07-03-2014, 07:55 PM
Jacques quirked an eyebrow at the view that greeted him. A few of the Legionnaires had sat up; the ones that were conscious at least. Two were still unconscious, the IV's rigged to them likely coming with a nice dose of rapidly depleting anesthetics to keep them as comfortable as possible.
But front and center-most of the room were two of his American Legionnaires. One, clearly, was Hollywood. He'd read the After Action Report (AAR) on their rescue of Natalie Grey on his flight from DV to Sierra Leone. The other was one of the men of 4th Platoon; the ones which had arrived just a few hours before Jacques had himself. He'd brushed up on their files as well, as they were likely to be his primary work force for the next few days.
He studied the two men for a long moment, letting Jay stew in the discomfort of a kitten clawing it's way up his bare thigh, then slowly saluted back. The grim, serious look slowly melted into an amused grin; his men were tired, but enthusiastic. They had weathered the storm well so far, even after the blow of Operation Jeddah.
He dropped his arm and squatted down in front of Jay, "Permission to touch you, lad."
Then carefully plucked the kitten from the man's leg, cradling the tiny animal in his hands as he stood up again and lifting it to his face to get a better look at it. "She'll make a fine addition, I think. Need something to keep the pests down. I'll have the clerks try to find a vet."
He carefully returned the kitten to Jay's care, "Now please, Hollywood. Sit. I need you in fighting shape as soon as possible. With 4th Platoon on the ground, we have some time for you men to recover. Some of you will be shipped home, to Casablanca, as soon as can be arranged. The sooner you are seen by proper doctors, the sooner you can return to the fight."
Even after spending most of his life in Africa, there was a strong hit of his French origin in his accent.
His tone and posture grew somber as he stewed over his words; he had already had the same conversation in the other rooms leading to this one, but between exhaustion and the subject, his walls were crumbling. There was a hint of tears in his eyes when he began speaking, but he did not flinch from them, did not try to hide from them.
"As you have heard by now, we lost many of our brothers in Saudi Arabia. In Dominance V. I was not able to bring their bodies home."
His emotions were worn raw from the past day. He had lived the horrors of Operation Jeddah first hand, and had watched closely those that the Legionnaires in Sierra Leone had born witness, but he still stood tall, his hands clasped tightly in the small of his back. "Know that their sacrifice saved the lives of hundreds of innocents, and of hundreds of Custody soldiers. Soldiers which will bring our vengeance upon those that even now commit unspeakable atrocities against our fallen brothers. They fought well, and in the coming days the world will see their sacrifice first hand."
His tone hardened then, and he addressed the other horror that came of Operation Jeddah. "The face of war has been changed forever. And, I fear, not for the better. There are men in the world who can work powerful magics. They can tear buildings down with a wave of their hand. I know not how they do it. But I know that they can be killed, and they do tire. They may be wizards or warlocks or whatever you may wish to call them. But they are men still, and are just as allergic to a bullet as the next."
"Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day. Even now, we are planning how best to deal with such men. Luckily, you, my brothers, have always excelled at unconventional warfare, and so you shall quickly learn the new doctrines. A new priority target marker is being programmed for your Landwarriors. One day, you may find one of these magicians on the field working against you, and we shall be ready."
The quote was of Sophocles, a Greek philosopher. Jacques seemed determined; unshaken by the fact that all of reality had been shattered for him only a few hours ago. He had seen the new reality, and rather then shy away from it, he faced it with teeth bared and spear at the ready.
"We shall work to find these men. To bring them into our fold. Some will be of a like mind to us. They are a force multiplier, and shall open a whole new realm of tactics for us to continue to prove our superiority to the murderers-for-hire that claim to be our rivals."
Other mercenary companies; Africa was rife with them.
"Are there any questions?"
But front and center-most of the room were two of his American Legionnaires. One, clearly, was Hollywood. He'd read the After Action Report (AAR) on their rescue of Natalie Grey on his flight from DV to Sierra Leone. The other was one of the men of 4th Platoon; the ones which had arrived just a few hours before Jacques had himself. He'd brushed up on their files as well, as they were likely to be his primary work force for the next few days.
He studied the two men for a long moment, letting Jay stew in the discomfort of a kitten clawing it's way up his bare thigh, then slowly saluted back. The grim, serious look slowly melted into an amused grin; his men were tired, but enthusiastic. They had weathered the storm well so far, even after the blow of Operation Jeddah.
He dropped his arm and squatted down in front of Jay, "Permission to touch you, lad."
Then carefully plucked the kitten from the man's leg, cradling the tiny animal in his hands as he stood up again and lifting it to his face to get a better look at it. "She'll make a fine addition, I think. Need something to keep the pests down. I'll have the clerks try to find a vet."
He carefully returned the kitten to Jay's care, "Now please, Hollywood. Sit. I need you in fighting shape as soon as possible. With 4th Platoon on the ground, we have some time for you men to recover. Some of you will be shipped home, to Casablanca, as soon as can be arranged. The sooner you are seen by proper doctors, the sooner you can return to the fight."
Even after spending most of his life in Africa, there was a strong hit of his French origin in his accent.
His tone and posture grew somber as he stewed over his words; he had already had the same conversation in the other rooms leading to this one, but between exhaustion and the subject, his walls were crumbling. There was a hint of tears in his eyes when he began speaking, but he did not flinch from them, did not try to hide from them.
"As you have heard by now, we lost many of our brothers in Saudi Arabia. In Dominance V. I was not able to bring their bodies home."
His emotions were worn raw from the past day. He had lived the horrors of Operation Jeddah first hand, and had watched closely those that the Legionnaires in Sierra Leone had born witness, but he still stood tall, his hands clasped tightly in the small of his back. "Know that their sacrifice saved the lives of hundreds of innocents, and of hundreds of Custody soldiers. Soldiers which will bring our vengeance upon those that even now commit unspeakable atrocities against our fallen brothers. They fought well, and in the coming days the world will see their sacrifice first hand."
His tone hardened then, and he addressed the other horror that came of Operation Jeddah. "The face of war has been changed forever. And, I fear, not for the better. There are men in the world who can work powerful magics. They can tear buildings down with a wave of their hand. I know not how they do it. But I know that they can be killed, and they do tire. They may be wizards or warlocks or whatever you may wish to call them. But they are men still, and are just as allergic to a bullet as the next."
"Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day. Even now, we are planning how best to deal with such men. Luckily, you, my brothers, have always excelled at unconventional warfare, and so you shall quickly learn the new doctrines. A new priority target marker is being programmed for your Landwarriors. One day, you may find one of these magicians on the field working against you, and we shall be ready."
The quote was of Sophocles, a Greek philosopher. Jacques seemed determined; unshaken by the fact that all of reality had been shattered for him only a few hours ago. He had seen the new reality, and rather then shy away from it, he faced it with teeth bared and spear at the ready.
"We shall work to find these men. To bring them into our fold. Some will be of a like mind to us. They are a force multiplier, and shall open a whole new realm of tactics for us to continue to prove our superiority to the murderers-for-hire that claim to be our rivals."
Other mercenary companies; Africa was rife with them.
"Are there any questions?"