Spotlight [Alastair/Calliope]

Sun Aug 06, 2023 2:50 am

Calliope R. Schwarzmann
Director, Albedochiffren 

Calliope had two reasons for calling this meeting. She had only told the subject one of these reasons. Her office was finally starting to get some décor. A ficus was in one corner, some kind of modern art hung on the wall to her left, and she had one of those quaint antique wooden pecking birds on her desk. There was still more to do, but this was fine for now. Once she received word that Administrator Alastair Eisfluch was on this floor, she stood by her door. The blinds were drawn, so no one could see in. She was alerted he was ready to see her with a buzz on an old-style intercom. She opened the door after a short delay and greeted Alastair with a wide smile.

"How good to finally meet you, Administrator Eisfluch. I'm the new Director for the Albedochiffren, Calliope Schwarzmann. Thank you for taking the time for this meeting." Calliope had practiced his name for hours. She had known someone with the name Eisenfluch back in her DARPA days and getting over the small difference was taking more effort than she realized. Calliope extended a hand and ushered him inside. She bade him sit on a chair opposite her desk and took a seat. "Your recovery from the recent battle—how has it been going? I hope that our staff has been treating you well."

End Transmission

Mon Aug 14, 2023 12:55 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH

Changes in personnel, in particular the appointment of a new Director, were the kind of appointments that Alastair made sure to keep on top of. He had some small amount of rapport with the previous head of the Albedochiffren, though more in her capacity as the mother of Miss Inanna than professionally, but her replacement was a relative unknown. Ms Schwarzmann had certainly risen rapidly through the ranks, though that was likely a testament to her prior experience in other similar outfits. What files he could read on the matter, he had done so well before the invitation to a meeting landed on his desk. To be invited to such a thing was rather surprising in itself, though he was still coming to terms with his own rising renown within the organisation.

He met her at the door, offering a curt nod in response to her polite smile. His features did not shift into the same though, with a rigid formality to his every movement that better fit his position as a soldier than an Administrator. Orange eyes did soften, just a shade, at the effort she put into pronouncing his name. It was a little thing, one that many hardly would have noticed, but he did genuinely appreciate the gesture. Settling into the chair, he sat comfortably but not so leisurely to the point that he could be considered rude. Rather, if anything, he was trying to convince her that he was at ease.

"A pleasure to meet you in turn, Director Schwarzmann. Though I was fortunate enough to avoid major injury in my engagement, the same cannot be said for many of my comrades and I am thankful for the Albedochiffren's efforts in that regard." Avoiding injury was one way to describe the power of the Feuersouverän, but Alastair did not exactly deem it necessary to dive into the details of his abilities. "I expect there will be more battles in the near future, though, as we are far from out of the fire."

Smoke and Mirrors | END POST

Tue Aug 15, 2023 3:31 am

Calliope R. Schwarzmann
Director, Albedochiffren 

"Yes, we are definitely doing the best we can with what we have. I'm just glad that the Sternritter are receiving good support. I can't vouch for all of my staff just yet, so there's a lot of crossed fingers there." Calliope let out a small, disarming chuckle. Her first impression was that her guess was right on the money. He seemed to be perfect for what she had planned. "And you are right, Ser Eisfluch. I don't think this will be the last battle, especially around that... thing." Calliope thought of the reports she had received about the "hole." From what little she had gleamed, dangerous was an understatement. In her old position, the President would have ordered a nuclear strike on—no, in it. She'd be lying if she weren't considering recommending that course of action, but that was Plan G. Right now, she had to try work out Plans A and B. That started with the unintentionally ironic Alastair. "I don't want to call it a simple hole. It's a gaping maw into an abyss we know nothing about. I'm going to try to get some more intelligence on it, but in the meantime, I'd like your opinions on some matters that this battle has brought up."

"To put it mildly, we did not succeed, and, frankly, haven't been for some time. At best, we're looking at a scenario that the only positive is that people like you and Ser Arant survived. I want to know what you, as someone who was with the 'boots on the ground' in Africa, think we could do better at. Tactics and overall combat capabilities are best left to your units, but as your support staff, if there's anything the Albedochiffren could do better to better assist the frontlines, I want to hear it. Technological developments, deployment of certain support networks, reallocating personnel—the book is thrown completely open on what I'm looking at altering for the sake of our continued survival and eventual success."

End Transmission

Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:03 am

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH

Alastair watched Calliope closely as she spoke, his attention clearly focused on her though he tried to be as polite as possible. Informality just did not come naturally to him, even for the sake of making a good first impression. He had never assumed that she had picked him out at random, though. There was a reason that he in particular was here, and his position was only a portion of that equation.

"Respectfully, Director, it was an ambush on a scale entirely unprecedented since the end of the war. If we had known that an attack was coming then countless Vandenreich lives could have been saved, but I would not place the fault for that on anyone but myself. Every Soldat that took an assignment at the hole knew the risks and the potential that a disaster such as this could befall them, I consider myself grateful that we have so many brave personnel that are willing to take such risks to protect others. I would not wish to belittle that dedication by suggesting that only fighters capable enough to fend off Vasto Lorde-grade opponents should be deployed to the field. But..."

