[video] as sun tzu once said, light 'em up

[nonscriptum]

There are a bunch of new people around, so...hey, I'm Nate.

[ It's been a while since he posted to the network, but things are starting to get sticky - and not even in the comparatively fun, sweaty jungle way - around these parts and tension feels like it's ramping higher. Crackling in the air. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He's not in the city, as evidenced by the dense, green foliage at his back. His sketchbook is out, open, but he's talking with both his hands. ]

I realize we're kind of running the gauntlet right now in terms of what's being thrown at us, and we're basically getting ready for an inevitable showdown, and there are already a lot of efforts being made toward preparing.

[ Sonya - a woman he doesn't know - was proposing escape routes and manageable cover strategies for civilian types. It's a good idea to have those routes mapped sooner rather than later. ]

But I've spent a lot of time since we got here getting to know this landscape, the topography. What I'm looking for are people with actual combat experience, whether that's strategic, logistical, or something similar. Fight's gonna come to us whether we want it to or not, and weaponizing the environment is one of the best chances we have at mitigating the risks. Guerrilla warfare isn't pretty, but we have the resources for it.

[ For a moment he looks distracted, thinking of something, writing it down and talking over the act as he does so. ]

So just, um. Call in if you've got the know-how. Thanks.

Comments

for Elena

[nonscriptum]

[ He's still working out means of utilizing what little they have in the most effective, constructive way, brimming with ideas and needing a sounding board. Needing someone who can parse out the nuances and lack thereof in his mental pattern.

Obviously, there's only one person who can join him, and the day is so nice anyway. It's been a while since they enjoyed quiet time. ]

want to meet me in the jungle for a hot date?

[storyseeker]

Ooh Mr. Drake, you have a way of seducing a girl. You had me at 'jungle.'

[It's a joke, obviously, but...kinda not. A jaunt to the jungle was their first date, sort of. And boy did she miss that type of landscape during months on other crapsack worlds.]

See you in ten?

voice;

[volitaunt]

Sounds like a party.

voice;

[nonscriptum]

[ He would have bet good money that Poe Dameron would be one of the first people to weigh in on this. ]

Sounds like you like the sound of that.

voice; private

[deploy]

Sounds like your kind of party.

voice;

[deploy]

I'm a lieutenant colonel in the USAF. Pilot by trade. Fifteen plus years in the force.

Redacted, redacted, redacted, and redacted. Plus some stuff that's too hot for the marker to stick.

That should tell you all you need to know about my field and combat experience.

voice;

[nonscriptum]

[ That's a lot of black Sharpie.

It's not difficult to pick up on experience, especially judging by the way John held himself in introductions. He'd like to point out the redacted content probably means jack-shit here, but some people are committed to their government-mandated secrecy. ]

I kinda figured you were that, or a really well-equipped mercenary.

voice;

[substances]

[At first, all that Nate will hear is a very, very deep sigh, and then a voice that sounds beyond tired. Fatigued. Exhausted.]

Hey. I was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam for 10 months, front lines for a while.

Let me see what I can dredge up outta the old noodle for jungle traps.

voice;

[nonscriptum]

[ This is exactly the kind of expertise Nate is looking for.

With plenty of years under his belt working in and around jungles, having to fight in jungles, Nate is conscious of how different it is from every other environment. Even experienced veterans find it unforgiving. ]

Thanks. I know this isn't the ideal scenario, but it's the one we're stuck with. [ He chews on the moment. ] I don't think we've met, by the way.

text;

[bloodbathing]

Reporting.

text;

[nonscriptum]

was hoping you'd reply, maine.

video;

[bythehand]

I've got the know-how.

[ It is arguably his only long term know-how. He's never not had a reason to use it and Hadriel keeps the trend going. ]

Hope it's okay if I don't list off credentials.

[ That was his joke for the month, congratulations. But also that's not how he prefers to work, so. ]

video;

[nonscriptum]

Not necessary.

