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Omegas XXXII: Inquiry


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#1 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 16 March 2005 - 04:47 AM

Alternate Title: Senate Oversight Committee

Peanut butter and note sandwich:

1. Dialogue chapter. Wee!

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. ;)

Or not, your choice. :)

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.

-----

“If Gorion saw you do that, he’d be very upset.”

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”

Jaheira looked skeptical. “Are you sure it was ‘a book?’ Are you sure it wasn’t ‘nothing?’”

Falynn worked up a small, silly grin. “Oh yeah.”

“Sounds like the weapons fire is dying down,” Imoen commented. She gingerly poked her head out from behind cover and glanced around. The chatter of Gauss rifle fire had slackened off considerably, with only a few of the distinctive, loud cracks sounding every now and again. Each one was answered by several energy bursts, and slowly but surely, what little Dominion resistance remained in the area crumbled.

Reports of “Area secured,” began to filter in from the other teams, and when all was said and done, little remained of the Dominion command post except burning, gutted buildings, wrecked vehicles… and bodies.

“Omega 1 to all units, we’re moving out to the Primary Objective. All teams, fall in behind us. Anvil group, head for the RV point and hold positions. We’ll be in touch…”

As the rest of the team headed out, Nalia hastened her steps in order to catch up with Imoen. She whispered a question to the Lieutenant. “What’s an RV point?”

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”

Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”

“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”

-----

“What do you know about this facility we’re supposed to be rescuing, Sergeant?”

Sergeant Valygar “Spectre” Corthala turned his head slightly to the side, just enough so that his peripheral vision could pick up the form of Nalia “Cipher” de’Arnisse walking a handful of feet behind him. “What makes you think I know anything about the facility?” he asked, trying to dodge the inquiry.

Nalia frowned. “Word is that this is your first operation with this team, and that you were assigned here as a ‘mission specialist.’ I’m no Intel weenie, but it’s kinda hard not to see something’s going on.”

He sighed. “What have you heard so far?”

“Not much. I couldn’t get a lot out of the Major,” she said, shrugging. “All I really know is that some scientists from Confed R&D had holed up in this super-secret – at least, it was supposed to be super-secret – underground complex. What they’re researching in there, what they’re working on, well, that I don’t know. I guess I just figured you had some idea.”

The Army Ranger’s face was an impassive mask. “Some,” he said, neutrally, but even though she waited for a while, he made no efforts to further confirm or deny anything. Nalia was none too pleased with that. Yes, she was new to the group, and so she didn’t have much business asking questions – but that wasn’t to say she didn’t have -any- right to be curious.

“Sergeant,” she said, trying to push the issue a little further, “I think it’s relevant to the mission, and if it’ll help us complete that mission, I think you should probably tell us.”

“Good luck with that,” Imoen snorted from the front of the formation. “I’ve been trying to get him to cough up the goods since the beginning. Personally, I think it’s one of BuWeaps secret think tanks. Real hush hush stuff. But that’s just a guess – and a certain someone here won’t give me any hints as to whether I’m right or not.” She poked her tongue out at Valygar.

“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”

The rest of the squad made it an issue to pointedly ignore Jan. Not that it mattered. He wouldn’t stop talking. Imoen continued interrogating Valygar. “Seriously, Val, seeing as how we’re going to be risking our necks to save a bunch of eggheads, it’d be nice to know exactly what it is down there that’s worth possibly getting orc blood on my uniform. Stuff stains, you know… and don’t even get me started on the smell.”

The ranger sighed again. “Lieutenant, if I may ask: why did -you- think we were here?”

Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”

Falynn cut into the conversation. “Keep moving, Two,” she ordered, motioning to Imoen to keep the single-file column moving. Valygar followed directly behind the infiltrator, his rifle strapped across his back, his sidearm drawn and in his hands. Falynn took the third slot, Nalia the fourth. Jan walked behind her, and Jaheira and Minsc, in that order, brought up the rear. The Rashemani had been unusually quiet for much of the walk, but now he spoke up. “Boo knows what it is we are here to protect.”

“I have some idea…” the electronic hamster said in her husky contralto. She didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up too much.

“By all means, enlighten us,” Falynn said.

“Most of the records are sealed,” came the response from atop Minsc’s left shoulder. “Classified information and all that, unauthorized viewing punishable by court-martial and incarceration, etcetera etcetera.” The holographic hamster’s image executed a remarkably human-like shrug. “I used all the access codes available to someone of your rank and position, Major, and a few more above even that.”

Several of the Omegas blanched at that notion; several others merely smiled.

“Still couldn’t dig up much. The ‘official’ records state that the Morellian Plateau Base is nothing more than a seismic monitoring station – minimal personnel and equipment.”

“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.

Valygar almost smiled at that. Almost. “Quite.”

“Unofficially,” Boo continued, “I managed to trace several supply manifests and the like. That base is receiving far more in terms of people and supplies than it should be.”

“What kind of supplies?”

“That’s the funny thing, Lieutenant. I was looking for the standard stuff you’d expect in an underground research base. Fissionable material, for example, since Confed uses sub-surface installations for a lot of its fusion experiments. But all I’ve been able to spot on the manifests are chemical shipments.” She rattled off the names of several complicated-sounding chemical compounds.

Imoen stopped short, and Valygar nearly walked into her back. She turned, slowly.

“Those names sound awfully familiar,” Falynn muttered.

Harlequin frowned. “They should.”

Cipher looked more than a little confused. “What do you mean? Why?”

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”

“And some,” Imoen continued, “can be used to ‘homebrew’ VX.” She shuddered, then frowned sadly. “Three cheers for human ingenuity and all the horrible stuff it can come up with.”

“W-what do you mean? What’s VX? What does it do?”

“Poison gas. As for what it does, well, for one, it sticks to everything; it’s practically impossible to get rid of. Even napalm isn’t hot enough to burn it up. Aside from that, it-”

Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”

Imoen nodded gravely. “Spit your guts out… but that’s after your skin melts off…”

Nalia looked aghast. Her eyes were wide with horror. “Gods…”

“Yeah. We’d like them on our side about now, don’t you think?”

Nalia shook her head in disbelief; it took a few seconds for the rest of the implications to hit her. “Wait a second… but that means… Confed’s brewing chemical weapons here?!”

All eyes turned towards Valygar. He nodded.

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”

“Tell that to the people of Saradush,” Falynn said, coldly. “If you can find any left after the Dominion dropped those plague canisters on them…”

“And that makes it ok to use that kind of horrible stuff ourselves?!”

Falynn sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she pressed the heel of her hand against a closed eyelid. “Did I say that? I know I’m old, and senility’s gone and made off with some of my synapses, but I’m pretty sure those words didn’t come out of my mouth.”

Jaheira chided her, gently (Gentle for Jaheira, at least). “There’s no need to be quite so flippant about it, Falynn.”

Falynn ignored the admonishment. “Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly a clean business we’re in, Ensign. The universe tends to enjoy its shades of gray. Now you certainly won’t see me handing out smallpox blankets to orcish children, but-”

“But you won’t cry a river if Confed decides to use this VX stuff on a Dominion world?”

Falynn’s eyes narrowed. “Ensign,” she began, intentionally stressing the younger woman’s rank. “Usually comments like that are prefaced with ‘Permission to speak freely.’ I almost invariably grant it, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Fine, then. Permission to-”

“Denied.”

“But you just said-”

“I said ‘almost’ invariably. That qualifier’s important.”

“But-”

“In case you haven’t noticed, this is a potential combat zone, not the meeting room of a Senate Oversight Committee. And while I normally encourage freedom of thought and expression, even I have limits. You’ve just hit mine. Clear?”

Nalia looked as if she were about to protest further, but Valygar put a hand on her shoulder. She turned and he shook his head at her. “Let it go for now. She’s right - this isn’t the time or place.”

She nodded, and tried to stifle her disappointment. “It’s just-”

Falynn rolled her eyes in moderate frustration. “It’s just that you’d rather not be stuck with someone who enjoys eating puppies and kicking babies?”

Imoen raised a hand. “Um. Reverse that,” she said, trying to lighten the mood some.

“Why? Works either way.”

She nodded. “Ok. Point.”

Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”

Nalia didn’t rise to the bait. Maybe it was her military training that prevented her from speaking further, maybe it was simply years of living as part of a family that had always been big on grace and poise, but she chose not to send back a retort. No sense in digging the hole any deeper. Instead, she merely apologized. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to -”

Falynn’s expression softened. “I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”

“I said no such thing.”

