"Hey! One of you Marius?" The cry came from the entrance to the pod, and the team saw a man wearing oil-stained overalls sitting atop a small electric runabout – nothing really more than a glorified golf cart. They waved him in and his vehicle trundled over towards them with a whine from the motor. "Vishtar sent me over, says you want some work queuing up and quoting on. I'm Victor Smuushki, by the way. I run the maintenance crew."
Marius stepped forwards and invited Victor aboard the chopper, and started to describe the work that needed to be done – or at least was desired. Victor had a good poke about, asking questions about the chopper to do with the mechanical history, stresses and service history while staying clear of anything too specific; clearly he was used to dealing with people who had craft with dubious or unclear provenance. It took him about fifteen minutes to do a quick survey, and they headed out of the craft to meet up with the rest of the team for him to deliver his verdict.
"Right then – let's start with the simple stuff first. Getting a rigger control system installed is null sweat. We got 'em in stock, even for a bird this size, and the parts are all off the shelf. Cost is about two and a half grand, and we can probably fit it in a couple of days. Certainly we want to do that as the absolute first job, because the wiring is a bitch if you have to put it around everything else you want to add in." Marius nodded in agreement with him, clearly having been forced to do some post-install wiring work in the past and regretting it.
"Next up the Smartlink kit. I'm guessing you want the latest gen tech, and from a decent manufacturer like Ares or Krupp," Victor missed the involuntary shudder from Marius at the mention of his former employer, "rather than some third tier knockoff copy. We'll have to hit the suppliers in Volgograd, and hope that someone has one spare. Cost is likely to run around a grand, and the work is pretty easy – no more than a day or two I think, to get the control runs laid in and calibrated. As long as we can get stock. If no one has one, it's gonna take a good few days to shake some trees and find one, or arrange a delivery."
"Drone racks – this is where it starts to get a bit tricky. Now I'm guessing that in the line of work, you're after the ability to launch and recover in flight?" Several of the team nodded right along with Marius. "Thought so. Well, it depends what kind of drones you got, but it could be a problem. With the size of your rotors, and the amount of lift on a bird this size, you got some sizeable air disruption. Do you want to launch when you've got loads slung under the bird, and what kind of drones are we talking about?"
"Yes, we will want to be able to launch with an underslung load attached. And at the moment we have two air support drones – a condor series recon, and a close support platform." Victor winced and moved over towards the chopper, so he could point and demonstrate what the issues were.
"Your close support, I'm guessing its jet-fuelled – something like a Dalmation or similar. No problem launching and recovery there, it has the speed and control from the vector thrust to handle the manoeuvers required. The Condor is a problem though – well known issue. You see, normally we'd want to use the belly cargo doors to launch, and we'd throw it straight down under the bird – into the relatively clear air under the body. There's still downwash of course, but not as much as to the sides. But if you've got a bunch of cables under tension and an underslung load, that's just not going to work." Victor moved over to the side of the chopper, drawing an imaginary box on the side.
"So, if we go with what you mentioned when we were inside, and have a waist launcher, and pop them out the sides – looks good on paper. But, that's where the drone pops out right, on the launch arm. Then the lifting body inflates before you detach the umbilical – but trying to inflate the bag takes it right up towards the rotor. If the bag is too big, it gets chopped. But even if the bag is a small one, with the hybrid hydrogen/helium mix, then you still have to fight to get it inflated under the pressure of the downwash. It's a bugger." He walked down the length of the cargo area, with the team drifting after him.
"So, commonly what happens is you stick the drone rack out on the tail boom, with it extending to the rear – that way you clear the main rotor wash, and the side force from the tail rotor doesn't bother you much. Downside of that is there's a lot of control runs through there, and normally a whole nest of fuel tanks. So you're making extra work for yourself. But, once it's in, it gives you the best operational access with the greatest safety margin. So, that's what I'd recommend."
He turned to face Marius, who looked deeply unhappy. The rest of the team watch, wondering if Victor was feeding them a line of bullshit, and that was the reason for the unhappiness. But, Marius walked around, crouching and checking various sight lines and looking up at the rotor blades, wing positions and the length of the tail, before nodding unhappily.
