Howl looked across the crowd of people he would be commanding in the raid, and spotted Natasha, returning her smile with his own, nodding to her.<br/><br/>"Alright, Alek, you may be seated. Please see me afterward, for we have some things to discuss..." The old man began to cough again, this time causing him to wheeze, his face turning pale. He wiped the water from his eyes as he steadied himself in an attempt to regain his composure. "...moving on, the rest of you have been selected because of your expertise...that, and we can always use more guns in our raids. I am afraid that I cannot let any of you back out of this mission, simply because of it's urgency...I do hope you all understand. You are under competent leadership, rest assured, for we picked the best man for the job. Now, if you have any concerns or are in need of any additional weaponry, supplies, or clothes, please speak to the armed gentlemen in the back. For now, this meeting is adjourned, though I suggest you take this time to get to know one another before the mission...which begins tomorrow at 500 hours sharp." The old man then stepped away from the podium, looking to Howl and beckoning him.<br/><br/>Howl had sat down when he was told, though the old man's constant coughing worried him. Once the old man ended the meeting, he rose from his seat, walking away from the pews and toward stage right. The old man sat, his legs dangling off the edge of the stage as he nodded to Howl, a weak smile on his face. "I'm glad you've come, Alek."<br/><br/>Howl smiled back, joining the man on the edge of the stage, being nearly twice his size. He inspected the old man: he looked feeble, drained, and most of all, pale. He put his massive hand on the man's shoulder, nodding. "I wouldn't miss it for the world...but you should have stayed in bed, Boris."<br/><br/>The old man, or Boris, sighed, his gaze drifting across the town hall and falling upon the crowd. "This is not going to be an easy one, Alek, even with all our special selecting and days of information gathering; those bandits aren't going to give up that town easily."<br/><br/>"No, they're not...but then again, most of them are just a bunch of punks; I doubt any of those assholes have ever gotten any real training."<br/><br/>"You speak of them as if they're any different. You are the only veteran in this party, Alek, so do not underestimate the enemy."<br/><br/>Howl nodded, smirking. "We've bested them countless times in our own skirmishes here in Balashov, I doubt they'll be any different."<br/><br/>Boris couldn't help but roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but a series of loud, uncontrollable coughs cut him off. Howl squeezed his shoulder with his hand, looking down on his friend helplessly. "Boris, I'll have everything handled. You need to rest..."<br/><br/>"Yes, yes, I'll rest, but first, take this." Boris offered a folded up piece of paper to Howl, which he took and opened up immediately. The contents of the paper were quite clear: it was a list of names, most likely the names of everyone in the group, along with their line of expertise. "I'm sure this will help you organize them. I'd help you, but this cough seems to be getting the better of me." Boris got to his feet, standing on the stage and smiling at Howl once again. "Good luck for now, Alek, and be careful out there."<br/><br/>Howl stood up with him, looking down and nodding. He opened up his arms and hugged the man, and any onlooker would find this comical; Boris was skinny, small, and ill, a man twice his size in just about every way conceivable was hugging him, nearly picking him up in the process. Boris chuckled, his voice now hoarse from all the coughing. "Alright, thank you, Alek...do you mind?" He said this, patting him on the back multiple times.<br/><br/>Howl got the message, releasing Boris and grinning. "Don't worry about me, Boris, I'll try my best to bring 'em all back in one piece."<br/><br/>Boris nodded. "I'd be surprised if you wouldn't." With a final wave, Boris walked away from Howl, heading behind the stage as his coughs echoed across the hall, signalling his departure in a weird way. Howl got down from the stage, heading toward the main group with the list in his hands. Most of them were conversing, occasionally shooting glances his way as he spoke with Boris. Though all eyes were on him when he approached, all conversation dying out as he stood above them all.<br/><br/>Howl smiled, clearing his throat. "Well, forgive me if I'm interrupting anything...I'm sure you're all wondering who I am, and why I've been picked to lead you all to Kalininsk. As Boris mentioned, I am a veteran of the Russian 6th Army, and served in it for a number of years before it fell. I fought many enemies, ranging from mutants to bandits, soviets to anarchists...I've seen my share of bloodshed, no doubt. I've also led the militia here for several years now, and have faced bandits like the ones in Kalininsk plenty of times...rest assured, I know what I'm doing. And before I let you all go about your business, I'd like to outline several things:<br/><br/>1.) I am in command here. While I'll be taking suggestions, my orders are final, and will not be questioned.<br/>2.) If you desert, you will be shot. If you attempt to commit acts of mutiny, you will be shot.<br/>3.) This mission will determine the survival of everyone in Balashov, so take things seriously. If we have our differences, that's fine, but let's try to stay together, and not let our personal quarrels divide us.<br/>4.) If you steal, you're out of this group.<br/>5.) I don't care about any previous offences committed by you; as long as you don't do anything considered illegal by Balashov law while under my command, you'll be fine.<br/><br/>It may sound like I'm running a tight ship here, but this mission will require a level of discipline and determination to be successful. Your full cooperation can mean the difference between life and death, so please, follow orders. And as much as I'd like to say that this is a risk free operation, we will be intentionally engaging enemies, meaning that there will be a loss of life. Hopefully, we shall experience little-to-none on our side, but we must expect and prepare for the worst of outcomes in order to survive what is thrown our way." Howl stood quietly for a moment, looking over the group one last time. "Well...that's it for now. If you need me, I'll be over by the stage." With that, Howl walked over to the stage, taking his seat at stage right, the same spot he was at when he spoke to Boris.