“But you were thinking it.”

The squad medic flashed a small, beatific smile. “Well… true.”

Falynn rolled her eyes. “Look. We can discuss the resounding moral implications of weapons of mass destruction later, all right? As for now, though, we should probably keep moving…”

#2 Guest_Userunfriendly_*

Posted 16 March 2005 - 10:43 AM

Alternate Title: Senate Oversight Committee


sorry about not posting replies recently...

between some financial stuff that really got weird on me (resolved)
job hunting
trying to brainstorm a new series, with plenty of angst (your eyes are not going bad on you...my new series is seriously hardcore angst...and humor)
and buying "We Few" on baen webscription which is a book i've been waiting 2 years for...

I just didn't have time or inclination to post replies... :twisted:

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. ;)


which one? hmmm...nick cage?

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.


actually it worked out well...you've got nalia as the soft innocent lambkin...and fae who's decided to teach her a bit about cold hard, cruel reality...and fae comes off as someone who really cares about nalia, trying to teach her a bit about how the world really works, cause soft lambkins get eaten by wolves...

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”


best way to take care of a sniper is with artillery...or another sniper...

As the rest of the team headed out, Nalia hastened her steps in order to catch up with Imoen. She whispered a question to the Lieutenant. “What’s an RV point?”


a place to gather all your recreational vehicles??? ;)

Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”


nalia: avast, reef the topsail, and batten down the mizzen!!!

fae: huh???

nalia: oopse...wrong period naval jargon...flush the reactor, and set a course perpendicular to the ecliptic, vector for a zero zero intercept at L5 for the third planet...

fae: huh??? :shock:

The rest of the squad made it an issue to pointedly ignore Jan. Not that it mattered. He wouldn’t stop talking. Imoen continued interrogating Valygar. “Seriously, Val, seeing as how we’re going to be risking our necks to save a bunch of eggheads, it’d be nice to know exactly what it is down there that’s worth possibly getting orc blood on my uniform. Stuff stains, you know… and don’t even get me started on the smell.”


eau du orc... :lol:

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”


nerve agents are not blistering agents...like mustard gas, or chlorine gas...nerve agents are actually almost identical to...

insecticide...

“W-what do you mean? What’s VX? What does it do?”


the worst of the persistant nerve gasses...

“Poison gas. As for what it does, well, for one, it sticks to everything; it’s practically impossible to get rid of. Even napalm isn’t hot enough to burn it up. Aside from that, it-”


urm...napalm will get rid of it...the problem is with a fair wind, its almost impossible to decontaminate an area without using saturation carpet bombing, or nukes...

Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”


yeah...it attacks the mylin sheath... ;)

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


everyone has them...and researches them...VX, sarin, soman...

Falynn ignored the admonishment. “Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly a clean business we’re in, Ensign. The universe tends to enjoy its shades of gray. Now you certainly won’t see me handing out smallpox blankets to orcish children, but-”


you can't use blankets as a vector for smallpox...anthrax, yes...but smallpox needs a LIVING vector...

Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”


ok, a brief history lesson...

Nazi's, back in war 2, invented nerve gas...the vengence weapon series (V1-buzzbombs, V2-rockets, and V3-super artillery) were designed to carry cannisters of nerve gas into britain...they didn't use nerve gas because the research, which came out of german experiments with insecticides back in the 30's, the germans thought that the british had them too...it was incredibly easy to make the jump from insecticides, which the nazi chemists made...so naturally the nazi's thought that the brits had nerve gas, so if the nazi's used nerve gas, so would the british...so the nazi's never used nerve gas...

as it turned out, the brits were involved in germ warfare...at least one island off the coast of britain was the site for using anthrax....still forbidden to humans, since anthrax spores can last for decades...and the british scientists were afraid to use anthrax bombs, cause they thought the germans had them too...

both sides were too afraid to use them...thank god...

the japanese were doing bioweapon research...i can't remember which one, but they killed the population of at least several towns in china testing their stuff...i think botulism poisoning...

the U.S. only had stocks of mustard, chlorine and phosgene gas. (phosgene smells like freshly mowed hay, and was the worst killer in the trenches in ww1, mustard gas was a blister agent, so it was less deadly...but more horrific...)

Falynn’s expression softened. “I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”


no, you're excersizing military discipline...no matter how personally you disagree with a policy, you don't disagree with it in front of the troops...

fae+military discipline= :twisted:

Falynn rolled her eyes. “Look. We can discuss the resounding moral implications of weapons of mass destruction later, all right? As for now, though, we should probably keep moving…”


and talking about it and thinking about it in a free fire zone is liable to get you killed..

yay!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

#3 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 17 March 2005 - 05:03 AM

sorry about not posting replies recently...

between some financial stuff that really got weird on me (resolved)
job hunting
trying to brainstorm a new series, with plenty of angst (your eyes are not going bad on you...my new series is seriously hardcore angst...and humor)
and buying "We Few" on baen webscription which is a book i've been waiting 2 years for...

I just didn't have time or inclination to post replies...


Hey, don't worry about it... my spare time's been going towards Republic Commando, KotOR 2, and Counterstrike... whew... :)

which one? hmmm...nick cage?


The description of VX is lifted straight from The Rock.

and fae comes off as someone who really cares about nalia, trying to teach her a bit about how the world really works, cause soft lambkins get eaten by wolves...


I'm glad you think so. Reading over those last lines, I kept wondering if people would think Falynn was seriously "ok" with the use of chem / bio weaps, and I figured that would kinda... well... be bad for her reputation. ;)

best way to take care of a sniper is with artillery...or another sniper...


Well, I know that and you know that... but I figured I'd make an issue out of it for people who don't know what we know. :lol:

a place to gather all your recreational vehicles???


You know, I've never once ridden in an RV or motor home or whatever...

nerve agents are not blistering agents...like mustard gas, or chlorine gas...nerve agents are actually almost identical to...


I'm aware of the distinction, yes. ;)

urm...napalm will get rid of it...the problem is with a fair wind, its almost impossible to decontaminate an area without using saturation carpet bombing, or nukes...


Napalm can't get rid of it, only because it's too difficult to apply enough of it, precisely enough, to actually do the job.

you can't use blankets as a vector for smallpox...anthrax, yes...but smallpox needs a LIVING vector...


:D

Yes, I know.

But I was just making a reference to:

Despite his fame, Jeffrey Amherst's name became tarnished by stories of smallpox-infected blankets used as germ warfare against American Indians.

fae+military discipline=


= not quite as "crazy" as you guys seem to think. Maybe it's just because she's my character that I think differently of her, and I don't think this sort of thing is quite that... odd... I don't know. The idea of her actually enforcing a little discipline isn't quite that unbelievable to me, but... (Shrug)

#4 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 17 March 2005 - 06:39 PM

1. Dialogue chapter. Wee!


Yay! :D

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. :twisted:


Doesn’t really work for me, you know. :lol:

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.


Hey, I wouldn’t have minded if she came off as a bitch! :twisted:

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”


Jaheira looked skeptical. “Are you sure it was ‘a book?’ Are you sure it wasn’t ‘nothing?’”


She’ll probably be like this until Falynn cops out about the whole deal with Imoen.

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”


Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”


“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


I am not sure if using RV as an abbreviation for Rendezvous is really mystical at all, but overall, she has a point. :)

The Army Ranger’s face was an impassive mask. “Some,” he said, neutrally, but even though she waited for a while, he made no efforts to further confirm or deny anything. Nalia was none too pleased with that. Yes, she was new to the group, and so she didn’t have much business asking questions – but that wasn’t to say she didn’t have -any- right to be curious.


Heck, it’s natural, I mean who wouldn’t be curious in her place.

“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”


Elan? The famous bard Elan Jansen? :D

Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”


Honey, we’re not playing D&D here. Or… are we? :)

“Most of the records are sealed,” came the response from atop Minsc’s left shoulder. “Classified information and all that, unauthorized viewing punishable by court-martial and incarceration, etcetera etcetera.” The holographic hamster’s image executed a remarkably human-like shrug.


:shock: That’s a fuzzy-cute image!

“Still couldn’t dig up much. The ‘official’ records state that the Morellian Plateau Base is nothing more than a seismic monitoring station – minimal personnel and equipment.”