"Ja, I agree. A pain, but clearly the best way to solve the engineering challenge. So, we need to open up the tail, relocate the tanks, armour the control runs against EM, install the lines to control the racks, and then fit the actual racks. How much?"
"Well, the component cost is pretty low, but you've already realised how much of an arse the job is, haven't you?" Marius nodded unhappily. "So we're probably talking a week or more, and fifty grand – depending on how many drones of what size you want to fit inside."
"We already have a drone rack of the required size." Marius pulled out his pad and showed Victor the schematic. "I can have it removed from our truck while you're doing other work, ready for installation.
"Oh, right. Well, if it's install only, that helps a lot. Probably looking around ten grand, depending on how much custom manufacturing we have to do for the frame and if the tail needs much reinforcing. Probably not with the type of aircraft, but you never know." Victor locked eyes with Marius for a moment, then they both nodded, apparently in agreement.
"Now, the fuel tanks – we got two options. First, we can get small tanks and gang them together. They're cheap, and it's easy to work out exactly how much fuel capacity you want. They're the sort of things you fit into pickups and trucks to get extra range, normally about fifty litres or so. Easy to get commercially in the city, and you pay a higher cost on the first one to get the pumps, control mechanism, gauges and such like, then the ones after are pretty much just boxes. But, we have to work out the placement and add them in one at a time, mate them up, check the seals and so on. Lots of places where something can get a leak or an air bubble. So, it's easy work, but very time-consuming and will chew up hours like you can't believe. Easy to maintain and replace individual tanks though." He beckoned the team over to the rear of the chopper, until they were standing behind the ramp.
"The second option is to go for a larger tank – much larger." He took a photo of the rear of the bird to get the dimensions, then used his fingers to start drawing on the tablet, sketching in the size of tank and position. "So if we put in a tank here, and here, up against the skin but leaving a passageway between them, you'll get about a thousand litres of increased capacity then, in a very simple module. Less easy to find, we might even have to get it custom manufactured to fit the contours of the craft. Much bigger, and harder to install due to the size and weight – but almost certainly cheaper in the long run, and easier to maintain with fewer parts. If you're doing any work on the skin or the frame, it'll be harder to run behind the tank due to the size and weight, so you probably want to do that first."
Marius turned towards the team, looking around at them.
"I suggest the bigger tank, for maintenance and to cut costs."
"I agree, that seems the better option." Aswon added.
"Yeah, on the whole that seems better. And cost IS a factor. How much are we talking, Victor?" asked Kai.
"Hmm. Well, if you were going for a thousand litre tank, a big custom job…" he tapped away on his pad for a moment, thought, tapped in some more figures. "Probably around twenty thousand. Maybe less, depending on the workload in the fab shops. If you go for the smaller tanks, but the same capacity…" tap tap tap "we're looking at being about 10-15% more probably, even though they are easier to get.
Marius pulled out his credstick and waved it at Victor.
"Right, there's fifteen grand on there – let's get parts ordered and fabrication started, and wheels in motion, and we'll pay for the rest on completion. Or rather Kai will." Kai nodded, making some notes on his own pad and looking at the balance on the various credsticks they held with a worried look. Victor pulled out his reader and pushed the transaction through, then got in his cart.
"I'll get this ordered, and things in motion then, and we'll probably be back in three days or so."
"What? No! We don't have time to wait, we need to start now, getting things prepared!" Marius seemed appalled at the delay.
"Hey, I don't make the schedule, I just do the work. Take it up with Vishtar if you got an issue. I got orders to fix up the truck as priority number one, before I start on any outside work." He shrugged, but looked unapologetic, and then put the truck in gear and drove off to make arrangements.
"We definitely need a nice, easy, well paid job after this. The cupboard is looking pretty bare after the upgrades." He flashed the pad around at the team, showing the amount – a touch over ten thousand remaining split across several sticks.
