't really like the group back in the bar and he didn't want trouble just yet. Passing by the pharmacy, the dog took a good, long look at it, thinking of a way to dash in, get whatever he needed- but it wouldn't work like that, the stuff he needed was prescription only. Unless he robbed the place, there was no way he could get his hands on them. Not while things were still peaceful...

"Looks like our place." He muttered, breaking the silence once they spotted the park the lady mink mentioned. "There's a police station, so we've got our backs somewhat covered, depends on who opens fire first- if things go bad, that is." Aidan crossed his arms, waiting until the green light would allow him and Mike to cross the street and reach the park.

"Look, I know I've dragged you in a possible shit-hole, but we have something. If it's a good lead, we may as well become decorated heroes; if not, at least we didn't get fat with beer and grub all day long. From what I could tell, the lady was telling the truth, I... well, I have experience with liars, you know, from working in infirmaries. I- let's just go."

They did find the woman in the middle of a conversation, Aidan quickly silenced his every move and listened carefully. To him, it sounded like they hit the jackpot, a huge wave of relief washed away the figments of doubt fueling the anger inside that would slowly turn into frustration, rage. Regaining confidence once more, he put on his game face and rolled in. His smirk almost vanished when he realized that the other voice had disappeared from the scene; he nearly blew his cover, cancelling the muscle twitch that would turn his head to the right to look for the other person. He instead lowered his head to look at the mink through the slit between the top frame of his sunglasses and his cap.

"Ah, good. You turned up. So... let's talk. I have information, and I think you might want it. It's regarding a certain important woman"

"You mean, a certain important cargo. Well, you'd better start talkin', Minerva, time's something we don't have and if what you say is true, a war may begin today."

"This is BS! We should be out there, helping! Not sitting on our hands for some slim chance shit hits the fan!" Naida hissed, stalking back and forth near the bay doors. Nearby, Nathanial had taken a seat on some crates, slouching down to watch the distressed fox pace. "Relax, Naid. the captain can handle herself, and the rest of the Roughriders aren't exactly greenies either." Meanwhile, Edward was nervously checking is rifle again, keeping quiet.

Naida huffed and pressed her back against a wall "I know, but the last thing we want is to have something go bad, and be there too late. What if our presence with them prevented that from happening!?"
"And what if our presence caused something?" The tiger countered.
"That's less of a chance."
"You don't know that."

Edward finally stepped forward between the pair "Will you two give it a rest!? We're supposed to be professional, not bicker like children that we weren't allowed to leave the house! We're here under orders. Nothing we can do about that. What we can do is be ready to support and assist if we're called for."

Naida and Nathanial jumped slightly at Edward yelling, startled at the fact that Edward had yelled at all. "Wow, bro, you really are worried, aren't you?" his sister commented, and Edward's head fell, adjusting his rifle strap. "Yeah, well...things are tense right now. Let's just be ready, alright?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Oh you do? Alright, lead the way." the feline said, dropping a coin into the little one's hand. Esailia followed the girl through the streets, her eyes darting around her in search of possible ambushes or traps. She didn't think the child was leading her to one, but it wasn't like a young woman who looked like a tourist was a hard target.

When they arrived, Esailia noted the simple sign for medical facilities. She turned to the children, and distributed the coins as best she could "Now don't spend that too quickly. Off you go." She smiled, watching them for a moment before heading up the porch steps to knock on the door "Hello?! Is anyone home?"

"Looks like our place." Aiden said, to which mike grunted,
"There's a police station, so we've got our backs somewhat covered, depends on who opens fire first- if things go bad, that is." mike sighed as he looked around, marking trees wide enough for cover, and concrete statues. he was about to speak when the frustrated dog purged his guilt and anger.

"Look, I know I've dragged you in a possible shit-hole, but we have something. If it's a good lead, we may as well become decorated heroes; if not, at least we didn't get fat with beer and grub all day long. From what I could tell, the lady was telling the truth, I... well, I have experience with liars, you know, from working in infirmaries. I- let's just go."

