Diplomacy, Relationships, & Tactics: The Art of War, Week 13 [Wednesday, Period 2]

[weetuskenraider]

Class had been instructed to meet in the Danger Shop today, and the fact that Tahiri was wearing shoes might be an early hint as to what she and Ghanima had planned for the day. More accurately, she was clad in full Tusken garb, complete with gaderffi stick. The headgear covered up her discomfort about the shoes, anyway.

Also, there was the fact that students would find themselves standing in a desert.

"'The Attack By Fire,'" she said, sounding a bit muffled but not nearly as guttural as anyone might expect a Tusken Raider to sound (if they knew how one was supposed to sound, at least). "That's what this chapter's called, and we thought we'd take it fairly literally. Sun Tzu describes fire as a very effective weapon, but one that has to be treated with care and respect. It's fast, and devastating, and very hard to combat, but it can be just as treacherous to the person wielding it as it can be to their opponents. The desert is much the same way, as some of you may already be aware."

She could have been grinning, she could have been frowning; it was hard to tell under all the wrappings, and if the effect was somewhat disconcerting that was exactly what she was going for.

"So for maximum educational impact, we have decided to combine them to test your understanding of previous classes." Ghanima, for her part, was dressed in a white Fremen stillsuit and over-cloak, the only visible features were her blue-on-blue eyes, as her goggles were still perched on her head. "Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking with fire," she lectured, watching them inscrutably, voice crisp and unhindered by the rebreather. "The first is to burn soldiers in their camp, the second is to burn stores. A third is to burn baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; and the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy. A rain of fire, if you will."

Tahiri nodded. "He goes on to say that there are certain weather and seasonal conditions for an attack by fire, and that's nothing new from what we've learned so far, really: you want to suit your methods to the situation. But then, like the various outcomes a general should be prepared for depending on the terrain, he lists possible developments to be prepared for when making an attack by fire: When fire breaks out inside to enemy's camp, respond at once with an attack from without."

She held up one gloved hand and raised her thumb then went on, ticking each subsequent item off on her fingers as she continued quoting. "If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy's soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack. When the force of the flames has reached its height, follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable; if not, stay where you are. If it is possible to make an assault with fire from without, do not wait for it to break out within, but deliver your attack at a favorable moment. Last, but not least, when you start a fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward unless you wish to feel your own flames."

"Playing with fire is no simple task," Ghanima agreed. "And, while it might seem like a surefire way to win, you must always keep in mind some of the closing words for this chapter: 'But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.' At what cost, victory? Is it victory if you inadvertently end up causing the destruction of the very thing you wished you conquer? For fire is capricious, and is just as willing to turn on your and thwart your intentions as it is to destroy the enemy. You may have planned to simply eliminate their stores... but scorched earth grows no future."

"In other words, the short and simple version: always remember to consider the long term," said Tahiri, and never mind that she still wasn't great at doing that herself. "That said, you're going to be doing a little work in some fairly extreme conditions today. Constant heat may not seem as dangerous as literal fire, but believe us, it's no less unpredictable or deadly if you fail to take it seriously enough. Proper gear's been provided for all of you, and make sure you use it. You'll have a couple of scenarios to choose from: you can either try to mount a defense against attackers, or try to get some passing locals to help you get back to the city. Let's see how well you can apply what you've learned so far this term, huh?"

Comments

Sign In [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Like you agree with how Anakin Skywalker feels about sand.

Re: Sign In [AoW 13]

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra Pentaghast

Re: Sign In [AoW 13]

[crimson_sister]

Lucille Sharpe

Re: Sign In [AoW 13]

[giveherahand]

Mara Jade

Re: Sign In [AoW 13]

[good_for_six]

Isabela

Lecture [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Do what you will, but your teachers would really prefer that you pay attention this week.

Re: Lecture [AoW 13]

[soniaroadsqueen]

There was sand everywhere. (That was because it was a desert, Ringo.)

Sand was the worst. ATs barely worked on such bad terrain, so Ringo avoided it on principle. It was hard to walk on, too.

