Remove ads

Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

Reader mode
Remove ads
Apprehension pt. 23
  • Threadmarks
    • "We're not killing anyone if we can help it," you declare, frowning at Homura.

    Homura frowns right back.

    "Of course not," Mami agrees, smiling at you. "We... you want to help them, right, Sabrina?"

    "Yeah," you admit. "I kinda do."

    Homura regards you with a heavy frown, lips twisted to the side. "We can't... afford to be involved in a war."

    You sigh. "Homura, even if I hadn't... ah... meddled, they would have come here, anyway. Right, Oriko?"

    The seer nods silently.

    Homura glowers at the seer.

    "So either we do something now, or we wait until a twenty-something magical girl war rolls on to our doorstep," you say. "But... in any case, I don't want them to come here, either. That will drag this city-" and Madoka "-into the war."

    A reluctant nod from Homura. "The best would be to intercept them and-" her gaze flicks, lightning quick, to Mami, and then back to you "-drive them away." You don't think Mami noticed the look.

    You huff out a sigh. "But I would like to help them... No. I want the fighting to stop," you mutter, fisting one hand in your lap. Mami squeezes your other hand, looking... awed. Admiringly? Sadly? "And... if we intervene early, maybe we can stop the fighting from escalating too much?" you finish.

    Mami speaks up again, still leaning against you. "Maybe... The University Group has been planning this for a while, though. They approached me... last year? So they've been planning on this for a while..."

    Homura nods in agreement.

    "Hmm..." you say. "We can extract the Sendai group from Ishinomaki, and ask them what's really going on?"

    "They don't need to be rescued," Homura points out, tilting her head to indicate Oriko. "Do they." Despite the phrasing, directed at Oriko, it's really not a question.

    "They will link up with their allies from Fukushima and teleport here," Oriko says with a shrug. "I can see further than that, but I suspect it would be pointless," she adds, glancing sidelong at you.

    [] Write-in

    =====​

    All together, now: Her brain damage is acting up again.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well, shit.

    So much for stopping things from reaching here.

    [x]Will? So they haven't called them in yet?
    [x]...And the Ishinomaki group? Have they called in their allies yet, or can we still do something about that? When do they get here, and where will they be now and before then?
    [x]Knowing why this war's happening'd be a great help. (aka: Damnit Homura)
    [x]Mami, what do you think? Should we try and stop them from getting here? If we help the Sendai group, we could talk them out of coming here or calling in friends and maybe get some answers...
    -[x]Do you think any of the University group might listen to you?
     
    Last edited:
    I'm beginning to think that the author comments are mumi reaching through the fourth wall.

    "She's so...special. Oh dear she's gone and done something silly like fighting a Witch by herself...or a Meguca War like she's some kind of Messiah." *Mumi's self-esteem drops even further.*
     
    Eyup. That short telepathy call really fucked us over. (Not pointing fingers. No really, I'm not).

    So we either

    • Ready up a welcoming committee
    • Head there and extract them before they link up with the Fukushima group, possibly limiting the knowledge of our power getting around.
    • Head there after they meet with their allies, to get intel coming from more girls, however revealing our power and potential war asset value.
     
    Last edited:
    Ugolino said:
    Well, shit.

    So much for stopping things from reaching here.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    We can still stop them reaching here, we're just not getting support for going in heavy right now. They'd already called in reinforcements, and any degree of escalation that doesn't result in a death inside three days is manageable. This isn't a disaster.

    [] "They don't want to come here, they want to come to me. We need a rendezvous point elsewhere. Relatively neutral ground, somewhere out of the way. "
     
    [x]Will? So they haven't called them in yet?
    [x]...And the Ishinomaki group? Have they called in their allies yet, or can we still do something about that? When do they get here, and where will they be now and before then?
    [x]Knowing why this war's happening'd be a great help. (aka: Damnit Homura)
    [x]Mami, what do you think? Should we try and stop them from getting here? If we help the Sendai group, we could talk them out of coming here or calling in friends and maybe get some answers...
    -[x]Do you think any of the University group might listen to you?

