02-07-2020, 07:08 PM
Coalition military headquarters, Vulkar
Brigadier General Tlanexchel and Colonel Yolihuani, waiting at the Zamastanian HQ in Vulkar, found themselves with differing emotions. Yolihuani was a bit nervous. This was the first time that Zamastanian and Xiomeran soldiers had ever met while in a battle zone. It was also the first time that the Xiomerans and Zamastanians had found themselves on the same side of a fight. Given the longstanding tensions between the two countries, Yolihuani was not fond of the scenario.
Next to her, Tlanexchel noticed his subordinate's discomfort. He made a subtle hand gesture to her in Xiomeran battle language. Remain in control. Master yourself, was the message. The lifelong Xiomeran warrior felt no emotions whatsoever in this scenario, much like any other scenario. He was a consummate professional, here to complete a mission.
Seeing his composure, the younger Jaguar Warrior next to him quickly got control of her emotions, her face assuming the same impassive mask as that of Tlanexchel. The two of them stood ramrod straight, letting the curious Zamastanians look at them all they wanted while they waited for General Reynolds to admit them.
After a few moments, the Xiomerans were ushered into the General's office. Reynolds stood up to greet them, saluting formally. "General, Colonel. I am General Avery Reynolds of the Zamastanian Armed Forces. I apologize for the formalities, but seeing as this is the first time our forces have met in a non-confrontational manner on the battlefield, I want to proceed in this manner accordingly," Reynolds said.
The Xiomerans returned the salute, as Tlanexchel stepped slightly forward ahead of his subordinate. "This is perfectly understandable, General. My subordinate and I are here to introduce ourselves - formally, as you say - but also to discuss what role Xiomeran forces shall have in assisting this coalition. Proper coordination of our efforts is essential, as I am sure you agree. Further, we have some information for your command which may prove helpful to you."
"We'd be very appreciative of this. Let's see what you have, General...Tlanexchel? Am I saying that right?" Reynolds asked.
"Your pronunciation is excellent, General Reynolds. I am impressed. After we successfully completed the raid on Dire Sulsi's compound, we came into a fair amount of information relevant to the M.L.F's operations. Much of it relates to how the M.L.F. is finding their recruits, and how they're training them. This information may allow the coalition to find a way to stop their recruiting pipeline, or at least slow it down. However, the most useful information we found involves the location of an M.L.F. compound near Godenia that was previously unknown of. This compound stockpiles explosives that the M.L.F. is using to create their suicide bombers and car bombs. If this compound is eliminated, it could do a great deal to hinder their bombing operations." Yolihuani passed a packet of information to General Reynolds.
Reynolds gave the Xiomerans a wry smile. "Part of me feels strange to say this, but well done. I appreciate your force's willingness to take on this mission, I know it must've been strange to get a transmission asking you to undertake this. However, their work saved significant time for our forces and proved to be extremely useful considering our focus on Freeborn at the moment of the raid. I have an additional request for you, if you'll hear me out."
Tlanexchel nodded. "It was a bit strange to receive the request, admittedly, since we were not yet part of this coalition. But now we are part of the coalition, so it is no longer strange. We are here to do whatever we can to assist in this fight, so we are willing to hear any tasks or requests that you may have."
"This compound, it's near Godenia, yes?" Reynolds asked.
Tlanexchel nodded again. "It is. If you intend to ask us to deal with the problem, that is a task we can undertake. We are close to the source of the problem. Additional Xiomeran troops are arriving in Godenia as we speak, so there should be no problem with finding sufficient numbers to keep up the fight on the main front while we address pesky issues such as these compounds."
"You read my mind," Reynolds said approvingly. "And in addition to your forces, you will have authority to call in airstrikes from Zamastanian-piloted jets."
"That is most beneficial. Air support is crucial during these operations. As you are undoubtedly aware, our 1st Fleet has been deployed near Vulkaria in support of my initial deployment of special forces. Now that there are multiple fronts taking place, it would be dangerous to let air support get too stretched. If you are willing to allow it, Xiomeran naval aviators can begin undertaking some air support missions in the Godenia area. They would take their orders from the Coalition, to be sure. But we have an aircraft carrier full of warplanes just sitting there; it seems wasteful when they could be helping," Tlanexchel replied.
Reynolds thought a moment, then shook his head slowly.
"We will likely want to wait a while before bringing in your air superiority, General. With no disrespect, and if I can be blatantly honest with you, we are still extremely on our toes regarding your involvement, as General Chang no doubt told you. This raid that killed Sulsi was a great step in good faith, and the information you provided us is invaluable. I can say that I am beginning to trust you, but I still have my concerns. I will respectfully request, and as Commander of Coalition forces, order, that for this particular mission, you will use Zamastanian jets. Depending on the outcome of this operation, we will give Xiomeran fighters operational reign. If you want to use them, you'll have to finish this mission. Then you'll get permission to use your fighters."
"That is acceptable to us. We have no problem with using Zamastanian air support for the duration of this operation. Our offer is simply meant to lighten the burden on our Coalition partners. But we know that trust takes time to build. I appreciate your speaking plainly - I don't tend to sugarcoat things myself. We're not sure we can trust you either, General. But perhaps fighting a common enemy will fix that with time," Tlanexchel said calmly.
"I believe so. Thank you, General. At ease."
Tlanexchel and Yolihuani relaxed as requested, and after a few moments more of pleasantries, were escorted out of the building.
"So....that went better than I expected," Yolihuani said. The Xiomeran General nodded in response. "It did. But now we have a lot of work to do."