Mike's ears pointed at that as he grabbed the dogs shoulder as he sped forward. "I hope you're right, and yes, you got us a lead, but gods above, that was dumb." mike growled quietly between them. "But me being upset doesn't mean I'm not going to cover you." mike said poking him. "now let's shake it off, get our heads on right, and try and do this without pissing the boss off. if we get through this without a bullet wound, I call it all even, eh?" mike said with a grin, holding his fist out.

Mike regulated his breathing, taking in all the sights and sounds. eyeglasses, footsteps, whispers, women reaching into purses. Each looked far more sinister then they were as mike moved towards the rendezvous area, his steps softened to near silence, as much as combat boots can accomplish on asphalt.

"And you're sure I should make contact with them?" mike slowed as his ears swiveled towards the bush as he frowned.
a male voice followed, odd, flat. phone call? mike thought as it continued. before it finished Aiden moved into the minks view.
No! Damnit Aiden! mike mentally hissed before sighing and following behind. Rule #1 of Intel gathering. gather what you can before interrupting.
being as it was, he put on a bored face and emerged from behind the bush.

"Ah, good. You turned up. So... let's talk. I have information, and I think you might want it. It's regarding a certain important woman" the mink said.

"You mean, a certain important cargo. Well, you'd better start talkin', Minerva, time's something we don't have and if what you say is true, a war may begin today." Aiden jabbed to which mike raised an eyebrow.

"Funny enough, I don't think we ever mentioned what it was WE wanted, but In either case, as long as the thing in question is yay high, has green eyes and a stubborn streak" he said quietly, holding his hand up about 5"8' off the ground. "then yes, we are on the same page, if not, we have nothing to discuss. so let's drop the espionage acts and get to work shall we?"

he said hooking a thumb to Aiden. "cause Dave here isn't lying, this could be bad for everyone, mercs, or not."

Kuraiko silently tailed the trolley, as time went along, his heart steadied and his blending looked more natural, and less fear induced. Each move was more calculated than the last and soon he looked like a basic bystander with an awesome coat, but with each moment worry still came up, they were Imp Special Forces...Who knew if he was being tailed by them? At least that was his fear until he got to the industrial part of town, and his hands slid to his pockets to keep them off his firearms, his travel pack hanging by the strap and resting on his side. His worries turned to curiosity as the beefy vulpine was joined by a wolf. Wasn't that a tad odd, so he shot off some quick radio chatter, mentioning where he was and what he was intending to do, not expecting that not too long after he did so; the two pulled the trolley into a parking lot.

Then he saw the lynx Blade showed in the briefing, and he drifted off into an alley and readied himself to inform Blade and the others on the discovery he had made. "Blade. Remember that mean lookin' guy you showed us in the briefing? He's here. All those parts were for GEARs, so no doubt he's doing some maintenance after getting their asses kicked, considering how many parts they bought. Hell I kissed a shell and I still don't need that much...Anyway. These guys seem important, I'm gonna stick around a bit more and see what I can learn about these guys, Max is still with me, the Cap is doing it her way." He closed the comm and awaited reply, every so often, the intervals honestly completely random. He would check on the facility, making sure nothing nastier than what was there came out.

Kensington slowly shifted from stall to stall almost like his partner had did, but unlike the other GEAR pilot the airman ended up buying a few things, even a kebab of meat for the go with his personal money. Eventually the favorable market scenery died down, and soon the wolf's attention shifted towards the group of interest. It wasn't necessarily a gift to be one with the crowd, but with an adjustment of his hat he set forward to do just that so to be closer to his partner. We could've always posed as family instead of this approach. He thought, the image of him and Kuraiko comically bantering with one another causing him to chuckle a bit.

Whatever was ahead Maxwell was sure to take a mental note of in case his partner didnt, but it wasn't as detailed due to a few complications such as distance and the few bystanders that were occasionally in the way. With a quiet 'excuse me' and a slight nudge he was fortunate enough just to get a few glares from the more distasteful folks around. All that came to an end though when the two came across their big find of the day.

