Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round Two: The Great Battlefield)
11-10-2011, 10:07 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Valter.
Two officers hauled Brigadier Henderson through a makeshift Chartreuse encampment, until he was face to face with General Kerak himself. He suspected his recent promotion would not be sticking with him for much longer, but at least he had completed his mission successfully. Might as well go out with a bang. "No longer content to haul us from place to place in irons, are you?" he spat at the chartreuse oppressors. "I suppose you wish to kill us all personally, then?"
"Oh, I would like nothing more than to rip you to shreds on the spot," Kerak said with a frankness that completely defused the brigadier's bravado, "but I do believe this is an excellent learning opportunity. Connoway, what do you make of this situation?"
"Sir?"
"The riot. Why do you think it happened? What should we do with the prisoners involved with it? Should extra punishment be given to our chief instigator?" Kerak added, gesturing at Henderson.
"I'm not really qualified to-"
"Stuff your 'qualifications', Connaway," Kerak interrupted. "Surely you must have some thoughts of your own to share? A single fleeting opinion on the matter of this busy day's events?"
Connaway frowned. "The chain of command has accommodated me for as long as I have lived. Nor do I have any reason to doubt your judgment. Why ask for mine?"
"The chain of command? Ha!" Kerak said derisively. "The chain of command has you locked in perpetual warfare! If I didn't know any better, I would believe this war to be a... a deliberate invention..."
"Are you alright, sir?"
Kerak snapped out of his contemplation. "No. War is a means to an end, not a goal unto itself. I must be missing something." He paused slightly. "All you need to know, Connaway, is that you will only best be able to serve your people and your army when you are able to serve yourself."
Connaway tilted his head. "Come again, Commander?"
"My brother and I were born into a war not entirely unlike your own," Kerak mused. "Nothing so grand or wasteful as your battles, of course, but there was a... border dispute. I belonged to a new tribe trying to make a name for itself among far more established neighbors.
"Our chieftain was a fool, though. The correct path was to stake out boundaries, mark territory, strike deals, negotiate- to ensure the survival and future of the tribe. The chief had no interest in such trifling victories, though. He wished only for the complete destruction of all his enemies, and his bloodlust eventually drove the neighboring tribes to band together against us.
"My brother and I were among the warriors chosen to wage an impossible war against a united coalition of far more powerful enemies. The chieftain, the fool, sent us to death wrapped in his delusions of total victory. Imagine his surprise when the same soldiers returned not moments later to claim their own 'total victory'- the chief's head on a silver platter!" Kerak smiled at Connaway's sudden expression of consternation. "My brother became the tribe's new Chieftain, and I the Shaman, and by our leadership we defused the hostility of our enemies and led our tribe to an age of prosperity unseen in my world to that day!
"And so," Kerak finished, apparently immensely pleased with his recounting of the tale, "we won because we knew we were more talented, more skilled than the simpleton designated as our superior. And we convinced the rest of our tribe-mates that we were, too! That is the essence of serving yourself, Connaway. You must learn of your worth, and how best you can serve your people. And you must learn to recognize when the best way to serve your people is to lead them, personally!"
"I-" Connaway gulped. "I recognize my potential, Kerak. But I couldn't possibly lead as well as you have. You have served my people better than I ever could."
"Be that as it may," Kerak said with some small hint of affection, "the terms of my own battle require my eventual departure. Now is as good a time as any to begin passing over command of Chartreuse army. And what better place to start than the passing of judgment on our disorderly guest?"
Connaway closed his eyes to think for a moment, and then spoke with as much conviction as he could muster. "The rioters are... difficult to handle. You must understand that we are not in the habit of keeping prisoners, Si- Kerak. It is hard not to continue thinking of them as the enemy until they are converted. Perhaps our brutality caused this retaliation."
"And your proposal?"
"Convert the teal soldiers. The reds are the only ones of their color left; perhaps some value yet remains in them. We should be able to effectively restrain the few red soldiers remaining, and restrain ourselves around them, at any rate."
"I see." Kerak nodded to the other Chartreuse officers present, and they began arranging for the execution of Connaway's orders.
"Ah, there is one more thing, S- Kerak."
"You certainly don't need my permission to speak anymore, Connaway," Kerak said sarcastically.
"Er, right. The riot apparently commenced with the conversion of one of our PoW commanders. No prisoner could have injured him enough to convert him, and both he and a single teal prisoner are unaccounted for. I believe an independent assassin or scout may have been the initial instigator of the riot. I would recommend increasing our security in the future."
