Every day you must consider being ripped apart by rifle and blade

Makita signals to Miho. They'll wait another minute or so for some more Reds to catch up, and then they'll spring the trap. All they really need to do is keep the Reds confused about where the attack is coming from. That'll make them hole up long enough for everyone else to arrive.

And at this point, of course, someone arrives early. Half of Mishka's squad stumbles out of an alleyway into the courtyard and stops. They stare at the Reds, the Reds stare at them. Neither expected to be facing the enemy at this point. Then someone, it's not clear who, opens fire, and the entire courtyard turns into a roiling chaos of gunshots, grenades, a screaming soldiers. Looks like the ambush plans are going to need to be altered.

Miho rolls her eyes briefly - aren't these guys supposed to be pros? At least it's easy enough to tell friend from foe - the disciplined ones in the uniforms are the enemy. That's simple enough. It's just about the only thing that is simple in that mess out there, but it's the only thing she needs to know. Leaving Makita to her own devices - there's not really any point in the two of them attempting any form of co-operation in this situation - she slips quietly into the throng, and begins the job of thinning out Reds.

Again Makita spends a few long moments just watching the way that Miho moves. It's deadly and graceful and entirely lethal. But this time they can't really move at their own pace. On their own they could probably take out the Reds without any real problem, but there's another squad in the mix, and that squad is going to get in the way. And some of them are going to die.

So Makita slides down and around to the rear of the Reds, firing as she moves. It's surprising how stealthy you can be, even when firing a pair of automatic pistols, when you're in the middle of a firefight. The Reds are dying fast where Makita and Miho are in contact with them, and they're falling back from Anton's squad. That leaves them only one way to go: through the disorganized half-squad that stumbled into them. And so that's the way they turn.

At least Mishka's squad are expecting them this time, and the Reds are facing attack on all sides. Still, they're fighting with the desperation of men and women who are sure they're about to die. Really, nothing in the world concentrates the mind quite so wonderfully as that. Still, there aren't many - and fewer each second - and they're surrounded. In the end, they don't stand a chance, though they take a heavy toll on their attackers.

Once it's all over, the surviving Gorkas stand, or crouch, breathing heavily, most bleeding, some badly wounded, some barely scraped. Miho puffs, blowing a bloodied strand of hair from where it has stuck to her face, and shakes her head at the carnage. What a mess.

Makita moves immediately to clean-up. Reloading her weapons, and beginning to loot bodies. It's so ingrained that she doesn't even think, she just goes to work. But she does think to keep an eye on Miho, so when she sees Mishka -- big, angry, aggressive Mishka -- striding over to the shorter woman, she heads over herself.

But not before Mishka growls, "And just who do you think you are? I've never seen you before."

Miho simply looks up at the taller woman, smiling very slightly, loose and easy. Makita's seen that stance before -- and by now, she knows Miho well enough to know what comes next. Or, what could come next, if this situation isn't defused quickly enough for Miho's liking. Still, Miho isn't about to cause trouble - not if she doesn't have to. Certainly not when the person who'll have to clean up after it is her new friend.

So, she's still enough for now, only the steadiness of her stance and that look in her eyes betraying just how close Mishka is to dying right now.

Mishka doesn't know the look and she looms forward and growls, "I asked you a question--"

"Back off, Mishka. Miho's with me." Mishka does know Makita though, and there's some bad blood between them, which is why she scowls.

She sneers, "With you, Makinoshka? Why don't you let her speak for herself?" She spins back to Miho, "And why don't you speak for yourself?"

Miho raises an eyebrow and then, before anyone around them even has a chance to blink, Mishka's flat on her back, right elbow a fraction of an inch from being dislocated, Miho's knife a milimeter away from her eyeball.

"I don't like to," she says, quietly. "But how about we make a deal. You accept that I'm on your side, and I'll show you the trick I used to do this. You have potential, and your people need you - but that won't stop me from killing you."

Miho smiles, and Mishka grimaces up at her, torn between losing face in front of her squad, and genuine desire to know. She's a true soldier - anything that'll give her an edge over the enemy can only be a good thing. And no-one's been able to pin her like that in years - she'd give a lot to know how it was done. Including according Miho the respect she'd give to anyone that good.

"Fine," she spits, face twisted. "Let me the hell up."

Miho nods, once, releasing Mishka, standing and bowing politely to the other woman, who simply looks confused.

Miho laughs at that. "Respect for a worthy opponent," she explains.

Mishka doesn't smile, or even grin, but she offers an incredibly awkward bow in response. Then she glances over at Makita, and back to Miho, "Well, come on then. You can stick with us for a bit." She waves the way back to her squad. They give Miho respectful looks. Anyone who can take Mishka down like that is to be taken seriously.