Kobold King Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I'm gathering info for the next major update post (assuming the recon team proposal ultimately wins out.) How would these operatives make contact? Simply by slowly approaching one of the idle elephants that's out in the open while carrying a white flag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Joe in the Bush Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Not a white flag. Make another Call, explain we want to send diplomats, and see what they say, then send in the Team. Preferentially armed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmurfAquamarineBodies Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 So we are all in agreeance that some people should be sent in? If so should they be armed or not. I vote not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 A chemist purely for their perspective on what they see. They may see something of interest that we do not, remember that we have no real idea of what is in there. The vehicle specialist again for their perspective and because we have no real idea of what is in there. I wouldn't suggest sending all the world's navies there just what can get there in a week. ( it only takes a cargo ship 2 weeks to get from New Zealand to china. If you are unsure how fast boats are nowadays Kobold. That's a distance of 11,160 km or 6934 miles. ) We should also set up video conferences with all governing bodies of the planet, including north Korea, if you think they wouldn't be involved in this fair enough because I don't think they would, but we must at least try and include them. If not video conference then at least keep them apprised of all we do and give them all the information we gain. By that I mean everything. All video and audio feeds and everything we may learn from any samples taken from them. We can assume that they are unable to tap into our communications because surely they would skip us and go straight to the general public if that was the case. I just don't see the value in an army vehicle specialist to watch elephants. If there is any kind of warping system, it isn't going to be anything like modern army vehicles. My vote is for a biologist/zoologist with elephant specialty, a chemist, and an engineer, if we're voting on who is going. No, I wouldn't advise sending the world's navies there either. Just alerting them so that they can be ready to mobilize on a moment's notice in case the warping device does exist. I'm not sure we need to inform the governments of every detail. Maybe the general idea and then make sure the UN has the idea too, but if we tell them all the details, why won't they go public or try to make heir own deals with the Chargers? If we are sending in a 'peace' team then they must be unarmed. We can't state that we have peaceful intentions and then just open fire on them at the slightest provocation. If we send in armed men they may take that as a sign of war and kill all the hostages. Making all this effort null and void. I agree on this point. If we're going to send anything, it has to be a small group who appears harmless. Pistols may not do much, but it may just be enough to allow some to escape if something goes wrong. I agree with Joe's idea of how to approach them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Does anyone else read the acronym for this group as Twitch? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Does anyone else read the acronym for this group as Twitch? Well now I do. And even if you leave out "The," it's still Witch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 An LRAD, or a Long Range Accoustic Device, is sonic weapon that delivers painful sonic bursts across great distances. Slight adjustments to conventional LRADs should allow us to use these at a frequency that is below the human range of hearing, letting us severely hamper the Chargers without risking injuring any hostages. EDIT: It seems the majority are in favor Blaze's motion to deploy a small reconnasience team, establish contact and learn what we can. Meanwhile, a large assault team will be manuevered into place, armed with low-frequency LRADs, ready to move in on command. A little video on LRADs for those that don't know them. I just don't see the value in an army vehicle specialist to watch elephants. If there is any kind of warping system, it isn't going to be anything like modern army vehicles. My vote is for a biologist/zoologist with elephant specialty, a chemist, and an engineer, if we're voting on who is going. No, I wouldn't advise sending the world's navies there either. Just alerting them so that they can be ready to mobilize on a moment's notice in case the warping device does exist. I'm not sure we need to inform the governments of every detail. Maybe the general idea and then make sure the UN has the idea too, but if we tell them all the details, why won't they go public or try to make heir own deals with the Chargers? I agree on this point. If we're going to send anything, it has to be a small group who appears harmless. Pistols may not do much, but it may just be enough to allow some to escape if something goes wrong. I agree with Joe's idea of how to approach them. Sounds like a good round-up. They could be gone by tomorrow, so drafting any forces towards Snowey that won't be there in the next 16 hours or less would only weaken our defenses in those other locations. What we should do is send out a warning that attacks might start on earth at random tomorrow. Yeah, heavy weaponary could make the plan go down south an EMP might be useful, if we can organize one small enough on shorth notice. I also like the idea. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaze1616 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I'm with Lindel on having the reconnaisance team focus on locating warp technology. I'd comprise the team as such: 1 zoologist - no specialties necessary. Just because they look and behave like elephants does not mean they don't have wings. 