Mnemosym was tired. The last weeks have been a real nightmare.
The psychic feedback that occurred when Mal-3 passed away... She spent countless hours in the sanctum, trying to appease the tensions and the uncertainty crippling the cabals.
She herself had quite some troubles to put up with the loss. Maybe because of the conflicting feelings she had towards the Episkopos Prime.
Mnemosym wasn't known to let others see what or wasn't happening inside her, however.
She had practiced enough that old discipline known as conchilitia.
Most were mourning, leaving their lives behind for some times.
That was something they wouldn't be able to afford to do very soon.
She left the sanctum that afternoon, and headed to the Yossarian.
Soon she would meet the others...
+++++
That was an ordinary meeting room on Shasta skyhook.
The kind of room occasional freelance companies or subsidiaries often used to make up their deals.
Circular... A table in the middle... Six seats...
Four of them were used.
She glanced at them and nodded, ignoring the greetings with her usual lack of tact.
The perpetual veil she was wearing was almost masking her face, but it looked obvious she wasn't smiling.
Xavier shrugged softly and gave a quick glance at John, as to say... 'She will never change'.
Mnemosym already turned around and was currently busy calibrating the holo projector.
Soon a grenade with a big 'K' appeared in the middle of the table.
I will be brief. We all have others matters to attend.She made a vague sign with her hand and went on.
Our templars served during a decade in Baffin.
They were initially popes concerned by the safety of their brethren, the protection of their sacred sanctum.
As such, their main duty was to protect Pueblo Bonito. They were only called when their presence was necessary.
This may have to change, however, given what is happening in our neighborhood, these days, you're not learning anything new...
The holo changed and a pentagon appeared, with some inscriptions.
You do know how this could possibly end. We are talking here about the ones protecting us. They are a necessary part of that 'guerrilla mind theatre' we all are a part of.
I do believe the Templars need quite a restructuring, but not at the expense of allowing them to become militaristic entities.
The holo image changed once again as she was talking.
Until now, the Templars were either organized as a 'Social Order of THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CONCERNED CITIZENS' or as 'The Military Order of THE KNIGHTS OF THE FIVE SIDED TEMPLE', so to speak.
Which one is the best? None of them.
Templars were volunteers, who did their office with no constraints, no management nor organization.
She allowed herself a quick grin.
I do know those words hurt here.
The Templars Orders need something new, getting out of the old rut.
The holo image changed for the third time.
That's why we gathered here.
If you allow me, i will start with my view of things... Unless you prefer to start, popes?
She took a glance at the woman and the three men sitting in the room.
Xavier listened to Mne's speech with an open mind and open ears.
It was true that the Templars were a entity with little direction or drive as
the discordian view dictated.
It would be interesting to see what Mne had in mind for them.
"Proceed Mne. I am all ears"
Xavier proceeded to sit at attention, awaiting whatever had to be said...
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Doc sat at the table, listening to Mnemosym speak. He wasn't in his usual robes today as he was more casual but still professional. A tall glass of spritzer sat before him. He wanted to take in everything she had to say before he added his own input.
He took a sip of his drink, "Do proceed, Ma'am."
She nodded and looked at MJ and Kyte, who seemed to be quite bored already.
A flicker of a smile appeared on her lips and she continued.
Very well...
Here is what should be done according to me :
First... Organization.
I would like templars to be organized in cabals.
Those would be specialized in a specific role, going form interception to ship command expertise.
Such cabals would be formal entities allowing knowledge to be shared by its members.
About hierarchy and command... According to me we must not put in place things like grades.
The templar with the most experience regarding the situation experienced should lead... Until that situation is resolved.
She took a pause and took a peek to see if any of them was sleeping.
As it didn't seem to the case, she continued.
Management.
A tad less uncertainty pretty please?
Right now, it simply is a pain to know who is a templar and who isn't. It is also almost impossible to gather them all when we need them.
Templars should be registered, and their ships tagged accordingly, perhaps with the 'Templar.<callsign>' template some of them are already using.
Another thing is templars virtually don't have any obligations.
They should have some.. One of them being regular training and gathering.
Duties...
With what is going on in the Taus and Bretonia at this very moment, i believe templars duties shouldn't only protect the sanctum from cabbages. This actually is trivial, and might soon be the least of our concerns.
