Mr. Johnson smiled at the young mage, a gesture that only partially reached his eyes.

"I am sure you understand that I am neither able to confirm or deny any involvement with Aztechnology. For future reference, I would suggest that you practise slightly more discretion when asking questions like these. For all you know, it may be Aztechnology offering you this very job." His face regained some of its warmth.

"Anyway. I am glad to hear you are not complete strangers to the work of one another. I think that will work greatly in your favor." He fixed his eyes on Thovren. "Indeed, Koch-Huang largely specializes in drones. As you mention, these drones are often expensive and complex in design, which I believe most would argue is a major reason why Koch-Huang has yet to achieve a status beyond single-A. This also explains why few have heard of them. They are still up and coming, but no less important for that."

The man manipulated AR windows only visible to him, and the holographic projector that had previously placed virtual poker chips on the table began to whirr again. This time a trideo sequence manifested on the surface, of a four-legged drone smoothly dodging projectiles from several different locations and returning fire. The trid was slightly warped, clearly having been digitally converted into a three-dimensional hologram from single-POV footage.

"This is an early prototype of a Koch-Huang combat drone, codenamed Big Dog. I should not have to tell you that this footage was not obtained using strictly legal means. My employers, and, should you choose to accept this job offer, yours, are very interested in this drone." He nodded at the rigger sitting in front of him. "I am sure you understand why. To the rest of you, suffice to say that this might be the finest piece of work that has ever come from Koch-Huang. My employers would very much like the specifications for this particular drone, and, as I am sure you have figured out, the job of acquiring the blueprints will go to the six of you." Mr. Johnson got up and began to circle the table.

"Now, to ensure that the designs remain only in the hands of my employers, there are three parts to this mission:

"First of all, the blueprints will have to be secured and deleted from Koch-Huang servers. Should you choose to accept the job, this will be your main objective. It is not clear exactly where in the Koch-Huang building these files will be, but I would wager that they are not accessible from the outside. Of course, any backups will have to be deleted as well.

"Secondly: the man who designed Big Dog." The Johnson once again pressed an invisible AR button, and the holographic image changed to that of a dark-skinned human, perhaps in his late thirties. "This is Devon McIntosh, 37. He singlehandedly designed the combat drone, and it seems that only he would be able to recreate the blueprints, should they be stolen. My employers have already reached out to him in an attempt to persuade him to place his loyalties elsewhere. McIntosh declined, and unfortunately, this means that Koch-Huang are now aware of the interest in Mr. McIntosh and his work. McIntosh has been confined to living quarters within the K-H complex, and is likely to be under heavy surveillance, if not armed protection. If you are able to convince McIntosh to reconsider the offer given to him and successfully extract him, there would be a sizable reward in it for you. If he does not budge, he will have to be disposed of.

"Finally, there is the matter of the drone prototype itself." The holographic image changed again to a close-up of the drone. "As you may be aware, it is not uncommon for a corporation to destroy the prototype of a work-in-progress to ensure that it is not stolen and reverse-engineered. However, if this is not the case, the Big Dog prototype obviously poses an opportunity for Koch-Huang themselves to recreate most of the designs from the drone. Your mission includes ascertaining whether the prototype has been destroyed. If it has not, you will have to either bring the drone with you or destroy it yourselves."

Mr. Johnson stopped his pacing. "I am aware that this is not a so-called milk run, and your reward for a successful run—preferably completed within a month—will reflect this fact. I am authorized to offer what amounts to six thousand nuyen for each of you upon completion, as well as a total of ten thousand nuyen in advance for any purchases you may require for the job.

"Now, before you accept or decline this offer—in the latter case, I trust you will all agree with me that this meeting has never taken place—I am sure you will have questions. Of course, there are questions that I am not at liberty to answer, but I shall do the best I can within my limitations. Fire away."