Captain Insecki and his men carry the wounded zho soldier to the T intersection. Rock runs down his tunnel to the second opening, and seals it shut after Shooter has dropped down. Then he moves back to the main tunnel and leads the way, putting distance between Maginites and the group as quickly as possible. As expected, the women and smaller children do slow things down. To cut down on the risk of being spotted by one of the tunneling sentries, the team surfaces from time to time and travels overland before starting a new tunnel someplace else. Only after putting several kilometers between themselves and the scene of the recent battle, does the team finally stop to rest. By this time, night has fallen.
MACK: During the trek across country, Mack will sidle up to Cal and talk to him in a low voice. "Cal. Jus' ta let ya know. Back thar in the fight with them Maginites, you came damn close to findin' yerself on the long end of one of my rounds. We gotta find a way to C3 or Erict's gonna be picking ya up in a small bag. Take care out thar. If'n I can't see ya, I sure can't avoid ya. Later on, you, me and the Lieu-tenant'll need a sit down talk to 'void a serious mistake. Fair 'nuf?"
MACK(OOC): I THINK Cal, mack and the GM are the only one's on this line right now, but we'll soon find out, eh?
ERICT: Erict insists upon a brief stop to rest and examine his patients, particularly the untreated wounded Zho soldier. How soon he does this depends on the severity of his wound, but he will be attempting to maneuver to get close enough while walking to at least examine the wound (Paramedic 15- [rolled 15]) almost immediately, to make an assessment of how soon it needs to be treated. Once he is satisfied that he is stable enough to continue moving, he allows it, then goes to speak quietly to Peter.
ERICT: "Sir, the wounded man is treatable, am I cleared to treat him with my talent?"
PETER: You've used your powers already in sight of our companions already, we're under truce, and the Articles of War allow us to provide medical aid. Do what you can for him with your talent.
ERICT: "Yes, sir, thank you sir." (OOC: It's one thing to heal them nearby when they're running down a tunnel in chaos and confusion, and another to heal them in a rested setting where they can get curious ;) Over the next hour or so Erict makes sure that all are hale and hearty (maximum of 11 Body total healed, 5 more than Cal has already been healed) during the rest stops necessitated by the woman and children. If it takes longer than that, so be it.
GM: The injured zho soldier finally comes around. When he does, Reserve Captain Insecki informs him of the truce with your group.
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ERICT: Whether or not permission is given, at his next opportunity to stop he will perform a treatment on either the wounded Zho or Cal, depending on the extent of the Zho's wound and whether permission was given. A good time would seem to be when the women and children need to take a break anyway. Depending how successful his treatment is, over the course of the next half hour he spends his free time continuing to treat those that need it (that he has permission to treat). Given his power will eventually activate I do not see the necessity to make half a dozen Paramedic rolls unless the GM asks me to :)
MACK(OOC): Just to be as clear as possible, Mack does not think that he and the Zho soldiers are friends. He will do everything required under the truce, but he understands that when it falls apart, they may be shooting at each other. Of course everyone with a lick'a sense knows it'll be the Imperial grunts who'll win that battle.
MACK(OOC): That does not mean that he is rude or confrontational. He'll bring coffee, help move the wounded soldier, help them over obstacles, etc. If anything, he's much more formal with them than with the Imperials. It may be that they are acting the same way, so no one may care, but given Brian's last post, it looks like he's being more overtly friendly. Mack just doesn't have any other frame of reference to work from other than the Army one. These guys are the enemy. This is a truce, not peace.
MACK(OOC): The civilians are another story. Mack has been working with zho civilians for these past few months, so he's gotten somewhat use to them. They are not the enemy, as long as they are not armed. Does that make sense, and does anyone care?
INSECKI: Captain Insecki performs introductions all around. It is clear that all of the other zho are proles with the exception of one of the women who is an intendent. She is introduced as Caerlina, Cartographer of the Second Rank. For her part, she refers to Captain Insecki as either Reserve Captain Insecki or Provisional Baron Insecki. When asked about the title, the captain laughs and replies, "The nobles have yet to decide if my 'talents' really meet the criteria to be a noble. The fact that the Psychic Bombs of the Maginites did not harm me may be proof that I don't have suitable mental abilities to be a noble."
PETER: "Or it may be proof that they're more than good enough."
INSECKI: The captain goes on to explain his warning about taking any of the Maginites prisoner. "The Maginites have a very effective suicide attack that they will use if conventional attacks do not accomplish their goals. They run into the enemy's midst and blow themselves up in a powerful explosion. This same explosion has been triggered by trying to remove the armor of an unconscious Maginite. Against a Zhodani noble, this alone would be a foolish mechanism as the noble could simply take control of the Maginite soldier's mind and cause him to trigger the explosion, killing the Maginite and perhaps other Maginites who happened to be in the vicinity. Hower the Psychic Bombs of the invaders have killed most if not all of the Zhodani nobles on Thengo Prime so it remains a very effective attack."