"Does that include an allowance for fuel?" Aswon enquired. Kai shook his head and Aswon frowned. "Oh, right. I see. In that case, we should go back to our employer and ask them for an advance on the fee. Probably around 20-25%, to cover the other expenses. Kai was about to disagree, but he saw the nods and acceptance from the rest of the team and held the thought, aware that it would only cause a rift if he refused to contact her.
Aswon headed out of the pod and jogged towards the entrance, stopping just inside the illusion and crouching down in the side area. Pulling his phone out, he worked through the contacts until he found Spook, and with a quick check of his watch to confirm the time difference, hit dial.
"What?" She sounded annoyed, really annoyed.
"Spook? Hi, it's Aswon. Everything ok?"
"No, not really. What do you want?" Her speech was short, curt and carried an undertone of obvious anger.
"Do I need to get over to you? I can drop what I'm doing and be there in…. well, today, I think." It would foul up their planning for the job, but friends were friends, and she'd stood by him when he needed help, and he wasn't going to leave her hanging. But he heard her take a deep breath, then let it out slowly – if he knew her, she was standing with her eyes closed and was doing at least one arm movement of tai chi with it, trying to regain her calm.
"Thanks Aswon, but no, it's ok. Some problems, but nothing I can't handle, and you can't really help. At least not yet. If you can, I'll let you know. Sorry – what is it you're after?"
"If you're sure. Well, I was after a consult really – I need to talk to a parabotanist or top flight expert on magical plants or compounds. It's about a job."
"Hmm. I have someone in mind – but I need to know, what country are you working in? Or what area. It's kind of important."
"Tundra region." Aswon thought for a moment – he trusted her, so he should trust her to be discreet and parsimonious with the information. "Yakut / Russia steppes to be more defined."
"Ahh, ok. You're definitely not going anywhere near Hong Kong or China then? To be absolutely clear." She listened as Aswon clarified that they were a significant distance away. "Ok, I think I have just the person then. I'll get back to you at… in two hours, 42 minutes – whatever hour that is where you area. Ok." Aswon confirmed the time, and heard her break the connection. For a moment he wondered if he should make his excuses to Kai and head for the airport to get the next flight to anywhere connecting to Hong Kong – but no, she'd been quite clear. Not yet. With that he pocketed the phone and headed back to the pod to meet up with the rest of them.
Arriving back at the pod he found Shimazu, Tads and Kai having a discussion – they'd decided they needed to ward the helicopter, and had decided to put the ward on the inside of the craft to hide the powerful protection they intended to put on it – which meant putting the ward in place before the fuel tanks were installed, as they needed access to the skin. Aswon nodded in agreement, suggesting that in light of the metal hull and the likely knocks and scrapes, they should be looking at mixing a paint up to inscribe the runes and marks required, then covering with a spray varnish to protect them.
Hunter was sitting on a blanket with some cleaning solvent, and a small toolkit and was hard at work cleaning down the Ares assault rifle – attending to every minute speck of dust or wear, and making it look factory new before slowly and carefully reassembling it, then giving it a quick once over with a cloth to burnish out any final marks or fingerprints, before it went back into the case.
Once the plan for warding was complete, Kai headed off into the rec area to try and find Vishtar. Along the way he passed the berthing board and noticed that Pod 1 was now showing as empty – there was a faint outline of the words "The Paladin" showing where the name had been erased. They must have left early in the morning he figured, then shrugged and continued his travels. In the rec-area he found the two trolls and the Japanese guy in uniform relaxing by their table, and asked them if they'd seen Vishtar. The male troll who had been playing the accordion directed him to the cook, while his female companion just stared at Kai like he'd just shat on the table – she seemed to have a real chip on her shoulder. The cook however just informed him that Vishtar was busy, and wouldn't be around for a couple of hours.
Back at the pod, Hunter looked up as he heard a call.
"Hello! 's Rocket."
