Part 45
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- Girls, I don't doubt your professionalism one bit, but I just have to ask....
Now we were sitting next to Behemoth, and I was cooking another masterpiece on the fire, which all the Aldecaldos who happened to be nearby were squinting at. However, I was never greedy and always cooked with a reserve, so that many of the nomads cutting circles around our shelter would be able to taste another dish from Martinez.
- ...are you sure this is an accident?
- Yeah...
Judy nodded her head.
- Yes, we're sure.
Lucy was a little more detailed in her answer.
- Okay...so it was an accident.....
I nodded my head.
- You doubted it?
- Well... paranoia, it doesn't stop me from living my life and the fact that before this one we all know a fixer with a not so clean reputation, so yeah, I see a catch in everything. I even looked at every assignment from Regina and Bestia under a microscope for a possible setup from this negro.
- Paranoid...
Judy snorted.
- 'Well, I can see his point.
- All right, did you get the address of the Stelettes' base?
- They have a few bases, but we got all three addresses. So maybe we can put together a raid and--
- No.
I shook my head.
- ...There won't be a raid, there'll be three raids from Tikhoni's group and this time, I'll need all of Becky's noise-making skills.
- Oh...can I have fun?
- You can... while you make noise at the entrance, drawing attention to yourself, I'll go in quietly and let our rangers get to work hacking into the systems. Unless...
I tapped my spoon thoughtfully on the cauldron.....
- ...Of course we'll still have to look into it, but I think we'll need to get a couple more people involved so Becca won't be alone at the entrance....
- Okay, let's discuss that later, but for now....is it ready yet?
Becca approached the cauldron and I grinned and nodded, taking it off the fire. Immediately other Aldecaldo clan members appeared next to us, but I naturally served double portions to my girls and myself first and only after that I began to treat those who came for a snack....
For a while we just ate....
I enjoyed the way everyone around me reacted to my cooking. And of course I was especially pleased with the way the girls from my team were happily eating the pilaf that I had prepared for them.
And only after about half an hour people began to disperse. At the same time everyone who got a portion came up to me and thanked me, as well as dropped quite a decent amount of money on my account. And no, I didn't demand it, this custom appeared by itself, just once Aldecaldo noticed that I cooked with natural products, and they cost a lot of money and it would be a swine not to pay....
Naturally I didn't try to refuse, because it was true and I was really thinking that it was too wasteful to cook like that at Aldecaldo's place. But I wasn't going to stop, as I needed to make connections, because there was a good chance that someday I would leave Knight City with this clan and continue my life as a clan solo....
- So, where are their bases?
- Two in the Badlands, one in Knight City.
- Did you get the plans for those bases?
- Naturally.
My Runners looked a little smug. Well, they had every right to be, and when they sent me the data on the Stiletto bases I immersed myself in studying them....
- So?
Becca was the first to notice that I was back in reality, sitting at the table across from me. I'd spent about two hours making a rough plan, and it was only a first approximation, which I'd still have to refine. So I was surprised that she was still sitting at the table.
- Becca, what are you doing here?
- Well, what am I supposed to do? Shoot cans? Well, it gets uninteresting after five times... I'm a master marksman, even if I usually prefer to use pointing systems, ricochets and sometimes smart weapons, I'm still a master marksman. A master marksman and putting aside all those fancy gimmicks to shoot at stationary targets is not hard for me. So... I'm just enjoying the quiet... there's no such thing in Knight City... And there's no such clean air there either....
- Clean?
I chuckled.
- Come on, you know what I mean. There's a lot less pollution from car exhausts, yes, there's not enough greenery to make the air really pleasant to breathe, but even so... considering the population density, it's much freer to breathe here....
- I couldn't agree more.
- So, have you made a plan yet?
- To a first approximation...
I nodded my head.
- Should I call the others?
- No... first I need to get some information from you...
- Me?
- Yeah... who would you rather work with on a diversion team?
Becca closed her eyes.
- Dorio and Pilar... perhaps if Mayne is normal, he could be used as a sniper. He'd be a deadly type with his optics and a good rifle for anyone who decided to stick his head out. And as a sentinel to warn of approaching reinforcements for the enemy.....
- Then call them...
I closed my eyes.
- Tentatively, I'm willing to pledge ten grand per brother for a distraction at one Stiletto base.
- Ten?
- You don't think that's enough?
- No... it's a lot...
Becca shook her head.
- Normally you'd get no more than five or seven grand per brother for a diversion like that... of course, there are bonuses, but in reality....
I chuckled.
- Well, I'm not going to skimp. So they can expect a share of the spoils as well.
- Pfft... David, you're being too kind....
- Becca, I realise solo work is hard, but I'm not going to undervalue the order. It would be bad for our reputation. We're considered a fairly well-off team, so we shouldn't skimp on non-fixer assignments.
- Okay, now.
Becca faded out of existence for about ten minutes before focusing her gaze back on me.
