The Art of War, Week #14 [Period 3, Monday]

[atreideslioness]

"Last week we gained first-hand knowledge of Tzu's favorite weapon - fire," Ghanima said as the students settled down. "The events you saw happened on my homeworld about thirty years ago. Five troop carriers alighted in the deep desert, intent on raiding the sietch and picking up Fremen for questioning." She smiled at them, a slightly vicious edge to her eyes. "One carrier escaped, with only three prisoners. One of whom some of you met," she said with a nod to Ella and Agnes, "who allowed herself to be captured. Fremen casualties were mild, compared to the fate that befell the Emperor's troops."

"Before we continue with the last section of Tzu's manifesto, I'd like to take a few moments to discuss what you learned last week. Is fire a weapon you would use? Why or why not? Remember; a desperate enemy is the most dangerous."

"Afterwards, we will move on to one of my favorite sections, and the last chapter of the book." Ghanima held up her copy of the book and smiled. "Spies."



"Spies. A resource that is often sadly overlooked," Ghanima remarked after the first discussion. "Industrial espionage, eavesdropping on a friend, employing reconnaissance behind enemy lines, all of these count as spying. However, it is not as straight forward as you would think."

"There are five types of spies," she stated, turning to write on the board:

(1) Local spies (2) inward spies (3) converted spies
(4) doomed spies (5) surviving spies.

"When you have these working together properly, it is your greatest resource, greater than munitions or soldiers or generals. Information, as always, is the most powerful weapon of all."

"Each type of spy has a specific purpose," she continued. "Having local spies means employing the services of the inhabitants of a district, usually to help you detect localized troop movements and to be aware of changes in terrain. Having inward spies means you are making use of officials of the enemy."

"My personal favorite are the converted spies, getting hold of the enemy's spies and using them for our own purposes." Ghanima beamed at the class. "Subversion of a loyalist is always so entertaining."

"Then there's the 'doomed spies'. Some squeamish generals try to avoid this grouping, but they are indispensable to a solid victory. Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly for purposes of deception, and allows our spies to know of them and report them to the enemy."

"Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring back news from inside the enemy's camp." Ghanima said briskly. "There is no part of war more delicate, more intimate, or harder to balance than with spies. As Tzu says, 'None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved.'"

"Your assignment for next week is to ferret out some tidbit of information to which you would not normally be privy," Ghanima informed them. "Either via another spy, or by uncovering it yourself. You will not need to share exactly what you learned, merely the method used to discover the information."

[OOC: You know the rules, wait for the purty OCD awaits! Have fun!]

Comments

Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

After seeing the effects of the attack last week, would you use fire on a population? Why or why not?

[Feel free to ping to each other, start arguments, etc. Let chaos reign!]

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"I think I'd only use it on property," Lee decided. "On technology and such. Not with people. That'd be a slow suffering."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[momslilassassin]

"How would you contain it?" Ben asked. "The nature of fire is that it's unpredictable."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"True," Lee replied, "but there are such things as contained fires. Still, I'd only use it as a last resort. You're right in that it's unpredictable but sometimes, burning up some tech will be a lethal blow to an enemy."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[momslilassassin]

"I'd start with that," Ben said. "It distracts them, forces them to focus on containing the fires...it makes it harder to attack me."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

"And if there was a way to make it quick?" Ghanima replied. "Would you consider it then?"

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

[ooc:...thank GOODNESS he's from early in canon *WIBBLE*]

"No. No, I don't think I ever could. And I suppose that's my why not.

"It's not very effective if I couldn't live with it."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

"Tzu does say to know yourself before knowing your enemy," Ghanima agreed. "Knowing what you are capable of is already half the battle you must fight. If you know you could not do it, then you must prepare for your enemy to know that, and to use it against you."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"There are worse things one can do, longer things, that might provide the enemy time to consider wiser thoughts."

He thought of some of the restrictions currently on Free Munchkinland, the water supply issues.

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[intraspective]

"I would," she said simply. "Because fire is something that triggers a primal response--terror--no matter how well trained people are. Even if you do keep your head in the middle of the situation, part of most people is mentally shrieking 'Fire! Fire! Abort! Flee! Run!' and that's useful."

"And panic," Ino added thoughtfully. "If you can keep the opposing force from rallying their morale, a fire is a good way to go, And while it's dangerous to corner people, cornering them can be well worth it."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

Alice regarded the other girl for a long moment.

"Those who survive will be dangerous, and they will have no mercy."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[intraspective]

"Only two types of people can afford to have mercy for others, in times of war," Ino said, tilting her head. "The very strongest, and the very weakest. All those in the middle must make use of any weapon at their disposal. Would the enemy be less dangerous if we used ice instead of fire? Or sand to rip them to shreds? Lightning to electrify them, or water to drown them? All modes of attack render the other side dangerous."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[momslilassassin]

"If the goal is that important, you don't take any option off the table," Ben said. "War isn't pretty and drawing lines to make yourself feel better might just draw out the suffering for an entire population because a quick and ugly option ends things faster."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

"Would it end things?" Ghanima asked, "Or are you just perpetuating a circle of excess? Tzu repeatedly counsels restraint, as to not create too desperate a foe. Would you risk birthing the creature that will destroy you?"

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[momslilassassin]

Ben frowned as he considered it. "I'm not saying that planet-destroying weapons are the answer," he said finally, "because every time someone tries doing that it ends in disaster, but there has to be something that stops a cycle. We've been fighting the same stupid war, or a different war with the same stupid people, for the better part of a century."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[raspberryturk]

Reno opened his mouth. And then he shut his mouth again. And frowned faintly.

"Not the first time I seen that kinda thing. Probably won't be the last. Ain't my method of choice, granted, so I wouldn't pick it. Thunder, yeah... Explosions, too. I guess those kinda come with fire, though."

He was getting half-decent at ignoring the screaming in his head.

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

"Why chose those methods, then?" Ghanima asked, genuinely curious. "If it is not a method you want to deploy, why not take another path?"

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[raspberryturk]

"You do the job," Reno said evenly. "No matter what. Because you're..."

Turks.

"You're the one takin' the orders. Ain't your place to question the one givin' 'em to you, zoto."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"No," Alice said coldly, her chin set. "I wouldn't."

She seemed to feel that was sufficient.

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[wantstodirect]

"No," Tony said. "Fire's too unpredictable."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

"So you'd rather find an alternate method than deal with the fickleness of fire," Ghanima replied, bemused. "I can understand that."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"No," Savannah said quietly.

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima glanced over at Savannah. "Not to your tastes?" she asked quietly.

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "No. And too many memories. Too many ways for things to go wrong in much worse ways."

Re: Discussion: Weapons of War

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

"Of course not," Agnes answered.

Unless, of course, you were to set the fire without anyone seeing, blame it on someone else, and rush in to save the populace from the fire...

She winced and rubbed her forehead.