Threid
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Tachiagare, GANDAMU!
Posts: 385
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Post by Threid on Jun 3, 2010 20:18:40 GMT -5
The Beam Team had been defeated, even one man up, and various theories were being thrown around as to the cause. Karol and Kelly had decided that it was Gerard's plan that had cut them off at the knees. They admitted that the plan wasn't bad - for a ground operation. The fact that they were on Orange base, sparring with limited space, changed things considerably. Gerard had meant for them to fail, to punish them for the bets they'd made.
But Kyle wasn't so sure. Lt. Gerard was a hard man, with a long history of military service and a fondness for strict protocol that Kyle didn't understand. He didn't think that Gerard would purposely give them a bad battle strategy, just to prove a point. Their failure, he argued, was due to a mix of relative inexperience, poor coordination between teammates, and simple luck. Sure, numbers had been on their side, but numbers weren't everything in battle - not always.
He was debating the pros and cons of disobeying a superior's orders in order to win a spar, when they were interrupted by the sudden entrance of a few familiar faces. Fortunately, none of them belonged to Lt. Gerard, and the members of The Beam Team almost sighed in relief as they reached for their wallets. It was time to pay the piper for their bet, foolish or not.
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Post by dj1678 on Jun 3, 2010 23:42:19 GMT -5
Lt. Reaves, otherwise known as Max, led Aurem and Arieta toward the room on Orange Base where he knew most of the Beam Team waited.
"So nice of you to join us this time, Arieta. I'm glad you finally finished your paperwork." Max said cheerfully.
"I'm not finished. But someone has to make sure you don't start anything else stupid." Arieta responded.
"What? It was just a harmless little bet." Max replied with a sincerely innocent face.
"I think she means the part about us fighting on top of a moving battleship." Aurem interjected.
"Oh, well, then happy to have you along, Arieta, that was a pretty big oversight."
Arieta smiled, feeling very self-satisfied.
Upon entering the room where the Beam Team waited, Max noted the looks of genuine relief on their faces and began preparations for another one of his 'brilliant' plans.
"Gentlemen! ...and lady. Please, no need to look so relieved. I have an idea that will allow you to keep your wallets where they belong, allow you to make a certain someone look as foolish as you likely feel, and still pay me your dues." Max said smoothly while looking back to check with his 'advisers.'
Max had explained their role in his plan a little earlier, but was apparently double checking anyway. Arieta merely shrugged. Aurem looked a little stunned that Arieta wasn't going to complain that Max was 'starting something stupid,' but quickly recovered and gave Max a thumbs up.
"My staff has given me the go signal. So what's it going to be?"
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Threid
Full Member
Tachiagare, GANDAMU!
Posts: 385
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Post by Threid on Jun 4, 2010 0:21:11 GMT -5
The Beam Team paused awkwardly, wondering whether they ought to put their money back in their pockets, or leave it out. Kelly made as if to speak, but Karol stopped her and they both glanced at Kyle, waiting for him to take the lead. He hesitated, trying to reason out the proper response. On the one hand, we was part of a team that was being mishandled - or at least overly handled - by Lt. Gerard. On the other hand, he was part of the Earth Federation Ground Forces, and ought to show the proper respect. He decided to take the middle road, as he usually did.
"It would be foolish to feel foolish after losing a spar, even one as unorthodox as ours. The Beam Team is always looking for ways to better ourselves and those we serve with." He stood and saluted as he spoke; it was proper enough to satisfy his own desire to do things properly, and lazy enough to satisfy Lt. Reave's disdain of it.
He gave polite nods to Aurem and Arieta before continuing, his voice stronger now., "As for your plan, we'd have to hear more about it before we commit to it one way or another; The Beam Team likes to know what it's getting itself into - such an attitude might have led us to victory in our recent spar... Speaking of which, if you're ever up for a rematch, let us know."
"And the money is yours. A bet's a bet, and we're not going back on it," Kelly half-slid, half-tossed the money toward Lt. Reaves, and Karol and Kyle followed suit.
Karol spoke up, running his hands through his hair as he did. "So, about this plan of yours - we're listening."
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Post by dj1678 on Jun 7, 2010 15:12:09 GMT -5
Max looked down at the small pile of money on the table in front of him. He didn't think they actually understood the fine art of manipulating and gambling with such fickle things as human tendencies. No matter, he could make it work this way too.
