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May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)

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Stroth said:
That's what the vault is for. It's not listed on the official registry, but there's a big ass basement attached to the thing just filled with tons of unsorted shit.
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Offended Statement: It is not merely a 'basement'. It is a collection of memories, trinkets and operations pulled off optimally. It is our achievement list, objects meaning nothing in the context of the game but still fondly looked upon by the players.
 
I've got an idea for an omake, but I'm not practiced enough in writing to put it into words, so I'm posting the idea here in the hopes that someone can flesh it out:
After reflecting on her new understanding of the Force, Ciaran realizes her lightfoil is just a tool, and gets nudged by the Force to build her own lightsaber using the lava crystal she found a fair bit ago.

I'll leave it up to whoever writes the omake to determine what kind of lightsaber it is as well as it's color, but I would suggest gold or purple.
 
Floom said:
I've got an idea for an omake, but I'm not practiced enough in writing to put it into words, so I'm posting the idea here in the hopes that someone can flesh it out:
After reflecting on her new understanding of the Force, Ciaran realizes her lightfoil is just a tool, and gets nudged by the Force to build her own lightsaber using the lava crystal she found a fair bit ago.

I'll leave it up to whoever writes the omake to determine what kind of lightsaber it is as well as it's color, but I would suggest gold or purple.
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*contemplates trying my hand at writing*
 
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(Omake) Preemptive Strike (Canon)
  • Threadmarks
    • Preemptive Strike
    ​
    "Are you feeling alright Thrawn?" asked Ahsoka, moving her rook into the same row as Thrawn's bishop, cautiously continuing the game of cat and mouse that had been going on for a few turns now.

    Sure enough, Thrawn moved his bishop out of the way once more. "I feel fine. Why do you ask?"

    "Because of that!" said Ahsoka, gesturing to the chess board between them. "You've been running away, you haven't left any traps for me, nothing! The Thrawn I'm used to playing would have gotten me into checkmate turns ago."

    "Ah, I was wondering when you'd catch on. Yes, it's a new strategy I'm trying out." said Thrawn. "It occurred to me that while the pieces on the board are restored at the end of each game, the same cannot be said of soldier on the battlefield, and a single conflict may not be all that's required of them."

    "I think I follow." said Ahsoka, looking contemplatively at the board. "In a game you can sacrifice a pawn no problem…"

    "But it's far more difficult to throw away the lives of your men." said Thrawn, completing the thought. "So in this most recent game I've handicapped myself by attempting to win without losing a single piece."

    "That's crazy though. You can't win a war with no casualties, reality doesn't work like that." countered Ahsoka.

    "Perhaps, but inexperienced troops don't suddenly become elite operatives simply by infiltrating enemy lines." said Thrawn, picking up one of Ahsoka's pawns that he had captured earlier. "This game is a cleaner, more idealized version of war, and the ideal of a defensive strategy is to accrue no casualties whatsoever."

    "Huh, that's a really cool idea." said Ahsoka morosely, before looking up and grinning victoriously. "But if you're playing with a handicap like that, I actually have a shot at winning this time."

    Thrawn grinned as well while Ahsoka moved her rook across the board. "If that is what you must tell yourself."


    XXX​


    "Checkmate." Ahsoka stared at the board in shock. The padawan groaned in defeat as she slumped forward and smacked her head on the table.

    "How? How did you manage to even do that?" moaned Ahsoka.

    "A defensive strategy, coupled with a slow drain on your resources until you were unable to properly defend your own king. Ironically your own remaining pieces blocked his escape." said Thrawn. "In a more realistic portrayal, my forces ran and hid, harassing your army until resources were spread thin enough that a surgical strike at your leadership was possible."

    "At least when I walk into your traps I get to capture a piece. I felt even further from winning than usual." said Ahsoka as she began placing her pieces back into their proper rows.

    "Make no mistake, you were very close to invoking my self-inflicted loss condition on several occasions. And had this been a real war between two forces, you would have no doubt emerged victorious against such a strategy." said Thrawn, comforting his friend while placing his own black pawns all in a row. "While effective, these types of tactics are far from satisfying. Morale would have decreased, and I'd have lost men to desertion rather than battle. It is an effective way to prevent an opponent's victory, but a poor way to win a war. If you have enough resources to sustain such a strategy, you likely have enough to win outright."

    "If it's so situational, then why use it in this game?" asked Ahsoka. As much as she hated losing, she often learned something from her defeats. And even when the lesson wasn't forthcoming, Thrawn was more than happy to explain it to her in detail.

