The training flight had returned to the Great Tower two hours ago. The bodies of their fellow marines had been recovered but the hippogriffs were too big to fly back. Instead the gear had been taken from them, and a trio of Korvosan Guards were watching over them while Pharasmans were fetched to take over. Lula Mae, and Crack had all been immediately taken to the tower's infirmary to be checked over. Pip had declined any treatment until he first submitted his formal report to Commandant Endrin, afterwards the commander had ordered him to go and receive medical aid. 

Now after making sure injuries were treated and that his two trainees were being taken care of Pip was being called back to Commandant Endrin for a final debrief. He dreaded the moment, after everything that happened with Sgt. Biggs, the promotion, and to get two people killed the first time he was placed in charge… He didn't know what he would do.

As he entered into the office he found Endrin sitting behind his desk with a grim expression and that far away look again in his eyes. Pip marched forward and saluted. It took a moment for Endrin to notice and return it, he then gestured for Pip to take a seat. 

"First of all, Colour Sergeant," he said, "This wasn't your fault. I've been where you are right now, and I know the kinds of thoughts that can go through a commander's head when something like this happens. You might not be able to accept it yet but you still need to hear it. This wasn't your fault."

"Sir.." started Pip but Endrin made a sharp chop with his hand and the Wyldcat sank back into the chair in silence.

"You had no way of knowing you were going out on a flight before you arrived here at the tower." said the Commandant, "Secondly, you never left the tower before hand to possibly give away, even by accident, what the plan was. Thirdly, that wasn't just a random attack, that was a preplanned ambush. If not for your actions I doubt there would have been any survivors. I can think of only a few ways that could have been setup, none of which would you have had any way to prevent until the after the attack began. Whether the leak came from within the Sable Company or from the civilian who owned a building along that last street I'm not sure yet but I will find out, and when I do, if it's within my power I'll make sure you're in charge of hunting down whoever hired those thrice damned assassins to come into our city."

"But understand this, Colour-Sergeant, the Red Mantis are not to be trifled with. Yes your skill had a lot to do with reversing the ambush and taking out your foes but you were lucky. There was only one there by all accounts, the rest appear to have been hired thugs. If this had been a full group then none of you would have come back. I don't know how many more might in the city, the fiends rarely work alone. We'll have to reduce our patrols to make sure only large groups go out, given Her Majesty's instructions for us I expect that's going to limit us even more on what we're actually able to do. And, say nothing of this to the rest of the company, but I believe a tighter lock down might be coming for us and all of Korvosa. Hell, they might put the whole tower into Quarantine. Before they do that though I want you in the air and reporting back to Field Marshal Cressida on what happened. Let her do the full debrief for you, and I'll send along a copy of the reports from your trainees as well. For now just know again that this wasn't your fault, when the time for our justice comes your lance will be in the vanguard."

Endrin pauses for a moment, gazing sternly but not unkindly at Pip until the Colour-Sergeant finally nods. 

"Good," says Endrin, "Now I do have something else for you and your Wyldcats."

Pip's eyes narrow, there was no evidence of a smile on Endrin's lips, but there was a hint of a sparkle in his eyes as he said the name. Endrin pulled back a thin drawer on his desk and pulled out a quartet of small scrolls bound with Crimson and Sable ribbon. 

"These are Writs of Authorization," he said, "For you, Mr. Sura, Ms. Dagi, and Ms. Estha. The Field Marshal will need to countersign and seal as well but they give you full authorization to kill any Red Mantis assassin you encounter on sight. Trying to take one prisoner isn't advisable, while the intelligence they could give up would be useful there's no way to get it out of them, they seal it away behind spells that prevent them from being coerced into talking whenever they take on a new mission or client. Underlings might be a different matter, but you are ordered to eliminate any Red Mantis found within Korvosa. Understood?"

"Yes sir," replied Pip feeling a little  off balance at this "debriefing".

"Good," said Endrin, "Now get back to your mount and out of Old Korvosa before anything else happens."

Pip stood and saluted, then turned to leave the office, but just as he reach for the door knob the Commandant spoke up.

"Oh, and one other thing Sergeant," said Endrin, this time there was definitely a sparkle in his eyes, "Don't go gallivanting about looking for a safe house or base to take them down on your own. In all likelihood if there are any left in the city they'd use it as a trap to lure you in and complete their mission. Instead you need to figure out who it was that hired them in the first place. Now then, you're dismissed. Report to Field Marshall Cressida as soon as you can."