Instead of addressing things by person, I'll just throw them out in order this time around.
-This may very well be foreshadowing. It might also be part of a plan to suborn as many as eleven young women, or just a way to get Nakajima Cinque a bit ahead of the curve. Who knows?
...well, okay, I sort of know. Not entirely, though.
-I did that intentionally, CD. For one thing, Cinque doesn't really get how limited life on base actually is- I'll probably make that line 'so much to work on here' in the SB version. That's sort of the point. She's thinking of physical training, magical training, spell construction, team training, strategy work, and all the other ways the base offers to increase combat capacity- not just her forte.
For another, I have a tendency to assume the worst re: other people's opinion of me, so that's exactly how I'd take it. Also, consider that not everything I say out loud is accurate- internally, at this point, the Numbers are half fictional characters, half NPCs to manipulate, and half friends/family members to help (the fictional half overlaps the other two). My internal reactions are equally divided- here I'm being more manipulative, so my reactions are more like how I'd act if a stranger talked to me like that.
I tend to take familiar concepts, figure out how the tech would alter what we're familiar with on Earth, then put my own spin on the result- the goal being to create something familiar-but-different. There's going to be some equivalent of an amusement park in the 'verse, regardless of whether or not it's in StrikerS, and I'm increasingly interested in writing a visit to one of them. Actually, there'd be several trips- starting with the more mature older Numbers, then working up to ones like Wendi and Nove when they get decanted. The goal would be to have no less than one person who knew how to behave to every three who didn't.
Hijinks would still occur, but I'd at least have some people around to say 'I tried to stop her/them, but...'
Needless to say, the doctor would not be invited... though I bet he'd clean up at miniature golf. He'd be the sort to look over the course, think for a bit, then make one putt that'd get to (or nearly to) the hole. Unless the holes were demonstrably rigged, in which case he'd probably order me to disintegrate the entire establishment. Probably best to keep him out of that.
-There's a reason I'm so far into the fic, and haven't yet caught up to Nanoha's level of growth. I don't have the same talents, nor do I work myself into the ground... and I spend more time on spell creation than she does.
-Hmm... I'm sort of against doing direct cameos of anything clearly belonging to a different 'verse (though historical/future references, trolling, and indirect references are A-OK). I could plausibly fit in characters based on them, though.
**********
Cinque didn't even have to think about that one. "Why would I ever have to infiltrate a building? That's what Due was designed for, and what Sein's IS is best at."
I turned as best I could to face her, waving a finger on my free hand in the classic tsk-tsk-tsk motion. "That's sloppy thinking, Cinque. Due's IS makes her invaluable for long-term assignments; what are the odds she'll even be on the same planet when you need her? As for Sein..."
I cradled my forehead in my free hand, and sighed. "Sein's a good kid, and I love her as much as any of you, but she's not really cut out for that sort of job. She's too flighty, too energetic... I'd almost suspect that Rare Skill of hers was a mutation, rather than something the doctor planned her around."
...and if you go check, you'll find out I'm right. Won't that be great?"My point is that you won't always have your specialist around when you need something done. They might be captured, busy, or just too far away to get there in time. What would you do then?
Would you just blow a hole in the wall with your Rumble Detonator, fight your way in and out of the building, and then keep on fighting until you could secure an exit? How would that go over, I wonder- you, in full uniform, revealing our existence to all of dimensional space in a brutal assault on an apparently normal building in broad daylight? Do you think that would advance our goals?"
Cinque shook her head. "No, that wouldn't work at all. Any reputable company would be secure enough to hold me off for several minutes... long enough to get my target to a panic room. My IS can breach corporate panic rooms, but it takes time I wouldn't have. The TSA would have aerial mages en route in minutes, and army units soon after that." She spent a good thirty seconds contemplating the scenario, mumbling to herself as she went over her options, before sighing in defeat. "How would you do it?"
I reached out, lifting Cinque's chin with two fingers, bringing her head up to where she could see me grinning. "Why, dear Cinque, the answer is simple. If my best infiltrator is busy, and my rare talent can't do the job, then I send in my second-best infiltrator, and have my hacker subverting any systems the infiltrator can't bluff her way through. In a good combat team, there's no such thing as an indispensible man- or woman, as the case may be.
To bring this back full circle, if you understood civilians- how they live, how they act, what they do, and why- you wouldn't need a dedicated infiltrator. If you can look like everybody else and act like everybody else, you can get anywhere there's a crowd. Half of getting into places you shouldn't is looking like you belong there, after all."
Cinque looked thoughtful. "...what you say makes sense. I'll consider it." She gently pushed me out of the way, lifted her knives, then stopped. "If I were to try to understand civilian humans, where would you suggest I start?"So she is interested. Let's see if this works.
I rubbed my chin (I miss my beard!), apparently deep in thought. "If I had to suggest something, I'd suggest you start with literature. Most everybody is introduced to the classic works of fiction at some point in their lives- during their education, if nowhere else. You can use them, along with news stories and perhaps some textbooks, as context for more recent fiction, which will give you a decent understanding of modern culture. At that point, you'd be ready to go out and gain some first-hand experience."
I smiled. "If we do this right, you'll be socially capable well before the doctor's plans are ready, at no real cost to your combat potential."
Cinque nodded. "I will consider it. For now, I need to continue my training." She turned back to her target, reactivating it with a mental command, and let fly.
As I walked out the door, I turned to look at the results. How did she get all those knives in that tiny little bullseye? The tips of them must be touching in there!
