Spies and Spying: Week 6. Period 1

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Aly stood in front of the class looking thoughtful as they came in. 

"Over the past five classes, we've talked a lot about different ways to get information," she said.  "But we've never talked about what to do once you have the information.  In general, that's not the spy's job.  The spy simply retrieves the information and passes it up the chain of command.  It's the spymaster or the officer or the politician's job.  But things are rarely that easy, and none of you are actually spies."  She grinned.  "That I know of."

"So how do you know when to act?  How do you know when to act wisely?  When the goal is revolution, the object should only rarely be to just taunt the person in power or draw his attention to you.  You need a plan.  You need a clear objective, and you need to make sure you have as much information as possible before you act."

She raised an eyebrow.  "So take...oh, whatever possibility you wish to discuss and form a plan of action.  Decide what information you need, and how - using the techniques we've talked about - you'd go about getting it."

[OOC: Please wait for OCD is up!]

Comments

[Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Aly might possibly have strong feelings about this, yes.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[thebluespirit.livejournal.com]

"I'm not starting a revolution," Zuko declared. Which was probably a startling discovery, really.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

"Never asked you to," Aly replied.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[thebluespirit.livejournal.com]

And there he was sitting with all his defiance. His shoulders sagged.

"Well... good." There.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

She smiled at him. "I'm not going to sit here and ask you to do something you're uncomfortable with. I get that."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

Gavin might've been doing sneaking some not so subtle glances towards one particular person in the class and playing with the edges of the light bandage on his hand without noticing.

The not so subtle glances were more fun anyway.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Aly glanced at the bandage on Gavin's hand. "That what I think it is?" she asked quietly.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"What?" He blinked, trying to get his brain back online. "It's...oh. What do you think it is?"

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

She looked amused at the blinking. "Souvenir of a writing assignment?" she asked.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara might've caught one or four of the not so subtle glances and started blushing immediately thereafter.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

So, Gavin drew a happy face on a sheet of paper and held it up in place of one of his glances.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

"How do you keep personal feelings out of it?" Aravis asked. "Anger, and such. It makes it exceptionally difficult to remember not to taunt when someone in a position of power has done something to incite your temper."

"Theoretically," she added as an afterthought.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

"Remind yourself that losing your temper could cause more damage to yourself or those you care about," Aly answered quietly. "If you're not in the position of power, you need to be very, very careful about where you take risks and why. Simply to make yourself feel better through a taunt isn't a good place to do it."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis nodded, making a mental note. "The small victories aren't worth the loss of the larger things. I'll try to remember that." She made a face. "It's...difficult."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[socksofcool.livejournal.com]

"What if taunting's the best way you know to make sure they don't win?"

Seely's hands were shoved in his pockets for some unfathomable reason.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

"Depends on your preferred outcome," Aly said. "Taunting someone to the point of anger or rage makes them unpredictable. It's usually a better bet to manipulate them into a position where they only have one escape and block them from there."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[socksofcool.livejournal.com]

"But what if you're trying to kept them focused on you?"

Seely rubbed his hand through his hair as he spoke, unlike Gavin he wasn't wearing a bandage.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[notqueenyet.livejournal.com]

Aravis's frown might have deepened a little as she looked over at him.

Not that she was worried or anything.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[socksofcool.livejournal.com]

Seely grinned reassuringly at Aravis.

It probably didn't work that great.

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"How do you make someone trust you when they're naturally suspicious and already vengeful?"

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

"Depends. Do you want to make friends with them or make them into a contact for information?"

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara shuddered at the idea of being friends with Umbridge. "Definitely a contact for information."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

"So how do you know when to act?

...you need to make sure you have as much information as possible before you act."

Faile thought about Aly's words in the context of the currents situation. Which may have been what she intended. Then she listened to Inara's questions. And Aly's answers (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomhigh/1484831.html?thread=90227487#t90227487).

She sat quietly in class as she thought more. So far, she had kept her head down in relation to Umbridge and her edicts. None of them had hindered her in any way so she hadn't, personally, had to deal with any of it. She thought back over the events of the past few weeks. It was time, she decided, to finally choose a side.

She looked up at Aly. "So, you're saying that before a revolution can occur, there has to be successful gathering of information?"

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Aly tilted her head. "Well, I'm a spy so you could say it's an operational bias," she said with a bit of a grin. "But yes, I think the way to maximize your chances of success in any operation is to have as much information as possible going in."

Re: [Spying 8/15] - Questions or Comments?

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

Faile grinned back. "I'm just trying to make sure I understand you completely," she said before continuing with her questions. "You also say that anybody who does go spying should utilize a spymaster? Someone with experience? Someone like you?" Faile kept eye contact with Aly. Her tone full of apparent interest.