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Post by Clipper on Jun 30, 2010 19:00:04 GMT -5
Clipper studies the board intently as the two older mechs play, tilting her head with a frown of confusion as she makes a note of how... pointless the last few maneuvers seem to have been.
"Seems a bit heartless, to let your divisions die just to see how your opponent responds," she muses sadly.
"What did they call that one, sir?" she asks, turning her attention to Xaaron. "And why in Tarn under Shockwave's reign? Were the rules different there?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 30, 2010 21:15:40 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron allows himself a lazy, victorious smile, not over the entrapped unit, but over Ultra Magnus's confession that he wants to make this right. Emirate Xaaron can work with that, oh yes - he could have worked with the other option, too, but this option is more satisfying,
//Don't worry about whether you can or not right now,// Emirate Xaaron advises. //Just do it anyway. See, you've already started.//
Ultra Magnus has, indeed, made a start by humouring Clipper.
Emirate Xaaron's smile turns sad, and he asks Clipper gently, "Still sure that you want to learn how to play?" He is unaware that she's in this for shiny gold and silver officers and the white Optimus Prime repaints. He hovers a finger of the doomed piece and replies, "Rotten, mostly," because the stories that spawned the nickname were already half dead by then. "A bit different, yes."
His Cavalier becomes a Sacrificed One, but it's lured out Ultra Magnus's own Cavalier, so Emirate Xaaron re-positions some Artillery in a firing line on that enemy Cavalier.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 1, 2010 11:36:28 GMT -5
"The rules are always different with Shockwave," Magnus says in a low, contemptuous rumble, oblivious to Emirate Xaaron's smile. He might be irrational in his loathing of the Decepticon, but he'd like to think he has justification enough.
He doesn't order his Cavalier into a retreat; what he does, he does without a second thought: he has a clear line of movement, so he sends another piece forward to defend it. It isn't a terribly expendable one, the Magnate, and though not ill-suited to the manoeuvre, just as pointless a sacrifice as the infantry when that Cavalier could simply have shifted away from the line of fire. Only once he makes his move does Ultra Magnus pause and really take in the entire, almost wholly reflexive action, optics dimmed, expression pensive. Tactically speaking, and by the rules, it's an epic blunder on his part.
Why did he even do that in the first place?
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Post by Clipper on Jul 1, 2010 15:04:58 GMT -5
Clipper shrugs and sighs. "Don't really have much choice, do I?" she asks philosophically. "This isn't Micro, and there's not much call for a glorified secretary here, is there? Either I learn the new game, or I hide under my berth, and I don't think any of us can afford to carry too much dead weight around." Sometimes, the little child can spout off some dangerously adult ideas.
The shiny officers and the white repaints are pretty enough, but Clipper really does want to try and find some real way to be useful. Or at least not useless. At least watching two seasoned commanders play a strategy game gives her some tiny bit of chance to start learning a little strategy and tactics of her own.
With Xaaron's explanation of the pieces still quite fresh in her memory banks, she frowns as she watches Ultra Magnus make his move. Retreat may not be a very brave thing to do, but it seems like it would have been a bit more... rational than throwing another piece away.
The Magnate, huh? She darts a quick look up at Ultra Magnus's face and wonders why he doesn't like himself so much.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 1, 2010 18:09:38 GMT -5
"There is always a choice," Emirate Xaaron observes, and he means it, but he wonders how Clipper got so bitter so quickly. Certainly, war does that to people.
Emirate Xaaron does that to people.
"But I must admit that my second doesn't go in much for reports, and really, neither did most of my troops back home." Emirate Xaaron worked with the Wreckers. Their idea of a secretary would be... Slag. "How do you feel you would be best utilised, Clipper?"
He looks at the board, and he looks up at Ultra Magnus, and he asks, voice steady and almost bored, "Do you want to take that back?"
There are no take backs in formal Full Stasis, and there are no take backs in war.
But maybe what Ultra Magnus really wants to take back is hunting Hot Rod down in the tunnels.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 4, 2010 19:46:53 GMT -5
It's several long, silent moments of staring – all the while frozen where he sits, gaze seemingly on some time and place far beyond the full stasis board – before Magnus's optics brighten and he comes back to now. He looks up and finally answers.
"…No." Maybe he's just punishing himself. "Leave it stand as played." He deserves this at the very least.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 4, 2010 21:25:59 GMT -5
It isn't cynicism, it's pragmatism. Clipper may be young and naive, but even she understands the concepts of pragmatism and expediency. Sometimes.
"There is, sir," she agrees with Xaaron. "But there's a difference between a choice just to have a choice, and a good, viable choice. And hiding under the desk doesn't sound like a good, viable choice to me, sir." She grins up at him and then turns back to the board, studying it.
"I... don't really know, though. I don't think I even really know enough to know if I could try to figure out where I could be best used, sir," she replies with a small shrug.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 4, 2010 23:26:21 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron speculates, "Perhaps a courier, ferrying data and small items point to point, the sort of thing that calls for a hand delivery." That would fall into some of her talents. "You're small but still decently quick, and you could leverage that, if you wanted." Or, considering some of her other talents... "...or perhaps an analyst of some sort? Though these are just ballpark guesses, right now."
