[quote]"Not funny sir....." [/quote]

Blade feigned an innocent look, his muzzle twitching into a tight half-smile, before he took a seat with the rest. 
"So," he began airily, as if nothing was untoward at all, "now we're all here, let's get to the business."
He laid his PADD on the table, tapping the slate-black surface. Holographic icons swirled into the air above the tabletop, displaying a wireframe map of Martenstown. The place was much smaller than the Landren capital, and most of the other large, developed settlements in the interior of the country. However, it was still large enough to be busy and important.
"Martenstown started off as a way-station, a stopping point between the border of Landren and the unclaimed badlands regions. The [i]really, really[/i] intense areas of the Badlands at that. There's routes through, and they can lead you into a variety of places - The Empire, the Southlands, Treminia and Elegaia to name a few. Means that Martenstown ends up being a melting pot, and a hotbed for all kindsa activities. Especially sneakin' intel groups through the border - and the people they're lookin' fer as well."
He tapped the hovering map, and with a few gestures, split it into multiple sections, isolating the jumble of the mid-town area from the regular order of the outer regions of the town. 
"The center of town is the oldest region. The most cluttered and crowded, that's where all the hangouts, dives and bars are. Not to mention a huge street Bazaar as well. All the administrative buildings are in the newer area of town, along with the Landcruiser docks, and the warehousing districts. Most of those are owned by holding corporations for various... [i]"groups"[/i] in the town, or at least that have interests there. I'm sure many of them aren't native to Landren either. So." he paused and took a long drink of his tea, the mug declaring "BOSS" in large letters. "Our role will be as follows. We can't go stomping in with our GEARs, that would just escalate things; the hostiles - and anyone else - would bring out their GEARs and heavy weapons to level the playing field, an' square their own grudges. Not ta mention, there's all the civvies ta think about as well. So - we can't send Es's fireteam in on their own. There's too much ground to cover, and the rest of us would jus' be sittin' here spinnin' our wheels anyway. Which means, we're all goin' in. We split up inta groups - Everyone has a buddy or two, and we scout about. Th' intel on the disk and from th' prisoners points toward a unit operatin' with a contact from a shippin' an' holdin' company named Excelsior holdings. They're known to be a crime syndicate, mainly dealin' in importin' weapons and restricted tech, or in movin' people across borders. They might be givin' space to the Northeners t' hide out. There's also the HQ fer that Landcruiser that Ken intercepted, th' [i]Strike It Big[/i] salvage cruiser. They might be another front fer someone else. Mainly what we gotta do is find out who's new in town, an' what kinda questions they been askin', see whos askin' fer what an' from who. Once we get a clearer picture, we move on a location and try and get th' princess back, or at least find out where she is, or where she went."
He tappes more icons, and the icons resolved to show numerous faces and locations. "These are some of the known individuals who are part of syndicate activities, and the known haunts they frequent. They're the ones to follow or track, or informants to make contact with. Remember, in the bazaar, almost everything is up for grabs - even info, if you ask the right questions. So, be smart, be alert, and be brave but cautious. It goes without saying, we go in minimal uniform. We'll likely get marked as LDF anyway, but the less suspicion the better. Take your sidearms and blades, but keep 'em concealed. PDWS or compact weapons too, but keep 'em in bags or discreet cases - again, try not to draw attention. Only shoot if y'all got no choice. Remember, defend yourself and your comrades over everything else, an' keep in contact with the carrier an' each other at regular intervals. Irry will be standin' ready in her GEAR in case we need fire support fer extraction, along with two ATV fireteams wi' heavy weapons". 
He nodded and shut the holographic display down. "Go get yerselves changed an' ready, an' we'll meet down in the hangar deck in fifteen minutes. The [i]Claw[/i] will be in dock by then". He stood up and nodded to everyone, heading to the door in the corner of the room leading to his office and quarters. 

***

Fifteen minutes later, the vulpine was clad in a laid-back outfit of worn jeans, a beaten up and untucked checked shirt with rolled-up sleeves and brown boots. A bag was slung over one shoulder - big enough for a small SMG, and the shirt hem low enough to hide the holster for a compact -frame semi-automatic pistol. The siren in the hangar blasted twice, and then a crack of light split the hull, as the ramp began to lower, hissing down on massive hydralic pistons to reveal the bustle of a Lancruiser dock beyond. 
Smells and sounds assaulted the ears and eyes. Massive therapod beasts of burden carried supplies back and forth, trucks and ATV's intermingled with them, and the constant flow of people among them. Stacks of crates, barrels of boxes were everywhere, and beyond the bustle were the rising roofs of warehouses, offices and administration complexes. 
"Awite," Silverwind said with a firm nod and a tight smile to the squadron. "Let's go be nosy".