voice

[deem]

[By now it's not the first time some people have heard 9S' thoughts filter into their minds. The first time, it was something about t-shirts, and quite without his intention to share. This time, however, it's quite by design that he speaks up...well, speaking in a manner of speaking. When he'll get used to this sort of thing, the worlds may never know]

Hey uh...everyone? If I think about everyone, it um, is everyone, right? [A pause, not quite long enough to suggest he's awaiting confirmation, before he presses on] After the recent attack, I'm sure it's occurred to more than a few of us — this place lacks a proper line of defense without us around. And that's a problem. I've been talking with Jude about it, and we've talked with the locals, and they're in support of working with us to create a barrier around the city, using the natives' magic to power it.

The natives we're referring to in particular are the Eltos. For anyone who isn't quite as well versed in Palai just yet, Eltos are a rarer breed of Palai that possess magic involving electricity, energy, power... Ideal for building something like a barrier to protect Aimintas before this tragic situation continues to repeat itself. Needless to say, we don't know how long we'll be here to help out.

We were hoping some of you would have some ideas of your own to toss at us. Feedback, input... Anything, really. We're all in the same position here. Now that we have more information than we did prior to the earlier attack, it'll be best if we work together to prevent another one before it happens.

[9S hums, some quiet sign of his agreement, before he adds something on]

I've collected data on the Uvi we've faced, so I can contribute that along with my technical knowledge. Jude here has more experience with magic than I do, by far, but this is going to take more of us to actually implement. The thing is...they're gonna need a centralized system. Something that lets the Eltos power it without being too drained for their regular activities.

Soooo... any thoughts, guys?

[Before the telepathic message is cut off, Jude decides to tack on one more thing]

I have confidence that we can make this thing work. If what happened during the attack proved anything, it's that no matter the cost, working together to come up with a game plan is always the best shot we have at making some sort of difference. Dirk and Jay organizing a solid defense plan and recon was just the beginning. Let's keep at it, everyone!

[There's some Protagonist Optimism for you before they sign off]


[ooc: Expect replies from 9S or Jude, maybe even both if you're a shortcake magnet, but feel free to threadjack/hop as well! Android-tested, mod-approved]

Comments

voice.

[akumas]

I understand they are a rarer breed, but do we know the number of Eltos among the current Palai population?

[after mostly hiding during the attack, he does have to do something to help.]

The first thought that came to mind was devices among their technology that could store and recycle their electrical magic to keep protection stable.

voice.

[deem]

Using something they've already got as a basis would help them maintain their own system...

[A very sensible and reasoned suggestion, and his tone suggests approval]

I'm not aware of numbers, but I am built for scouting... So I think I could find out.

[akumas]

Correct. The Eltos does not have to sacrifice a majority of magical energy to the city's protection if their technology can reuse it. With regular maintenance and each Eltos gives their fair share of magic, a stable barrier should last them for a good amount of time.

[Ah yes he does like that approval tone.]

After receiving such hospitality from the Palai, they are a race that does not deserve extinction. I only hope there is a fair amount of Eltos still among us.

voice.

[thatdamnknight]

[magical barriers? how lucky! flynn's world is all about magic barriers, even if the best person to talk to about them isn't actually him.]

In my world, devices called 'barrier blastia' create barriers that circle the entire parameter of cities to protect them from monsters. The means to make them has long been lost but perhaps there's be a way to harness this electrical power to do something similar.

voice.

[deem]

[Certainly better than 9S' experience, which amounts only to his sword and hacking bouncing off of the rare ones he's encountered]

That sounds like the sort of thing we should be aiming for... Do you know much about the structure of these "blastia"? What they look like, or even size can tell us something, even if the method of production is unknown.

voice.

[thatdamnknight]

[a mental image ought to flash of things like this, first zoomed out and then a focus in on the crystals at the top.]

The blastia itself is a crystal-like object composed of two parts: body and core. They tend to be larger in size than say bodhi blastia, which are used for combat purposes. Through the use of something called a formula, they convert aer into energy and that enables them to carry out various functions.

voice.

[talim]

Right. You mentioned blastia earlier, but not barrier blastia in particular.

[ there must be all different kinds. jude is certainly interested in hearing more, but he'll question him some more another time. he already gathered some information back when he healed him. ]

That sounds like an incredible resource. To duplicate it would be quite a feat. We'll need a lengthier explanation to even make an attempt, but... Do you think it's possible?

voice.

[thatdamnknight]

Blastia are used for most everything in our day to day lives. Our society couldn't function the way it does without them.

[he clicks his tongue lightly. even if they could replicate it, flynn wouldn't advise for it given what he knows about blastia. something similar but not the same needs to happen here.]

Making something identical would be impossible, but duplicating a similar effect wherein the electricity serves as a barrier in place of converted aer might. Given how advanced the technology here is, I'm certain a means to do so is within the realm of possibility.

[splinten]

A barrier sounds like a decent option, or other fortifications. Jake also proposed the idea of trying to tame the Uvi if they really are as animal-like as they seem.

[talim]

I never considered it, but that's definitely not a bad idea, either. Do you happen to know if anyone was successful in chasing them off without an outright offensive approach? Anything that seemed to scare them away without some degree of violence? That might be a good place to start.

I was on medical standby most of the time, so I was more focused on healing the injured than anything else going on. On the other hand, 9S managed to gather some real data on the Uvi.

[splinten]

No one I know if. We could ask around, although I wouldn't expect it to exactly be successful. From what Jake says, predators aren't usually calmed down when they're in a violent phase like that.

I'd love to see that data. Can he send a copy to my shades?

[deem]

Do you mean subjugation? I don't know how reliable that'd be, after we're gone.

