[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

[claritatis]

[Ah, the commiseration. When one is inclined that way, the shifting map of the place as it moves from planet to planet does offer a certain draw.

It's easy enough to gauge when the man actually looks at him, and Ignis' lips quirk in a small smile as he brings his now darkened glasses up into view.]

I still have glasses. [Said somewhat wryly. He isn't at all sensitive about it now. What would be the use it that?] But you're correct. Though I'm afraid my eventual loss of sight was nothing to do with medical deterioration.

[If the scars on his face don't give enough away. He pauses, then softly clears his throat.]

But it hasn't impacted my ability. I have no intentions of sitting back should the Null attempt to overrun this place.

[nonscriptum]

[ Those are some glasses, all right. Those are also some scars. It's too probing to ask what happened during Ignis' absence, too invasive, so he refrains for the sake of engendering trust and respect. ]

No, totally.

[ Even if Nate were in the same boat, he'd feel the same way. ]

I'm not much of a logistics guy myself, I'd rather be down in the jungle picking off Null, but I could use someone with better organizing experience. I tend to do stuff like this on my own, but this is a little too large-scale for that.

[claritatis]

[Ignis nods, easily understanding. Having spent a good amount of the last ten years operating solo he can see the appeal of it, but his experience can certainly make up for where Nate's is lacking.]

Then you have my skill at your disposal, should you wish to make use of it.

[He has no plans to stay stuck behind a desk, but anywhere he can help... It would be against his nature to not offer.]

It was Nate, wasn't it? [Yes, he's sure he said that.] Forgive me, you might say the labelling on the network is something of a blind spot for me now.

[nonscriptum]

[ Lucky for them there aren't any office positions available. Being a desk jockey sucks ass. ]

Ha ha, funny.

[ Matt used to make the same jokes, mild self-deprecation about his handicap in spite of the fact he could easily disarm a dozen men at once. ]

And yeah, that's me. I know you wanna help and I don't exactly want to cut you off at the legs in terms of what you're capable of, but you said you're a tactician, right?

[claritatis]

[Oh, not something he would choose. He only quirks a smile and gives the smallest nod at the acknowledgement of the joke. Ignis does it for much the same reason Matt did. Distraction. Putting people at ease. Throwing people off-balance. It's always worked quite nicely.]

Correct. Formally trained in strategy, both by lesson and by plentiful experience. I have a particular talent in quickly noting the weaknesses of the enemy. [Again, that faint smile.]

You ought to know, if you have misgivings about my ability, you wouldn't be the first.

[nonscriptum]

Listen, I get it. I'll be the first to acknowledge that people are way more dangerous than they let on.

[ In times like these, he won't underestimate anyone. That's a recipe for a fucking disaster. ]

I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't fight out in the field, just that we're lacking actual strategic expertise compared to bodies that are effective in combat. I need your training in the best possible position.