"Come on in!" Rocket crossed the threshold, heading over towards Hunter. Marius, Shimazu, and Aswon drifted over as well to say hello. Rocket bimbled over to them, crossing the cavern floor at a steady pace that gave them time to examine him – dressed in jeans and a pair of hiking boots, a flannel shirt and a loose fitting jacket, he didn't appear to be armed with anything major, and certainly appeared to be quite comfortable. As he arrived and said hello, Hunter flipped open the case, presenting the gleaming Ares Alpha combat gun to him. Rocket looked at him and raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused. Hunter just proffered the case to him again.
"That….that was a gift, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, thanks. I really appreciated it. But I've got another gun you see, that I use. And while I appreciate the gift, I hate to see the gun not get used. So I figured I'd give you this back – so it can go to someone who will use it." Rocket cocked his head at Hunter, staring at him for a moment, as if he was waiting for the punchline. When it was clear there wasn't anything, he slowly reached out and flipped the case shut, then grabbed the handle.
"Ok, well. Um. That makes sense, I suppose."
"Wait there a minute, you'll see." Hunter turned and headed back to the truck.
The rest of them chatted for a minute, until Hunter returned with his assault rifle. He dropped the mag out, then racked the action, catching the round as it flew through the air. Once the round had been pocketed, he dropped the gun to its side, then checked the chamber – confirming it was empty, before proffering the gun to Rocket.
"Ooof. God, this weighs a ton. Not that I suppose that bothers you much!" Rocket lifted the rifle, a very slight tremor in his arms as he hefted the sturdy firearm into position and sighted down the scope. His shoulder twitched, and he tried to get comfy, struggling to hold the gun in position and ending up with his arms having to hold the rifle further away from his core to fit the heavy stock into position.
"Heavy duty barrel, reinforced piston rods and gas return, upgraded sear. Kinetic resistant shoulder absorbers, and of course the under barrel grenade launcher. Latest gen Smart-Link system, with improved barrel sensors. Sweet, ain't she?" Rocket lowered the rifle from the ready position and examined it closely, before handing it back to Hunter. He watched as Hunter effortlessly lifted the heavy duty rifle to his shoulder, his long arms snugging the reinforced stock in tight, bringing it into perfect firing position.
"Yeah, nice. I can see why you'd prefer that over the Mark IV. Fair enough." He stopped, then cocked his head to one side slightly. A small smile formed, just a faint upturning of the lips really. "Topshot wants to know if she can come in?" Hunter nodded, and they saw Rocket work his jaw silently, probably sending a message via sub-vocal transmitter. "Ok, she's coming."
Marius, Hunter and Aswon turned towards the entrance to the pod, looking at the dark portal, faintly illuminated by the glow of the strung mining lamps. They stood in silence, their eyes flicking back and forth across the wide gap, trying to spot for movement. Shimazu, still working on his new senses, dropped into astral and spotted her almost immediately, slowly crawling down the left hand wall and around towards their position. He tried to keep any expression off his face and dropped out of astral sight, and let his eyes flicked over to that side of the cavern – nothing. Even knowing where she was, her slow, steady movement under the high-tech stealth suit made her invisible. He flicked in and out of astral, watching her progress while the rest of the team continued to study the passageway and rocks.
"Bonjour." She spoke quietly, and the team – apart from Shimazu – couldn't help but jump as the noise came from behind them.
"I have GOT to get me one of those!" Aswon said out loud as she flipped back the hood on her suit, then with a discreet button push cancelled the ruthenium weave stealth system, appearing before them in a tight figure hugging suit. "Anyway, nice to SEE you again," he said, emphasising the word, "I've got something I'd like to show you."
"It is not a cock, is it?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Rocket sniggered, while the rest of the team all looked equally confused as Aswon. Topshot waved her hand in a dismissal. "Ok, hang on here. I'll be right back." He ran to the truck, fetching the huge case and his monster rifle, bringing it back and gently lying it on the floor, then opening the case, the sound of the clasps echoing around the cavern as he flipped them open. As Hunter had, he checked the chamber was clear, then handed the rifle over to Topshot.
Despite her slender frame, she hefted the rifle with ease, bringing it up to her shoulder and sighting down the scope, her feet automatically moving into an L-shaped stance to steady her. She adjusted minutely, lowering and then raising the rifle again, snugging it in tightly to her.
