2017-06-04: Responsibility and Glory
- Log: Responsibility and Glory
- Cast: Kahm Yugh, Loren Voss
- Where: Bledavik - Shakhan Square
- Date: June 4th 2017
- Summary: Kahm and Loren cross paths by chance. Kahm uses the opportunity to talk to Loren about recent events (and apologize for a certain comment). Future plans are laid out.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The mission in Adlehyde had been a success, but not without cost. Some soldiers had been lost, others injured. Thankfully, Solarian medicine is advanced -- most have either made a full recovery, or have recovered 'enough' for a release. And even those who still remain among injured are 'resting comfortably' at this point in time.
The flip side of this is that the other day had been Loren's first day off -- not counting the six or so hours break he'd been granted immediately after extraction from Adlehyde to recover from his mix of injuries and intentional self-doping -- since the conclusion of the mission, and he'd spent most of it asleep. The rest of it had been spent actually being a human being for once and possibly ruining carnival games for anyone else in Gebler, but, details.
Tomorrow, he was apparently returning to the Adlehyde region to gather intelligence.
And so the bulk of today had been spent following up on the worst of the injury cases still in medical (summary: not great, but not dead!) and making preparations for transit and so on tomorrow.
At this exact moment in time, he's getting something to eat in the mess hall, because night has finally fallen in and even he doesn't really feel like eating much during the day in Bledavik. To judge by the contents of his tray, it's a /lot/ of something. But to be fair, he hasn't eaten in over eight hours, and he's eighteen.
Pausing a moment, Loren scans the mess hall, looking somewhere to sit by himself.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Captain Kahm Yugh may have been cleared for a return to active duty yesterday morning, but the intervening 24 hours had felt anything like 'business as usual'. True to the Lieutenant Commander's word, he'd found himself ensconced in a bevy of meetings, reports, and debriefings with both the higher elements of command and the prime minister's internal staff, largely answering pointed questions and (where possible) providing a much-need perspective to the reality of operations on the ground.
If this was the life of a 'person of interest', Kahm thought, he would much rather be boring.
From the looks of things he'd have to endure about a week of this before having a chance of getting back out into the field to do work that (in the Captain's opinion) actually mattered, or at least mattered more. For now, however, Kahm was taking a much-needed break to grab a quick meal before flitting off to his next debriefing session. The man had one of the indulgences he allowed his rank to provide him on his tray: A full Captain's meal, consisting of a medium rare steak with assorted sides and accouterments.
It's not until he turns a corner and comes into Loren's line of sight (while the Lieutenant does the same for him) that those plans look to extend a bit.
"Lieutenant." Kahm said by way of greeting, surveying the other's meal, the seat's available, and the comparative desertion of the reserved officer's table right now. "Why don't you have a seat with me?" He offered, "Captains are allowed a guest or two in the reserved area during lunch."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
If Loren had been asked, even about ten minutes ago, to say how he expected his evening to go, he would have anticipated eating alone, which was fine, before retiring to quarters to read until lights out, which also was fine.
If he were asked /now/, he would have had to have changed his estimation of things entirely. For various reasons.
He straightens, that much more, and probably would have saluted if he didn't have his hands full. He might be first class-born, but distinctions like that matter less in Gebler than elsewhere. Far less, most likely, considering the situation of his family. Voss is a name worth almost nothing after what their son had cost the Empire -- only their blood spares them a worse fate. "Sir," Loren says, already on high alert.
It's one of those requests that he -- as far as he sees it, as far as he's come to expect things from early on in Jugend -- that isn't /really/ a request. "...Of course, sir."
He glances sidelong, wondering if anyone else is watching this, wondering if they'll suspect he's receiving 'undue' favor.
The hypocrisy on display here -- considering he'd been thinking the same about Elly, just the night before -- doesn't cross his mind.
If Kahm leads, he'll follow.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm nodded, then turned to lead the way. If Loren's looking, he won't find much in the way of response from the rest of the room. Most seem to be more concerned with eating their food then who gets to to sit where. The pair does, however, get a few inquiring glances from the other officers at the reserved section when they take a seat on the far side of the table, notably a few seats away from anything else.
This may have far less to do with Loren than with who he is with, but Kahm seems or pretends not to notice, dutifully digging into his meal with fork and knife as soon he sits. A few moments of silence pass between the two men where the memory of their last exchange hovers over them like a dense, awkward cloud. Kahm paid this no mind as well, and spoke to get it out of the way as soon as he swallowed.
