Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Tuesday

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"We've spoken," Kerrigan started in, as soon as the door had shut behind the last student. She gave no other warning, "To some extent, about the kinds of subterfuge you need when the scales are tipped against you. Because the day, the moment, the whatever where you realise that the upstairs is keeping you from your full potential is the moment you either lie down and die, or you begin to adapt to the principles of asymmetrical warfare."

There were several chessboards laid out before her, but she didn't say anything. Yet. "Some of you will have the misfortune of a struggle that doesn't involve guns and explosions. Some of you might have to kill your way up to the top. But no matter which one you wind up going with, you need to keep in mind what I have been trying to teach you: you're on your own. Manage your assets wisely."

She gestured at the TAs if they were there to distribute some handouts. "The Thirty-Six Stratagems," she said, "Don't let any idiot tell you they're 'strategies' - it's a little more subtle than that. An old Chinese wiseman jotted these down so that you, my darling students, can learn how to wine, dine, and cheat your way through the inexcusably oppressive ranks. I want you all to pay special attention to chapter six. Defeat Stratagems."

She smiled dangerously. "Number one: the beauty trap. Use someone, use yourself, whatever - someone desirable to cause havoc, to distract, and to pit people against each other. It's... easier to rise up when your enemies think you the friend and each other the adversary. Number two: the empty fort. Make them think your... specialness gives you more power than they could possibly comprehend. Feel free to insinuate towards your education here - that'll throw a few for a loop. Number three: Let the enemy sow discord in their own camp." She smirked. "I know all of you know how to gossip, insinuate... embellish."

She leaned her hands onto the table. "Number four: We've talked about this. Make yourself look like a wounded deer and you'll find people will come running to help you. Number five: run several plans simultaneously. Complex machinations might mess with your enemy's head - but it might also blow the whole thing out of the water. And number six..."

She paused. "Well. Let's translate that to 'always keep an exit and use it', kids. All of that 'going down with the ship' crap is nice and proud but it's of no use if the bastards fucking with you get to walk off crowing victory afterwards." She pulled away from the desk. "Read the rest of them. Think about it. We'll come back to this next week."

"Today, we're doing something else." She nodded towards the chess set. "Chess. With no rules - or rather, rules, but no rules within rules. I want you all to memorise the stratagems and put them to use. And I don't just mean by playing with the board - who knows, you might drive one of these teenage boys to distraction with a quick shimmy."

She sounded dry as hell, but at least after that, she fell silent.

Comments

Play Chess

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

...and play it dirty. Find a partner!

Re: Play Chess

[bigbadgunn.livejournal.com]

Gunn sat down at the game board and pondered the pieces and tried to come up with the best way to use the "stratagems" in the process.

Re: Play Chess

[likes_scoundrels]

Leia sat down opposite Gunn, probably grateful for a chance to think of something else other than what had happened at the end of Flight & Flying though then again that thread was still being played out. "Chess?" she said. "How do you play that?"

She was totally lying. They had chess in a GFFA, they just used holographic pieces that fought it out for spaces.

Re: Play Chess

[bigbadgunn.livejournal.com]

"Hey, don't look at me," Gunn grinned back. "All I know is the little horsey thing goes in an 'L' shape. I'm more of a Milton Bradley kind of guy."

Well he did know the other moves and had played some chess in the park but it was nothing fancy that he knew.

Re: Play Chess

[likes_scoundrels]

"That's still more than me," Leia grinned. "Should I just concede defeat now then, or can you teach me enough to put up a fight for my life?"

Re: Play Chess

[bigbadgunn.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm sure I can teach you a few things," Gunn said with a smirk and held up a pawn. "These are called prawns. And they can move anywhere on the board, in any direction and with unlimited moves. They're the most powerful pieces on the board."

[Sorry. Got hijacked for a bit.]

Re: Play Chess

[likes_scoundrels]

Leia almost laughed at the "prawns" and the description. But she put on her best confused look. "Then why are they so much smaller than the other pieces?" she asked.

