Ask The Art of War

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat waited at the rim of the Cauldrons bubbling caldera, checking and rechecking her gear. Beam tube? Check. Extra Power packs? Check. Canteen, Backpack, Rations, and other assorted equipment? Check. She took a sip of water from her canteen before stowing it back where it belonged; then, she gazed deeply into the roiling glowing orange lava down in the volcano.

It had been months in the making, but the war finally broke out. The tribes sworn to the Cauldron and, by proxy, her, report incursions onto their land and raids into their villages. Blood and death crawl across Rattatak again, not that it's any different from any other time in the planet's history. Still, many Rattataki look to her as a Warlord, as someone to listen to and follow. She wouldn't let them down. Kat never thought of herself as a warrior. She loved a good fight, but she was a builder first. She wanted to build cities, not conquer peoples.

And yet, here she was. She sighed and turned away from the caldera just as her team arrived to greet her. It had been some time since she had seen these women. First, her friend Lore, next, the mercenaries, Ursa, and her mother, who Kat later learned were named Zanna. "It's been some time, friends! It's good that you gave me those communications codes; otherwise, I'm not sure we would have ever met again!" Kat smiled grimly. More figures streamed onto the rim, most of them Rattataki, until one hundred men and women were arrayed before Kat.

"Alright, my friends, it's war. We've got a critical job to do. Our enemies encroach on our land and people, and our mission is to plant false trails. We want to lead them away from our villages, blind their scouts, and turn them from our armies. We need to confuse them so that they route without a fight when battle is begun. The only question is, how do we do this? We have the homeland advantage; the terrain is ours. Any ideas?" Kat asked, speaking loudly. She was not experienced enough to make these kinds of decisions without input from others; she knew that. Regardless, any who thought her weak would get a thorough lesson on why she was the Warlord, not them.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled at Kat as more people gathered in front of her. In the time between freeing Anya on Nar Shaddaa, Lore had visited her parents on Roxuli. She felt genuinely refreshed, but was still glad to be out here, actually doing something truly good for a change. Lore was the first to speak up. "What do we know about the enemy?" she said, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. She was wearing the tight black suit again. Why did she always end up wearing this? "We need to know what they would believe to be able to trick them," she continued.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Lore was asking the tricky questions right out of the gate. Kat didn't fidget or bite her lip, but her shoulders were tenser than before. As much as she was starting to consider herself Rattataki, Kat was not native to this planet or these people, though she learned more by the day. She didn't feel proper speaking for them or their beliefs; yet, she would lose perceived authority if she didn't. She was still learning about them, what they loved and wanted. Still, she knew in her heart that there would be vast differences between the people of the Cauldron and the people of Barterus, considering they were almost on the other side of the planet from one another.

"The average Rattataki raiding party can traverse three hundred kilometers per day on speeders and twenty to thirty on foot, depending on the terrain. There are innumerable trails amongst the canyons and mountains, and even more stories of creatures and monsters living in the darker, unexplored caverns and ravines." Kat glanced at the highest Rattataki member in this war party's hierarchy for confirmation.

She got a nod and so continued. "I had asked Ursa and Zanna to bring some holo-projectors to set up traps. Create the image of monsters fighting alongside us so that the enemy breaks before we even need to fight." She paused for a moment, "What we need is a way to sow discord; we don't need to win a battle right now. The Rattataki follow a Warlord, so we'll have succeeded if we can force them to tie themselves into knots. The problem being, we don't know who this Warlord is or what they are like."

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore considered, examining the crowd gathered to plan this attack. She noticed Kat's shoulders tense and she wondered how such a young girl had gained such a role of responsibility. "Are the holo-projectors realistic and believable?" she asked, directing her question mostly to Ursa and Zanna. "We could send out some people to gather as much information as they can about this warlord. I could lead," she said.

