Dagger-7 and Dagger-2 dropped out of the Trade Lane connecting Pittsburgh to Fort Bush. The two ships communicated via secure channel to one another as they navigated towards the docking ring orbiting the planet. They'd picked up two Frigates at the Manhattan office after their brief to the T9 Division lead there. Instead of going in hot, command wanted them to come at the situation sideways in traditional LSF fashion. Dagger-2 agreed, no sense drawing attention to themselves. Despite not flying Dagger-2, the two retained their callsigns to one another for ease of communication.

"Planet Pittsburgh landing control, requesting permission to land. Two Dragur Freighters."

"ID please." the attendant said, clearly bored. Dagger-2 and Dagger-7 sent over their information. Charlie and Thomas Thorne, Freelancer brothers from the edge worlds looking for work. Their clearance to land was granted. He wasn't surprised, backstopped LSF ID's were always perfect. The two quickly landed at Red Hills Refinery on the desert world and disembarked.

"Go and check with records and collect all the data they have on Heiko Riegel. See if his departure is in the logs and if so where. If not, check where he is at present. Don't use your LSF credentials if you have to." Dagger-2 stated as they exited their craft following their landing.

"I know how this works, Charlie." he responded, clipped.

Dagger-7 was a bit of an asshole. Probably why Winter sent him along to ensure that they actually got the data without pissing the entire planet off. Hearts and minds,

"I know you do. Just do it anyway. We need to know if we need to send in the grab team to snatch him off the world or not...or if it's even possible without causing collateral damage."

He left, heading for dock control mumbling under his breath. Dagger-7 was a good agent but a lousy person. He did his job well but was one of those people that used his weight as LSF to push people around to get his way instead of using nuance to get it. That was why he never really grew into anything other than a simple agent rather than a site lead, or cell officer. Dagger-2 shook his head in dismay as he saw him walk off.

"Time to scout the area and see what shakes loose." He shuffled off, hands in his pockets, pretending to be just another Freelancer existing in the background.

Dagger-2's face was unreadable as the door slid open to reveal the man--but he was skeptical. Coffee mug still warm, a chair appearing to have been moved quickly from the disturbed dust, a time-out prompt on the screen of the nearby computer, and an all too convenient monitor displaying his exact position relative to the docking bay door. He quickly made a point of examining the room and adjoining airlock, pretending to be looking around for where the voice was coming from. He saw no automated weaponry in any of the places he looked, but did note that Dagger-7 was just outside the door now, standing by for backup.

The gear being out of date wasn't anything odd, Pittsburgh was often a forgotten about world despite the activity always present in New York. Considering the state of the Republic and focus on Galileo of late, it wasn't any surprise this world on the periphery of the system was forgotten about...though some of these workers get handouts from the Xenos so the outdated gear wasn't an anomaly but it was unusual.

He decided to play along with this little narrative being put on. He was confident that if he closed ranks with the older man on the other side of the airlock, he could take him out if the situation called for it. Having Dagger-7 as backup nearby was an additional feather in his cap--at the very least he could report his deceased status to Agent Winter if the needs called for it.

"Yeah, sorry I'm a little late." he replied scratching the back of his head in exasperation. He was careful to identify himself as a singular individual instead of plural so as to distract from the fact that there were two on the ground instead of just himself. "Clearance in orbit is a bitch." he said with a chuckle. He moved forward towards the older man and outstretched his hand in greetings, preparing himself if the man attacked. "Charlie Thorne, Freelancer Inspector." he said with a smile.

He noted the sterile surroundings not unlike a clean room--here, it was even more out of place than it would be otherwise. The trip here made sure to drive that point home. What's more, is he suspected that the Security Officer was told to bring him here. He chatted way too much to not have been nervous about something. He glanced around him, playing the part of being confused when he saw a shadow dart behind one of the external tanks just outside of the pristine walls.

Dagger-7 was still shadowing him. Good. Maybe he wasn't so bad of an agent after all.

He looked around and noticed that the bay was clear of any ship. Either their target had left to continue his smuggling or he was off doing something with intent to come back. Dagger-2 waved his compatriot over. Dagger-7 materialized out of the shadows.

"Status." he said. This was, after all, his show.

"I trust you heard everything our friend went through?" the big man nodded his affirmation. "Seems our target was doing a lot more than smuggling." he said glancing around.

