Behind the Serpent Throne (CK2)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Turn 9--Results, A
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Turn 9--Part A
"Law is not a field I ever thought I'd see you digging into," Kueli said, "I cannot imagine you as a wise, long-bearded sage who knows every trial and precedent." The other man was sprawled, in the Southland fashion, across a couch.
It was a habit that now seemed almost a little odd to him, and he knew that this was part of adjusting. It didn't seem wrong, just different, the way Kueli was reclined like a Southlander Prince, picking at the bowl of fruit in front of him in a small room near the training field.
"It's important to keep them from causing havoc." Kiralo hesitated and said, "I can't stop certain things. They're going to go into fights, they're going to get drunk." He shrugged, "But I can't let it affect the army, and I don't want to have a roving squad of idiots let loose without any supervision."
There were other reasons, but, frowning, he wasn't sure how much concern for the lives of the peasants in the path of such an army weighed. After all, they were going to be robbed, or at least made to 'sell' their goods for a reduced price. The army would forage when it had to, and all the supplying and budgeting wouldn't stop the fact that they'd probably not be able to rely on the wagons the whole time, not without slowing to a snail's crawl.
But he knew that there were worse things an army could do, starting with murder and going up and up and up. It might not be encouraged, of course, but it would happen, and the most that could be done would be to control it. There was a reason that armies allowed women of a certain profession to follow along, and it was because it was far easier to keep it in-camp than have idiots, many of them driven by instincts more than sense, tramping around villages or going off on 'scouting patrols' that happen to have other purposes.
The specifics of the laws, on the other hand, would be intensely difficult, for though the laws had been made time and again, the old ones didn't quite fit.
"What about the scouts?" Kiralo asked, "Are they doing any better than the new men?"
"They're fine. You're just used to decent armies. Trust me, back when we were working with the militia's of the edgelands, we would have killed for someone who knew how to hold a spear. It's just the way they are. They aren't going to charge, and even in a formation, they're going to hesitate and cower and need to be prodded forward. It's why you have men with whips and swords and balls." Kueli laughed, shaking his head, "Seriously, though, what's the plan with the laws? You gonna make any examples?"
In a sense, it certainly would be easier. All of the new men were having to be trained in a number of things. Jin'ha had actually run him through the matter.
"I've only done it with bandit takers, but what you have to understand is that the militia is never going to be great for anything." The man, short and in his thirties, with a cultivated beard, looked over Kiralo uncertainty, still not sure of his place in all of this. He had local contacts and ties, and Kiralo had watched the training, thinking on how different it was with Rassit. "Most of the training should be to make sure they can march, obey orders, and fear you. Then you give them as many spirits, and as many names, as you can manage. Beyond letting them practice standing in formation, using a shield, stabbing...you aren't going to be able to make them into people who will go on their own."
"Very different from the Rassit," Kiralo said, frowning, looking at the other man, "So, we make them able to bear the march, and hope they stand up in battle?"
"You could train them a little, but it's not combat skill that matters. Battle's dangerous, even with the spirits, and so it's willingness to step forward and try, at least when we're talking rabble versus rabble. Bandits, now that's easy, they're decent individual fighters, but a line of crossbow or a few good soldiers and they're dying."
"I understand that much," Kiralo said, "Will they be ready?"
"Yes. We have to hope that the lords train their men a little as well, because otherwise we'll be getting ready all into the fall. Just wave after wave." He rubbed his eyes, "And we're going to have to move out of the city."
Kiralo frowned. That would be a nightmare, once it happened. He looked at the other man, "And the good news?"
"The good news is that it could be worse. This is what campaigns are."
"I know that much," Kiralo said, "Though I'd like to think that I'm not as incompetent as some I've seen in charge." He sighed and looked at Jin'ha. Evaluated him. "Talk to the local merchants, as well. See to it that if any soldier steals from them, it's reported to the right person. And that a record is kept, in case I want to see it."
"What? Why? A middle-man should handle that, someone with an iron rod."
Everyone knew that the only way rabble soldiers and the like would learn is through physical discipline. Beating and confinement were the two most common punishments in the laws and regulations he was trying to set up, and that was the way of the world. The Rassit did not act thus, but they were not a model for the world, far from it in some ways.
He would always be one of them, but their mindset was that of what they were: horsemen, and fast ones at that. A Rassit who felt mistreated could be a hundred miles away in a day, and even if other Rassit could chase him down, it'd mean they'd be going well out of the way of their objective, scattering any unity to the winds themselves.