"I owe you an apology, Lieutenant." The Captain leveled a flat, unassuming gaze at Loren from across the table, "I had enough shrapnel in my side to set off a metal detector at the time and was about to pass out, but it was a mistake on my part to bring up your personal history like that."
The word were genuine, and request of Kahm by no one other than his own personal sense of decorum. Not that the Lieutenant would know that.
"Again, you and the other performed admirably under the demands of a uncertain and unexpected situation." The man turned his attention back to his meal, cutting off another piece of his take, "You can all likely expect commendations from Commander Ramses in the near future."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Internally, Loren sighs. People /are/ looking. Great. This is going to go so very well for him later. Still, he makes himself as comfortable as is possible, under the situation, at the table.
An awkward silence has settled over this end of the table. In truth, Loren doesn't know /what/ to say. Comment on the Captain's wounds healing? Discuss the mission, or pending orders? Talk about the weather? It's easier to focus on the meal.
Granted, the amount of awkwardness that's been generated through most people Loren has had much contact with since arriving in Bledavik is already thick enough to cut with a knife.
Nevertheless.
Loren glances up. "An apology, sir?" Setting down his knife, he reaches up to readjust his glasses, meeting Kahm's gaze.
His blue eyes unfocus a touch, for just a moment. So too does Loren's grip on his fork tighten. Shoulders still tense -- they never had relaxed, really, under the circumstances, there's a moment or two before he responds, "...It isn't a problem. It was fine."
Because what can he say, really? That it damn well is a problem? That he can't stand it when anyone even says that bastard's name around him, or even hints about what happened? Of course he can't--
He snaps back to reality a moment later, blinking as he takes in the trailing end of Kahm's words. Hurriedly, Loren attempts to backtrack the last few seconds of the conversation. "...Commendations? Sir?"
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm Yugh is now fool. Although Loren may say everything is fine, everything else about the young man says it is not. They way his body tensed-shoulders shaking, fists clenching as he observed a sense of decorum fitting both his class and rank. These were the motions of a body gripped in the ripe agonies of anger, of loathing, of hatred.
Kahm knew these signs all too well. His fork paused in the air, a morsel of meat skewered on its end, and was carefully set back down on his plate.
"That's good to know." The Captain spoke with calm blue eyes, content to say nothing else on the matter.
"Yes." He answered when Loren questioned the commendations, "The Lieutenant Commander paid me a visit while I was laid up in the hospital. She mentioned she had put in for several of us, and I spoke to her of your actions in particular after our transport craft went down."
The Captain resumed eating. "I take it you read my report." He observed in time, having already reviewed the Lieutenant's upcoming deployment orders, "Were you going to investigate the mage?"
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
In the end, it doesn't matter how little Loren is willing to admit about his true feelings on the subject -- not when his body speaks volumes for him.
Not that there's much of anything he could say -- not when propriety cut into line first. It's how it had always been, even back then. No one had said a thing -- they pretended nothing had happened, and then turned around and spoke their real thoughts to one another.
Kahm tactfully leaves the matter behind. It takes Loren a few moments longer, the transition helped by the icy sensation of being a few seconds late to the change of topic. Nothing promotes a change of mood better.
"Oh, did she..." Brow creasing, Loren's gaze flickers downwards to the table. It's not that he's unhappy, honestly, just...
More that he's not really sure what to do with actual genuine praise from a superior. He looks back up. "I... see. Thank you, sir," he says in the end, honestly at a loss.
Silence plays out across both ends of the table as Loren similarly returns to eating. "...I did," he replies after a moment, setting down his fork briefly. "I recall the fire he caused towards the end of the engagement. That seems to be an avenue I can pursue." Even if fire-oriented magic isn't his specialty. "I understand from reports that medical staff were being sought after in Adlehyde. This might be a good opportunity to gather intelligence, particularly regarding the mage." He pauses a moment, glancing away from the table. "Someone might know him, or have seen him. Did we have a name?"
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"I have no doubt your skills will find much need amidst the refugee centers developing on the border of Adlehyde and the Aveh desert. If nothing else, you'll have good opportunity to learn what has transpired in Adlehyde since our absence." Kahm said, his eating mostly a rhythmic action by now has mind delved into the far more important task of defining mission parameters. Cutting, chewing, and tasting all seemed to happen as minute background affair in between bouts of analyses.
"The Black Ties will be providing a measure of assistance and relief themselves, so they can provide you with an insertion point into the situation. However, I don't think you're likely to find the target in the medical camps unless he himself gets wounded." Kahm said, peering out the side of his eye as few of the other officers at the end of the table finished their meal and passed them by.
