<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4954155#msg4954155">Quote from: Athos on 20-07-2011, 21:50:07</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I would vote for both. Maybe a passing meeting during the chaos of Normandy and then obviously closer dealings during "Hotshot." I was thinking that their relationship might be somewhat adversarial in nature. Etienne strikes me as a little more by the book where I see Mac being far more 'the ends justify the means,' kind of a person. That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a mutual respect for each other. I dunno, lemme know what you think.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Sounds good to me.<br/><br/>And yes, Etienne is probably a bit more rigid about doing things 'the right way' whenever possible. He's fairly mild, personality-wise (I was rather pleased with the image I found for him because I think it shows a great deal of personality. Clearly scarred but...He's not some dour, bitter, dead-serious type.); not a very aggressive personality except when immediate command-response is required (I picture there being a significant difference between his 'conversational voice' and his 'command voice'), so he's not likely to really get in Mac's face about it directly so much as to be competitive. And he'd<em>never</em>argue about it in the middle of a situation. (Prompt execution of a non-optimal decision usually trumps standing around not coming to a decision, in the field.) I'd imagine they're not keen on each others' methods. The focus on protocol vs. results would be somewhat appropriate for their respective national allegiances, also. While Etienne has been through the French equivalent of SERE and can handle himself in a nasty situation, that isn't what he was there to train the native auxiliaries in. I'm guessing that Mac probably has a much longer list of dirty tricks and fewer compunctions about their use.<br/><br/>In Normandy, Etienne wouldn't have been anything special other than having to carry a heavy-damn field radio on his back.<br/><br/>In Laos, Etienne probably introduced Mac to a very nicely regimented little group of Montagnards that were trained to keep their weapons clean, do recce and give a thorough report, work well in concert with actual army troops if the need arose, follow orders and to set up a good ambush...But who were NOT trained in all the underhanded, really nasty elements of mantrapping, psychological warfare/terror attacks against enemy civilians, etc. which were beginning to be prevalent in other zones of the conflict. Admittedly, at the time Etienne was initially assigned to train them, the<em>Montagnards</em>were seen by the French as local militia liable to be used in either a hit and run or a stand up interdiction defense against a Vietnamese<em>invasion</em>...as opposed to hit-and-run guerrilla irregulars in an occupied nation. They would almost certainly have spent some weeks with the tribe together during the 'handoff', and if the invasion came before that handoff they'd have both been in it.<br/><br/>Big point in favor of Mac's way of doing things though :) Sure enough, when the invasion<em>did</em>come, the northern<em>Montagnards</em>did get rolled up and the survivors went to ground in proper commando fashion...And mister European knight<em>did</em>get part of his calf blown off and sent home, and from then on indigenous forces in that war definitely were more effective by using more covert, more nasty methods.<br/><br/>I imagine they see each other as being competent soldiers and officers...But they occasionally question the usefulness/appropriateness to the situation of the things which the other person is competent<em>AT</em>. Etienne being more of the old school mentality about imperial arming of local groups, and apparently Mac having the newer, more aggressive 'black project' mentality.<br/><br/>As an example, I can<em>definitely</em>see Etienne getting shot by doing the horribly traditional 'stand up, be visible, inspire the troops' thing. And Mac pretty well going 'What did you THINK was going to happen, dammit?'<br/><br/>Sound good? If not, please hack at/modify as you like. I'm a mild and agreeable sort myself. ;)