    Works for me
     
    [x]Will? So they haven't called them in yet?
    [x]...And the Ishinomaki group? Have they called in their allies yet, or can we still do something about that? When do they get here, and where will they be now and before then?
    [x]Knowing why this war's happening'd be a great help. (aka: Damnit Homura)
    [x]Mami, what do you think? Should we try and stop them from getting here? If we help the Sendai group, we could talk them out of coming here or calling in friends and maybe get some answers...
    -[x]Do you think any of the University group might listen to you?

    defenestrator said:
    We kinda reminded them that they knew us.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Kiiinda hard to forget the white-hair that can control grief.
     
    Ugolino said:
    []Will? So they haven't called them in yet?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    They've called them in but haven't met them;
    "Once more, I am not omniscient," Oriko says tartly. "I am unable to pinpoint a location just from seeing parts of the fight. That said, the Ishononaki fight is currently in a lull, the Sendai group are trying to link up with their allies."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    []Mami, what do you think? Should we try and stop them from getting here? If we help the Sendai group, we could talk them out of coming here or calling in friends and maybe get some answers...
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    We don't want them to come here, but do want to talk to them and have (repeatedly) agreed to provide (some) help. But we don't need to be here to do either. If we convince them to meet elsewhere, we've reconciled those priorities.
     
    Trying to link up is ambivalent about the timing- and that's more making Mami feel relevant/getting her opinion. Either way, we're redirecting them- I agree.
     
    While I generally agree with the current plan, just two things:
    From what Oriko said a few posts ago, currently fighting are Fukushima, both Sendai and the Ishinomaki groups.
    We would need to extract both the Sendai and Fukushima groups to stop all current fighting.
    Only getting Sendai out might get somegirl from Fukushima killed since they would be suddenly facing two groups alone.

    Firnagzen said:
    "The Sendai Group aren't free of wrongdoing," Homura observes, eyes hooded.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Homura really seems to know something about this war. How about finally asking her what she knows?
    []Knowing why this war's happening'd be a great help. (aka: Damnit Homura)
    Or is this supposed to be that question? If yes, nevermind.

    Edit: We should let both get out on their own and then meet either only the Sendai group or both as soon as possible in a neutral location.
     
    Last edited:
    True, and yes, the vote is heavily hinting that Homu needs to spill the beans. We're just reluctant to flat-out ask in case the answer involves things Mami can't hear.
     
    No major objections to the vote besides some wording issues. Can you guys use any of this?

    [] "Oriko, how much time do we have before the Fukushima goup will arrive to aid the Sendai magical girls?"
    -[] "I'm thinking it would be best to intervene before the Fukushima group arrives. The Sendai group will make it out fine, but they probably don't know that yet. If we extract them first, we can probably convince Akiko to call off her reinforcements. If the Fukushima group doesn't fight, Ishinomaki may not call for help either."
    -[] "Either way I can take care of my business with the Sendai group then. In someplace that isn't Mitakihara."
     
    Muramasa said:
    No major objections to the vote besides some wording issues. Can you guys use any of this?

    [] "Oriko, how much time do we have before the Fukushima goup will arrive to aid the Sendai magical girls?"
    -[] "I'm thinking it would be best to intervene before the Fukushima group arrives. The Sendai group will make it out fine, but they probably don't know that yet. If we extract them first, we can probably convince Akiko to call off her reinforcements. If the Fukushima group doesn't fight, Ishinomaki may not call for help either."
    -[] "Either way I can take care of my business with the Sendai group then. In someplace that isn't Mitakihara."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    The Fukushima group is already there and fighting:

    Firnagzen said:
    "There are currently four distinct groups in the fight. Sendai, and Fukushima. The University group, and Ishinomaki. Groups from... Onagawa, and Tokyo, will be joining the main Sendai group, in that order, and Osaki and Tome to the Ishinomaki side."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
     
    From what Oriko said, both the Fukushima and Sendai groups are currently pulling out and coming to us on their own.
    This should stop the figting for the moment.
    We can still ask Oriko when the other groups (Tokyo etc) arrive and if they have been called in already.
    So we need a neutral meeting place and a plan for the meeting.
    That the University group, according to Mami, has been planning this for over a year, also doesn't give me hope for an easy defusion of the situation.

    [x]Have the Sendai and Ishinomaki groups called in their other allies yet? (Tokyo etc) Can we still do something about that? When do they get here, and where will they be now and before then?
    [x]Knowing why this war's happening'd be a great help. (aka: Damnit Homura)
    [x]Any idea for a good neutral meeting ground? (remember we know almost nothing about the local area)
    [x]Mami, what do you think? Should we try and stop them from getting here? If we help the Sendai group, we could talk them out of coming here or calling in friends and maybe get some answers...
    -[x]Do you think any of the University group might listen to you?