They should, for one, patrol the taus and offer help to those being bullied by the Gallics... They should systematically escort our supply convoys... They should actively hunt the cabbage...
Because we cannot endlessly rely on others to stay safe.
Now what do you think...
There is also a few others points we need to talk about, but it can wait.
Kyte sat back, taking everything in, as sense of relief washed over her face, as she realized that she was not alone in her concerns. Sipping spiced tea, she carefully watched the expressions of the others while the lady spoke. Doc's pokerface yielded no hint as to what the man was actually thinking. He was very good that way. It became clear with each passing moment that clarity was on the horizon for everyone. She closed her eyes and listened with her heart rather than her ears. Sometimes it is better to deny one sense to amplify another, she thought. The amber liquid danced on her tastebuds as she enjoyed the last of the tea. Kyte sat the cup down and opened her eyes to speak.
"I concur"
Was all she said, but the smile on her face projected more than she was sharing at this point.
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Doc listened intently as his datapad went off. A simple message from an old friend seemed to be perfect timing. He then spoke, not to instruct but to add to the equation.
"I have just learned that Tau 31 has become hostile to Zoners," he said casually, "this I received from a Freeport 6 patrol. We will have to alter our patrol and supply routes accordingly."
He then uploaded a transmission to a view screen for all.
"This came from one of our Templar pilots, J. Renfro of the Frons.Versus."
Quote:Comm ID: J. Renfro
Commander, [TAZ]Frons.Versus
To: All TAZ
Greetings,
I completed a search of the Rousillon system and found much of what Dr. Van Mojo found. There is a jumphole to the Newcastle system at sector 6C. It is right by a base and mine field there. We did pass through the jumphole to the far outskirts of Newcastle. We went no further and returned, charting the whole system.
Lots of Gallic Council, Brigands and Maquis there. We had no problems with those we encountered. So far as we know, the Gallic Royals know nothing of the system. For our sake, I hope they don't.
I also noticed the IMG in the area assisting. Not a big deal but worth noting.
One word of caution. MINES!!! There are a couple of mine fields there that we should be mindful of. We were cruising when we flew right into some that were well hidden in ice fields. Only minor damage was sustained.
I recommend we not visit this system too much and respect their privacy. I also recommend that we monitor the Rousillon hole in Baffin since it's not far from Pueblo. As we noticed a Kusari gunship there today, it's already getting attention we don't need.
J. Renfro
Commander
"I'll share my thought on this. Don't distract them but let the occupants come to us. They'll be curious, no doubt, once they find Baffin. I suggest we watch it to be sure. We aren't the only one's to find it."
He sat back and crossed his legs, "Continue, Ma'am."
An old man with messy long white hair and an extravagant look on his face popped into the room. He was wearing long white robes and scratching his head said:
I am sorry I am late Lady Mnemosym, Popes, Doc. It seems that my invitation to this meeting got embraced by the interloops of postal offices indigenous Chao...
Dr. Hodge VanMojo didn't take a seat, knowing that what he was doing could annoy the old Poppess, so he remained standing on an imaginary 'second row'.
Nevertheless, I had to be here. After all, these orderly orders are the same I will have to transmit to my pilots.
She glanced at the fine Doctor Hodge VanMojo somewhat unkindly and said : "Maybe your invitation wasn't lost somehow.. Maybe it's simply because you didn't receive any invitation, pope, for the sole reason it was supposed to be a closed meeting."
She then allowed herself to shrug and added sarcastically "But since you are here... Have a seat and make yourself at home..."
Mnemosym then nodded to Kyte and glanced at John "That's the very reason we must increase templars prerogatives.
And this hole to that system was located near Eris last time i checked... But it was an incredibly dangerous jump... We had a success rate of 20% with our jump drones...
If it's now correctly aligned... Well... You all know where the sanctum is located right now...
That's a cause of concern..."
She poured some water in a glass and took a sip. "Now... I talked a lot and that shield of words was entertaining.
What is to be said, John, MJ, Kyte, Triton...
What is your idea regarding this... What is displeasing you.. And how will we turn the vision we agree on into something real?
I will tell it once again. We cannot allow amateurishness. We all have a duty to ensure our people remain safe and are free to proceed on their esoteric and eristic tasks." One could have noticed the woman quite boldly ignored the poor VanMojo there.