"Because I've been told that it's a good idea," Kiralo said.
"By who?!"
******
"You have to show them that you have control," Yanmae said, in that soft, delicate voice of hers, as she glanced down at the tea. She seemed the last person to counsel harshness, but when he'd put his concerns in front of her, one of the two people he'd trust as regards to designing laws (and the only one who wasn't his father) she had been harsh.
"Death is not a punishment that should be meted out all that often, but they should fear it if they backslide. And you need to know how often people are punished because then you can know their offenses and can look for patterns."
"Patterns?"
She nodded, "Yes. Is a particular unit stunningly quiet, and yet you see no reason why? Perhaps someone is covering for them. And r-rapes…those will be hardest to notice." She frowned, her face troubled. "All this business of war and soldiers, it's not the kind of thing that interests me. But I know it is what interests you."
"It's what I'm best at, that's true," Kiralo asked, "Are things going well at court?"
He spent enough time there to know that nothing was on fire, but little more.
"Better than they could," Yanmae admitted with a shrug. "Better than they could. Father has things under control, but he's doubled the eunuch guards and servants."
"Why eunuch servants, when he could just use women?" Kiralo asked, frowning. It was something to think about, and he realized that there was a point to this musing, besides the fact that it was a point of curiosity.
Yanmae looked at him, her face blank, "I believe he might owe something to the eunuchs."
"That could be it. Perhaps it would create ties between me and them, even though I've not talked with them."
"You could hope so, but why would it matter, brother?" Yanmae asked.
"Because what better enforcers of certain laws than eunuch guards? Camp followers and prostitutes need to be regulated, and the men's...actions in regards to them need to be watched. And what better guards than eunuchs, if they can keep up?"
Yanmae shuddered, and he remembered that for all of her intelligence, she was a young woman of good breeding, and talk of prostitutes, any more than talk of mistresses that a future husband would likely take, was well beyond any politeness.
He watched her. That was one thing he had over her, or at least one thing that she wanted that he could give her. The absence of a marriage. And yet it was also one thing that he did not want to use against her. He knew what it was like, to be under the thumb, one way or another, of forces too powerful to buck, and he didn't want to be that sort of person.
Yet, even as an implied threat, one he would never carry out, it had its own weight. She didn't wish to marry, and if this was contrary to the way that men and women were supposed to live, that did not change that it was a contrariness that was entirely her own decision, if he had any say.
But he needed her, all the same. And she wanted to be needed. He felt as if he were peering at a painting from the wrong angle, and he rubbed his eyes, staring at her for a moment before saying, "I am sorry for what I said, Cs-Yanmae."
"It is fine. I simply cannot imagine why any woman would--" Yanmae paused, "Besides desperate need, and not all of them are desperate."
Kiralo frowned, and shrugged, "Why would any man, either?"
"Any man?" Yanmae asked, looking at him, the obvious question hanging in the air. Thus far, nobody else truly knew for sure that he was Mirena, at least at court. Kueli wouldn't spread that around, wouldn't have anyone to spread it around to, would consider it so obvious that it would not be worth saying.
"I'll marry when the time comes, Cs-Yanmae, and you have my promise that I will not marry you against your will, so long as I live."
"Then I should assure that you live to be older than father, Cs-Kiralo," Yanmae said, and her small, delicate face softened with relief.
*****
"I'm wondering about her. It is too bad I could not meet her, that would tell us for sure," Kueli said.
"Tell us what?" Kiralo asked, glancing at his friend as he played with an orange.
"Well, how devoted she is to never marrying. If she resists my charms, then she is truly dedicated to the task."
"You say that, you say that," Kiralo said, with a laugh, "But did you hear what the women called you when we went out?"
"What?" Kueli asked.
"Moustache Man," Kiralo said, nodding firmly.
"And of that I am proud, not embarrassed. I am not you, to cower at the prospect of being known for my looks. You could be drowning in...instead, here you are, trying to make laws to keep everyone from doing anything wrong, no matter how fun."
Kiralo shook his head, "There are limits. It is tiring, though, and so is the fact that people are already talking about you."
"And what are they saying?" Kueli asked.
"Besides the cracks about your moustache, you mean? That not only are you my right hand, but that I'm going to appoint you to high office, perhaps within the reserves."
"Are you?"
"I might, even," Kiralo admitted, glad that nobody was listening, "But…"
What's gone wrong? (Choose 1)
[] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[] "And I'm going to hope he doesn't die. Either way, that's one person who might not ever truly work with me, because Jun is my responsibility."