“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.


Hee hee! :D

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”


So, they’re responsible for that nasty blister I have on my left foot? :D

“And some,” Imoen continued, “can be used to ‘homebrew’ VX.” She shuddered, then frowned sadly. “Three cheers for human ingenuity and all the horrible stuff it can come up with.”


“W-what do you mean? What’s VX? What does it do?”


Isn’t that short for Vixen? If so, I’m very interested about how to ‘homebrew’ one! :P

Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”


*wince* Don’t use that on our heroes, okay? :D

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


Umm, I guess the orcs signed with an ‘X’… that’s not really a valid signature, I think.

Falynn sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she pressed the heel of her hand against a closed eyelid. “Did I say that? I know I’m old, and senility’s gone and made off with some of my synapses, but I’m pretty sure those words didn’t come out of my mouth.”


Jaheira chided her, gently (Gentle for Jaheira, at least). “There’s no need to be quite so flippant about it, Falynn.”


Hey, that is gently! (there wasn’t a smack on the head, after all)

Falynn’s eyes narrowed. “Ensign,” she began, intentionally stressing the younger woman’s rank. “Usually comments like that are prefaced with ‘Permission to speak freely.’ I almost invariably grant it, but it’s the thought that counts.”


“Fine, then. Permission to-”


“Denied.”


ROFL! Oh, that’s mean! I like that! :roll:

Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”


Oooh, she seems extremely touchy… did Nalia touch a nerve, there, or was this just an outlet of the stress?

Falynn’s expression softened. “I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”


“I said no such thing.”


“But you were thinking it.”


Hey, that’s okay, I like it when you’re being a bitch, Lynn. That’s why I like Jaheira, after all. :wink:

#5 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 17 March 2005 - 11:41 PM

Yay!


Yay!

See, I can write dialogue, too... :wink:

:wink:

Hey, I wouldn’t have minded if she came off as a bitch!


:)

It's not so much that I was concerned she would come across as having been a bitch to Nalia, more that I was worried people might think I was having her seriously support the rather "controversial" idea of using weapons of mass destruction to attack Dominion targets even if it meant civilians might just be affected as well. :roll:

I am not sure if using RV as an abbreviation for Rendezvous is really mystical at all, but overall, she has a point.


:roll:

Yeah... the acronyms and abbreviations get a lot more complicated than that one.

Elan? The famous bard Elan Jansen?


1st of two Order of the Stick References in this one... did you find the other?

Honey, we’re not playing D&D here. Or… are we?


(Points to previous response) Looks like you did. :lol:

That’s a fuzzy-cute image!


No kidding... I love Boo...

I figure the Omega version looks something like this:

http://www.megatokyo...hp?strip_id=437

:wink:

Hee hee!


Just thought it'd be the kind of thing she'd say given the situation.

:lol:

So, they’re responsible for that nasty blister I have on my left foot?


Eh... if that's all you ended up with after exposure to something like that, count yourself lucky... ;)

And are you sure it wasn't just a soccer injury or something?

*wince* Don’t use that on our heroes, okay?


We'll see. Jaheira's speech about the effects of VX is taken straight from the movie The Rock. Nicholas Cage's character, Stanley Goodspeed says this exact speech to Sean Connery's character.

Hey, that is gently! (there wasn’t a smack on the head, after all!


Poor Falynn... she gets so abused... nobody loves her...

:wink:

ROFL! Oh, that’s mean! I like that!


:twisted:

Er... okaaaaaaayy...

;)

It wasn't intended to be funny, though I can see how it could be.

Oooh, she seems extremely touchy… did Nalia touch a nerve, there, or was this just an outlet of the stress?


Look at it this way: Falynn is a combat veteran. She's been fighting this war for years, now. She's lost a lot of friends, she's seen a lot of people die, and been powerless to stop it. Worse, in trying to "protect" the Confederation, she's probably done a whole lot of things she regrets, things she isn't proud of. But she's tried to accept it, tried to move on because she knows that if she didn't do what had to be done, maybe millions of innocents would die.

And so as much as it hurt her, she did what she did. Now here comes some young upstart implying that what Falynn has been doing for years is wrong... that's not going to make you feel too good. Part of it has got to be a sort of "How dare this -kid- question me?" and another has got to be "But she's partly right, isn't she? And don't you feel guilty for all the people you've had to kill?" (As an example)

So, yeah... I happen to think being questioned like this would bother her... a lot... Imoen, Jaheira, Jan, and Minsc wouldn't think to ask this sort of thing, because they already know Falynn. They know her heart. And Valygar has seen combat, too. He knows how it affects people, so he probably has some idea of what's going on with Falynn... and even if he didn't, he's too much of a noncom to say anything, anyway.

Nalia, on the other hand is neither of those things.

Hey, that’s okay, I like it when you’re being a bitch, Lynn. That’s why I like Jaheira, after all.


(Snicker)

Thing is, we already have one Jaheira... we don't need two. :)

#6 Guest_BlueNose_*

Posted 18 March 2005 - 10:02 AM

Alternate Title: Senate Oversight Committee

Peanut butter and note sandwich:

1. Dialogue chapter. Wee!

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. :wink:


Works for me. :wink:

Or not, your choice. :wink:

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.

-----

“If Gorion saw you do that, he’d be very upset.”

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”


But was it a book with words, or just lots of nice pictures?

Jaheira looked skeptical. “Are you sure it was ‘a book?’ Are you sure it wasn’t ‘nothing?’”

Falynn worked up a small, silly grin. “Oh yeah.”

“Sounds like the weapons fire is dying down,” Imoen commented. She gingerly poked her head out from behind cover and glanced around. The chatter of Gauss rifle fire had slackened off considerably, with only a few of the distinctive, loud cracks sounding every now and again. Each one was answered by several energy bursts, and slowly but surely, what little Dominion resistance remained in the area crumbled.

Reports of “Area secured,” began to filter in from the other teams, and when all was said and done, little remained of the Dominion command post except burning, gutted buildings, wrecked vehicles… and bodies.


Ooh, loot time!

“Omega 1 to all units, we’re moving out to the Primary Objective. All teams, fall in behind us. Anvil group, head for the RV point and hold positions. We’ll be in touch…”


Sharik: “Check for intel first. Aaargh. It’s a COMMAND POST. They have maps, unit rosters, all sorts of useful information. Infantry!”

As the rest of the team headed out, Nalia hastened her steps in order to catch up with Imoen. She whispered a question to the Lieutenant. “What’s an RV point?”

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”

Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”

“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


I read somewhere that almost every group develops it’s own slang simply so that it’s members know who is and isn’t a member.

“What do you know about this facility we’re supposed to be rescuing, Sergeant?”

Sergeant Valygar “Spectre” Corthala turned his head slightly to the side, just enough so that his peripheral vision could pick up the form of Nalia “Cipher” de’Arnisse walking a handful of feet behind him. “What makes you think I know anything about the facility?” he asked, trying to dodge the inquiry.

Nalia frowned. “Word is that this is your first operation with this team, and that you were assigned here as a ‘mission specialist.’ I’m no Intel weenie, but it’s kinda hard not to see something’s going on.”


Nice analysis of Valygar’s position.

Sharik “Nalia, you probably will never meet an Intel officer who isn’t a failure in that career. You’ll never see the technical staff unless given your Comms background you meet some of the Crypto people. You don’t have the clearance to meet the directors of operations, or the need to meet most of the data analysis people. Otherwise, the people you meet are the people who couldn’t do a good job either working in offensive covert ops or in counter-intelligence. Rather than waste really expensive training, they get sent to fleet or army posts as the intelligence liaison. Don’t assume we’re all like them.”


He sighed. “What have you heard so far?”

“Not much. I couldn’t get a lot out of the Major,” she said, shrugging. “All I really know is that some scientists from Confed R&D had holed up in this super-secret – at least, it was supposed to be super-secret – underground complex. What they’re researching in there, what they’re working on, well, that I don’t know. I guess I just figured you had some idea.”

The Army Ranger’s face was an impassive mask. “Some,” he said, neutrally, but even though she waited for a while, he made no efforts to further confirm or deny anything. Nalia was none too pleased with that. Yes, she was new to the group, and so she didn’t have much business asking questions – but that wasn’t to say she didn’t have -any- right to be curious.


Oh, Valygar, stop being so talkative.