"It's lovely and accurate, but it's a shame I can't fire more than two, perhaps three shots before it gets devastatingly loud."
"It is not surprising, it is British after all, and sheet." The words came out smoothly and gently, but there was a surprising amount of venom in them. Aswon bristled instantly.
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with British. Look at this!" He unslung the Purdey, holding it out in front of him as exhibit A.
"Ahh, that is not British. Zat is History!" Aswon looked slightly taken aback, but he could see her looks of admiration as her fingers delicately traced over the engraving. "But zat is not what I meant. The silencer – ZAT is British. And sheet. Always, they make rubbish. Fine guns, great accuracy. Sheet silencers."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"Oui. Try GIAT. Combination French/Italian manufacturing. Some of the engineers from Benelli came over too – they are used to working with big rounds. They have some lovely silencers, and suppressors. But not cars. GIAT make sheet cars."
"It's a shame we can't shoot her, I'd love to let you have a go with her. But I don't think it's a good idea in here, is it?"
"We can shoot. We just have to wait until sunset, and shoot on the shadow side of the quarry. Nobody can see, the sound is masked by the equipment and the hill. Just as long as you are in shadow to cover against the overheads, is fine." Topshot spoke in a very matter-of-fact voice, and Aswon stared at her for a moment, then turned to look at Rocket, who just nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right. I see. Well, that's interesting. Guess we'll get some practice in, then. Including Nadia." He glanced over at Marius, who just smiled at him. Topshot moved over to Rocket, and whispered something in his ear – quietly enough that nobody in the team heard her speak at all. He nodded, and she jogged towards the exit, leaving Rocket behind with the team.
"So, I got to ask – where did you actually get that gun from?" Hunter gestured to the case holding the Ares Alpha.
"A grateful employer. A very grateful employer. Sometimes cash is nice. Other times there are benefits to dealing in goods."
"Could you hook us up at all?" Hunter sounded hopeful.
"Oh. Well, maybe. Are you actually looking for work at the moment?"
"Not at the moment, we're actually getting ready for a job at the minute. But likely we will in the future." Aswon interjected. "As long as we can get the job into Kai's head before some other hard luck case, anyway."
"Ahh, I see. Well, give me both your numbers then. If I hear anything on the grapevine, I'll let you know what the job is, then call him with the sob story." Rocket grinned at Aswon, holding his phone up to receive the contact details.
They chatted a while longer, talking about jobs and work in a fairly abstract manner – careful on both sides not to mention specific details, names, places, that kind of thing. Rocket announced that Topshot was back, and wanted to come in – and again the team watched carefully, but didn't spot her. To their credit, they didn't jump anywhere near as much when she suddenly appeared near them, but it was abundantly clear to them that she was a master of her craft.
She approached Aswon, and held out her hand to him, palm facing down. He looked at her, then slowly raised his hand, also palm down and mirroring her movement. She gave a very Gallic sigh, then reached over with her other hand, turning his palm upwards and then moving her downward facing hand over the top. She moved her thumb, and two large rounds fell into his hand. The brass cartridges contrasted strongly with the black tipped bullets, and Aswon gasped involuntarily as he stared at them.
"I don't have many, so use them wisely." Aswon nodded at her, holding up the rounds so he could see them clearly. They were heavy – noticeably heavier than the standard 12.5mm rounds. That was probably because of the depleted uranium and tungsten penetrator at the core of the rounds though. He coughed, and cleared his throat.
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Very much." She shrugged, and turned away, walking towards the exit without another word. A moment later, Rocket said his goodbyes, and hustled after her with the gun case swinging from his right hand, catching up with her near the exit and moments later they turned and disappeared from view.
Tads appeared from the truck, and headed over to them with the large rollout screen, trying to hold it taut in her hands.
"Hey folks, I think I found the place we need to be. It looks like it's a bit weird over there. Look, see." She settled the map down on the floor, and pointed at the text. "This is Ozero Pil'tanlo – the only one I could find. It looks like a lake. At least until you zoom out, a bit. Watch this." She inexpertly used the controls, zooming out in fits and starts, and they watched as the patch of water disappeared into a massive blotch of water and forest markers, covering the whole screen. They could see a blue line snaking from west to east, the 'Ob River', some 40 km south of the site of interest, and that had a number of villages or towns dotted along it.