She had arrived at this meeting wearing her black mask, the bottom half of her face covered. The hood attached to her suit was pulled over her head, shadowing her upper facial features. Kat was the only one who knew she was Lore; everyone else either didn't know her at all or knew she was Black Moon.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat nodded along. Ursa spoke up, "The projectors will work fine, we've preloaded them with some holo-vid monsters that are unlikely to have ever been seen by the Rattataki. Set them up before we ambush any forces and we'll have them running scared." She said, and Zanna nodded her head silently.

"We'll have to test them before we make any plans," Kat reassured. "We currently have several ships that can transport this group near Barterus' lands, so the plan so far is to drop us at night, set up camp, and start creeping our way either into their camps or their villages. If that's not possible, we'll be spending our time killing scouts, which, if we are diligent, we should scare them enough to make them hesitant." She continued, making sure everyone was nodding along. "We can interrogate anyone we capture and use them to scare the enemy even more. Are there any suggestions for what we should bring or how to carry out our mission?"

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore nodded aas Kat suggested a plan. "We should definitely use the element of surprise whenever we can. We have the upper hand in this fight; we know the land and they don't we're coming. Anything that furthers our stealth, we need to bring," she replied. Stealth was her strength; she had mastered getting places she shouldn't be without anyone knowing she was there until it was too late. Even her appearance proved that.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat nodded at Lore, then a few others when they offered their suggestions. "Right," She clapped her hands "This is the most we can do without any more information. Ursa, Zanna, the holo-projectors will do what we need them to?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow in their direction.

Ursa nodded. "They'll work." She said confidently.

"Good." Kat agreed. "Everyone to the designated ships, we want to get into position before dark. Take whatever gear you think you'll need, the best you can get." There was no central armory in the Cauldron. Most of the weaponry and armor is the personal possession of whoever wielded them, which made equipping everyone simple. Unfortunately, it made equipping everyone with usable, useful equipment very difficult.

Kat grabbed her gear and marched forth, waving for her friends to follow as the Rattataki went to get their things. "Lore, if you wanted to ambush a master ambusher, how would you do so? The Rattataki live and breathe mountain fighting, and I wouldn't put it past them to make our lives hell. So we need to stay one step ahead at all times." She explained.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore nodded as Kat finished her little speech. She made sure her sniper rifle was loaded and she had extra ammo on her belt. She glanced up when Kat spoke to her as Lore was strapping her rifle to her back. "If the Rattataki are mountain fighters, they will resort to brute strength. We need to come at them from caves or concave parts of the mountain. A few sharpshooters can hide amongst the mountain. We know their movements, right? We can set a trap to get them out of hiding, and then pick off as much of them as we can," she suggested, talking with her hands and thinking on the fly.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat regarded her friend seriously. This was important, and she knew the older woman wouldn't lead her astray with what she taught. Kat was doing her best to learn from everyone around her at all times, and now is no different. She was trusting her opinion implicitly, if only because she had known Lore the longest. "We'll see if we can make it happen." Kat said.

She listened with one ear to the conversations happening behind her as they marched to the landing pads. The Rattataki were boastful, they bragged to one another about their accomplishments. They were pulled from several tribes who lauded their skill, and so they used this opportunity to impress one another in a semi-friendly environment.

Ursa and Zanna were quiet, competent and professional. Everything you'd expect from a semi-high skilled mercenary team.

The ships came into view, and they were truly ragtag. Whatever transport they had access to was scavenged from dead mercenaries and killers who visited the planets arena's, and 'liberated' from the various minor warlords in the Cauldron's territory. The only thing stopping them from simply bombarding the enemy other than the mountains, is how little fuel they had. Rattatak had no natural starsailor fuel, at least none that was readily accessible or discovered.

The teams quickly divided into groups, piling into a quartet of rickety ships, before the contracted pilots started the engines, and they were away.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore nodded, smiling a little as she followed Kat out towards the ships that had been waiting for them. It was certainly no navy, but they would make it work. They would make everything work. She followed Kat and her team, getting on the ship after them. She was in part worried that the ship might give out with them on it. She planted her feet shoulder width apart, smaller blasters strapped to her hips, and her sniper rifle resting in her hand. She adjusted her mask on her face, leaving her hood up. Now, she was no longer Lore Togrud. She was Black Moon.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

The ships screamed through the air, engines chugging angrily, out of rhythm. The terrain flew by at a breakneck pace; rocky mountains, canyons, and the occasional sparse forest and lake flashed by in the minutes they flew. It wasn't long before they found themselves in enemy territory, at least by the reckoning of their meager maps. In truth, it was likely there were few tribes in this area, but new tribes spring up and move around all the time, so who's to say?

