Harsh Realities: Lesson 2
2021-07-29, circa 13:01 Miyana International Time
A lanky figure in a slim dark outfit sits opposite of a slightly stocky, balding middle-aged person, who's bright white admiral's uniform practically beams on the well-lit deck of IDN Baal, flagship of the First Imperial Defense Fleet. A small metal table and rickety folding chairs from the interior have been rather casually placed here at the foot of the carrier's island.
Admiral Bodo: . . . and that's the extent of your intelligence so far? Sixteen unaccounted for already? I'm going to need more than that, Idnibal.
Commander Idnibal: With all due respect Fleet Admiral, I think you're being insensitive to the fragility of these missions. We've already got forty-three injured or dead on our hands and the chances of any of those who made it being able to confirm their arrivals at the invitation points was always next to nil. We should count ourselves lucky that we have more confirmations than bodies.
Bodo: I suppose so, given if any of these Rossians hosting our people decide they want their new guests dead between now and who-knows-when, there's hardly going to be anything we can do about it. Sixteen off the radar now might even be good news, but I was hoping for more good rather than more of none. We've seen our fair share of Republican aircraft out here. Anything on them?
Idnibal: No reports from the missionaries we've heard from of contact with the Republican forces. Drop-off points were far from the front and all of our opposition has come from scattered Rossians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Between the timing of your decision to begin distributing aid and the concentration of our special electronics units, there's no reason to suspect things haven't gone smoothly.
Bodo: Yes, well, it's far from the front that we've managed to pick up a few fleeing refugees up the coast away from the fighting. It's a good thing one of those volunteers stayed behind and could act as translator for us. Just barely got enough cooperation out of some of them to have them point out a good location a decent ways out from the regime's old capital in need of some increased hospital beds and temporary shelters. One of the few things we have on us.
Idnibal: Will that be all then?
Bodo: No. I need your professional opinion on something, since you've been on this beat for so long. Toonela spent nearly a year before we got to this point searching high and low for some allies within Rossia. Were the hundred or so scattered dissidents really the best we could do? Are the people here that bad off, and if they are, what's our chances of any of this sticking?
Idnibal: It was and they are. Dozens of weeks doing our level best to dig into Rossian society and I'm pretty sure the most exciting thing that happened was almost, but not quite, confirming the presence of what we thought might have been Harndonian agents operating in the area. But, I don't think it's our chances we need to worry about here, Admiral. The people that volunteered to give up their lives back home to walk up to a stranger's home on the vague notion their help was needed somewhere? They will be just fine. Their actions will find purchase with someone along the way. I'm more worried about the prospect of it "sticking", as you say, but going unsupported.
Bodo: I think you might be the wiser of the two of us, Commander.
Idnibal: We're only as wise as we know the Onaron, Admiral.
Bodo: And many unwise parts of the Onaron don't seem to care much for a fine speech?
Idnibal: Indeed.
Idnibal departs, and Bodo is shortly left with more questions they wished they had asked coming to mind, so they find more work to push them aside for the time being.
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2021, 11:01 AM by wateryfoothill.)
2021-07-29, circa 13:01 Miyana International Time
A lanky figure in a slim dark outfit sits opposite of a slightly stocky, balding middle-aged person, who's bright white admiral's uniform practically beams on the well-lit deck of IDN Baal, flagship of the First Imperial Defense Fleet. A small metal table and rickety folding chairs from the interior have been rather casually placed here at the foot of the carrier's island.
Admiral Bodo: . . . and that's the extent of your intelligence so far? Sixteen unaccounted for already? I'm going to need more than that, Idnibal.
Commander Idnibal: With all due respect Fleet Admiral, I think you're being insensitive to the fragility of these missions. We've already got forty-three injured or dead on our hands and the chances of any of those who made it being able to confirm their arrivals at the invitation points was always next to nil. We should count ourselves lucky that we have more confirmations than bodies.
Bodo: I suppose so, given if any of these Rossians hosting our people decide they want their new guests dead between now and who-knows-when, there's hardly going to be anything we can do about it. Sixteen off the radar now might even be good news, but I was hoping for more good rather than more of none. We've seen our fair share of Republican aircraft out here. Anything on them?
Idnibal: No reports from the missionaries we've heard from of contact with the Republican forces. Drop-off points were far from the front and all of our opposition has come from scattered Rossians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Between the timing of your decision to begin distributing aid and the concentration of our special electronics units, there's no reason to suspect things haven't gone smoothly.
Bodo: Yes, well, it's far from the front that we've managed to pick up a few fleeing refugees up the coast away from the fighting. It's a good thing one of those volunteers stayed behind and could act as translator for us. Just barely got enough cooperation out of some of them to have them point out a good location a decent ways out from the regime's old capital in need of some increased hospital beds and temporary shelters. One of the few things we have on us.
Idnibal: Will that be all then?
Bodo: No. I need your professional opinion on something, since you've been on this beat for so long. Toonela spent nearly a year before we got to this point searching high and low for some allies within Rossia. Were the hundred or so scattered dissidents really the best we could do? Are the people here that bad off, and if they are, what's our chances of any of this sticking?
Idnibal: It was and they are. Dozens of weeks doing our level best to dig into Rossian society and I'm pretty sure the most exciting thing that happened was almost, but not quite, confirming the presence of what we thought might have been Harndonian agents operating in the area. But, I don't think it's our chances we need to worry about here, Admiral. The people that volunteered to give up their lives back home to walk up to a stranger's home on the vague notion their help was needed somewhere? They will be just fine. Their actions will find purchase with someone along the way. I'm more worried about the prospect of it "sticking", as you say, but going unsupported.
Bodo: I think you might be the wiser of the two of us, Commander.
Idnibal: We're only as wise as we know the Onaron, Admiral.
Bodo: And many unwise parts of the Onaron don't seem to care much for a fine speech?
Idnibal: Indeed.
Idnibal departs, and Bodo is shortly left with more questions they wished they had asked coming to mind, so they find more work to push them aside for the time being.
