Defender Text: Principal Observation

AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LIBRARY DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN RUSHING TO RECOVER TEXTS FROM THE PAST. SOME HAVE EVEN SPENT TIME TO WRITE NEW ENTRIES INTO THE LIBRARY.

BELOW ARE TEXTS ADDED DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS. THESE DEFENDER TEXTS ARE ALL WRITTEN FROM ONE PERSON’S POINT OF VIEW AND BELIEF….

In this book, I have taken the liberty of jotting down my observations in preparations and expectations of the war effort against the Aruan threat that we currently deal against. As it stands, I personally feel we are woefully unprepared to take this venture and while there has been ample work, I feel that the manpower can be split even further to get to work on a vast number of things that will bolster our efforts tenfold in stopping this threat before we are all slaughtered wholesale.

This page will hold a very simple synopsis of what each individual idea and plan is, with stark hopes that those of you who dislike reading lengthy details (and you know who you are), will at least pick up the basic gist of these plans and ideas to implement them accordingly.

I.    SCOUT TELESCOPE – Create an Observatory here in Junon and/or Eldeon to monitor and keep track of enemy movement in Lunar (and any other planet by proxy). Give the Telescope watcher a runner to pass messages to and fro. The enemy has the Lunar Observatory doing the very same and the demons are brazen. Intelligence is necessary if we’re to formulate a plan of defense and a plan of attack.

II.    EARLY WARNING SCOUTS & FLARE SYSTEM – Use the different color-coded flares (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White) to indicate when shady, suspicious or outright hostile actions are taking place with scouts taught to hide in plain sight. This will allow the armed forces to know what kind of threat it is and respond appropriately to it, even before arriving.

III.    HEAVY ARMOR MASS PRODUCTION – Teaching our Dealers how to also supply Heavy Gears to our Ikaness Engineers to allow them as ‘Combat Engineer’ divisions to aid in dealing with enemy armor, such as Junkers, Herbukal’s or weaker demon threats w/ Defender support. The Defender Core is oftentimes torn on whether or not to use their own Castle Gears. This such problem does not exist with the common populace and Ikaness Engineers could certainly enjoy the added protection of armor at their disposal.

IV.    FACTION UPGRADE – Upgrading Faction facilities to accommodate more than just muses and doctors, intent on hosting the tools, knowledge and supplies needed to teach anyone. ANYONE. On the Basics of Field Medicine, the Intermediates of Field Surgery and the Advances of a Field Trauma Center, intent on teaching any and every man, woman, child and native on how to become fully fledged doctors, nurses and field medics without reliance on Faction Personnel or Muses. (In memory of Siren’s desires.)

V.    ANTI-DEMON WEAPONS – Mass production of weapons most effective at disrupting, absorbing, eliminating and severing the bonds of what makes a demon. From Philosopher Stone Weaponry to Technological Advances in ordinance, to Flamethrowers. A Research Drive into the most effective and efficient means to waste, burn and cause harm to the chaotic beings of energy we know as ‘demons’, to best arm both the Defender Core and the men, women and native armies at large. Some Defenders are capable of sealing Demons and the knowledge to do so is slowly spreading, but what happens when we aren’t there? The human and native populace needs be capable of defending themselves in times of dire need when we are not there.

VI.    VESSEL MOUNTED ENERGY DISPERSAL WEAPONS – This one is largely specific, but relevant to the note. As much as the Demoniac Engineer Ridudrimas is reviled and cursed at, it is no secret that his methods held results as evidenced by the elimination of the Rank 3 Demon General Poseidon. Without aid of our Lunar Brethren, knowledge of Ritual Stones is limited, but what we do know can still yield results. The acquisition of Ritual Stones is paramount to success, namely in seeking the destruction of the Argos.

VII.    CASTLE GEAR TRAINING – The Reverse Jointed Bi-pedal walking armor that we know as Castle Gears, are already used somewhat effectively by Defenders. This can be largely improved upon by formulating tactics, training in the usage of such equipment and even improving upon the original designs even further than the mass production models we have available.

VIII.    CADENCE CALL – It is no secret that most of the Defender Core is out of touch with the populace of Junon. We’ve come to depend largely on support from them, just as they have depended on us as stated in the Defender Handbook. We needs find a means to establish contact with the people and inspire them to reach heights as heroic as those we of the Defender Core can achieve. Morale is an important part of any armed force and currently, not all of us are entirely informed as to the morale of all of our allies and the commonfolk. The individual is weak, but far from powerless.

I

Scout Telescope

For many former Aruan Defenders (you know who you are) that recall the Talisman Battalion campaign against Eldeon, there was a time when their forces enraptured the Observatory en masse and successfully stole the massive lens needed to both keep track of Eldeon’s fortifications, movements and war preparation efforts. Many former Aruans will also recall the usage of said observatory lens against us, as Pilot Chacha could recall for us vividly.

The proposal is simple.

