Eisenhorn

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

"Good thing spreading nasty rumors like that is bad for business then, ain't it Ms. Lambert?"

Urden had no intention of spreading gossip or rumors, they didn't pay well first off, not the kind he could source at least. Secondly he liked his ribs and kidney where it was without being perforated, and if he was lucky it'd only happen in his sleep. Of course, the Lad himself chimed in that, no, she was lovely company and not all daggers and glaring them. All a bit above his paygrade, really, he wasn't an infiltrator or assassin. He earned his coin the hard way, one axe swing at a time. Granted that frame of time might be incredibly short depending on his efforts, but that was neither here nor there. Before he could chime in the meeting for select soldiers was finally called and he was among them for the briefing. Time to see what the scouts had come reporting back on, and what Boss had in mind for them to go and clean up tonight.

Corpse defilers seemed to be the order of the day, which meant tangling with reanimated carcasses. Urden wouldn't lie and say that he was looking forward to this. Bandits, thugs, and the like could be intimidated into surrendering or otherwise routed. Reanimated bodies though, that was grim work near as he understood it. Not like it was his specialty either, but hell, he wasn't paid to have misgivings or concerns. One of the bluebloods or magic folks would probably get into some drawn out duel with the head of this band of corpse stealers, while folks like him were cleaning up the real mess. He got paid the same either way, and since this wasn't going to be particularly glamorous or career building he could settle for just hacking through anything unfortunate enough to be shambling in front of him. That being said, he didn't exactly have much of value to chime in with, so he found himself a place to sit down and rest a bit before the impending violence, mostly talking to himself.

"Seems like this'll be my good deed for the week, putting the defiled back in the ground where they belong."

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

@HereComesTheSnow@The Otter@Psyker Landshark

"Someone raised you right then, certainly tried to anyways."

Urden was not one to waste time once on the path, however, and within a decently short span it seems that the subject of their search, the Lad himself, was calling out to Istvan. The comment in regards to having made a new friend got a snort out of the mercenary. Sure, happening upon the task of tracking this gloomy individual down certainly was quite the bonding experience, and he snuck in an off hand remark as he sidestepped to let Shilage take over being the one leading. Suited him anyways, most nobles weren't too keen on rubbing shoulders with those who traded their services in spilling blood for Librans, not that such a thought would keep his mouth in check.

"I blame the charming disposition and ability to hold a tune, who could turn away such a picture of friendliness and social graces?"

Normally, the nod would signal Urden's part to have been done with, and he'd have been on his way if it wasn't for the mention of a title most peculiar. Crownsblade, something he'd heard whispered in seedy dives and taverns frequented by those who just might have something to have feared from someone who bore such a title. He wasn't one to stake anything on rumors and hearsay alone, but if even a fraction of the fearful whispers were true, his life had just gotten a bit more interesting. His gaze shifted from the two men to the woman, the faint smile from his jesting resting on his face like a mask. He wasn't sizing her up, no point there if she really was a Crownsblade, given the rumors, rather contemplating if the dots connected, and what that meant for him. Nothing good, being aware of an assassin was bad for business, and he didn't fancy having to sleep with one eye even wider open than usual. That meant not simply scurrying off to go back to singing and waiting for an evening of violence, and testing the waters to see how this played out.

"And here I thought my good deed would go unrewarded. Urden Antiac, a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

@HereComesTheSnow

Urden raised a hand in return greeting to the gambeson clad István. Now there was a man that the mercenary could respect, he'd heard stories of the Shilage family well before ever having crossed paths with the lineage themselves. Soldiers who rose up to nobility, and had been making moves to establish themselves. All that wouldn't have meant a lick if it had turned out the man had proven to not be an effective fighter. Fortunately, any concerns had been wasted considerations, István was skilled with both shield and flail. Notoriously tricky choice of weapon, and proved to be the kind of implacable pillar in a battle crush that could stand out in the finest shock company, and could charge such a fee as well if it had suited. Of course, not everyone had the mercenary outlook, not something Urden particularly blamed anyone for of course. End of the day, if all he looked for in life was a good fight alone, he could do far worse than seeing where the scion of Shilage went. Still, a question posed deserved an answer, and he gave his weapon a once over before setting the whetstone back in its place.

