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)
fandomhigh2023-09-13 01:06 pm
atreideslioness) wrote in fandomhigh2023-09-13 01:06 pm
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The History of Assassination. Wednesday, First Period [9/13]
The classroom was still set-up without desks, the cushions and low couches scattered around the room. The only new addition was a pair of human dummies off to one side of the teacher's desk.
"Welcome back," Ghanima said cheerfully once everyone had arrived, Trebor sound asleep on his mother's back. "I haven't scared you off. Perfect."
"Let's dive right in! Today, we are talking about the how of assassination, so that you can keep it in mind when we talk about the why and the history behind it."
"According to experts, assassination on this planet is generally divided up into seven categories: manual, accident, drug, edged weapons, blunt weapons, firearms, and explosives. Which is wrong, because it is eight. Everyone always forgets about trained animals."
Yes, she was serious.
"Now, the essential point of assassination is the death of the subject. A human being may be killed in many ways, choosing how another human is to die is something requiring thought and care. It should not be entered into lightly or frivolously."
"If it is a crime of passion or obsession, such as an assassination by an individual rather than an organization ordering the death, the assassin may pick something flashy or of personal significance, rather than the most practical option, because their judgement is compromised. Which is why so many single 'lone wolf' person assassinations fail."
"The specific technique employed will depend upon a large number of variables, but should be constant in one point: Death must be absolutely certain. Many assassination attempts fail because the assassin does not have back-up plans, and has not accounted for enough variables. They have built-up a fantasy in their minds, and when that does not work, they fall to pieces."
"So first up, we have the manual option. It is possible to kill a person with the bare hands, but very few are skillful enough to do it well," Ghanima said bluntly. "However, the simplest local tools are often the most efficient means of assassination. A length of rope or wire or a belt will do if the assassin is strong and agile. If you plan to attack and then claim self-defense, improvised weapons have the important advantage of availability, close contact to make sure they are dead, and apparent innocence. Remember - the obviously lethal machine gun failed to kill Trotsky, whereas a mountaineering ice axe succeeded."
"Now, accidents!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Delightful accidents! The contrived accident is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little excitement and is only casually investigated, which means you have a higher chance of getting away with it."
"The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface. Stairs, hotel windows, and bridges over roads will serve. You can try an elevator shaft, but there are so many safety features these days that it will raise a few eyebrows. Same with getting someone to 'trip' in front of a train -- too many eyes in a subway these days, and security cameras are everywhere. Bridge falls into water are not reliable, unless you go from a much higher elevation. Care is required to ensure that no wound or condition not attributable to the fall is discernible after death."
"Now, while I said bridges over water are not reliable, falls into the sea or swiftly flowing rivers may suffice if the subject cannot swim, and/or if the water is very cold and the subject is drunk. Hypothermia is your back-up plan here, and it can be very helpful. However, a good assassin will find a way to confirm the death before leaving the scene."
"Automobile accidents are a no. If the subject is deliberately run down, very exact timing is necessary and investigation is likely to be thorough. If the subject's car is tampered with, reliability is very low. The subject may be stunned or drugged and then placed in the car, but this is only reliable when the car can be run off a high cliff or into deep water without observation."
"Arson! If your target is a smoker, you can stage an arson accident, but it's not easy. Reliability of the assassination is not satisfactory unless the subject is drugged, the building is isolated and highly combustible, and there is no nearby fire department. And then you have questions about 'what were they doing there?' etc. It is too much work for a low return on investment."
"Drugs. Do not bother with drugs," she continued, making a face. "If the assassin is trained as a doctor or nurse and the subject is under medical care, then this is an easy and good method. An overdose of morphine administered as a sedative will cause death without disturbance and is difficult to detect. But this requires your target to be undergoing medical care regularly."
"If the subject drinks heavily, morphine or a similar narcotic can be injected at the passing out stage, and the cause of death will often be held to be acute alcoholism, but you again must be careful that your assassin is not seen with the victim beforehand, least they get questioned on why they didn't take the deceased to urgent care for alcohol poisoning."
"Specific poisons, such as arsenic or strychine, are effective but their possession or procurement is incriminating, and accurate dosage is problematic. It is not worth it with the drugs easily available in this time and place."
"Edged weapons... no. Simply no. Not in this day and age," she sighed, walking over to the dummies and drawing a knife out of her sleeve. "A certain minimum of anatomical knowledge is needed for reliability."
"Puncture wounds of the body cavity may not be reliable unless the heart is reached, and the heart is protected by the rib cage and is not always easy to locate," she continued, pointing out the locations with her blade as she went. "Abdominal wounds were once nearly always mortal, but modern medical treatment has made this no longer true."