Dagger-7 nodded in agreement. "A clean room. Seems we mischaracterized the man. Not a smuggler but--"

"--a scientist or researcher. I was thinking the same thing. That is decisively more dangerous concerning the materials he is suspected of transporting. The man seems to be gone for the time being. Do a subtle search of the surroundings, see if you find anything."

Dagger-7 bristled a bit.

"I know this is your show...so what else would you do in this situation?"

Dagger-7 smiled a small smile and dug around in a pouch pocket. He handed the contents to Dagger-2. Bugs. A lot of them. Dagger-2 smiled.

"Good man." he said clasping him on the shoulder before the two got to work.

The hair on the back of Dagger-2's neck stood up. He didn't give any impression that his senses were suddenly keenly aware of his surroundings. This was his fight or flight response. He didn't need to glance at Dagger-7 to notice that he was in much the same situation. Dagger-7 spoke first, his deep bassy voice echoing off the clean walls.

"Don't know what you take us for friend, we're just Freelance inspectors sent by DSE to check out this here plant."

A noble attempt, but something told Dagger-2 that this man knew exactly who they actually were. His suit was pressed, elegant, and not a single thing out of place. Everything had a purpose--a function. Even the cigar he smoked appeared to be perfectly rolled. His composure was clearly that of someone from wealth. Disappearing a nobody like Serrano in this situation would not be practical or efficient. Money could buy you power, and power got you certain privileges from those on high. This was a high stakes game with his career.

He spoke of aliens and when he opened the chest, he felt his blood pressure elevate. He'd seen these in intelligence reports. Almost of them were inert--but here this one glowed with some otherworldly purpose.

Based on his performative introduction, this "ORATOR" knew they were intelligence. However, Dagger-2 hoped that he didn't know which intelligence. Dagger-2 decided to play along but shift the narrative a bit. Thinking fast, he settled on a group he'd met in Kepler when he was a much younger agent.

"Enough, LINGUIST" he said. Dagger-7 immediately fell into his LSF persona but kept it loose. Good ol Vard. Dagger-2's impressions of the wayward agent were improving steadily with every interaction they found themselves in. "He obviously knows we're Directive agents." he said referencing the old Freelance intelligence group he had once interacted with. The man knew they were intelligence but Dagger-2 hoped that he didn't quite know which one. This was his best option, the others were out of the question.

"What's your business?" Dagger-7 said speaking up, the drawl in his voice gone, replaced by crisp and curt enunciations. He waved his hand in Dagger-2's direction. "ARDENT and I don't have time for games. We came here chasing Riegel, not whatever play you're acting out." Dagger-2 smirked despite the situation.

The artifact glowing from the chest stilled that mirth, however. It was glowing a vibrant kaleidoscope of colors which appeared to shift into waveforms that couldn't be discerned by the human eye. Dagger-2 had seen artifacts in various reports over the years, but never an active one. They had to play this right and get this into their possession before things got out of hand. The technology they could develop from one active artifact would set them ahead of the other houses by decades if not longer.

"Well? Spit it out." Dagger-2 said, clearly impatient.

So he knew they were LSF. They had a leak. Dagger-2 kept playing the game.

"Brave words. If we were indeed LSF, not even your wealth would keep you from being disappeared into some hold no one would ever find you." he let those words hang in the air as an idle threat. No doubt this ORATOR knew that as much.

"Let's say we know about this "Sudbury anomaly" and let's say we're curious to how that thing relates to it." he said jerking his thumb at the artifact. "What's in it for us. Do we get that trinket after going there on a field trip?"

In truth the LSF had long since known about the anomaly before being thrown out of the system on their ears by the resident Xenos. The LFR were a persistent thorn in their sides despite being nothing truly special...but they were organized. The Navy had been too focused on the Insurgency to notice the growth of the Xenos and LFR in their own backyard--it was one of the more sore points for LSF considering their lack of intelligence on the matter until it was too late.

The Sudbury Anomaly was a ruin on the planet Sudbury which had activated some months prior. Attempts to get close were more often than not met by stiff resistance from Hackers, Technocracy, and Xenos all. Despite them being enemies of one another, when any LSF ship attempted to get close, all three turned to take out the LSF craft and then turned back to brutalizing each other. What limited scans they were able to get showed a powerful energy beam firing out into deep space. Trajectory suggested it was heading for Coronado. Where in Coronado was still unknown.

"So, we go with you to this anomaly, we get Riegel. That about how everything shakes loose?" Dagger-7 asked.