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
-This may very well be foreshadowing. It might also be part of a plan to suborn as many as eleven young women, or just a way to get Nakajima Cinque a bit ahead of the curve. Who knows?
...well, okay, I sort of know. Not entirely, though.
-I did that intentionally, CD. For one thing, Cinque doesn't really get how limited life on base actually is- I'll probably make that line 'so much to work on here' in the SB version. That's sort of the point. She's thinking of physical training, magical training, spell construction, team training, strategy work, and all the other ways the base offers to increase combat capacity- not just her forte.
For another, I have a tendency to assume the worst re: other people's opinion of me, so that's exactly how I'd take it. Also, consider that not everything I say out loud is accurate- internally, at this point, the Numbers are half fictional characters, half NPCs to manipulate, and half friends/family members to help (the fictional half overlaps the other two). My internal reactions are equally divided- here I'm being more manipulative, so my reactions are more like how I'd act if a stranger talked to me like that.
I tend to take familiar concepts, figure out how the tech would alter what we're familiar with on Earth, then put my own spin on the result- the goal being to create something familiar-but-different. There's going to be some equivalent of an amusement park in the 'verse, regardless of whether or not it's in StrikerS, and I'm increasingly interested in writing a visit to one of them. Actually, there'd be several trips- starting with the more mature older Numbers, then working up to ones like Wendi and Nove when they get decanted. The goal would be to have no less than one person who knew how to behave to every three who didn't.
Hijinks would still occur, but I'd at least have some people around to say 'I tried to stop her/them, but...'
Needless to say, the doctor would not be invited... though I bet he'd clean up at miniature golf. He'd be the sort to look over the course, think for a bit, then make one putt that'd get to (or nearly to) the hole. Unless the holes were demonstrably rigged, in which case he'd probably order me to disintegrate the entire establishment. Probably best to keep him out of that.
-There's a reason I'm so far into the fic, and haven't yet caught up to Nanoha's level of growth. I don't have the same talents, nor do I work myself into the ground... and I spend more time on spell creation than she does.
-Hmm... I'm sort of against doing direct cameos of anything clearly belonging to a different 'verse (though historical/future references, trolling, and indirect references are A-OK). I could plausibly fit in characters based on them, though.
**********
Cinque didn't even have to think about that one. "Why would I ever have to infiltrate a building? That's what Due was designed for, and what Sein's IS is best at."
I turned as best I could to face her, waving a finger on my free hand in the classic tsk-tsk-tsk motion. "That's sloppy thinking, Cinque. Due's IS makes her invaluable for long-term assignments; what are the odds she'll even be on the same planet when you need her? As for Sein..."
I cradled my forehead in my free hand, and sighed. "Sein's a good kid, and I love her as much as any of you, but she's not really cut out for that sort of job. She's too flighty, too energetic... I'd almost suspect that Rare Skill of hers was a mutation, rather than something the doctor planned her around."
...and if you go check, you'll find out I'm right. Won't that be great?"My point is that you won't always have your specialist around when you need something done. They might be captured, busy, or just too far away to get there in time. What would you do then?
Would you just blow a hole in the wall with your Rumble Detonator, fight your way in and out of the building, and then keep on fighting until you could secure an exit? How would that go over, I wonder- you, in full uniform, revealing our existence to all of dimensional space in a brutal assault on an apparently normal building in broad daylight? Do you think that would advance our goals?"
Cinque shook her head. "No, that wouldn't work at all. Any reputable company would be secure enough to hold me off for several minutes... long enough to get my target to a panic room. My IS can breach corporate panic rooms, but it takes time I wouldn't have. The TSA would have aerial mages en route in minutes, and army units soon after that." She spent a good thirty seconds contemplating the scenario, mumbling to herself as she went over her options, before sighing in defeat. "How would you do it?"
I reached out, lifting Cinque's chin with two fingers, bringing her head up to where she could see me grinning. "Why, dear Cinque, the answer is simple. If my best infiltrator is busy, and my rare talent can't do the job, then I send in my second-best infiltrator, and have my hacker subverting any systems the infiltrator can't bluff her way through. In a good combat team, there's no such thing as an indispensible man- or woman, as the case may be.
To bring this back full circle, if you understood civilians- how they live, how they act, what they do, and why- you wouldn't need a dedicated infiltrator. If you can look like everybody else and act like everybody else, you can get anywhere there's a crowd. Half of getting into places you shouldn't is looking like you belong there, after all."
Cinque looked thoughtful. "...what you say makes sense. I'll consider it." She gently pushed me out of the way, lifted her knives, then stopped. "If I were to try to understand civilian humans, where would you suggest I start?"So she is interested. Let's see if this works.
I rubbed my chin (I miss my beard!), apparently deep in thought. "If I had to suggest something, I'd suggest you start with literature. Most everybody is introduced to the classic works of fiction at some point in their lives- during their education, if nowhere else. You can use them, along with news stories and perhaps some textbooks, as context for more recent fiction, which will give you a decent understanding of modern culture. At that point, you'd be ready to go out and gain some first-hand experience."
I smiled. "If we do this right, you'll be socially capable well before the doctor's plans are ready, at no real cost to your combat potential."
Cinque nodded. "I will consider it. For now, I need to continue my training." She turned back to her target, reactivating it with a mental command, and let fly.
As I walked out the door, I turned to look at the results. How did she get all those knives in that tiny little bullseye? The tips of them must be touching in there!
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.