<strong>Ice Fields of Werden</strong><br/><hr/>Janos' Wasp looked very silly where it sat hunched over itself. It very much felt silly as well. But with his unpainted white finish he was probably the best camouflaged unit in the entire company right now. Visually as well as thermally. He was probably just imagining it, but he felt a little bit cold in his cockpit. He silently scanned the white stuff whirling between himself and his lance leader. Sometimes he could see a red beam flickering through, searching for a target. It was a bit baffling. Unless the user had re-calibrated the focus lens to perfectly match the conditions, which was next to impossible without days of calculations, he must be really close by. He was ripped out of his thoughts when a message flashed over the tight beam. He raised a brow before a crooked smile split his face.<br/><br/>"Clever girl..." He murmured to himself as his 'Mech slowly stood up straight and started firing off his lasers one after another onto the ground around him. An alpha would probably heat things up a little, but as he cycled the six small and two medium lasers it barely registered. Double heatsinks was probably the best thing that had ever happened to 'Mech engineering. He moved in unison with Harlequin, staying close to it and firing off his lasers to the opposite sides as she fired back and forth to create the best coverage. The steam around them was a veritable smoke screen and while he could see the red dot flickering weakly through the veil it simply couldn't break through. After a while it disappeared completely and their sensors stopped going haywire, returning to normal. Janos gave a triumphant "Hah!" as he scanned his sensors. But there was nothing. A bit disappointed he opened the channel to Ranna with a sigh. "What are your orders, Harlequin?"<br/><br/><br/>Dayan smirked in the dim light of his cockpit as he heard Erich responding. The large Lyran seemed careful. Even now his scouts tracked the movements of his entire company with the exception of one Wolfhound that had slipped away into the storm. It was like reading a book. Had he intended to attack them it would have been over already. But at least Erich's careful demeanor meant he had left an impression on him the last time they met.<br/><br/>"Come now Erich, my boy, you know better than that. Those 'Mechs were merely a fourth of my force and mercs from outside my company. I never sacrifice my own." He laughed heartily as his lance closed in. The storm was dissipating and the lance came into view. The saucer-shaped 'Mech of Dayan's was flanked by three Griffins, seemingly freshly painted in snow camouflage with a blue Star of David painted onto their chests. One of them seemed to be carrying an Arrow IV on its shoulders instead of the LRMs that the others were carrying. But the saucer itself was  probably the most eye-catching part of the lance. After all it was rare to see a Hoplite these days. The flat medium looked almost like a smaller King Crab, but severely lacking in the fire-power. The right side was still hung with an LB-X/10 and the left with two large lasers so it wasn't a toothless old dog. Rather a very rabid one.<br/><br/>"We're on the same side now though, old boy, like it or not. So here's an olive branch for you." The tight beam connected to all 'Mechs in Erich's lance, carrying a very detailed map of the whole archipelago with notes on crevasses, ice weakened by regular torrents and good hiding spots on a cold full moon night. "After all, if we don't perform we won't get paid."<br/><br/><hr/><strong>HPG, Walter and Perkins with Hawkins in his office.</strong><br/><hr/>"Sabotaged?" Walter raised a red brow at Hawkins who sat behind the large plain white desk in his office. The doors were locked tight and the blinds of the windows into the work place pulled down. The Demi-precentor had even made sure to search the room thoroughly for bugs before they sat down. "So you believe there was someone inside the facility that worked with the terrorists."<br/><br/>"Indeed." Hawkins sipped on a glass of scotch while he read through some files, glasses on the tip of his nose. "They knew exactly where to strike for the best effect. And no one but an adept of the order would know that. It is also possible that some of the locals are working with them, seeing as their base camp have not been found yet. The archipelago is very expansive, but not so much that they would be able to remain hidden for long. The terrorists had some armored vehicles and a few 'Mechs, so unless they know of some secret hiding place we would have found them. The last attack was only barely repelled in time by Dayan, which is why we decided to send for more reinforcements. Even so, smaller incidents have made us suspect that someone here in the order is a traitor."<br/><br/>"Question is to what end?" Perkins scratched his chin with a puzzled expression. "All adepts and acolytes are indoctrinated into the order from an early age. Even when they are taken from one of the Houses their loyalties are swiftly turned in favor of ComStar..." Walter found himself wondering just how that was achieved. Most House-members were fiercely loyal. And Perkins had been born, raised and employed within ComStar himself. Where did his loyalties lie? "In that case we are little more than a buffer between you and the terrorists. As long as this saboteur is loose you are still in danger."<br/><br/>"We have our own elements working to that end. But I would caution you to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior and the locals. Lately they have been a bit rowdy for some reason. Which just gives us more reason to suspect them. So far we haven't taken any active stance to it though. The last thing we need is some kind of local uprising..." Hawkins emptied his drink and sigh. Walter couldn't help but agree. This job was becoming more complicated by the hour.