    This vote should work for now. I changed the first part a bit.

    ​
     
    Last edited:
    ....

    Somebody please explain to me why we aren't designating a landing point and then fortifying the crap out of it? Why aren't we declaring Mitakihara to be neutral ground, and that anybody who shows up is going to behave and not fight or else we will enforce neutrality with enough dakka to blot out the sun? Why are we still asking Oriko what is going to happen when it's perfectly freaking obvious?

    To put it more explicitly:

    This war is going to happen. We cannot prevent this war. There is too much momentum built behind it and things are happening too quickly. Our options quickly boil down to one of two possibilities.

    First, we can attempt to intercept one of the reinforcement groups before they arrive. We gank them, gank them hard, and make sure that nobody is in any fit state to fight afterwards. If you stop them with some sort of Paragon Speech, they're just going toss some sort of explanation your way, and then try to move past, which will require combat anyway. Much better to keep a tactical advantage, and then question them after we've beaten them into the ground.
    Second, we can attempt to contain the Fukushima and Sendai Groups after they've teleported here. It's pure hopeful thinking that's driving this vote. For all intents and purposes, Fukushima and Sendai have already linked up, and are moving to extract to Masami's Residence. This will probably bring fighting that direction. We need to lock down the area with mines and traps, and force anybody who shows up to follow our instructions exactly.

    The flaws of the current vote are as follows.

    The current vote centers around the presumption that we have the ability to effect things. We do not. While we can influence Akiko and Rin, we know Sakura is more than willing to go "Fuck it" and just teleport out. In all probability, whatever plans we make about a "neutral meeting point" are going to be ruined by Sakura prematurely departing, possibly leaving some people behind.

    Furthermore, the current vote requires cooperation from the Sendai Group. They have no particular reason to listen to us, and strongarming them with "do it or we won't cleanse you" will not improve relations nor make them amenable to actually explaining anything. We need to take the option that leaves them with the most agency over their own actions and gives us maximum flexibility and freedom to neutralize whatever they try to do.
    In short, the current vote is short sighted and doesn't allow for multiple scenarios. It is reflective of highly hopeful white knight crusading, and while admirable is literally the exact opposite of what is needed at this time. Any given vote must allow for flexibility in operations on the part of the Mitakihara Group while providing for the illusion of safety for the Sendai and Fukushima Groups.[/spoiler]
     
    Last edited:
    Crasian, we are here to stop the war, not escalate it further. Attacking the reinforcements of all sides will just make us a common enemy and turn a two way massive bloodbath into a three way city siege, or perhaps even force an alliance between the two sides to deal with us. It will make peace even less likely, as even if we manage to fend off all attackers, which is not a given even with our powers, it would just cause them to call in more reinforcements from further abroad, assuming they don't all witch out trying to take us down.
     
    Cannongerbil said:
    Crasian, we are here to stop the war, not escalate it further. Attacking the reinforcements of all sides will just make us a common enemy and turn a two way massive bloodbath into a three way city siege, or perhaps even force an alliance between the two sides to deal with us. It will make peace even less likely, as even if we manage to fend off all attackers, which is not a given even with our powers, it would just cause them to call in more reinforcements from further abroad, assuming they don't all witch out trying to take us down.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    First, my statement was explicitly "our options boil down to one of two possibilities". I do not advocate a specific action at this time, as I have class in 40 minutes and need to finish breakfast. If you want a general opinion, then I would say the second option is generally more productive, as it avoids everything you just stated.

    Second, please note the Second Half of the text. The critical matter is that the votes assumes we can effect things. Any vote that exists cannot make that assumption. Despite being incredibly powerful, the one thing Sabrina cannot effect is things she's not there to effect. Nobody cares about Mitakihara, nor of the magical girls that live there. We do not have the Soft Power to pull this off, and that means we have to accrue it before we can Diplomacy. We have the Hard Power to influence things, but having Hard Power means you're a threat, and if we're going to use Hard Power we must make sure we have the footing to pull it off. That means preparing for war, even if we're not really planning on getting that involved.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top