Gerhard Guildenstern arrived at the Gray Fox's study to see a vacant room of bookshelves and piled paperwork on the table. The old crime lord had been busy lately, as the scattered pen and a half-filled parchment document beside a pile of fresh papers told their stories of a work left behind by the desk's owner. A desk chair was set at an odd angle with the seat facing the right drawers. He did not bother with finding a seat and waited for the rest of the party to arrive.

  The turning of the knob and a creaky opening of the door indicated the arrival of the second member of the gathering. A woman in a long-sleeved shirt, a waistcoat, and pants entered the room, holding what looked like a curved staff in her right hand. She exchanged glances with Gerhard; his discerning look was met with a pair of sharp eyes on a puzzled face. On the ground between the stranger and the Gray Fox's desk was a metal case whose lock was broken; its contents were yet to be shown. Scents of wood varnish and linseed oil crept out of the container: these were common in the facility's production areas, but were rarely found inside the syndicate leader's office.

  "Who are you?"

  "I should be asking you that. No metal arm, so you're not the Boss Fox." The woman took the liberty and took a seat on the long chair of the study's right wall. "Since you're around, I can say that you're not here to snoop on the Fox's paperwork, are you?"

  "I'm here on business; do not take me for a thief, woman." A part of Gerhard's teeth bore before he looked away from the stranger.

  "Touchy one, I see. Don't let the wrinkles ruin your handsome face, Sir. You'll look less appealing."

  Gerhard's glare landed somewhere between a snarl and a scowl. Cornelia smiled back, much to the man's annoyance. This was the problem with these upstarts, who are new to how the Gray Fox ran things. The man's mouth was about to move to utter a new set of words when the third member opened the door.

  "Good, you're all here. At least we can start the whole purpose of this meeting without waiting on anyone else." The Gray Fox paced to his desk and fixed his seat before continuing:

  "Mister Guildenstern, meet Cornelia Sauvant." A metal hand pointed to the slouching woman. "She's the newest addition to our force."

  "I didn't expect the Steel Rose to be actually... a woman."

  "Happy to see you surprised by the fact, Mister Guildenstern. I, too, am taken aback by my popularity sometimes."

  Cornelia flipped her hair and looked away before she sat straight and crossed her legs. Though only a part of it was revealed by the ceiling light, her smile was more prominent upon seeing the look of confusion on this soon-to-be teammate of hers.

  "Excellent. You two may get along well." Their leader set the table and put the pile of papers on top of a shelf. He returned after pulling a rolled sheet from one of the bookcases. "And now we begin talking about your task. Mister Norton should be the one responsible for this, but I've sent him away to attend to other matters for me. I'll assume his work in the meantime since there isn't anyone else who'll do it for me."

  The Gray Fox unrolled the sheet, which showed a map of Altrecht. He encircled a set of boxes in the central right sector with a stick of chalk.

  "This site is an old warehouse run by the Kleinfeltz Group. It has come to my attention that a representative of one of our rivals managed to make a lease on the property and was planning to start another version of our business."

  Gerhard and Cornelia looked at other places on the map, although the latter's eyes seemed to wander off and look at the walls and ceiling as well.

  "Do you know how to use guns, Miss Sauvant?"

  "I've gotten my hands on a few." Cornelia shrugged her shoulders before her lips curved to a half-hearted frown. "Had to sell them eventually. Bullets don't come cheap. Can't buy them in the open without the Empire taking notice."

  "Take one of them from the case. You'll see, and also feel, my concerns."

  Cornelia set aside her weapon, opened the metal box, and took the top rifle. It looked like the standard guns issued to Imperial soldiers, except for the raised front and rear sight blocks. Lugs under the barrel were meant to house a sword bayonet: a strange choice over the spikes Kriemreich provided for its men. Markings were carved on the stock: Eastern characters, along with their mythological symbols. Cornelia smelled the leftovers of some polish used on the wooden furniture. She aimed and pulled the bolt, looking at the empty chamber before closing it. She squeezed the trigger: a click that sounded like a loud finger snap was heard.

  "Doesn't sound like these are made from rundown smithies." Cornelia put down the rifle. "Sights are good too. I'm thinking of keeping one of these myself."

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  She ignored Gerhard's rounded-eyed stare. The Gray Fox shook his head twice and waved his hand before saying:

  "Take one if it satisfies your curiosity. I cannot guarantee I'll have the ammunition for it, though."

  "Gun looks like it can take in Imperial bullets, which I have no doubt you have plenty of." She headed back to her seat and took her staff-like weapon. "Anyway, so you want us to take them out of the race?"

  "Silence." Gerhard cut in. This woman was becoming too comfortable for her own good. She was, after all, speaking with none other than the overall leader.

  "All right, Mister Guildenstern..." Cornelia pursed her lips before she gazed at him with side eyes. "...it's not rude to guess."