“Sergeant,” she said, trying to push the issue a little further, “I think it’s relevant to the mission, and if it’ll help us complete that mission, I think you should probably tell us.”

“Good luck with that,” Imoen snorted from the front of the formation. “I’ve been trying to get him to cough up the goods since the beginning. Personally, I think it’s one of BuWeaps secret think tanks. Real hush hush stuff. But that’s just a guess – and a certain someone here won’t give me any hints as to whether I’m right or not.” She poked her tongue out at Valygar.

“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”

The rest of the squad made it an issue to pointedly ignore Jan. Not that it mattered. He wouldn’t stop talking. Imoen continued interrogating Valygar. “Seriously, Val, seeing as how we’re going to be risking our necks to save a bunch of eggheads, it’d be nice to know exactly what it is down there that’s worth possibly getting orc blood on my uniform. Stuff stains, you know… and don’t even get me started on the smell.”

The ranger sighed again. “Lieutenant, if I may ask: why did -you- think we were here?”

Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”


I don’t think Valygar wants to talk about it, Immy. You’ll just have to pester him some more.

Falynn cut into the conversation. “Keep moving, Two,” she ordered, motioning to Imoen to keep the single-file column moving. Valygar followed directly behind the infiltrator, his rifle strapped across his back, his sidearm drawn and in his hands. Falynn took the third slot, Nalia the fourth. Jan walked behind her, and Jaheira and Minsc, in that order, brought up the rear. The Rashemani had been unusually quiet for much of the walk, but now he spoke up. “Boo knows what it is we are here to protect.”

“I have some idea…” the electronic hamster said in her husky contralto. She didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up too much.

“By all means, enlighten us,” Falynn said.

“Most of the records are sealed,” came the response from atop Minsc’s left shoulder. “Classified information and all that, unauthorized viewing punishable by court-martial and incarceration, etcetera etcetera.” The holographic hamster’s image executed a remarkably human-like shrug. “I used all the access codes available to someone of your rank and position, Major, and a few more above even that.”

Several of the Omegas blanched at that notion; several others merely smiled.


If people really want you not to find things out, they should protect their secrets properly.

“Still couldn’t dig up much. The ‘official’ records state that the Morellian Plateau Base is nothing more than a seismic monitoring station – minimal personnel and equipment.”


Working not on monitoring earthquakes but causing them perhaps?

“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.

Valygar almost smiled at that. Almost. “Quite.”

“Unofficially,” Boo continued, “I managed to trace several supply manifests and the like. That base is receiving far more in terms of people and supplies than it should be.”

“What kind of supplies?”

“That’s the funny thing, Lieutenant. I was looking for the standard stuff you’d expect in an underground research base. Fissionable material, for example, since Confed uses sub-surface installations for a lot of its fusion experiments. But all I’ve been able to spot on the manifests are chemical shipments.” She rattled off the names of several complicated-sounding chemical compounds.

Imoen stopped short, and Valygar nearly walked into her back. She turned, slowly.

“Those names sound awfully familiar,” Falynn muttered.

Harlequin frowned. “They should.”

Cipher looked more than a little confused. “What do you mean? Why?”

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”

“And some,” Imoen continued, “can be used to ‘homebrew’ VX.” She shuddered, then frowned sadly. “Three cheers for human ingenuity and all the horrible stuff it can come up with.”

“W-what do you mean? What’s VX? What does it do?”

“Poison gas. As for what it does, well, for one, it sticks to everything; it’s practically impossible to get rid of. Even napalm isn’t hot enough to burn it up. Aside from that, it-”

Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”

Imoen nodded gravely. “Spit your guts out… but that’s after your skin melts off…”

Nalia looked aghast. Her eyes were wide with horror. “Gods…”

“Yeah. We’d like them on our side about now, don’t you think?”

Nalia shook her head in disbelief; it took a few seconds for the rest of the implications to hit her. “Wait a second… but that means… Confed’s brewing chemical weapons here?!”

All eyes turned towards Valygar. He nodded.


So it’s not a research base, it’s a chemical warfare plant. Make sure you’ve got NBC protection before going in.

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


And of course everyone believes what a government says. :twisted:

“Tell that to the people of Saradush,” Falynn said, coldly. “If you can find any left after the Dominion dropped those plague canisters on them…”

“And that makes it ok to use that kind of horrible stuff ourselves?!”


Sharik “Yes. It does. If it will help you end the war, I would say it is a moral imperative to do it.”

Falynn sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she pressed the heel of her hand against a closed eyelid. “Did I say that? I know I’m old, and senility’s gone and made off with some of my synapses, but I’m pretty sure those words didn’t come out of my mouth.”

Jaheira chided her, gently (Gentle for Jaheira, at least). “There’s no need to be quite so flippant about it, Falynn.”

Falynn ignored the admonishment. “Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly a clean business we’re in, Ensign. The universe tends to enjoy its shades of gray. Now you certainly won’t see me handing out smallpox blankets to orcish children, but-”

“But you won’t cry a river if Confed decides to use this VX stuff on a Dominion world?”


You don’t get bonus points for good behavior in most wars.

Falynn’s eyes narrowed. “Ensign,” she began, intentionally stressing the younger woman’s rank. “Usually comments like that are prefaced with ‘Permission to speak freely.’ I almost invariably grant it, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Fine, then. Permission to-”

“Denied.”

“But you just said-”

“I said ‘almost’ invariably. That qualifier’s important.”

“But-”

“In case you haven’t noticed, this is a potential combat zone, not the meeting room of a Senate Oversight Committee. And while I normally encourage freedom of thought and expression, even I have limits. You’ve just hit mine. Clear?”


She hates you because you’re Navy. It’s inter-service rivalry, Nalia. Go ahead and hit her, it’s not as if she’s in your chain of command.
:wink: :roll: :roll:

Nalia looked as if she were about to protest further, but Valygar put a hand on her shoulder. She turned and he shook his head at her. “Let it go for now. She’s right - this isn’t the time or place.”

She nodded, and tried to stifle her disappointment. “It’s just-”

Falynn rolled her eyes in moderate frustration. “It’s just that you’d rather not be stuck with someone who enjoys eating puppies and kicking babies?”

Imoen raised a hand. “Um. Reverse that,” she said, trying to lighten the mood some.

“Why? Works either way.”

She nodded. “Ok. Point.”

Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”

Nalia didn’t rise to the bait. Maybe it was her military training that prevented her from speaking further, maybe it was simply years of living as part of a family that had always been big on grace and poise, but she chose not to send back a retort. No sense in digging the hole any deeper. Instead, she merely apologized. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to -”

Falynn’s expression softened. “I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”

“I said no such thing.”

“But you were thinking it.”

The squad medic flashed a small, beatific smile. “Well… true.”


Think quieter. :lol:

Falynn rolled her eyes. “Look. We can discuss the resounding moral implications of weapons of mass destruction later, all right? As for now, though, we should probably keep moving…”


Sharik “Yes I’d like to have that discussion. In our military tradition there is no distinction between the way you kill your enemy. I don’t believe people prefer being killed in crossfire, starving or dying from diseases due to a wrecked infrastructure to being killed quickly with weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps Nalia knows more than me.”

And as for the Sharik comments, they’re from my Vilani PC in a GURPS: Interstellar Wars playtest my group was doing. Even other Vilani think she’s weird, let alone you silly Terrans.

#7 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 18 March 2005 - 06:45 PM

Alternate Title: Senate Oversight Committee


:shock:

Peanut butter and note sandwich:


It is chunky or creamy peanut butter?

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. :twisted:

Or not, your choice. :roll:


I'm so going with NOT that it's almost hilarious.

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.


I don't think it did, but there is also nothing wrong with Falynn coming off like a bitch either. Just a thought.

“If Gorion saw you do that, he’d be very upset.”


Yes. Yes he would.

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”


Title of said book: "101 Ways to Get Your Ass Shot off in a Combat Zone."

Jaheira looked skeptical. “Are you sure it was ‘a book?’ Are you sure it wasn’t ‘nothing?’”


Or that. Heh.

“Sounds like the weapons fire is dying down,” Imoen commented. She gingerly poked her head out from behind cover and glanced around. The chatter of Gauss rifle fire had slackened off considerably, with only a few of the distinctive, loud cracks sounding every now and again. Each one was answered by several energy bursts, and slowly but surely, what little Dominion resistance remained in the area crumbled.


