[Duck N. Cover]

"If there is a toast Marco," Tuskaloosa says levelly, "drink it.  Or did you leave your manners at your place?  You were the Host at lunch--Yelena is the Host here.  Be polite."

[ismilealot]

Nicolai's eyes flicked slightly, and pierced Tuskaloosa's. And those eyes were dead. You'd read the expression, 'soulless gaze'. But, Tuskaloosa wasn't superstitious. That was all a bunch of clap-trap meant to scare people with to much time on their hands and over-active imaginations. But, this, man? Right now Tuskaloosa couldn't even be sure he was human while that cold, dead, flatness pierced her soul and began sucking the life out of her. Saying something, wait, he was saying something. What had she heard? She grabbed onto his words like a lifeline pulling her away from that gaze. And heard. "My bad? Yes, I am bad. This is well known." His gaze switches to Arc, and suddenly Arc knows evil. She'd thought she'd known evil with the Howlers. With Howler beatings and Howler tempers. But, the Howlers had only struck her when she'd done something to anger them. And even then hadn't ever beaten her to break bones or render her unconscious, and she'd quickly learned the rules of their society. But, this man, this man didn't need to be angry, and nothing would stop him from exacting his will upon her flesh. "But, I did not come as bad man, as bratva boss. I came to one of last three members of old bratva, and among us hospitality is certain. She tell me this is her family.You do not ask to come in home of family. What one has, we all have. When one goes hungry, we all go hungry. Evidently this hospitality is unknown in the UCAS. I come. I wait patiently. I compliment choices of equipment. I tell you my door is open to you as well. I do not question that you have not been tested in blood, in fire, in death, and know only to mewl that I should knock because then you will not be afraid." He reaches out an arm, one finger extended and uses it to rap hard against the work bench three times. His voice changes, it is softer, gentler and slides across the mind like a knife across the throat. "So then, now you are not afraid."

[gilga]

I look at Tuska, I was trying to take her side how did I err so much I do not know.  "Man knocked so I am no longer afraid" I say with a devious grin as I confidently reach for the glass... Na Zhtrovia is it? I seem to look for approval.
...
And shortly after I feel the warm kick from the vodka. I must admit that after bathing  icy water and drinking vodka I afraid that I am running short on Russian cliches I'll have to pick up more about the culture over time.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena looks carefully at Nikolai then turns to her friends.  "Is not time for anger.  Time for friends.  Nikolai help me.  Help us.  Time now for drink and welcome.  Please do toast."  She turns back to Nikolai and raises her glass.  "На Здоровие, to health."  Yelena tips the glass and drinks the nectar it holds.  Putting the glass back on the counter, she looks around, hoping that her friends will follow suit to support her. 

[Shaman_Yuri]

As one of the youngest active operatives in Renraku history, and perhaps the youngest team lead, I had been required to face my fears before.  I've encountered men, and at least one woman, who had the same dead eyes of this Nikolai...although maybe never quite so extreme.  My training in these circumstances has been to focus on my team, my deckers and mages, and my job...and the mission...and let my security team handle keeping our hoops in one piece through the process.  I will support my muscle detail with a well-placed spell or 'convenient' gun misfire, but they know their jobs and I know mine.  I cling to this training as I continue to try and stay objective through the dance that continues to play out.  As I would have with my security lead in times past, I follow Yelena-sensei's lead implicitly.  My life is in her hands, my focus is on what I can control.

When Yelena indicated I should, I raise my glass to my lips and allow the tip of my tongue to barely sense the burning fluid.  I know from previous experience that in no way can I tolerate liquor.  One glass of wine will make me loopy.  I don't need Allah's prohibition to tell me that this glass is poison for me insofar as my ability to perform tonight.  With just the barest taste I lower my glass, acknowledge Yelena and her colleague, and return to focusing on my job and what I can control.  I will watch, learn, and keep preparing for tonight.  My faith and my life are in Allah's...and Yelena-sensei's...capable hands.

[Duck N. Cover]

     When she first met Yelena, Tuskaloosa had felt looked down on despite the difference in height.
     And Yelena had named the man her "Old Teacher".  She had apparently learned from the Master.
     
     Of all the Ruskies in Seattle, the one I know has Vlad the Impaler on voicemail.  Yeesh.

     Her mouth was suddenly very dry. "I will not butcher your language Yelena, so--to health."
     

