"Yes, sir." Long Caster nods.
"Good, because if we are going to accomplish this goal, all of us are going to need to," Pulford said, pulling his lips up in a grim mockery of a smile.
"In the meanwhile, see Chief Logistics Officer Daniel Snow immediately; I quite like having a door to my office, and if you delay any longer, Officer Snow will discover a way to destroy the door within regulations. Dismissed."
True to form, the moment Long Caster opened the door, Pulford, Long Caster, and Daniel Snow all immediately noticed Daniel's hands taking a screwdriver to the hinges.
"Sir! Chief Logistics Officer Daniel Snow conducting field repairs on the final protective layer to the headquarters, sir! In the absence of an IUN-PKF-XCOM doctrine, I am relying upon my multinational liason training under Emmerian, Osean, Yuktobanian, among others, sir! As a former Emmerian Logistics Officer, I have the qualifications to conduct any field repairs as I progressed through the enlisted track. Under Emmerian, Nordennavian, Yuktobanian, Osean, and Sotoan doctrines, any area which has seen intense combat within two weeks qualifies as a battlefield. On January 1st, an engagement occured with greater than 20% casualties, which by those cited doctrines qualifies such an engagement as intense combat. Furthermore, under the Emmerian, Yuktobanian, and Sotoan doctrines it is encouraged to begin field repairs as soon as an issue is detected in an unused piece of equipment, without waiting for a superior's orders. Within Estovakian special operations training, the room entrances and exits which contain command units are categorized as the final protective layer for said command units. Therefore, under a combination of Estovakian, Emmerian, Osean, and Yuktobanian doctrines I am within regulations, sir!"
"You were trying to unscrew the door to strangle Long Caster," Pulford deadpanned.
"I refuse to self-incriminate, sir!" Daniel Snow immediately replied.
Pulford raised an eyebrow.
Daniel Snow held himself at attention.
Pulford sighed and raised his palm to his face.
"Congratulations, Chief Officer Daniel Snow. You have been given the great responsibility of writing our doctrines. I expect the report on my desk by Friday 1200 hours. If it is not satisfactory, you will be tasked to rewrite it. Am I clear?" Pulford said, rocking back into his chair.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Good. Now, shut -" Pulford said, trailing off.
Silence filled the space. Pulford's chest barely rising and lowering was the only sign he was still alive, hand still draped over his face.
"Do you think if we just leave him there, he'll forget -" Daniel started.
"Write, the, report," Pulford said softly, in between breaths.
Daniel's lips pulled into a thin line, nodding.
Both men found it wise to relocate.
That didn't stop Daniel Snow from turning around and immediately fixing Long Caster with his greatest death glare. Any more focused, and Long Caster would swear he was facing the Arsenal Bird's laser.
"So, Long Caster, care to explain what the fuck the allocations look like this week?"
"Uhhhh...."
"Forget it. Give me your priorities."
Daniel Snow has forced you into a series of meetings, worth 25 Focus in commitments. Vote on an allocation plan!
Daniel Snow squints, and eyeballs the cost of maintaining the current air force and weapon loadouts at about 120 IC.
"Wait. We have superplanes; the special stuff costs a fuckton, but..."
Price per installation:
EML: 2000 IC*
*the Nosferatu can install three.
Prices per shot:
ADMM: 50 IC
Vote like so:
[] [Logistics] X IC maintaining airforce, Y IC to buy, etc.
"This is Dr. Vahlen, reporting in.
"Progress has been slow but frustrating; we had no possible leads for a few days, which led some of our researchers to become...slightly distressed. I am unsure whether to categorize this as fortunate or unfortuate, but their...displays of frustration eventually revealed that the the alien craft did not uniformly vibrate across what we previously believed to be a one continuous plane of uniform density. In fact, one of our more astute scientists noted that the vibrations seemed to expose hairline fractures. Afterwards, when we allowed the scientists to...vent their frustrations and prepared something with which to leverage the small opening such displays would generate, we were able to pry open what we are now recognizing as alien exhaust vents, which exposed sections that did respond to our other extractive techniques. After one more day after our scientists figured this out, we have successfully removed pieces from an alien fighter, which unfortunately did not survive the process.
Personally, I must say that I am some mix of excited and saddened. I am excited by the potential that these alien craft represent, of an alien scientific tradition to discover and learn. I am saddened because the very first thing we will do with that wonderful knowledge is to use it to wage ever-greater wars, as all weapon scientists eventually discover.
But I am not here to leave my musings on the records. This is Dr. Vahlen, reporting a success."
-1 Alien Fighter Wreck
+20 Alien Alloy Fragments
[Alien Technology Research: Basic Xenology Completed! 40/40]
What does the Think Tank research now? Available Techs:
[] [Research] Alien Alloys [30/120]
[] [Research] Fighter Analysis [30/80]
[] [Research] Magnetic Accelerators [0/???]
[] [Research] Cheaper Gen 5 Aircraft [0/???]
Public Relations Director Alys Vrabel spends every waking moment coaching Long Caster on his lines, on his appearance, and his message.
"It's like a high-low mix," Alys explains. "You, Long Caster, are the hero up high, the man who unified the fighters from different countries to save the world. You'll provide noble ideal and strong jawline that the public believes in to pressure the leaders, while Commander Stephen Pulford is the shady, greasy guy that all the big shots think is their guy. That's how we'll get 'em all. Works every time."
"That isn't how high-low mixes work, " Long Caster objected, back when he still foolishly believed that there was a way to escape the endless preparation.
"Oh, hush. I do makeovers and public relations, not literally correct metaphors. Before you say a word, I am literally using literally correctly."
Long Caster learned to shut up very quickly afterward.
So when the radar installation returned a message to him, Long Caster cheered for just a moment.
Then he read the message.
5 incoming signatures. Four stealth signatures, heading 1 8 0, will overfly base in twenty minutes. One fighter signature, heading 2 7 0, will overfly base in one hour.
It is January 11th. Long Caster is at 400 Focus, and still definitively has 60 Focus in commitments.
Launch Mission?
[] [Mission] Yes
[] [Mission] No
