[closed] and since we've one place to go

[nonscriptum]

Who: Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, Agent Washington, Agent Maine, Kyna Midha, Staci Pratt, Poe Dameron, Taako Taaco, Lup Taaco, Peter Parker
What: Nate leads a polar expedition out to the mountains.
Where: Out on the tundra; at an undisclosed excavation site in the foothills.
When: February 1-14
Warnings: PG-13+ for swearing, descriptions of dead bodies/science torture. :(




[source]

WELCOME TO SNOW HELL

the journey | the door | the bunker | the lab

Comments

[theweakhavepurpose]

[He sighs. That's probably the best option, the one that makes the most sense. But it's not one he likes.]

If we had more guns, maybe. I'm trying at the range but.... bows and arrows and throwing knives aren't going to do much against robots or whatever the Null are.

There's going to be so many casualties.

[Simply stating a fact. People are going to die, lots of them.]

[bloodbathing]

[ The Freelancer gives a little shrug and nods. Yes, there probably will be. It's war. Casualties are inevitable. ]

Can get ammo. Why not guns?

[theweakhavepurpose]

From where?

I'm not bartering with these fake gods for anything. And no one's said they have weaopnry anyway.

[bloodbathing]

[ Again, Maine shrugs. It had been a question, not an offer. He figured that if it were possible to get more ammo, it might be possible to get more guns. Having his own weapons on hand, it's not something he's had reason to look into. ]

Other weapons.

[ He gestures vaguely in the direction of the group's magically inclined. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

You wanna give a bunch of civilians the ability to shoot fireballs out of their hands?

They're gonna light the town on fire and accidentally kill each other. These aren't trained soldiers, they're just... regular people.

They need to be able to defend themselves if we can't do it for them, but I don't think we can expect much of an army with the people we have here.

[bloodbathing]

[ Guns, fireballs — bizarre as the latter is, Maine doesn't see much difference between the two. Untrained people accidentally kill each other with conventional weapons. What makes fireballs special? ]

Train first. Then arm.

[ Every soldier starts off as a civilian. It's an obstacle to overcome, but not a deathblow. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

You volunteering?

[Because he's had his share of that at the range and he is not cut out to be a teacher.]

[bloodbathing]

[ That's not something Maine had considered. He doesn't know magic; he can't teach the fireball equivalent of muzzle control. But basic training?

... Carolina would be better. Wash might, too. After all, Maine can't bark commands if he can't fucking speak. Can't effectively instruct someone if he's having to stop and type things all the time.

But he could help. ]

Could.

[ Volunteer? Train? He starts moving back to check his steak before he can clarify. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[It's not a bad idea. Especially since Maine is the mose soldiery solider he's met. But he's also probably terrifying to someone who's never held a weapon before. Maybe they should start them out easy with someone who won't have them pissing themselves.]

I guess we could start doing something at the range. For regular weapons I mean I don't want anyone shooting lasers at my targets.

[Or worse: fireballs.]

I dunno if people would sign up to learn though. Unless there's an imminent threat and then it might be too late.

[bloodbathing]

[ That gets a noncommittal grunt as Maine tends to his food. Looks like it's about done. He decides to give it another minute. Returns to Pratt, typing out another message as he does so: ]

Their funeral.

[ If they're not willing to even try to defend themselves, why the fuck should anyone risk their necks for them? Better to focus on taking down the enemy than protecting people who refuse to protect themselves. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt stares out at the horizon for a few moments.]

The weak must be culled.

[But that doesn't mean he likes it. The more people who die the less they have to fight. Being fodder only gains an advantage for a single battle. They better make it count.]

[bloodbathing]

[ That's ... a little more on the extreme side than Maine meant. But he guesses it's true enough. They'll learn to fight, or they'll die. They'll rise, or they'll fall. If that counts as "culling," then sure, they'll be culled.

Maine looks Pratt's way for a long moment, but he makes no comment. He's content to sit in silence until his food is ready.

They know what they have to do. What more is there to say? ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt nods, that settles it. They'll do what they must for survival. Not everyone will make it, but there's nothing to be done about that - some are weak and some are strong and those that survive will be better for it.

He gives Maine a parting pat on the shoulder, turning to go walk out into the tundra. There's some planning to do - how can he improve the range to give everyone at least a base level of knowledge so he's not setting them up for slaughter. If he can get more people trained he can minimize casualties - and that might make him feel slightly better about everything than the resigned horror that's become his normal outlook on life.

Train. Hunt. Kill.

Sacrifice.]