Evidentaly his comrade took over giving the report and that gave him time to regroup. When he got to Kuraiko the airman shifted over to the opposite side of the alley way, making sure not to crush anything in his bag while he continued to gnaw and bite off chunks of meat with his mouth. "We could always disrupt 'em and call for aid ya know." The fox pointed out, his lunch on the stick half clean and his mouth full of food.

"You mean, a certain important cargo. Well, you'd better start talkin', Minerva, time's something we don't have and if what you say is true, a war may begin today."

"Funny enough, I don't think we ever mentioned what it was WE wanted, but In either case, as long as the thing in question is yay high, has green eyes and a stubborn streak" he said quietly, holding his hand up about 5"8' off the ground. "then yes, we are on the same page, if not, we have nothing to discuss. so let's drop the espionage acts and get to work shall we?"

"No, you didn't mention the 'cargo'," the mink replied, her arms folded and posture strong, despite being alone with the two males. "But I have ways of finding things out. Lots of them, in fact. For example," she leaned closer and spoke in a lowered tone. "I know that both of your are GEAR pilots with the LDF Roughriders..." She leaned back and returned her voice to the normal level. "But yes - we are on the same page, and looking for the same... 'thing'. I would've gone to find 'it', but, well. I couldn't get into where she-uh, it, is myself, even if I do know where to find it. And even if I did - I wouldn't stand much chance of getting away or getting anywhere afterward. Someone with a bit more legitimacy and firepower though..." she nodded to the pair. "Well. They might stand some chance. I can show you where to find them; the Western side of town. But, there are others looking too. And I think they might be close on finding out a location as well - and a lot less nice about moving in and not causing property damage than me. Last thing I heard, they were getting ready to move out too, and to do it in force as well."
She sighed and shook her head, fur shimmering in the dimming sunlight of the late afternoon.
"It's up to you; I know where and how to find what we're both after, and I know who's got her too. Without you, I just have to wait and try another plan if things go down how I expect - I don't want to do that, especially given what's at stake. And I'd rather do this with your help. We both get what we need that way".
She shrugged and paced a couple of steps, waiting for an answer, and half stepping in the direction of the park exit, and then back toward the pair.

***

"Hello?! Is anyone home?"

The inside of the room was dim with the lengethening afternoon shadows. Sunlight speared through the small glass window in the front of the room, and motes danced in the slanting rays. Arranged around the surfaces and counters of the half-lounge half-shop were boxes, containers, tubs and packages all labelled with care in a flowing, hand-written script. On the walls were pictures of people and places, along with various medical instruments - stethoscopes, and the like.
At the sound of Esailia's voice, there was rustling and shuffling from an adjoining room through an open door. A moment later an aged male voice responded with a "Yes, yes, I'm coming!"
A few moments later a middle-aged badger shuffled into view, leaning on a walking stick and looking through square-eyed glasses to the feline. He paused and nodded at her, smiling gently.
"Good afternoon, miss. Name's Doc Willen. I've been helping people around these parts for years. Can't say I've seen you before, but if you're here in search of help for what's ailing you, then I'll do what I can."
He settled into a chair and poured a glass of clear, cool water from a jug, and offered a seat opposite, as well as a glass, looking at her as he sipped, his eyes warm and keen, despite his obviously advanced age.

***

Blade had finished scanning through the playback of the chips, and had stumbled across some pertinent info; The capybara had, in line with his upstanding business practices, later sold on the details of the princess and her entourage to a second group that had come through. While they had not come in person to collect the information, they had dealt through intermediaries, and left an address: In the western district of the town.
Unsure of where else to look, Blade had placed an anonymous call to the local police reporting the capybara for his underhanded dealings, and left to investigate the address. He was headed along the streets when the call from Kuraiko came in.

"Blade. Remember that mean lookin' guy you showed us in the briefing? He's here. All those parts were for GEARs, so no doubt he's doing some maintenance after getting their asses kicked, considering how many parts they bought. Hell I kissed a shell and I still don't need that much...Anyway. These guys seem important, I'm gonna stick around a bit more and see what I can learn about these guys, Max is still with me, the Cap is doing it her way."