"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, I have no love for protocol. I admit that a certain amount is necessary, but there are some who take it a bit too far. I'm sure you know who I mean, as you all seem to be buried in a larger mound of it than you can truly handle. What we need to do is thoroughly convince, uh... this person, that his protocol is doing more harm than good. As such, I propose a new bet with the money that is already in the pot..." Max said as he threw his own contribution into the pile.
"Double or nothing, so to speak. If my plan works, I keep the money, get a good laugh out of it, and a few other added bonuses that should become apparent. If not, you all get your money back and I may still get some of those bonuses. If it goes wrong enough, you all may need that money while you hunt for new jobs." Max continued, making sure to emphasize that things could very easily go wrong.
Arieta began to look a little more uncomfortable with that than before, and looked like she was about to protest, before Max held up a hand to stall her and signal that he was going to continue. She could interrupt later after the plan had been told.
"My plan is, for a very limited time, to implement so much new protocol, that is slows all worktime efficiency to virtually nil. Of course, I wouldn't be implementing this protocol, you Sergeant Slater would be. If it's inconvenient and causes you to get no work done, great. If you have protocol for introducing more protocol, that's even better. Layer protocol so thick with protocol, that even using the word protocol requires special protocol."
Aurem audibly groaned when he heard all the annoying extra work this was going to cause his paperwork, a sign which Max seemed to have been waiting for without Aurem knowing.
"Not to worry, Aurem, the other half of my plan is to demonstrate by comparison. While your team is bogged down by protocol, mine will be thriving under new, protocol-lite management. If you all can even find some time to take some of Aurem and Arieta's work, we can make the difference appear even more drastic than it really is."
Aurem and Arieta both visibly cheered up quite a bit upon hearing of their new lighter workload. Arieta in particular looked like she was willing to ignore her earlier potential complaints just for the chance to get out from under all of her recent paperwork.
"Don't worry about the things that actually matter. I'll have Aurem and Arieta do the routine portions of your mobile suits maintenance for you. You can add all of your personal touches to it later. This will make my team look even more efficient if we are 'handling' part of another teams workload."
The pair in the back, Aurem and Arieta, now looked a happy neutral, having neither really gained anything or lost anything. In Max's estimation this was exactly where he wanted things, carefully balanced. He needed only to address any of Arieta's potential concerns now and if he'd played his cards right, or in this case, his audience right, then the deal should be sealed.
"Worst comes to worst in a time of battle, or if a certain someone doesn't seem to be getting the hint, we'll just do what you always do and drop protocol at his feet and go back to the way things are now. If you wish to pull out, now's the time, just leave the money where it is, and we'll call it even." Max finished taking his seat at the table and casually sprawling out in the chair, waiting to see their response.
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Threid
Full Member
Tachiagare, GANDAMU!
Posts: 385
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Post by Threid on Jun 8, 2010 16:08:16 GMT -5
The plan that Lt. Reaves was expounding contained exactly the sort of ideas that Kyle had developed in the recent months. Protocol was, overall, a good thing to have, like rules that governed society. But, if there were too many rules, or if the rules were unwieldy or enforced poorly, it made things less efficient and the group governed by those rules became bogged down and inefficient. He wondered, as Lt. Reaves talked, what kind of things they could do to make Lt. Gerard dislike protocol. For all they knew, their insistence on every piece of protocol would only make Gerard happy. Then again, Kyle could name a few rules off the top of his head that would make every meeting exceptionally difficult, were they implemented to the letter.
Kyle looked around the table at Karol and Kelly, who were staring fixedly at Lt. Reaves. When he finished speaking, they looked eagerly at him. Kyle could tell that he had their approval. "Alright, then, Lt. Reaves; I think we have a deal, but I'd like to propose two further conditions: First, that if we succeed, the money - at least our part of it - goes to us. After all, we're the ones who will be doing most of the work; we will accept the consequences, and deserve the reward. Second, that you refrain from offering bets in the presence of Lt. Gerard; we may be able to sway Gerard to see what's sensible, but I doubt the man will ever approve of military betting; in the long run, his knowledge of such proceedings can only drive our team apart and make us less effective. So, to avoid any possible disciplinary action, I suggest we keep knowledge of said bets strictly between our MS teams, not including Lt. Gerard."
Karol and Kelly nodded as Kyle finished, apparently agreeing. Kyle breathed an internal sigh of relief; he was still getting used to this whole leadership thing. He would be glad when this covert operation was complete. he began wracking his brains for extra protocol to add, and plans for how to carry it out. He was certain that Karol and Kelly would have a few ideas of their own as well, and he was eager to hear them. Lt. Gerard wouldn't know what hit him; he'd be sucked under an avalanche of protocol. It would be glorious.
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