The Captain chewed in silence for a few moments until they were out of earshot, then continued. "We don't have a name, but what we do now suggests he is not does not share the humanitarian bent of many drifters. The Lieutenant Commander had intel placing him at the exhibition of the golems prior to the invasion. Apparently he took advantage of some confusion during a lecture to steal a sample of what was believed to be metal demon blood, and may have attempted to damage one of the golems even at the point. We must consider that, like us, his role in the defense of city was incidental to his true objective: Not the capture of the golems, but their destruction."
That seemed like an unlikely agenda for Kislev agent until it became clear they wouldn't be able to recover a golem for themselves, but Kahm kept that analyses himself.
"My guess is you'll have more like trying digs or other avenues where the excavation of technology of some sort is a factor. That, or trailing the golem the metal demons took." The Captain said, and seemed to consider his next words carefully, "Not that I would advise that action on their owns. The demons don't seem terribly interested in taking and holding territory, but you saw yourself how they operated."
Kahm placed his utensils down a now-empty plate. "That's about all I can do for you from here. I'd like to join you and Lieutenant Van Houten in the field, but they're keeping me in Bledavik for at least another week playing politics." He gave Loren something of a rueful smile, "If you want some advice: try to avoid too many promotions. Anything that puts you further behind a desk only makes it more difficult to make a difference."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren is not an easy person to talk to, as other people have discovered. Asocial, if not somewhat anti-, it's difficult to get much in the way of conversation out of him at even the best of times.
But all that seems to always change when it comes to tactical discussion. Maybe it's because this is the one area where he doesn't have to worry /about/ having to hold his own in conversation and he can even sort of relax -- he just has to talk about the facts and what's at stake in a broader sense, leaving himself and his insecurities behind.
He similarly attempts to fill in the gaps where he can with what's left of his meal. Time is prime real estate, so to speak -- and that holds doubly true for the Captain. "...No, I doubt I would find him there," he says at length. "However, Drifters tend to know other Drifters, and someone may have seen or heard something. If nothing else, it's a good way to insert myself into a trustworthy position." He hesitates, momentarily. "I'll follow up with the Black Ties for assistance." It might help smooth over matters, especially given the uncertain state of some of the camps. Even if he has certain misgivings.
As if sensitive to the presence of the other officers, Loren's gaze flicks over their way as they pass. There's not much food on his tray left at this point; he's nothing if not efficient. "...Interesting," he says at last, setting down his utensils on the now cleared tray. His forehead creases. "That might help with locating him. ...Additionally, I think there was a site where one of the golems was unearthed fairly recent to the invasion event. I believe van Houten might have already investigated, but another search may be useful." Particularly in light of recent events.
He folds his gloved hands loosely on the tabletop. "...No, I don't think following them would help us. If we were detected..." He glances up, meeting Kahm's gaze, then looks away again, shaking his head. "I think it's too risky. There are too many unknown factors, between that mysterious vessel and the metal demons. We could end up spreading ourselves too thin. ...With all due respect, sir," he adds, glancing down towards the table. It's his honest opinion, but did he overstep?
"I... see, sir." Loren doesn't smile back. He doesn't seem like he'd even know /how/. He just nods, short, crisp motion. "I will keep it in mind," he says, and it's only a touch flatly. That's what a promotion wins you -- glory, but also the weight of additional responsibility.
But for those who fail to win glory...
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"No worries Lieutenant, I agree: trailing the demons right now is far too much risk for far too little rewards. That kind of recklessness is best left to drifters themselves." Kahm's demeanor seemed to neither change nor sour at Loren's suggestion, "When I was a Lieutenant, I found that the superior officers who listened to their direct reports typically made better decisions, at least in my opinion. I try to keep that in mind now that I've moved a little higher in the world."
In any case, the Captain seems to have no issue what Loren's own estimation of the situation or where he can start. "Those sound like valid places to begin a search, just be sure to rely on your network where necessary. I won't be able to provide support directly to any of you for a while." He said, gathering his tray and standing to his feet. Although he didn't quite admit to himself at the time, part of man felt...well, a little anxious about the Lieutenants headed back to the field without him.
They are adults. They will be fine.
"I hate to dine and run, but I'll be holding up some people you don't want to annoy if I don't get going." Kahm spoke, double-checking one more time to ensure nothing was left behind, "Good luck out there Lieutenant Voss, I'll look forward to your findings."
And with that, the Captain turns on his heel to bus his tray and head towards his next hour-long deliberation with command.