[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods at the words of her boss and watches as Nicolai finishes the girl off and turns to the man.  She has noted that her companions have all left the room and she shrugs.  They do not have to witness such an event to still be her friends.  She treasures them, perhaps even Blackbird, although he has a ways to go to earn her trust.  Still, he came, for whatever reason he thought was important...............but he did come to help her and that has to count for something.

[ismilealot]

06:32
Soon Nicolai has what he's after, Tsina's itinerary, the new codes and the soul of the man he's torturing. He turns to Yelena, "Там, мы должны двигаться быстро. Коды меняются ежедневно и момент нашей атаки должен быть точным." He nods to one of his minions and in a moment Arc, Marco and Jed receive a knock at the door. "Go time plan." They're led to a small conference room where Nicolai, Yelena and a man whose obviously been a burn victim is sitting waiting for them. Nicolai begins immediately. "Tsina is moving shipment of slaves and drugs by train today. Is new business partner and so she will be there personally with many extra guards for possible double cross. Train is underground most way. But, vulnerable here, when it comes out. I have boys who will place charges. My plan is to meet her here. As new business partner. Yelena will be my bodyguard. When she steps from train and sees us she will know we have come to extract justice. At same time charges set when train comes out go off to take money from her soul. My family will use codes to enter her stronghold while forces split and weak. They will who they must. Targets already identified. Yelena says you are here to help. What assistance will be added?"

[spoiler]  "There, we have to move quickly. The codes are changed daily and the time of our attack must be exact."[/spoiler]

[SmilinIrish]

The girl was dying, slowly. her body jerking less and less. Until she died and Nicolai turned to the man.

As Jed watched the woman and Nicolai, he became caught up in the interplay of their auras.  As the brightness of her aura dimmed, his brightened.  As hers began to pulse, dimmer, then re-surging, the intensity of his matched in answer.  This wasn't a man using his tools, this was a something else.  He fed off the misery, fueling his hate with it.  Suddenly, her aura dimmed without pulsing, and before Jed could look away, it flickered and died.  For a moment Nicolai's aura flared, in...ecstasy? 

Profound sadness suffused Jed as he was pulled into a memory of another time he watched an aura die from the astral.  He thought of HER.  That time it was his fault.  He was supposed to protect HER.  But he failed. This one wasn't his to protect, but watching a life dim and die with the Sight was always profound.  The horror of the changes to Nicolai's aura was too much.  As he turned his sight from Nicolai, Yelena was there.  And Jed was disturbed.  The similarities were too striking to ignore.  Yelena's aura was darkening as well.  No ecstasy there, but no emotion for the loss of life.  Satisfaction...maybe? 

How could he look at Nicolai with revulsion, and not feel the same with Yelena?  The difference with her and Nicolai was a space of centimeters.  Jed told himself that the difference was that Nicolai fed on the suffering, and to Yelena it was colder, less passion.  But looking at their aura's the results were not much different.  Maybe it was because he had seen her do good for her community, watching her connect with Arc, form relationships, make sacrifices for another.  He couldn't imagine Nicolai making a sacrifice for another.  But she was too close to what he was.   They would have to hold her, keep her from falling into that abyss.  That was the difference.  Yelena had a lifeline to her humanity because she still cared for some people.  Her dark past was a tool she employed to sustain herself, and to protect those she cared about.  But that link was tenuous.  Ever more so after dealing with her feelings of betrayal by Marco.  He needed to make sure that she came home alive, but he also needed to make sure she came home still Yelena.   

[SmilinIrish]

06:32
Yelena says you are here to help. What assistance will be added?"

I am a mage.  My skills lean toward scouting, surveillance, and support.  I can also heal wounds, and I can make someone invisible.  Jed decides to stick to English.  Nicolai probably knows who speaks Russian, but just in case, Jed decides not to tip any more of his hand than he has too.

[gilga]

Marco wakes up and begins dressing, he combs his hair and wash his face. He walks silently to the meet and then tells Nikolai " I am a man of subterfuge and my methods are soft and delicate. I can be of little help with this plan as described. Could you please explain in more details?"

Marco then explains "I do not want a plan where you make new enemies, where you get your justice. Only to be retaliated by some angry client that lost millions because of you. I suggest we figure out a plan with more subterfuge and less explosives, as there is also the day after justice to worry about and Tsina is clearly part of some bigger ecosystem. "

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena feels a need to step in and say something, but is unsure of how to phrase it until Blackbird talks and provides her with an opportunity.  Yelena here for justice.  Not vengeance.  Not killing of innocents.  Tsina must die to pay for crimes against family.  Against honor.  Many supporters of Tsina will die protecting her.  That is expected from members of her Bratva.  Others can be taken into another family.  No pride or value killing Tsina's slaves.  Many people freed may give help to cause and perhaps strengthen family.  Others just go home."

[ismilealot]

Nicolai shrugs, "I am new business partner. No new enemies, only justice. Killing slaves will show her money is not important. She can not buy me. But, if mojo can do same, then slaves can be sold again. Am open to new plan ideas."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods.  "Is good.  Not need kill slaves.  Is not justice.  Blackbird can help by use magic.  Adapt plan but hurry.  Time is short.  What can do to help, Blackbird?  Jedediah?"