[ There's a very particular bearing to people who have actually seen shit. Nate won't hesitate to call anyone out who seems like they're full of it. ]

It's not like I'm handing out copies of my resume. You know Poe, right?

video;

[claritatis]

[It's been a task to fit ten years of his life into the three days he was missing, but this isn't a thing he can pass over. He answers the phone without a fumble, and speaks.]

I dare say I can be of some use. [Several years of training, an education based upon strategy and armed combat, and over ten years of battling daemons make him reasonably certain of that.]

I have extensive strategical experience, and I know the lay of the land here. I did take the time to put some maps together, before my last... ah, absence.

['Absence'. Thus the ten extra years and the blindness.]

video;

[nonscriptum]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been doing since I got here.

[ No attempt to one-up here, just commiseration for the topographically-minded. Nate is talking while scribbling, and finally glances up to see- ]

...oh. Guessing your absence wasn't- um. I feel like I remember you with glasses?

[voice]

[hot_mes]

[he sounds so tired]

I have the experience but I don't have the time to assist. If you end up not being able to think of something for a particular location or situation, I can try to help think.

[sup Nate how many bullets you got left]

[voice]

[nonscriptum]

[ Nate kind of has to wonder why Law bothered calling in at all if he's busy doing whatever pirates with mushroom hats do, and he's really tempted to ask, but he also feels a little bad about filling the guy with holes.

At least neither of them are bringing that awkwardness up. Like men. ]

I'm getting a lot more responses than I expected, so we might be okay, but I'll let you know.

video;

[lemontree]

I have no real experience fighting... [ Not if she isn't on the back of a dragon, anyway. ] ...But I wish you the best of luck in your efforts. Everything that we try could be the key to defeating the Null.

video;

[nonscriptum]

No tactical expertise from Your Majesty?

[ He's not being glib, but honestly interested. Everyone has something to offer, even if it's not in this particular field. He can always refer her to an area where her skills might better apply. ]

[video]

[itsnotaonesie]

Okay, I don't actually have any training? But I do have experience, and I've seen that really old movie Home Alone like thirty times.

That-- that's a joke, like. Half a joke. Just sayin' though, I can weaponize the crap out of the environment with some webs.

[video]

[nonscriptum]

[ The Null and the Wet Bandits are not the same thing, Peter!!!

Nate has a lot of reservations about letting Peter participate. He wants to, in the sense that he remembers being Peter's age and feeling capable - Peter being more so, with his powers - but something still doesn't feel right about pointedly putting a teenager in harm's way. ]

That's actually a great idea. But we definitely want to make sure our people know the locations of the webs, to avoid...sticky situations.

[Video]

[lifetothefullest]

I wouldn't exactly describe myself as the 'combat experience' type, but... You know.

[Technically, between being an FBI agent and also knowing a decent amount of magic at this point, he probably qualifies as being useful enough for this. Besides, he'd rather volunteer and not be needed than just assume he's unnecessary when he could be helping.]

[Video]

[nonscriptum]

Yeah, I wouldn't describe you as that, either.

[ He's teasing, a little. Compared to the Marines throwing themselves at any chance to get blood on their helmets, Lance is as genteel as they come. ]

But I think as long-range defense you've got a lot of potential. I don't wanna see you in the thick of it.

Video

[ragnarsson]

You need a strategist, that's my strength. I know how to fight, best use the troops that are offered, and how to predict what the enemy will be doing in retaliation. I've won more battles against the English and Norse then just about any other leader that's alive in my time.

[He's not bragging, that's just a known fact, and all the more impressive considering Ivar started doing this when he was about fifteen.]

If you need me out on the field, I can be, but I think we'll be in pretty desperate straits if a cripple will make the difference in a battle.

im sorry for him

[nonscriptum]

[ It's been a while, since Nate saw Ivar. Maybe a year and some change, maybe longer. Under the impression that his favorite bloodthirsty historical figure had left, Nate is therefore shocked to see him replying. ]

Holy shit. Ivar?

