Gerhard Guildenstern arrived at the 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 to how 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 on 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 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.

"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."

His lips closed; Gerhard shot eyes of daggers at the cozy woman, but it was returned with a light smile that made him crumple a gloved right fist. 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... female."

"Happy to see you surprised with the fact Mister Guildenstern." Cornelia sat straight and crossed her legs. Her smile was more prominent upon seeing the look of confusion in the young man.

"Excellent. You two may get along well." Their leader set cleared 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 at 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.

"Anyway, their group has made connections with the Yellow Empire in the Far East, meaning that their merchandise could be sold at half the price of ours. I am not open to competition in my business, although selling weapons is not the main source of our funds."

"Meaning you want us to take them out of the race?" Cornelia went on switching her weapon between her left and right hands.

"Silence, madam." Gerhard cut in and glared at Cornelia.

"All right Mister Guildenstern... 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. "The Dragon's Claw is establishing a considerable hold on our black market and, I do not like their approach towards us."

"But Sir, we could use their stock after we deal with their men. 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. Also, I am going to follow Mister Norton's advice on annexing their men to our fighting force."

"Hmm... it sounds, nice." Cornelia then asked, "Wouldn't that be a little dangerous, I mean making our prisoners fight for us? I'm sure that their grudge against us will keep them thinking of a way to get even."

"Not to worry, Miss Sauvant. I have my own means of preventing that from happening. Besides, if our captives do not work of 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 could see the woman's bafflement 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 as to why the Fox found it too easy to trust this mercenary; this sellsword started out fresh and unknowingly found her way to the master's study. Perhaps there was something in Cornelia Sauvant that the Fox has seen. The old crime lord was not a trusting man, but he knows who has 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 held-back tone didn't help clear things with Cornelia, but she sighed and shrugged her shoulders before returning focus on the map.

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

"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. "... way too much for us to 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 the Dragon's Claw 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'm not that good with killing 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 was surprised to find 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." Her grip slipped and she turned around to walk away from him, leaving the man standing in the middle of the hallway with a puzzled expression on his face.

It was the first time he would work with a woman on a task and a stranger at that. How a lady would perform in battle was something he doubted. Gerhard shook the thought off his mind; as what he told Cornelia earlier, he had to trust the Gray Fox's decisions.