briefing ♔ i will never know myself until i do this on my own

[wynn]

This is War- 30 Seconds to Mars

WHO || Wynn,  Jack, Hasmed, Lis'sa, Dovan, Solace, Koraith, Christos, Tia, Nessa, Grant, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike,  Gar, Archer, Des, Fred Jr., Dumage, Mark, Alainn, Zero, Colin, Lan, Eric, Val'drin, Risa,  Anastacia, Faith O., Max R., Belle, Kadir, Edain, Sydney, Zatanna, Aurelius, Jaina, Erky, Davin,  Riddick, Jordan, Henry, Leia, Willow, Kate, Allison, Francesca, Bo, Han, Aedan, Rocket, Drax, Nathan, Maxwell, Sam, Faith L., Cora, Dimitri, Alanna, Jaime, Klaus, Gus, Andrew, Stiles, Lydia, Gold, Jackson, Adam, Miles, Penelope, David, Derek, Andie, Kali, Cara, Nels, Taradiddle, Abigail, Astrid, Bambi, Frankie, Rose, Helen, Alaric, Alice, Lissa, Alex, Emma F., Cordelia, Zoe,  Sebastian, Malina, Alcide, Phineas, Fiona, Arthur, Faye, Mars, Kate, Lila,  Jameson, Felicity, Thoster, Adi, Brantley, Hook, Emma, Eleven, Alisha, Will, Dean, Grimrot     [Closed]
WHAT || Andres War Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, Round Table Room
WHEN || September 19th [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, please call dibs in the dibs plurk!

On the eve of battle, an impressive array of Knights gathers in the Round Table room of the castle.  The usually cavernous room seems tightly packed with this many bodies, and places at the Table are reserved for Wynn, the Section Heads, all those who have had any hand in the Talisman mission, including New York, and Christos, but who's going to argue with him, really.  The air buzzes with a mixture of impending dread and on some fronts, excitement.  It's hard to deny that there are those in the room who have wanted to make a move on Andres for years.

Wynn waits for the appointed hour, before nodding for the doors to be sealed and calling the meeting to order.  

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank each and every one of you, many who have traveled an extensive distance at a moment's notice to join us here today.  I understand that many of you have little idea what you have agreed to, but I hope that before the end of this meeting, you will come to understand what we are doing, and why it must be done.

Andres' Isle has been held under the sway of the man who calls himself their "Prime Minister" for nearly a decade.  In these ten years, he has turned what was once an idyllic country steeped in tradition into a tightly controlled fascist nation disguised as representative of its people.  

Andres is far from the only country to fall to such a fate over the course of history, and it has never been the prerogative of this Knighthood to enforce our own personal vision of some sort of world order onto any nation.  We are protectors of justice, and our enemy has always been both that which comes from the darkest depths of Shadow, and intolerance and prejudice that stems from this world. 

But Dimitris Sarandis has proven to be an exception, an embodiment of all the ideals we stand against, who has aspired to systematize the kind of violence and hatred that threatens the welfare of countless innocents under his rule.  He has used his position to exploit Shadowkind on the island to the point of conducting torturous experiments on them, designed to help him accomplish his goal of forcibly enslaving non-humans, so that they may serve what he sees as the superior race of homo sapiens.  

As if this were not enough, Dimitris knows of our existence, and wishes to tear down our organization, understanding that we pose a threat to all he seeks to accomplish.  To this end, he has conspired against us, kidnapped members of our organization and subjected them to brutal and vile torture, and attempted to blackmail us through detaining Sir Thomas Bancroft and now Sir Samcelot, into complying with his whims - to leave his regime alone entirely, to turn over our most ancient, powerful artifact, and for me to submit to death at his hand.  

Killing Dimitris alone will not stop the system he has created, and will not help free the people of Andres.  Most citizens of the country remain innocent, terrified into compliance, or completely ignorant of what Sarandis does behind closed doors.  These people deserve our help, and the only way to do so is to show them the evil that lurks at the heart of their government, gain their support in uprooting that evil, and assist them in stabilizing their country thereafter.   

To do this, we will need to go beyond the usual parameters of our missions, with a militant, strategic push into the island designed to seize the castle, and take down Sarandis' rule."   He pauses there, letting that sink in.  "What I will not stand for is a callous attitude towards the innocents who we seek to protect on the Island, during this insurgency.  Their safety will be paramount to our operation, and as such, speed is important to what we will be accomplishing.  Dimitris expects retaliation, but he also underestimates our tactics.  As such, rather than attacking the castle with an army, you will be deployed about the Island in a number of small teams, each with an objective that will help us cut off Dimitris from contact with his supporters, secure Sir Bancroft and Sir Samcelot's safety, free those who are imprisoned, and confront Sarandis, taking the castle in the process.

Details of these individual operations not withstanding, I imagine there are some questions.  I open the floor to you to speak."

Comments

[witchwoman]

[Theres something reserved in the way she approaches, nearly hesitant. Myri grew up in a land of kings and queens and princes. She's never known one, never spoken to a member of royalty. And truthfully- the only ruler of her land she can remember was a tyrant and a deviant with questionable morals.

But as she takes another step closer, she remembers what Mark told her, how worried he was of things changing, how he made her swear she wouldn't forget who he was.]

I suppose if you must keep a secret from us, you picked quite a large one. [A weak laugh follows and she looks up at him.]

[nosdacariad]

[ he looks down, flushing a bit at the comment. ] ... I wanted to tell you. Every day.

[witchwoman]

No- [She steps forward and takes his hands, all that hesitation for propriety vanishing in an instant as her instinct to comfort him kicks in.] No, Mark. [She can't call him Marcus. That's not how she's known him. And while it might be the name he was born with, she finds it more important to remain true to their memories.]

I know why you didn't before. And I'm only glad you found it in you to tell us now. All these people? I've never seen anything braver.

[nosdacariad]

[ he snorts a nervous laugh. ] I don't know about that.

[witchwoman]

I'm serious. [She says, mouth lifting into a smile.] If you weren't certain how just I would react? [She gives his hands a squeeze before letting go of them so she can hug her arms around his waist.]

I'm glad you told us. And what you asked me? Not to let it change things? I can say with more certainty that it won't happen. I could never.

[nosdacariad]

I'm not really sure... what things are going to be like, after this. If we do-- When we win. If the people want me as their King, I--

Well, I've kept them waiting too long already.

[witchwoman]

[Ugh he's just so adorable with his sense of duty and honor. Myri knows he'd make a wonderful king. She only hopes that if he chooses that, it's because he wants it as well- not just out of obligation.]

We'll find out. Together. And no matter what happens- whether you're king or not, you'll have us at your side.

The kings in my old land were... Well, they weren't like you. I couldn't imagine fighting for anything they believed in. But I will fight for you. We will liberate Andres and-- [Oh she has another thought but there are... a lot of people here. Maybe not the best time. But since there isn't a lot of time in general, she just lowers her voice, just in case.]

You said he had your family. But the way you explained it here, your parents are dead, aren't they? Just who is Sarandis holding?

[nosdacariad]

The entire island, Myri.

My father taught me... he said that a good King never forgets that his subjects are people, and that the best way for him to always remember that was to ... think of every person in his kingdom as his family. [ he scrubs at the back of his hair, uncomfortable ] I know that sounds cheesy. I know it's not the same. But Dimitris also has control over the people I cared about and knew personally growing up, people who were like brothers and sisters to me.

And now-- [ a shadow crosses his features ] now he has Kat.

He has plenty of my family held hostage, Myri. And if he'd learned that I was still alive at any point, whether someone told him purposefully or that information slipped accidentally, he'd have threatened any or all of them to get his hands on me.

[witchwoman]

[She had never doubted that he had his reasons for keeping his secret. Even while being so adamant that the team be honest with one another, she could always see in Mark's eyes how much he wanted to tell her something more, but never could.

The mention of Kat causes Myri to pull back towards herself, the reality of why this has come to light pushed to the forefront.]

You did the right thing, of course. And for the record? It doesn't sound cheesy at all. In fact, it reminds me of when I returned from Andres- [y'know... the first time, with the torture] Wynn told me that he considers all of us his family. It's not so different.

[nosdacariad]

Dimitris' doing the same thing to him. Holding on to Thomas and Kat to try to force him to come to him and lay down his life.

If he'd do that much just to get to Wynn, imagine what he would have done to try to draw me out.

[witchwoman]

He won't need to draw you out. We're going to show up right at his door. [And murder him. But she keeps that part as an inside thought.]

We're going to beat him, Mark. We have to.

[nosdacariad]

I know we do. If we don't, we're bringing hope to my people only to force them to watch it die. That's not the sort of thing anyone can bounce back from.

[witchwoman]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. People can do miraculous things, given the chance. But I don't intend to test that. He won't live to hurt your people any longer, Mark.

[The Shadowkind that she met in the cells come to mind. They were Mark's people, weren't they? It made them all the more special to her.]

Should I... [She hesitates and looks a little sheepish.] This is alright, isn't it? Talking like this, calling you Mark? I don't-- I mean, should I be addressing you differently now?

[nosdacariad]

[ his face falls at her momentary hesitation, at the question itself. ] Of course it's alright. I'm still... I'm still me.

[witchwoman]

I know that. It's just... Well, I used to have a king. [As if that sort of explains it. It's a big piece of information to swallow, and perhaps she's said the wrong thing, but all she can do is take a breath and try again.]

I know you're still you. I do. I'm sorry- I don't know why I said that. This is just- Well, I never expected this.

[nosdacariad]

Well, to be fair, I worked pretty hard to make sure... no one did.

[witchwoman]

I know. [Still sort of flustered.] But I'm meant to be more in tune with everyone, aren't I? And all of our conversations- Well, they make sense now but I didn't put it together. I'm...

[She stops herself from rambling further and shakes her head.]

I'm glad you told us. I'm glad you felt like you could.

[nosdacariad]

That's mostly your fault, you know. I was sure that no matter what else, you'd understand, somehow. It doesn't change... anything I did, or what happened, but--

I'm just sorry, Myri, that this had to drag on so long. That I didn't do this sooner.

[witchwoman]

Please don't. [She gives him a weak smile, getting emotional over it.] Don't apologize or feel like you've wronged me or any of us for not saving something earlier. That doesn't matter. You never really lied to us, did you? You've said you're the same man I met, the same one I consider one of my closest friends. None of that was a lie? Because that's what matters to me.

[nosdacariad]

Of course that wasn't a lie. But you can't say it doesn't matter that I let this go this long. Hearing what happened to you and knowing that I had the chance to have prevented it and didn't?

[witchwoman]

None of us had any way of knowing that he was going to send Kyp for me. Mark, what happened to me wasn't your fault. [It was Des' fault. No jk.]

The only person to blame for that is him. It took me some time to realize that, to know that I didn't need to blame myself. And I'm certainly not going to let you keep that guilt for a moment longer.

[nosdacariad]

I might not have known exactly what his plans were, but I knew he was doing evil, Myri. And it shouldn't matter if that evil were going to be visited on my best friend or someone on Andres I've never met. I could have tried to stop him years ago, because no one knows better than I do what it means for him to be sitting on that throne, and no one has a better chance than I do at putting a stop to it.

And I... I waited. Almost ten years.

[witchwoman]

You were a child when it all began, Mark. Ten years is hardly fair. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you knew you for one year or fifty. You're doing something now and that's the important part.

[nosdacariad]

After what happened, I was never going to be a child again, no matter how old I was. Dimitris took what I had left of that, too.

[witchwoman]

[Myri nods in understanding. She had been on her own from a very young age. The loss Mark had seen would force anyone to grow up too fast.]

We can't dwell on what we haven't done. Nothing can change what has already come to pass. What we can do is make a better future. All of us. Together. You aren't alone in this. It isn't just your burden to carry. We love you. I love you.

[She reaches for his hand again, this time taking one of his in both of hers.] You're family, Mark. And that makes your family mine. We'll free them. All of them.