{"id":1292,"date":"2025-07-28T04:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2025-09-11T07:09:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T12:09:19","slug":"cards-on-the-table-18-october-2000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/?p=1292","title":{"rendered":"Cards on the Table (18 October 2000)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Continuing the lightly-edited chat log transcript from the last post…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ellis glances up from his notebook and offers the Captain a wan smile. “Captain, if I could have a word in private? And, apologies… I haven’t properly introduced myself. Case Officer Ellis, CIA oversight for what’s left of this region.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren gives Dern an indecipherable look. Dern cracks a faint smile, fishes a notebook and pencil stub of his pen out of his breast pocket, and makes a short entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren stands and wordlessly gestures Ellis toward the door, then leads him outside and around to the shadows in the back of the house. \u201cThis is as private as it gets when the dinner setting is in my office. What\u2019s on your mind, Case Officer \u2018Ellis?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

“Appreciate the private audience, Captain. I wanted to avoid any additional awkwardness with my next few questions. I don’t think you’ve been as forthcoming regarding Krakow as you would have us believe and I suspect that this is something you’ve kept from your XO and SNCO. I’m sure you have your reasons.” Ellis holds Warren’s gaze to gauge her reaction before continuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A slight tightening around the lips and eyes indicates that Ellis\u2019 insinuation has struck home, but Warren says nothing. Yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis takes note of the flicker of unease in Warren’s eyes and smiles grimly, shaking his head slightly, his suspicions all but confirmed. “Listen Captain, I believe we’re on the same side here. I’m sure you have really good reasons for keeping your people in the dark on this and I appreciate the kind of strain that can put you under. Believe me, I understand. That can create some rather intense feelings of isolation around the people you rely on to keep you safe, and who rely on you and your leadership to keep them<\/em> safe.” Ellis pauses a moment to let his words sink in, again carefully measuring Captain Warren’s reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren doesn\u2019t quite square up, but something in her stance says she\u2019s ready for a fight if Ellis tries to forcibly remove her from command. \u201cYeah. I\u2019m keeping my people safe. I\u2019m keeping them safe from the spook shit that killed half of them when we came south. We were over authorized strength when we broke off from the 5th. I had a hundred and fifty troopers, maybe a third originals, the rest replacements or stragglers we adopted. Had.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, as you seem to already know, yeah, I have contact protocols for the guy we were supposed to meet in Krakow. But I\u2019m sure as hell not using them unless I have no other options, or until someone can guarantee me that continuing the mission is worth the body count.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She cocks her head. \u201cSo what are you<\/em> looking for, Mister \u2018Ellis?\u2019 You know my chain of command runs to the Joint Chiefs in Colorado Springs, and they don\u2019t recognize the constitutionality of the collection of congressmen in Omaha that your agency still reports to. Pretty ballsy of you to just drop your Agency creds on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis offers a slight tilt of his head, hands raised in a calming gesture, his tone carefully measured to convey that he meant no threat or provocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I won’t attempt to trivialize your experience with something trite such as ‘we’ve all experienced losses’ and I genuinely do feel for you, your losses, and your situation. You are not in an enviable position by a lot of measures.” He pauses again and lowers his hands back to his sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As for credentials, I took a risk in speaking plainly with you because I felt like you deserved at least that for what you’ve already shared and the assistance and room to breathe you’ve provided for us. I don’t want to disparage chains of command and who reports to whom but, at the end of the day, I think we’re both still American and I think that counts for something. We’ve been putting ourselves in harm’s way so that others don’t have to. We’ve been digging into the strangeness that seems to have seeped into the world since the bombs dropped. And we’ve made progress and hope to continue to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What I’m looking for depends on the answer to this next question – I’m going to say a name and all you have to do is nod or shake your head if it’s the person you had contact protocols to. You obviously don’t have to do even that much but it would shed some light on a mystery that’s been haunting both myself and Sergeant Pettimore for months now. Does the name ‘Stark’ mean anything to you?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren nods once, tersely. \u201cThat was the name Major Conroy gave me for the DIA station chief in Krakow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite anticipating it, hearing the colonel’s name, confirming that he was, in fact, a real person impacts Ellis’ otherwise calm demeanor. His face falls slightly and the color drains from his cheeks. “Thank you, Captain. That, uh, gives us a better picture of what we might encounter should we find ourselves in Krakow. That’s… yes, thank you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren studies Ellis\u2019 face in the lamplight coming through the window. \u201cI see I don\u2019t need to share his reputation with you. If he finds out you\u2019re Agency\u2026 he\u2019ll give you a nine-millimeter retirement package.