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#77
08-01-2011, 01:58 PM
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"Indeed, thank you, Colonel," Nami adds as the man salutes the Silver Guard. "I appreciate your prompt assistance." Nodding to the man, she turns her attention back to the captain, considering everything about her, from her stance to the lines of her uniform.
__________________"I believe I can manage some appropriately subdued transportation, ma'am, please follow me to the officer's barracks." "Thank you, captain," Annamichelle replies with a nod, following the woman across the extensive grounds. "Armshome is protected by the most potent anti-surveillance technology, this may be the best place to tell me what I need to know. No one is around to hear us." Annamichelle follows along for another moment, thinking about how to address this. She needs this woman, and so she needs to trust her with a certain amount of information. But it didn't take the Colonel's warning about freely trusting those around her to bring her mind to caution. "No doubt you are aware of the attack this morning on the border. That is our destination, before someone does something stupid," she admits frankly. "The sooner we can get there, the less likely this will become an Imperial incident." 
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#78
08-03-2011, 09:43 AM
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Hakkari nods in response to your question. Likely, all ranking military officers must have been informed of the situation, though what secrets they must know are probably guarded. She escorts you to the domed building at the edge of the parade ground. Once inside, it's revealed to simply be a row of elevators. The Silver Guard leads you to the elevator on the far right.
__________________The three of you enter the elevator car. Hakkari pushes the button for the 3rd subbasement (the elevator only goes down). Once the machine whirs to life, Hakkari pushes the emergency stop button. The gold-trimmed, ebony car jerks to a halt. The captain then produces a small, round golden badge from her jacket pocket. A quick press on the red jewel that forms the centre and, click! the two sides extend and fan out like wings. Two small antennae quickly sprout, one from the top, the other from the bottom. The red jewel glows and the tiny device emits a gentle hum. Hakkari places the device on the floor. "This is an aural inhibitor. No device or living ears beyond the elevator car can hear us now. It may be overkill, but you are a daughter of the house and I'll take no chances if I have the option. Now, I understand we're going to the front lines. Some kind of negotiation mission. But to the best of my knowledge, the enemy have sent no envoy or request to parlay. They've been silent since the attack. Now is the time for us to discuss this mission." The captain's voice remains soft and cold. She stands almost at attention, still. Her eyes only once flit to Jrithin. Again, his proximity seems to engender the idea that he is trusted with this information. Jrithin, for his part silent since the colonel's earlier rebuke, lets out a deep breath. The tension is evident on his brow. He turns his attention to you.
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#79
08-03-2011, 01:15 PM
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Annamichelle nods to Jrithin before returning her eyes to the captain. The inhibitor is a good idea, but she speaks as concisely as she can. "There is a very good chance they were attacked as well, captain. Should that be the case, they might be doing as many of our citizens likely wish to do, which is to marshal an attack force from outside the zone of destruction and march upon our presumed enemies. Given this assumption, we would be about to make war on age old enemies instead of those responsible for the chaos. A convenient distraction, no?"
__________________"Even the news reporter I heard broadcast this morning mentioned how unaware we were of any technology capable of such devastation in the hands of the Anjusti. The simple fact is, we were unaware of any such technology, period. The map, however, suggests a radial blast." Her eyes touch on Jrithin momentarily, remembering to give credit (however small) where it was due. "Such a blast could have been initiated by the Anjusti, assuming they had the capability, however their own territory would have borne the brunt of such an attack. We would be doing ourselves an injustice if we honestly thought our enemies that stupid." She shakes her head once, sighing over such folly. "I have many ideas, each unlikely. But the unlikeliest is that our neighbors attacked themselves just to get some small triumph over us. The Duchy is pursuing all avenues, with all available resources. We are the ones who are required to think of all possibilities and judge the cause of this morning's fateful wreckage." Nami focuses on the inhibitor for a moment, then once again her attention is on Hakkari. "Now, as a member of our Silver Guard, I have no idea what your personal beliefs or history with regards to the Anjusti may be, and I would foolish to not acknowledge them. I ask simply that you have an open mind to deal with whatever we might find upon reaching the border. I want to be prepared for all options, including those we have not thought of yet."
