It turned out that Kaiden was right. By manipulating the satalite archive Sabatine was able to make out the access point, a patch in the scrubby forest with a discolored turn-around that served as access for vehicles. A small structure with a corrugated iron roof could just be spotted beneath the trees in the grainy image. It was well after midnight now and there was little activity save for down by the docks where spacers from the Vickie and the civilian ships continued their liberty, unaware of what was going on. The civilian settlement itself was quiet save for the occasional all night store and a few bars that served shift workers willing to stay up late and tie one on. After a brief discussion they decided to approach the access point on foot through a few hundred meters of woodland. Higgs dutifully pulled up, clipping a park bench and startling birds out of their hides in the trees. Sabatine climbed out of the truck and stretched her legs, she manipulated her commo helmet, carroting the location they were trying to reach for its internal navigation system so they didn't get lost wandering through unfamiliar terrain in the dark. 

"Sir, I think three or four or us are as good as the lot if we are trying to get in unnoticed," Sabatine told Kaiden in a low voice. The spacers were brave and enthusiastic, but that didn't make them quiet or careful. Kaiden considered it and nodded.

"Caparelii, Higgs, you two with us, the rest of you..." he paused considering what to do with the rest of them. Sabatine wondered if he had picked Caparelii at random or if he knew something of the spacers background. Either way it was a good choice, the small man might swagger about, but he was steady and Sabatine had seen him in enough bar fights to know that he wasn't squeamish when it came to putting the boot into the other guy.

"Can anyone else drive the truck?" Sabatine asked, three or four voices, stated that they could with varying degrees of confidence.

"Stay here and keep the truck ready in case we need an extraction team," Kaiden told them. Sabatine inwardly sighed with relief. Such a task was plausible enough that the spacers wouldn't realize they were being deliberately sidelined and who knew, maybe they would need them. 

"I'm coming too," Tilda declared unexpectedly.

"Like hell, that won't be necessary," Kaiden and Sabatine's responses mingled together but Tilda folded her arms.

"I was an investigative reporter remember, do either of you have any experience picking locks or breaking and entering?" she asked tartly. Sabatine and Kaiden exchanged looks. Sabatine was spared from the need to respond by Capperelli coming forward with a burlap wrapped bundle, which was just as well as it really wasn't her place to give orders to her superior officers servant. 

"Best I could do ma'am," Capperelli declared as he thrust the bundle into her arms. She unwrapped the loose covering to reveal a stocked impeller. The electromotive rifle was a light sporting model rather than the heavier military variant but that was actually closer to what Sabatine had used on the academy shooting team. There were a pair of magazines of dull greenish plastic each looking to contain about twenty rounds. Well if she needed more than than that things had gone very badly wrong indeed.

"Do you have a gun?" she asked in a neutral tone. She had asked him to pick one up for her and had given him enough coin that he might have picked one up for himself. Instead he pulled out a short electric shock baton and a pair of brass knuckles.

"Never been much for'em ma'am," he admitted. Higgs pulled a short length of high pressure tubing from his belt to make his choice of weapon clear. 

"Googles?" Sabatine asked. Each man produced a pair of RCN googles, that could be set to view a variety of spectrum including light enhancement. Higgs pulled a second set from his pocket and passed it to Kaiden. They weren't meant for night assaults, nor did they have the functionality of commo helmets, but they were good tools for their purposes. Sabatine slung the impeller over her shoulder and turned back to Kaiden and Tilda.

"Ready sir," she reported, scanning the bush to the immediate front, a slight jitter of nerves tingling in her stomach. Spacer's weren't trained for dismounted duty, but as the academy instructors were keen to point out, the needs of the service were diverse and unexpected.