Gunther

First Contact in the Situation Room

Waking before the dawn had become a habit when she served in the Army. She always felt she had to prove herself better than the men just to be perceived on the same level with the male officers. Her persistence and tenacity earned her a Bronze Star Medal for her work in Saudia Arabia during both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division were some of the first units in country in 1990 and much of the planning to get the 1st Brigade to the desert was conducted by then second Lieutenant Brienne Sylvester and her section.

By zero four fifteen, she was in her Secret Service-manned uparmored suburban heading to Arlington National Cemetery. The 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard who posted for all the burials at the National Cemetery had been placed on alert at zero dark thirty prepared to role out as if they were going to combat for the express purpose of providing additional security for the Vice President while she conducted Physical Fitness Training running along the roadways of the cemetery. Officers of the Battalions considered it a great training tool, they often had a Quick Reaction Force prepared whenever a VIP was on their grounds.

Five miles and thirty-five minutes later, Vice President Sylvester and her security detachment were on their way back to the US Naval Observatory and number one Observatory Circle. After showering and dressing, she rushed to the suburban to be driven to the West Wing of the White House. She quickly sipped her coffee, black and sampled an array of fruits one of her aides placed in the vehicle. She scanned through her e-mails while Peggy briefed her on the day’s agenda. She listened to the young woman speak while scanning over the E-mails stopping to quickly scan over the more important ones. It was just past zero six hundred hours by the time she arrived. She made her way to her office at the end of the hall past the Oval Office, right across from the Chief of Staff.

“Good morning, Mr. Gerard,” a curt greeting to the Chief, a slight lilt in her voice accompanied by her Texas accent. The door closed behind her and her aide. Margaret “Peggy” Lawton stood 5’ 11” with long auburn hair. She dressed in a similar fashion as the Vice President. Her light blue eyes made the 31-year old Harvard graduate very attractive. She always seemed to stand out in every room she entered. The young woman held a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations.

--

Peggy took a seat against the wall, near the Vice President, tablet in hand ready to record notes as the meeting commenced. Later, she would read her notes back to the Veep to confirm they both were on the same sheet of music.

The Chief of Staff lead the meeting as usual, “Benton, this may be something we need to do at a press brief where we bring AJ in, if we do it fast." The Chief addressed the Press Secretary. Bri could see the young man from Seattle visibly squirm as though nervous about the task. When the Chief suggested the Press conference to inform the public about the arrival of friends from distant worlds, Bri considered a televised briefing by the President alone; not in the presence of the press, denying them the opportunity to ask irrelevant questions. Get right to the point and spell it out for everyone.

Apparently, the kid was thinking the same thing she was, "I think this is too important for a simple press conference. If we go public, which I am not 100% in favor of at this juncture, we do it with a live message to the world from the Oval Office. An historic message that marks the start of a new era in humanity. Just the president and the camera, telling everyone that we are not alone."

“I believe Mr. Birch is absolutely correct. I agree completely with his assessment on the issue,” Vice President Sylvester stated her support in a commanding Texas voice.

The conversation turned to the European Union which if served properly with members who were all in agreement could be a formidable group. They were larger than the United States of America when working collectively. The members of the EU had the tendency to argue over lesser issues more often which served as an impediment to any real discussion. The hope was they would view this visitation as an extremely serious matter and not allow petty squabbles to get in their way.

“Mike, I like this idea best,” The Vice President interjected her opinion. She rarely called the Chief by his first name, preferring to address everyone by Mister or Miss. “With you addressing Congress, I will meet with the president to discuss your idea for informing the people. Personally, I believe it is best to let the people know instead of trying to keep the others’ visit a secret. Keeping this a secret could prove to be exceedingly difficult since we have no control over who may see them. I will urge the president to make it appear the US is taking the lead on discussions and that we are in contact with the Europeans and others. We should definitely include the Russians and the Chinese on this. Undoubtedly, they know as much as we do. I think we have passed the moment where if they wanted to destroy us, they would have done so already. We can assume they seek dialogue. We need to be prepared with a response. I will speak to the President about this. Thank you, Mr. Gerard.”

Post a random fact about yourself.

For me, math was as simple as breathing; too easy.

First Contact in the Situation Room

I've read over the character sheets in the Character's tab and copied the IC to a word doc so I can begin reading. Hopefully, I will have time to add to the IC this evening. At a first glance, this is VP Sylvester's impression of the other administration members mentioned.

Michael Gerard, 43, WH Chief of Staff - The VP is suspicious of the CofS and questioned the President's decision to bring him on. She has her eye on him, but respects his opinion regardless.

William "Bill" Birch, 60, NSA - The VP respects Bill's experience in Washington Politics and for most part trusts his advice. She does check some of what he says due to his storied past. She is overall warm to the NSA.

Benton Haynes, 34, Press Secretary - The VP prefers that the Press Secretary allow her to read over his speeches before briefing the press corps. She has grown to respect his writing ability, but is uneasy about his political orientation. She is neutral, but warming to the West Coast Liberal.