"Hmmm. That would probably be the work of Saint Scofflaw. That one is... deceptive," Kerak eventually settled on, but he didn't appear to be particularly pleased with his choice of words. "I approve of your decision, and I will watch my own tracks in the future. You were entirely correct earlier, by the way," Kerak added with a haughty sniff. "You have no reason to doubt my judgment, nor have I found any reason to doubt my judgment of you. I believe, after this mission is over, you shall officially be the head of Chartreuse Army."
"And if you don't mind me asking, Kerak, why are we on this mission in the first place? Why the interest in Tengeri?"
"...My own goals presently extend beyond the scope of this battlefield," Kerak said after a moment's thinking. "I have learned much from you, more than you may know, on the sciences of your world, but I need more. To progress further I will require information on how to avoid murder at the hands of Huebert and Tinten's firearms... and I wish to find more science that I can bring back home. Already I know of miracles that will revolutionize my tribe, to allow me dominion over all Pangaea! But it's not enough."
Kerak coughed sheepishly. "And due to some, ah, extenuating circumstances, I believe the other combatants in my Grand Battle hold me in somewhat ill regard. As a carnivore, I find adjusting to their mild standards somewhat difficult..." Connaway nodded with somewhat excessive enthusiasm. "Tengeri is no different. She considers me a monster, I'm sure! But of all the combatants, I consider her to be most open to negotiation. I must begin building rapport soon."
Connaway smiled despite himself, at the unexpected openness of his commander. Former commander, he supposed he could say now. Kerak's trust and teachings had given him new drive to lead Chartreuse to victory, and he wasn't about to let Kerak down. One question was biting at him, though. "If your goal is to show yourself to be reformed, why did you raise an army here in the first place?"
Kerak smiled back. "I suppose old habits die hard, Connaway. Do you know what we did when my brother and I had full control of our tribe? We went about with fully realizing our former master's goals, but we did it right. We assassinated enemy chieftains, coaxed tribes into war with each other, and poisoned hunting grounds. Our neighbors were battered down until they could no longer defend themselves, and then our tribe's warriors moved in to assume control.
"War doesn't flow through my blood, Connaway. Victory does. I find results without bashing my problems head on, and that is why I'm the best commander you will ever know on the battlefield."
Two officers hauled Brigadier Henderson through a makeshift Chartreuse encampment, until he was face to face with General Kerak himself. He suspected his recent promotion would not be sticking with him for much longer, but at least he had completed his mission successfully. Might as well go out with a bang. "No longer content to haul us from place to place in irons, are you?" he spat at the chartreuse oppressors. "I suppose you wish to kill us all personally, then?"
"Oh, I would like nothing more than to rip you to shreds on the spot," Kerak said with a frankness that completely defused the brigadier's bravado, "but I do believe this is an excellent learning opportunity. Connoway, what do you make of this situation?"
"Sir?"
"The riot. Why do you think it happened? What should we do with the prisoners involved with it? Should extra punishment be given to our chief instigator?" Kerak added, gesturing at Henderson.
"I'm not really qualified to-"
"Stuff your 'qualifications', Connaway," Kerak interrupted. "Surely you must have some thoughts of your own to share? A single fleeting opinion on the matter of this busy day's events?"
Connaway frowned. "The chain of command has accommodated me for as long as I have lived. Nor do I have any reason to doubt your judgment. Why ask for mine?"
"The chain of command? Ha!" Kerak said derisively. "The chain of command has you locked in perpetual warfare! If I didn't know any better, I would believe this war to be a... a deliberate invention..."
"Are you alright, sir?"
Kerak snapped out of his contemplation. "No. War is a means to an end, not a goal unto itself. I must be missing something." He paused slightly. "All you need to know, Connaway, is that you will only best be able to serve your people and your army when you are able to serve yourself."
Connaway tilted his head. "Come again, Commander?"
"My brother and I were born into a war not entirely unlike your own," Kerak mused. "Nothing so grand or wasteful as your battles, of course, but there was a... border dispute. I belonged to a new tribe trying to make a name for itself among far more established neighbors.
"Our chieftain was a fool, though. The correct path was to stake out boundaries, mark territory, strike deals, negotiate- to ensure the survival and future of the tribe. The chief had no interest in such trifling victories, though. He wished only for the complete destruction of all his enemies, and his bloodlust eventually drove the neighboring tribes to band together against us.