Re: Play Chess

[bigbadgunn.livejournal.com]

"They're not trying to overcompensate," Gunn explained.as he picked up a rook. "Now these here? These are castles. They never move unless an enemy piece lands next to it and then it just sort of topples over on them."

Re: Play Chess

[likes_scoundrels]

"Does another piece have to push it over?" Leia wondered. "Or does it just fall by itself?" She was trying not to appear too ditzy, and the urge to snicker was strong.

Re: Play Chess

[life_inshadow]

Tara had never played chess. She tentatively fingered the pieces as she waited for a partner, going over the strategems in her head.

Re: Play Chess

[furnaceface]

//I don't suppose,// Jono said, seeking out the partner who he figured would give him the least amount of trouble... Just in general, //that you'd be opposed to a glorified game of checkers, instead?//

Re: Play Chess

[life_inshadow]

Tara wouldn't give Jono trouble, exactly, but his aura always made her wince a little. She tried not to look too much like she had a headache as she answered, "Sure. I'm -- okay at checkers. D-do you want black or white?"

Re: Play Chess

[furnaceface]

//No preference,// he admitted, unaware of the effect he was having on the poor girl. If he'd had any idea at all, he might have even attempted to reign himself in a little more than usual. And then they could both have headaches. //Perhaps I'll go with black, for simplicity's sake.//

He wouldn't want to clash with the chess pieces that were about to be horribly misused, and all.

Re: Play Chess

[life_inshadow]

"That leaves me with white?" Tara said, and shifted around the board so the white pieces were in front of her. "Okay. I, um, don't play checkers a lot. A couple times with my brother when I was little."

She lowered her voice. "How should we use the strategem-thingies?"

Re: Play Chess

[furnaceface]

There was a good question, wasn't it?

Jono took a moment to eye the handout, shaking his head a little while he furrowed his eyebrows at them all.

//Entirely too many of these aren't really to my taste,// he admitted. //Replace th'beams with rotten timbers? Kill with a borrowed knife? I know a good deal of it is metaphor, but it all seems so...//

He shrugged. 'Underhanded' was the obvious word, but wasn't necessarily the one he was looking for.

Re: Play Chess

[life_inshadow]

"They seem sort of -- nasty," Tara said slowly, by way of agreement. "It seems like people should be ... I mean, I guess in a war you have to think about things like this, but it's not how I want to be."

Re: Play Chess

[furnaceface]

//There are different sorts of war,// Jono agreed, idly picking up one of his pawns and turning it over in his fingers. //I can appreciate being made aware of these strategies, but... you adjust them according to the battles yer fighting. Entirely too many of these could very well be detrimental to th'cause.//

He set the pawn down and nodded toward the chess board. //Since it's been a while for you, I'll let you take th'first move, luv.//

Re: Play Chess

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa knew how to play chess. She just usually found herself getting impatient with long-term strategy.

She glanced around for a partner, wondering what sort of stratagems she should try.

Re: Play Chess

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen had never played the game of chess, but she was quite good at games of strategy though her mun is terrible at it. She nodded at the other girl and sat down near her.

Re: Play Chess

[angelo_wings]

"Hi," Rinoa said. "Rinoa Heartilly. I haven't played chess in months. I hope it helps that we're not supposed to follow the rules?"

Re: Play Chess

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Helen Haras-Uquara," Helen said. "And since I've never played it before, yes, I think not having to follow the rules might be easier."

Re: Play Chess

[angelo_wings]

"That puts me at an advantage," Rinoa teased. "I could invent rules in my favor and see if you believe them. That's in keeping with the assignment, right?"

Re: Play Chess

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Very true," Helen said with a smile, "Though since I don't have to follow any of them, it might not be as much of an advantage as you'd like."

Re: Play Chess

[angelo_wings]

"How do we decide who wins, if we're not even using the same rules?" Rinoa asked. "I'm not sure I get what we're supposed to do, here."

Re: Play Chess

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen shrugged. "I suppose we can either play and make up random rules as we go and see what happens or make up rules that suit us both. Or perhaps the exercise is to come to some agreement - or see who convinces the other to give in."