Gunther

The Defiance Project

Writing...

EDIT: ...and posted!

Post a random fact about yourself.

I don't particularly like kids, but the one thing I do like is that if you're good at the games they like, you're basically a god to them. Maybe a demigod or major hero.

@Jurassic Weeb

This is so true. I love children and work as a substitute teacher in my children's school district. This year I worked at the Middle School and told several boys I played Fortnite once. To be honest, I really don't care for it. In my storied past, I've played tons of games way better than this. But my one time playing, I ranked 4th out of a hundred with two kills. They all thought I was a God because I did that. I told them I've been playing games like this since long before they were born and I retired from the US Army as an Infantry Officer. That means nothing to them. Just that I did better than they did their first time on Fortnite. LOL

@Sola All in due time. Have children when you are ready. I was 40 when my oldest was born. I have four now and I love them!

Post a random fact about yourself.

I began using the name "Gunther" when I started playing PlanetSide in 2003. I found that when I got into this hobby and other games, Gunther was quite a popular name; someone had taken it before me. I had come up with the name, "Landain" when I played EverQuest in 2001. I use that login ID whenever someone else has taken Gunther. Landain, was supposed to become "Landain 'Tfersale" or Land Ain't For Sale. But the character I named Landain in EverQuest never made it to Level 20 which is when you can add a surname. But I still use the two names on forums and games today. My Xbox Login is GuntherLandain.

Post a random fact about yourself.

Human beings CAN eat anything if they are hungry enough. Discipline is what is require to get past the first hurtle of "It tastes yucky!" Once the taste is acquired, then it changes from yucky to delicious. Some years ago I stopped drinking my coffee with milk and sugar. Now I drink black. The coffee was decidedly bitter, but it was an acquired taste and now if I accidentally drink a beverage with excessive sugar it is repulsive. Before deciding what to put in your mouth, determine if it is good for you or not. If it is not, then pass. If it is good for you, force yourself to eat it until you acquire the taste for it. Then you will see change.

Post a random fact about yourself.

The wife and I are watching Season 2 of "Into the Badlands." I've already seen it, but this is her first time. I enjoyed it the first time; good review.

Post a random fact about yourself.

Last night was the third stripe test of the cycle. I earned a blue stripe on my 1st degree black belt. We tested on a strike set we have been training for the past three months as well as several head lock defenses including two ground defenses and one involving a shoulder roll. It was exhausting but fun. Constantly improving.

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}

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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.