Offices of Pilus Ulf Rem Hartsblood, The Firmitas
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Sveinn Kir Ironfist of the Special Expeditionary's Cohort's staff of architectus veteranus, Second Maniple, had reached his position through dogged determination rather than exemplary service. An engineer in the days of the old King, he had abstained from participating in the violence between the royalists of old and the Fists of Rhalgr, becoming instead one of the older generation who greeted the Black Wolf's invading legion with open arms instead of closed fists. Anything, Ulf supposed, to end the violence decisively. He had promptly applied for service in the legions and found his skill with Ala Mhigan engineering translated well, but not perfectly, to magitek. He had made no great inventions and received no accolades for exemplary service in the Emperor's name, reaching the rank of veteranus only two years prior after nearly two decades of service.
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There were hundreds of men like Sveinn in the legions: men who, upon answering the call to serve the Emperor, would never excel to any great degree, nor bring shame upon the legions at large. They were necessary servants; after all, an empire of geniuses and prodigies was an empire of madness, as the existence and failings of the White Raven could easily attest. The adequacy of the average was vital for the machinery of civilization to keep functioning, and Ironfist was such a man.
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Unfortunately for Sveinn, if the report Ulf had received was correct, even the average were capable of treason. That was certainly Architectus Nan Gravis' position, which he had repeated at length, with great vitriol, and not a little bit of spittle flying about the room. It was rare to find Virgil so furious about anything other than a failing in the Immersabilis or some setback with his project in the deep, but, to Ulf's surprise, the man was as much a patriot as he was an engineer.
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"You - you utter - you incompetent!" Virgil paced the small room that constituted Ulf's working chambers aboard the Firmitas. Ironfist, for his part, was behaving as if he were in the midst of an inspection by the Emperor himself, with his posture straight as an arrow, his uniform impeccable, and his expression fixed. "You risked your life, you risked the lives of your men, and you risked an entire gunship! The Pilus' orders were clear! Clear! High altitude, observation and surveillance, and stay out of the projected area. What part of that was uncertain to you?! What part was - where is the blasted - " He snatched the parchment containing Ironfist's report. "How did you put it - yes, what part was 'open to interpretation', hmm? Well?!"
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Ironfist offered no immediate response as Virgil gasped for breath. Ulf, who had remained seated at his desk, elbows resting on its surface and hands folded together, offered a gesture of approval to Ironfist. "You may speak, veteranus. Your superior has asked you a question." Any more of a pause and he feared Virgil would try to strike the man.
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"Sir." Ironfist offered the faintest nod. "I apologize for causing confusion for the Architectus. His orders were explicitly clear. In aiding the Maelstrom ship, what I interpreted was our larger strategic goal." His tone was clipped, apologetic yet confident, and his expression fixed to a point on the wall behind Ulf's head. He's survived his share of reprimands in his service, thought Ulf. Strange to be chastising a man so many years his senior.
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"Larger strategic -Â " Virgil began, but Ulf held up his hand. "A moment please, Architectus. In what way was the matter open to interpretation, veteranus?"
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"Sir. The vessel was outside the territorial boundaries of Glo - of the protected colony." Ulf stifled a bemused smirk. Many of the soldiers had taken to calling the pirate's colony "Gloam" because of its ever-present overcast weather. He'd have to pass the title along to Slaeglac, who was still struggling to name the place without titling it after himself. "It would not have been subject to an intercept in the affected area by any of our forces."
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"And I commend your restraint in adhering to those guidelines and not attacking the vessel. Why guide them to shelter?"
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Ironfist's expression cracked -he frowned, and his brow furrowed, though only for an instant. "Sir, without direct assistance, the vessel would have been caught in the area clearly demarcated by the Architectus as out-of-bounds. That would have - "
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He hesitated. Don't say it,thought Ulf. Don't say the right thing to the wrong person.
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"That would have interfered with the operating area and introduced an unknown variable in the Architectus' experiments. We felt it prudent to guide the vessel to avoid that possibility."