Gen. Joseph "Joe" T. Edwards, 63, CJCoS - As a fellow West Point grad, the Vice President loves General Edwards. She trusts his word and will help the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff as much as possible. As a fellow Army Officer, she agrees with the General on his positions regarding sending the nation to war. It is something that needs to thought out for a long time with all other options exhausted.

Abraham Randolph Farran, 66, SecDef, - Who knew there were three West Point Grads in one administration! Bri loves General Farran and supports the man 100%. They are both Airborne qualified, Airborne All The Way! (AATW) They are also both Desert Storm veterans. VP Sylvester secretly wishes she could have had the opportunity to be an infantry officer instead of a quartermaster officer when she was younger.

Hyo “Hill” Araki, 65, SecTreas - Mr. Araki is someone the VP has a lot of respect for. He has a vast knowledge and understanding for the Internal Revenue Code. She trusts his opinion in this realm and is pushing the Treasury Department for a Balanced Budget amendment. She has shared her ideas with Mr. Araki.

@HeySeuss@Byrd Man@Star Lord@Jester@CaptainBritton@Darth Shadow

First Contact in the Situation Room

Brienne Sylvester

Appearance

_{courtesy: Angela Paxton}

---

Name: Brienne Sylvester
Position: Vice President
Age: 54 (DOB: 2/14/67)
Sex: Female
Physical Description:

Bri Sylvester is 5’7” tall and weighs 138 Lbs. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. She is physically fit and dresses conservative.

Brief Bio:

Bri was born and raised in McKinney, TX, an affluent northern suburb of Dallas. Her father served as Attorney General of Texas for over twenty years. Brienne graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1989 and served as a Quartermaster officer in the US Army for five years, finishing as a Captain. Lt. Sylvester was airborne qualified and served with the 307th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. As a young Second Lieutenant, she missed the Airborne Division's deployment to Panama in 1989 in lieu of Quartermaster Officer Basic Course at Ft. Lee, VA. She did however deploy with the 82nd Airborne to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and 1991.

Upon completion of her tour as an army officer, Brienne then attended Baylor University School of Law where she received her JDL in 1997. Brienne, a member of the Texas National Guard served as a JAG officer from 1997 to 2012 when she decided to retire as a Lieutenant Colonel to focus on her political career. Brienne worked in the Public Defender’s office in Dallas for three years after leaving Law School and then was recruited to the Prosecutor’s office. Brienne made several contacts in the political arena while working in Prosecutions.

In 2000, she ran as a Republican and was elected to the State Senate where she served for four years. In lieu of her last two years in the state senate, she ran for the position of US Senator and won in 2004. She held a position in the US senate for sixteen years until she was invited to run as President Andrew Shepard’s running mate in the 2020 election.

Brienne Sylvester is married to Robert Sylvester, who worked as campaign manager and aide to the Governor of Texas. Robert has resigned his position to help his wife with her career as the Vice President of the United States. They have four children; Margaret (25), Robert Jr. (23), Cynthia (20) and Kyle (17).

Issues/Agenda:

Brienne is a fiscal conservative who would like to see a balanced budget amendment created during her time as Vice President. She offered several attempts while serving as US Senator. Bri is a hard-working person requiring very little sleep. She can be an extreme sports junky at times not backing down to a challenge. She is a strong supporter of the second amendment and immigration reform. In the international arena, Brienne would like to see relations with North Korea and Russia to improve yet views the NATO alliance as an important organization necessary in the next decade of global politics. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

First Contact in the Situation Room

Brienne Sylvester

Appearance

_{courtesy: Angela Paxton}

---

Name: Brienne Sylvester
Position: Vice President
Age: 54 (DOB: 2/14/67)
Sex: Female
Physical Description:

Bri Sylvester is 5’7” tall and weighs 138 Lbs. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. She is physically fit and dresses conservative.

Brief Bio:

Bri was born and raised in McKinney, TX, an affluent northern suburb of Dallas. Her father served as Attorney General of Texas for over twenty years. Brienne graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1989 and served as a Quartermaster officer in the US Army for five years, finishing as a Captain. Lt. Sylvester was airborne qualified and served with the 307th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. As a young Second Lieutenant, she missed the Airborne Division's deployment to Panama in 1989 in lieu of Quartermaster Officer Basic Course at Ft. Lee, VA. She did however deploy with the 82nd Airborne to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and 1991.

Upon completion of her tour as an army officer, Brienne then attended Baylor University School of Law where she received her JDL in 1997. Brienne, a member of the Texas National Guard served as a JAG officer from 1997 to 2012 when she decided to retire as a Lieutenant Colonel to focus on her political career. Brienne worked in the Public Defender’s office in Dallas for three years after leaving Law School and then was recruited to the Prosecutor’s office. Brienne made several contacts in the political arena while working in Prosecutions.

