[video] as sun tzu once said, light 'em up

[nonscriptum]

There are a bunch of new people around, so...hey, I'm Nate.

[ It's been a while since he posted to the network, but things are starting to get sticky - and not even in the comparatively fun, sweaty jungle way - around these parts and tension feels like it's ramping higher. Crackling in the air. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He's not in the city, as evidenced by the dense, green foliage at his back. His sketchbook is out, open, but he's talking with both his hands. ]

I realize we're kind of running the gauntlet right now in terms of what's being thrown at us, and we're basically getting ready for an inevitable showdown, and there are already a lot of efforts being made toward preparing.

[ Sonya - a woman he doesn't know - was proposing escape routes and manageable cover strategies for civilian types. It's a good idea to have those routes mapped sooner rather than later. ]

But I've spent a lot of time since we got here getting to know this landscape, the topography. What I'm looking for are people with actual combat experience, whether that's strategic, logistical, or something similar. Fight's gonna come to us whether we want it to or not, and weaponizing the environment is one of the best chances we have at mitigating the risks. Guerrilla warfare isn't pretty, but we have the resources for it.

[ For a moment he looks distracted, thinking of something, writing it down and talking over the act as he does so. ]

So just, um. Call in if you've got the know-how. Thanks.

Comments

voice;

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[ That's a lot of black Sharpie.

It's not difficult to pick up on experience, especially judging by the way John held himself in introductions. He'd like to point out the redacted content probably means jack-shit here, but some people are committed to their government-mandated secrecy. ]

I kinda figured you were that, or a really well-equipped mercenary.

[deploy]

Me, a merc? That's rich.

I work twice as hard, get paid half as much, and can only wear jeans on Fridays.

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[ American military, all right. Sully bitches just as much.

Nate is glad they're only having a phone conversation, so Sheppard can't see the grin on his face. He does laugh, though, as it's hard not to. ]

Yeah, you're right. You're too pretty to be a merc. And you look like you actually know what you're doing.

[deploy]

Too pretty? You're one to talk.

[Still, there's an invisible preen on the other side. Pretty AND competent isn't a half bad compliment. Even if it's just Nate being cute.]

You're not a merc, and you're sure as hell military, so... where did you cut your teeth on guerrilla warfare?

I told you my background. You tell me yours. That's how this works, isn't it?

1/2

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[ That is generally how this works, but the last time Nate shared his real life experience with someone of military standing, he was labeled a grave robber. Inaccurate? Not particularly. Annoying? Yeah, a bit. It tends to taint a decent impression, and contrary to popular belief he does sort of care what people think of him. ]

I used to- uh.

2/3 I lied

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[ There's a pause over the line, gathering his thoughts for more effective articulation. A sigh, an almost inaudible: ]

Fuck it.

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I used to freelance complicated acquisitions. [ If you know what he means. ] Sometimes with clients, but most of the time it was just me doing research on some ancient city and looking for some ancient artifact. The romantic term would be "treasure hunting," but there's a lot of competition, plenty of rich assholes with private armies at their disposal.

[ You get the picture. ]

[deploy]

Complicated acquisitions. Now that's one I've never heard before.

[A snort. He gets the picture.]

Okay, Indiana Jones. So you're experienced in killing Nazis?

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[ Not the worst reaction he could have gotten, and at least there's a common metric. Indiana Jones is close enough, though Nate doesn't have the sweet bullwhip.

Or the tenure. ]

Something like that. Less racial purity, more impressive ordnance. Firefights in remote and exotic locations are kind of an occupational hazard.

[deploy]

I've never picked a fight at a Sandals Resort, but I did spend some time in the desert.

[A lifetime.

More than a lifetime, for some, for most of the guys he knew.]

If it wasn't for surfing I'd have a serious grudge against sand.

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[ Subtext tells him John was in one of the big three: Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Nate's globetrotting has made him overly conscious of international politics and which countries have which war zones, and which cities are worth avoiding if he can help it.

The only things out there are unnecessary military presence, blood, and the scorched earth.

Either way, the back and forth is nice. It's the kind of strategic sharing he's familiar with, both careful and careless, picking up cues and playing with them briefly before putting them down again. Tacit acknowledgment. ]

Last time I was in the Middle East I kind of got my fill of sand. Beaches are one thing, but the dunes?

[ His time spent on the surface of the sun's anvil did not endear him much to its stark beauty. ]

[deploy]

I like the Middle East. Good food. Good people. It's a beautiful place.

Would I go back? Hell no. Took me seven years to get the sand outta my boots. It's worse than glitter. Probably.

What would I know about glitter?

[More than he'll ever admit. Thanks Madison. It doesn't matter how careful you are, there's no avoiding craft-time fall out. John's nicknamed her playroom Chernobyl.

He hopes Rodney got back to her, and didn't end up someplace like this. Far away from everyone and everything.

John sighs. Rubs a hand over his mouth and roughed up jaw.]

Hey, do you know Poe Dameron?

1/2

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[ Nate has very little experience with glitter so he'll leave the assessment to the experts who are denying their knowledge of the stuff, but the subsequent turnaround on topics is so sharp and jarring it nearly gives him conversational whiplash.

That they know each other is no surprise, as Poe suggested Nate meet the guy not long after Nate did just that, but something about this feels weird. Maybe it's the tone, or the way it was introduced, or the fact that Poe was voicing some halfhearted gripe about Nate and Sheppard sharing a similar sentiment.

He can't exactly put his finger on it. ]

Uh.

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Yeah? [ That's some non-sequitur, Sheppard. ] Why do you ask?