The joint operation brief arrived in writing.
Not in person, not through shared channels — through an intermediary, two separate documents, no shared command room. Rael's document came first; mine went back through the same route. His adjutant returned it with one modification: the communication protocol I'd proposed used a signal code that required ten seconds to decode at field pace; his modification replaced it with a visual confirmation system that accomplished the same thing in two seconds and was better.
I noted the modification was correct before I could stop myself from noting it.
The operation itself was a joint action against a splinter rogue faction that had been hitting both sides. Former hunters, operating without organizational authorization, pursuing their own agenda with
