fandomhigh | Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Monday, Period 1]

As the students entered this week, they would see a passage on the board:

Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit:

(1) Accessible ground

(2) entangling ground

(3) temporizing ground

(4) narrow passes

(5) precipitous heights

(6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.

"Terrain. Which I am sure you are all dreadfully sick of hearing me talk about," Ghanima announced as soon as the last student was seated. "However, if you do not know where or how you stand, in any battle, you will lose. I cannot stress this enough. It doesn't matter if you're facing a troop of Sardaukar on Salusa Secundus, or trying to make dinner plans with a cranky significant other. If you cannot understand the terrain under your feet, you will find yourself on the wrong end of a metaphorical or physical blade."

"This all goes back to what we discussed that first week of class, "'Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.' To know your soldiers, you must know yourself. You must be able to assess both the capabilities of your fighting force, and your own ability to command them in terrain before you. If you cannot give the soldiers what they need, even the most elite squad in the Empire can fall against a small handful of women and children." Not that Ghanima would know. At all.

"First, however, I want to hear how you did over the last week."

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"The funny thing about terrain," Ghanima said, "is that it can shift without warning. What was a dry creek-bed may suddenly become a flash flood. Entangling ground may shift to become a narrow pass. You cannot count on your battlefield staying the same, and this is especially true when dealing with other people."

"Negotiation, however, is startling efficient in bringing parties to a common ground, where your 'battle' can be on more equal terms."

Nevermind that Ghanima's personal idea of 'negotiation' was simply manipulating the other person until they came around to where you wanted them.

"Which is why, this week, you will be in groups of two or three. You will spend a minimum of forty-eight hours together over the next week. It does not have to be consecutive, although you may try and power through the assignment if you wish. However, you must spend time together, and each chunk of time must be at least four hours in duration."

"Whenever possible, you will visit your teammates' places of employment, and, if it is acceptable to their other teachers, attend classes with them. You will probably get on each others' nerves, and hate me before the exercise is over. However you will learn, hopefully, how to negotiate. Where and when are you spending time together. What is for dinner? What aspects of your lives are off-limits? In the process, you'll learn more about your classmates, practice your negotiation skills, and quite possibly learn new things about yourselves."

"Find a partner or two. Good luck."

Up until the week before last, Breq had enjoyed this class. This assignment would be frustrating, she guessed, not because she couldn't negotiate, but because she had other priorities. She kept this to herself though and her face remained expressionless.

Peridot looked around the room, and settled on one of the people she found to be the least obnoxious, overall. And then she marched right over to Breq.

"I don't eat, I don't sleep, and I have a pet pumpkin," she shared. "Will that be tolerable?"

Breq looked up, face blank. "It will." She decided a smile might be good here. "I eat and sleep though. You'll have time to yourself during the night."

Much as she liked Peridot, she hoped this wasn't going to be a difficult week.

"A pet pumpkin?"

"A pet pumpkin!"

Peridot looked more than a little bit enthusiastic as she pulled out her phone to show a video of Pumpkin playing in the dirt that went... kind of ridiculously long.

"Isn't she the greatest?"

Everyone should have a pet pumpkin.

Breq watched the video, expressionless. She wasn't sure whether to act with honesty or politeness, but eventually decided on something in between.

"I'm glad to hear you have find a pet that makes you happy. I'm sure I'll get along with her."

Pumpkin would love you, Breq. Pumpkin loved everyone.

Except for Steven, who brutalized another, less sentient pumpkin right in front of her using a trowel.

"She gets along with everybody," Peridot confided. "She'll like you, too."

Breq made sure she smiled. "Then I look forward to meeting her."

She usually didn't mind pets, even if she didn't take an interest in them herself, but she had a feeling the pet pumpkin would be important this week.

Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Monday, Period 1]

Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment

Re: Lecture II & Assignment