Gear Up [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Dealing with harsh desert conditions takes preparation, much like fighting with fire. Tahiri and Ghanima have made sure that the Danger Shop's provided you with weapons and a good selection of protective wear: clothing, masks and rebreathers, goggles, and some Tusken-style moisture trap devices to wear around your neck so you're not breathing completely dry air. There are also, of course, canteens of water; gear up however you choose, but the water is not optional, and you're likely to get a stern talking to if you try to head out without it.

For anyone choosing to play out the second scenario, there are also pouches available, containing fire-starting tools and a small quantity of anthracite coal, because you'll probably have enough to deal with without having to forage for fuel in this environment. Tahiri's not that mean.

Re: Gear Up [AoW 13]

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra had been to the Hissing Wastes, once, which would likely be most similar to this. Her experiences with the deserts of the Western Approach were far more numerous, however, and she found herself favoring gear somewhat between the two. Protective, but not limiting of movement; enough space for several canteens that would not get too far into her way, and, after some thought, a mask.

She intended to approach the first scenario, not the second. So she left the latter alone.

Re: Gear Up [AoW 13]

[crimson_sister]

Lucille had obviously never been to a desert, and had never considered visiting one. The best way she could think of to get through this was by finding someone who did know about deserts, and if Cassandra did she would also be in company she enjoyed.

"Have you chosen which place you will go to?" she asked, taking note of what Cassandra had chosen to wear.

Re: Gear Up [AoW 13]

[seeks_truth]

"Yes," Cassandra said, with a faint smile. "I am much better at tactics than I am at charming anyone, I fear, so I was about to mount a defense."

Re: Gear Up [AoW 13]

[thatwaslucky]

Hey, Rey knew how to do this. She didn't even have to think about it, she knew exactly what to get, where to wear or store it, and was done pretty quick.

Survive In the Desert! [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

You have two scenarios to choose from: for the more combat-inclined, you have an attack on a Fremen sietch to deal with. If you'd rather take a less violent approach to the topic, you can find yourself stranded out in the Jundland Wastes, where you'll have to try and get a tribe of Jawas to take you back to the nearest city.

Survive In the Desert: Sietch Tabr

[weetuskenraider]

For those that chose the Fremen path, the 'door' they walked through lead into complete darkness, void of any light. Suddenly, the sound of an explosion and the scent of fire filled the air. "Sietch. A hidden desert warren, a place of safety," Ghanima's voice said from somewhere in the darkness. "Carved into the very bedrock of the planet, and home to the tribes of wandering Fremen."

"Today it has been turned into a battleground."

"Those bootsteps you hear are the Imperial Sardaukar, come to kill everything that moves. The explosions are the sulfate fireballs that they are bombarding the cliff-face with. Atomics were outlawed hundreds of years ago, and trying to use them on Dune would be a disaster anyway. No matter how pesky those Fremen rebels are."

"Fire from without. Fires that have been set within. A full frontal attack from an enemy that shows no mercy. Do you fight, defend your home? Or flee? Can you flee, with nothing but desert outside these walls?" Ghanima's eyes glowed faintly from a corner of the room. "Understand - this is the situation you place your enemy in when you choose to use fire. As Tzu said, 'Do not press a desperate foe too hard.' Even outnumbered, no warrior will go gently, and you should never underestimate a 'civilian', either."

"Make your decision. Understand the ramifications of using fire against a foe. Try not to die."

Then the Danger Shop flared to life, the sounds of people screaming, shots being fired, and fire filling the hallways of the warren.

[OOC: Feel free to handwave your escape/death, or grab a friend and try to escape. Canonically, the Sardaukar are nasty bits of work, and will gun you down without blinking. However, you've got teams of Fremen on your side, and they're even meaner. If they don't knife you for being an interloper. Poke Ahddie in the OOC for an NPC.]

Re: Survive In the Desert: Sietch Tabr

[seeks_truth]

"Perhaps I should not have taken you into this--" Cassandra started.

And then there was fire, and screaming, and strange noises in the background; she grabbed Lucille's hand and tried to tug her along, behind a wall.

Re: Survive In the Desert: Sietch Tabr

[crimson_sister]

Lucille followed Cassandra, overwhelmed at first by the battle. The adrenaline rush pushed her to act, to throw herself into the tumultous violence, but she helt back.

"What would you suggest?"