    "Because I decided to view it in a different light. Rather than a game simulating a war in its entirety, where keeping casualties low is a pipe dream, I decided to view it as a simulation of a singular battle, where playing defensively is a valid tactic quite often. To win a small gain at great cost to your own forces is called a Pyrrhic victory, and it is often viewed as worse than defeat."

    "Have you ever won a Pyrrhic victory?" asked Ahsoka. It wasn't often that such an opportunity to learn about Thrawn presented itself. She still didn't even know what species he was. Thrawn would probably tell her if she asked, but that would defeat the principle of the thing.

    "Myself? No, though one such victory ruined my brother." said Thrawn.

    "You have a brother?" Ahsoka tried as hard as she could to imagine what Thrawn's brother would be like. Try as she might, Thrawn was so unique she couldn't think of anything similar yet different.

    "Yes. Thrass and I went to the same military academy as youths. He defeated a classmate in a simulation, but his own losses were grievous as well. It was poor commanding on the part of his opponent, attacking to the last man simply to cause as much damage as possible. Still, the simulation forced him to confront the reality of war and realize he didn't have the will for it. When I left, he had a successful career in politics, holding the status of Syndic while I continued in the military to achieve the rank of Admiral."

    Ahsoka was spellbound by all she was learning about her gaming buddy. "Whoa. So, what happened?"

    "I assume you're asking about how I found my way to the Abyss Watchers." said Thrawn turning his attention from the game entirely. "I've often found that defeating an enemy before they attack is the best way to achieve victory and minimize casualties. This method of aggressive preemptive strikes ran counter to the beliefs of my society at large, and I was exiled. Several of Lady Ciaran's men found me on a routine sweep and remembered me from… previous interactions. We formed an alliance out of mutual convenience, which has since solidified into a more permanent arrangement."

    "Well I suppose that explains how quickly most of our games end." joked Ahsoka.

    Thrawn actually laughed. Not the confident little chuckle he did when Ahsoka was playing into his hands, but an actual laugh. "I suppose it does. I think we have time for one more game before I need to leave for CNS space again. As always, white goes first."


    AN: I really enjoy writing these little pieces of Ahsoka playing chess against Thrawn. So uh, here's another one.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Floom said:
    I've got an idea for an omake, but I'm not practiced enough in writing to put it into words, so I'm posting the idea here in the hopes that someone can flesh it out:
    After reflecting on her new understanding of the Force, Ciaran realizes her lightfoil is just a tool, and gets nudged by the Force to build her own lightsaber using the lava crystal she found a fair bit ago.

    I'll leave it up to whoever writes the omake to determine what kind of lightsaber it is as well as it's color, but I would suggest gold or purple.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Didn't the interlude with her and Ventress clarify that the force isn't just a tool? That the force is LIFE and life is too precious to just take away in the eyes of a Mirualken because not only is it morally wrong to kill but it also hurts their force vision (no force/no life)? Ciaran should be humbled about her discoveries and feel maybe even bad about what she's done from coverups to selling information to gangsters. She should feel the want to understand the force more and maybe adjust her organizations parameters to be more pacifistic because of her new found respect for life and the force.

    My opinon though but it does clearly say that the force, to Ciaran, is no longer just a tool.
     
    Echo 101 said:
    Didn't the interlude with her and Ventress clarify that the force isn't just a tool? That the force is LIFE and life is too precious to just take away in the eyes of a Mirualken because not only is it morally wrong to kill but it also hurts their force vision (no force/no life)? Ciaran should be humbled about her discoveries and feel maybe even bad about what she's done from coverups to selling information to gangsters. She should feel the want to understand the force more and maybe adjust her organizations parameters to be more pacifistic because of her new found respect for life and the force.

    My opinon though but it does clearly say that the force, to Ciaran, is no longer just a tool.
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    I think that's the point. She realizes her lightfoil is a tool, which no longer matches her views on the Force, so she sets out to build her own like Jedi do.
     
    Panory said:
    Preemptive Strike
    ​
    "Are you feeling alright Thrawn?" asked Ahsoka, moving her rook into the same row as Thrawn's bishop, cautiously continuing the game of cat and mouse that had been going on for a few turns now.

    Sure enough, Thrawn moved his bishop out of the way once more. "I feel fine. Why do you ask?"

    "Because of that!" said Ahsoka, gesturing to the chess board between them. "You've been running away, you haven't left any traps for me, nothing! The Thrawn I'm used to playing would have gotten me into checkmate turns ago."

    "Ah, I was wondering when you'd catch on. Yes, it's a new strategy I'm trying out." said Thrawn. "It occurred to me that while the pieces on the board are restored at the end of each game, the same cannot be said of soldier on the battlefield, and a single conflict may not be all that's required of them."