It was not a good idea to set down on uncharted terrain, so the ships hovered as close to the ground as they could, lowering the boarding ramps, wobbling only slightly under the expert maneuvering of the pilots. Kat jumped down first, hoping against hope she wouldn't fall through the ground, and thankfully she didn't. The dust storms were prone to covering crevasses in the moist dirt, creating precarious footing. It was good then that the ground here was at least stable enough to stand on.

The scouting teams quickly spread out, distributing weight and securing the area. Kat followed along as best she could, shadowing Lore, Ursa, Zanna, and her Rattataki scout leader, named Set. 'Clear,' was the word that rung through the teams, letting the group relax marginally.

"All right! We need to get moving; any jerk with a pair of binoculars could have seen us flying over, so we need to find a safe spot before nightfall! Set, you and your team are in the lead; tell me if you find anything. The rest of you spread out; we don't want to be caught in a trap or fall into the same hole. Any questions?" Kat barked, projecting strength.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled a little behind her mask as Kat gave the group orders. Lore followed the person called Set and the two women from the pit. Lore's grip on her rifle tightened and she kept her eyes peeled. There was a silence after Kat spoke, and no one asked anything. Lore's eyes met Kat's and she gave a nod. Understanding passed between the two women.

Lore placed her steps carefully as they made their way across the terrain. It was quite possible one of them could make a misstep and fall beneath the surface. The dust quickly coated her black suit and hood, which honestly in the end helped her blend in with her surroundings better.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

The wind kicked up dust, blowing across the mountains and rocks, jutting out of the ground like blades. The scouts took the lead, using long telescopic poles to prod the ground for any dangerous footing. With their guidance, the group made good time through the canyon passes. Technically, they were still in Kat's nominal territory, but they skirted the edge of what amounted to a contested zone.

They needed to perform counter-strikes against enemy raiders, either by being in the right place at the right time or by setting bait too tempting to pass up. First, however, they needed to pick up an enemy trail.

This was a tricky task to perform given the nature of the terrain, but the Rattataki had a reputation as warriors and killers for a reason. A scout stopped, halting the slow sweeping of their pole, staring at seemingly nothing. Set wandered over quietly and studied the ground for a few moments as the rest of us continued forward leisurely. He nodded, satisfied with what he had seen, and jogged quickly, deliberately placing his steps in Kat's footprints.

"A large group camped here recently, two days ago at least. They could be ours, but given your orders to fall back and reorganize, I wouldn't bet on it." He said, pitching his voice so that Kat and her friends could hear him.

Kat thought for a moment before speaking up. "We still need to find a spot for our camp; keep an eye on the trail, and we'll pick it up once we can operate freely." She said firmly. It wouldn't make sense to rush into a fight when your opponent would know how you would approach. They weren't too far away from where they had been dropped off after all, and any half-decent scout would know the ships were under Kat's command, considering how few ships there were on the planet. Kat still needed to prepare her battlefield after all. It's never a good idea to fight fairly, after all.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore nodded when Kat spoke. It would be irrational to act immediately; it would be what the enemy expected. She gave Kat an encouraging smile from behind her mask as they continued their journey. She was doing great; exuding confidence and demanding respect. "I'm right behind you," she said. The kind words may have seemed strange coming from her right now, but Lore was genuine.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

The sun was falling behind the mountains by the time they found a suitable site for a camp. They made good time for the terrain, but there was still some lingering feeling that they could have done more in the day. The temperature dropped steadily, and Rattatak's three moons became clear in the sky, each further away than the first and most prominent in the sky. The last was a mere tiny sphere in the sky, belying its actual size.