[gilga]

Blackbird looked at Nikolai and said "I have been a mage long enough to figure out that magic is not always the best solution. As tempting as it is to use it to solve every problem.  Yes, I can fake explosives, and yes it should be reliable for a while until something breaks the illusion. However, it would be by the end of the day an illusion a ruse and should it be detected Tsina would be very suspicious and the entire scene deteriorate to violence.

The most convincing illusions are technically true. If money is not important, we should let the slaves go - in fact have Tsina's men do it. It would keep them occupied while you extract her.
How are you going to bribe an altruistic goody two shoe ? With filthy blood money? Tsina would be surprised, off guard. She expected many things, but not this. This disorientation could be your window of opportunity to make Tsina disappear without a bloodshed.

No bloodshed also means that Tsina is less likely to warn her people in the stronghold, would give your family a better chance of survival. If you need more time for the illusion, I could possibly impersonate Tsina after the meeting so that you can disappear from the scene. Their reputation would be ruined, they would be humiliated for freeing slaves without getting paid for them and losing their boss at the same scene.

You could always come later for the slaves, how far would they possibly go?"

[Qwikfix]

Arc was caught a bit unprepared as they were summoned for the briefing, having been spending the last few minutes making a few last minute adjustments to her arm to pass the time...and collect her thoughts.  So when the Russian bratva member called her in to join the others, she had to hastily finish up and close the paneling before joining the rest of the group before Nicolai.

When he looked at each of them, asking for their skills, she felt the cold icy gaze, making her own expression harden up.  She already knew how she was going to help.  Not too far away, she would operate her new drones to back up her Srui'ken, adding an extra silenced gun without an extra body.  Chewing the inside of her lip, she opened her mouth to speak...

..when Blackbird went into a big spiel.  She stopped herself...not wanting to interrupt the flow.  But either way, it seemed like her short mechanic hoop had been forgotten for the moment....maybe for the best...

[SmilinIrish]

Do you know if Tsina has magical support?  I can scout the train while it is in route and get an accurate count of people.  I may even be able to tell which one are guards.  Once the fighting starts I can throw some mana around.  Once we are done, hopefully I can make sure we all come home alive.  Looking at Marco Jed says in a low voice I know you abhor bloodshed, but if you suggest that they not kill Tsina, they won't take anything you say seriously.  Focus on the slaves.  You might find a way to preserve their lives.

[ismilealot]

Nicolai looks at Marco flatly, "Stupid is same word for dead. We will have only few people there. All of Yelena's bratva who are not stupid. Me. Hellfire. If Tsina's bratva who go on train are not all dead, we will be dead when she see's me and Silver Scorpion. My bratva will use passcodes to enter her bratva and kill all lieutenants and any who resist after Tsina's death as a betrayer is known. Two-pronged strike is necessary so no warning is called."

[gilga]

Marco sighs "I take it that Tsina does not know who the client is right?"

[Qwikfix]

So the plan is set, and this Niko hoop ain't budgin' on it.  We are taking the train through an exposed part.  Plan is to isolate her and take the opposition out quickly and efficiently if possible.  Hmm...

As they were all conversing, any glance back towards the short tusked mechanic would see her cybereyes focused on the space in front of her, a pursed frown on her features and a narrowed brow, arms crossed under her chest as she seemed to be working on something.  Occasionally her gaze would shift slightly, as if focusing on something else as she worked in her now multiple private AROs she has opened. 

"....Well, if the team spread ish how it soundsh, then my help ish shtickin' with the Silver Scorpion..."  Silver Scorpion.  Gonna have to rib Yelena for that later, heh   Arc chuckled inwardly as she stepped forward, cracking her neck as she started opening her windows in a local broadcast...visible to those Matrix capable in the room.  A rough drawing depicting the scene description of a train exposing above ground for a moment was the first to show, along with a cutout simulating the potential meetup.  Taking a moment to get her AROs in order, she made sure she had the group's attention before continuing.

"So thish ish how I undershtood the sitch, feel free to shift it ash needed.  Y'all gon' be in the train when it movesh, then we hit here and boombah.."  A quick activation, and the simulation showed charges going off to halt the train.  "The game ish on.  Here ish where you gotta isholate and neutralize Tsina and her croniesh.  I can help in two ways..."

She pulled up two images: her rotodrones, one fitted with a silenced assault rifle, the other a silenced sniper rifle.  "Shuppresshive fire and outside shupport, windowsh pending, at y'allh dishcretion.  Obviously, I'll need a shecure shpot to work with these, but I can, null shweat.  Now, jusht had another idea to help with isholatin' yo mark."

A list then appeared, showing an itemized bill of materials for a few basic parts...a couple cell batteries, the transmitting antenna of an RF generator, about 2m of insulated copper wiring, a tin can, a couple bandages, a binder clip, and three paper clips.   "Give me twenty minutesh, I can make a jammin' grenade to muck up they wirelessh devicesh.  Think we can get that to work?"

She paused, looking between Nikolai and Yelena to see how her ideas would be received.  If nothing worked, she would be little more than dead weight in her mind, so she did hope for the best.  Ain't no sense being here otherwise

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena looks at her friends and smiles before turning to Nikolai.  "Yelena friends can help.  Good ideas.  Nicolai can incorporate into plan?"