Make an Observatory Lens on Junon or Eldeon that we could use to observe, keep track of and monitor the enemy Aruan movements currently to help further ascertain their goals, plans and efforts long before we see them above Junon or Eldeon Airspace and damage is caused. Prevention is the best medicine and if we can eliminate the Aruan element of surprise, we won’t needs have to prepare on short notice as has been seen before. Be it from making an Observatory to even hosting a simple Telescopic Lens somewhere within an ideally fortified place (like say, the Capital), we can always successfully keep sight of the enemy.

This holds it’s own complications though. From workforce elements needed to construct the lens, to the place to house it, to it’s own defenses. More importantly, the issue on how we get such reports out. Thankfully, we do have leaders of war that are suited to receiving such reports, such as those of the Empyrean and Principality Clans. Depending on the location, depends on the complications of this idea project and may or may not require a runner to come and report their findings to our High Command.

II

Early Warning Scouts & Flare System

Flares and Fireworks have been used in earlier times on the planets to signal a myriad of coming events. Times of celebration. Signals between enemy groups that we could not decipher. Alarms of attacks on specified locations. Thanks to Mercenary and Brigade employment, we have numerous archers, warriors, combatants, sentinels and brigadiers that are both trained in the arts of war and know the value of knowing when and where to alert our forces long before we see the smoke plumes of burning huts and cabins over the horizon.

By placing guards in key locations that we often are either understaffed or short handed to guard at the time (or as often is the case, Defender Ineptitude as I and several others have been known for), we can be informed to the dangers that approach long before we get there. We have flares and we have dyes. Their meanings can be simple and let us know the severity of a situation, so we can split our forces accordingly to tackle the threats.

White – Fiends have been spotted operating in the area.

Green – All clear. The enemy has departed the area.

Blue – Herbukals have been spotted operating in the area.

Yellow – Demons have been spotted operating in the area.

Red – A Demon General or Greater has been spotted operating in the area.

If we know where they are, we can act. As of recent days, we saw one of our own men employ such a tactic, in the usage of a flare out in the field. We need more men like him to work as our Early Warning system. A salute goes to you, Miklos.

III

Heavy Armor Mass Production

We’ve all seen them. We’ve all appreciated having them on our side. Some former Aruans recall having them as opponents in a training session that had gone sour. Heavy Gears are massive machines utilized for both defense and work by the Ikaness Engineer workforce and they are not simple toys, nor are they cheap and easy to make.

They are expensive.

But… they can be used by others. If making the Viridian Legion for the Danu Campaign has shown me anything, it’s that these massive war machina are both expensive and very powerful. A stopgap and effective means for weaker Defenders to up the ante in a battle against a greater foe by fulfilling a myriad of roles based on their chosen or given weapon. Heavy Gears likely cannot fulfill the same generic diversity that Castle Gears can by default, but it does not change that the Ikaness Engineers can use them to great effect and efficiency. They can deploy alongside us in the advent of Junk Demons (or Junkers as we call them in the field) to help slow the enemy down or even wall them altogether as we provide proper support to our armored column.

We on the field are the infantry. Those on Castle Gears and on Heavy Gears are our armor. Neither can operate at it’s peak performance without the other and by letting our Dealers learn how to make these, we can provide these heavy duty machines to our hardworking Ikaness Engineers (and anyone else who would be brave enough to pilot one) to take to the field alongside us with impunity.

IV

Faction Upgrade

With the tragic loss of Siren… I was reminded of why it was that I had joined the Faction so feverishly back then. Regardless of whatever it may be called now, the Old Sciences of Biology and Medicine apply just as well to any man, woman, child and native as they did then. Cuts can be stitched together, wounds can be bandaged and gauzed up, infection can be treated with anti-toxins and anti-bacterial medication. We need not solely rely on Muses and Clerics to be the ones to heal our wounds in the Defender Core and as living proof of that, I push and advocate for both an upgrade to the Faction Facilities and the means to teach others along with it.

The tools at our discretion are already good, but they can be further improved and optimized accordingly. Intensive Care Units can have advanced machines that keep a patient’s vital signs with greater accuracy, better scalpels to remove foreign bodies with clean cuts that require next to no force to push, better studies into medication mixes to increase it’s efficiency and how we can achieve similar effects when those coveted supplies run low. We do not wish for a repeat of the bodies that were sent to Lunar in body bags. When push comes to shove, we can’t simply rely on Carasia, Chelsie, Gelissa and I forever. We need more doctors. We need more Medics Without Frontiers.

And to achieve this? Write books on the basics of dressing wounds, treating cuts and most injuries seen on the field. Teach natives willing to learn on the importance of an Aseptic Cleaning or a Sterile Procedure to produce Doctors and Nurses. In times like these, even a basic infection can prove fatal and with advanced and near mythical injuries like those inflicted by the Dark Buster, the need for medical personnel will be even greater than ever.

V

Anti-Demon Weapons

Defenders have been taught how to seal. The Emperor, Raisco, has taught Hawkers how to eliminate the demon threat. Pepe has taught several others the same, on both the basics of demon hunting and that of demon sealing. Not all the Defenders know how to seal at the time, myself included, but we can learn and have been taking strides to do so.

