Subj: [ffml] [MW] Jigsaw Pieces Date: 00-08-30 10:26:48 EDT From: larathia@mcs.net (Larathia) Reply-to: ffml@egroups.com To: ffml@egroups.com Nighthawk leaned against the earth-wall of the hastily-erected fort, thinking. Triu, who was quite honestly the last person Nighthawk would have credited with any intelligent initiative, had managed to discover and befriend quite a large humanoid force. Said force appeared to be only loosely under Tim's command, and the commander held in contempt. This held possibilities. King Cyan, who was regarded by the avariel as being one step away from completely cracked, had shown up, and Tim had displayed deference. The idea of being led into battle by someone only slightly more sane than Ie (given that no one had seen Cyan jumping up and down on dead moogles), was not heartening. The best that could be hoped for would be that he'd be just bright enough to let Tim do the actual commanding and stick to waving his hand in a regal manner. Nighthawk pushed herself away from the wall and strolled around the camp. Her people had taken the work of the humans and toughened it; the earthen wall was of the strength of stone, and the moats were made doubly dangrous with the addition of quickmud traps - patches of ground that looked like slightly muddied ground, but if one set foot in them the victim would be sucked some fifteen feet underground to drown in watery soil. Earth, air and water were the elements her people could manipulate, and quickmud combined the three in a devastating harmony. She was proud that her people had managed so well. This new force, these clones...as Triu was, so Nighthawk was equally fascinated. A completely homogenous force, every soldier acting in concert. A commander's dream. That they were led by an outsider was of equal fascination. How had she achieved command? How did she command respect? From Triu's reports it sounded like a hereditary obligation, which sounded less than promising. On the other hand, she had heard of no major defeats suffered by the clones, which might speak well of this new leader. But what was most fascinating was Triu's startling report of Tim's reaction to the new one; he could honestly be said to hold her in contempt. Now *that* held promise. Nighthawk herself had come to the conclusion that Tim's people would not be suitable for any kind of long-term alliance after the war; there was little the two peoples inspired in each other beyond a sense of competition, and Nighthawk was quite aware of how Tim viewed any competition. Given that there were no reports of a major failing by this new one, this General Kat, Nighthawk could only interpret Tim's reaction as being a result of the general's gender; what he could accept in an alien species, he might well be unable to accept in his own. It bore investigation. Nighthawk raised her amethyst ring to her face. "Triu," she said. "Give me an estimation of General Kat's command capability." There was a pause, then, "I am not sure I can provide one, Captain," came the response. "The most she's done so far is set up camp." "Are there any details you can provide?" "Um...she managed to irritate Lord Tim, and she helped set the tents up herself, if that helps." Nighthawk sighed. Triu was perfect for the post of liason to Tim; she held the human in awe and watched every move he made with extreme sensitivity, and her own insecurity meant she never questioned his orders. Crushes did that to people. But she was no good at all for learning about Kat; the girl just didn't have the same level of interest. The fact that Kat helped set up tents could mean anything; it could be an indication of insecurity in her command, or it could be a means of boosting her soldiers' morale; after all, Nighthawk herself never asked anything of her people she was not prepared to do herself, and if she held back from participating in common chores, her people would think her hopelessly in love with herself. What to do? she mused. There were as many men in her command as women, but so far mostly women had been sent out to the non-avariel. Of course, most of the people the scouts had been sent *to* were male, and there was nothing like a pretty face and a soft bosom to open an otherwise closed-mouthed commander. If she sent a male liason, and Kat were an insecure type - which might be the case - she might end up deferring to the man's opinions, giving the avariel de facto command of the clone army. Which wasn't a bad idea, except that Cyan would probably take it very poorly, and therefore Tim would be required to take it very poorly, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. On the other hand, if she sent another woman, her people might end up stereotyped as Amazons (assuming there *were* any on this world) and dealing with other people would be harder. She raised her ring again. "Triu," she said, "Give me an estimate of General Kat's emotional disposition." "Um," came the reply. "Nervous, I think." Drat it. There could be no weak links; all forces must be competently and confidently commanded, or the moogles would roll over everyone. She could do it herself, since she had handed over battle-command of her own people to Tim for this last battle, but she had her own plans and did not want to try commanding a race she barely knew about. A male liason, then. One she could trust to guide or teach Kat gently as required, without letting his ego take command. That pretty much ruled Thurin out. Then it hit her. "Torbeno," she said, "Come to