Resistance was sliced apart, isolated and finally crushed. As each pocket went down, more fire could be focused on the remaining embers.

“Omega 1 to all units, we’re moving out to the Primary Objective. All teams, fall in behind us. Anvil group, head for the RV point and hold positions. We’ll be in touch…”


It's game time. :roll:

As the rest of the team headed out, Nalia hastened her steps in order to catch up with Imoen. She whispered a question to the Lieutenant. “What’s an RV point?”

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”


*snigger*

Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”

“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


Ah yes, lingo and jargon. We all have it, we all use it. Makes life more fun. :cry:

“What do you know about this facility we’re supposed to be rescuing, Sergeant?”


We've all been wondering the same thing Sarge. :lol:

Sergeant Valygar “Spectre” Corthala turned his head slightly to the side, just enough so that his peripheral vision could pick up the form of Nalia “Cipher” de’Arnisse walking a handful of feet behind him. “What makes you think I know anything about the facility?” he asked, trying to dodge the inquiry.


That would have been a nice attempt at a redirect if you were dealing with someone with room temperature IQ. But you up against a crypto expert... nice try.

Nalia frowned. “Word is that this is your first operation with this team, and that you were assigned here as a ‘mission specialist.’ I’m no Intel weenie, but it’s kinda hard not to see something’s going on.”


If an officer couldn't connect those dots, she's not much good as an officer.

He sighed. “What have you heard so far?”


Something our good friend realizes. ;)

“Not much. I couldn’t get a lot out of the Major,” she said, shrugging. “All I really know is that some scientists from Confed R&D had holed up in this super-secret – at least, it was supposed to be super-secret – underground complex. What they’re researching in there, what they’re working on, well, that I don’t know. I guess I just figured you had some idea.”


Bran: "The problem with super secret locations is that there are a lot of people looking for them, so surprisingly, they get found a lot. Its teh blah facilities with the secret back rooms that tend to do better."

The Army Ranger’s face was an impassive mask. “Some,” he said, neutrally, but even though she waited for a while, he made no efforts to further confirm or deny anything. Nalia was none too pleased with that. Yes, she was new to the group, and so she didn’t have much business asking questions – but that wasn’t to say she didn’t have -any- right to be curious.


Imoen: "Ah, the natural locquatiousness of Valygar comes to the forefront."

Valygar: "It's just part of the Conservation of Words."

Imoen: "What's that?"

Valygar: "There are only so many words in the universe, I'm just try to save some from those who burn through them like some people."

Imoen: "Are you calling me a blabbermouth?"

Valygar: "No."

Imoen: "Shut up."

“Sergeant,” she said, trying to push the issue a little further, “I think it’s relevant to the mission, and if it’ll help us complete that mission, I think you should probably tell us.”


Nalia makes her play.

Imoen: "Not much of an intel officer she'll make."

“Good luck with that,” Imoen snorted from the front of the formation. “I’ve been trying to get him to cough up the goods since the beginning. Personally, I think it’s one of BuWeaps secret think tanks. Real hush hush stuff. But that’s just a guess – and a certain someone here won’t give me any hints as to whether I’m right or not.” She poked her tongue out at Valygar.


BuWeaps? Someone's been reading Weber haven't they?

“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”


Oh no! He's started! Emergency!

The rest of the squad made it an issue to pointedly ignore Jan. Not that it mattered. He wouldn’t stop talking. Imoen continued interrogating Valygar. “Seriously, Val, seeing as how we’re going to be risking our necks to save a bunch of eggheads, it’d be nice to know exactly what it is down there that’s worth possibly getting orc blood on my uniform. Stuff stains, you know… and don’t even get me started on the smell.”


Imoen: "Well, a cold water and a low conc ammonia solution will do it."

The ranger sighed again. “Lieutenant, if I may ask: why did -you- think we were here?”


Imoen: "Probably for free candy and booze."

Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”


Imoen: "Surprisingly good answer."

Bran: "I swear that was some of my mission orders a couple of times. Especially the smash and crash missions."

Falynn cut into the conversation. “Keep moving, Two,” she ordered, motioning to Imoen to keep the single-file column moving. Valygar followed directly behind the infiltrator, his rifle strapped across his back, his sidearm drawn and in his hands. Falynn took the third slot, Nalia the fourth. Jan walked behind her, and Jaheira and Minsc, in that order, brought up the rear. The Rashemani had been unusually quiet for much of the walk, but now he spoke up. “Boo knows what it is we are here to protect.”


Minsc: "Of course Boo knows! Boo knows all. It is just that sometimes Minsc has trouble understanding."

“Most of the records are sealed,” came the response from atop Minsc’s left shoulder. “Classified information and all that, unauthorized viewing punishable by court-martial and incarceration, etcetera etcetera.” The holographic hamster’s image executed a remarkably human-like shrug. “I used all the access codes available to someone of your rank and position, Major, and a few more above even that.”


LOL.. Boo the Haxor. ;) ;)

Several of the Omegas blanched at that notion; several others merely smiled.


Blanched: Jaheira, Falynn, Valygar, Nalia

Grinned: Imoen, Minsc, and Jan

“Still couldn’t dig up much. The ‘official’ records state that the Morellian Plateau Base is nothing more than a seismic monitoring station – minimal personnel and equipment.”


Bran: "And pigs fly."

Imoen: "Well, if you stick em in a catapult.."

Bran: "On their own."

Imoen: "Oh."

“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.


She's been raiding the thesaurus again.

Valygar almost smiled at that. Almost. “Quite.”


*self control.. cracking...*

“That’s the funny thing, Lieutenant. I was looking for the standard stuff you’d expect in an underground research base. Fissionable material, for example, since Confed uses sub-surface installations for a lot of its fusion experiments. But all I’ve been able to spot on the manifests are chemical shipments.” She rattled off the names of several complicated-sounding chemical compounds.


Chem warfare....

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”


Oooooh. Nasty shite that stuff.

Bran: "Try being the lead element of a relief force for a planet that's been heavily gassed with those. Stuff nightmares are made of."

“And some,” Imoen continued, “can be used to ‘homebrew’ VX.” She shuddered, then frowned sadly. “Three cheers for human ingenuity and all the horrible stuff it can come up with.”


It's one of those things you wish we could uninvent. I mean that. Its one of those horrible agents we've used our amazing ingenuity to create...

Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”


Ahh.. the Nicky Cage quote...

Imoen nodded gravely. “Spit your guts out… but that’s after your skin melts off…”


Pleasant...

“Yeah. We’d like them on our side about now, don’t you think?”


Preferably on no ones...

Nalia shook her head in disbelief; it took a few seconds for the rest of the implications to hit her. “Wait a second… but that means… Confed’s brewing chemical weapons here?!”

All eyes turned towards Valygar. He nodded.


Fun. Walking into a secret chemical weapons plant. Always a high survival rate activity.

Bran: "If it's been breached, pull your people out and just nuke it. Nuke it till it glows."

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


Khitomer? Hehehehehe

“Tell that to the people of Saradush,” Falynn said, coldly. “If you can find any left after the Dominion dropped those plague canisters on them…”


Gotta love the Dominion.. no morals at all...

“And that makes it ok to use that kind of horrible stuff ourselves?!”


No. But once you open that door, it gets awfully easy to use it.

Bran: *bitterly* "Amazingly so."

Falynn sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she pressed the heel of her hand against a closed eyelid. “Did I say that? I know I’m old, and senility’s gone and made off with some of my synapses, but I’m pretty sure those words didn’t come out of my mouth.”


Warning! Warning!

Falynn ignored the admonishment. “Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly a clean business we’re in, Ensign. The universe tends to enjoy its shades of gray. Now you certainly won’t see me handing out smallpox blankets to orcish children, but-”

“But you won’t cry a river if Confed decides to use this VX stuff on a Dominion world?”

Falynn’s eyes narrowed. “Ensign,” she began, intentionally stressing the younger woman’s rank. “Usually comments like that are prefaced with ‘Permission to speak freely.’ I almost invariably grant it, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Fine, then. Permission to-”

“Denied.”


I think this section, if this is one of the ones of concern.. worked well.

“But you just said-”

“I said ‘almost’ invariably. That qualifier’s important.”


*snigger*

“In case you haven’t noticed, this is a potential combat zone, not the meeting room of a Senate Oversight Committee. And while I normally encourage freedom of thought and expression, even I have limits. You’ve just hit mine. Clear?”


