Larassa stayed silent as the captain nodded at what all Tarkov said. He then replied, "Well, we actually don't have a mounted infantry platoon for you two. Other than that, the rest of your information from your briefing is correct. You two will be going in alone and we want this as low key as possible. The less contact we have with the enemy or potential enemies, the better. We want you in and out. If you can compete this whole mission without any backfires or fights breaking out, then the better."

The captain paused and glanced over at Larassa as if worried about something and then sighed. Running a hand through his buzzed hair, the captain then looked between the two before saying, "Also, Tarkov is in charge of this operation."

Larassa's head shot up at this and she was immediately glaring at the captain as if it were somehow his fault. She let out a low growl and said, "The hell I'm not in charge of this."

The captain met Larassa's gaze and said evenly, "It wasn't my call to make, Lara."

Snarling at this answer, Larassa shot to her feet and then promptly exited the tent, her wolf tail trailing after her through the tent flap.

The captain let out another sigh before looking at Tarkov and saying, "Sorry about Larassa. She's probably the most stubborn and hardheaded soldier I know. God knows I've been trying to get through to her for years. She knows you're in charge though and while she'll probably backtalk almost every second, she'll follow your orders. She fights back all the time, but ultimately will do what she's told. Even if she does it the most annoying way possible and takes her sweet ass time with it…"

The captain trailed off as he walked back to his planning table. He then looked back up at Tarkov and said, "As difficult as this may be, I'd suggest trying to talk with her before you two start the mission, or at least begin traveling to your destination. It might help if you two aren't completely clueless as to who each other are. There's a Blackhawk waiting on the pad for you two. The pilot is on standby in the hangar and is ready to go the minute you two are. I'd suggest packing some cold weather gear. It's supposed to get very cold out there at night."

Glancing back at the tent flap where Larassa had recently exited, he added, "Larassa is definitely pissed about not being in charge, all things considered. So, I'd suggest treading carefully around her. As you can tell, she doesn't have the best control over her anger. Her genetic enhancements definitely don't help with that…"

This said, he then looked back down at the map spread out on his table and then began muttering to himself as he looked it over.

Tarkov stood and sheathed his knife while letting out a jagged sigh and walking over to the command table. "Well, cold weather shouldn't be a huge issue since my armor is self-regulated. I'm going to need a couple of extra power armor cells, if you can spare them. Let's pack some extra cold weather gear for the girl. Rations to use for barter if need be, and a full rack of C4 and det-charges."

Tarkov produced a Cuban cigar in a metal sheath and held it up in front of himself, getting the commander's attention. "She assumes I am a gruff bastard, but you and I both know everything I do is a calculated move. She has no friendly connection to me, but she must obey. Thus, I have a chance to prove to her what a disciplined soldier can accomplish."

Tarkov leaned over the command table next to the commander, while stowing the cigar. "You and I both know I'm not here for the money. I'm here for an ally. Can I count on that, sir?"

The commander picked up a coffee mug and briefly took a sip, before replying, "You know my hands are tied in many places, but you're under my command now so supplying you will not be a problem. Supply requests will be put in in just a moment for that gear."

Pausing, the commander then shifted his gaze directly to Tarkov, as he said, "Tarkov, bring back this operative, bag this mission, and you'll have the entire military's attention. This op came from higher up. We're talking Naval Intelligence."

Tarkov slung his rifle. This meant a lot for his goals. He was used to pressure, but he would also be damned if he let a bad-tempered mutant operative ruin his overall goals. Nodding at the commander, Tarkov said, "Then I guess I had better get my game face on."

With that, Tarkov exited the tent. He walked outside and produced the cigar, rolling it in his hands before stuffing back in his armor.

Being honest with himself, he wasn't looking forward to this next talk with Lara. He was still getting a grip on her personality, but he had to get her up to speed with his expectations as the leader of this operation.