Another survival

[dolorous_sensei]

1. "DODS guns... eyeballs... Hey, cut it out! I'm trying to work here!"

*Walt lifts his eyes from his notepad to yell toward the group of people playing three-on-three basketball in the hangar, near the line of Genoaces.

The 8th Genoace team glance at him for a second, before continue laughing and playing their game, leaving Walt back to his grumbling and writing.*



" ....grumble... mumble... .good for nothing... bunch of... insensitive..."



" grumble....stupid ....survivors.... Thank you for surviving this far...."

2.Talk to the basketball players? Or even join them?

Comments

1

[glorystargo]

I know that feel.

[Denzel shakes his fist at the player in faux-anger.]

What're you working on?

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

What feel?

I'm just working on the report on the latest sortie. It was really something.

[glorystargo]

I can believe it. And I'm talking about a feel when you try to do something useful, but your team thinks it's best time to act like damn fools and distract you.

You know, like half the things Toby does.

[dolorous_sensei]

*Cough* Oh that feel yeah, totally what I just felt, nothing else.

*Walt looks kinda embarrassed for some reason.*

[glorystargo]

Yeah. There is totally just that. Nothing else.

[Denzel smiles knowingly.]

Those reports really must look like some weird shit for people who weren't there. Do you think they even believe us?

[dolorous_sensei]

Even I sometimes don't believe my own reports.

[glorystargo]

Well, trust me. They really happened.

Unless you're making up fairy tales to put there, that is.

[dolorous_sensei]

Reading our mission reports, sometimes I don't know how they're not a gibbering wreck.

And... how they're still alive.

[glorystargo]

A mix of good teamwork, and just a little bit of luck.

[dolorous_sensei]

Is that how you're still alive too?

[glorystargo]

I like to think that I'm too handsome to die.

But yeah, mostly that.

[dolorous_sensei]

Don't say that. Next, you'll get your face scarred, and you'll lose your survival power!

[glorystargo]

I don't mind. Scars only add manly appear, an aura of rogueishness.

... Oh God, I sounded like Toby just now.

[dolorous_sensei]

It's depressing how little we can control about our survivability. Do you think those NUNE soldiers who got disintegrated by the Indalph have less teamwork, or are just less handsome than us?

[glorystargo]

That's where the "little bit of luck" part comes in.

It's the harsh reality of the battlefield. Sometimes the enemy just goes - swoosh! And there you go. There's no time to react even.

[dolorous_sensei]

It's bad enough when you're a lone soldier, but when you're a leader, your subordinates trust their life on your command. But no matter how coordinated or good your teamwork is, you still can die at any moment. How can you explain that to your subordinates?

[glorystargo]

Good question. That's what makes a good soldier, to know that you can die but still keep doing. That Toby idiot probably thinks he's immortal...

But you had enough rambling from me. If you ask me? You can keep telling your guys as long as you want, but they won't really understand what it really means until they experience loss personally.

Harsh, I know.

[dolorous_sensei]

I guess until then I can let them wallow in their false sense of security.

1

[kill_all_vagans]

I'm glad to see that the DODS Guns did their job well out there.

[Yeah, Flit's rather happy to see the otherwise mediocre Genoaces finally have something worthwhile at their disposal.]

And they worked fine, right? No overloads or malfunctions, right?

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

Yes, the DODS gun works really fine. No malfunctions. It's so good that I'm scared of it.

1/2

[kill_all_vagans]

Well... I'd rather you be scared of the weapon in your hand than the enemy you have to face.

Although...

2/2

[kill_all_vagans]

Just how much does it take for you to be scared of something?

Re: 2/2

[dolorous_sensei]

You're right, to be honest, it's not very much to make me afraid to something. But still, this weapon turn your average mook into a mechanical killing machine. There's a lot of thing to be afraid of. For example, what if this makes us cocky, where our timidness was the only thing that kept us alive before? Or what if this makes us relentless and cold, with how easy it is to make a kill?

But still...

[kill_all_vagans]

Sounds like it just comes down to a matter of discipline. That's not something to write off, I know that, but that's what being a soldier is all about, right?

[dolorous_sensei]

I just wanted to say thank you for the DODS gun. As scary as it is, we wouldn't have survived without it. Thank you.

1

[abugslife]

You should consider their beaviour a compliment.

It is a mark of a good leader that your underlings take success for granted.

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

Do they? Or have they been so jaded with life and death situation that they don't feel anything anymore?

[abugslife]

They seem quite cheerful for a group of disillusioned nihilists.

[dolorous_sensei]

Yeah, they're my cheerful group of jaded disillusioned nihilist.

[abugslife]

May the nihilism continue, then.

[dolorous_sensei]

Why don't you lead a squad into battle too, General? I thought you're a military commander.

[abugslife]

I do that all the time... at home. Scaraber was the only unit PEP could afford to send to Earth. And I have no official command over Unity Group forces.

But, from an unofficial point of view, you could say I am leading squads into battle all the time.

[dolorous_sensei]

Though, here, generals don't usually go into battle or directly lead squads themselves. Usually generals are more into making plans from behind the line and watch how their plans generally turn into the worst.

[abugslife]

That is not the Gebian way. Our leaders lead from the front line, armed with the most powerful weapons. In order to advance as an officer, you need to show both the ability to command and personal prowess.

If the plan of a general turns horribly wrong, then they are there to experience it personally.

[dolorous_sensei]

Have you experienced... a plan that's gone horribly wrong, General?

[abugslife]

...No. I made small mistakes, but never a huge, crushing one. Not in matters of war.

[dolorous_sensei]

How do you assign that, General? Is that fate? Luck? Your experience or prowess?

[abugslife]

A combination of all of those, except fate. I do not believe in destiny.

[dolorous_sensei]

Stop saying that. Destiny is like a monkey.

[abugslife]

[Deadpan.] A monkey.

[dolorous_sensei]

Destiny is like a monkey. If you mock it, it will throw shit at you.

[abugslife]

Life already does that gladly without any provocation.