Combat zones are generally not good places for long conversations. Enemies like to use those lulls to put holes in you.

Falynn rolled her eyes in moderate frustration. “It’s just that you’d rather not be stuck with someone who enjoys eating puppies and kicking babies?”


Tis the problem with joining groups you don't know much about. Morally, I bet she'd feel better on a shuttle with the fleet right now...

Imoen raised a hand. “Um. Reverse that,” she said, trying to lighten the mood some.

“Why? Works either way.”

She nodded. “Ok. Point.”


Very good point. Slightly not as bad as the original though.

Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”


Bran: "War is never like a recruitment poster. It's never simple, never black and white. It's just a whole lot of grey and red. And if you're good and you're lucky, you live. However, sometimes, those grays can get awful black. And sometimese, you just have to up and leave. If you're gonna put your life on the line, it should be worth something."

Nalia didn’t rise to the bait. Maybe it was her military training that prevented her from speaking further, maybe it was simply years of living as part of a family that had always been big on grace and poise, but she chose not to send back a retort. No sense in digging the hole any deeper. Instead, she merely apologized. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to -”


Bran: "It's okay Nals. Combat is hell."

Falynn’s expression softened. “I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”

“I said no such thing.”

“But you were thinking it.”

The squad medic flashed a small, beatific smile. “Well… true.”


ROFL. Good one Jaheira!

Falynn rolled her eyes. “Look. We can discuss the resounding moral implications of weapons of mass destruction later, all right? As for now, though, we should probably keep moving…”


Yes. We want to know exactly what they're cooking in that mountain fortress. Should be something.. FUN!

Good chapter.. nice sharp dialogue.

VH

#8 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 19 March 2005 - 12:22 AM

Sharik: “Check for intel first. Aaargh. It’s a COMMAND POST. They have maps, unit rosters, all sorts of useful information. Infantry!”


Raven: "Normally, I would... but seeing as how it's not much of a command post, anymore, but instead one big, smoking crater, I'm not so sure there's anything left to find."

Oh, Valygar, stop being so talkative.


He's trying, but nobody will leave him alone. ;)

I don’t think Valygar wants to talk about it, Immy. You’ll just have to pester him some more.


Clearly. :D

So it’s not a research base, it’s a chemical warfare plant. Make sure you’ve got NBC protection before going in.


Unfortunately, they don't. Nobody told them that bio-haz was a possibility, so they didn't deploy with adequate protection. Gotta love Command, eh? Don't tell the right hand what the left is doing.

And of course everyone believes what a government says.


Nalia's young and naive. Whatcha want? ;)

Sharik “Yes. It does. If it will help you end the war, I would say it is a moral imperative to do it.”


Speaking seriously, at this point, I think Falynn would mostly agree with that. If she felt that it could help end the war, she'd be very much tempted. Even if she did go through with such a thing, though, it'd probably haunt her, but she'd try her best to live with it.

This is assuming, however, that the civilian casualties of such an attack wouldn't be too severe. The idea of some civilians getting caught in the proverbial crossfire would bother her, but, again, she'd try and live with it. Deliberately attacking a non-military target, however, would be out of bounds for her.

Go ahead and hit her, it’s not as if she’s in your chain of command.


Technically, that's true... but it'd still be a BAAAAAAD idea. :)

Think quieter.


It's Jaheira. She can't. :lol:

#9 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 19 March 2005 - 12:39 AM

It is chunky or creamy peanut butter?


I don't know... sometimes you feel like a nut... sometimes you don't. ;)

I don't think it did, but there is also nothing wrong with Falynn coming off like a bitch either. Just a thought.


Like I said to Theo, it wasn't so much that I was concerned with her coming across as bitchy, more that I didn't want anyone thinking she was perfectly willing to nuke / infect a whole bunch of people pretty much on a whim. She's -not- advocating genocide, and I wondered if it didn't seem like she -was- the way her lines were written.

Yes. Yes he would.


His daughter making herself a target? Yeah, that would scare the hell out of any father.

Or that. Heh.


I like that line. :D

Ah yes, lingo and jargon. We all have it, we all use it. Makes life more fun.


Sure... if you know what's being talked about. It's like telling a bunch of in-jokes... if you don't know the in-jokes, you feel pretty lousy and left out.

That would have been a nice attempt at a redirect if you were dealing with someone with room temperature IQ. But you up against a crypto expert... nice try.


Nalia's got triple digits... barely...

Cipher: "Hey!"

;)

Valygar: "There are only so many words in the universe, I'm just try to save some from those who burn through them like some people."

Imoen: "Are you calling me a blabbermouth?"

Valygar: "No."

Imoen: "Shut up."


That's beautiful. Like the red-orange of a sunset over the ocean. :D

Seriously. I like that theory. Just the kind of wry joke Valygar -would- come up with.

BuWeaps? Someone's been reading Weber haven't they?


Actually, I saw the term used in the novelization of Wing Commander III.

On an unrelated note, I was at a Barnes and Noble on Wednesday night. I was just browsing the shelves, and kinda on a whim, I picked up a copy of Dietz's Legion of the Damned. From what you've said in the past, I expect I'll like it. I'll let you know. :wink:

Oh no! He's started! Emergency!


I feel bad... I've never really let Jan get in a "good" story, aside from that one about the Ruathym pirates... thankfully, he's got one coming up in a few chapters. :D

Imoen: "Well, a cold water and a low conc ammonia solution will do it."


Harlequin: "Awwww... thanks for being so helpful!" (Mutters under her breath) "Is it wrong that I want to pour lye into her eye sockets?"

Raven: "Actually... yeah..."

Harlequin: "Well, crap..."

"Of course Boo knows! Boo knows all. It is just that sometimes Minsc has trouble understanding."


Yeah. It's a language-barrier problem. Thankfully, our Boo doesn't have that problem. :)

LOL.. Boo the Haxor.


:roll:

I've been playing Republic Commando, and if you order one of your squadmates (Delta 62, a.k.a. Scorch) to slide a computer terminal, he'll say something like "No terminal can match my 733t h@x0r skillz..."

The funny thing is, Six-Two is voiced by Raphael Sbarge... a.k.a. Carth Onasi. :D

Blanched: Jaheira, Falynn, Valygar, Nalia

Grinned: Imoen, Minsc, and Jan


Close... I think Lynn would have been in the grinning category, myself. :wink:

She's been raiding the thesaurus again.


More like I was watching the Simpsons. :)

It's one of those things you wish we could uninvent.


Where have I heard -that- before? :D

Bran: "If it's been breached, pull your people out and just nuke it. Nuke it till it glows."


Unfortunately, that's not really an option at this point. Mostly because they don't have that kind of firepower readily available. Plus, if the Dominion already got in, they might have gotten out with some of the data, and it might be a good idea to get in there yourselves and figure out just what was stolen...

And, there might even be Confed personnel still alive inside. Might be a good idea to get them out before turning the whole place into a neon-green crater. :wink:

Khitomer? Hehehehehe


Yep. Signed by Confed, the Dominion, and the Klingon Empire. :lol:

I think this section, if this is one of the ones of concern.. worked well.


I'm glad. I felt I needed to show her tightening the reins some. She's very laid-back and easygoing... so much so that the idea of her actually exercising discipline seems to be out of character for her... at least in the opinions of some folks... (Cough) UU (Cough) :D

So I wanted to show that despite her penchant for silliness, she actually -does- know her job... much the same with what I did earlier with Imoen taking over the Gallante flight deck damage control operations.

ROFL. Good one Jaheira!


She's really been holding her own, of late, it's true.

Yes. We want to know exactly what they're cooking in that mountain fortress. Should be something.. FUN!


I'd like to think so. :wink:

Few chapters until the gang gets inside. Right now they still need to find some way of actually getting in. There's an upcoming chapter that focuses primarily on Spectre that should do the trick. :wink:

#10 Guest_Serena_*

Posted 19 March 2005 - 05:44 PM

Peanut butter and note sandwich:


Mmmm . . . Peanut Butter . . . . :)

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.


Nope, seemed to work. Falynn comes off harsh, yes, but not a bitch.

Falynn shrugged. “What do you want from me? It’s one of the best ways to flush out a sniper. I know what I’m doing, I read a book about this.”