He paused as he heard the words, and grimaced, glancing across the Adrian. "They might be modifying or upgrading their GEARs, or might even have new ones in there. We can't tell right now." He paused and felt anxiety gnawing at his gut, and the prickling feeling of doubt and panic rise. Again, the craving for a drink rose in him and he forced it away, turning away from the hare as he spoke to Kuraiko.
"Where the hell is Es? You were all supposed to stick together, dammit. Any deviations from the plan were supposed to go through me. Or did I get demoted from fucking CO without being told? Stay there, and keep observing. I'm going to get the rest of the fireteam to your location. We've got a lead on another location on the west side of the town. I'm going to move in on it with Aidan and Mike. I'll be in touch again within a half-hour. Don't do anything without orders, and don't underestimate them either. Blade, out".
He signed off and switched channels, calling in to Mike and Aidan.
"This is Blade - how are things goin'? We have a lead on our end, an address in the west side of the town. We're going to move there. If you've got no other intel, then we oughta move on it, over".
He paused, waiting for a reply.

***

Back at the warehouse, activity kicked up a notch. A heavy hauler; not quite landcrawler in scale, but of the type used to move GEARs and other heavy equipment, like generators, heavy construction equipment and the like; rolled up in front of the warehouse, the weight of its' passage and the rumble of its' turbine engine enough to rattle the glass in windows up and down the street, and displace loose objects.
The tarp covered load on its' bed was well-hidden, but as it backed up to the heavy rolling door, the northeners flocked out, guiding the load in and keeping careful eyes out around the streets nearby, as the heavy load was rolled into the building.
Inside, glimpsed, were the shapes of other GEARs; not easy to distinguish from here, but certainly not the modified civilian models from earlier. These were true military-issue machines, glimpsed as the door rolled down.
Moments later, a black-furred vulpine rolled up in an ATV, pulling the machine to a halt in the parking lot and moving inside in a hurry, after exchanging words. Shortly after, shouted words summoned the rest back inside, and the doors all closed. Something was afoot - heralded by the dimming of lights inside the building, and the clatter of heavy machinery and whining tools coming to life.

"No, you didn't mention the 'cargo'," the mink started, not missing a beat. Mike leaned back and crossed his arms, gauging the minks response.
Confident, despite being out numbered. no brovado, slightly anxious, but no panic, teammates? mike thought, looking again at around them

"But I have ways of finding things out. Lots of them, in fact. For example," she leaned closer and spoke in a lowered tone. "I know that both of your are GEAR pilots with the LDF Roughriders..." Mike cocked an eybrow at that, but let her continue.

well, thats was quick, ill need to get blade on COMs soon... Mike made a mental note, as the mink continued. in short, they also wanted the target, had a lead, but didnt have the firepower to get her.

And I'd rather do this with your help. We both get what we need that way".

mike sighed and looked at the mink. "so, lets say we are who you say, and we believe you." mike muttered. "who are you, and why are you so interested in the cargo?"

he pointed to the police station, then the park around. "you dont seem worried to be within shouting distance to the local police, and if you have backup, they're very good about keeping their cover."

before he could continue, blades voice picked up in his ear.
"This is Blade - how are things goin'? We have a lead on our end, an address in the west side of the town. We're going to move there. If you've got no other intel, then we oughta move on it, over".

Mike held up a finger and motioned for Aiden to take over the conversation with the mink as he turned away.
"this is Prowler, we made contact with the lead, she confirms the target is in the western side of town, and she claims her side has an exact location." he thought bit and glanced at the mink. "She thinks we're LDF, give us a few minuets to figure out who she is, and we'll get back to you ASAP"

Aidan crossed his arms as he looked down at the mink, noting her courage to face two predators; sure, she had the police station nearby in case something went bad, but the sheer absence of concern seemed suspicious to the canine too. His gut wrenched hearing that she quite precisely knew him and Mike were both LDF GEAR pilots, members of the Roughriders to be eerily exact. She may be police he thought at first, but that thought was clouded by doubt when he remembered about her conversation with an unknown voice. How does she know who we are? Can she really get our profiles, or did someone sell us out? He tried to convince himself that he had been irrational to come up with such a question, but he still felt uneasy knowing that the woman knew his real name. Mike did most of the talking, asked a good question and pointed out the police station, but then, he turned around to contact the CO, leaving the canine to deal with the Mink.