PETER: "Yes, that's been our observation as well. And let me thank you for your warning about the Maginite soldiers. You've probably saved some of our lives. I hope that doesn't get you in trouble." He smiles in an attempt to break the tension.
PETER: "And while I appreciate your help, you'll understand that we're still in a very delicate situation. To the best of my knowledge, the Imperium and the Consulate are still at war, notwithstanding the current conflict between the Consulate and the Maginites. We're happy to share whatever assistance we can within the bounds of the truce - food and immediate medical care, certainly. And we're happy to ensure that the civilians are safe. But beyond that, we're limited in what we can do and say."
PETER: "What I certainly can say is that to the best of my knowledge the Imperium is not associated with the Maginites, nor is it a party to the atrocities that the Maginites have committed. Such actions violate our Articles of War, as you know. And while our respective peoples have had numerous disagreements over the years, five times elevating to significant armed conflict, I personally don't believe that the Imperium would stoop to such tactics to win such a conflict. Of course, I'm not privy to high level strategy, so it's possible that the Maginites are Imperial allies. If so, I intend to report the atrocities that I've witnessed to the proper authorities."
PETER: "I do have an important request, however. As the senior Imperial officer at liberty that I'm currently aware of, I'd like to know the status of any Imperial prisoners of war remaining on Thengo. From the looks of things, the Consulate is no longer able to guarantee their security. And if indeed there are any remaining in-system, I formally request under the flag of truce and in accordance with the Imperial Articles of War and the Zhodani Articles of Engagement that they either be repatriated to the Imperium, or released. I'd normally think that the senior officer in captivity would have made that request himself. But given the speed at which the Maginites took over, I worry about his ability to do so."
PETER: Softening his look, Peter adds, "I know I'm asking a lot from a reserve captain and provisional baron, but you're the closest thing to the Zhodani government that I'm likely to get. And I'm very concerned about the welfare of the Imperials you captured six months ago. At least your soldiers could fight back against the Maginites. Ours would be fish in a barrel if the invaders went after them."
PETER (OOC): I'm assuming that given the extremely long travel times to get across the Imperium, local senior political and military leaders (governors, theater commanders, etc.) are give a lot more leeway than they are in the modern day. This has some historical basis from the days when it was weeks or months to get from a country's capital to where the fighting is. Is that correct?"
INSECKI: The provisional baron and reserve captain lets the Imperial lieutenant finish speaking before answering. "To my knowledge, there are no imperial prisoners of war remaining on Thengo Prime. Thengo Prime is not equipped to handle prisoners and they were all shipped to another location several months ago."
PETER: "I understand that you likely don't have access to normal army records, but is there any way that you can provide me proof of that fact? It appears that I may be the ranking Imperial office in the Thengo system, and this," he gestures at the squad, may be all that remains of the Imperial Expeditionary Force. I'll act on that assumption, but proof would certainly be appreciated."
INSECKI: The reserve captain thinks for a moment before answering, "I'm not really sure what kind of proof I could give you. Do you have something in mind?"
PETER: "Oh, I don't really expect you to have anything available, but it's proper for me to ask. I was thinking transfer orders or the like. Presumably some records were kept of POWs to be passed on to the Interstellar Red Starburst, though I'll wager those records were captured or destroyed during the invasion."
INSECKI: "All I can really promise is to do the best I can to retrieve such records if the opportunity presents itself."
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INSECKI: "Concerning the Maginites, it is highly unlikely that they are in any way associated with the Imperium and, in fact, if the Imperial forces had prevailed in the battle last fall, then they would be in the same position that Zhodani forces are in today."
INSECKI: The captain pauses briefly before continuing. "I have more information about these newcomers that I am willing to share with you but we must proceed cautiously. As you pointed out, the Zhodani Consulate and the Imperium are currently at war. The reality of our particular situation is that neither of us will be able to communicate with our own forces from off-planet for the forseeable future and perhaps never. We have a number of choices on how we can deal with this situation. We can end the truce and each of our groups go our separate ways. We can maintain a wary truce only for the purpose of combining forces against any Maginite attack. We could could write a more formal truce that spells out exact expectations from each side in any likely situations that might arise. We could declare a formal alliance. And there are other possibilities. What is your preference on this, lieutenant? I do not sit heavily on formality but have no objection to it if it is what you would prefer. However, because I don't rely on formality, it means that I am also open to other possibilities."
