Swamped

"Private Burgundy," you say, after some thought. "I have a plan to capture the Rider. I'll need Captain Long's help, and yours as well."

It's important to get Burgundy's support. If she believes the plan will work, she'll be invaluable in persuading Long, should he harbor any doubts.

She seems intrigued at the word "capture". As though she wasn't expecting that from you. You've already got her interest.

"So what is this plan? Not a head-on assault, I should hope. We were both there the last time Captain Long tried that."

"No, of course not. Though the appearance of a head-on assault will be useful in outmaneuvering the enemy."

You take out a planning map of the swamp.

"There's only one place where the Marshguards can really bring all their forces without drawing our attention. That's here, the large patch of shallows just on the edge of our territory. What we want to do first is draw the Rider's attention with a diversion in the deep water, over here." You circle it on the map. "With his beast, he's more capable of handling the water than his troops, so he'll have them stand down while he investigates. My plan is for a diversion team of three swimmers to make a lot of noise..."

"Now hang on a minute! Only two of our senior swimmers are rested enough for a plan like this. Stacey's the only junior I can see who might be able to keep up, and..."

"It's not a particularly risky task. All she has to do is swim away. She doesn't have to be anywhere near the fighting. There shouldn't be a problem having a junior on the team."

"And she hasn't been seen in more than an hour," Burgundy continues. "Did you not read the report on how we have seven knights unaccounted for?"

You glance at the pile of reports on your desk... well, Long's, technically.

"There's been a lot of reports tonight. That one must have slipped past me."

"We've had some knocked out, too. I hope you didn't miss those reports."

"I'll double-check once I finish explaining the plan. If Stacey is unavailable, then our best option is to use a fast runner instead. The runner should aim to be visible, to draw the Rider's attention, while the swimmers attempt to separate him from the rest of his squad. Once he's separate, the strike team will engage him on the Knob."

You mark that with an X.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Knob and its tactical advantages."

"Yeah, the tactical advantage it gave Rider last time around! If we could hold it, sure, that would be a big help, but that's wishful thinking. Rider will take the Knob as soon as he sees an opening."

"That is precisely the plan. If we know where the Rider is going to be, we can prepare for him. Once Rider takes the Knob, the strike team's objective will be to keep his attention on them until Private Grinnes has a clear shot."

"Grinnes?"

"Yes, it seems his juggling practice has given him a deep insight into the trajectory of thrown objects. I've had him working for a while with one of Flame's donations, a launching device. I believe it could fire a properly prepared net, and Grinnes has the knowledge to ensure it lands directly on the Knob."

"He's also recovering from unconsciousness," Burgundy snaps back. "Seems Mudviper caught him when she escaped. He's awake now, but hardly alert. You really ought to read those reports a little more closely."

That is a significant setback with the plan. You only have one shot before the Rider realizes what's going on. Grinnes wouldn't miss under normal circumstances, with enough time to prepare; but if he's still recovering from unconsciousness, that could easily throw off his calculations.

But no one else has experience with the launcher. You can't easily find a substitute.

"I'll do that right now," you say. You can't get caught off guard again; she doesn't think you're ready. She doesn't think you care.

What does she know? You scour the reports for the words "MISSING" and "INJURED" so you know just who isn't available.

Hmm. Seems Squib was knocked out by Mudviper when she escaped. Minor injuries, as she didn't have her gloves at the time, but the medic's encouraged him to stay off duty until morning.

Well, that's a mild inconvenience. You'll just have to ask someone else in his squad to be the rat rider - not that you can discuss that part of the plan in front of Burgundy.

In any case, now you know your options for amending the plan. What have you come up with?