"The good Earl, I do think I saw him a bit ago, as well as one of his servants looking rather busy with a message no doubt paramount to deliver. Looked like he was heading for the Boss' tent, least that was the direction he was wandering while giving the troops a good once over. Tell you what though, I won't get much else done preparing so I'll help track the lad down."

Urden hopped to his feet, already practically dressed for the no doubt battle filled evening. Compared to some in the camp, the mercenary fought and travelled light, a single shoulder guard providing protection for his non dominant side. The heavier armor got, the slower he moved and, more importantly, the more expensive upkeep got. Full plate was all fine and well for nobility and knights who had a nation footing the bill for them, but it took an exceedingly successful mercenary to be able to afford the upkeep and time spent conditioning and training for how to move and fight in armor. Wearing it was just one aspect, one had to be comfortable in armor, know where it could take hits and where it couldn't. Tightening the strap on his one piece of armor, and shouldering his axe, he casually addressed the low bass that had complimented his own tune nicely.

"Been quite sometime since someone knew that old work ditty, call it a pleasant surprise. Anyways, shall we?"

Urden's mind wandered briefly while getting underway to make the search happen. He suspected a night raid on whoever was up to no good this time, it was a clever idea with soldiers who could pull it off. Night raids were tricky affairs though, it was too easy to mix up friend and foe in the gloom, even if the night sky was kind enough to not obscure what light it provided. However, that was a matter for the briefing to come as he focused his attention once more. At the leisure of the Shilage, Urden would take the lead strolling the last known path he had seen the moody lad wandering off on. It reminded him of just how....varied a band this group had become. From merchants and mercenaries to lords and noble heirs, you could find near anyone in this merry group. Urden chatted with soldiers and camp staff in passing, playing that seeming pleasant demeanor to glean where the Earl had gone. A bit of luck they'd find him in no time at this rate.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

"What do we do with a drunken soldier..."

The mercenary Urden was currently half humming, half singing an old working song his previous mercenary company favored when doing menial work like weapon's maintenance, setting up camp, packing up camp and other such idle behavior mostly spent just passing time. Sure enough, having spent the morning counting and verifying that his coin was both good, and in the proper amounts, for this pay cycle, he had turned to preparing for the upcoming conflict. In time with the hummed, occasionally sung, working tune, he ran a whetstone along the main blade of his two handed axe, honing its edge to as keen as he could given the circumstances. It was no blacksmith's work or anything of the sort, but it wasn't like they could expect a forge to follow this warband around so readily. The merchant who had seen fit to attach herself to the band was hawking goods, food with a voucher for pastries after words. He'd already eaten, or the offer might have been more tmepting.

"...Dock his pay with extra duty, dock his pay with extra duty..."

Urden appeared to be in a pleasant mood as he worked away, hefting the axe with practiced ease, examining the main cutting edge of the blade. Setting aside the sharpening stone, he tugged a loose hair out and let it fall on the axe blade, splitting neatly with little resistance. Nodding in approval, mostly to himself, he turned the axe over and started working on the opposite end, the spike that would be far more suited to punching through armor than it was for hacking away like the main axe head would be. So he would work, the sound of the whetstone running over well used, but well kept, steel. Nothing about the weapon was for show, the haft sturdy enough to catch incoming strikes, both ends of the axe head having their own uses. Even the other end had a sturdy steel cap on it to make for a nasty surprise for anyone who thought they were safe from a surprise strike while the obviously dangerous end was away from them. Just one of many different tricks he kept in mind when dealing with your average trouble.

"...Twenty strokes of the captains whip, twenty strokes of the captain's whip..."

Nothing about what Urden had heard so far sounded like bandits to him. They struck fast, sure, but looked for coin and valuables, maybe some living hostages to sell back later or to prevent immediate attacks on them for fear of losing even more innocent lives. Near as he'd heard from around camp, it was anything that wasn't nailed down. If you could pry it up, it didn't count either, apparently. That...that was odd. Corpses weren't worth a lick on their own, and most bounties per head only needed proof. Ears, fingers, things like that, grim as it was to some. Whole bodies though, that was a lot of dead weight, pun intended, to be lugging about. Something was amiss, though end of the day Urden got paid the same. Didn't matter what kind of out of their head bandits, soldiers, whatever was waiting out there for them. Nothing good steel backed by good pay couldn't sort out.