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Virgil’s anger didn’t deflate, exactly, thought it was restrained. He pulled back a fulm from Ironfist, and his breathing slowed to something steadier. Ulf’s own shoulders slumped in the slightest relief. “Having Eorzean vessels in the field of operations was entirely the point, veteranus. Your attention to detail is appreciated but an unwelcome intrusion on these experiments. The Pilus shall see to your punishment, and see to it that his men follow explicit orders.†He shot one glare at Ulf, such that even his third eye seemed to accuse him, before storming out of the room.
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A five-count passed before Ulf felt comfortable to speak. “You’re certainly losing command of your gunship,†he said. “A moon in punitive chores, and then perhaps you’ll be able to work on maintenance at the launch deck.â€
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“Sir, they would have died out there, all of them. There was nothing right about that storm – aether-readings in the ship were off our meters. If we hadn’t – “
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“Veteranus, it was an armed vessel of the Eorzean navies, and hostile to our intentions. If you are ever again able to intervene like this, save your conscience for an unarmed trading vessel. As it is you are lucky they didn’t reward your efforts by shooting you down, and doubly so that the Architectus didn’t demand your head.â€
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“Sir – “Ulf tried to silence him with a glare, but Ironfist kept speaking. This was the peril of becoming familiar with the troops, he supposed. They became familiar with you in kind. “Sir, we are defenders of the colony, not an invading force, are we not? If we aggress, we undermine – “
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Ulf rose from his chair. “I will remind you, veteranus, of our superior’s just-stated need for orders to be followed explicitly, and without such creative interpretation.†He waved his hand. “You are dismissed. I shall speak to your centurion about appropriate punishment.â€
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He could sense a moment before Ironfist turned to leave in which the latter’s face screwed up with . . . something, Ulf couldn’t tell. Outrage? Indignity? Even worse, the burning need, felt at the strangest times by the strangest persons, to tell the truth to someone above them? He couldn’t say. But it nagged at him as the soldier turned to go.
“Wait. A moment more, Veteranus. How many feel as you do?â€
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Sveinn Kir Ironfist of the Special Expeditionary's Cohort's staff of architectus veteranus, Second Maniple, had reached his position through dogged determination rather than exemplary service. An engineer in the days of the old King, he had abstained from participating in the violence between the royalists of old and the Fists of Rhalgr, becoming instead one of the older generation who greeted the Black Wolf's invading legion with open arms instead of closed fists. Anything, Ulf supposed, to end the violence decisively. He had promptly applied for service in the legions and found his skill with Ala Mhigan engineering translated well, but not perfectly, to magitek. He had made no great inventions and received no accolades for exemplary service in the Emperor's name, reaching the rank of veteranus only two years prior after nearly two decades of service.
Â
There were hundreds of men like Sveinn in the legions: men who, upon answering the call to serve the Emperor, would never excel to any great degree, nor bring shame upon the legions at large. They were necessary servants; after all, an empire of geniuses and prodigies was an empire of madness, as the existence and failings of the White Raven could easily attest. The adequacy of the average was vital for the machinery of civilization to keep functioning, and Ironfist was such a man.
Â
Unfortunately for Sveinn, if the report Ulf had received was correct, even the average were capable of treason. That was certainly Architectus Nan Gravis' position, which he had repeated at length, with great vitriol, and not a little bit of spittle flying about the room. It was rare to find Virgil so furious about anything other than a failing in the Immersabilis or some setback with his project in the deep, but, to Ulf's surprise, the man was as much a patriot as he was an engineer.
Â
"You - you utter - you incompetent!" Virgil paced the small room that constituted Ulf's working chambers aboard the Firmitas. Ironfist, for his part, was behaving as if he were in the midst of an inspection by the Emperor himself, with his posture straight as an arrow, his uniform impeccable, and his expression fixed. "You risked your life, you risked the lives of your men, and you risked an entire gunship! The Pilus' orders were clear! Clear! High altitude, observation and surveillance, and stay out of the projected area. What part of that was uncertain to you?! What part was - where is the blasted - " He snatched the parchment containing Ironfist's report. "How did you put it - yes, what part was 'open to interpretation', hmm? Well?!"