    "I think I follow." said Ahsoka, looking contemplatively at the board. "In a game you can sacrifice a pawn no problem…"

    "But it's far more difficult to throw away the lives of your men." said Thrawn, completing the thought. "So in this most recent game I've handicapped myself by attempting to win without losing a single piece."

    "That's crazy though. You can't win a war with no casualties, reality doesn't work like that." countered Ahsoka.

    "Perhaps, but inexperienced troops don't suddenly become elite operatives simply by infiltrating enemy lines." said Thrawn, picking up one of Ahsoka's pawns that he had captured earlier. "This game is a cleaner, more idealized version of war, and the ideal of a defensive strategy is to accrue no casualties whatsoever."

    "Huh, that's a really cool idea." said Ahsoka morosely, before looking up and grinning victoriously. "But if you're playing with a handicap like that, I actually have a shot at winning this time."

    Thrawn grinned as well while Ahsoka moved her rook across the board. "If that is what you must tell yourself."


    XXX​


    "Checkmate." Ahsoka stared at the board in shock. The padawan groaned in defeat as she slumped forward and smacked her head on the table.

    "How? How did you manage to even do that?" moaned Ahsoka.

    "A defensive strategy, coupled with a slow drain on your resources until you were unable to properly defend your own king. Ironically your own remaining pieces blocked his escape." said Thrawn. "In a more realistic portrayal, my forces ran and hid, harassing your army until resources were spread thin enough that a surgical strike at your leadership was possible."

    "At least when I walk into your traps I get to capture a piece. I felt even further from winning than usual." said Ahsoka as she began placing her pieces back into their proper rows.

    "Make no mistake, you were very close to invoking my self-inflicted loss condition on several occasions. And had this been a real war between two forces, you would have no doubt emerged victorious against such a strategy." said Thrawn, comforting his friend while placing his own white pawns all in a row. "While effective, these types of tactics are far from satisfying. Morale would have decreased, and I'd have lost men to desertion rather than battle. It is an effective way to prevent an opponent's victory, but a poor way to win a war. If you have enough resources to sustain such a strategy, you likely have enough to win outright."

    "If it's so situational, then why use it in this game?" asked Ahsoka. As much as she hated losing, she often learned something from her defeats. And even when the lesson wasn't forthcoming, Thrawn was more than happy to explain it to her in detail.

    "Because I decided to view it in a different light. Rather than a game simulating a war in its entirety, where keeping casualties low is a pipe dream, I decided to view it as a simulation of a singular battle, where playing defensively is a valid tactic quite often. To win a small gain at great cost to your own forces is called a Pyrrhic victory, and it is often viewed as worse than defeat."

    "Have you ever won a Pyrrhic victory?" asked Ahsoka. It wasn't often that such an opportunity to learn about Thrawn presented itself. She still didn't even know what species he was. Thrawn would probably tell her if she asked, but that would defeat the principle of the thing.

    "Myself? No, though one such victory ruined my brother." said Thrawn.

    "You have a brother?" Ahsoka tried as hard as she could to imagine what Thrawn's brother would be like. Try as she might, Thrawn was so unique she couldn't think of anything similar yet different.

    "Yes. Thrass and I went to the same military academy as youths. He defeated a classmate in a simulation, but his own losses were grievous as well. It was poor commanding on the part of his opponent, attacking to the last man simply to cause as much damage as possible. Still, the simulation forced him to confront the reality of war and realize he didn't have the will for it. When I left, he had a successful career in politics, holding the status of Syndic while I continued in the military to achieve the rank of Admiral."

    Ahsoka was spellbound by all she was learning about her gaming buddy. "Whoa. So, what happened?"

    "I assume you're asking about how I found my way to the Abyss Watchers." said Thrawn turning his attention from the game entirely. "I've often found that defeating an enemy before they attack is the best way to achieve victory and minimize casualties. This method of aggressive preemptive strikes ran counter to the beliefs of my society at large, and I was exiled. Several of Lady Ciaran's men found me on a routine sweep and remembered me from… previous interactions. We formed an alliance out of mutual convenience, which has since solidified into a more permanent arrangement."

    "Well I suppose that explains how quickly most of our games end." joked Ahsoka.

    Thrawn actually laughed. Not the confident little chuckle he did when Ahsoka was playing into his hands, but an actual laugh. "I suppose it does. I think we have time for one more game before I need to leave for CNS space again. As always, black goes first."


    AN: I really enjoy writing these little pieces of Ahsoka playing chess against Thrawn. So uh, here's another one.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Unless this is a culture thing I am pretty sure that white goes first in chess.
     
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