"...Early in the morning..."

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Urden Antiac

• Name: Urden Antiac
• Age: 29
• Gender: Male
• Race: Human
• Appearance:
  Appearance

  
  Stands at just about 6'1".
• Personality:
  On the surface of it, Urden is as quick to laugh and hoke as he is to breath. Quick to crack jokes and make offhand remarks on current circumstances, the chatty man is certainly lacking in the respect department, at least overtly. It is honest enough for who he is at a passing meeting or glance, however it is a façade to hide the mercenary beneath the smile who's out to make ends meet and nothing more, something that never quite reaches the dull amber of his eyes, no matter how much he laughs or shows mirth. Under the surface is a viciously pragmatic fighter, employing any and all manner of tricks, underhanded methods, and anything else that comes to hand to survive long enough to collect his pay. Still, he has a sort of mercenaries honor, as once he takes a job he'll see it done, as long as he got paid to do so, and if he's dumb enough to sign on for the long haul, that's on him. Beyond that, he enjoys a good drink, a good fight, and most importantly, a nice and fat sack of coin after a hard day's work, and really couldn't care less who he ends up working alongside.
• Brief Backstory:
  Urden was born into a small band of mercenaries, who typically committed to activities and jobs that were mostly dealing with small bandit groups and providing muscle and security for caravans and other odd jobs that didn't pay well but needed done. The young man, growing up, chaffed under this lack of variety and, becoming quickly apparent, pay, something he found a quick and fond love for. Still, before he split off from the group he learned to fight and carry himself, training with a two handed axe that had belonged to his mother, who had taken off shortly after he was born. He was also given a short blade, a 'proper weapon for a scrawny kid like him', and a parting farewell gift as the eighteen year old split off from the small band, convinced they would just wallow in obscurity for the rest of their days. He had bolder and grander plans in place, though to call 'Strike out and get rich' a plan was fairly bold of him.
  
  Being a freelance mercenary had its pros and cons, something that Urden would become incredibly aware of over the next decade of earning his keep through violence. Starting small, signing on with villages for fairly meagre sums to help scare off thugs, put the odd bandit in the ground, and generally began making a name for himself as a problem solver. He learned how to solve problems through any means necessary, given he rarely had the luxury of being on the side with the luxury of numbers. During this time he settled into a style of fighting that relied on speed and aggression to overwhelm most opponents, his two handed axe suited to the aggressive approach. He earned his fair share of scars this way, learning not just how to fight, but how to survive along the way. Though, word eventually reached him that his old outfit had turned to banditry, and for once he felt a call beyond just making coin, and that was quite a bit of anger that they gave up on earning their keep through honest, albeit bloody, work.
  
  This is how he would end up crossing paths with the Hraesleg Lions, a detachment of them crossing paths with Urden as he was planning how to assault the camp where his old outfit was. They struck a deal, he would lead them down and help clear out the mercenaries turned bandits, and he would get paid for his services as both warrior and informant. Picking out where the old blind spots still were in camp, especially since the bandits had gotten lax and fat in their relative safety, and the sudden lightning assault just after dusk didn't give much of a chance for the former mercenaries to fight back. Urden made sure he personally put his former commander, and father, to the axe, though he conveniently failed to mention the blood relation to the Lions after the job was said and done. Prepared to simply move on, it was suggested that he come back and strike up a more permanent contract with the rapidly rising star of the Hraesleg Lions, the Steel Princess herself. Seeing a chance at not just a rapidly fattening coin purse, but also the fame and prestige to be able to charge more, it wasn't much effort to convince him to join the detachment and meet the Steel Princess first hand.
  
  Urden has been earning his keep ever since, maintaining a position as a mercenary first and foremost, but with a provable track record of loyalty once paid, he would find himself in quite the peculiar bunch. Didn't matter to him, granted, he was getting paid to do whatever the Princess told him to do, So if that meant working with a mostly figurative gallery of oddities, well, the coin was good all the same so Urden was staying a happy man.
• Equipment:
  Urden travels light, and doesn't bring much with him typically speaking. He has his mercenary uniform, a patchwork of mended clothes and a few pieces of token armor that are mostly there for show, though if a blow happened to strike there the worn steel would still do its job well enough. His pride and joy is his two handed axe, large to the point of almost being a poleaxe thanks to the length of its shaft, which he wields with heavy swings aimed to crash through defenses and lighter armor, the spike pointing opposite of the axe head providing an option against heavier armor. In a pinch he also still has the small arming sword in case he gets caught in a position too confined for his preferred weapon. He also has a small chest, where he keeps his coin, contracts, and journal, with the best lock he could possibly afford on it. The key being kept on a string hanging around his neck and often tucked under his shirt.
• Skills:

Axe Combat - Urden has dedicated the majority of his life fighting with axes, both his personal axe of choice and others such as hatchets and other throwing axes, and has developed a fighting style of his own that revolves around battering down and wearing through defenses of an opponent before they have a chance to outlast him. It has gotten him this far, and he is continuing to refine his efforts every time he ends up in a fight, convinced that, while it'll never be perfect, there's nothing saying he can't get good enough to convince the world otherwise.

Black Market Savvy - From negotiating contracts, acquiring supplies, extracting payment, or securing quick and discreet means to move from place to place, Urden has learned where to look not just for the best deals, but the kind of goods that would be frowned upon by polite society. Knowing what to ask and, more importantly, what not to ask is key in these sort of negotiations and dealings, but really Urden would have it no other way. It's where he does business most of the time, so it pays well to know how it works.

Thug - Sometimes being a mercenary means more than just killing, and Urden knows that all too well. Often times, a veiled threat, shift of the body, or twitch of the hand does more to dissuade trouble than anything else, especially if the client wants to keep bloodshed to a minimum. He has learned a variety of ways to intimidate and make his presence known as not only a threat, but one you really do not want to trifle with, and the more his standing grows? The more effective it'll get, which suits Urden fine. Means he can charge a higher fee.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Alright, finally got my fellow together, feel free to let me know if anything needs addressed, yeah?

CS

• Name: Urden Antiac
• Age: 29
• Gender: Male
• Race: Human
• Appearance:
  Appearance

  
  Stands at just about 6'1".
• Personality:
  On the surface of it, Urden is as quick to laugh and hoke as he is to breath. Quick to crack jokes and make offhand remarks on current circumstances, the chatty man is certainly lacking in the respect department, at least overtly. It is honest enough for who he is at a passing meeting or glance, however it is a façade to hide the mercenary beneath the smile who's out to make ends meet and nothing more, something that never quite reaches the dull amber of his eyes, no matter how much he laughs or shows mirth. Under the surface is a viciously pragmatic fighter, employing any and all manner of tricks, underhanded methods, and anything else that comes to hand to survive long enough to collect his pay. Still, he has a sort of mercenaries honor, as once he takes a job he'll see it done, as long as he got paid to do so, and if he's dumb enough to sign on for the long haul, that's on him. Beyond that, he enjoys a good drink, a good fight, and most importantly, a nice and fat sack of coin after a hard day's work, and really couldn't care less who he ends up working alongside.
• Brief Backstory:
  Urden was born into a small band of mercenaries, who typically committed to activities and jobs that were mostly dealing with small bandit groups and providing muscle and security for caravans and other odd jobs that didn't pay well but needed done. The young man, growing up, chaffed under this lack of variety and, becoming quickly apparent, pay, something he found a quick and fond love for. Still, before he split off from the group he learned to fight and carry himself, training with a two handed axe that had belonged to his mother, who had taken off shortly after he was born. He was also given a short blade, a 'proper weapon for a scrawny kid like him', and a parting farewell gift as the eighteen year old split off from the small band, convinced they would just wallow in obscurity for the rest of their days. He had bolder and grander plans in place, though to call 'Strike out and get rich' a plan was fairly bold of him.
  