They don't seem to respond to reason, since their actions lack rational thought... What I don't get is why they target the Palai when they obviously have a food source already.

[And as always, that leaves him wondering]

[splinten]

Not subjugation. More like if a wild animal knows it can get a snack from you for free, it will generally prefer to get the free snack than have to expend energy fighting you and killing you for flesh. Cooperation is generally less costly in terms of resources.

But yeah, the issue of why they go after Palai remains uncertain. Especially since we know they seem to prefer the Eltos among them. It might be something to do with the magic in this world.

[ensorcel]

A barrier is all well and good, but if the Uvi are dedicated enough, they will find a way to breach it easily. And should the current political and social state of the Palai be considered as well? I know nothing of it, so I'll leave it to you smart boys to figure that all out, but it is important to consider, only because persistent unity is paramount in this idea. If there is any discord among the people, well... Who knows what could happen.

[ thanks debbie downer ]

I do not mean to sound discouraging. I, too, want to do whatever I can to safeguard peace for the Palai. However, when barriers break, and they will, people die.

My only suggestion is to propose military force. Perhaps even putting invasion on the table. Teaching the Palai how to put their magic to greater use, and develop more powerful weapons. Building a physical fortress above and around the city-- that sort of thing.

[ camilla is nohrian scum, so all she knows is brute force and how to kill, which is sad in a way but nobody ever goes out of their way to fuck with nohr so!!!!! ]

[deem]

Sometimes enemies won't relent until they're destroyed, and I can't deny that's a possibility. Still, fortifications like that can also be breached, and take much more time to erect.

A barrier would at least be a start. The Palai seem interested in learning how to engage in combat, but that...is best left to someone else. As a Scanner, I wasn't created for melee combat, and I doubt they could imitate what I can do.

[And so, with all of that being said...]

Maybe you'd be better equipped to help them fight for themselves.

[ensorcel]

That is true, it certainly wouldn't be an overnight, catch-all solution to this sort of thing. Do you happen to know if the Uvi are bothered by any particular physical elements? Heat, cold, certain materials, anything of that nature?

[ --but oh man, 9S' suggestion. she has to take a minute to let that one sink in. ]

Teach them to fight, you say?

[ she's conflicted. true, camilla is a seasoned warrior with more than enough experience in how war meetings go, and has seen how nohr's soldiers are trained. even before finding an actual tactician, even she could get by teaching a small army.

that being said, camilla would honestly rather shit in her hands and clap than be left in a position of that much authority. king garon gave orders, xander lead their armies, and camilla just killed whatever needed to be killed. she isn't corrin or leo, her tactical skills aren't anything special. ]

To be perfectly honest, I am not so sure about that. True, I could teach them, but as for assembling and managing an army-- I couldn't do such a thing alone. Are there others who are also willing and able?

[bulletbiter]

I have some experience with hybrid engineering, though I've looked around and this place seems to be short on resources; so that may not be useful. I can also help with construction.

[ The thing with Aragami is that anything built using cores will need more cores to replicate. It's complicated. ]

We would also need to investigate our opponents, I feel.

[deem]

I've begun the process of collecting data on the Uvi, so we've got something to start with.

[And he knows he needn't tell Julius twice about what he was built for, so he refrains]

It does seem like the real problem's going to be raw materials. But help putting this together means we've got a better chance than otherwise.

[talim]

Anything will help, but construction in particular... I can't speak for 9S here, but I'm not great with the actual heavy lifting. As for resources, while they might be sparse, I'm sure we can still find something useful if we search together.

9S was able to gather as much data on the Uvi as he could during the attack. That's his area of expertise.

voice;

[mapsio]

My magic here is based on barriers, I could attempt to help you in some way if you could find any use for that. I can't promise that I could create a huge barrier that could last forever... but I could create one that could give an idea on how big one should be?

[Her voice sounds shy, a little timid. She's unsure if her magic could really be of use here. But she would feel horrible if she didn't try.]

We also have to think about their defense past the barrier....should we leave them with it.

[talim]

Really? Wow, that'd be a huge help! It doesn't matter what size it is when we're still in the planning stages. A barrier is a barrier. We can take notes on what it takes to sustain it, how strong it needs to be... all sorts of things.

[ jude hums, thoughtful, before he continues. ]

That's true. A barrier can't be our only line of defense. Relying on solely one tool will just give them something more specific to target.

[deem]

That's a good point that someone else here raised as well. I'm not the best suited to teaching the locals about combat, since I wasn't designed for melee. Strategy and scouting, sure, but...their flight units can't even get them up there, and they'd be at a disadvantage in water.

If someone more capable were to organize additional measures of defense, we could tackle this problem from more than one angle, though.

I'm not versed in magic at all, so having an ability like that to study would be very helpful.

voice; comes a million years late with plans to form a fight club

[shadowsthedawn]

A form of defense for the city is a good idea, but we shouldn't stop there. Even the best of defenses have their weaknesses, and if we leave here while the Palai don't know how to protect themselves, it's only a matter of time before the Uvis get to them again.

Has anyone thought about gathering those of us who know how to fight to train the Palai?

[He probably could have listened in to the other conversations, but Riku tries to keep the amount of voices in his head to a minimum for personal reasons.]

voice; the first rule of kh fight club is-

[deem]

Others have brought up those measures, but nobody's volunteered to organize that effort. It's a pretty big undertaking, so I can understand why.

I'm not really built for combat, and the way I use a weapon isn't something the Palai would be able to imitate. If it's scouting or forming strategies, that's one thing, but... Gathering people with specialized combat skills like you've suggested would be better.

We just need someone willing to do that.

my friends are my power

[talim]

Actually, I just brought up the suggestion to another person who responded.

Like 9S said, though, it'd have to be a pretty big organized effort. We need someone capable of holding a leadership position.