She was quick to violence when woken, so Artur made sure he was in view.

"Stand down, Knällchen. Zitterer's in debt to a corp friend but we're getting extracted and we'll have professional medical attention."

She quirked an eyebrow, but nodded.

Hartmann looked over to Artur. "You're their shaman? Good work on your field medicine - a patch job, but a good one."

He smiled, "Thanks. I'm a good traditional medic as well, keeping body and soul together is my main field skillset."

"A good specialty to have at your back. We'd hire you if you ever left the shadows, I expect - the combination is much too rare."

"I'll keep it in mind - but that's not likely."

"Never is, with you people."

He didn't reply.

He woke later, in a hospital bed. A large capsule was closed over his leg stump, and he could sense some magic active within. He glanced around and saw both of his crew in beds nearby. And a very pale elf, sitting in a comfortable chair near Thilo's bed.

She must have noticed him moving, because she looked up almost immediately.

"Ah, you're awake, Prinz."

"Where are we?"

"Small upscale hospital in Düsseldorf, with several private wings. They usually work with first-party corp black ops, but the same precautions suit shadowrunners."

"Mmh. So no bugs except yours, then. Medical status?"

"Thilo's still in bad shape, but he'll pull through. Probably take some cyberware in the replacement hand. The surgeon complimented your field medicine, he could have been unsalvageable if you had done a worse job."

"Your girl is going to need neuroplasticity treatments to make a full recovery, but that should be fine by the time her hands are back to normal. Your leg is being replaced with bioware - there's an experimental magical treatment to reduce the essence loss, you're the first test case that was a natural injury rather than a deliberate amputation. The hand could get the same treatment if you want it."

"I'll consider my options. You work with shadowrunners often?"

"Often enough. Attorney-client privilege is useful."

"Or the appearance of attorney-client privilege which can't be proved wrong."

"Well, sometimes. You're the Face for your crew, right?"

"The primary one. Some circles Knällchen handles, and Zitterer has been hiding his own connections, apparently."

"Oh, he doesn't have many, we just go way back. I am quite well-connected, but I don't think he's ever asked to draw on that."

"Yes, that sounds like him. You're from Pomorya as well?"

"More or less. My uncle is Boris Teleam."

He nodded. "A notorious name. That would make your employer Teleam & Karlov?"

"Right in one. How did you three meet?"