Yes, but what was said book called? :D

“Omega 1 to all units, we’re moving out to the Primary Objective. All teams, fall in behind us. Anvil group, head for the RV point and hold positions. We’ll be in touch…”

As the rest of the team headed out, Nalia hastened her steps in order to catch up with Imoen. She whispered a question to the Lieutenant. “What’s an RV point?”

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”


Just because it's shorter to say, huh?

Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”

“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


*snicker*

“What do you know about this facility we’re supposed to be rescuing, Sergeant?”

Sergeant Valygar “Spectre” Corthala turned his head slightly to the side, just enough so that his peripheral vision could pick up the form of Nalia “Cipher” de’Arnisse walking a handful of feet behind him. “What makes you think I know anything about the facility?” he asked, trying to dodge the inquiry.


I don't think that'll work . . .

Nalia frowned. “Word is that this is your first operation with this team, and that you were assigned here as a ‘mission specialist.’ I’m no Intel weenie, but it’s kinda hard not to see something’s going on.”


Yeah. Told ya, Cipher's smart!

“Not much. I couldn’t get a lot out of the Major,” she said, shrugging. “All I really know is that some scientists from Confed R&D had holed up in this super-secret – at least, it was supposed to be super-secret – underground complex.


Annika: :D That's the problem with 'super-secret' complexes. They don't stay 'super-secret.'

Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”


Bwahahaha!

“Boo knows what it is we are here to protect.”

“I have some idea…” the electronic hamster said in her husky contralto. She didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up too much.


Hmmm . . .

“I used all the access codes available to someone of your rank and position, Major, and a few more above even that.”

Several of the Omegas blanched at that notion; several others merely smiled.


*snicker*

“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.


Hmmm . . . someone's been studying. :)

“Unofficially,” Boo continued, “I managed to trace several supply manifests and the like. That base is receiving far more in terms of people and supplies than it should be.”


That's not good . . .

But while the Llyr sisters clearly had the answers, it was Jaheira who actually responded to Nalia’s question. “Several of those compounds are key components in the creation of blistering agents.”

“And some,” Imoen continued, “can be used to ‘homebrew’ VX.” She shuddered, then frowned sadly. “Three cheers for human ingenuity and all the horrible stuff it can come up with.”


:) :lol:

. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


Khitomer Accords . . . :)

Falynn’s eyes narrowed. “ Ensign ,” she began, intentionally stressing the younger woman’s rank. “Usually comments like that are prefaced with ‘Permission to speak freely.’ I almost invariably grant it, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Fine, then. Permission to-”

“Denied.”

“But you just said-”

“I said ‘almost’ invariably. That qualifier’s important.”

“But-”


Nalia, you pushed a little too hard . . . and now she's pushing back.

“In case you haven’t noticed, this is a potential combat zone, not the meeting room of a Senate Oversight Committee. And while I normally encourage freedom of thought and expression, even I have limits. You’ve just hit mine. Clear?”


Indeed. And having such conversations in a combat zone is never a good idea.

“What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse.


Annika: Yeah. In other words, war sucks no matter which side you're on.

“I know. And, as much as it pains me to say it, Jaheira’s probably right in thinking I’m being a bitch.”

“I said no such thing.”

“But you were thinking it.”

The squad medic flashed a small, beatific smile. “Well… true.”


*snicker*

#11 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 19 March 2005 - 10:28 PM

Yes, but what was said book called?


I kinda like VH's idea:

"101 Ways to Get Your Ass Shot Off..."

:)

Just because it's shorter to say, huh?


That's one of the main reasons behind using acronyms in the first place. :)

That's the problem with 'super-secret' complexes. They don't stay 'super-secret.'


Harlequin: "Of course they do... what about those fusion-bomb testing grounds on Dejarta- ... I mean..."

Raven: :D

:lol:

Bwahahaha!


Gotta love those psychotic halfling rangers. :D

Khitomer Accords . . .


I'm a Trek geek. What do you expect? :)

Annika: Yeah. In other words, war sucks no matter which side you're on.


Yep. It's something people tend to learn quickly, or not at all.

#12 Weyoun

Posted 20 March 2005 - 09:49 PM

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. :twisted:


Or Bruce Campbell as Imoen. :twisted:

Imoen smiled but kept her eyes trained on the terrain ahead of her. “Rendezvous point.”


Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”


“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


It works. :twisted:

“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”


Don't go there, Jan. :twisted:

“Most of the records are sealed,” came the response from atop Minsc’s left shoulder. “Classified information and all that, unauthorized viewing punishable by court-martial and incarceration, etcetera etcetera.” The holographic hamster’s image executed a remarkably human-like shrug. “I used all the access codes available to someone of your rank and position, Major, and a few more above even that.”


Have I ever told you that holographic hamster is absolutely a brilliant and hilarious find? Welldone. :twisted:

Several of the Omegas blanched at that notion; several others merely smiled.


“Still couldn’t dig up much. The ‘official’ records state that the Morellian Plateau Base is nothing more than a seismic monitoring station – minimal personnel and equipment.”


“Bosh. Pshaw. Flimshaw!” Imoen scoffed.


Channelling Mr. Burns? :twisted:

“But that’s crazy!” the young ensign protested. “Chemical and biological warfare was outlawed by the Khitomer Accords over fifty years ago! They were signed by every major government in the quadrant!”


Except for the Klingons, I think. :twisted:

It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”


Tnt Sendai : And get blood on my clean floor?! Like Hell! :twisted:

The squad medic flashed a small, beatific smile. “Well… true.”


Falynn rolled her eyes. “Look. We can discuss the resounding moral implications of weapons of mass destruction later, all right? As for now, though, we should probably keep moving…”


Good story,
---Weyoun
TnT Enhanced Edition: http://www.fanfictio...rds-and-Tempers

---
Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.

Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!

---

"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi

#13 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 21 March 2005 - 12:08 AM

Or Bruce Campbell as Imoen.


Er... except Imoen's cute and cuddly... Bruce... not so much. Total badass, but that's different. :x

Don't go there, Jan.


Oh, please. It's Jan. Of course he's going to go there... he's a... horrid, little man, after all.

Have I ever told you that holographic hamster is absolutely a brilliant and hilarious find? Welldone.


Thanks. But I can't take all the credit. I was kinda inspired by HALO's Cortana. The idea of an AI making snide commentary everywhere you go isn't terribly new, but in HALO, I think it works well. So I decided to semi-steal it.

Except for the Klingons, I think.


:x

Tnt Sendai : And get blood on my clean floor?! Like Hell!


Raven: "Um... you do realize that when we torch all the bad guys in the area, it'll make a bit of a mess, right?"

#14 Laufey

Posted 05 April 2005 - 02:12 PM

2. There's this one movie, that, while one of those hokey "Hollywood summer blockbuster" films has served as strong inspiration for a lot of the stuff I've put into various Omega chapters. It rears its head again here. Just... um... try and picture Nicholas Cage as Jaheira. :)


Or not, your choice. :shock:


I...think I'd rather not.

3. I had a spot of bother trying to get the last few sections "right." I just couldn't seem to get the right blend of righteous ire for Nalia and do it in such a way that didn't make Falynn come off as... well... a bitch. I don't think it turned out -too- badly, but lemme know.


Well, if you don't mind me saying so, I think Lynn *did* come off as something of a bitch. I'll try to reread and see if I can pinpoint exactly what made me think so, and what you might do to create a different impression.


Nalia blinked. “You really enjoy not being understood, don’t you?”


“It’s part of our mystique and charm.”


Of course. :roll:


“Not much. I couldn’t get a lot out of the Major,” she said, shrugging. “All I really know is that some scientists from Confed R&D had holed up in this super-secret – at least, it was supposed to be super-secret – underground complex. What they’re researching in there, what they’re working on, well, that I don’t know. I guess I just figured you had some idea.”


And then a bottle broke and the plague got loose.


“It’s like trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oh, horrible business that… why, I remember when my cousin Elan…”


Somebody is an Order of the Stick fan! :roll:


Harlequin shrugged. She pulled her hand away from the forward barrel-grip of her M4 carbine and brushed a pesky tree branch out of her way. “Well, I just figured we’d wander around, kill some sentient creatures because they had green skin and fangs and we didn’t, and then take their stuff…” She didn’t look back to see the rest of her teammates’ reactions, but she could just imagine Vixen rolling her eyes. The image made her smile just a little. When nobody responded verbally, she turned around and adopted a tone of feigned innocence. “What?”


