One of the measures of a successful team is the ability to adapt to unexpected complications that inevitably crop up during the course of a complex operation—the “fog of war,” as it were. Our glitch for this mission was the unexpected advent of “St. Tristan of Dintagel” as blowback from earlier operations in Normandy. While this made it seem touch and go for a short time, the situation seems to have resolved without further repercussions.
Before many of you depart for well-deserved vacations during August, I wanted to supply an idea of top-level direction during the rest of this year, and the year following. The Constantinople Theater has proved that with the help of the Chronotron we can conduct large-scale operations that will reshape history to our advantage without the expense and bloodshed of conventional warfare. As you all know, DODO is also conducting significant operations in five other theaters at this time. All of these are scheduled to wind down over the course of the autumn and early winter. Our general plan is to stand down, stand back, and appraise the results and lessons learned before plunging into additional theater-scale operations.
With that, I wish you all a restful August.
Sincerely,
Lieutenant General Octavian K. Frink
Post by Dr. Melisande Stokes to LTC Tristan Lyons
on private ODIN channel
DAY 1825
I didn’t think Frink could be that smooth.
Reply from LTC Lyons:
Don’t go there, Stokes.
From Dr. Stokes:
No, seriously, that was the nicest “fuck you” letter ever.
From LTC Lyons:
He’s a general. He fights wars. When the war’s over, he stops fighting and puts his army to work training to fight the next war. That’s all this is.
From Dr. Stokes:
Hmm, I think being turned into a saint may have affected your judgment.
From LTC Lyons:
So you’re going to be the little devil on my shoulder?
From Dr. Stokes:
:)
From LTC Lyons:
I’m outta here. Time for some R&R. See you in three weeks.
From Dr. Stokes:
Where you going again?
From LTC Lyons:
Probably shouldn’t divulge this, but I’m going to Normandy.
From Dr. Stokes:
Collinet?
From LTC Lyons:
You got it. It’s a nice place now. There’s a B&B practically right on Thyra’s homesite. Going to go get drunk on cider and light a candle at the chapel of St. Tristan.
From Dr. Stokes:
Light one for me.
From LTC Lyons:
Roger wilco.
LETTER FROM
GRáINNE to GRACE O’MALLEY
A Wednesday of Late-Harvest, 1602
Auspiciousness and prosperity to you, milady!
So at last, the time ’tis for me to reveal my plan to you in full. As good as all these fellas have been to me both in London and in Antwerp, there’s naught of use that comes of my remaining a spy for Your Grace when I’ve lost the chance to dawdle around Whitehall, and it’s all these natural philosophers and bloody intellectuals I’ve got around me. And the Fuggers, of course, but they at least are clear-eyed, so they are, about how to get things done in this world. I know Your Grace grows weary of the world, and sorrowful I am to think of your moving past us to the realms beyond. I’ve no premonition at all of what shall come of Ireland once you’ve left us, and I fear the English will renew their bloody conquering schemes, especially with the urging of Sir Francis feckin’ Bacon.
So I hope it’s understanding that Your Grace will be, when I tell you that I’ve vowed to myself to look out for my own cause now: that being magic, and the fate of my sister witches. Sure Tristan Lyons trusts me as a sibling, and yet isn’t he always refusing to tell me what stymies all magical abilities in future. So I’m thinking the best way for me to be learning such a thing is to go forward into the future myself, and be looking at things from his vantage point. Glad I am to hear from within the network that Tristan’s bosses think to bring me forward anyhow, to help them with a thing they call an Atto, which is apparently exactly like the horrid little chambers their witches be spending all their days in, only not quite so little, and on wheels. As if wheels would make it any better.
I intend to use the resources of Tristan’s own guild, what calls itself DODO, not to restore magic, but to prevent its destruction in the first place, as soon as I ken what is the cause of such destruction. A brilliant plan this is, to my mind, and so obvious and straightforward, I wonder what bollocks excuse Tristan’s superiors have for not be doing likewise. I know not how long a stretch of time there is, between the death of magic and its rebirth, but that stretch is surely a boil on the face of history, and if it can be avoided, then it is my duty to see that happen. For surely the destruction of magic is not only bad for witches, but bad for Ireland and such like nations that are relying heavily on magic for self-defense from oppressors.
So here then is my plan: oft enough have I listened to Tristan and the other DOers lament of a certain officer whose name is Roger Blevins. This gentleman, although little enough he seems to do, yet has more power than all the others put together—even including Tristan Lyons himself! Rose is of a mind with me, and it’s Sending me forward in time she’s agreed to, so that I may ingratiate myself with this Blevins—and yourself knows well enough how easily I may ingratiate myself when it’s ingratiating that is called for! And then won’t I be in a position to be learning things Tristan wouldn’t have me learn. And won’t he be helpless to prevent my learning.
And so, my dear beloved Pirate Queen, I pledge my loyalty to you forever, and to the Irish cause, but it’s off to the future I’m now bound.
Whether I be near or far, may I hear only good things of you, My Lady Grace!
Yours ever, Gráinne No Longer in England
INCIDENT REPORT
AUTHOR: Esme Overkleeft
SUBJECT: Magnus
THEATER: Northern Europe, Early Medieval (NEEM)
OPERATION: Botanical Infrastructure Ops for Magical Enhancement (BIOME)
DTAP: Collinet, Normandy, 1205
FILED: Day 1857 (late August, Year 5)
Having completed my DEDE in Normandy 1205 DTAP (Iris germanica rhizome grafting along La Vie River), I went to KCW Imblen of Collinet to be Sent back to DODO HQ. I have worked with Imblen on several occasions and my Norman French allows us to have reasonably fluent conversations. As others who have visited this DTAP can attest, she is a calm, unflappable, good-humored woman.