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Post by David B. on Jun 27, 2018 17:46:19 GMT -8
David sat at his desk, leaning back and watching the news. The meeting between Avice and Punk concluded, he'd issued a meeting request to the office of the leader of 259. From what he heard, Asiv claimed he'd resign.
So either he'd come, or some low level assistant. Maybe his second in command, who knows. Either way, he expected someone to arrive with information, and so he waited for it.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jun 27, 2018 19:52:55 GMT -8
Asiv would yawn as he knocked on the door to David's office. Holding a ham and cheese club sandwich in his hand as he chewed on it. Mayonnaise dripping off the bread and landing on his suit jacket.
"Grrrnn, damnit."
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Post by David B. on Jun 27, 2018 23:29:51 GMT -8
“Ouch. That looks costly.”
Flipping the TV off, David looked to Asiv.
“Thanks for coming over. You and I haven’t spoken much since you took the shackles off. How’d your time in Punks wonderland go?”
And with Avice, obviously.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jun 27, 2018 23:53:53 GMT -8
Asiv would find a spot to sit and continue chewing his sammich. With food in his mouth he would respond.
"Costly. Whole bag of porn, wasted."
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Post by David B. on Jun 28, 2018 11:59:01 GMT -8
"Was anything you said to him true? About abdicating, I mean."
David waved it off.
"I expect it was just a way to get out alive."
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jun 28, 2018 13:58:57 GMT -8
"You mean was I serious about claiming a coup de etat? It was partially survival partially based one what I could learn."
Munching continues more mayo drips.
"Motha fucker."
He says under his breath.
"I understand territory 1 was named, but they are a widely known neutral trade hub. Why threaten them, and March so many soldiers through towards their territory when there are bigger fish to fry?"
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Post by David B. on Jul 2, 2018 18:24:54 GMT -8
David laughed and leaned back.
"You're right, One isn't important enough to warrant my leading an army to his gate. Punk is a prick, and if I caught him outside his walls I'd pop his head off his shoulders without thinking twice. But truth be told, I just wanted to test his reaction, and put Avice back in a place that makes her incredibly uncomfortable, so she could find her strength. The threat was just to force Punk to waste more resources on mercs, and beefing his defense. Causing him to burn money and resources, the things he cares about, pleased me in that moment."
He shrugged.
"One was listed as a territory on the list of puppets that Blake was given, but more likely than not, Punk agreed to it out of self preservation. He's not just a horndog, he's a coward. Let him rot in his junk pile."
He waved it off. On to other matters.
"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, though, about next steps. You see, many of our routes are pointing toward 74. And I believe, in time, we'll have to wipe them off the map before Prota does."
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jul 2, 2018 21:39:29 GMT -8
Asiv finished eating his lunch while listening to David. Then reached into his suit jacket pocket for his napkin to clean up a bit. When he finished explaining Asiv took a deep breath enjoying the flavor left in his mouth.
"How is it our job to destroy 74? They are a Prota protectorate and if they are to be destroyed it's John Strikes call."
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Post by David B. on Jul 3, 2018 12:08:40 GMT -8
"It's our job to protect our people. And from all I can tell, they're the ones leading these armies through our territories, attacking our school, invading our lands."
He leaned back.
"If you'd prefer, we could go to Strike about it. I have a feeling he'll be a little more....indescriminant in his erasure, though."
A little test to see whether Asiv even gave a damn.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jul 3, 2018 17:00:34 GMT -8
"That would be over reach on our part. 74 signed under Prota our first recourse would be to bring the evidence forward to Strike, and let him deal with it. Only if he doesn't act is it cause for us to get involved. Until then I have called in 260 mages, mount Olympus God's, monsters, and heroes. And many conscripts from our protectorates. The next army to attack would find a standing army of nearly one hundred and twenty thousand waiting."
Asiv would say as he licked his fingers.
"Dragons."
Asiv would sigh as he sat up a bit straighter.
"One of the reasons I was making a weapons deal with territory one. The tech and equipment they have would help the normie conscripts survive a possible battle while the politics take place.
You know speaking directly to me I have to deny unlawful action and stick to the accords, right?"
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Post by David B. on Jul 3, 2018 19:35:53 GMT -8
He waved it off.
"I've known you a long time, Zack. I may be the old timers' least favored Dragon, but I'm the one sitting in the chair, overlooking the students, and interacting with the populace. The only one that people don't tremble at on sight. They trust me, to a hefty degree more than the unchained loose cannon or the selfish stone walker. And questions have begun to arise about what's being done to fix these problems. Questions I can't answer. Thousands of our men have died fighting a single smaller territory. There is only so much I am...allowed to do, so I'm forced to ask for you to come here, if only to let people see I'm trying to get the answers."
He cocked a brow.
"That being said, think it foolish if you like but I would rather roll the dice than deal with territory one. They sell equipment, blueprints and various weaponry to other territories, some within our protectorate. Simply purchase or trade for those. It'll cost more, but it'll save your face. And for God's sake, give us some orders. I tire of responding to these incursions as they happen."
