It was true, years ago, that the more you knew the better. You researched your friends, you researched your enemies. You vigorously sought out every detail of the landscape of the job at hand. Down to the weather. Down to what the CO in the camp down the hill had for breakfast.

Now, you can lose everything by these details. Either by having too many or too static a set or simply by taking one detail into too much account.

Good beta is mostly prophylactic. It describes a boundary of consciousness which changes at every stage of a job and is always the minimum, not maximum, information necessary. On what floor is the office, at what time will the target arrive, what is the secondary route from the building if the first route fails?

Details beyond these stifle those qualities which make superior operatives: creativity, flexibilty, confidence in one's ability to order and define your own situation as the job progresses.

Some IS rely on constant contact with their beta source, that terse dialogue with their engines and routines and databases.


Some of us, on commencing work, unwire.

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