PETER: The lieutenant sits quietly thinking, his chin resting in his hand. After several minutes he raises his head and speaks. "A difficult situation, indeed, captain," he says quietly. "Our nations are at war, but a potential threat to both the Consulate and the Imperium has arisen, one that I feel the Emperor should be made aware of at once - assuming he isn't already. We have no way of knowing how broad the Maginite's attack has been."
PETER: "The fact remains that despite four frontier wars, and part of a fifth, our governments have generally maintained civil relations - not friendly, perhaps, but civil. We've had our differences, but have always come to an accommodation in the past. These Maginite invaders don't seem to share that same desire. They seem very much to be the barbarians at both out gates. And I believe that we need to address that threat. Only a fool fights in a burning house."
PETER: "Therefore, as acting commander of the IEF, I wish to maintain our temporary truce and begin negotiations regarding a more formal truce that will allow us to return to Imperial space without surrendering or giving our parole. I understand that the actual details of our return will be difficult to arrange, but once we agree to terms of a formal truce, we can at least stop pointing guns at each other and focus on getting out of here. It still limits what we can do or say to each other –  we are still at war - but I'm afraid those are the limits of what I can do as an Imperial officer."
MACK: Mack has not been pointing guns at anyone since the truce was formalized in the tunnel. He carries a weapon and is a weapon, but he has not threatened anyone. He's been active in trying to keep the civilians calm and orderly, as well as providing them with water and noting when it looks like they need rest breaks.
PETER: "However," he adds after a pause of several seconds, "as Sir Peter Sterling, Baronet, I have slightly more leeway. Granted, I'm only a member of the lesser nobility, but that still gives me some authority within the Imperium. In particular, it allows me certain diplomatic powers when dealing with anything deemed a 'threat to the Imperium.' And I certainly think the Maginites could definitely be considered such a threat."
PETER: "Now, I'm under a duty to report my actions to Imperial authorities as soon as possible, who will then have to ratify anything that I do or say. And my actions can be in no way be considered to bind the Imperium. But I am authorized to speak with you, and negotiate any sort of modus vivendi required to address the current threat. To that end, and based on my Imperial patent of nobility, I wish to speak to someone on Thengo Prime authorized to negotiate on behalf of your government. At the every least we need to begin sharing what knowledge we have regarding these invaders."
ROCK: Rock follows along in the conversation between Baron Insecki and Lt Sterling. He does not completely understand all the lingo but gets the gist of the agreement. Since the truce Rock has been outwardly friendly toward the Zho even though he was sent here to defeat them. His duty to the empire does not preclude his ability to empathize with other people, especially when they are suffering.
INSECKI: "Interesting," the provisional baron replies. "I have no idea whether I am the ranking noble on this planet or not but that does not matter. I am the ranking noble in this current situation and that gives me authority to speak on behalf of the consulate in certain matters. Like you, I could not make my promises binding on the Consulate but it does mean that we have more legal grounds for negotiation. Shall we then commence negotiation on those grounds?"
PETER: "Indeed, Baron Insecki," Peter agrees, switching from the man's military to noble title. "I think the best start is to agree to a verbal modus vivendi in which we share what information we have on the Maginites. I'll freely admit that we aren't likely to have any better information than you do. But we'll tell you what we know. Once we have a unified view of who these invaders are, we can come to more formal terms regarding how to deal with the situation in general. My initial thoughts are that we should agree to work together to gather what information we can on the Maginites and then cooperate to find a way off-planet so that we can pass this information on to our respective governments. As I said, it may be that they already have that information. For all we know the Maginites' invasion targeted more than just Thengo Prime. But against the possibility that the Imperium and the Consulate aren't aware, it's our duty to bring word back to our superiors."
PETER: "Militarily, I suggest we formalize the truce for the duration of the Maginite occupation, say with a two week warning period for cessation of the truce. Terms to include guarantees to both sides that a military delegation will be allowed free passage back to its own territory without the threat of imprisonment or the requirement of parole."
PETER (OOC): I don't want to bog things down with extensive diplomatic negotiations. Politically, Peter will propose an agreement that gives both sides a chance to bring word of this new threat back to their respective governments. Militarily, he'll propose a formalization of the truce. Since we're not in a position to carry forth the war against the Zho, and they have more to worry about than a squad of Imperials, it should be an easy sell. And if Insecki'll agree to the terms I propose, it should satisfy any later review back home. Our duty is to get back to our own lines. If the Zho will agree under truce terms to allow us to return without making us prisoners and without forcing our parole, then I think were on solid footing. If Insecki will agree and you want to move things along, you can assume that Peter will share what little intelligence we have on the Maginites.
GM: If it's acceptable, we can simply say that Peter and Insecki hammer out some details about the truce, including some details about sharing of information. Obviously there will be no sharing of strategic information not related to the situation at hand. |