-[] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
[] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
[] "Jun's run into the problem that far too many people are trying to gain control of any potential reserves. Especially with troops coming in from Xissand, it's likely to be a council. A literal council of war...within the main body."
-[] "And I want you to get a seat on it."
-[] "And this isn't acceptable. I am going to try my best to destroy any foolish notions while I still can."
[] "You won't believe the argument that the council of generals is putting forward, regarding army structure…" "That bad?" "Worse."
******
A/N: And...ouch. That roll wasn't the best. It's not a complete failure or anything, since that'd be hard to do, but...it's a price. A very steep one, considering all of those undermine something about what the choice was getting at. This update wasn't great, but eh...
"Law is not a field I ever thought I'd see you digging into," Kueli said, "I cannot imagine you as a wise, long-bearded sage who knows every trial and precedent." The other man was sprawled, in the Southland fashion, across a couch.
It was a habit that now seemed almost a little odd to him, and he knew that this was part of adjusting. It didn't seem wrong, just different, the way Kueli was reclined like a Southlander Prince, picking at the bowl of fruit in front of him in a small room near the training field.
"It's important to keep them from causing havoc." Kiralo hesitated and said, "I can't stop certain things. They're going to go into fights, they're going to get drunk." He shrugged, "But I can't let it affect the army, and I don't want to have a roving squad of idiots let loose without any supervision."
There were other reasons, but, frowning, he wasn't sure how much concern for the lives of the peasants in the path of such an army weighed. After all, they were going to be robbed, or at least made to 'sell' their goods for a reduced price. The army would forage when it had to, and all the supplying and budgeting wouldn't stop the fact that they'd probably not be able to rely on the wagons the whole time, not without slowing to a snail's crawl.
But he knew that there were worse things an army could do, starting with murder and going up and up and up. It might not be encouraged, of course, but it would happen, and the most that could be done would be to control it. There was a reason that armies allowed women of a certain profession to follow along, and it was because it was far easier to keep it in-camp than have idiots, many of them driven by instincts more than sense, tramping around villages or going off on 'scouting patrols' that happen to have other purposes.
The specifics of the laws, on the other hand, would be intensely difficult, for though the laws had been made time and again, the old ones didn't quite fit.
"What about the scouts?" Kiralo asked, "Are they doing any better than the new men?"
"They're fine. You're just used to decent armies. Trust me, back when we were working with the militia's of the edgelands, we would have killed for someone who knew how to hold a spear. It's just the way they are. They aren't going to charge, and even in a formation, they're going to hesitate and cower and need to be prodded forward. It's why you have men with whips and swords and balls." Kueli laughed, shaking his head, "Seriously, though, what's the plan with the laws? You gonna make any examples?"
In a sense, it certainly would be easier. All of the new men were having to be trained in a number of things. Jin'ha had actually run him through the matter.
"I've only done it with bandit takers, but what you have to understand is that the militia is never going to be great for anything." The man, short and in his thirties, with a cultivated beard, looked over Kiralo uncertainty, still not sure of his place in all of this. He had local contacts and ties, and Kiralo had watched the training, thinking on how different it was with Rassit. "Most of the training should be to make sure they can march, obey orders, and fear you. Then you give them as many spirits, and as many names, as you can manage. Beyond letting them practice standing in formation, using a shield, stabbing...you aren't going to be able to make them into people who will go on their own."
"Very different from the Rassit," Kiralo said, frowning, looking at the other man, "So, we make them able to bear the march, and hope they stand up in battle?"
"You could train them a little, but it's not combat skill that matters. Battle's dangerous, even with the spirits, and so it's willingness to step forward and try, at least when we're talking rabble versus rabble. Bandits, now that's easy, they're decent individual fighters, but a line of crossbow or a few good soldiers and they're dying."
"I understand that much," Kiralo said, "Will they be ready?"
"Yes. We have to hope that the lords train their men a little as well, because otherwise we'll be getting ready all into the fall. Just wave after wave." He rubbed his eyes, "And we're going to have to move out of the city."
Kiralo frowned. That would be a nightmare, once it happened. He looked at the other man, "And the good news?"
"The good news is that it could be worse. This is what campaigns are."
"I know that much," Kiralo said, "Though I'd like to think that I'm not as incompetent as some I've seen in charge." He sighed and looked at Jin'ha. Evaluated him. "Talk to the local merchants, as well. See to it that if any soldier steals from them, it's reported to the right person. And that a record is kept, in case I want to see it."