Aidan cleared his throat and allowed himself to take a look around the park, before noticing the mink trying to pry the duo to move. He whistled at her and made a gesture with his hand to hail her back.

"Where do you think you're goin', Chuckles? You just pull the "I know who you are" card and think you can leave with that? Get back here, we won't budge 'till we have our backup ready." Aidan tilted his head and took a look at the woman's shape top to bottom, then, scoured the surroundings once more.

"You seem to think you know quite a big deal about us, huh? Well, I'd like to know more about you, Sugarfluff. You say you're alone, then, we hear you talkin' with a friend? It don't smell good. With who did he want to make contact, why wasn't he so sure about it, hm? Or we don't get to know that part of the deal? You'd better tell your buddy that if he wants his own goons to get what he wants, her little princess' gotta start talkin'."

Kuraiko slid into the shadows as the activity really picked up at the warehouse, he swore to himself as he saw the hauler roll up, and he caught the glimpse of the military GEARs, he immediately went to comms to get Blade. "Blade we gotta move now, their ready to get outta here real quick, these GEARs are full-on military issue, not the scrap heaps we fought before. Their really workin' I can hear'em, I need your go to move in here...Else we may lose the lead, I can figure a way to handle this if you gimme the okay." He then turned and switched to try and reach Esailia. "Look Cap, I need you, now. We've got a big lead in the industrial area, military-issue GEARs and all. Please, get down here." He told her the address and went silent, peeking over again and staying against the wall, ready to fight if he needed to fire on them. This shit was getting scary, quick. They looked ready for a war, and he only had two pistols and a sub-machine gun. If this hit the fan he was fucking screwed. Shit...This is why he would never be a decent leader, he always panicked so easy...It would get a lot of people killed if he slipped up at the right time. What could he do if they moved now? He needed a plan, fast. If he didn't have one soon, it would cost them a lead, and possibly his life, and/or Maxwell's. Fuck...This is bad...so fucking bad....

"You seem to think you know quite a big deal about us, huh? Well, I'd like to know more about you, Sugarfluff. You say you're alone, then, we hear you talkin' with a friend? It don't smell good. With who did he want to make contact, why wasn't he so sure about it, hm? Or we don't get to know that part of the deal? You'd better tell your buddy that if he wants his own goons to get what he wants, her little princess' gotta start talkin'."

The mink crossed her arms and adopted an awkward expression. "Honestly? If I tried to explain you'd think I was crazy. There is no 'deal'. My um..." she creased her brows and shook her head absently "...friend, and I are the only two working together right now. I have considerable financial resources thanks to him, but it's literally just the two of us. So yes; I need your help more than you need mine, because I have no firepower, no GEARs, no anything other than his far-reaching intel resources and financial clout. And he was the one who was sure, I was the one who wasn't. Mainly because of this-" she gestured to the conversation "-and trying to convince you both I'm not trying to fuck you over or that I'll stab you in the back at the first chance. If you want to know who I am, then I'll be happy to tell you: My name is Kellia Moynen. I was an independent security contractor from the independent state of Tarsus before I got all wrapped up in this, and ended up half-way across Arvara. I found out some of what the Princess has, and the rest was filled in by my 'friend'. Now, I want to meet up with her, as she has information I need, and vice versa. And I think the people who have her at the moment have pretty bad plans for the information she's got as well. Not to mention her father, too". She spread her palms wide. "That's all I've got. So...?"