[voice]

[beanstalk]

Planning isn't really my thing. [ And it's something he's got to learn how to do, honestly... ]

[voice]

[nonscriptum]

[ This is the second person who's called in to volunteer that they can't actually volunteer, and Nate is stretched thin already. His tension is palpable, his attention span distracted. ]

Well, I'm sure there are plenty of other people around the city you can work with.

video

[evocation]

I'm not a soldier. Obviously.

[Just look at her.]

But I've got lots of spells and I'm good at killing monsters. I usually try to stay back and blast things with magic, anyway. [Because she's a total glass cannon.] That's guerilla-y, right?

video

[lifetothefullest]

If we get to pick teams I'm calling dibs.

[They made a good Null-fighting pair last time, after all. Even though by 'good' it was more like 'not dead', but that's still something right?]

video;

[braveoff]

[ This may be ill-advised on Drake's part considering what he's about to do, but he'll be careful. And he won't be alone. ]

I don't actually have any experience with war besides the last Null attack, but I'm a fast learner and I've been training with a soldier for years now. If you need another fighter out there, count me in.

[nonscriptum]

If you've got some training, we're not being picky.

[ Drake looks like he can handle himself, and he's survived shit before. ]

I'm worried about the north border of the city because all we've got is a guard tower there. It's pretty vulnerable, especially since the river runs south. Do you have anyone you know of you want to team up with? Work on securing that area?

video;

[hardwearing]

Another soldier reporting. I've got some magic this time around but my strengths are going to be in weaponizing and old fashioned sneak attacks. If you need help with strategy I've got a good bit of experience there, too.

...also I've been keeping what's now a pretty impressive stockpile, if you want to take a look.

[nonscriptum]

That's a stockpile I might actually want to hit up.

[ They're lacking a lot, and since this is their last ditch effort they don't need to worry about sparing ammunition. It's more about throwing spaghetti at a wall until it sticks. ]

But for the most part, sneak attacks, advance and retreat, using the foliage...that's pretty much how it's gonna be. Nothing loud unless it's necessary, but we need to take out as many of these things as possible to avoid them reaching the northeast side of the river.

video

[64th]

[ this is what she was raised to do, isn't it? hand to hand combat and using every opportunity to turn the environment against your opponent - that's the Games. it feels almost like her name was drawn again.]

I've got the combat experience. Once in a swamp, once in a jungle. [ she died in the jungle but... whatever. ] Strategy, too, though if there's no one to bribe I might be out of my element. But I can fight.

[nonscriptum]

That's good.

[ They haven't had the closest of rapports, but Nate is grateful she called in. Beggars can't be choosers and remembers what little Cashmere told him about her world. ]

You and me and only a couple other people are skilled in jungle combat, then, so we'll need all the help we can get.

video;

[restinglichface]

Setting traps an' the whole planning thing aren't really our style.

[a beat, thoughtful for once]

- But you know 'Ko and I have your back, right? Whatever you need from us, we're there. Not letting shit go down quietly. Folks aren't dying this time.

video;

[nonscriptum]

Thanks.

[ He's aware that subtlety is not Lup Taaco's bailiwick. However, they could be extremely helpful in managing anything that pushes through the outer defenses, and Nate knows that Lup likes any excuse to set shit on fire. ]

I'm not saying you guys need to sneak around, but it'd be nice to sort of know where you are when the shit hits the fan.

[tenuousmorality]

For what it's worth, I am part of my nation's military back home. If you need elemental artes, or magic if you will...

[Sigh. He doesn't care for calling his artes magic.]

...then I don't mind lending a hand. I'm also versed with a spear and I'm perfectly capable of making sound decisions. I imagine that we would all benefit from such a skill.

[Hahaha. Ok Jade.]

[nonscriptum]

Well, I'm not gonna say no to someone offering to put another body on the battlefield. We need all the help we can get.

[ And this is no time for tender sentimentality. ]

If you're a magic user we could really use more people in the inner perimeter, it's less protected.