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"It's not that simple. This is a four-sided war, you must remember," Blackstone chided. "First, Paul McCulloch made the offer, and he's killed more of our operatives than we can count. He's up to at least four - maybe five - digits in blood when you combine his kills against our mutual enemies and us. He's dropped Ghosters, Sages, Acolytes, Demons-Major, a couple Lucifex... the man is a beast. Even the best can't see him coming... and even Mitheinous won't go after him.

"In other words, we can't touch 'the people who made the offer.' As for the matter of the leyline and transfer of control, the Coven is always good for its info. If we need dirt on the Confederation or the Cabal Coalition and we can't get it, we ask them. The higher-ups don't want to give up that option."

"Whoever stole our goddamn ship," Kaiser answer, cracking his knuckles by clenching his fist.

Blackstone laughed derisively. "Like we don't have insiders in Zero-Sum and Black Century. Our intel organizations are a ******** of quintuple-agents and utter bullshit."

Blackstone rolled his eyes. "Everybody is too busy 'maintaining cover' or whatever. Or it might've been that the insider never let it slip to anyone, paranoid as he - or she - was."

"It happens. Nobody died." Blackstone rolled his eyes.

Petrachkov raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, your highness, I completely neglected your superiority complex. How would you like your shoes shined today?"

Catalena almost felt herself warming up to Pullman as he spoke. It was always good to find someone who agreed with her negotiation tactics.

She did grimace at the mention of McCulloch. His kill count was higher than many of the Ghosters'. He simply refused to die. Catalena certainly wanted to 'touch the people who made the offer.' If there was one man she wanted in a room alone with bamboo shoots, porcelain cups, and ethanol... Although, Magus-General Joe's delusional sense of justice would certainly be easier to manipulate and more fun to break in half than would be McCulloch's tunnel-visioned patriotism.

She leaned back and listened to the others banter. The fight for dominance. The testosterone highs. And Petrachkov's childish statements of the obvious. Wastes of carbon. Those two had better prove themselves later on. Unlikely at best. In the back of her head, it occurred to Catalena that she had come closest losing her life in the assassination attempt among those who were there, but she calmly ignored that fact.

A small smile decorated her features as Petrachkov was shut down by Pullman's ego. There was no reason for her to join in the fun, as entertaining as it was from the outside. Boys will be boys.

"Tower, this is Seagull Five. We're coming in for landing, tower, who the ******** is that on the landing pad?" the pilot called out.

"This is tower, Seagull Five, proceed with standard landing procedure," the radio crackled back.

"Tower, this is Kaiser, you have five seconds to tell me who the ******** is on our landing pad before I Ghost into the ******** tower and slit your ******** throat. I am not in the mood for games."

"Agent Kaiser, this is tower, I am not at liberty to-"

"Tower, this is Blackstone, I'll let him do it. I ******** will."

"Sir, my apologies, but I'm really not allowed to."

"Pilot."

"Yes sir?"

"Fire a volley of missiles at our guest."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the pilot declared with a smirk. A hatch on the front of the copter opened.

"Seagull Five, this is tower, stand down!"

"Five."

"Sir, you can't-"

"Four."

"Sir, it'll treason, you-"

"Three."

"Cant possibly go through with this, you'll get a court-martial!"

"Two."

"Sir, this will not be stood for-"

"One."

"Sir, Belias is on-site and she-"

"Fire."

"Blackstone, no!"

The hatch spat out missile after missile, all heading straight for the newcomer.

"Deploy hot and combat-ready, we don't know who that is so stay sharp," Kaiser commanded, Ghosting through the floor of the copter.

"Never mind, it's Agent Miriam Belias. Why does she always pull this s**t?" Kaiser crackled through the radio.