Brigadier General Tlanexchel and Colonel Yolihuani, waiting at the Zamastanian HQ in Vulkar, found themselves with differing emotions. Yolihuani was a bit nervous. This was the first time that Zamastanian and Xiomeran soldiers had ever met while in a battle zone. It was also the first time that the Xiomerans and Zamastanians had found themselves on the same side of a fight. Given the longstanding tensions between the two countries, Yolihuani was not fond of the scenario.
Next to her, Tlanexchel noticed his subordinate's discomfort. He made a subtle hand gesture to her in Xiomeran battle language. Remain in control. Master yourself, was the message. The lifelong Xiomeran warrior felt no emotions whatsoever in this scenario, much like any other scenario. He was a consummate professional, here to complete a mission.
Seeing his composure, the younger Jaguar Warrior next to him quickly got control of her emotions, her face assuming the same impassive mask as that of Tlanexchel. The two of them stood ramrod straight, letting the curious Zamastanians look at them all they wanted while they waited for General Reynolds to admit them.
After a few moments, the Xiomerans were ushered into the General's office. Reynolds stood up to greet them, saluting formally. "General, Colonel. I am General Avery Reynolds of the Zamastanian Armed Forces. I apologize for the formalities, but seeing as this is the first time our forces have met in a non-confrontational manner on the battlefield, I want to proceed in this manner accordingly," Reynolds said.
The Xiomerans returned the salute, as Tlanexchel stepped slightly forward ahead of his subordinate. "This is perfectly understandable, General. My subordinate and I are here to introduce ourselves - formally, as you say - but also to discuss what role Xiomeran forces shall have in assisting this coalition. Proper coordination of our efforts is essential, as I am sure you agree. Further, we have some information for your command which may prove helpful to you."
"We'd be very appreciative of this. Let's see what you have, General...Tlanexchel? Am I saying that right?" Reynolds asked.
"Your pronunciation is excellent, General Reynolds. I am impressed. After we successfully completed the raid on Dire Sulsi's compound, we came into a fair amount of information relevant to the M.L.F's operations. Much of it relates to how the M.L.F. is finding their recruits, and how they're training them. This information may allow the coalition to find a way to stop their recruiting pipeline, or at least slow it down. However, the most useful information we found involves the location of an M.L.F. compound near Godenia that was previously unknown of. This compound stockpiles explosives that the M.L.F. is using to create their suicide bombers and car bombs. If this compound is eliminated, it could do a great deal to hinder their bombing operations." Yolihuani passed a packet of information to General Reynolds.
Reynolds gave the Xiomerans a wry smile. "Part of me feels strange to say this, but well done. I appreciate your force's willingness to take on this mission, I know it must've been strange to get a transmission asking you to undertake this. However, their work saved significant time for our forces and proved to be extremely useful considering our focus on Freeborn at the moment of the raid. I have an additional request for you, if you'll hear me out."
Tlanexchel nodded. "It was a bit strange to receive the request, admittedly, since we were not yet part of this coalition. But now we are part of the coalition, so it is no longer strange. We are here to do whatever we can to assist in this fight, so we are willing to hear any tasks or requests that you may have."
"This compound, it's near Godenia, yes?" Reynolds asked.
Tlanexchel nodded again. "It is. If you intend to ask us to deal with the problem, that is a task we can undertake. We are close to the source of the problem. Additional Xiomeran troops are arriving in Godenia as we speak, so there should be no problem with finding sufficient numbers to keep up the fight on the main front while we address pesky issues such as these compounds."
"You read my mind," Reynolds said approvingly. "And in addition to your forces, you will have authority to call in airstrikes from Zamastanian-piloted jets."
"That is most beneficial. Air support is crucial during these operations. As you are undoubtedly aware, our 1st Fleet has been deployed near Vulkaria in support of my initial deployment of special forces. Now that there are multiple fronts taking place, it would be dangerous to let air support get too stretched. If you are willing to allow it, Xiomeran naval aviators can begin undertaking some air support missions in the Godenia area. They would take their orders from the Coalition, to be sure. But we have an aircraft carrier full of warplanes just sitting there; it seems wasteful when they could be helping," Tlanexchel replied.
Reynolds thought a moment, then shook his head slowly.
"We will likely want to wait a while before bringing in your air superiority, General. With no disrespect, and if I can be blatantly honest with you, we are still extremely on our toes regarding your involvement, as General Chang no doubt told you. This raid that killed Sulsi was a great step in good faith, and the information you provided us is invaluable. I can say that I am beginning to trust you, but I still have my concerns. I will respectfully request, and as Commander of Coalition forces, order, that for this particular mission, you will use Zamastanian jets. Depending on the outcome of this operation, we will give Xiomeran fighters operational reign. If you want to use them, you'll have to finish this mission. Then you'll get permission to use your fighters."
"That is acceptable to us. We have no problem with using Zamastanian air support for the duration of this operation. Our offer is simply meant to lighten the burden on our Coalition partners. But we know that trust takes time to build. I appreciate your speaking plainly - I don't tend to sugarcoat things myself. We're not sure we can trust you either, General. But perhaps fighting a common enemy will fix that with time," Tlanexchel said calmly.
"I believe so. Thank you, General. At ease."
Tlanexchel and Yolihuani relaxed as requested, and after a few moments more of pleasantries, were escorted out of the building.
"So....that went better than I expected," Yolihuani said. The Xiomeran General nodded in response. "It did. But now we have a lot of work to do."
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