"Lovely to make your acquaintance, Blauprinz. They'll be there in fifteen, ten if they're on the ball. Thanks for keeping my boyfriend in one piece this long. Ta-ta!"

Thilo grimaced, but his eyes were smiling too much to sell it properly.

"Turn dial away," he whispered again, hoarse from the exertion.

Prinz did, then gave him a skeptical look. "Boyfriend?"

"Not really. She wishes."

"...Flings, some. Old rival. Likes me. Keeps her promises. But no morals."

"Corp?"

"Ish. Immortals in family. Close held. Law. Elites."

"Law firm with strike teams in multiple metroplexes?"

"Favor traders. Johnsons. Meddler, her."

"She going to blackmail us with exposure, later?"

"Doubt it. Keeps deals. My debt."

"Well. There are worse devils."

"Yeah."

A little more than ten minutes later, the deck chirped, and Thilo mustered the energy to get a projection to his jack.

"Just outside. No watchers."

Artur - no, Blauprinz, that was important to keep active now - nodded, and carefully rose to limp to the hatch.

"Gentlemen. I believe you're here to pick up my crew?"

"Attergaa sent us to that effect, yes. Looking for one 'Zitterer' and two of his crew."

"We're all in bad shape, but he's here."

"Good. Triage?"

"Zitterer's got an internal gut wound, get him a stretcher as soon as you can. I might manage a crutch but I'd prefer someone to lean on, or a carry. If you can wake Knällchen she can walk, I didn't have reserves for it."

The man nodded. "Weber, pop one up. Koch and Bauer on rearguard, I'll be point, Schmidt stays on matrix overwatch til we're clear."

That left four to get the wounded out, counting Weber. Professionals, with experience. Good.

"While I'm being thankful for miracles, did you happen to pick up an enchanted hand-and-a-half sword on your way in?"

Weber cursed. "We did. I was hoping to keep it. Yours?"

"'Fraid so. It has a bit of a mind of its own, it would have found its way to someone in my blood family within a year."

"Best not go into detail, what we don't know can't identify you."

"True enough."

They busied themselves, and one called Hartmann looked Zanne over and did a minor working to get her up.