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc met the cold gaze of the dark man head on with her own cybernetic pupils, but inside she felt her insides freeze.   This was a bad hoop, and she knew some bad hoops.  The Howlers gave kinder vibes than this Nikolai, and Arc knew it.  Still, she was not about to prove to him that he was right in calling them "children."  Hell, the mechanic was 21, which was well into adulthood in orkish terms.

Still, she blinked and gave a little nod, turning her head to Yelena.  "Null sheen.  We here for biz, I respect that.  "Na'a A'rieha"--To health"  Feeling the tension still, the human knocked back the shot, masking her grimace as the liquid burned as it flowed down her throat.  Frag I need another cigarette after this...ugh..  Keeping her expression calm, she set the glass down along with her pistol, letting Yelena take the lead.  She trusted her Srui to know the information they were looking for, what they would need on this trip to Europe...and what to ask if her benefactor wasn't forthcoming.

[ismilealot]

Nicolai lifts the shot and takes it back in one shot, slamming the glass down afterwards upside down on the workbench. He then looks at Yelena, "Now is time plan." He does not look around the room to see who is listening he merely takes out a Holocube and activates it. And a scene explodes into the air above it. Image after image loads as he speaks. "In eighteen days Tsina and her bratva will  move group of slaves across Poland and deliver them to government. This is major contact. Slaves are very valuable, very dangerous. Tsina and two if the top men will personally be in hand to guarantee the cargo. This will give opportunity. My bratva will enter and kill all. We will intercept Tsina's group here." He says pointing to an isolated spot. "We will immobilize them. Cut off their electrons. Kill their mages and destroy ability to bring heavy guns into play with EM pulse. This will draw out adepts. We must kill them quickly and efficiently. Long range is best. By time done killing they will have heavy guns on manual. We must be within fifteen meters of the transport by then or guns will bear on us. When close one by one we sweep through their  caravan and incapacitate them. And then we put them with the slaves. Every moment of their last days they will know torment. And then, they will know terror. They will suffer." He looks at the group. "Is understood? Or must explain again?" The dead flat soulless gaze does not change as he appears each of you with the question. It's easy to see how he regards a second explanation.

[gilga]

It take my full composure to keep silent and listen to Nikolai and then it hit me. Some people deserve no mercy, Nikolai is one of the people that simply deserves to die. It is more than that, any decent man should put a bullet in his skull the first chance he gets. If I knew I’d be sent against people of his notoriety I'd agree that being an assassin is a noble calling. If I could actually take life and live with myself.  But why does Nikolai needs Yelena, no offense, I am sure that she can shoot the sniper rifle like a professional. He did not go all this way to find a good marksman, in a country so violent I am not sure they are that difficult to find. So he WANTS her, but does not NEED her, not for this kill.  I cannot continue with this thought because Nikolai continue describing how we are going to pile the body... kill this, kill that. There is so much killing in his words that it makes me numb.

The things he describes seems like science fiction for me, I am not afraid although technically he did mention geeking the mages and the adepts first... and providing the other side shares his tactical wisdom I am technically an adept and a mage.  I feel incompetent... what could I possibly contribute to this atrocity?  I know no combat spells, and I would never consider of just shooting and killing people.

I feel that J is playing a very cruel trick and I feel stupid for trying to escape the Church. I mean if a killer was in my blood they would have made me one by now. If I am still alive perhaps they have some other use for me. Then I remember that I did use the gun, I shot a teacher to avoid shooting a dog I loved. I shot him in the leg and I am not sure if I’d shoot to kill... Still... It was rewarding to know that I can pull the trigger. Even if, it only worked for me because nobody believed that I’d actually shot the dog... Shoot a person instead of the dog?! That would have been unthinkable.

I stand there and listen to Nikolai words feeling the most useless person on earth. Being so useless, I am not going to waste anyone time by speaking. Tuska has some  combat background or she seen to many military movies. Still she seem to know what she is speaking about.   Arc was in a gang and gangs fight. Yelena is a killer... Firefly well she quote cooperate blackops regulations I am sure she did her share of fucked up stuff... Yet here I am, and I do not know if I can even physically harm a living soul. Who can possibly understand.

[Duck N. Cover]

Tuskaloosa was not a mind reader.
...And even if she had that ability, she wasn't sure she wanted to read his.