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#80
08-04-2011, 05:52 AM
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Captain Hakkari takes in your theory about the attack without question, no doubt cataloguing your every word in her mind. She says nothing, displays no surprise or emotion of any kind. She simply stands with her hands behind her back.
__________________When you mention the Anjusti, she waits for you to finish before responding. "I have dealt with the Anjusti before," she says, "despite propaganda, I have found them to be cunning, clever enemies, not quite the savages we are told they are. Nor are they the monsters they are made to be. If the truth were commonly known..." Captain Hakkari pauses. Her perfect veneer of militancy falters for a moment. She looks once more to Jrithin, this time an unspoken question in her eyes. Jrithin stiffens, confused. He looks to you, not sure what to say or do. Hakkari breaks the awkwardness. "It's confidential information," she says, "if it were publicly known how much like us they are, the war effort would be opposed by public sentiment. I'm telling you this since you are a Daughter of the House and, presumably, could have access to this information if you knew to ask it. The Anjusti have a tightly knit clan structure. Each of their villages is an extended family unit. In their families, they have mothers, children, the aged, and they care for them as much as any of us would. Make no mistake, though, my lady, they are vicious in their treatment of their enemies. They do not take prisoners. Their attacks are swift and brutal. They don't have our level of technology but they do have... techniques that almost match our scientific might. In many ways, they are a reverse image of our own society." Last edited by kingmonkey; 08-04-2011 at 05:54 AM.
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#81
08-04-2011, 12:45 PM
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Annamichelle nods, entirely unsurprised by Hakkari's information. "I have wondered as much for years, which is part of why I am the ideal diplomat in this situation. I do not assume they are inferior, just different." She looks at Jrithin. "Captain, I trust Jrithin with all the information we have compiled so far. Please do him the same courtesy."
__________________She pauses to consider where she wants to go next with this conversation. "One of my father's military advisers thought it ridiculous to even consider diplomacy. Perhaps for the general military it is easiest to classify them as 'the enemy' and leave it at that, but I expect to deal with them openly, or any chance of a temporary truce will be lost. I see them as a resource we have not yet explored, being too caught up in feeling superior. If it is truly the case that there is a third party with such amazing firepower..." Here she falters a moment, hating the thought. "We have no way of tracking their movements or knowing what their next target will be. We need to focus on that, not attacking the people we like to sum up as savages... just for the sake of appearing to retaliate." "As for the Anjusti, I would appreciate any insights you have where our societies differ, especially in terms of hierarchy or respect. I would hate to butcher this chance by insulting the wrong person. It sounds as if they have matricarchal villages, unless I misunderstood you. Do you know of their elders or clan lords? I assume their tribes have a leader, whether an absolute monarch or not."
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#82
08-05-2011, 08:05 AM
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Whatever Hakkari thinks of your mission's goals, she reserves comment, as a soldier must. She does not question her orders. She simply nods at your consideration. When you ask about the Anjusti, she straightens up a bit and takes a breath.
__________________"That," she says, "will take a bit more time to brief you in appropriate detail. Please come with me. We're going to take a transport shuttle to Mercy Point Base, then transfer to a troop carrier to the front-- Anak's Sword Forward Camp. In the transport, we'll be ferrying supplies to the base- no others on board. Once we reach Mercy Point, you'll have to wear a uniform to blend in, as will your aide. In all, It should take us a day and a half to reach the Anak's Sword." "Captain," Jrithin interjects, "we have no, um, supplies packed or ready for the trip. Do we have time to gather our things before we go?" Hakkari regards Jrithin. Her gaze holds none of Artoumi's contempt; she seems to regard him as more or less an equal (at least it appears so to you). She tilts her head a bit then faces you. "What do you need? I will have all gear, weapons, maps, and other such things. Clothing shouldn't be an issue, beyond the basics. We will need to move light if we enter enemy-held territory and carrying baggage will get us killed." Hakkari looks genuinely unsure what you could possibly need to bring with you. You are reminded how different she is from other women you've known. For a daughter of a noble house to travel without a retinue and a train of luggage is unconscionable; for a soldier, carrying more than you can wear on your back is a liability.
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