"What? Why? A middle-man should handle that, someone with an iron rod."
Everyone knew that the only way rabble soldiers and the like would learn is through physical discipline. Beating and confinement were the two most common punishments in the laws and regulations he was trying to set up, and that was the way of the world. The Rassit did not act thus, but they were not a model for the world, far from it in some ways.
He would always be one of them, but their mindset was that of what they were: horsemen, and fast ones at that. A Rassit who felt mistreated could be a hundred miles away in a day, and even if other Rassit could chase him down, it'd mean they'd be going well out of the way of their objective, scattering any unity to the winds themselves.
"Because I've been told that it's a good idea," Kiralo said.
"By who?!"
******
"You have to show them that you have control," Yanmae said, in that soft, delicate voice of hers, as she glanced down at the tea. She seemed the last person to counsel harshness, but when he'd put his concerns in front of her, one of the two people he'd trust as regards to designing laws (and the only one who wasn't his father) she had been harsh.
"Death is not a punishment that should be meted out all that often, but they should fear it if they backslide. And you need to know how often people are punished because then you can know their offenses and can look for patterns."
"Patterns?"
She nodded, "Yes. Is a particular unit stunningly quiet, and yet you see no reason why? Perhaps someone is covering for them. And r-rapes…those will be hardest to notice." She frowned, her face troubled. "All this business of war and soldiers, it's not the kind of thing that interests me. But I know it is what interests you."
"It's what I'm best at, that's true," Kiralo asked, "Are things going well at court?"
He spent enough time there to know that nothing was on fire, but little more.
"Better than they could," Yanmae admitted with a shrug. "Better than they could. Father has things under control, but he's doubled the eunuch guards and servants."
"Why eunuch servants, when he could just use women?" Kiralo asked, frowning. It was something to think about, and he realized that there was a point to this musing, besides the fact that it was a point of curiosity.
Yanmae looked at him, her face blank, "I believe he might owe something to the eunuchs."
"That could be it. Perhaps it would create ties between me and them, even though I've not talked with them."
"You could hope so, but why would it matter, brother?" Yanmae asked.
"Because what better enforcers of certain laws than eunuch guards? Camp followers and prostitutes need to be regulated, and the men's...actions in regards to them need to be watched. And what better guards than eunuchs, if they can keep up?"
Yanmae shuddered, and he remembered that for all of her intelligence, she was a young woman of good breeding, and talk of prostitutes, any more than talk of mistresses that a future husband would likely take, was well beyond any politeness.
He watched her. That was one thing he had over her, or at least one thing that she wanted that he could give her. The absence of a marriage. And yet it was also one thing that he did not want to use against her. He knew what it was like, to be under the thumb, one way or another, of forces too powerful to buck, and he didn't want to be that sort of person.
Yet, even as an implied threat, one he would never carry out, it had its own weight. She didn't wish to marry, and if this was contrary to the way that men and women were supposed to live, that did not change that it was a contrariness that was entirely her own decision, if he had any say.
But he needed her, all the same. And she wanted to be needed. He felt as if he were peering at a painting from the wrong angle, and he rubbed his eyes, staring at her for a moment before saying, "I am sorry for what I said, Cs-Yanmae."
"It is fine. I simply cannot imagine why any woman would--" Yanmae paused, "Besides desperate need, and not all of them are desperate."
Kiralo frowned, and shrugged, "Why would any man, either?"
"Any man?" Yanmae asked, looking at him, the obvious question hanging in the air. Thus far, nobody else truly knew for sure that he was Mirena, at least at court. Kueli wouldn't spread that around, wouldn't have anyone to spread it around to, would consider it so obvious that it would not be worth saying.
"I'll marry when the time comes, Cs-Yanmae, and you have my promise that I will not marry you against your will, so long as I live."
"Then I should assure that you live to be older than father, Cs-Kiralo," Yanmae said, and her small, delicate face softened with relief.
*****
"I'm wondering about her. It is too bad I could not meet her, that would tell us for sure," Kueli said.
"Tell us what?" Kiralo asked, glancing at his friend as he played with an orange.
"Well, how devoted she is to never marrying. If she resists my charms, then she is truly dedicated to the task."
"You say that, you say that," Kiralo said, with a laugh, "But did you hear what the women called you when we went out?"
"What?" Kueli asked.
"Moustache Man," Kiralo said, nodding firmly.
"And of that I am proud, not embarrassed. I am not you, to cower at the prospect of being known for my looks. You could be drowning in...instead, here you are, trying to make laws to keep everyone from doing anything wrong, no matter how fun."
