Passing Time and Rolling Dice

  ###Prologue### Col Kraznitsky, walked into the cantina at FOB North Bay, that's to the north of Okolnir. It was lit by aging bulbs, a fire in the hearth, and the lights from cigarettes. The rain had picked up since his team arrived from Okolnir, and the sound of those cold droplets sounded relaxing on the metal roofing top the old domed structure. Kraznitsky remembered seeing this style building in some history books of 20th century conflicts, but didn't realize he may end up in something similar to it.  He saw the person he was going to meeting off on the side next to an open window the opened to an overhang, a nice cold breeze when the rain can't get in, or at least not as much when the wind picked up. This was Col Gretizky, the officer in charge of the launch site relating to Operation Slingshot. "Looks like you've seen better days ol friend" Kraznitsky said as he walked up. "Need anything before we get started?" Col Gretizky took a drag on his ...

  ###Prologue### It's been a few days since the completion of Operation Patchwork. The team has been able to get a few days of R&R, considering the upcoming training operation with our Bakunin allies. The rain squalls finally broke and gave a few days of partially cloudy weather. Enough for the training yard to dry out a little, great to not do PT in a shallow bog or inside. Col Kraznitsky was able to get a few odds and ends together to send a care package back home. Some of the food they'd gotten from the tech storage, postcards, a few kids toys from one of the shops in town that the boys might like, and some other Ariadnan-made knick-knacks for the house; it was missing the charm that the home on Dawn has in some places, and hopefully the little things he sent can help where possible. He also sent the letter he'd  been keeping in his desk to command. Official Request for Retirement to be reviewed after this crisis has been deemed concluded. He's hopeful, but he st...

  His time away was very much needed. Colonel Kraznitsky was finally able to get to his home on Concilium Prima to see his wife and newborn sons. Although he would only be home temporarily, he made the best of it. "Do you really have to go back there? It's in the middle of nowhere, right next to Helheim? Is it really THAT important" said his wife. She wanted him to stay. He'd been deployed to the Okolnir area for various missions for the past 6 months, and she wanted him home. "Unfortunately dear, I must. It may not be mentioned here, but it's chaos out there. Our people in Okolnir need our aid. We can't just sit here and let our people get abused and mistreated in Okolnir; or at least that's what the current narrative is. I don't want to go back there. I want to go back to Dawn. But those ba-... aliens blew up the circular, so we're stuck." Kraznitsky was getting a little too worked up, he kept his voice at a tone pleasing to his son he ...