- They'll be here in an hour...
- Okay...
I covered my eyes and just at that moment Lucy climbed out of the Hippo.
- Girls, and our sleeping beauty is awake!
I grinned at the name-calling of my favourite person. And when from Hippo and from the garage made under the awning appeared familiar mosses I nodded them pointing to the table.
- So, to begin with I want to make you happy, we will be joined by several people for the time of destruction of Stiletto bases... some of you know these people very well....
- Don't tell me you called Dorio and Pilar....
From the sound of her voice, Kiwi grinned. Actually as far as I know she was saving up money to restore her face, since she had nothing but chrome under her mask. It was good that she could eat regular food due to the special structure of the chromium of the mask and the larynx.
- Not only them, I also invited Mayne... Becca said he could be a good sniper.....
- Well... that's right... and he'll feel needed....
Kiwi had to nod her head.
- Next, I can tell you that our rangers will have to split into two groups. One to cover the diversionary manoeuvre, and the second group to hack into the Stilettos' networks and siphon data and money from them.
Lucy, Judy and Kiwi looked at each other.
- How exactly you will share is up to you, you know each other's capabilities better and realise which direction you will be more useful in...
- I'll cover...
Judy didn't think too long and immediately gave her answer.
- The girls will help me write a couple of demons, just in case, and I'll be fully armed and I'll be able to cope with the ranchers that will interfere with our brave soldiers. Especially since I'll be ready for them.
- Good...
I nodded my head.
- ...So Lucy and Kiwi will be working with the data from the stylites...I think you'd be better off staying here...at the camp....
- Hmm?
- We'll get you ice baths ready so you can work with a full load of chrome. I don't know how much work there'll be, but I reckon it'll be a lot.
- Well, that makes sense.
- By the way, how are your decks doing?
- They're fine... we've all changed them recently.....
- Good, then we'll wait for the support group while I plan the first attack. I'll start planning the others too....
And I closed my eyes again, now in more detail, planning the actions. Not the final plan yet, but not the first approximation...
I opened my eyes when a chromium-slimmed Mayne, along with Dorio and Pilar, came down to the table.
- What did you need that you're willing to pay us a tenner?
Mayne looked at me seriously. And I realised that though he had lost his chrome, he had not lost his weight. He's not broken, and he's still the same big guy in front of me, albeit in the shower. Yes, I do not relate to him very well, but... perhaps here played a role of subconscious reluctance to get involved in canonical events... I just did not want to get involved with them and die at the hands of Smasher....
And in order for that not to happen... well, not exactly, but in order to avoid such a turn of events with a higher probability, it was necessary to break the events of the canon as radically as possible. Which I did.
- Ten grand per brother...
I corrected Mayne, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
- I thought Becca had slightly embellished the situation...
- No...
I shook my head.
- What's more, there are three jobs to be done at the moment and I'm willing to pay ten grand per sibling, per job, for each one.
- Don't put honey in my ears, just tell me what you need.....
- We'll need a distraction.
Mayne frowned.
- Distraction?
- Yes... there are three attacks on Stiletto bases to be made so far... you'll have one Rauner with you, Judy...''
I nodded at her and she raised her hand to greet Mayne and the others and show me exactly who I was talking about.
- I'd like to...
- No...
Kiwi interrupted Mayne.
- Believe me, we'll be more in demand in the line of work we'll be doing with Lucy. And Judy, even if she's a little inferior to us, she's more than competent as a ranger and can do what's necessary to support you.
I nodded my head.
- So you'll have Judy with you... And it's in your interest to create the most natural appearance of an assault possible... The Stilettos have to believe that you're going to assault, that you're ready to break in, and that it's only by some miracle that they're keeping you from breaking through their defences.
- Just pretend?
- It has to be extremely convincing... because the main attack will be on me, Lucy and Kiwi... and your actions will determine whether you get a bonus as part of the spoils....
- Bonus?
Mayne arched an eyebrow.
- Yeah...
- What are you counting on? Do you think you'll be able to collect much?
- I reckon two ranners with my help can hack into all of them and zero out their personal accounts, as well as the accounts they can access through their computers and decks... So I'm counting on some pretty decent sums, as well as possible addresses of places where they keep their goodies....
I'm looking into Maine's eyes.
- And you're going to share that with us?
They grinned, but I shook my head.
- You'll get the money... that's anyway. Yes and the percentage will depend on your effectiveness as a diversionary group. So it will all depend on what you can do as a distraction.
- I see...I'll need a sniper rifle...a good rifle, as well as intelligence.....
- I'll get the intel later, I'll do my own recon, plus I'll buy the intel from Regina.
- Better from Bestia.
I just shook my head at Mayne's words.
- Bestia periodically works with the Stylettes, so it's better not to touch her... maybe leak the info and the Stylettes will be prepared....
Then we discussed the plan in third approximation, already taking into account Maine's opinion... taking into account his experience... taking into account Pilar and Dorio's experience....