"It's a good 2200 kilometres from us here, or 1600 kilometres further than Samara was. It's also about 600 kilometres inside the border of Yakut from what I can see, if we come from this way. If we come up from the south, we can cut that down to about 250 kilometres – but that's still a good way to go. But look at the area. These maps are really old, and predate the war and the revolution from what I can see, so who knows how accurate they are. But there's not really any civilisation around there, the closest place is this town marked up as Surgut, about 60 kilometres to the south."
The others studied the map, checking the area around and looking for roads, signs of defences, landmarks and obstacles. The general agreement was that they would have to fly in, keeping as low as they possibly dared, and find somewhere about 20 or 30 kilometres away, then do the rest of the trip by land – and by the looks of things using some kind of off road vehicle as a minimum, maybe a skiff, boat or hovercraft from the look of the area.
Kai appeared at the entrance, making his way over to them with a smile on his face. The team bought him up to speed on what was happening, and who had visited, and Kai in turn told them his news. He'd managed to catch up with Vishtar, and had turned on the charm, reasoning with him about the damage to the mining truck, the value of the bulldog and the costs incurred. As the team had not only gone and saved Monty, as they'd been requested to, had been injured in the process, though yes the truck had also been damaged, and as they'd bought the security truck back to give to the quarry – Vishtar had agreed that not only would he make sure their work stayed next in the queue and didn't get bumped down by anyone else appearing, but that he'd also waive the next few days berthing costs for the pod, as it was repairs to the quarry vehicles that were holding them back.
They spent the next while helping Marius start to disassemble the truck to get at the drone rack equipment, and also remove as much of the kit from the living accommodation as possible to reduce the weight, making it easier to remove. Aswon made a careful note of the time, and as he got close to his alarm setting, he excused himself and headed off towards the entrance again, settling down in the same place to make sure he had a signal to speak to Spook.
She rang right on schedule, and the earlier anger had gone – or at least been shelved for now.
"Hi Aswon, right – I have the contact sorted. Do you want me to bring him in on the conversation?"
"Sure, I'm ready to talk." There were a few clicks and a long tone.
"Ok, we should all be on the call now. Aswon, this is Han Lee. Han Lee, Aswon. You two chat, I'm going to be just pottering around the office. If you need my attention, dial star-seven and my phone will alert me. Otherwise, I'll bow out for a bit."
"Hello. I am Aswon."
"Good afternoon to you, and may the light of the highest peak shine upon you and ancestors." Aswon thought for a moment, remembering his experiences and travels, and trying to find the right frame of mind for his response.
"And may the spirits of the earth bless you and your family, bringing fortune and good luck." He hoped he'd got the tone right – by the sounds of things he was talking with a fairly traditional Chinese, but he had no idea from which warring province or any particular background to go on.
"My thanks, and I hope both our ancestors smile on our business dealings. So, Gentle Flower said it would be worth my time talking with you. How may I help?" Aswon constrained a snort – he didn't think of Spook as a 'gentle flower' and he guessed it was more a translation or pet name of some sort. Still…
"Well, I seek guidance and advice on a rare plant. We have been tasked with recovering this plant from an area, and we are told that it requires very particular circumstances to grow, and it needs careful handling. I have enough understanding to know how much I do not know, but also the wisdom to ask my betters for help." He laid it on thick, knowing that a lot of what he said would be accepted at face value and seen through a cultural filter.
"Ahh, I see. Well, I hope to be able to help you. Please begin."
"Our mutual friend has connected us, but did not mention the crass, but alas necessary, discussion of payment. I would not wish to engage your services if I could not adequately reward you."
"Indeed. Well, I am intrigued by Gentle Flower's words, so I propose this. I will advise you on your plant, but in return, when you employment is finished, you will write up a dossier of your findings – with as much detail as possible that does not implicate or jeopardise your employer, and provide this to me." Aswon blinked in surprise – that was a pretty unusual request. But, he thought about it and couldn't see a problem, so signified his agreement.