"My brother and I were among the warriors chosen to wage an impossible war against a united coalition of far more powerful enemies. The chieftain, the fool, sent us to death wrapped in his delusions of total victory. Imagine his surprise when the same soldiers returned not moments later to claim their own 'total victory'- the chief's head on a silver platter!" Kerak smiled at Connaway's sudden expression of consternation. "My brother became the tribe's new Chieftain, and I the Shaman, and by our leadership we defused the hostility of our enemies and led our tribe to an age of prosperity unseen in my world to that day!
"And so," Kerak finished, apparently immensely pleased with his recounting of the tale, "we won because we knew we were more talented, more skilled than the simpleton designated as our superior. And we convinced the rest of our tribe-mates that we were, too! That is the essence of serving yourself, Connaway. You must learn of your worth, and how best you can serve your people. And you must learn to recognize when the best way to serve your people is to lead them, personally!"
"I-" Connaway gulped. "I recognize my potential, Kerak. But I couldn't possibly lead as well as you have. You have served my people better than I ever could."
"Be that as it may," Kerak said with some small hint of affection, "the terms of my own battle require my eventual departure. Now is as good a time as any to begin passing over command of Chartreuse army. And what better place to start than the passing of judgment on our disorderly guest?"
Connaway closed his eyes to think for a moment, and then spoke with as much conviction as he could muster. "The rioters are... difficult to handle. You must understand that we are not in the habit of keeping prisoners, Si- Kerak. It is hard not to continue thinking of them as the enemy until they are converted. Perhaps our brutality caused this retaliation."
"And your proposal?"
"Convert the teal soldiers. The reds are the only ones of their color left; perhaps some value yet remains in them. We should be able to effectively restrain the few red soldiers remaining, and restrain ourselves around them, at any rate."
"I see." Kerak nodded to the other Chartreuse officers present, and they began arranging for the execution of Connaway's orders.
"Ah, there is one more thing, S- Kerak."
"You certainly don't need my permission to speak anymore, Connaway," Kerak said sarcastically.
"Er, right. The riot apparently commenced with the conversion of one of our PoW commanders. No prisoner could have injured him enough to convert him, and both he and a single teal prisoner are unaccounted for. I believe an independent assassin or scout may have been the initial instigator of the riot. I would recommend increasing our security in the future."
"Hmmm. That would probably be the work of Saint Scofflaw. That one is... deceptive," Kerak eventually settled on, but he didn't appear to be particularly pleased with his choice of words. "I approve of your decision, and I will watch my own tracks in the future. You were entirely correct earlier, by the way," Kerak added with a haughty sniff. "You have no reason to doubt my judgment, nor have I found any reason to doubt my judgment of you. I believe, after this mission is over, you shall officially be the head of Chartreuse Army."
"And if you don't mind me asking, Kerak, why are we on this mission in the first place? Why the interest in Tengeri?"
"...My own goals presently extend beyond the scope of this battlefield," Kerak said after a moment's thinking. "I have learned much from you, more than you may know, on the sciences of your world, but I need more. To progress further I will require information on how to avoid murder at the hands of Huebert and Tinten's firearms... and I wish to find more science that I can bring back home. Already I know of miracles that will revolutionize my tribe, to allow me dominion over all Pangaea! But it's not enough."
Kerak coughed sheepishly. "And due to some, ah, extenuating circumstances, I believe the other combatants in my Grand Battle hold me in somewhat ill regard. As a carnivore, I find adjusting to their mild standards somewhat difficult..." Connaway nodded with somewhat excessive enthusiasm. "Tengeri is no different. She considers me a monster, I'm sure! But of all the combatants, I consider her to be most open to negotiation. I must begin building rapport soon."
Connaway smiled despite himself, at the unexpected openness of his commander. Former commander, he supposed he could say now. Kerak's trust and teachings had given him new drive to lead Chartreuse to victory, and he wasn't about to let Kerak down. One question was biting at him, though. "If your goal is to show yourself to be reformed, why did you raise an army here in the first place?"
Kerak smiled back. "I suppose old habits die hard, Connaway. Do you know what we did when my brother and I had full control of our tribe? We went about with fully realizing our former master's goals, but we did it right. We assassinated enemy chieftains, coaxed tribes into war with each other, and poisoned hunting grounds. Our neighbors were battered down until they could no longer defend themselves, and then our tribe's warriors moved in to assume control.
"War doesn't flow through my blood, Connaway. Victory does. I find results without bashing my problems head on, and that is why I'm the best commander you will ever know on the battlefield."