Macro-Tactics, Monday, Period One

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Class was held in the Danger Shop -- not because Kerrigan was intending to render any large landscapes this time, but because it made it infinitely easier for her to project a few smaller things, maps, simulations, that kind of thing. As it stood, the room was large, metallic, in possession of a few screens, chairs, and a massive round table in the center of the room that, for the moment, was still a dullish black.

"I'm Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan," she announced, the rank she hadn't held in years rolling easily off her tongue. "Welcome to Macro-tactics. Some of you have taken classes by me before; to you, I'm saying you're in luck. We're going to be a little less hands-on for this one."

She tilted her head, eyes flicking over each and every one of the students present. Memorizing, perhaps. (Really, she was listening) "Macro-tactics. The art of war from a top-down perspective, if you will. Remember that when you engage in a war, if you're at the head, you're the one putting lives on the line, and people are going to die for you. If you can't deal with that, get the hell out of the War Room."

There. That might give their ethically-inclined brains a little shock to the system.

"What we're going to be talking about is resources. Troop placement. Extensive maneuvers. You have to be able to manage every detail of a strategy from the top without getting involved yourself. Most wars aren't about whose strategies are the most perfect, but about who makes the least mistakes, so here's lesson number one: don't make them." Her lips widened into a smile. "So learn to do the impossible, kids. It's always interesting."

She leaned back. "I'm your very first teacher of the semester," she said, "Which means none of you should be sick of introductions yet. Name, I don't care about your class, and give me one battle, personal, historical or fictional, that interests you. And why. Nobody cares if you can drop a name. Oh, and do tell me if you think you'd be capable of sending men into battle."

Then her eyes flicked to one last section of the room. "Frost," she said, "See me after class."

Comments

Sign In

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

With responsibility.

Re: Sign In

[glacial_queen]

Karla

Listen to the Lecture

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

And/or be listened in on. It's how we roll.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[glacial_queen]

Karla was there, trying to figure out which battle to talk about. Her Realm had been at peace for almost 50,000 years. She didn't know much about what had happened then.

As for personal battles? They were personal.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

His mind wandered.

Every time he tried to focus on which battle he should discuss (Armengar, fortified city overrun by magic and sheer troop numbers? Highcastle, outnumbered by the remainder of the army what attacked Armengar, defending a tiny mountain fort? The battles with the Black Slayers, beings of evil that would not stop unless consumed by fire or removal of their hearts), he kept thinking about another 'battle' in the joy shop in town.

Without so much as a glance in her direction, he used his ordinary senses to keep sentry on that blonde.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[eyesofahero.livejournal.com]

Oh, Kerrigan; Cloud had almost missed that mildly threatening speech.

Almost.

Still, charisma or not, Cloud didn't regret signing up.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[onlymistaken]

Cally found herself staring - probably impolitely, but at least it was a class and she was meant to be looking anyway - at the instructor before she even began speaking. There was power there, great power being held in check, and it wasn't entirely human, no matter how ordinary the woman looked.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela's mind was sharply focused on the task at hand. It was good to see Kerrigan again, after all. And the class promised to be interesting.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[icecoldfrost]

Kerrigan wasn't the only one doing some evesdropping.

On the outside, Emma was apparently diligently taking notes, but any telepath on the school grounds could probably hear her humming to herself as she shamelessly listened in on everyone else. Not digging, just... paying attention to the internal monologues going on in the school.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[thinkbetterofme.livejournal.com]

This room was strange and Faramir brushed his fingers along the wall as he moved to one of the empty seats. He made sure to sit a little further back, allowing him to take in most of the room and his fellow students, so he'd not miss is something was expected of him that he did not know of.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[likes_scoundrels]

Leia was thinking of the rebellion, of course. Full scale war hadn't broken out, but it would soon. It would have to. She wasn't a general, she was a politician, but she had to know how to work with the military about tactics.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

Right from the get go, Alexander was riveted to attention. He wanted to do well in this class; he wanted to show that, even a person with no experience in battle or war or armies could still be an effective ruler. And he liked Lieutenant Kerrigan's straight and to the point style; he liked the challenge that was being presented.

He couldn't ask for a better way to start the semester.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o listened carefully, though he felt a bit nervous. It was one thing to have taken some classes on military history, but someday soon, he would be bound to lead the Thundercats in battle. It was a lot of responsibility to carry on his young shoulders.

Introductions

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

You know how this goes: name, an interesting battle (and why it's interesting), capacity for sending men into battle to die for you.

Not that Kerrigan won't judge the last one for herself.

Re: Introductions

[likes_scoundrels]

"Leia Organa," Leia said. "A battle I find interesting is the Battle of Geonosis, since my parents were there and it was the beginning of the Clone Wars, which led to the fall of the Republic and the current political situation in my home galaxy." She shrugged a little. "I haven't had to send men into battle to die yet, but I know I will have to. I don't believe in needless sacrifice, but I'll do what I have to to restore peace and justice to the galaxy."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Karla," she said when it was her turn. "And I can't think of one that suits. I'm a Healer; battles just mean more work for me, while I do my best to keep people's insides from becoming their outsides."

