In his office, on top of a seedy dump of a bar by the fringes of Novvy Bangkok's infamous Strip, Commander Smoke stretched and groaned in annoyance. "That's it, I'm just gonna go insane" he said, to nobody in particular The statement was met with surprised glances from the other men in the room, whom until this point had been busy with a game of cards "Boss..." one ventured "what’re ye tal-" "I HAVE BEEN." Smoke nearly yelled, his fist slamming down on the desk. "Stuck in this rock for three whole weeks now hoping to catch a whiff of something even remotely resembling a contract." He stood from his chair and walked to the window, pulling down the shutter and peering at the busy street, his voice lowering to nearly a whisper. "And I know there is something brewing, I can just feel it. This place is getting restless. Yujingese and Haqqislamite soldiers mustering and grandstanding, Panoceanian ships positively brimming with priests in a can... We need to get in on this somehow." He slumped back into his chair with a sigh "We need MONEY!" No sooner had the words left the commander's mouth than a huge figure burst through the door, nearly snapping it off its hinges. "Boss! We got thing from Ariadnan command!" The newcomer, a large Kazak mercenary, proclaimed cheerfully "Maybe is what you have been waiting for!" He glanced around the room to see both the desk and the card table upturned, smoke crouched before the first and holding a large revolver, and the three caledonians behind the second holding shotguns, all of their eyes wide in panic and surprise. "Whoa!" The newcomer raised his arms in surrender, dropping the thick yellow envelope he had been carrying "Don't shoot! Is me, Ilya!" Smoke crawled forward and snagged the envelope, scurrying away with it while the Caledonians took turns slapping the back of the Kazak's head. He sat in a corner, ripped the thing open hungrily and started reading. "Blah blah blah... opportunity... blah... glorious motherland... yadda yadda... gun battery? Huh. Blah blah blah... standard... flat... fee... non-negotiable" As he read the last few words, the manic look on his face became one of utter disappointment. He dropped the papers to his side and his head struck the wall behind him with a hollow bonk. A new groan escaped his chest. "This is good aye?" One of the men asked "We have a contract now, something to do" "I guess" Smoke responded in a dejected tone as he pushed himself off the floor. "But I had hoped they would at least *try* to be competitive, since out here we're not contract bound to work for them. Instead they give us a boilerplate agreement and enlisted rates" Smoke righted his desk and chair, took a seat and pulled a plastic bottle from a mini-fridge. On its label sat a picture of a cow and it was filled with a thick brown liquid. The other men in the room exchanged glances as he poured some of it into a glass and took a swig. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few heartbeats, until a light knock on the doorframe made everyone turn and notice a new arrival. A slender man in his mid 40s stood at the thresold, dressed in a bespoke suit and carrying a large metallic briefcase. On his lapel was proudly displayed a pin depicting the gold, white and blue medusa of Bureau Aegis. On his face was clearly displayed an expression of concern. "I am looking for a..." the man consulted his comlog "Commander Smoke?" "Who wants to know?" Smoke retorted in a low voice, swirling his glass like a fine scotch "My name is Otto Van Der Waal" the man said, making his way through the burly Ariadnans like a luxury sports car in a monster truck rally. "I am a liaison for Bureau Aegis. My mission is to secure and recruit local assets for peacekeeping operations. We have determined you and your..." The man glanced at the large men, all of whom had shuffled behind their commander "associates... to be relatively competent, and would therefore like to extend you an offer" Van Der Waal produced an exquisite eggshell colored card, placed it face-down on the desk, and slid it toward Smoke. He grimaced when he noticed the card leaving a clean track on the desk's apparent decades of dust, which had miraculously survived the previous jostling. Smoke picked up the card, glanced at it and did a spit-take. The slender man took a step back in surprise and sniffed at the air. "Is that... chocolate milk?" "I think you made mistake, that is wrong number of zeros" Ilya ventured after stating at the card for a second "I regret to inform you I am not authorized to offer any more than that" The man responded, wiping his suit with a handkerchief "We believe this per diem to be more than fa-" Smoke did another spit-take "What is wrong with you people?" "Per diem? You mean, like... each day?" Smoke asked, his eyes practically shaped like Sol signs "Yes." Smoke cleared his throat and settled on his chair, feigning calm "Erm, we'll keep it under consideration" "I require an immediate respo-" "WE'LL TAKE IT" The five men said almost in unison.