Survive In the Desert: Jundland Wastes

[weetuskenraider]

Students who chose this scenario would find themselves in a rocky canyon -- one of many rocky canyons, as a matter of fact, winding around huge and equally rocky plateaus, though it was late in the evening (so no twin sunset for you, sorry) and getting a sense of the scope of the place in the dark might be difficult.

"Welcome to the Jundland Wastes, said Tahiri, who sounded amused beneath all the wrappings . . . and a little bit apologetic, too. Because the Jundland Wastes were the worst part of Tatooine, which was saying something. "The far south edge of the Jundland Wastes, to be specific, right where they meet the Western Dune Sea. I grew up . . ." She pointed roughly north, toward the base of one of the plateaus. "Oh, right around there somewhere, so I can tell you it's pretty remote out here. You won't see any of what passes for civilization on Tatooine anywhere closer than the other side of the farthest canyon, but that's where you're going to have to go."

She held up a small stack of papers. "I've got maps here to help you out a bit, but the gist of it is that you're going to need to get from here to Anchorhead." A pause for effect, since the unasked question What, on foot? was fairly evident. "A Jawa sandcrawler should be coming through this area soon. It's going to be up to you to flag the sandcrawler down and talk the Jawas into letting you hitch a ride. And yes, they'll understand you if you speak to them; you just won't be able to understand them unless you speak their language."

There was also going to be the Jawas' notorious, ah, fragrance to contend with, but she was going to leave the students to find that out on their own.

"And as for where fire comes into it? Well, the desert gets cold at night, for one. And for another, it ought to help make you more visible to the Jawas in the dark . . . though, then again, it might attract some un wanted attention as well, so be careful."

Mostly womp rats around here, at least; Tahiri had been nice enough to not program any krayt dragons or sand bats into the Danger Shop today. Or a sarlacc.

[OOC: Mod your adventure as you wish -- team up, go it alone, feel free to have the sandcrawler break down and offer to fix it for them, if you want to, even. I think I covered all the details adequately but ask any questions in the OOC thread if you need to! I can't guarantee I'll be available to NPC but I can try.]

Re: Survive In the Desert: Jundland Wastes

[giveherahand]

Mara smirked slightly at the assignment. Like she'd ever voluntarily spend time near Tatooine. Ugh.

She was going to pass on riding with the Jawas. The long walk would be ridiculous but the air was decidedly cleaner not in a crawler and she had plenty of water with her.

Talk to the Teachers [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Who are both from desert planets, yes, though one of them is considerably fonder of home than the other.

Re: Talk to the Teachers [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri would be glad to get out of this outfit, to tell the truth; there'd been a very long stretch of time after she'd first arrived at the Jedi academy where she'd been determined to never have anything to do with Tatooine ever again, and while she was more reconciled to it now than she had been at nine years old the stifling nature of Tusken garb remained very much not her favorite.

She might even tell you about the time she had to hitch a ride in a Jawa sandcrawler, if you asked.

Re: Talk to the Teachers [AoW 13]

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima was perfectly comfortable in today's outfit, and students would not be hallucinating if they noticed she seemed lighter, happier, despite the topic.

Of the twins, Ghani had always been more Liet-Kynes than Atreides, Fremen over Imperial, and today it showed in how easily she had discarded her usual Imperial gowns and mannerisms in favor of the stillsuit and openly wearing her crysknife.

It was not really Tabr and not really Dune, but for today, it was enough.

OOC [AoW 13]

[weetuskenraider]

Request NPCing down here if you wish!

So I actually adapted the Tatooine scenario from a Junior Jedi Knights book in which nine-year-old Tahiri and eleven-year-old Anakin Solo have to survive for seven days in the Dune Sea and do actually have to hitch a ride in a Jawa sandcrawler, but also have to fight a krayt dragon and escape from a sarlacc and then Force-call Tahiri's pet bantha to come find them and give them a ride the rest of the way back and THEY ARE TINY CHILDREN AND IT IS RIDICULOUS (as is all of JJK really) so you just get the Jawa part.

Fun fact: there is actually a Wookieepedia entry for "fire," and it is hilarious.

Re: OOC [AoW 13]

[giveherahand]

What a lady's man. OMFG.

Re: OOC [AoW 13]

[atreideslioness]

OMG SO SMOOTH

Re: OOC [AoW 13]

[giveherahand]

UNLIKE SAND.