<hr/><strong>Dragoon's Tower, <em>Erich</em> and <em>Ranna</em>.</strong><br/><hr/>As the two Mercenaries approached the grand gate of the gleaming, slick tower from across the filled plaza in front of it, the guards at the entrance tensed up and one held up a hand to his ear, clutching the stock of his light rifle before holding up a hand for all to see. The guards immediately fell back into their relaxed conversations and jokes as if nothing had ever happened and the apparent leader walked up to Erich and Ranna with a nod as only introduction.<br/><br/>"You are clear. I am to escort you to a meeting chamber where Captain Archibald Karnov will bee seeing you. After the meeting is over I'll escort you out. You will stay with me at all times or be shot for trespassing, clear?"<br/><br/>Without waiting for confirmation the stiff guard turned around and started leading them through the now slowly opening gates. People out on the plaza stopped for a momment and watched, with some young mercs going as far as making a longing sigh. Once inside though, the corridors where dark, much more so than Ranna would have remembered. Probably a precaution for their honored guests. They were lead to a small side room with little more than a table and three chairs. And of course Captain Karnov, who gave Ranna a pleasant smile that didn't entirely reach his dark eyes.<br/><br/>Last time she had seen him he had been a young sub-lieutenant. Now he stood here in the extravagant dress uniform of a Captain. Despite it all he was a rather nice person, but he was also good at traversing the political underbelly of the Dragoon's and for that matter House galas, which meant he had perfected the fake smile to such a degree that he couldn't express himself in any other way. This of course lead anyone meeting him to tense up in the fashion that anyone meeting the taxman on payday would. But then again, he was very nice. He pulled his long hair back with one hand, holding the other on the hilt of his dress sword, before he approached them around the table.<br/><br/>"Ranna, what a pleasant surprise. I hope mercenary life is treating you well." He turned his grin towards Erich next and gave a slight bow. "Commander Oststein I presume. An honor, I had the pleasure of reading up on you before this meeting, color me impressed. Have a seat, order a drink or some food, it will arrive shortly..."<br/><br/>He corrected his uniform before having a seat himself and crossed his leg in such manners that he might as well have been born princeling into one of the great Houses. He always had been a proper man, which was why he was often chosen to handle public affairs such as this. Ranna knew better than to relax though. While no one could really point out anything bad about him the same could be said about his good sides. He had an ear for undertones and eyes for seeing through lies, as well as a silvered tongue fit for meeting with House officials.<br/><br/>"So, I understand you have something to bring to the negotiations. Mind telling me what that could be?"<br/><br/><hr/><strong>Mercenary Review Board offices, <em>Graff</em>, <em>Walter</em> and <em>Perkins</em>.</strong><br/><hr/>The cab ride towards the MRB-offices wasn't very pleasant for Graff. It wasn't terrible, but Walter and Perkins was discussing something in Swedish or whatever it was on the way. Worse was that he could swear he heard his name mentioned a few times, each time with Perkins punctuating it with a quick glance over at the young MechWarrior. They hadn't made it clear why he should come to the meeting with the Grays, Walter had only told him it would be a good experience. Perkins on the other hand was going to meet with some reps from the MRB on Galatea, some as he said it "snooty higher-ups in the ComStar holy order".<br/><br/>When they finally arrived it was all a bit underwhelming. It was an office building like any other with a very plain sign spelling out Mercenary Review Board. As they entered they came to a lobby where an ordinary receptionist told them to have a seat while they waited. After a while a dozen men in strange white robes approached and Perkins stood up, greeting the one with the most jewellry before walking with them towards a meeting room. As they had disappeared into a corridor, Walter leaned over to Graff.<br/><br/>"Alright kid, do you remember the deal we are going through? I can feel a feedback coming up my spine, so I might have to pass it over to you if it arrives during the meeting..."<br/><br/><hr/><strong>Free Market District, <em>Janos</em>.</strong><br/><hr/>If there was something you learnt from being Capellan, it was haggling. When everything you got from any market within Confederation border was so rediculously overprised that you could probably buy 'Mech weaponry for a loaf of bread in any other faction space, you tend to get a hang of negotiations. Which was why he had spent several hours in the market in shouting matches with various vendors. It wasn't about robbing them out of their shirts, it was about making a fair deal for both buyer and seller. It was sort of ingrained into the mindset of any Capellan. Which was why vendors usually marked up their prices whenever they saw one. They knew they would have to settle with lower than listed with one of the rats, so might as well make it a profit instead of a loss.<br/><br/>"Alright people!" Janos turned triumphantly towards the techs he had brought with him on the little shopping-trip. "We have what we came for. Now to go through the special list. Spread out and check for anything that we can use for the project I briefed you on. Meanwhile I'll have to go look for a light 'Mech..."<br/><br/>It hadn't hurt him terribly, but in a way he missed the old Phract that he had pretty much sold for scrap a moment earlier. It would have cost a fortune to repair and according to Walter and Erich the company was in more need of another light to flesh out the diminished scout lance. And right here on Outreach was possibly the best place to find low-end 'Mechs. Malfunctioning and damaged ones, but that was the challenge in it all. He had a quick look around the market. He was a little bit shorter than most, but once again being Capellan made him superior in this regard. Looking through crowds was easy when you live in a crowded city. Right now he was seeing if anyone from the company was around, scrounging for some good deals. If he helped them on that front, perhaps they could help him on his own...