One by one, the Colonel fielded questions, deliberately walking towards the Mech bays as they spoke. They couldn't afford to waste time while the window for setting the ambush grew smaller, but there was no reason not to answer while they prepped.

[color=Olive]"The longer we stay out in the open, the greater the chances are that we get spotted by their aerospace assets,"[/color] he said, answering Giggles' question. [color=Olive]"Mobilizing the salvage crews and getting them into the area will take longer than deploying the combat lance, and the NPDRE will likely have their own recovery team in the area by the time ours arrives. While we can have a skeleton crew ready to pick through the wreckage and bug out as quickly as possible, a full recovery probably won't be an option."[/color]

[color=YellowGreen]"Ehhh, beggin' yer pardon, Colonel Sir,"[/color] Mr. Maxwell chimed in as he followed after the military personnel, [color=YellowGreen]"But I might respectfully disagree with that last notion. I'm sure your crews are good at their jobs, but my boys are [i]born[/i] pickers. An' we know the mountains. We can be on those dead Mechs, pry out anythin' that looks nice, an' git before any o' Federov's boys kin find us."[/color]

Colonel Wayne gave the scrapyard denizen an appraising look. [color=Olive]"I assume you'll want a share of whatever you recover?"[/color]

[color=YellowGreen]"Jess what's fair, is all,"[/color] he said, knowing the two men both had wildly different notions of what "fair" might mean. His grin also told that he knew the Knights had few options if they wanted the job done right.

The Colonel's look was sour, but he nodded. [color=Olive]"We'll work out shares when the job is done. Right now, dividing up nothing still leaves us both with nothing."[/color]

Maxwell's gap-toothed grin widened. He was going to enjoy putting such a self-serious man over a barrel and making a killing off of this.

[color=YellowGreen]"Awright, boys!"[/color] he called out. [color=YellowGreen]"Git yer shit and be ready ta move, we're gonna have us a helluva haul tonight!"[/color]

This brought up a chorus of whoops and cheers from the other scrappers, while Colonel Wayne turned his attention back to his Mechwarriors.

[color=Olive]"I want this done quickly,"[/color] he told them. [color=Olive]"First, because there's a limited amount of time before the aerospace assets are called in. Fighting those Mechs is going to be hard enough; fighting them while they have air support will be a whole other story. Second, I want it on record that we are [i]professionals,[/i] not butchers. We take them out quickly and efficiently, and we don't let them goad us into losing our composure."[/color]

[color=Olive]"But make no mistake: the Crimson Fists gave up the right to surrender,"[/color] he said as unconsciously, his good hand drifted towards his hip, toward the checkered grip of the semi-automatic pistol at his side. [color=Olive]"I don't want this to be a spectacle, but it [i]will[/i] be an execution. They die, simple as that."[/color]