In 2000, she ran as a Republican and was elected to the State Senate where she served for four years. In lieu of her last two years in the state senate, she ran for the position of US Senator and won in 2004. She held a position in the US senate for sixteen years until she was invited to run as President Andrew Shepard’s running mate in the 2020 election.

Brienne Sylvester is married to Robert Sylvester, who worked as campaign manager and aide to the Governor of Texas. Robert has resigned his position to help his wife with her career as the Vice President of the United States. They have four children; Margaret (25), Robert Jr. (23), Cynthia (20) and Kyle (17).

Issues/Agenda:

Brienne is a fiscal conservative who would like to see a balanced budget amendment created during her time as Vice President. She offered several attempts while serving as US Senator. Bri is a hard-working person requiring very little sleep. She can be an extreme sports junky at times not backing down to a challenge. She is a strong supporter of the second amendment and immigration reform. In the international arena, Brienne would like to see relations with North Korea and Russia to improve yet views the NATO alliance as an important organization necessary in the next decade of global politics. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Post a random fact about yourself.

I had impetigo when I was five years old.

First Contact in the Situation Room

mmmm...Interested, but don't know. Actually with school ending in just over a week, I should have time for something of this size. I don't know what role to take. If you want to give me a role, HS, I can do whichever role you need me for; VP or SecState. CJCofS is probably right up my alley, but I'm a politics guy too.

The Defiance Project

Jimmy Wu had felt reluctant about the organization initially; the Defiance Project, ever since he realized he had been abducted against his will. Upon meeting the director, Mr. King his guard slowly dissolved. He did not feel threatened or the restraint to remain. He felt no obligation to stay here. He was no under arrest. He knew he could leave any time he wanted and obviously Mr. King knew this too. But Jimmy was curious and that held him here.

He paid attention to Mr. King and listened to his briefing during their tour. He was fascinated with the gadgets and the food. This project was very well taken care of. He could wrap his head around something like this. His only problem happened to be with the other candidates he would need to work with. The toon, referred to as Light was odd, but that only made Jimmy more curious. Wayne, who appeared to be something of an elastic man was filled with arrogance. Coming from a martial arts background, Jimmy knew measured heapings of humility was the cure for excessive arrogance. Finally, Alexanda and this new blonde-haired woman appeared to be the only other well balanced mature adults available. He would keep his eyes on both of them.

The only issue Jimmy Wu had with the facility was the lack of an exercise facility. He had grown accustomed to exercise every day of his life since he was a very young man. He needed to work on his drills too. Maybe eventually, he could talk someone into helping him or even sparring with him. An octagon style ring would be nice too. He would need to continue with his regimen. He could simply jump to his own facility in Hong Kong or Boston to work out. Jimmy settled on that option until the director offered him something better.

Wu approached the Chinese gentleman in the kitchen striking up a conversation in his native language; the Cantonese dialect. He quickly realized this man was from Shanghai and spoke the Wu Chinese dialect. great, I can speak Mandarin and Cantonese. The Wu is similar to Cantonese, but he struggled to understand.

“I can speak Mandarin,” the elderly man admitted.

This caused Jimmy to smile. “Are you versed in Guangdong, Cantonese cuisine?”

“Yes sir! Yes, yes!” smiling a very warm and overly exaggerated smile. “May I prepare you some Lobster with ginger and scallions and a side of pig’s tongue and some rice noodles?”

“That does sound delicious,” Jimmy responded bowing. “May I take the teapot?”

“Please do! Help yourself.” With that said, Jimmy grabbed the small ceramic teapot and a few small cups in case the others wanted to drink some Chinese tea. He carried the items into the dining area joining his new co-workers. He placed the teapot gingerly upon the table and then each of the cups. He poured himself a cup and sipped it, listening to the others converse.

@BrokenWashing@PKRaptor@Raptra@Archmage MC@RumikoOhara

The Defiance Project

Welcome @RumikoOhara

Post a random fact about yourself.

At some point I believe one begins to learn so much that they begin to forget that they have learned at all. It is all there, very much so, but it is buried somewhere. While not often something that can be called on at whim as it is not accessed often, the context and scenario bring it out, @Gunther. That is generally my experience with it at this point.

It is all there somewhere, wedged together and part of this larger puzzle, but ask of me to show all of what I know? The question then becomes, "What exactly do you want to know?" because there is too much to divulge and some of it is seemingly lost to me until the circumstances make it possible to recall it top of mind. It is a bizarre phenomena, punctuated most when it comes to a situation where I believe I am aware of the answer yet remain seemingly uncertain of it because it seems distant. It could well be a mirage of the mind, though consistently that is rare.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

The beautiful thing is that, the more knowledge you gain; whether by living it or reading it, you begin to see a clearer picture of what is going on around you. I can interpret history based on personal experiences combined with reading about how other people approached the same thing. I am in my 50s now and gain that same feeling of forgetting things I learned decades ago. But the simplest little thing reminds me. It all comes flooding back like some data dump in a computer file that hasn't been accessed in just as many decades.