"So, the plant as it has been described to us grows only in an area where there is a marked temperature difference between the ground and the air. It is a bush that grows to a height and width of about fifty centimetres, with sharp spiny leaves that grow close together, a pale green at the edges and a darker green in the centre. There is a heart of the plant in the centre, with all the leaves fanning away from this, rising in smooth arcs. We are told that it is magical in some way, but we are unsure how. It goes by the name of 'Singing Soulweed'. Does this sound familiar to you?"
There was silence. Seconds ticked by, and Aswon wondered if they had lost connection for a moment, but then he heard breathing.
"Ahh, I believe I may have heard of this plant. It is indeed rare – very rare. I am intrigued to the location you have discovered, but I will await the information in the dossier, as we have agreed. If this is the same plant that I know, from tales and legends, then our name for it is 'Dragon's Spine'. As you said the leaves are sharp – very sharp, and you should take steps to guard your flesh well from it."
"It is a hardy plant, but very sensitive to certain aspects of the environment. Much of the goodness stems from the roots, not the leaves, so you should be careful with your harvesting – the roots grow as wide and as deep as the leaves above the surface as a guide. The two most important factors are the temperature and the Chi. The leaves need to be cold, while the roots need warmth – it is a most contrary plant indeed. The sharper the difference between them, the better the plant will thrive. But most important, you must not take the plant into an area that has been despoiled or damaged, or the plant will wither and die."
It took Aswon a moment to realise what he was talking about, but then he mentally translated – not into an area with bad Chi. The plant was astrally sensitive, and if taken into an area of background count, it would be affected. So that meant they had to be careful with what they did around the plant – murdering someone would likely cause a spike in the mana that could well strip the plant of its magical qualities entirely. Perhaps taking it into a city or other built up area might be enough to start the process – it would be hard to tell.
"Ahh, this is worthy news – thank you. I can see why the plant is both rare, and relatively unknown. If I may ask, where does your knowledge come from?"
"Alas, mostly from myth and legend. The texts speak of Dragon's Spine, but I have never found any."
"The texts?"
"I have access to a library of books and ancient lore. Things unlikely to be known by many, including the average university or corporation." A couple more pieces fell into place in Aswon's mind – a Chinese magical researcher, with access to ancient resources, unavailable to the modern world. Hmm – possible underworld links to either Triads or Yakuza, which might involve Great Dragons like Lung and Rhumiyo, or so the gossip went. Or, it could be one of the very traditional monasteries that had resisted corporate exploitation. Intriguing, but not unexpected that Spook would know such a man.
"I see. Well, it sounds like we need to take careful measurements if we find this plant, and great care to excavate the roots carefully, and store it in a box that maintains the temperatures as closely as possible to the original conditions. And we must take great care to keep the area calm and serene around it, avoiding disruptions or desecration of the Chi, as you say. Thank you, that is most helpful."
"I do have one question now that I know the manner of your search?"
"Yes?" Aswon had to battle to keep the suspicion from his voice, but it was hard. He waited for the shoe to drop.
"I suggest you carefully examine the area where you find such a plant, if you get the chance. I would be MOST useful to know if the plant was gathered from atop a Dragon line. MOST useful." Aswon thought furiously for a moment – Dragon Lines, or power lines, were strange flows of mana found around the world. The druids in Britain tapped them for power, channelling them through places like Stonehenge, while in the Native American Nations they flowed from ancient burial sites and other mystical spots. He'd heard that once a year a power line sent a wave of power down the Ganges river in India, causing wild magical effects and spontaneous manifestations of spirits that sent the population into a frenzy. This could change things, a lot.
"I will pass this on to my team, and if circumstances allow, we will investigate and check the area, to determine these things. And either way, we will let you know our findings. I have a question in return. Why did you agree to give this information without a more…traditional price?"