Aidan and Mike's PADDS both buzzed as she finished talking, with the sound of an incoming call. The caller ID read '0000/0000/0000', a root ID from the 'net.
The message was text and image only, showing the inside of the warehouse on the west side of town, the princess secured in a room and several personnel, all fine-looking physical specimens with advanced combat armour and weaponry, along with sleek, unrecognisable and advanced GEARS. In addition, pictures of Blade, Adrian, Kuraiko and Maxwell were attached from surveillance cameras, along with the Parvan's Claw in dock.
The text itself read
"Please do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm, and am not looking to cause upset. My concern is for the information carried by the princess, and your intentions of securing her, as they are in the best interests of Landren and Arvara. I advised Kellia to make contact with you, as it best met these aims. I will aid you as best I can, but there are others working against me as well as you".

***

Blade muttered a curse as he heard Kuraiko's words over the comms channel. "You wanna lissen to yerself fer a minute, Aihara? You've just told me there's a whole team of Imp Special Forces and their GEARs in that warehouse, and you wanna go in there like some kina fucking action hero? They'll turn you inta meat confetti. We have a second lead on the west side too. Stay Put, and do not move in. We had enough casualties last time out, or did you forget that? I'm callin' it in to the Claw now. Stand by, and that's an order!"
Switching channels, he called back to the landcruiser. "Claw, this is Rider Actual. Looks like we've found the nest. Unfortunately, all the bad guys are home, and they don't look to be wantin' visitors. Transmitting position data now. We're gonna need our toys, and the authorities need ta be informed too, over".
There was a pause, before the captains' voice answered. "Roger, Rider Actual. We'll begin sending the message now. Looks like the hostiles are located in an area relatively free of civilians. We'll begin remote deployment of assets to that location, ETA zero-five. But recommend falling back, as the unit will be outnumbered, and we can't provide accurate cover-fire from this distance and in a built-up area".
"Roger that. I'll inform the people on site of what to expect. We are moving in on possible second location as well, will keep you informed. Actual, out".
He switched back channels, and spoke to Kuraiko again. "Aihara, it's Blade. Control are remote deploying your GEAR. It should be air-dropped to you within five minutes. The rest of the fire-team and Irry will be there soon after too, to provide support. Maxwell, you listening? Once the GEAR is dropped, your co-pilot will be inbound from the Claw with your bird fully armed. I think we need eyes and friends in the sky if this gets ugly; having you up there to give us firepower and overwatch could make a helluva lot of difference".

***

In the bay of the Claw, things stepped up a pace. Crews ran to lift Aihara's GEAR to the helicopter pad, prepping it to be underslung beneath the Claws' sole medium-lift tilt-rotor, and ready for a quick boarding. Moments after, Irry skidded down a ladder from the catwalks leading to the inside of the ship and dashed over to Edward, Naida and Nathaniel, her pilot suit fully buttoned up and helmet under one arm.
"New orders - we're to move out and support Aihara and Captain Sprinstream. They've located the position of the Imperial Special Forces in the town. They're equipped with a full unit of military GEARs, so you guys, me and Aihara are to try and stop them from causing too much damage to the town, and from getting to the 'package' on the west side. I'll be following you as we move to their location, and Kuraiko's GEAR is being airlifted into position!"

She boarded her machine a few instants after, the ramp at the head of the bay cycling down. The machine unlocked from its' stall, and she waited for the team to board their ATV before moving off at a pace to keep level with it, providing an all-round scan of the area and feeding it through to the vehicles' dashboard as she moved. Overhead, the tilt-rotor lifted off, Kuraiko's GEAR suspended beneath as it banked for the Eastern Sector of the town.

Adrian flipped the safety switch on the pocket pistol and eased its hammer into resting position while Silver made contact with the rest of the squad. He was way too eager to pull a gun on us, he thought, as he looked down at the capybara on the floor and stowed the new weapon in his bag, Didn’t even ask any questions either. Just ran for the phone.

