hadriel | [video]

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[Maketh's face is all business. If her authority has been questioned, then obviously the solution is to prove that she is doing everything possible to make the Guard as strong and efficient as it can be. She holds up a large rifle to the screen. Some of you might recognize it as Lilith's sniper rifle. Others might simply note that it's the gun that Maketh tends to tote around everywhere.]

I am looking for someone with training in long-range weaponry who would be willing to assist me in mastering this weapon. I never had official sniper training in my world. I would like this error to be corrected.

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I was actually concerned with your own safety, Maketh. I of course assumed you would take any and all precautions to not endanger anyone else.

My safety?

[Maketh isn't sure what to make of that.]

Why?

I'm a doctor. I've made a career of worrying about potential injury.

[It is also in his general disposition to care. But he doesn't like being so forward about that fact.]

Oh. I see.

[Maketh considers him for a moment.]

You don't need to worry about me.

Perhaps I don't need to. But would you allow me the indulgence of continuing to do so?

Its in my hardwiring, I'm afraid.

[It takes Maketh a moment to decide how to respond. Finally she nods.]

All right, Doctor Rosen.

Thank you

[He smiles]

Now, can I ask what brought on your sudden interest in long-range weapons? Do you feel there might be a new threat?

[He had been under the impression that things had been much quieter since the city reformed]

[Maketh grimaces. Truthfully she feels challenged by certain conversations she's been having and thus wants to prove her use to the guard. But things are also on the verge of getting complicated again.]

Yes. Quite soon. Even the gods are worried. We cannot rely on them for protection.

Do you think we [The royal 'we' he means. The city itself] can be ready for such a threat?

[Maketh shakes her head.]

Not completely. There's simply too much we don't know. But measures can still be taken. I intend to take as many as I can.

Would you mind if I asked, how does all of this compare to the threats you knew back home?

It's different. There were various military engagements, rebel activity that had to be quashed. Occasionally attacks by pirates or other criminal types. I'm not unused to activity of this scale. But I can't recall an enemy that was ever this---unknown. Or with the sort of power that the gods imply they have.

If it were an enemy back home what would be your first move?

[Maketh tips her head to the side.]

I would gather information first. Determine the scope of their resources. How they train their troops. Whether their army is professional or conscripted. The range of their weapons, the strength of their armor. Then I would make an informed choice about how to strike, or counter their attacks. I would, of course, attempt to eliminate their leadership first.

[Impressive. And thorough. And suspiciously similar to the scorched earth approach medicine takes towards cancer cells]

And in a situation where you can get no information?

[Maketh smiles just a little.]

There is no such thing, Doctor Rosen. Even knowing a threat exists gives you information. For instance, suppose my command had intercepted a message that there was going to be a strike against my base of operations. The message does not say when the attack will come or who is responsible, only that it is imminent. But that says several things already.

First, my enemy is bold enough to strike openly. They are not afraid of our retaliation. Either they have an army backing them up - an army larger than the one I serve - or they are a small group and have nothing worth losing. That in turn impacts the tactics they will use and the resources available to them, and I can infer certain facts about their infrastructure. Armies can be splintered or distracted. Small groups can be overwhelmed by superior numbers. You see?

Thats extremely perceptive, Maketh.

[And he must concede to the point that there is always something that can be discerned from any given situation.]

But if we take this example and apply the same approach to our current situation, what do you do when the evidence suggests their forces are larger or bolder, or perhaps both, than your own and most of what you have are civilians?

I am an officer, Doctor Rosen. I do not have my former rank or allegiances, but my training has not deserted me.

[It's her job to think about tactics.]

When faced with an enemy's superior numbers and presumably powerful weaponry, we prepare to engage in guerrilla tactics. We move quickly and attack when given an opportunity. But we do nothing that is not on our terms.

Our terms?

It simply means that we do nothing that puts us at a disadvantage. If a situation is not favorable, then we wait.

Couldn't they potentially force our hand?

Anything is possible, of course. But tactically speaking, there is a difference between initiating an engagement and responding to one. We will do whatever is needed to survive. But we will attack only if it gains us something worth having.

[A pause.]

That is the intention, at least.

I've found intention and result part ways with each other more often than not.

[She smiles faintly.]

Even more so in a combat situation. But we plan and prepare as best we can.

Then I will hope for the best. Though I am not one of them, we have capable hands here.

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