"Now, absolute reliability of death is obtained by severing the spinal cord in the cervical region, or the severing of both jugular and carotid blood vessels on both sides of the windpipe," Ghanima continued, miming the motions of each option against the dummies without waking her baby, before vanishing her knife back into her sleeve. "But these are not swiftly or easily done, and a single bystander can thwart the success of these attempts."
"Blunt weapons also require some anatomical knowledge for effective use, but their main advantage is their universal availability and less-need for precision. A hammer may be picked up almost anywhere in the world. Baseball bats are very widely distributed, and wooden ones are easily modified to be dangerously weighted. Even a rock or a heavy stick will do, and nothing resembling a weapon need be procured, carried or subsequently disposed of."
"Blows should be directed to the temple, the area just below and behind the ear, and the lower, rear portion of the skull," she continued, still using her dummies as examples. "-- Of course, if the blow is very heavy, any portion of the upper skull will do. The lower frontal portion of the head, from the eyes to the throat, can withstand enormous blows without fatal consequences, so don't bother."
"Now, one of the most popular methods is the use of firearms, because this planet is full of savages." Look, you have your opinions, Ghanima has hers. "Firearms are often used in assassination, often very ineffectively. The assassin usually has insufficient technical knowledge of the limitations of weapons, and expects more range, accuracy and killing power than their weapon provides. Since certainty of death is the major requirement for a successful assassination, firearms should be used which can provide destructive power at least 100% in excess of that thought to be necessary, and ranges should be half that considered practical for the weapon.
Firearms have other drawbacks. Their possession is often incriminating. They may be difficult to obtain, and they require a degree of experience from the user. It is genuinely a weapon for professionals only, and not enthusiastic amateurs. Look at Czolgosz's failure to assassinate President McKinley appropriately," she said, nodding to Ardenif she was there. "An absolute mess."
"Now, explosives....again, not for amateurs. Bombs or grenades should never be thrown at a subject. While this will always cause a commotion and may even result in the subject's death, it is sloppy, unreliable, and bad propaganda."
"The major factor which affects reliability is the charge must be very large and the detonation must be controlled exactly as to time by the assassin who can observe the subject. A small or moderate explosive charge is highly unreliable as a cause of death, and time delay or booby-trap devices are extremely prone to kill the wrong man. In addition to the moral aspects of indiscriminate killing, the death of casual bystanders can often produce public reactions unfavorable to the cause for which the assassination is carried out."
"One of the more notable attempts to assassinate my father was a bomb called a 'stone-burner,' which has an atomic core. Its design is two-fold: to burn out the eye-tissue of everyone around it, and to cause massive destruction immediately following. The thought being that a blind man cannot escape the falling rubble."
"They failed, of course, but the resulting death toll of innocents, and damage to the city, made the assassins and their cause deeply unpopular for a very long time."
"And finally, trained animals. Seemingly ridiculous? Yes. Expensive? Of course. Seemingly contradicts all rules about 'being sure of the kill,' and 'obvious gets caught'? Definitely."
"And yet, a pair of trained tigers came the closest to assassinating me. I still have the scar from the broken ankle I got in my escape from death. It was so ridiculous, it almost worked."
"So, if you were an assassin assigned a target, what method would you choose to use? Why? Or alternatively, what method would you never pick? I'm interested to hear your perspectives."
"Welcome back," Ghanima said cheerfully once everyone had arrived, Trebor sound asleep on his mother's back. "I haven't scared you off. Perfect."
"Let's dive right in! Today, we are talking about the how of assassination, so that you can keep it in mind when we talk about the why and the history behind it."
"According to experts, assassination on this planet is generally divided up into seven categories: manual, accident, drug, edged weapons, blunt weapons, firearms, and explosives. Which is wrong, because it is eight. Everyone always forgets about trained animals."
Yes, she was serious.
"Now, the essential point of assassination is the death of the subject. A human being may be killed in many ways, choosing how another human is to die is something requiring thought and care. It should not be entered into lightly or frivolously."
"If it is a crime of passion or obsession, such as an assassination by an individual rather than an organization ordering the death, the assassin may pick something flashy or of personal significance, rather than the most practical option, because their judgement is compromised. Which is why so many single 'lone wolf' person assassinations fail."
"The specific technique employed will depend upon a large number of variables, but should be constant in one point: Death must be absolutely certain. Many assassination attempts fail because the assassin does not have back-up plans, and has not accounted for enough variables. They have built-up a fantasy in their minds, and when that does not work, they fall to pieces."
