[quote]"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'."[/quote]

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 [i]was[/i] 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 [i]Parvan's Claw[/i] 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. [i]Stay Put, and do not move in[/i]. We had enough casualties last time out, or did you forget that? I'm callin' it in to the [i]Claw[/i] now. Stand by, and that's an order!"
Switching channels, he called back to the landcruiser. "[i]Claw,[/i] 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 [i]Claw[/i] 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 [i]Claw,[/i] things stepped up a pace. Crews ran to lift Aihara's GEAR to the helicopter pad, prepping it to be underslung beneath the [i]Claws'[/i] 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.