He's glad to hear that Clipper wants to be useful and improve herself, though, and he favours her with a warm smile and reaches over to lightly pat her on the shoulder.
The expression he turns on Ultra Magnus is inscrutable, and he slowly reaches his finger over to the artillery and flicks it. Boom goes the Magnate? He observes, "No take backs in war or life, but if you don't keep moving forward, you die."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 6, 2010 15:56:30 GMT -5
Magnus, distracted from the game once again, visibly winces when Clipper says used and sets down his rations to rub one hand across his optics. He knows what she means and he's sure she means nothing untoward by it, but the choice of words unsettles him. Her assertiveness, such as it is, reassures him at the same time. It's a strange feeling.
"Yes, forward," he mumbles distantly. Keep doing the same things as always, Magnus. Push on relentlessly even when you're about to break. Never falter, never waver. Never give yourself time to wonder what it's really doing to you. Consistency is victory.
He looks up and calls his Cavalier back.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 9, 2010 0:53:20 GMT -5
Hmmm.... a courier, huh? Clipper rather very much likes the sound of being quick and nimble. Perhaps Holi can help her talk to the Doctor about upgrading some of her systems in that direction or something?
"Those sound like good ideas to look into, sir!" she chirps happily, and that pat to her shoulder just pleases her all out of proportion. He's pleased with her! She practically glows under that subtle praise.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 9, 2010 19:52:14 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron seems to have done up the Magnate pieces here to have oddly-shaped little short swords, for whatever reason.
"But looking back, now and then, isn't a bad idea. Remembering where you came from..." he trails off thoughtfully, and he Fortresses, switching his Fortress, a rather powerful, solid piece that starts out in a poor position to wage war, with his Emirate, a weaker piece that normally moves by the roll of a die. The randomness of its behaviour tends to be extremely frustrating, but Fortressing does move it closer to the action... and closer to harm's way.
"Shame Blurr isn't here," he won't get here for a while, silly time travel, "he's the best courier we ever had, even if he did run off with the Hippy Squad. Not sure if he could really give you advice, though. Blurr is... rather unique. Perhaps Mirage," or later Prowl, when he also appears, more stupid time travel, "could give you advice on not being seen, and Long Haul could teach you about logistics," Emirate Xaaron tells Clipper.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 13, 2010 20:16:42 GMT -5
"…Long Haul?" Ultra Magnus looks up from the board, a bemused cast to his features. "You keep a Constructicon around?" He rubs his optics again, trying to stave off the headache he just knows is coming. He should focus on the game. It asks less of him.
The game that is turning very peculiar between his poor manoeuvring and this tactic of Xaaron's.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 20, 2010 19:17:17 GMT -5
"Constrictibot," Clipper replies cheerfully. "He grumbles sometimes, but he's really nice. You think he'd really be willing to teach me, sir?" she asks, shifting her attention to Xaaron rather than the game. "I think I'd like learning how to stay out of sight, too!"
Because wouldn't that be a nifty trick to use on Holi?
"Where did you both learn your strategy and tactics, sirs?" Maybe she can study some vids or some datafiles or something to work on getting a foundation or something.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 20, 2010 20:01:44 GMT -5
"Yes, as the little lady said, I have Constructibots," Emirate Xaaron replies, dryly amused. "Scrapper seems to be quite young and inexperienced, and Long Haul was a civilian city-builder. Friend of Omega Supreme's."
He looks over at Clipper and suggests, "If you offer to help Long Haul with his duties, you might find him quite willing to instruct you, Clipper."
She might learn some interesting off-colour phrases, too, but that can't be helped.
"Laying low is generally a good tactic, I've found."
"But speaking of how I learned them..." Well, a very long time ago... he doesn't talk about that any more. "...mostly from the negative examples of others, plus on the job experience. I certainly did a fair amount of reading, both on the theory and the actual history, but Iacon's libraries aren't available here."
It wasn't just Iacon's libraries of which he availed himself, of course.
He smiles. "Your move, Ultra Magnus."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 21, 2010 12:18:07 GMT -5
Constructibot. Well, that's a new one. Ultra Magnus takes a moment to lean back and close his optics. That moment turns into several seconds of utter stillness and silence. He might have briefly passed out.
The pounding in his head finally wanes and he looks back to the game board, gaze just a little dimmer than before. Rather than go after that exposed Emirate right away – and why manoeuvre it into the field now of all times? – he orders an additional infantry unit forward.
"I'd like to say I learned what I know from Sentinel Prime," he murmurs without looking away from the board, and there is no masking the respect he has for his former commander, "but… warfare wasn't his strength." It really wasn't anyone's strength back then. He adds, quietly, tone level but pain edging into his expression again, "And Optimus Prime… wasn't there long enough to do any good. Mostly, it's been trial and error."
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