But if Nicolai was going to tell them to jump, she was a fool not to inquire how high--much less in what direction, duration, how far, etc.
He'll consider me an "idiot"...but he already considers me a mewling coward, so what's one more insult?.  "You want to use long range to target mages and draw away adepts.  And you want to be within fifteen meters of the convoy, to keep the heavy guns silent.  Is this one very fast group, or one obvious long range group plus one stealthy group that waits until the adepts take the bait?

[Shaman_Yuri]

Slavers.

That word piqued my distracted attention instantly.  As much as my current situation with the Yak and now Arc-sensei may be indentured servitude, and the world is filled with wage slaves and those bound by contract, in these cases a decision was made.  If one sells themselves into servitude, myself included, well that's just too bad.  But physical slavery that involved buying and selling - it goes against all my ethics.  I've been involved in supporting some nasty corporate business.  Lesser of evils and all that drek.  But slavery is a line my father even drew.

I look at my deck and grimace.  Aztecnology and I have a long and sordid history.  They're powerful in Seattle and if they knew a tenth of what I did to foul their plans as a Renraku operative they likely would do to me what these Polish slaves will do to their slavers when Nikolai hands them over for justice.  The difference is that Aztecnology and Aztlan are slavers and killers and I was a Renraku white hat.  The good guys.  Renraku may skirt morality at times, but we never dismiss it.  Honor is our code.  We're the good guys.  Aztecnology...well maybe some day I might use their own tech against them.

After I get my own justice and cleanse Renraku middle management of a virulent cancer.

So, the mission we're facing is ruining a bunch of slavers' day.  I like this mission better already.  Still, the decision is Yelena's and hers alone.  I will follow my sensei whatever she decides.

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc listened intently to the briefing of the plan, filtering through the Vory agent's thick accent and distilling down to just the facts.  From the sounds of things, the run, with all of its complexities and details, can be boiled down to a straightforward sequence of events.  A trap set up at an advantageous location locks them down and disables much of their hard-hitting gear, drawing out their nontechnical assets.  These will then be cut down by a long range offensive, likely sniper rifles or even some assault fire if appropriate.  While that happened, a fast-hitting squad would rush the caravan while it was still in chaos, likely with a vehicle.  They would deploy and sweep the area, taking care of the rest after long range handles the initial threats.  Whoever this hoop thinks he is, he's got a plan.  Just gotta see where we fit into it..

There was the matter of how to bring down the high targets, and how to treat them.  Arc didn't like the idea of slavery...every hoop should have the freedom to frag their life up, not have that decision made for them. And the torture and drawn out suffering of the targets?  Yeah, it felt excessive to the mechanic.

But this wasn't her operation, and it wasn't her score to settle.  That rested squarely on her Sruiken kal's elven shoulders.

Arc recalled Yelena mentioning that these targets had bounties on their heads...likely, personal score or no, Yelena would still draw on her assassin mentality and make the most of this job in any way.  Making opportunity out of opportunity.  Heh  That being said, there were several details left unanswered, and Arc was almost certain that if she opened her mouth, she would go unfiltered and likely piss this fragger off.  So instead, she did the next best thing: mentally send a message to Yelena's embedded commlink.

<<Srui.  Would like to know what part of plan we fit in.  Also how getting to Poland.  Will we be getting burner SINS to blend in, etc.

Much of our gear will be needed and won't get past customs.  Requesting for a way to get past this.  I'm with you Srui, to the end>>

The last part was very true.  It was one of the finer qualities that she was thankful the Howlers and living in orkish society taught her: you took care of your own and saw them through, period.  Turning her gaze back to Nikolai, she gave a small, curt nod of understanding.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena smiles when Nikolai is finished.  "Is good.  Can work with right people.  Yelena wait detail briefing in Poland.  But have general questions.  What part plan is Yelena Bratva?  How Yelena Bratva go Poland?  Take weapons with or Nikolai provide?  If Nikolai provide, Yelena Bratva need time and place fire and get used to.  Nikolai give burner SINs?

[ismilealot]

Nicolai looks at Yelena and says, "Is your bratva. Is yours decide. They will be safe at long range. But, if lack skill, can be elsewhere. Their equipment, easy to smuggle. Fake SIN's also easy. Can have three days if give me prints and photos now."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods.  "Yelena give picture and prints before Nikolai Fyodorovich leave today.  Others too.  Nikolai give contact for smuggler and we get things to him."