  Being a freelance mercenary had its pros and cons, something that Urden would become incredibly aware of over the next decade of earning his keep through violence. Starting small, signing on with villages for fairly meagre sums to help scare off thugs, put the odd bandit in the ground, and generally began making a name for himself as a problem solver. He learned how to solve problems through any means necessary, given he rarely had the luxury of being on the side with the luxury of numbers. During this time he settled into a style of fighting that relied on speed and aggression to overwhelm most opponents, his two handed axe suited to the aggressive approach. He earned his fair share of scars this way, learning not just how to fight, but how to survive along the way. Though, word eventually reached him that his old outfit had turned to banditry, and for once he felt a call beyond just making coin, and that was quite a bit of anger that they gave up on earning their keep through honest, albeit bloody, work.
  
  This is how he would end up crossing paths with the Hraesleg Lions, a detachment of them crossing paths with Urden as he was planning how to assault the camp where his old outfit was. They struck a deal, he would lead them down and help clear out the mercenaries turned bandits, and he would get paid for his services as both warrior and informant. Picking out where the old blind spots still were in camp, especially since the bandits had gotten lax and fat in their relative safety, and the sudden lightning assault just after dusk didn't give much of a chance for the former mercenaries to fight back. Urden made sure he personally put his former commander, and father, to the axe, though he conveniently failed to mention the blood relation to the Lions after the job was said and done. Prepared to simply move on, it was suggested that he come back and strike up a more permanent contract with the rapidly rising star of the Hraesleg Lions, the Steel Princess herself. Seeing a chance at not just a rapidly fattening coin purse, but also the fame and prestige to be able to charge more, it wasn't much effort to convince him to join the detachment and meet the Steel Princess first hand.
  
  Urden has been earning his keep ever since, maintaining a position as a mercenary first and foremost, but with a provable track record of loyalty once paid, he would find himself in quite the peculiar bunch. Didn't matter to him, granted, he was getting paid to do whatever the Princess told him to do, So if that meant working with a mostly figurative gallery of oddities, well, the coin was good all the same so Urden was staying a happy man.
• Equipment:
  Urden travels light, and doesn't bring much with him typically speaking. He has his mercenary uniform, a patchwork of mended clothes and a few pieces of token armor that are mostly there for show, though if a blow happened to strike there the worn steel would still do its job well enough. His pride and joy is his two handed axe, large to the point of almost being a poleaxe thanks to the length of its shaft, which he wields with heavy swings aimed to crash through defenses and lighter armor, the spike pointing opposite of the axe head providing an option against heavier armor. In a pinch he also still has the small arming sword in case he gets caught in a position too confined for his preferred weapon. He also has a small chest, where he keeps his coin, contracts, and journal, with the best lock he could possibly afford on it. The key being kept on a string hanging around his neck and often tucked under his shirt.
• Skills:

Axe Combat - Urden has dedicated the majority of his life fighting with axes, both his personal axe of choice and others such as hatchets and other throwing axes, and has developed a fighting style of his own that revolves around battering down and wearing through defenses of an opponent before they have a chance to outlast him. It has gotten him this far, and he is continuing to refine his efforts every time he ends up in a fight, convinced that, while it'll never be perfect, there's nothing saying he can't get good enough to convince the world otherwise.

Black Market Savvy - From negotiating contracts, acquiring supplies, extracting payment, or securing quick and discreet means to move from place to place, Urden has learned where to look not just for the best deals, but the kind of goods that would be frowned upon by polite society. Knowing what to ask and, more importantly, what not to ask is key in these sort of negotiations and dealings, but really Urden would have it no other way. It's where he does business most of the time, so it pays well to know how it works.

Thug - Sometimes being a mercenary means more than just killing, and Urden knows that all too well. Often times, a veiled threat, shift of the body, or twitch of the hand does more to dissuade trouble than anything else, especially if the client wants to keep bloodshed to a minimum. He has learned a variety of ways to intimidate and make his presence known as not only a threat, but one you really do not want to trifle with, and the more his standing grows? The more effective it'll get, which suits Urden fine. Means he can charge a higher fee.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-inspired Anime Fantasy RP Interest Check

Sounds good, I'll hop on over there and start getting a character put together, if any questions come to mind I'll sound off!

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-inspired Anime Fantasy RP Interest Check

Well, Fire Emblem inspired ideas are certainly appealing to me, sure as sure, so consider me interested in the idea.

