fandomhigh | Alternative Tactics, Wednesday Period One 12/09

Today, class was in an actual classroom. Kerrigan was probably going to glare at you if you had a problem with that, though.

"Last week, you all got a taste, not only of the sim, but of the unpredictability of the battlefield. You can't go into dangerous territory, especially not alone, expecting to be safe just because you carry arms - some of you were already aware of that. Now all of you are. Vigilance, teamwork, stealth: these are the qualities you need to acquire.

That's not a matter of theory. The first two, we'll work on throughout this course through practical exercises, because I could stand here talking till I was blue in the face and you'd probably still be rolling your eyes until the bad guys came up and bit you in the butt. The third is what you're getting a small peek at today."

"Stealth is the art of being where no one expects you to be - to be, in whatever capacity, completely invisible. In small numbers, stealth is our greatest ally. The tactical advantages are vast. An ambush, a retreat, all of it requires that we understand stealth - and when to use it. Next week, we'll put this into practice in the sim environment. This week, I'd like to talk to you about the options."

She indicated the large screen beside her. "Technology works," she said, "As you'll see in the video demonstration here. Depending on the level of tech in your time period, there'll be opportunity for personal cloaking, radar shielding, or good old fashioned walls. The most important lesson you can learn up front is to know what you're working with, both in terms of technology and manpower. Kinda obvious, I know, but you don't wanna go rushing into battle with your brain on a platter."

Watching the vids play, she explained personal cloaking, its benefits and drawbacks, and how to use it to quickly and safely take out larger threats while avoiding scanners and watchful infantrymen. "One single, properly trained soldier under a cloak can disable key weapons too dangerous for a visible unit to approach, allowing the regular army to march in and take out everything else. With proper maneuvering, of course. You don't want your G-- stealth units killed because you didn't bother to scout for scanners."

"As you can tell, we'll be working primarily with my era's level of tech during this course, but for your own safety, I'd suggest discussing your own experiences with stealth technology. And keep yourself updated. Scanners, whether it be your eyes or a computer, can do you in every time. These are the basic principles that exist in any century, regardless of technology: if there's a way to avoid it, there's a way to detect it."

"So go on, discuss stuff. You can come to me if you have any particular need for my opinion on your performance last week. You'll be back in the field next week, so enjoy the peace while you can~~, Lee~~."

[ ~~wait for the~~ ocd UP!. slightly lame-ish class today so we can storm antiga prime for great justice next week! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lee had heard his father discuss stealth tactics before, briefly, and he'd been learning about it some in school before his transfer. Still, his knowledge of the subject wasn't complete by any means.

But, he was there, ready to discuss what he did know.

"Hiya!" Rikku waved. "You're probably not from my world, right? 'Cause no one here is. Except Lulu is, now, but I don't think you're in that class, are you? Anyway. Hi!"

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember you," he replied but it was said with a smile and some laughter. "I'm Lee and I think we're from different worlds."

Rikku laughed. "Yeah, I kinda stick out, huh? It's an Al Bhed thing. Uh. And if you don't know what an Al Bhed thing is, you're totally not from my world."

She scooted her chair closer. "So, uh. Where are you from, then? And what's stealth like there and all? I'm pretty good at stealth." She looked down at her outfit again. "Which probably sounds like crap, huh?"

He laughed and said, "I'm from Caprica. Way far away. And most of our stealthy comes from military training and strategies, FTL drives and cloaking devices."

"FTL drives?" She looked at him curiously. "We don't have much technology, where I'm from. The government kinda made sure of that. So stealth just means you move fast, stay low, find something to hide behind. Hide in plain sight if you have to. Try to be where they're not gonna expect you, and if you have to be there, try to swoop in fast and get out again."

"Our ground forces do that," Lee said, nodding in agreement. "FTL drives allow for our ships to jump from one spot in space to exact coordinates in another spot in space. It's useful for quick escapes and to surprise an unwilling vessel."

"Whoa." Rikku stared. "Do you have the specs for that? If we could get one of those on Pops' ship, that'd make the trip here so much shorter. It takes, like, a day or so, now."

"I'm not a mechanic," he said and shrugged. "I have no idea how the drives work just that they're there."

Rikku laughed. "Figures. Sounds like it's something to look into, though. Thanks. So, uh, you're more used to a military kinda setting? 'Cause it seems like it's way different with a huge group than if it's just a few of you, yeah?"

"My father's military," he explained. "Colonial Fleet. I was in military school before being transferred over here. So, a lot of my knowledge is military stealth."

Rikku shrugged. "I'm kinda used to the military being ... you know. Government and all that. Kinda usually the other side."

"Against the military?" Lee asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rikku folded her arms. "When the government's a bunch of crazy religious people? You betcha."

"Hey, not judging," he said quickly. "Just curious."

Rikku blushed. "Sorry. Uh. Old habit. Everything bad was our fault, blah blah blah. Fun times." She waved a hand. "So what's it like where you're from, anyway? I don't think I've heard of it."

"Not too bad right now," he said. "Hasn't been a war on for awhile so now it's just a matter of keeping up the military."

"Why do you have a military if there isn't a war?" Rikku asked.

"It's always been there," Lee said, shrugging. "Just because there isn't a war now, doesn't mean something won't happen tomorrow."

"Could just get people tomorrow, then." She shrugged again. "Although I guess that doesn't give you much time to train everybody. If you've got fancy manuevers and all that, and not just 'let's go over there and kill stuff.'"

"We do more space battles than anything on the ground," Lee said. "Training people would take way too long on short notice."

"Oh." She considered. "Whoa. Yeah. I guess it would, then. Not just giving guns to a bunch of monks and pointing them towards Sin."

"Not at all," he said and shook his head. "We need the time to train."

"I guess you would." She nodded. "I mean, just flying those things isn't easy. You can't just grab the controls and guess. Good way to crash."

Alternative Tactics, Wednesday Period One 12/09

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era

Re: Discuss Stealth Techniques In Your Era