Kat was still itching with energy, but she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to go trying to traverse the mountains in the dark. The sky was clear, and the moonlight shone brightly, but the jutting blades of the peaks provided almost total darkness in the canyons below.

Tonight would be uncomfortable; no fire would be lit. It would too easily give away their position. "Set guards along the perimeter, and see about getting someone higher up the mountain while we still have some light so they can see if there are any lights in the dark," Kat said, carefully pitching her voice like she was taught, keeping it from echoing around the peaks.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore did not feel tired at all. Rather, adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, itching to be released. But she didn't know the terrain and continuing to traipse around in the dark would make things difficult, especially if they were attacked.

When Kat gave the last remaining orders for guards and watches, Lore stepped forward. "I can go up on the mountain and keep watch," she volunteered herself. There was no way she would be getting sleep anyway.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat nodded gratefully to Lore. Kat thought she was the perfect choice as a spotter, considering her rifle and its scope. "Good; Sett will show you the way up." Kat proclaimed, earning a mildly irritated look from the man she had just voluntold to do the job. "Keep an eye out for any lights or dust clouds, though I'm sure I need not tell you what to look for." She continued with a mild grin.

"Everyone else, get to your jobs, we've got work to do, and we'd better do it fast." She said to the rest of the Rattataki, who scattered to do her bidding. "Ursa, Zanna, can you set up the projector just in case anyone tries to sneak up on us?"

Ursa wobbled her head in thought before speaking up. "With the right camouflage, we can probably disguise the emitter and its light. What kind of creature were you wanting?"

"I want a Star-Adder; if any prospective scouts see it under my command..." Kat said, not needing to elaborate. Ursa just grinned and set to work.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore nodded and climbed up to the overhang, which looked over the group below and well into the distance. Lore pulled her hood back to see better, and laid on her stomach on the incline. She raised her view scope to her eye, and moved her rifle around. So far, everything looked peaceful, but she would not be surprised if the enemy tried their own surprise attack.

She lowered the viewscope periodically to get a more complete, if less focused, view of their surroundings. She watched as Ursa and her daughter set up the projectors set to scare off any sneaks that got too close.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

The night was, thankfully, quiet. The camp was in high spirits, though they kept silent under the stars and in the dark. Kat had a hard time falling asleep as she watched the moons drift through the sky. She had just shut her eyes, mind ready to turn off, when a brilliant green aurora shimmered into existence.

It lit up the mountains, dancing in mesmerizing waves. Lightning crackled off the tallest peaks, striking from the aurora like some great beast trying to touch the earth. Kat watched in amazement, eyes never closing as she gazed upon something only she could see. She stood up, shaking off her sleeping bag and revealing herself to the cold night air.

Without regard for safety, she scrambled up the mountain towards Lore. Luckily, miraculously, she made it up just fine. "Lore!" She whisper yelled, "Come with me to the peak!" She shook her friend's shoulder before turning away without waiting for a response. Further, she climbed, arms and legs finding easy purpose as if guided, until she reached the final, uppermost blade of the mountain.

The jutting spike crawled out into the night air like a platform over the void of canyons down below. Lightning arced off of its needle point with a tremendous *Krakoom!* Still, never fearful, Kat scrambled onto the blade of shale and karst. Rock's dislodged and fell into the canyon below as she set her boots in a march to the very end, eyes never wavering from the aurora.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore was scanning the dark horizon when suddenly she heard the shifting of rocks, signaling that someone was climbing up the mountain. She immediately tensed, still laying on her stomach, and shifted focus to the heat signature climbing towards her. She lowered her rifle when she recognized who it was.

"Kat-" she didn't get to finish before Kat was telling her to follow her and then leaving again. "What the hell," she muttered under her breath. She caught up to Kat, following her up the mountain, eyeing her as if expecting her to tumble backwards. Kat was staring at the sky as if seeing some beautiful apparition. Lore saw nothing. The sky was black, their surroundings barely lit up by the moon. "Kat-" she tried again but was cut off when lightning struck the peak.

@Shax