  "Correct, Miss Sauvant," answered the crime lord. He ignored the subtle laughter that got out of the swordswoman's lips; it was not intended for him anyway. "These upstarts from the Yellow Empire are selling these for half the price of my stock. I am not open to competition, particularly from these Far Eastern riffraff. They would be flooding our land with their men and wares if kept unchecked, like what they did with the southern sultanates. A show of force should keep them in line."

  "They've got a fancy name. Dragon's Claw, or something close. I've known them - at least through their affiliates here. They're not fond of us poor Delitians, at least when it comes to security for their top members."

  "But, Sir, we could use their stock after we deal with their men," Gerhard spoke almost to the point of standing. He wasn't too keen on hearing this woman dominating the discussion. "Their weapons can give us more profit."

  "Guildenstern's got a point." Cornelia sat on the edge of the desk.

  "True, but I would prefer melting those contraptions to be made into something far more useful. About the men... they can be interesting additions to my umbrella. Mister Norton should have them cooperating after we give them a taste of defeat. They can be my gateway to the Far East."

  "Hmm... it sounds nice." Cornelia then asked, "Wouldn't that be a little dangerous, I mean, beating them and forcing them to work for us? I'm sure that their grudge will keep them thinking of ways to get even."

  "I have my means of preventing that from happening. Besides, if our new 'recruits' do not work on their own volition, there are... other ways to make good use of their services."

  There was confidence yet mystery in the Gray Fox's voice, which made Cornelia respond with a rushed grin, followed by fixing her hair. Gerhard saw the woman looking at the crime leader with doubting eyes, but decided not to do anything about it; it was common after all for new hires to be unacquainted with the syndicate leader's ways. He found it odd that the Fox found it too easy to trust this mercenary; this sellsword started fresh and unknowingly found her way to the master's study. Perhaps there was something in Cornelia Sauvant that the Fox had seen. The old crime lord was not a trusting man, but he knew who had the capacities he should invest in.

  "It would be best if you trust his judgment, madam. You will be made aware of his reasons soon enough." Gerhard's restrained tone did nothing to clear the air, but she sighed and shrugged her shoulders before returning her focus to the map.

  "Mister Guildenstern will supervise the operation. I cannot yet free Mister Norton of his task. You, Miss Sauvant, will lead the attack; you will be given twenty of my resources - eight in men, twelve of my newest constructs..."

  The Gray Fox went on, with both of his aides sitting still while listening. His speaking while keeping some of the papers away looked like he was rambling.

  "The usual layout will suffice. Light armor. New hydraulics. Rifle and machine guns. Doctor Hollegrehenn's battle-ready models are reliable enough to take the field. You have to make sure the weaponeers remain unharmed."

  "You sound confident with that, Boss. On other matters, if you won't mind me asking, I don't know how your machines can help but is ordering us to take out probably a hundred men with only us ten maybe..." Cornelia fiddled around with her weapon's hilt, passing it from her right to the left hand. "... is a task beyond what we can handle?"

  The Gray Fox let out a low burst of laughter before answering: "Mister Guildenstern's advice will help you, Cornelia. "

  "Uh-huh... there's another problem, at least, just with me." Cornelia brought her weapon to the light; Gerhard was able to see a detail of the hilt and guard on the "staff" she held.

  "I've worked with some of the Dragon's Claw's affiliates for a few tasks, and they'll surely recognize me the moment I start using this blade on them. Not that I don't want to be called a traitor, but I don't feel good about killing clients of my old employers using this sword."

  "I'll have my armorers craft your new battle attire. Also, will a shorter sword suffice? I recall none of my weaponsmiths designing a blade with the same length as yours."

  "As long as I can swing and cut with it, no problem, Boss Fox."

  "And you, Mister Guildenstern? Anything that needs to be addressed?"

  "None, Sir."

  "Excellent. Both of you are dismissed. We have three days to prepare our attack."

  Cornelia exited the room first, followed by Gerhard. He found the swordswoman standing by the hall, not far from the door, waiting for him.

  "Hey! Since we'll end up working with each other, for this mission at least, why not give me your first name?"

  The man was taken further aback when Cornelia extended her left hand. He pulled his right arm and gave her a hurried handshake. "...Gerhard."

  "Gerhard, huh? See you around then. I'm Cornelia, if you haven't heard that earlier." Her grip slipped, and she turned around to walk away from him, leaving the man standing in the middle of the hallway. His face remained twisted as he watched her disappear from the hall.

  It was the first time he would work with a woman on a task, and a stranger at that. He'd never fought beside a woman before. She was strange, unorthodox, but strangely unshakable. He hated that he didn't hate it. Gerhard shook the thought out of his mind, as he told Cornelia earlier, he had to trust the Gray Fox's decisions.