Kiralo shook his head, "There are limits. It is tiring, though, and so is the fact that people are already talking about you."
"And what are they saying?" Kueli asked.
"Besides the cracks about your moustache, you mean? That not only are you my right hand, but that I'm going to appoint you to high office, perhaps within the reserves."
"Are you?"
"I might, even," Kiralo admitted, glad that nobody was listening, "But…"
What's gone wrong? (Choose 1)
[] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[] "And I'm going to hope he doesn't die. Either way, that's one person who might not ever truly work with me, because Jun is my responsibility."
-[] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
[] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
[] "Jun's run into the problem that far too many people are trying to gain control of any potential reserves. Especially with troops coming in from Xissand, it's likely to be a council. A literal council of war...within the main body."
-[] "And I want you to get a seat on it."
-[] "And this isn't acceptable. I am going to try my best to destroy any foolish notions while I still can."
[] "You won't believe the argument that the council of generals is putting forward, regarding army structure…" "That bad?" "Worse."
******
[] Lay Down the Law
-[] Kiralo
-[] Need: Variable, Rolled: 1d100+8=98
[] Reserved Elite (Jun)
Result: 1d100+15+5=36
-[] Kiralo
-[] Need: Variable, Rolled: 1d100+8=98
[] Reserved Elite (Jun)
Result: 1d100+15+5=36
A/N: And...ouch. That roll wasn't the best. It's not a complete failure or anything, since that'd be hard to do, but...it's a price. A very steep one, considering all of those undermine something about what the choice was getting at. This update wasn't great, but eh...
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
Bad, but synergy with Lay Down the Law being a good roll
Bad, but synergy with Lay Down the Law being a good roll
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
[X] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
Last edited:
keios
very normal
- Location
- US
Nice to see Kiralo and Yanmae helping each other out.
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
- Location
- ?
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
A duel could be ok as well, but no more council, eh.
A duel could be ok as well, but no more council, eh.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
@The Laurent Is this a fight to the death, to first blood or until one of them surrenders?
Possible loss of a general and, even if we settle the matter, that's still an insulted commander, who might be a noble, and any friends they have within the army.
Possible loss of an entire unit of trained soldiers. We kind of need as many elites as we can get and the reserves will no doubt be weaker with this.
Please no, we don't need to deal with yet another group within our army. Kueli having a seat in it would make it less worse, but he's only one man and we'd still have to push around those who are immune to the mustache to do what we want. Destroying it is no doubt going to piss a good number of people off.
If the army structure is a mess, that's going to make communication and giving orders during a fight that much harder. We don't need that.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Fight until surrender.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
"I'm a general, not a miracle worker, Envoy."
- Location
- ?
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
Next time we should look for someone with that on their description then.
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
[X] "A commander has been caught encouraging lax discipline and abusing his men, including in some ways that deserve worse than a caning. Now a whole group of trained soldiers need to be evaluated to see if they were in on, say, the…" "The what?" "The...acts."
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
I think I'd rather take the risk that Kiralo can settle this and that the commander isn't too important than lose Emperor knows how many of our elite troops.
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
I think I'd rather take the risk that Kiralo can settle this and that the commander isn't too important than lose Emperor knows how many of our elite troops.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote closes tomorrow! vote!
slybrarian
Creature of Fable
- Location
- A Far and Sunless Land
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
This seems a little easier to defuse without causing major problems for the rest of the army.
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
This seems a little easier to defuse without causing major problems for the rest of the army.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Four hour warning!
- Location
- Germany
Warning? That sounds disquieting.
@The Laurent, I am probably a bit late, but how big is this group of trained soldiers that needs to be evaluated, in comparison to the overall number of trained soldiers we command?
@The Laurent, I am probably a bit late, but how big is this group of trained soldiers that needs to be evaluated, in comparison to the overall number of trained soldiers we command?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A pretty decent chunk of the group that would be designated the 'reserve'.
- Location
- Germany
[X] "Jun's somehow managed to get into a fight. He's going to duel one of the commanders tomorrow morning."
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
On second thoughts, I would rather have this than risk a good chunk of our reserves. I hope that the worst result from this choice would be that we have to cut Jun loose.
-[X] "And I'm going to go there tonight and try to settle this matter, one way or another. I can only hope it doesn't make things worse."
On second thoughts, I would rather have this than risk a good chunk of our reserves. I hope that the worst result from this choice would be that we have to cut Jun loose.