Bay 12 Games Forum

I'm still watching this thread every day. I didn't post my turn when I came back a few weeks after everyone was done posting because I didn't want to ping everyone with false hopes.

Zechariah struggled to find a balance in his use of the Shadows. The rush of power greatly aided his abilities, but he was not mentally strong enough yet to fully restrain the outpour of Shadows. He would have to limit how long he used his powers. For all he knew, he could be feeding into the dark mechanisms of the Tower. To make matters worse, his focus was threatened by the sound and force of artillery being used on the airship. The hostage rescue team was not well-equipped for a full-on assault. If they wanted to get out of there intact, they had to evacuate in the next few moments.

<Theri, River! Is the inside of the building secure? Did you take out the guards? If so, we need to leave now! Nikolai's firing the artillery and we have no idea when enemy reinforcements will arrive or if we'll get hit by debris or artillery.

If Theri or River responds affirmatively to my questions, dissipate the Shadow wall and tell the mages to secure the civilians. If there's time, test out my crystal light powers. Is it feasible to create a hardlight wall and sustain it? If so, prefer using that for defensive measures instead of the Shadow wall. If not, continue using the Shadow powers, but sparingly. If the Dark influence becomes too overpowering, refrain from using Shadow powers beyond life-saving measures, and inform the rest of the team of this.

Once the civilians are secured, evacuate.

((Note from days past; I made an action back there If it's not there, it is to continue the plan after deliberation))
"If there's nothing else I am prioritized to do, I can check instead. Quickly in and out, I think I can do that best."

Volunteer to this; leave the message-casting to the others!

((Understood, thank you!))
"Alright. I'll tell the others what we've accomplished thus far. If anything goes wrong, don't be afraid to use the commwire."

<Secondary warehouse secured. Civilians are safe, but aren't combat-capable. Evacuating civilians via the gate. Understood?>

Send the above message and wait in the warehouse with the group for Theri to do her thing. Prepare to take on any quick response forces.

((Huh. I thought I had posted before. I've been busy this weekend, so maybe I wrote up a bit but I didn't complete my message.))

"Securing the airship isn't important anymore. Too difficult to reach from the ground and saving those people is much higher priority. We will knock it out of the sky with my artillery and hopefully its not too broken to get flying again. Just focus on getting in, saving the civilians, and getting out. We're saving everyone we can."

Zechariah was quite happy to hear what Nikolai had to say. The first part made his job easier, while the second part filled him with determination. He operated at his best when he was allowed to work with a clear conscience and a humanitarian goal.
"Right. Now, when are we starting this? In the meantime, I'm going to get prepared. Let me know if you need anything."

Retrieve the supplies that Nikolai has designated for my group to take. Distribute weapons and any other equipment (armor, for example) to the recruits of my group based on their preferences and experience.

Go ahead and meet up with some scouts if we have them out on reconnaissance. Get a lay of the land; What does the terrain look like, and where are the buildings? Are there certain buildings where civilians will be expected to concentrate other than the warehouse? Any details are good details. If possible, and if we have the time, try and establish what the town guards' patterns are. They must have a patrol schedule. More detailed plans will be created when we know what we're dealing with.

"I think we've basically settled on trying to sneak in, and now the question is who do we send to do it. If direct action is necessary, the infil team can just commwire for it."

"I'll go. I can conceal us and restrain people from a distance using my shadow powers."

((Erm, you aware of where we arrived at DAF? and why are you using commwires for an in-person conversation?))

((I am aware that we traveled quite a ways away, it's just that I unfortunately was unable to respond promptly due to IRL issues and wanted to not awkwardly have Zechariah spontaneously drop the conversation without saying anything. I had him use comm-link because I wasn't sure of everyone's position to each other relatively due to actions which seemed to be separated from the rest of the group, so I played it safe. If we were all together, I could change it accordingly.

Main action doesn't change, Zechariah would still be providing reconnaissance or guard watch for the group unless something changes.))

