[center][h1][b] [color=#bea55d]Jacobin Dokken[/color] and [color=0086ce]Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort[/color] [/b][/h1][/center] Jacobin and HB's military careers were separated by space, time, training, and role, but nevertheless they had things in common. A perennial one was the human adage of 'hurry up and wait'. Rush rush rush, go go go! Race to ready yourself for the next thing and then- Sit around for a few hours waiting for the meeting to actually start. [color=0086ce]"So it goes."[/color] HB had said upon arriving at the meeting room, sitting down cross-legged in a meditative stance. Jacobin cast a glance at her patient, chuckling. [color=#bea55d]"You read Vonnegut, I take it?"[/color] [color=0086ce]"Indeed."[/color] Jacobin raised an eyebrow, unsure if the taciturn Zealot was having fun with her. [color=0086ce]"You're surprised?"[/color] [color=#bea55d]"I guess I just didn't think you much of a fan of literature."[/color] she admitted. [color=#bea55d]"I would have assumed that an anti-war novel would not have been on the Totality's required reading list."[/color] [color=0086ce]"If a work is well-known on Earth or otherwise influential to the cultures thereon, this unit is likely familiar with it. If it deals with war in some way, assume that this one has it memorized."[/color] Right. Their file did note an 'intensive education on all aspects of human history, ' after all. ------- For their part, HB was more focused on those they did not know on a personal level as opposed to the good Doctor Dokken. There was a second Gennari zealot present (zealot in the generic sense, his order was not their own), comparatively young but experienced in his own way. HB was expecting trouble from him, not that he could be blamed for squabbling with them. The black-furred Felness was something of a known entity, his service long, but his reliability was to be determined; fighting from a place of trauma was potentially dangerous. HB actually knew quite a bit about Feanulde, none of it particularly good or bad. Funny to see a familiar face, of a sort. The siblings were likely the most valuable of HB's teammates; before the SPEAR team, they had a role analogous to the Zealots' own. And then there was the other educated member of the unit, an American. Having multiple medical personnel couldn't hurt. That left only their leader. A veteran of the Coalition who had been there when Xerxes fell, he was a natural choice for commander; few had his years of experience working with and leading such a mixed bag of agents. That said, the SPEAR initiative seemed somewhat heavy for any one man to bear. HB could not help but hope a clear chain of command was formed, or else some of the strong personalities would end up clashing in the event Silverwind was shot down. The alien considered their questions carefully, calmly watching one of those afore-mentioned strong personalities bristle with rage. They could sense the discomfort in Veep, and Jacobin probably noticed it as well. No doubt the psychologist would be following up on that later. [color=#0086ce]"Egypt is not Coalition officially, as this one recalls. Is local resistance anticipated?"[/color] The North African country lacked the budget and technology of the more advanced Earth nations but stll had access to a variety of anti-tank systems and aircraft, any of which could damage or destroy a MAS suit. If combat was expected on the local side of the border, HB wanted to know beforehand.