Voice [Male, 40s, no discernible
accent, likely native English speaker]: Thank you for making the time to meet me, Captain Dae-Hoon.
Jun Dae-Hoon: “Captain” is a bit of a cruel
title. Right now I am simply an unemployed mercenary.
Voice: Which is why I am glad that you
chose to meet me, as I’m hoping that I can rectify that situation. I’ve been
looking at your career record and I think that you have a lot ot offer.
Dae-Hoon: Such as?
Voice: You’re an experienced soldier, for
starters. You’re listed as an elite-rated artillery gunner with over twenty
years battlefield experience with a variety of different weapons systems and
platforms. That alone would be a desirable trait.
Dae-Hoon: What else do they say about me?
Voice: You’re also a skilled commander and
administrator who has ample experience with small units, bith on the tactical
side and the operational needs.
Dae-Hoon: And does this information you have
say why I left my previous unit?
Voice: I admit no, and I did want to ask
you about that.
Dae-Hoon: Let me start by saying that it was
not my choice by any means, and that I was forced out. You can understand that
I am not happy about that.
Voice: Of course. I doubt that anyone
would be.
Dae-Hoon: I should give you a bit of
background. I was with Magyari’s irregulars for twenty years; I worked my way
up from a mere gunner to a captain and the functional executive officer of the
unit. Unfortunately, ten years ago, Bors Magyari, the then commander, had to
take a leave of absence from the unit. He left his daughter as the acting
commander.
Voice: Go on.
Dae-Hoon: But then, as soon as he was gone,
she did everything she could to undermine his authority and seize the unit for
herself. She trimmed off much of the unit’s personnel, and in doing such,
weeded out a lot of Bors’ supporters. Then of course, she replaced them with
new staff who were loyal to her. I was one of the few that were left; she
decided that my skills were useful, I suppose, but even then she did her best
to marginalise me.
Voice: I can understand that would not
have been a pleasant experience. So how did she then force you out of the unit?
Dae-Hoon: There was a friendly fire incident.
One of the gunners under my command - not my own crew, I might add - accidently
struck one of our Battle Armour squads, killing their crew. While this was regrettable,
it was an accident.
Voice: On a fluid, fast-moving battlefield,
it’s impossible to account for everything. These things happen.
Dae-Hoon: Exactly. If anything, the real
issue was with the discipline of the Battle Armour troopers.
Voice: Of course. So what happened then?
Dae-Hoon: Unit politics. I was an unpopular
officer and the last remnant of Bors’ command, so all the blame was assigned to
me as a way of forcing me out. That one of Magyari’s supporters threatened to
break my neck didn’t help, but was probably intended to push me out. I was
released from my contract when the unit returned to Galatea.
Voice: I am sorry to hear that. Politics
has an unfortunate way of creeping into everything.
Dae-Hoon: And in this case, it has left me
bereft of employment. Do not get me wrong, I wanted to stay with the unit. I
wanted to keep it intact for when it’s rightful commander returned while
holding back his misbegotten child from running roughshod over everything he
had done. And she got rid of me because I was no longer convenient to her.
Voice: Which brings me to my point. I feel
that you have been hard done by, and that it would be a waste to let a man of
your obvious skills and experience remain without a place. My ampler is looking
for a skilled and experienced artillery officer to head up their fire support
lance, and they feel that you would fit the bill.
Dae-Hoon: What sort of rank and salary are
you offering?
Voice: Admittedly, you’d be entering as a lieutenant.
I understand that it’s a step down for you, but at the moment the unit can’t accommodate
another captain. However, should a position open up, you would be fast-tracked
into the position based on your past experience. At the same time, I’m willing
to offer you a captain’s salary, regardless of your actual operational rank.
Finally, if you were bringing your own vehicle, we would offer you full support
and maintenance cover.
Dae-Hoon: It is a good offer.
Voice: I understand how you have been hard
done-by, Captain Dae-Hoon. My employer is a big believer in putting ability
over politics, which means that you would not have to face the same sort of discrimination
and ostracism you suffered with your previous employer. Think of it as starting
fresh with new people and a new unit. There’s no past here, just accepting you
at face value for what you do.
[Pause]
Dae-Hoon: It is not like I have anything left
to go back to. Even if Magyari ever returns, he would find his unit so changed
and stripped of all the people he knew.
Voice: Whereas my new employer offers you
a fresh start.
Dae-Hoon: It sounds like I have nothing to
lose and everything to gain.
Voice: Exactly. So, can I count you in?
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