Warhammer 50k: The Second Age of Strife

Stukov saw, out of the corner of his eye, one of his men, a good and stout lad, too headstrong for his own good, move in and bayonet the abomination in the back. Granted, all that did was piss it off at this rate, but as it impulsively turned to throttle and kill the offending voidsman, that bought the Voidmaster precious moments to act. Quickly loading an inferno shell and racking it home, Stukov would slam the bayonet upwards, lodging it into the neck of the Tzaangor before jerking the trigger, incinerating the beast's head in a gout of fire and shot, dropping free the grappled Voidsman as Stukov shouldered the collapsing corpse aside, rapidly reloading standard buckshot before opening fire once more, covering the voidsman who had come to his aid.

"TO YOUR FEET, WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE! NO DAEMONS WILL BREAK US NOW, SHOW THEM THE WRATH OF THE IMPERIUM!"

The Voidmaster reached to his belt, grabbing a concussion grenade, priming it, and hurling it towards the emerging Daemons. They still practiced Gellar Field failure drills, and often times it was simply more effective to seal off lost decks that had daemons on them until a return to realspace, Emperor willing, could be made. Failing that, explosives and heavy weapons were preferred. Frags were rare, as the fragments would do almost as much damage to ship's components as they would the enemy. But concussion grenades would maul flesh and even armored foes, as the shockwave cared not for light armor, without doing much to the ship itself. A perfect blend of completion of duties, and something to be mused on another day. Other explosions had staggered and left ears ringing, but the Voidmaster could not afford the luxury of being seen as faltering, keeping himself upright through sheer stubbornness and bracing. His men were doing exactly what was to be expected of them, and that left it to him to perform his duties. To carry on fighting, and screening his men as best he could, injuries, abominations, or daemons be damned.

Fallout: Montana (Accepting new characters)

Alexander Whitmoore

"Fine, I'll take the burden. Given the input so far, here's the plan."

Whitmoore finally spoke up, having simply observed and listened while the others chimed in and said their pieces. Questions of whether or not a group this size could take on the raiders, dissent in that they could, questioning as to a million different possible ways to take the situation on. Whitmoore gave himself a moment to compose himself, reminding himself of what his brothers and sisters taught him growing up back in the bunker on leadership. One leader, one vote. Advisement was all fine and well, but it was ultimately the leader, whether its a scribe or a paladin, who makes the call. And takes the fall, if the call is wrong. There was makings of a good plan here, a lot of ideas to digest, but end of the day, they were raider scum. They would gladly take them for a ride and not turn a single hostage loose as 'leverage' for future extortion, while keeping them barely alive and thoroughly abused. No, there would be no honest negotiation with them, but who said anything about honest negotiation.

"We have the manpower and resources to make this happen. While every one of these raiders have to be put down for the good of the area, she's right, the moment gunfire starts, they start executing, if for no other reason than spite. So, we don't give them the chance. We have a map giving us a rough layout, and as we get closer, we have our best sneak case the place ahead of us, find a good backdoor. Places like this never only have one door, and once that's determined, we split into two teams. The backdoor team takes the best sneak, and two supporting. Ideally those who can break and enter, and fight well enough to hold a line if things go south. They go in, find the hostages, get em out. If they can't, they hunker down and keep the raiders from getting trigger happy. The rest back up our best talker, who's going to sell the raider leader such a line of brahman shit that he won't even know it stinks. Keep him talking, keep him and his goons distracted until one of two things. A predesignated signal, or shooting starts. And then? Not a single raider gets out alive, and we push to clear the place as quickly as we can. Make sense?"

Whitmoore had, during his little laying out of a plan, walked up to where the map was, and gave it a once over while considering his own words. He wasn't a fan of giving orders or, hell, taking them either. That being said, someone had to do it, and he was prepared to take the fall if this didn't work. He could always move on, even if it meant being exiled for failure, the rest could simply lay the blame at his feet. Objectively, he had the least the lose in this situation. The woman had spoken truly, and while he wished they had time for fancy drugs and waiting, they didn't. The raiders would be expecting a group to come with the supplies, or to negotiate, or something. Snow had been mentioned which, in better circumstances, would have brought a fond smile to his face.

"Long as we keep our bearings straight, the snow will help us actually. Because the raiders will be just as blind as we are, with some experience leading the way, we can get a good count of things before they ever realize we are there."