He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, mulling over the issue at hand as she presented options to him. It was not a problem that could be fixed with a few technical developments or additional manpower, as much as he wanted to suggest more of both. The truth of the matter was that they were simply outmatched, and they needed to close that gap today because tomorrow was fast approaching.

"More than anything else, we need as great of an understanding of the situation as we can get. The data we will only get from going right into this abyss you speak of. So, as I am in the position to advise you on what direction to take, it would be figuring out how to make that work both logistically and technologically. I have spoken with the Grandmaster about leading such a venture, and he and I are in agreement that the sooner we can do so then the better."

Smoke and Mirrors | END POST

Sat Sep 02, 2023 12:04 am

Calliope R. Schwarzmann
Director, Albedochiffren 

Oh Alastair was perfect for her plans. Considerate of his subordinates? Check. Thoughtful and introspective? Check. Appealing to gaze at? Check. Calliope listened to Alastair's suggestions and replies with interest. At the same time, she was reading over the abridged reports of the incidents in Africa. "Make that three in agreement. Further research as to the Hole and its inhabitants is definitely needed. Perhaps if we had proper Reiatsu sensors it wouldn't be as difficult..." Calliope had already returned to her DARPA days and sketched out a few designs. None of them were quite ready for deployment.

As Calliope continued reading over the paperwork, a thought crossed her mind. "It wasn't clear in the reports. To the best of your knowledge, did the Vasto Lorde-level threats come from the hole itself?" She began to contemplate the idea of a research mission. And there was one thing Alastair said that had her hesitating. "How many combat-ready personnel do we have that can handle that level of threat?" Calliope refused to send anyone on a guaranteed failure. Depending on his answer, she may have to either go herself or advise against the mission...

End Transmission

Tue Sep 19, 2023 5:29 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH

As he seemed to have piqued her interest, Alastair could not help but feel like Calliope was leading him along to an eventual conclusion with her questions. He knew what he had signed up for, though, and made the effort to follow her along on this journey. It was not an unfamiliar road, in truth, but perhaps walking it aloud might elucidate him to details that he had missed. Two brains were often better than one, after all.

"Inside and out, though I believe that more came externally initially. It is my understanding that many of those Vasto Lorde that ventured into the hole after the attack have remained there for some time too, but their motivations for doing so are not so easily divined."

The second question she asked posed a more pertinent problem than he would have liked to have to outline, as there really was no good way to spin it. Alastair paused for a moment, wondering perhaps if she intended to test his ability to be tactful, before deciding to stick to his guns and speak the hard truth. She was a Director, her clearance at this time did exceed his own, but she would have to make peace with his directness soon enough.

"Individually? Perhaps one. As part of a combined taskforce, I would consider half a dozen of our most capable personnel up to the task. But, given the concentration of such threats and the likelihood of isolating any of them, any direct confrontation at this stage would be undesirable. I have no desire to lean on the Gotei United for support, but, in a contest of strength alone, the Vandenreich is sorely outgunned. We will have to find our edge another way, and that is why I believe we need to take the risk for the potential information we could gain."

Smoke and Mirrors | END POST

Sat Sep 23, 2023 2:57 pm

Calliope R. Schwarzmann
Director, Albedochiffren 

"Understood... That is concerning to say the least." Calliope had dozens of different thoughts running through her brain as to the whys. So far aside from the nonzero chance of hollow-mass-suicide, none were good for the Vandenreich or the people of Earth. This would likely cause more issues than anything since World War IV. A headache was brewing, and Calliope didn't have the tools to deal with it. Neither did the Vandenreich as a whole—at least according toe Alastair.

"Unfortunately, our assessments of the Vandenreich's strengths match for the most part." Calliope let out a sigh. This was the first time she was truly disappointed and frustrated at the same time. She had honestly hoped that her and Emil's assessments were wrong. They weren't. She had a handful of plans she could go for, but... Right now, this was all she could do. "If this turns into a war where we are standing alone, it could be the end as we know it..." She shook her head. That was for another time, another place, and another person. "As for the gathering of information, I will personally take operational command for the Albedochiffren's response. If anyone should be there from my branch, it should be someone with at least some combat experience."

"I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I do have... one other matter to bring up with you." Now, it was the hard part. "Morale is low. I probably shouldn't be sharing this, but I feel it shows the full extent of our predicament. I've started getting reports of deserters and early retirements. We need to do something to promote the Vandenreich and raise our non-existent morale. I think we need someone to promote us. Be it on an occasional interview, promotional posters, et cetera. And to do that, we need someone who was on the frontlines, someone who is relatively famous and well-liked among their superiors and subordinates alike, and, frankly, someone who looks good on camera." She let it hang for just a moment. "And you, Alastair Eisfluch, are perfect for that role."

End Transmission

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