"So first up, we have the manual option. It is possible to kill a person with the bare hands, but very few are skillful enough to do it well," Ghanima said bluntly. "However, the simplest local tools are often the most efficient means of assassination. A length of rope or wire or a belt will do if the assassin is strong and agile. If you plan to attack and then claim self-defense, improvised weapons have the important advantage of availability, close contact to make sure they are dead, and apparent innocence. Remember - the obviously lethal machine gun failed to kill Trotsky, whereas a mountaineering ice axe succeeded."
"Now, accidents!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Delightful accidents! The contrived accident is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little excitement and is only casually investigated, which means you have a higher chance of getting away with it."
"The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface. Stairs, hotel windows, and bridges over roads will serve. You can try an elevator shaft, but there are so many safety features these days that it will raise a few eyebrows. Same with getting someone to 'trip' in front of a train -- too many eyes in a subway these days, and security cameras are everywhere. Bridge falls into water are not reliable, unless you go from a much higher elevation. Care is required to ensure that no wound or condition not attributable to the fall is discernible after death."
"Now, while I said bridges over water are not reliable, falls into the sea or swiftly flowing rivers may suffice if the subject cannot swim, and/or if the water is very cold and the subject is drunk. Hypothermia is your back-up plan here, and it can be very helpful. However, a good assassin will find a way to confirm the death before leaving the scene."
"Automobile accidents are a no. If the subject is deliberately run down, very exact timing is necessary and investigation is likely to be thorough. If the subject's car is tampered with, reliability is very low. The subject may be stunned or drugged and then placed in the car, but this is only reliable when the car can be run off a high cliff or into deep water without observation."
"Arson! If your target is a smoker, you can stage an arson accident, but it's not easy. Reliability of the assassination is not satisfactory unless the subject is drugged, the building is isolated and highly combustible, and there is no nearby fire department. And then you have questions about 'what were they doing there?' etc. It is too much work for a low return on investment."
"Drugs. Do not bother with drugs," she continued, making a face. "If the assassin is trained as a doctor or nurse and the subject is under medical care, then this is an easy and good method. An overdose of morphine administered as a sedative will cause death without disturbance and is difficult to detect. But this requires your target to be undergoing medical care regularly."
"If the subject drinks heavily, morphine or a similar narcotic can be injected at the passing out stage, and the cause of death will often be held to be acute alcoholism, but you again must be careful that your assassin is not seen with the victim beforehand, least they get questioned on why they didn't take the deceased to urgent care for alcohol poisoning."
"Specific poisons, such as arsenic or strychine, are effective but their possession or procurement is incriminating, and accurate dosage is problematic. It is not worth it with the drugs easily available in this time and place."
"Edged weapons... no. Simply no. Not in this day and age," she sighed, walking over to the dummies and drawing a knife out of her sleeve. "A certain minimum of anatomical knowledge is needed for reliability."
"Puncture wounds of the body cavity may not be reliable unless the heart is reached, and the heart is protected by the rib cage and is not always easy to locate," she continued, pointing out the locations with her blade as she went. "Abdominal wounds were once nearly always mortal, but modern medical treatment has made this no longer true."
"Now, absolute reliability of death is obtained by severing the spinal cord in the cervical region, or the severing of both jugular and carotid blood vessels on both sides of the windpipe," Ghanima continued, miming the motions of each option against the dummies without waking her baby, before vanishing her knife back into her sleeve. "But these are not swiftly or easily done, and a single bystander can thwart the success of these attempts."
"Blunt weapons also require some anatomical knowledge for effective use, but their main advantage is their universal availability and less-need for precision. A hammer may be picked up almost anywhere in the world. Baseball bats are very widely distributed, and wooden ones are easily modified to be dangerously weighted. Even a rock or a heavy stick will do, and nothing resembling a weapon need be procured, carried or subsequently disposed of."
"Blows should be directed to the temple, the area just below and behind the ear, and the lower, rear portion of the skull," she continued, still using her dummies as examples. "-- Of course, if the blow is very heavy, any portion of the upper skull will do. The lower frontal portion of the head, from the eyes to the throat, can withstand enormous blows without fatal consequences, so don't bother."
"Now, one of the most popular methods is the use of firearms, because this planet is full of savages." Look, you have your opinions, Ghanima has hers. "Firearms are often used in assassination, often very ineffectively. The assassin usually has insufficient technical knowledge of the limitations of weapons, and expects more range, accuracy and killing power than their weapon provides. Since certainty of death is the major requirement for a successful assassination, firearms should be used which can provide destructive power at least 100% in excess of that thought to be necessary, and ranges should be half that considered practical for the weapon.