Yes, *definitely* an Order Fan. :evil: So, is Vaarsuvius male or female, do you think? :shock:


Jaheira took over for her, the extremely clinical tone she was using somehow more unnerving than any other she could have chosen. “It stops the brain from sending messages down the spinal cord within thirty seconds. Any epidermal exposure or inhalation, and you’ll know. A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes your nervous system. Your muscles freeze, you can’t breathe… you spasm so hard you break your own back.”


Imoen nodded gravely. “Spit your guts out… but that’s after your skin melts off…”


Doesn't get much nastier, in other words. :shock:


Falynn ignored the admonishment. “Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly a clean business we’re in, Ensign. The universe tends to enjoy its shades of gray. Now you certainly won’t see me handing out smallpox blankets to orcish children, but-”


“But you won’t cry a river if Confed decides to use this VX stuff on a Dominion world?”


Nalia is being provocative here, I can see that, talking back to her superior. Still, I'm definitely on Nalia's side. It's so very easy to excuse war crimes by saying 'but they are worse', and I'm leery of the argument 'these things happen in war'. Maybe they do, but that doesn't make them any more right.


She nodded, and tried to stifle her disappointment. “It’s just-”


Falynn rolled her eyes in moderate frustration. “It’s just that you’d rather not be stuck with someone who enjoys eating puppies and kicking babies?”


Lynn does seem to be taking all of this awfully personally, and I think that is why she comes across as 'bitchy' to me in this chapter. After all, *she* isn't the one manufacturing chemical weapons, so I don't see why she needs to be so defensive about it, so her comments jolt me. I know she's not defending chemical warfare, but her being as aggressive as she is in the argument still somehow manages to create the impression that on some level she is. I don't think that's what you intended, so you may want to consider easing up on Lynn's temper a little.


Falynn turned back towards Nalia; there was something about the set of the older woman’s jaw, and the way she stood that suggested she was being more serious at this moment than she usually was. The contrast was somewhat unsettling for the newer members of the group – namely Valygar and Nalia, who had already grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Falynn not taking -anything- all that seriously. “What do you want me to tell you, Nalia? That we’re the ‘Good Guys’ and so we never do anything ‘bad?’ Because that’s a lie.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a war, and in a war, whether you’re “good” or “bad,” you end up doing stuff you’re not proud of. It’s not “okay,” but you deal with it. You deal with it because all the other alternatives you can think of are far worse. Now are you done with your little interrogation, or do you want to jam some hot needles under my toenails, first?”


This part I like better, because she explains her reasoning in a more balanced way, and that tones down the previous 'bitch' behavior.
Rogues do it from behind.

#15 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 06 April 2005 - 12:56 AM

(Looks around in surprise)

Oh!

...

Just on a whim, I decided to scroll down to the bottom of the page, and I found this... fancy that. :)

I...think I'd rather not.


Well... yeah... I mean... yeah...

Well, if you don't mind me saying so, I think Lynn *did* come off as something of a bitch.


Fair enough. I think I said earlier in some of my other replies that it wasn't so much I was worried she was being bitchy, more that I was worried she was being bitchy and her reasons for being so seemed really lousy and unsympathetic.

Of course.


Well, it's that, and also because I'm a freak who enjoys using military terminology even though it usually results in people looking at me like I'm crazy. Oh, well.

And then a bottle broke and the plague got loose.


Hey, it worked in "The Rock"... which seems to be the "inspiration" behind a lot of this craziness. :)

Somebody is an Order of the Stick fan!


I blame you and Theo. I blame Rand (I think it was him) for getting me hooked on MegaTokyo. Sluggy Freelance, however, was my own fault... :lol:

Think about it, though... Jan and Elan could totally be related... I mean, Elan's not a gnome, but the personality is so in synch...

So, is Vaarsuvius male or female, do you think?


You know, I just assumed V was a guy. Thing is, I've seen how others are all like "Well, guy or girl? We don't know..." and then I got to thinking, and I have to admit, it's never made clear. My first, gut instinct, however, was that he was a... he... :)

Plus, when I would get bored and would read their lines out loud (doing my best to emulate what I thought their voices sounded like), I always ended up reading Vaarsuvius with a pseudo-posh British accent... a male one, of course, since... well... I'm a guy. :)

Nalia is being provocative here, I can see that, talking back to her superior.


True. But that's not the sticking point for Falynn, really. She's usually pretty good about letting people speak their minds... assuming, of course, she hasn't already pegged said person as an idiot/jerk who isn't worth listening to.

Still, I'm definitely on Nalia's side. It's so very easy to excuse war crimes by saying 'but they are worse', and I'm leery of the argument 'these things happen in war'. Maybe they do, but that doesn't make them any more right.


Ah. :)

This is exactly what I was shooting for. The way I've written Nalia, I've been seeing her as the type who's still a little... liberal in her policies and such... and so to her, it's never ok to use a weapon like the ones they're talking about. Falynn on the other hand, has seen first-hand what it's like, and she's trying to convince herself that there are situations when it may just be necessary to drop a nuke or a bioweap or something on someone.

The idea sickens her, and she's pretty sure it's not "right", but she'd much rather be "wrong" if it saves her and her own than be "right" and let the Dominion win. Does this mean she's all for the idea of dumping a plague on a Dominion world? No. But Nalia's implying she is, and that implication hurts... a lot. Hence the bitchiness.

But that's where my problem was... I was trying to find a way to have her not outright dismissing the idea but also not coming across as someone who was perfectly willing to nuke whoever and whatever. I figured a way to go about that was to have her defend the "less popular" position but do so in a way that she fairly clearly seems to be playing Devil's Advocate, and isn't terribly thrilled about it.

After all, *she* isn't the one manufacturing chemical weapons, so I don't see why she needs to be so defensive about it, so her comments jolt me.


(Nod) No, she's not the one making the things, but she's in a position where she just may have to decide whether or not to use them... or at the very least, keep them "safe" so they can be used at some later date. I guess you could argue that if she doesn't go and destroy them herself, it's almost as bad as making them herself... at least I can see how that argument could hold some water.

but her being as aggressive as she is in the argument still somehow manages to create the impression that on some level she is.


Well... she -is- on some level...

I mean, it's like:

1. Ok. Weapon kills indiscriminately.
1b. This is quite clearly bad.

2. Weapon, however, is also remarkably effective at breaking morale, eliminating opposition, etc. etc.

3. Confed is LOSING the war, big time, and desperation is mounting.

4. Weapon, despite its cons, may just prevent the Confederation from losing, may "save" the lives of many, many humans, dwarves, etc. (Non-orc populace)

5. Value judgement: Human (etc.) lives worth more than orcs?

6. According to her, the answer to 5 is... yes. It's a qualified yes, and there's a whole host of other complications involved, of course, but when it comes right down to it, she'd likely make that call.

It's not a pretty call; it smacks of self-righteousness... and I imagine that even if she -did- have to make such a decision at some point, she'd never really forgive herself... but she'd do it, I think...

The problem is, if you're already feeling guilty for thinking about this the way you've already thought about it, you're not gonna take too kindly to someone trying to undermine that line of thinking... which Nalia, intentionally or not, is doing.

Anyway, I should stop. It's not a good sign if I tried to put all of this into her dialogue and it didn't come through. ;)

Plus, I probably just gave away like the next thirty chapters... :P :)

I mean... um... er... never mind. :)

#16 Laufey

Posted 06 April 2005 - 04:21 AM

So, is Vaarsuvius male or female, do you think?


You know, I just assumed V was a guy. Thing is, I've seen how others are all like "Well, guy or girl? We don't know..." and then I got to thinking, and I have to admit, it's never made clear. My first, gut instinct, however, was that he was a... he... :)


My own gut instinct also said 'male'. The writer is making it unclear on purpose though, and has hinted a few times that V. *might* be female.


But that's where my problem was... I was trying to find a way to have her not outright dismissing the idea but also not coming across as someone who was perfectly willing to nuke whoever and whatever. I figured a way to go about that was to have her defend the "less popular" position but do so in a way that she fairly clearly seems to be playing Devil's Advocate, and isn't terribly thrilled about it.


I think part of the problem for me then, is that I have never seen Lynn as the sort of person who would want to play Devil's Advocate in the first place. That would imply that you have a certain fondness for debate I think, and she's never given me that impression before.
Rogues do it from behind.




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