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, his reputation, yeah… according to my source, he does seem to take particular issue with the Agency,” Ellis says, though his tone suggests that he’s not particularly concerned about Stark’s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Honestly, and this may sound odd, but I haven’t really heard anything about him save for a report I read once and, until you confirmed it, I honestly wasn’t sure if he actually existed. My intel comes from a, ah… unconventional source. Regardless, I don’t want to risk getting you or anyone else caught up in more ‘spook shit’. The hope is we can put some of this shit to rest but… time will tell on that.” He pauses for a moment “So you’ve never needed to reach out to him – do you suppose he knows the disposition of your unit? He had to know two folks from his outfit were coming, acting on intel he provided…” Ellis lets the that hang in the air for a moment… he doesn’t say, “wouldn’t it seem a little suspicious that your unit was ambushed and the operatives killed enroute and haven’t heard from Stark since<\/em>,” but he’s interested to see she’ll walk there on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren shrugs. \u201cI assume he knows we\u2019re here. We\u2019ve asked the traders to downplay our presence, mainly to avoid attention from the Soviets, but I\u2019m sure they\u2019ve mentioned American survivors out here. I like to think they wouldn\u2019t burn us – we\u2019re the main force keeping it safe for them to work this far northwest of Krakow – but I don\u2019t expect great OPSEC out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So, he’s never sent anyone to ask after the DIA officers he tipped off to head his way?” Ellis presses<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d She pauses. \u201cAnd you\u2019re not the only one wondering why not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis nods thoughtfully. “We’re likely headed that way… if there’s anything else you have or know that you think we might find useful… or if there are some unanswered questions you might be interested in getting answers to… now wouldn’t be a terrible time to let us know. A completely unrelated aside… We’ve got a pretty good track record when we find ourselves up against would-be warlords.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That startles an ironic snort out of her. \u201cI never wanted to be a warlord, Mister Ellis.\u201d Her gesture encompasses the sparsely-lit cantonment and the town beyond it. \u201cAnd yet here we are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStark? I don\u2019t think he\u2019s any more warlord material than you are. But a man like that\u2026 he might make a good power behind the throne.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis’ eyes widen slightly when he realizes he was misunderstood, but he rolls with it. “Sorry, Captain… I didn’t mean you. I was specifically thinking of how Stark is running his outfit. Speaking plainly, with no ambiguity – I respect the work you’re doing and am not gainsaying any of it and offer no criticisms. I’m just saying if what I’ve read about Stark is accurate, and I believe it is, I expect to be crossing swords with him at some point and want to make sure we are as girded as possible. Forewarned and forearmed and all that. But I respect your obligations, duty, and loyalty, and won’t push anymore than I already have.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cObligations. And unanswered questions.\u201d Warren looks past the trees toward the town again. \u201cMost of my people have settled in here pretty well. The place needed our help. Some of the troops are putting down roots. Mainly the ones who know there\u2019s nothing waiting for them back in the World. And the rest would have a hard time leaving this place defenseless before we get the militia trained up and equipped. But if you get a line on a way home, I think about two-thirds of us would at least hear you out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis nods again and shrugs. “If such a thing exists, I’ll try to get word your way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n


Before the team heads out, Ellis finds some quiet time to write a letter to Captain Warren outlining of the risks of routine and the cost of boredom\/complacency. She may already have picked up on that, but maybe not – and he’d rather have it written out than have to explain it in real-time. Ellis is kind of tired of all of this upfront, out front bullshit – he’s finding it mentally exhausting being earnest. He also includes some rough contact protocols if Warren or her crew needs to reach out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he delivers the envelope, he’s mildly unsurprised to find that Warren has prepared reciprocal contact protocols. \u201cJust in case you\u2019re back in the neighborhood and\u2026 well, need the cavalry.\u201d She also, not without some apparent doubt, hands over a separate envelope. Inside are a few notecards with frequencies, day of the week\/times, and authentication. \u201cBe sure you understand what you\u2019ll be buying if you use these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellis nods, tucks the documents away, and offers his hand. “Captain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She accepts the handshake. “Case Officer.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Continuing the lightly-edited chat log transcript from the last post… Ellis glances up from his notebook and offers the Captain a wan smile. “Captain, if I could have a word in private? And, apologies… I haven’t properly introduced myself. Case Officer Ellis, CIA oversight for what’s left of this region.” Warren gives Dern an indecipherable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kaserne-on-the-borderlands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1302,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions\/1302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libellus.de-fenestra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}