“Alright, smooth operator, get over here,” Adrian grunted, and lifted the man into a free chair when Silver passed him a cable. He threaded the cable through a few holes in the piece of furniture and tied his arms together around the back, with a neat triple knot around his wrists. He found a roll of duct tape hidden one on of the many drawers around the room, and wrapped a short length of it around the man’s head, covering up his mouth. To be extra sure, Adrian found a pair of heavy zip ties in one of his bag’s pockets and used them to lash the man’s ankles to the legs of the chair.

Outside, Adrian stood on lookout, doing his best to make sure nobody tailed the two of them, with one ear strained toward Silver, so that he could eavesdrop on coms that didn’t come to his own ear piece. He was only able to pick up bits and pieces of the other side, but it was obvious what was going on. “Captain, I just had a thought,” he said, “If that’s the Imperial princess, and the folk after them are from the Empire, why are we getting involved? A lot of this has skimmed over my head. I mean, what do we do when we’ve found the guest of honor?”

Blade hit the comms again after sending his message to Kuraiko and the others on his team, updating Mike and Aidan on the developments.
"Prowler, Sykes, this is Blade. We've got some action kicking off; Aihara's located the Northerners on the Eastern side of town. I'm sending his GEAR to him, along with the fireteam and Irry for support. Maxwell will be moving to cover us once he's airborne. We'll make a recon of the situation on the West side, and then plan our movements accordingly. Keep me updated on any new developments, out".
He turned back to Adrian as he increased pace, motioning for him to continue talking as they walked in the direction of the warehouse district.

“Captain, I just had a thought,” he said, “If that’s the Imperial princess, and the folk after them are from the Empire, why are we getting involved? A lot of this has skimmed over my head. I mean, what do we do when we’ve found the guest of honor?”

"Mighty good question, an' yer right to ask it," he replied as he walked rapidly along the streets. "It comes down to what I said in th' briefin', an' what we know about the Empires politics: I mentioned the Emperor and his daughter don't always get along, sure. An' that she's the moderate one in all situations as well. Bearin' that in mind... she ain't ever decided to run away from home before, An' it's sure runnin' - because it wasn't, she wouldn't be hidin' out with the regular folks, or have the search-and-destroy team right on her ass either. And gunnin' for her, not lookin' ta capture her. Nah, man... she's lookin' fer someone or somethin', and she got side-tracked. And this third group, whoever they are, I reckon they know somethin' too an' want in on it. Which means, Landren is gettin' caught in the middle, so we wanna head it all off before it gets worse, I reckon".

Mike turned back towards the mink, as she began to explain her side. "-My name is Kellia Moynen. I was an independent security contractor from the independent state of Tarsus before I got all wrapped up in this, and ended up half-way across Arvada."

mike let her continue until his PADD went off.
"what the-?" Mike started as he fished it out, "but I just got done talking too.....what?" mike quickly read the message before returning his attention to Kellia. "Alright, cats out of the bag, Mike Nawlin, GEAR pilot, LDF." he said nodding in Kellia's direction. "Long story short, congratulations, you've just made contact with the red headed step child of the LDF." he smiled and shrugged. "we're used to people working against us, but right now, seeing as the bad guys got their high-tech toys up and running, our time table just sped up."

Blade picked up on his COMs again.

"Seriously?" Mike muttered. "Alright, further change of plans, blades calling in our backup." Mike chewed his lip.
nothing is ever easy, one gear and a chopper, not good odds.....a couple of them nearly wrecked our team.

"bad news, we can't go in full force, limited GEAR ability, if we drop everyone in, we might end up causing irreparable casualties. Mike said trying to piece together a plan. "silver lining?, you might be able to help us out, and get yourself a interview with the princess... Provided A, we get her, and B, we live."

he shrugged. "if you're in, we need weapons, big ones." he said, pulling up the image of a RPG type weapon. "ideally 7th gen or higher." he put the PADD away. "Quick, Quiet, and no curious dealers." he said quietly. "think Casper up there can pull some strings and find some?" he said, pointing up as the satellite laden sky.

"But before all of that, we need to 'Appropriate' a vehicle." he smirked. "lets go"