Ghanima Atreides (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
atreideslioness) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2013-12-11 12:35 pm
atreideslioness) wrote in fandomhigh2013-12-11 12:35 pm
Entry tags:
Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Wednesday]
"Are you all here?" Ghanima asked abruptly as the bell rang. "Anyone dead? Anyone kill anyone else?" She waved off anyone who actually started answering. "Nevermind, I'm sure some of you have dispatched some of the interlopers. However, I am not encouraging that today."
"Spies. A resource that is often sadly overlooked. 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."
She wasn't saying it had to be from the newest residents, but, well, Ghanima knew that if she didn't give them an actual assignment, some of them would probably go do something stupid. A few would go be stupid anyway, but at least this mitigated the chances of disaster.
"Spies. A resource that is often sadly overlooked. 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:
(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."
She wasn't saying it had to be from the newest residents, but, well, Ghanima knew that if she didn't give them an actual assignment, some of them would probably go do something stupid. A few would go be stupid anyway, but at least this mitigated the chances of disaster.
Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In