"I was intrigued with Gentle Flower's description, and curious. So I decided, as you Westerners would say, to 'take a gamble' and hope that my faith was rewarded." Aswon didn't know whether to smile or frown – his accent, a hodge potch of English learnt from a dozen warzones across the world must sound bizarre, and his contact had obviously pegged him for a European of some kind, rather than his native Africa.
With the meat of the conversation out of the way, they exchanged best wishes, calling on various natural phenomena to bless their lines until social protocol had been observed, and he could hang up without causing offence. He sat for a moment, staring at the wall, unseeing, while the possibilities went through his mind.
He headed back to the pod, passing Marius on the way. He didn't even have to ask the question in passing – Marius held up his thumb and finger in the sign that meant "phone call", though nobody understood why it meant that, and continued to head out, ending up in the spot recently vacated by Aswon.
He didn't have to bother with a manual device of course – his headware commlink responded to the neural requests from his mind, connecting up and speed dialling Milo in Constantinople with nothing more than a flash of thought.
"Morning Milo – it's been a day or two. Just thought I'd see how you were getting on with that request?"
"Afternoon, Trouble. Course I have – what do you think I am?"
"What do you mean Trouble?"
"You know what I mean. Anyway, I've managed to get what you ask for, and I'm able to send over the details. Just the matter of payment."
"Go on, what's the damage?" Marius closed his eyes, hoping it wasn't going to be too much.
"Well, the IDs were sorted, and this didn't take too much effort, and we have history. So I'm thinking that when I have something that needs moving, and you're in position – you'll sort me out. Mates rates."
"I think we can do that, Milo. No problem. Oh, and I have something extra for you. You know our Shaman?"
"The burnt woman?"
"Yes, well. We just happen to have done some work recently, and she's been awarded a medal as a Hero of the Russian People. Straight up – check her record. Just wondered if you needed a legit filing to copy from, now you got one."
"What in the name of the Church have you been doing to attract that kind of attention? Do you know what – I don't think I want to know – it sounds like trouble. You ever heard of keeping a low profile?"
"We try, but it's not easy sometimes."
"Ok. Well, the transponder codes are sending now, but I have to go."
"Go? Why?"
"I've got a run to sort on the Russian Ministry of Justice, it seems." True to his word, a moment later, the connection was broken from the far end. A second later, a message arrived, a large message from an anonymous remailer in Poland somewhere. When he opened the message, it contained not one, but four transponder codes for large helicopters. Marius sent a silent thankyou to Milo, then headed back to the pod.
The next two days passed in a blur for the team, as they all knuckled down to work on the vehicles – stripping out the drone rack from the truck under the direction of Marius, and carefully moving it to under the tail of the chopper, and slowly transferring out everything that wasn't nailed down in the living quarters of the truck, trying to lighten it as much as possible to get it ready to disconnect.
Three of the four magically active members of the team also spent hours marking in powerful warding symbols on the inside skin of the chopper, and after a full day's effort a hazy ward sprang up over the inside of the cavernous bay, covering all of the doors and ramp entry points bar one – which they'd decided to leave as an opening in case they needed to bring something aboard that was magically active. Tads meanwhile sat cross-legged in her lodge, with a small lump of charcoal in one hand, slowly and meticulously drawing a sword, on a backdrop of a whirlpool of mana. She wasn't a gifted artist, but the work progressed surprisingly well, as if some force beyond sight guided her hand. It was still painstakingly slow work, as she felt her way through the design required to actually enchant his sword at a later date – but she made good progress.
During it all, they kept dropping pointed hints to Kai, that he needed to call their employer to arrange for an advance, but he maintained his view that this was a conversation for Monday morning, not the weekend. He certainly had no intention of calling her up and asking for fifty thousand up front and help securing a temperature-controlled box when she might be on the golf course or something!
They ate at odd times, growing a little bored of the gumbo served in the rec area, but perked up slightly by the food that Tads was able to create to vary their diet. They spotted several of the other teams at times, but were busy enough not to have to the time to make their acquaintance.
By late Sunday night, the preliminary work was done, and now they had to wait for Victor to turn up with the parts and the tools required to do the installation, and get them ready for their trip.