In other words....if you're the leader, start acting like it.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jul 3, 2018 20:04:57 GMT -8
Asiv waited for David to finish talking before he took a deep breath.
"Well, Sudeki is chained again by choice, and the Earth Dragon is no concern of Cabals. He is a nuetral entity who is not arrested because who do I send to capture and arrest an uncooperative Dragon?"
He'd chuckle.
"As for you talking with the people, you sent miss Locke limping into the Lion's den wearing raw meat to stand in a circle of lioness and then break her only good leg. That isn't just reckless that is Sudeki reckless. It is also as you say simply to help her find her strength, to ruin an arms deal that large for equipment that literally can't be made or gained anywhere else, for your own purpose is more selfish than Amtrum and more manipulative than the lot of you combined. I took your chains off as a favor to miss Barrial, but you are starting to be a liability."
Asiv would reach for his smokes.
"As for buying equipment from our own protectorates, of course I did that after, it's the only other option. If you want orders, then my orders are to actually DO something. You could take black ops and do things off the book, get things done without being found out. That's how everyone else handles things. Just don't tell me about it because I lose plausable deniability. Now that I know you plan to do something to 74 and something happens to them and I don't come forward that I know it was you or done by my people I am breaching the accords."
He'd light the smoke.
"For the record I don't like Dragons in general, nothing personal. Your enigmatic life styles leaves any possibility open and that makes you all... Difficult."
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Post by David B. on Jul 3, 2018 20:23:57 GMT -8
It was his own turn to sigh.
"Whatever something may appear to you, you shouldn't talk like you know what's what about every action I take, or judge me based on it. You're not here, nor have you been in any of the situations in which I'm forced to make a call. I tell you to give orders, because so far, you haven't. Not to me, or to the populace at large so far as I can tell. No PSA, no speech to calm those who's children have died. Nothing. Except appearing exactly where I wouldn't think you'd be. Punks. But maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps you do know what's what about every action we take, but I know nothing about yours. I didn't know you'd be in territory one making an arms deal, nor did I think Punk would be dumb enough to kill a messenger. Kick her ass out, maybe, but no territory kills messengers. It's not how things have ever been done. It would alter how every other territory deals with you."
He tilted his head a little.
"So yes, a test for Avice, and a notice to Punk. Nothing reckless or manipulative about it. A simple chess move. And if by do something, you mean fight incoming armies, help get aid for Blake in his time of war along with potential allies, lead a trupe to fight back invaders into 260 or i don't know...send one of the puppeteers, our potential future enemy, a little notice that he's on our radar to slow him down and avoid shedding blood, I'd say I've done fairly well."
He cracked his neck.
"Man...this is longer winded than Unfettered was when discussing matters of state. Regardless, perhaps I've....misunderstood my place in your territory. I'm the supervisor of Cabal. I'm not an agent that goes rogue on a hunch. I command cabal soldiers and request aid from your government when needed, but I don't have authority to declare war. Even if I did, I don't intend to leave Cabal leaderless again." Since he was almost always the only one there. "My doing so would only leave us open not only to more blood shed, but to more scrutiny. But if that's what you want, hefe- someone acting and commanding without your acknowledgement- I'll be the good soldier for you. Because, if you haven't noticed....I'm the only Dragon trying to do so."
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Post by Zack Asiv on Jul 6, 2018 19:37:40 GMT -8
"I haven't the opportunity to properly speak with the people sadly. Hosting foreign dignitaries and protecting them myself during these attacks while simultaneously explaining your brothers being a sleeper agent and attacking our own people to steal an unknown target object or information was allowed."
Asiv would yawn.
"By do something I mean do something. Yay you fought battles and sent aid to Blake's Neutral territory of which Sudeki had already pledged aid unaffiliated with Cabal. No you sent Cabal soldiers to protect a territory that doesn't diserve it."
He'd shake his head.
"I will have to explain to dignitaries once more about our forces being split between protecting 260 one of our actual territories and 63 on the whim of one of the Supervisors. Then I will explain to the people the waste of our resources in protecting people not our own, the thousands lost to protect a place and people that dislikes us and our laws. Instead of Ayatlan where we were needed. I will then explain to dignitaries about the failings of our ability to trade as efficiently as all the other territories due to threatening the leader of territory one over the hunch or statement of the leader of the territory we sent aid to. Now taking the word of a neutral territory leader over that of just asking a trusted trade partner. I've been playing clean up at every turn so when was I supposed to address people about what was going on? After the first attack came a giant force camping at our border, then another attack, then an attack on Ayatlan, while we simultaneously sent aid to a neutral territory. Please tell me when I'm supposed to tell people about the loss of loved ones? Because as it stands I'm sitting here waiting for the next attack to add to the list."
Asiv would sigh.
"Do something as in either end the conflict by taking the proper channels, or do what we all do and assassinate the mother fucker."
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