me." His amulet, she knew, could be made to guide him to her. In less than ten minutes, her brown-winged flight captain stood breathlessly before her, feathers ruffled from his frantic flight. He saluted; fist to the heart and a slightly deeper bow than was required. "My Captain?" he said, with remarkable control given that he was out of breath. "Assign your flight members to others," Nighthawk said. "I wish you to be liason to the leader of the clone army, General Kat. She may be an inexperienced commander; you are to ascertain the level of her confidence and expertise, and guide or train her where necessary. It sounds like at the very least she has good instincts for command, but we can afford no mistakes in the upcoming fight. And if she makes a decision, you stick to it; I will not have us accused of attempting to wrest control. Also, you are to determine whether her people are suitable candidates for long-term alliance; I want to know *everything*. Are you clear?" Torbeno beamed with pride. "I am clear, Captain," he said. "Oh....this General...is she pretty?" Nighthawk rolled her eyes. When it came to the opposite sex, Torbeno was no better than Triu, prone to long bouts of infatuation and worship. He'd stopped flirting with *her* only after he'd realized that every time he tried, he got put on cooking detail. "I regret to say I neglected to ask, Torbeno," she replied patiently. "I am sure you will find out soon enough whether you're her type. You're to respect her decision on the matter, are you clear? I will be most displeased if she sends you back with a charge of harassment." Torbeno grinned wickedly. "Quite clear, Captain," he said. "You know it's the chase more than the catch, anyway." Nighthawk nodded wearily and waved him off. When he had set out, she resumed her walk around the camp, finally standing on one of the small archers-platforms erected so that the army's archers could shoot accurately over the wall. It gave her a clear view of the battlegrounds, and such of Southvale as was within her line of sight. "What are you up to, mooglekin?" she asked herself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.mcs.net/~larathia Subj: [ffml] [MW] Conversation Date: 00-08-31 16:07:40 EDT From: larathia@mcs.net (Larathia) Reply-to: ffml@egroups.com To: ffml@egroups.com Space and I put this one together. ********************************** The avariel saluted to the two Henriksen guards at the entrance of the General's tent. "Flight Captain Torbeno of the Avariel here to see General Kat," he spoke. "Ah yes," said one of the Henriksens, "She told us that someone from the avariel would be coming. She will see you now." Smiling with pure happiness, he strolled over (trying to look debonair and relaxed), and executed his people's fist-to-the-heart-and-bow salute, coupled with a bending of the knees as if she were royalty. Kat wasn't sure what to make of this. With the exception of the Henriksens, no one had ever bowed to her before. "General Kat, I presume?" he said. "I am Flight-Captain Torbeno of House Finch, sent by Captain Nighthawk to serve as liason between your people and hers. I am completely at your disposal." He thought he'd pulled the introduction off rather well, but he couldn't help feeling he looked like an eager puppy as he looked up at her. Avariel tended to be short, around five feet tall, though Nighthawk was practically a giant at five foot six. He found it rather embarassing that suddenly his face was at breast-height, and he decided not to use the royal bow in future...he could already feel his face burning a bright red. "Um, you may rise," said Kat, "I am pleased to see that one of my allies is interested in communication." "The pleasure is all mine, m'lady," Torbeno grinned. Kat smirked and chuckled. "Forgiven!" thought Torbeno happily - perhaps his obvious embarassment had saved him; he knew women tended not to take having their breasts ogled well. "The first thing I am requested to clarify, Lady Kat, is that I am never required to leave your presence unless you wish it. These," and he indicated the black-hawk-on-white-circle amulet he wore around his neck, "allow any words I hear to be communicated to my Captain at any time I choose. I will hear her replies, though you will not. You may thereby communicate directly to my Captain's ears. At times, if there is a thing we feel she should know, we activate these amulets without asking permission; Triu did so at your arrival, for example. We don't think of this as spying, since we *are* here in an official communications capacity; we think of this as a means of making the job easier. If there is a thing you wish our Captain not to know, it is within your rights to send us away - us being Triu or myself. I am your official liason, but as long as you are with Lord Tim, you'll see Triu occasionally as well. Lastly, these amulets allow us to communicate with others of our kind - not just our Captain. If, in battle, you should require our aid, you can just tell me - and I have the authority to call avariel to your assistance without having to leave your side. This is more Triu's concern than mine, as she has been ordered to relay Tim's commands in the final battle." "The second thing I am requested to discuss with you is the curious state of affairs between yourself and Lord Tim; we are aware of some unusual activity and perhaps hostility on this matter. While we would eagerly seek alliance with a peaceful race, we are not eager to step into any conflict not