"Um, technology is just another tool. I think you're making to big of a deal about this. Yeah, like any tool it can be misused, so what? Its only a difference of scale. How is this any different from teaching someone how to use a knife? Do you insist on them first making their own knife? That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

"That's a disconnected way of looking at things. We all know that they will inevitably develop guns, then tanks, and then missiles and weaponized aircraft. It might start tomorrow, it might start a decade from now, or it might start centuries from now. But it will happen. I am not suggesting that we somehow prevent that. I'm talking about responsibility. If we come out of the blue and, like deities, just bestow the plans to create these weapons upon them, who do you think they'll blame for the violence and turmoil that happens? Not themselves. They will blame us. The onus of wielding weapons carefully, responsibly and decisively is no longer as meaningful for them when it's not their fault in the first place that it happened so soon. We might liberate them for a couple of weeks, yes, but then they will turn on each other for power.

This world is like a structure. Too much stress at once on the frame of the building and it collapses. That same amount of stress over time, however, becomes manageable. We are in a world of strife right now, and we are outsiders. Foreigners. If we are to act to help this world, we must be decisive and surgical about it. We can't be careless and throw chaotic elements into the mix. In the future, yes, that can happen. Everything belongs in its own time.

Of everyone here, I would've expected you to understand the most about what too much fire in a closed environment can do."

"It's war, ya big goober. Weapons are what they need to not die, or at least die a bit less. If that's not essential, I dunno what is. Besides, not like they're gonna be able to build ICBMs or some shit overnight, or know how to launch 'em even if Nikky here had any idea how to build one himself. The military-industrial complex ain't even been invented yet, for Pete's sake!"

"You think that they are going to stop pointing their weapons at people once the current tyrants and despots are gone? Those armies and arsenals won't disappear, and the removal of corrupt leaders will leave power vacuums. Who do you think is going to fill those vacuums? Those who want power, and those who have the means to take it. Of course they're not going to build those arsenals immediately, but the point is that it'll be our fault that such technology reaches them at such an accelerated pace. We can't just wave and shove off of the world once we're done with our objective. We need to think about the reverberations of what we do. Once we set something in motion, it is nigh impossible to stop.

Are you willing to bet all of those lives for a cheap comfort?"

After shooting down the glider, Zechariah felt a pang of guilt. He hoped that the pilot was still alive. However, he knew that they were practically in a state of war, and that the glider pilot could have easily warned hostile forces of their travels. The group was small and fragile; they had powers and magic abound, yes, but what good could that do against hundreds or thousands of foes across this world?

He had to make every effort to engage in combat with the intent to defeat, not to kill. Sometimes, however, it's impossible to avoid the consequences of war.

He exhaled and turned to move with Nikolai. When they got to the alchemist, and he saw what Nikolai was attempting to do, several ideas ran through his head. Quickly, he touched Nikolai on the shoulder and asked for his attention.

"It is time to learn about technology. This is what we call a Wheel."

"Nikolai. Nikolai, look - we shouldn't be doing this. I know that we're in a precarious situation and that we have to make do to succeed, but do you know what introducing advanced technology would do to this world? It's not like we're talking with some average grunt. Look at her." He gestured towards the alchemist. "She will remember all of this. It could help us, yeah, but it could also really hurt this world at the same time. I know that we're here for the Games, and that we're not on some humanitarian mission, but I've seen multiple worlds ruined by slight imbalances caused by otherworldly influences. I'm sure you've experienced something like that too." He used both hands to gesture towards the sky.

"This world - even before we came to it - was ready to blow. Multiple groups are at each other's throats. What do you think would happen if technology were introduced? Do you think it would make the situation here better, or worse? Yeah, things like industrial medicine and computers would probably make things better, but circuits lead to missiles, and factory-made steel leads to military manufacturing. I don't - I don't think this world is ready for that, Nikolai. This world could ignite" - he snapped his fingers - "just like that." He sighed, and looked down. "Maybe when things calm down, we can introduce technology," he added.
"But not now. Not as a war implement."