"General, we have returned."

"Thank you Rimov."

Yasha picked up the hard copies of the reports while the two Firebirds threw themselves into chairs. Formality's over. The debriefing room was private for them so why not relax? In the corner Dmitri got up and walked to them to give them the once-over with his eyes, checking for wounds or sloppiness. None. He growled approval and the younger Firebirds whuffed deep in their throats back.

Yasha's attention was on the data. She loaded up the disk that had been included and watched the contents come up on the flat display table. "The desert, yes? What is so interesting about this Van and where are the nomad trails I asked for?" The images flashed by and focused in on one section. They cross-cut further in until the dark blob next to a huge sheet of glass came into focus. Van stood up and drew a circle around it with his finger.

"So.. *she* has chosen to take her flock from the desert I see." Yasha tapped her finger slowly on the image of the statue. She could smell Gear oil on the man next to her and dust. He could use a shower. Especially before it was his shift to play with Mischa.

It must have taken a lot of time to get to the JNK Yggdrasil at the pirate base unnoticed and back with their delivery. From the looks of it they had made it on schedule.

Then they'd had to do a recon behind lines without getting seen. Good job for them, all things told. "But I have mine already. So she will not claim Kislev as hers. Good. I would not want to fight her." Van made a questioning sound and she ruffled up his hair and smiled without teeth. "Good boy, Van. You too Rimov."

She raised her voice slightly to address the whole lot of them. "We will leave the statues and the people sheltering by them alone if they are devotees." She pounded her fist against the railing of the table for emphasis. "In fact, we will leave the nomads alone. Alexander, draw up charts to fly around their territories if advance troops move into the desert. Let them know our war is with the Gebler and Aveh. But right now," she sat on the edge and drew a wide ring around the desert projection, "more with the Gebler. We must split their alliances. They will realize how easily they will stab each other in the back, squalling over selfish interests." She grinned this time with teeth but everyone in the room knew it wasn't at them directly.

"The nomads will be left alone right now so they will have no reason to be involved. The Aveh and Gebler will be segregated in tactics so they can refuse to help each other and then fall to each other's throats in betrayals and mistrust. Be traditional with the Aveh but merciless with the Gebler. This will not go on too long." She thought of Commander Makkani and grinned again. Didn't want to lose him to a conflict of interests. Wasn't worth it. "If we strike the Aveh harder the Gebler will protect them or leave them alone. Aveh resentment is good for the first part but with the Dazil troops it might only bring them closer together. The second case they are used to. But with Gebler needing support instead of being bullies then the latent Aveh resentments may come out. They will be sulky and petty. Even if they do help then the Gebler will feel their pride wounded for having those they thought lower have to assist them." Yasha drew a line across the circle with a smoking fingertip.

"Since Dazil has reinforced itself according to Commander Makkani, we may have lost our chance to strike and take the city quickly. We cannot lose that chance for Nisan. I cannot enter there yet but all we need," she clenched her fist, "is a little more War to destroy that center of Peace. Then.. why not start with the Cathedral? It will go up very nicely with charges, I think." Yasha played with the idea and then shrugged it away. Playtime later. Work now.

"Naval resources are what we are best at right now. We will use them to remain out of reach of Jasper's cannon and Solaris's Air Force. Ring Nisan and split it away from the world. Cut off imports and exports to anywhere--I do not care if it is to Bledavik or to Aquavy. Repossess what is reasonable and dispose of the rest. Claim passengers who are of diplomatic use but not the whole crew." If Solaris got wind that Nortune was taking ships in their entirety they'd be flooded with spies dressed up as sailors. "Kill what's needed to instill a level of fear. Let the rest strand on the main continent. What is important is that they know we do not care about our body count as much as our agenda." Otherwise it would be harder for Liete and Elissa to rule over nations that thought their leadership automatically meant death. And the Kaiser too. "Ring wide from Nisan and give a lockdown. It is not so important to sacrifice our defensives yet."

Yasha played with the map's controls and cycled through the data captured by Van's Firebird Gear. "We must discriminate so that their own alliance will crumble against them and they will not unite, not the nomads or the Aveh or the Gebler. Exploitation of human nature."

She smiled to herself again and tapped the icon of the statue while whispering, "Wouldn't *you* approve of that... cuz?"

By Makkani on Saturday, June 02, 2001 - 05:17 am:

*eyes the message* Conflict of interest? I dunno if this is good for me or not... hmm... ^_-

By ??? on Sunday, June 03, 2001 - 05:25 am:

Amoung the nomads, white cloaked devotees converge in small groups. Some do nothing more then babble to each other in nonsense voices, others merly happy to be alive, and free of the confusion that life in Dazil had been forcing upon them...but a few notice Kislev on the move. And a few remember who save their lives, not so long ago. And who carve the statues the nomads venerate...also, not so long ago.

Much later, a battered, tattered package arrives at the GA-GS headquaters in Dazil. Inside, a badly written note lies.

"Ser- Ples be carful. Kislv on mov.
Sinseraly,
Privt Karl. Fomrly GA-GS."

By Joseph on Sunday, June 03, 2001 - 05:35 am:

Joseph idly flipped through yet another pile of paperwork. Empires may come and go, he reflected quietly to himself, and armies may rise and fall, but paperwork is forever. A few numbers deftly trippled Dazil's tax benefit, and a few more covered up for the fact quite neatly. At least he was giving something back to the community. He tosses the form into the out tray and reached for another.

Below it he found a slip of paper, crudely written on. He picked it up and read it carefully. "Fomrly?" he mused quietly "Must be one of the really stupid ones I had Kale get rid of." He crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it towards a trash-can. "Can't take anything they say seriously."

He spent the rest of the afternoon shifting trianing arround. Eventually, he made wearing a pig as a hat a crime punishable by death. He wondered if anyone would notice.