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Contingency; Twilight/Wing
Topic Started: Mar 14 2015, 01:19 AM (177 Views)
Archon
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[ *  *  * ]
Archon sat on a stool in the Eclipse Base, around a large wooden table. Sprawled about it was a myriad of maps, books and ledgers. Archon seemed to be going over the map, circling bits of it with a brush. His golden glowing eyes scanning the paper expertly.

He sighed a bit and moved to wipe his face with a hoof... Only to realize he had a helmet on. He chuckled to himself after realizing it.
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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[ *  *  * ]
Twilight Sparkle enters the room, levitating a book in front of her. She makes her way around the furniture, not even looking up from her book. The others rarely moved their chairs, so she had committed the entire floor plan to memory.

She has been here for far too long.

She glances up at Archon's chuckle, cocking an eyebrow. "Did I miss something funny?"
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Archon
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Archon looked up and shook his head. "I tried to wipe my face... But helmet." he said adding another chuckle.

"I owe you an update I believe... Shortfuse has transferred detachments of elite soldiers to several garrisons for 'training.' So far, the one moving to Ponyville is known for its brutality. They were the advanced southern guard during the war." He explained. "They attacked a civilian and threatened a filly... They're currently nursing more than a few broken bones right now."

He put the brush down. "And I've been thinking... You should take a more active role."
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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"Really?" Twilight puts her book down, practically running over to see the map. "I don't envy them, with the broken bones, but going to Ponyville..."

She looks at the map, specifically her home town. "It would be good to get out again. Even I'm getting sick of research. What did you have in mind?"
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Archon
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"Its too early to reveal you. Shortfuse will simply roll over and wait for another opportunity to kill you. Its... Scummy but we need to make things worse so we can get rid of the disease." Archon said sighing a bit.

"The role I want you to fill is mission planning. I'm going to teach you everything I know about warfare, tactics and strategy."
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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Twilight's ears droop in disappointment, and she looks longingly at the map for a moment. She sighs, closing her eyes and nodding. "Alright. I always enjoy learning something new. Let's give it a go." She opens her eyes, giving Archon a tired smile before moving a chair over.
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Archon
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Archon levitated over a book. "First, you need to understand the essence of war if you are to wage it. It is not enough to simply have a list of formations and tactics. You must understand what war is."

"Lesson one: The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. You must always endeavor to find the path in which there is the least loss of life. Lives sacrificed needlessly will surely spell defeat."
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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Twilight sits quietly while Archon speaks, taking mental notes. "Understood. Try to avoid fighting when possible. Lives lost, either on our side or the enemy's, is a tragic loss. So, we should always try diplomacy as a first resort?"
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Archon
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Archon leaned in, looking Twilight in the eye. "Diplomacy is fine when it works. However, if its come to war than diplomacy has already failed." He pulled back tilting his head downward.

"Remove tragedy from your vocabulary when we're speaking of Warfare; War itself is a tragedy." He said bluntly. "Always assume it will come to blows"

"You should always avoid large engagements when possible. They're a drain on resources and run the risk of bringing you low. So, move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical."
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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Twilight nods, not looking away from Archon's helmeted gaze. For a faceless pony, his stare is intense...

"Aim for smaller scale battles when possible, and only fight when something is on the line. Don't waste resources, especially troops."
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Archon
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Archon held a hoof up. "Not just smaller scale battles, you wont win if you just nibble on the enemy. You do need to defeat them eventually."

"Warfare is an act. If you're dealing with an enemy of sound tactical mind then you must be able to read them. Armies are much like a ponies body. You can see their intentions through its body language." He said flipping through a few pages of the book.

"Engage the enemy with what they'd expect. This makes them fall into patterns of predictability in which you can wait for your golden moment to strike. But, you must keep your plans shadowy and then when it comes time to commit. Fall like a thunderbolt."

"Unicornia fought many wars with the other non-pony species around it. They had one general, Ba'al Barca. He once led an army of a few thousand against ten thousand. At the time he was already known as a great general so his opponent would not underestimate him. They stood off for days, Barca purposefully copied the other general's formations as the formations were the strongest... The standard: Elite heavy troops in the middle and the weaker greener forces on the flanks." He explained showing Twilight the page he was on.

"On the fourth day Barca positioned his forces in a new way. He put his heavy elites on the flanks and his inexperienced soldiers in the middle. However, he commanded from the center so his soldiers would not break and run. The other general saw this and took the most sensible course of action. He was going to drive down Barca's center like a hammer and force his army to fight on two fronts."

"Barca's center line held strong but gave up ground and continued to give you ground while Barca's flanks easily cut through the weaker general's flanks. Soon the enemy General realized he was surrounded. Barca pulled off the impossible: He encircled and annhilated a larger enemy force."
Edited by Archon, Mar 14 2015, 02:37 AM.
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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Twilight looks over the page, finding the diagram incredibly helpful. "It's... kind of like chess. You want to plan around your opponent's plan, while keeping your own plan secret." Twilight frowns at the analogy. She was never really good at chess.
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Archon
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"Yes." Archon said sliding the book away and levitating over a map with a predrawn battle on it.

"I'll repeat, the greatest victory is one in which you don't have to fight." He said pointing out parts of the terrain.

"An army marches on its stomach. If you can compromise the supply lines and starve them you'll win, very quickly. If you can destroy their chain of command you'll win. And always remember: No matter how much you hate them always give your enemy a golden bridge to retreat across. If you fight a desperate enemy you're going to suffer more casualties."
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
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Twilight looks over the map, genuinely interested. "I see. And if you take the enemy's supplies, not only have you weakened them, but your own forces are that much stronger..."
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Archon
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Archon nodded and pointed to the map with the pre-drawn battle.

"Answer me this: Both sides are equal in power and terrain. Should you fight this battle?" He asked looking to Twilight.
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