Firearms have other drawbacks. Their possession is often incriminating. They may be difficult to obtain, and they require a degree of experience from the user. It is genuinely a weapon for professionals only, and not enthusiastic amateurs. Look at Czolgosz's failure to assassinate President McKinley appropriately," she said, nodding to Arden
"Now, explosives....again, not for amateurs. Bombs or grenades should never be thrown at a subject. While this will always cause a commotion and may even result in the subject's death, it is sloppy, unreliable, and bad propaganda."
"The major factor which affects reliability is the charge must be very large and the detonation must be controlled exactly as to time by the assassin who can observe the subject. A small or moderate explosive charge is highly unreliable as a cause of death, and time delay or booby-trap devices are extremely prone to kill the wrong man. In addition to the moral aspects of indiscriminate killing, the death of casual bystanders can often produce public reactions unfavorable to the cause for which the assassination is carried out."
"One of the more notable attempts to assassinate my father was a bomb called a 'stone-burner,' which has an atomic core. Its design is two-fold: to burn out the eye-tissue of everyone around it, and to cause massive destruction immediately following. The thought being that a blind man cannot escape the falling rubble."
"They failed, of course, but the resulting death toll of innocents, and damage to the city, made the assassins and their cause deeply unpopular for a very long time."
"And finally, trained animals. Seemingly ridiculous? Yes. Expensive? Of course. Seemingly contradicts all rules about 'being sure of the kill,' and 'obvious gets caught'? Definitely."
"And yet, a pair of trained tigers came the closest to assassinating me. I still have the scar from the broken ankle I got in my escape from death. It was so ridiculous, it almost worked."
"So, if you were an assassin assigned a target, what method would you choose to use? Why? Or alternatively, what method would you never pick? I'm interested to hear your perspectives."
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During the Lecture
Re: During the Lecture
The bit about a car crash that ended in the water earned a flinch and a sudden, immediate slumping of her shoulders before they curved around into a kind of full-bodied hunch.
Discussion!
Re: Discussion!
She shrugged. "For me, the simplest covert method would be to observe them from a distance via public feed or an intercepted holo, so it couldn't be traced back to me, then using the Force to cause an embolism in a vulnerable organ. I believe for humans and near humans, lungs are the most immediately fatal in otherwise healthy individuals.
"If it were supposed to be seen as an assassination but without the source known, and I didn't have the option of simply hiring a professional, too many people in my galaxy are blind to the presence of droids, and they are ubiquitous and eminently programmable."
Re: Discussion!
"And it very much matters if the assassination is supposed to be explicit or not. Though ambiguity can also be a warning of sorts."
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"O-Oh really?" she asked, very cool and casual. "Which one?"
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That would be assassinating djinn then. Huh.
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If so, she was probably happier that way.
Re: Discussion!
Actually, he was right. On both counts. She was going to be much less happy once she discovered certain additions to her worldview.
Re: Discussion!
"What about ingestion?" Ghanima asked thoughtfully. "You'd have to be able to get it in a powder format, and like all poisonings it would take time, patience, and access... unless you could get a large amount into a single serving."
Re: Discussion!
"It's not really a poison, as such," Gray said after considering it. "It's more that wounds made with it heal very slowly--something like a human--and angels' magic doesn't work on them, so you can't heal it that way unless you have a witch or something around. But I don't know if anyone's ever tried using it as a poison, either, so who knows? It might work." He'd have to ask Lazarus, which would surely alarm the angel...which was a bonus.
Re: Discussion!
Arden was a little disturbed by how quickly she was able to come up with murder plans. Not that it mattered, since these were all answers she was never going to say out loud. Hell, she wasn't even sure that Elementals could do any of that stuff anyway. She certainly couldn't, probably.
Of course, this whole question was presupposing a whole lot of skills she didn't have anyway.
"Uh, well, first I'd be questioning who assigning me as an assassin--" Callista, it would be Callista "--but um...probably watch for a time when they were usually alone and relaxed and wait there and then surprise them with, like, piano wire or something," she said, thinking it through. "I'm not strong enough or skilled enough to fight anybody off, so the best I could do would be hoping to take them by surprise, with an attack that would make it hard for them to make noise. Piano wire's good because I can get 'em from behind and just use my weight for a counterbalance. Whoever finds the body is gonna know what happened, but getting it done is more important than leaving no clues."
Re: Discussion!
"But it is also very up-close and personal, and that takes an intense level of commitment to the task. Any assassin willing to go the manual route must have nerves of steel, because even the slightest hesitation means failure."
Re: Discussion!
Was that a thing?
"And I might just be a savage, because guns seem like the easiest way to go." She looked at Ghanima. "How would you do it?"
Talk to Ghanima
ooc