She considered Kerrigan's last question for a moment, the ticking countdown until she formed her Court growing louder for a minute. "I don't know how well I'll handle sending people out to die for me. But it's something that will have to be done, which means that it is something that I will do. I'm here so that when I have to, I can do so with the fewest casualties."

Re: Introductions

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"James, Squire to the Prince of the Kingdom of the Isles," he started. "I was at the Battle of Armengar, where an army of thirty thousand men, Dark Brothers, giants, trolls, and such sieged a walled city almost designed for defense, and won past the gates." He smiled, bitterly, remembering. "We had a few surprises for them at the last. And I would rather keep the men alive than use them as wall fodder."

Re: Introductions

[eyesofahero.livejournal.com]

"Cloud. The fight in Fort Tamblin. A single man defeated the strongest defense point single-handedly." What could he say? Zack was inspiring like that.

"And...I haven't sent anyone to fight for me yet, but if I had to, I would do it."

Re: Introductions

[onlymistaken]

Cally certainly didn't have an easy answer to that question prepared; she hadn't expected to be in this class, let alone answer such a question. She couldn't help sending a look composed of equal parts curiosity and wariness at the instructor as she did her best to think on the spot.

"My name is Cally; my people don't have battles. We're isolationists, and so far, no one from outside has tried to change that." So far. How long would it be, though? The Federation wouldn't ignore them forever, no matter what the current council believed. It took a breath and the realization that not being at home meant she didn't have to be circumspect in her views, for Cally to add, "I don't entirely agree with that policy; there are battles worth fighting, even if they're not our own."

Re: Introductions

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Triela." That was an answer!

"The battles I tend to be involved in are very small-scale. Squad-level actions. I once participated in an assault on a mountain chalet where we had an agent on the inside who needed extraction. We used a two-person team to rush the front, drawing the attention of the guards, then sent a two-person team in through the back windows. Took out half of the targets in the opening few seconds. Then it was standard room-by-room clearing."

"As for sending people to their deaths," Triela shrugged casually. "I don't know if I'll ever have the authority, but if I do... they knew what they were getting into."

Re: Introductions

[thinkbetterofme.livejournal.com]

"I am Faramir," Faramir introduced himself, making certain to speak clearly despite the nervousness at the pit of his stomach.

"The Battle of Dagorlad shaped much of the faith of my country. It was the last alliance between men and elves, and both suffered high losses to deal the enemy a mighty blow. It is of interest to me as that same enemy has slowly been gaining strength once more and Gondor will be the first to receive his blows."

It was easier to talk of battles long gone by and Faramir took an instant to gather himself before proceeding to the last question. "In war, there is but little choice but to accept that men will die. It is a truth, and I shall have to face it, but that shouldn't mean that their lives should be given needlessly."

Re: Introductions

[icecoldfrost]

"Frost, darlings, Emma Frost. And while I'm of the opinion that something has already gone seriously wrong if you're going into outright battle in the first place --" Seriously. Telepath. It was wonderous what a good brain-zap could accomplish. "-- there are times when putting other people on the line is going to be necessary. Distasteful? Perhaps, but I'm not going to hesitate if that's what is required."

Re: Introductions

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"My name is Prince Alexander of Daventry," said Alexander, falling easily into the formality after that introduction to the class. "I must admit, I have never known much of battles, especially on a large scale, and that is why I have such a great interest in this class. I have never lived in a kingdom with a standing army; the battles we fight tend to be smaller ones. Still, if I had to choose a favorite battle to have learned of or witnessed, may I boldly claim that my favorite would be the battle I fought against a three headed dragon to save my sister? If not that one, then surely the one where my father fought the evil magician Mordack to save my family, with the help of the beautiful Princess Cassima."

Of course those would be his favorites. One lead to the discovery of his royalty, the other to the discovery of his true love...

"And I like to think that I would be bold and brave in the face of sending men to their deaths in battle, but only if I knew they believed in the cause, and I would be just as likely to meet that fate myself."

And, of course, everything Alexander thought was precisely what he said, though perhaps twisted with far more dread of failure.

Talk to the Teacher

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan's available during and after the class, lurking near the back of the metal room and eying the screens critically.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[icecoldfrost]

"You rang, Lieutenant?" Emma had been summoned, after all, and so she was reporting as ordered.

OOC

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Let me know down here if Kerrigan can or cannot read your student!

Might be slowish for a bit, as I'm up for intros at school, too.

Re: OOC

[glacial_queen]

Karla's got her shields. She's not fully shielded, but she's definitely not broadcasting and if someone unfamiliar comes snooping around, she'll notice.