Â
Ironfist offered no immediate response as Virgil gasped for breath. Ulf, who had remained seated at his desk, elbows resting on its surface and hands folded together, offered a gesture of approval to Ironfist. "You may speak, veteranus. Your superior has asked you a question." Any more of a pause and he feared Virgil would try to strike the man.
Â
"Sir." Ironfist offered the faintest nod. "I apologize for causing confusion for the Architectus. His orders were explicitly clear. In aiding the Maelstrom ship, what I interpreted was our larger strategic goal." His tone was clipped, apologetic yet confident, and his expression fixed to a point on the wall behind Ulf's head. He's survived his share of reprimands in his service, thought Ulf. Strange to be chastising a man so many years his senior.
Â
"Larger strategic -Â " Virgil began, but Ulf held up his hand. "A moment please, Architectus. In what way was the matter open to interpretation, veteranus?"
Â
"Sir. The vessel was outside the territorial boundaries of Glo - of the protected colony." Ulf stifled a bemused smirk. Many of the soldiers had taken to calling the pirate's colony "Gloam" because of its ever-present overcast weather. He'd have to pass the title along to Slaeglac, who was still struggling to name the place without titling it after himself. "It would not have been subject to an intercept in the affected area by any of our forces."
Â
"And I commend your restraint in adhering to those guidelines and not attacking the vessel. Why guide them to shelter?"
Â
Ironfist's expression cracked -he frowned, and his brow furrowed, though only for an instant. "Sir, without direct assistance, the vessel would have been caught in the area clearly demarcated by the Architectus as out-of-bounds. That would have - "
Â
He hesitated. Don't say it,thought Ulf. Don't say the right thing to the wrong person.
Â
"That would have interfered with the operating area and introduced an unknown variable in the Architectus' experiments. We felt it prudent to guide the vessel to avoid that possibility."
Â
Virgil’s anger didn’t deflate, exactly, thought it was restrained. He pulled back a fulm from Ironfist, and his breathing slowed to something steadier. Ulf’s own shoulders slumped in the slightest relief. “Having Eorzean vessels in the field of operations was entirely the point, veteranus. Your attention to detail is appreciated but an unwelcome intrusion on these experiments. The Pilus shall see to your punishment, and see to it that his men follow explicit orders.†He shot one glare at Ulf, such that even his third eye seemed to accuse him, before storming out of the room.
Â
A five-count passed before Ulf felt comfortable to speak. “You’re certainly losing command of your gunship,†he said. “A moon in punitive chores, and then perhaps you’ll be able to work on maintenance at the launch deck.â€
Â
“Sir, they would have died out there, all of them. There was nothing right about that storm – aether-readings in the ship were off our meters. If we hadn’t – “
Â
“Veteranus, it was an armed vessel of the Eorzean navies, and hostile to our intentions. If you are ever again able to intervene like this, save your conscience for an unarmed trading vessel. As it is you are lucky they didn’t reward your efforts by shooting you down, and doubly so that the Architectus didn’t demand your head.â€
Â
“Sir – “Ulf tried to silence him with a glare, but Ironfist kept speaking. This was the peril of becoming familiar with the troops, he supposed. They became familiar with you in kind. “Sir, we are defenders of the colony, not an invading force, are we not? If we aggress, we undermine – “
Â
Ulf rose from his chair. “I will remind you, veteranus, of our superior’s just-stated need for orders to be followed explicitly, and without such creative interpretation.†He waved his hand. “You are dismissed. I shall speak to your centurion about appropriate punishment.â€
Â
He could sense a moment before Ironfist turned to leave in which the latter’s face screwed up with . . . something, Ulf couldn’t tell. Outrage? Indignity? Even worse, the burning need, felt at the strangest times by the strangest persons, to tell the truth to someone above them? He couldn’t say. But it nagged at him as the soldier turned to go.
“Wait. A moment more, Veteranus. How many feel as you do?â€
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Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine