2024-11-23: An Uncertain Future
- Log: An Uncertain Future
- Cast: Eight Orlodhari, Murrue Ramius
- Where: MDF Main Office, Magallanica
- OOC - IC Date: November 23, 0099
- Summary: Admiral Orlodhari and Captain Ramius have an overdue talk about the disposition of the Archangel and the future of their mutual plans.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
The Admiral's office is on the fifth floor of the MDF building in the main colony of Magallanica. Eight Orlodhari has been busy lately, often out of the office on diplomatic visits--because for some reason, she's not just the Admiral but also a political figure in her own right.
But that's not true today. Today, she's here, and it is a lovely day in the colonies.
Eight Orlodhari sits at her desk, and her assistant is out at the reception area, prepared to wave Murrue Ramius through for their meeting. The building is bustling; it has been most days, since the attack on the PLANTs. There's a lot to prepare for, a lot to get done...
And one thing Eight has been thinking about is the Archangel. A second is Orb. They're quite linked.
So it is that she's called Murrue Ramius to her office to discuss the matter. She is in uniform, of course; this is an official matter... even if it's more to do with Terminal than her day job in the MDF.
The office is spacious; her desk is metal, rather than wasting the money on real wood. There's a terminal there, and she has a tablet she's reviwing at the moment; there are chairs in front of her desk. On the walls are various knickknacks and reminders; a model of the old Ra Mari, a pair of crossed hockey sticks, pictures of her family... things like that.
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
It was a hectic escape into orbit after the rescue of Cagalli from her wedding. In all the chaos of the PLANTs attack that followed, the Archangel was able to quickly find a Terminal friendly Mass driver and flee into orbit, ignored by the multiple Gaia Saber fleets that were heading off to destroy the PLANTs.
Murrue knew there weren't many friendly spots to hide out, but Magallanica was friendly enough. Of course, Eight just so happened to be off defending the PLANTs, resulting in the Archangel being detained in a secure hangar for the time being. When she received the request from Eight to speak with her, she lept at the opportunity. The ride under armed guard to Eight's office was tense, but friendly enough.
Before she entered Eight's office, Murrue straightened the collar of her Orb uniform, and exhaled to get the stress out.
She entered, and smiled warmly at seeing a friendly face.
"I'm sorry we were late. We arrived just after your fleet departed for the PLANTs and..."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight isn't much for formality all the time... But for the sake of their relationships with other nations, it's important to follow protocol in a situation like this. That includes guards and lockdowns.
But she thinks she'll have good news for Murrue on that front soon enough.
Eight smiles back, rising to her feet to offer a hand for Murrue to shake. "Welcome, Captain."
"It's fine," she says then, and will sit back down a moment later. "You've been quite busy, too... I regret that we've had to keep at arms' length after the wedding, but negotiations with Orb are at a very tense point. I'm hoping we can avoid them joining NUNE after all."
"How has your stay been? I trust my men haven't given you too much trouble."
She's coming to her point, but the answer to this question is important, too.
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
Murrue shakes Eight's hand happily and chuckles. "We both certainly have been causing headaches for the Gaia Sabers, haven't we?"
Murrue takes her own seat and sighs. "Honestly things have been perfectly fine, but we did leave Orb on a very...rushed schedule. Permission for the crew to disembark the Archangel and stretch their legs on the colony would certainly be appreciated...as well as a food and water resupply. Other than that...I'm hesitant to immediately offer the Archangel's services, I'll need to see what Chief Representative Attha and Miss Clyne have to say after their own meetings on the civilian side of things..."
Murrue leans back in her chair slightly, not too relaxed, but relaxed enough. "...But personally I'm happy to do anything I can help keep Orb out of NUNE."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight, once seated, watches Murrue sigh and listens to her. "So you did. Your crews will have that permission; I've already written up the order." She lifts her tablet in demonstration and lays it on the desk. "As well as the resupply." A pause. "That's fair. The Archangel could be a big help to our operations if the Gaia Sabers decide to move again, but it's better to dot our 'i's and cross our 't's in this case--it might make the difference in negotiations."
Personally... Hm. Eight nods, thoughtful. "Well, I've got some people you could talk to. Old contacts in the Orb military with you who might be able to lend their voices to the effort."
"...But the simple truth is that a number of factions in Orb are just waiting to see which way the wind blows. The best thing we can do is ensure that when it does, it blows our way."
"...What do you make of it? Everything, lately. The PLANT attack, the wedding..."
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
Murrue sighed. What did she make of it?
"That the more things change, the more they stay the same? I don't know how many of these cataclysmic events I'll be able to survive at this rate. So many colony drops, nuclear attacks and giant monsters. I had hoped Earth and Space would finally stop fighting after the last war but...anger is just too powerful of a motivator. And people in power can keep using that to do what they want and not face consequences. I mean think about how many people in the old Earth Federation government we both defected from are still pulling the strings in NUNE?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Giant monsters," Eight sighs. "The Kafims don't seem to be stopping theirs anytime soon. Unless that last one..."
Well, that's a tangent. "I think there's still hope for that dream--but it's not going to be easy. Especially with those people still in power." She grimaces.
"...But I don't think NUNE is going to last forever. We've already seen them going down the same paths that the Federation did in its later life. They're operating mostly based on force and momentum. And momentum can be changed."
"...Well, I have some hopes anyway. For Orb, especially. We didn't move to help them against the Federation just for them to get swallowed up later, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
Murrue smiled once more. "No, I suppose we didn't, did we?"
Then Murrue got to thinking, a bit out loud. "You know...NUNE is probably going to see a quick downfall...but what happens then? A new Earth Federation, a new NUNE, with new branding, with the same people in different positions, all going 'No trust us, this time will be different!' with a new Titans come to enforce Earthnoid justice?"
Murrue paused for a moment. "It makes me wonder if we should stop trying to make a United Earth.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"If that's all it is... Then it'll just be more war, and more chaos. What we need is a real change--and a sustainable change."
"...it's a fair point. Trying to force everyone under one banner despite all the differences in people... It's something that seems doomed. At the same time, some kind of peace is necessary--and with nation-states, that means treaties, organizations."
"And defense against the elements that would seek to unite things under their own feet."
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
Murrue nodded. "Maybe you're right. But I've just wondered what it's going to take to make that real change, and how many more wars we're going to have to fight to make it so."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"If we knew that, I think we'd have done it already," Eight says wryly. "...But we'll keep looking. For the people who come after us, too. Not just for ourselves."
"But if we do have to fight more wars... at least we have people like you to fight them. Is there anything else you needed? We can have your ship out of here after restock, if you're ready."
<Pose Tracker> Murrue Ramius has posed.
<poem> Murrue got to her feet. "Just a target to hit, ma'am." Murrue said, giving Eight a playful, yet still professional salute.