related to the war with the moogles. Our Captain is hesitant to confront either of you on this state of affairs, believing it to be the concern of groundlings and therefore none of hers. However, as it may affect relations between our peoples, we would like...in ungraceful terms...to know what the hell is going on and whether it's a problem that needs dealing with." Torbeno paused, more to take a few deep breaths than anything else. Nighthawk had been blisteringly angry when confronted with contention in the groundling ranks, and had sent a similar question to Triu for answer by Lord Tim. If there was one thing that had always been guaranteed to irritate Nighthawk, it was the apparent inability of the human race to get along with itself for any length of time, and with a big battle ahead she was running low on tolerance. He just hoped Triu had been given orders more kindly than he had been; his ears still felt a little blistered. "Concerning 'Lord' Tim," Kat spoke, "to say that tension exists between the two of us would be an understatement, though it's not completely his doing..." She paused as she regretted the time that she confronted him about his relations with Ladice. "And about the possibility of an alliance between the avariel and Henriksenia, you should know that they have a policy of neutrality. With the lone exception of this war, they have not involved themselves in any conflicts in the last 600 years. Though I am sure they would allow you to reside as citizens of Lance Henriksenia after the war is over, if you wish to do so. Currently there are very few non-Henriksens living in their nation, but only because most people don't understand their ways, and fear what they do not understand." From: skyhall@hotmail.com (Sky Hall) "General Kat?" said a voice from without. "Yes?" asked the former actress. "Colonel Tim is here to see you," said the sentry. Both Torbeno and Kat exchanged startled glances. "Ah... show him in," said Kat, regaining her composure. Torbeno was silent and moved off to the side. Through the tent flap, Tim entered, wearing his regular uniform sans diamond armor, and stood before Kat. He saluted, Kat returning the remark. "Greetings, General Kat. I hope you are well?" "Yes, I am well. Thank you, Colonel Tim. And yourself?" "Good, thank you. Busy, to tell the truth. And that is kind of the reason why I'm here. I have been neglecting my duties, and realized that I should attend you and see to you and your armies needs. In my haste and foolishness, I thought that you would have everything under control, but forgot that I should inquire nonetheless. Or if you desire, we may discuss anything that you have issues with." Tim stood there, rigid and at attention before Kat. From: raumkatze2@aol.com "Yes Colonal," Kat replied, "Everything is under control. My army is ready for combat. Though we have yet to have heard from your people when the next attack on the moogles is planned." From: skyhall@hotmail.com (Sky Hall) "I see," said Tim, suddenly feeling a little nervous. He had come to speak to General Kat because he sensed there was a problem, but he could not figure out what, and he got a little suspicious when Triu had asked what problems there were between the Domans and the Lance Henriksens. When he couldn't come up with an answer, he decided he had better nip any potential threats in the bud and see Kat. But now she gave him a straight, flat answer. "Very well then," said Tim, collecting himself. "The attack will commence soon, and that is part of the reason of why I am here. I wish to know if you would like to take an important role in our upcoming assault." "Oh?" asked Kat, her interest piqued. "Yes, since the Lance Henriksens have been so gracious in providing the defense of Doma while it's soldiers fight, I was hoping you would continue to fill that role in defending this fort while the Doman army crosses the river and attacks Southvale. Would you be willing to hold this fort?" Kat thought a moment. "Yes, I can do that. What if you need extra man power in attacking Southvale?" "Oh, then you may join in our assault. If we really need you, I'll have a message sent." Kat nodded, Tim returned it. "Very well, if nothing else, I will see you later." From: raumkatze2@aol.com After Tim left, Torbeno remarked, "It seems to me that that is their way of getting you out of the way." "Perhaps so," said Kat, "But I suppose someone needs to guard this camp during the next attack. Even if Tim does have an agenda to keep me out of the action, I will not question is request. I do have some humility after all." Torbeno nodded. Subj: Re: [ffml] [MW] Conversation Tim left Kat's tent feeling flustered. "That could have gotten better," Tim muttered to himself. He walked through the camp, aimlessly, wondering what to do next, wondering if he behaved correctly before Kat. He knew how to deal with soldiers, mercenaries, rough characters. Kat was... different. She was a movie star, college educated, and Tim had come to realize emotional. Maybe she lives too much in her roles of a drama queen, thought Tim. He looked about and saw a figure he had not seen in a long time. Not wishing to miss a chance, he hurried his pace to the retreating figure with dark wings. Rounding a corner in a thoroughfare, he called aloud, "Captain Nighthawk!" The avariel stopped and turned. Nighthawk was surprised to see Tim but greeted him with a salute. "I am glad I found you," said Tim, approaching and saluting in return. "I was hoping we could talk."