dislinked: (Verin 002)
Dislinked ([personal profile] dislinked) wrote in [community profile] veilbreak2026-01-29 08:19 pm

tverin 001

It's been a long day, so I'll keep this brief. Dust is clearing on the ground, and this is what we know:

1. 2 of the 3 large drones dispatched for the Sterilisation event has been shot down, along with numerous patrol drones. Instead of the total eradication of Xitang, it's only been partially leveled. This is a win.

2. There were no fatalities, although we had 90 injured. I want to commend our ground teams (Ground Forces, Espionage, volunteers) for your efficiency. The Veiled are being taken to and integrated into surrounding Pres Cities courtesy of Recruitment agents stationed in the area.

3. We have commandeered an additional freight plane which will be vital in future relocation efforts.

We still do not know what triggered this, but I want to stress how big of a win this is. We prevented a devastating loss. We've been a nuisance to the Architects, but this changes things.

Take this win. Celebrate it. And then get ready to double down. We're showing them we're a major player, and I can't imagine them taking this lying down.

LEADERSHIP.
Kudos on the rapid coordination. Expect blowback.

[...] Aldana, Payne. Present your case. I need you to get everyone on board before we go to the rest of the resistance with this.
stayonscript: (📑 106)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
Is that the only method you know for persuasion?
adrii: (002)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
I'm a veritable negotiator and I got nowhere with her.

And if you are, I'll stop trying to get her in bed.
stayonscript: (📑 118)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe she likes me more than you because I don't have untoward intentions towards her.
adrii: (009)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Please. I have more class than that. I'm subtle.
stayonscript: (📑 59)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
I think I caught her in a good mood. But she hasn't approved the request yet, and I doubt "a light case of death" is going to persuade anyone else. Not that you should be sugar-coating it. I just wouldn't get my hopes up yet if I were you.
adrii: (005)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Convincing the rest of them is an easier order than convincing Verin.
stayonscript: (📑 40)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe everyone's in a good mood.
adrii: (002)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
Are any of us truly ever in good moods?

Except when Niko sees himself in a mirror.
stayonscript: (📑 21)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Apparently not.

That hasn't been true since he lost his esthetician.
adrii: (003)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
That was a dark day for him. Even I don't bring that up.

For the record, I already knew this was going to be a hard sell.
stayonscript: (📑 68)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe Verin knew we'd get shot down in the roundtable.
adrii: (007)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Calculated clinical risks are always more abhorrent to moral sensibilities than heroic risks in the field.
stayonscript: (📑 118)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
Human experimentation is one of those things that's generally frowned upon, I fear.
adrii: (002)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Here's where being heartless comes in handy.
stayonscript: (📑 114)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
Don't say that where the naysayers can hear you, my love.
adrii: (008)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
I don't have to. Ishaan has all but said it for me.
stayonscript: (📑 23)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
Ishaan is incredibly talented, incredibly ambitious, and fundamentally good-hearted. All qualities that make him an excellent agent, but he's prone to looking for third options where none exist.

I don't think the fact that you've accepted the reality of our position means you're inherently more hard-hearted than anyone else. You're just adapting to survive.
adrii: (005)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
There's no progression without risk. I find it hard to reconcile how we find the surety of tens of hundreds of deaths more acceptable than the risk of one simply because one is more 'heroic' or 'palatable.'
stayonscript: (📑 114)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
You know I agree with you. If you end up killing anyone we can have a memorial statue made in their likeness.
adrii: (002)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Gold plated.

But I have no intention of killing anyone.
stayonscript: (📑 101)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
You know, I really thought the number would be higher than 7%.
adrii: (008)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
They have a higher likelihood of the side effects Dom experiences than death. If I was attempting to remove the implant, then it skyrockets.
stayonscript: (📑 11)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-30 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
We can round up when we ask for volunteers, if it comes to that. 10% chance of death, 60% chance of serious complications. It conveys the gravity of the decision and nobody can argue we're downplaying the risks.
adrii: (003)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii 2026-01-30 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
That's an acceptable compromise. People rarely want the breakdowns, so generalizing shouldn't offend anyone.
stayonscript: (📑 10)

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] stayonscript 2026-01-31 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm beginning to think there may be a solution to be found here. Nicky wants full psych panels on all the volunteers and it seems everyone would prefer volunteers from the ground, but I suppose that's a matter of security and logistics. Everyone seems to begrudgingly accept there's practicality in the idea, though.

I'm buying you a drink this time. You'll need it.

Taryn/Adrian

[personal profile] adrii - 2026-02-01 03:11 (UTC) - Expand