1 engineer - mechanical & electrical dual degrees. These two engineering types fit the "jack of all trades" for the two "halves" of engineering. It might turn out that a computer engineer or chemical engineer is more useful, but by sending in a mechanical & electrical dual degree engineer we increase the odds of the individual being useful. 1 diplomat - the individual needs to be authorized to speak on behalf of all humans. If this cannot be cleared with other governments in time, at least on behalf of the U.S. due to the attack being in Snowey, FL. 3 military personel. Due to Snowey being landlocked, I'd say army rangers or green berets. I have next to zero knowledge of the inner workings of our military, though, so a different branch/specialty group might be more appropriate. I do not think we need to send in a translator. Whether it be from a device, telepathy, or Kyle having a nefarious role in this plot, the Chargers can communicate with us with near immediate translation. Sending in a translator is a bit of a waste, and an unnecessary risk of life. As for whether they go in armed, I'm torn. On the one hand it seems silly to not leave them at least one weapon, however small, in the event that things go south. On the other hand, sending in a team with the purpose of peace negotiations (from the Chargers' perspective) but have them armed is a clear indication that we are not taking the situation seriously. My vote is to send them in unarmed. From the Chargers' perspective they are likely showing us an act of kindness. Rather than trample all over our entire species into extinction, they are offering us a chance to survive. They've likely done this to other planets, as they seem rather experienced with the situation. Not taking the situation seriously, or at least giving off the impression that we don't, is probably a very bad idea. We'll have the assault team in place to move in, so I vote the reconnaisance team be unarmed. Also, their equipment should include hidden video and audio devices. Audio won't help much due to the cell phone tapping (though quality might be better for analytical purposes), but video is desperately needed. I also would like an earpiece on at least the diplomat, if not the whole team. This way, if they aren't checked for bugs, we'll have two way communication rather than one way. If multiple earpieces go, but not enough for the whole team, my priority list proceeds as such: 1) diplomat 2) engineer 3) zoologist 4-6) military folks Other than that, I'm with Joe's plan of calling in ahead to inform them we'd like to send diplomats. My only worry about this is if they say no, and we send the team anyways, they'll attack. It's tempting to send the team in to "stumble" upon the Chargers, but I ultimately think that communication ahead of time is the best course of action. I also want to reiterate that sending any more military presence than what we've already got in the area around Snowey is likely pointless. Sending navies, air forces, armies, none of it matters at this point. We do not know the travel potential of the Chargers, and evidence points toward warping. Sending in everyone within 1 day's travel could leave many major cities defenseless (Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, etc.). I do not think that the risk involved in the gamble over whether they have warp tech or not is worth removing any defenses those major cities have. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Seems like we have mostly reached a consensus on the peace team. In the case of the Chargers not wanting us to send a "peace" team we probably shouldn't. I don't think they would take well to that. There's also the option that they won't even answer our call, should that happen do we let the "peace" team stumble in blind? Assuming they don't let us send a team and we get new info from our contact do we engage? Edited March 3, 2015 by Edgedancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindel Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I say we make the call, then proceed from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Step by step, sounds reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindel Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Are we just waiting on Kobold, then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Are we just waiting on Kobold, then? Regrettably, yes. I'm a touch busy today but I'll include a quick update here soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Well now I do. And even if you leave out "The," it's still Witch. The Twitch Foundation or the Witch Foundation? Neither sounds great. Regrettably, yes. I'm a touch busy today but I'll include a quick update here soon. Sounds good. We'll wait for that then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the winter system Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I vote for weapons at all. Sure, if it gets violent then they are in trouble. However, they took hostages. They didn't just take over the world. That means that they need the hostages for some reason. They need to keep the threat of the hostages over us. They want to negotiate. If it turns violent, we attack. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 The Twitch Foundation or the Witch Foundation? Neither sounds great. Sounds good. We'll wait for that then. The first makes us sound like a bunch of trigger-happy morons, and the second makes it sound like we've been infiltrated at the higher levels by the Dark Forces. We need a new acronym. I'm writing the next update now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I vote for weapons at all. Sure, if it gets violent then they are in trouble. However, they took hostages. They didn't just take over the world. That means that they need the hostages for some reason. They need to keep the threat of the hostages over us. They want to negotiate. If it turns violent, we attack. Do you mean no weapons? Anyway, I don't think they think they need hostages. Actually, they seem to assume we are at their mercy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the winter system Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Why take them, then? Yeah, I mean no weapons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Gleeman Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 we should have a LRAD turret to place as a defensive option and I propose we provide a secondary objective to our team to discover what is making the buzzing noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 we should have a LRAD turret to place as a defensive option and I propose we provide a secondary objective to our team to discover what is making the buzzing noise. Yes, the whirring noise will be one of the Engineer's priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Alright, everyone. Your democratically chosen course of action was to send a second phone call to the Chargers, requesting permission to send a team of diplomats. Here is your short update. It's been half an hour since last contact was made. Over the course of that time, Foundation surveillance specialists have tapped every cell phone in the building, recording as much audio information as they could. For the first ten minutes, few sounds besides the constant grumbling of the elephants can be made out. At one point commotion is heard over the line; the loud whirring sound from before starts again, prompting the usual trumpets and blares of the elephants--but this time, the whirring and the trumpeting is accompanied by what sounds sickeningly like sobbing. There's a brief spat of what may be a man shouting--he's indistinct over the sonorous machinery, but the words "--not going!" are distinguishable. The argument is short-lived, ended by the The whirring stops as abruptly as it's done each time, and no further incidents are heard. The barn is a quieter place from that point, with nothing but a few low and indistinct mumbles from the Chargers. Finally, the Foundation representative receives her instructions from the board of directors and makes a second phone call. The phone rings for almost two minutes before your contact answers, sounding slightly more composed than before but terrified nonetheless. "Kyle here," he says nervously. "Th-the First Lord is with me too. He's listening." "My directors are processing your demands, First Lord," the representative assures through the line. "We are requesting that you receive a team of scientists and diplomats. They will carry no weapons, nor will they interfere with your operations in any way. We just want to talk." An indistinct snorting is heard in the background, somewhere between the sound of a trombone and a man blowing his nose. The noise is clearly that of an elephant. Kyle gulps, but interprets hesitantly, a quiver to his voice. "Uh... he, he's not exactly laughing. He Who Trumpets Before the Storm, I mean. But... he thinks you're funny. He... he says... if the clever apes want to come and gawk, then they're welcome to. There will be no Charge until tomorrow morning. But... they may not enter this building. If they approach this building, he will.. he will personally grind their skulls into powder." Another pause. There's silence but for Kyle breathing and the elephant continuing to snort quietly in the background. Suddenly--startlingly--the teenager sucks in a deep breath and launches into a ramble: "They--they moved the other hostages! I'm the only one still here! There's a p--" A furious bellow sounds over the line, and Kyle is heard crying out in pain. The line hangs open for a full minute with nothing but indistinct trumpeting in the background, until the call is disconnected. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) So it sounds like the warping machine is real then. So the recon team can be sent? Everyone agreed, right? I don't know if they'll see much, but it's worth a shot. Kobold, have there been reports of any Armored Elephants elsewhere in the world? Edited March 3, 2015 by Mailliw73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the winter system Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 The buzzing noise seems to be some kind of weapon. Maybe? Maybe not. I think some are dead. "There's a p--" Hm. Person? Someone is dead, I think. Something bad has happened to Kyle. "--not going!" seems to imply some kind of resistance. I believe that the person who said that is dead or currently injured. The whirring seems to be bad news. I wouldn't want to be on the team going in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmurfAquamarineBodies Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Yea, definitely send them in. If one of the military personnel is willing to wait behind when the team leaves he will need to try and get into that barn. The noises that are coming out of their are, ah, not good. He shouldn't try and grab Kyle but instead give a device that allows us to hear and see what he hears and sees. The soldier may die but that kinda is his job, soooo we may as well send him. Even if he is only able to plant a visual feed that would be great. Edited March 3, 2015 by SmurfAquamarineBodies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindel Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Do our satellites pick up any sign of the hostages leaving the barn? It appears they may have warp technology as we feared, and are using this to transport the hostages. I'm doubtful we'll learn much more from our small team if we can't get inside the barn. Clearly they're hiding something in there. They're not as certain of victory as they want us to believe. Why take hostages if we never stood a chance? EDIT: Fixed a spelling error. Edited March 3, 2015 by Lindel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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