But what of our allies? What of the brave Goblins, the bold Sikuku, the stalwart Ikaness and the cunning Crool that now stand amongst us? What can they do to deal with the demon threat? Can they seal the same as we? Can they operate machinery as we do to eliminate and successfully disperse these energies? The answer’s a lot simpler than we think.

Weapons.

Their armor, equipment and weapons. I cite the knowledge of the material, Philosopher Stone. An excellent conductor of energy, perhaps even the very best of it. Also, a dangerous material when handled in extremely large quantities and excess for its energy absorbing properties. I also cite the knowledge of the ‘Protector’s Will’ commonly found on Golems of Orlo, usable for the creation of ‘Cursed Rubies’ as they were.

Finally, I cite Virus’ miraculous return of her Aura, the potent ability that grants us Defenders our so called means to be Super Soldiers and how we can deal with the demon threat to successfully disperse their energies. How can we emulate that soul gorged effect, but on the minimal scale of a weapon? I don’t propose turning regular men and women into Defenders, for that is a subject I do not understand or very much know of in detail. I propose the study and upgrade of the very same basic weapons we as both Defenders and common folk/native alike employ on what is a more effective weapon against Demons and once we have found what works the most efficiently and most effectively? We mass produce it. The people need be capable of defending themselves when we fail and falter.

VI

Vessel Mounted Energy Dispersal Weapons

During battle in the Capital City against the encroaching fiends and the Argos ship, we have learned that the ship can regenerate from damage and impacts caused by muses, small arms fire and even the mighty Mercury Ram. We have also learned that the enemy uses this ship for unknown purposes. Carrying supplies en masse to Aruan Allies? Carrying willing Aruan ‘Blighted’ to battle?

Whatever reason they have for using it, it is without question that this regenerating vessel is an obstacle before us and Zeke has tasked me with making a weapon to combat that threat. He proposed the usage of the Lancer, a project that would require Lord Ikaness’ blessing and his express permission to expand upon.

My solution is simpler. On the same vein from recommendation off an Ikaness Engineer by the name of Certus, I was told to seek Ritual Stones. My proposal? Acquire 2 to 4 Ritual Stones and have them outfitted to the Mercury Ram for Field testing. Whatever effectiveness they may have will be known to us then. After all… Science is 70% Trial and Error after all, as reminded to me by a true Faction worker, Carasia.

VII

Castle Gear Training

The Reverse Jointed Bi-pedal tanks we of the Defender Core can use, Castle Gears… are effective and monstrous war-machina. We can pilot these machines and use them to great effect in the dispersal of energy, so long as it’s usage is prolonged against the target in question. But… it’s equipment and the Gears themselves can be used better. They can be used to greater effect with simple training, tactics and preparation. Maybe even expanded upon and upgraded to greater heights. Castle Gears mounted with Flak Guns on their Cannons for Anti-Air purposes by converting excess energy from the gun arm into propellant for munitions. Castle Gear’s mounted with refined armor plating and reinforced arms to grasp and hold demons in place to allow allied units to deal significant damage. Castle Gears armed with their Shield and Spears to fulfill the role of Knights whenever we may lack of them to hold the Line and protect our allies on the ground from fire. Castle Gear’s armed with sleeker designs and drills to break through enemy fortifications that we may encounter soon.

But these are just some of the ideas on how these weapons can be employed to greater effect. Formal training on formations with Castle Gears, on where and when to deploy them and when to encourage our allies on the field of when to use them to efficiently dispatch our enemies. Right now, the discretion to use a Castle Gear is up to us as Defenders and often, they prefer to battle on foot or even hide them away in their storages. Knowing what our heavy equipment can do and when to use it can turn the tide of battle.

VIII

Cadence Call

Defenders are out of touch with the people. The Former Akram Rangers have told us as much whenever we ignore their requests to deal with dangerous hunts or acquire important foodstuffs for them such as Pumpkin Pieces or Krawfy Tails. Hell, most of us aren’t even formally aware why such foodstuffs are so important to them and very few of us have been reluctant to ask, let alone bother to do so for fear of ridicule. Worse yet, we have often forsaken or ignored a problem until it has exacerbated or become far more of a nuisance than it was and it was simply impossible for us to ignore it for any longer. Be it from re-supplying stockpiles, receiving reports from the frontline or even seeing the status and morale of our men, we need to get in touch with the people.

If we don’t, who will take up arms alongside us as Brigadiers? Who will work the Faction medical wards? Who will offer their handiwork for the Guild? Who will help organize papers and politics at the Order? The Morale of the people is important, as is their wellbeing and the right for them to be informed of what is happening. The individual is weak, but far from powerless. There is strength in numbers and there is strength in hope. Without them, we wouldn’t have gotten this far after all. Where there’s life, there’s hope.

Rather than risk being ignored and forsaken once more… I write these observations down in hopes that someone will read them at their own leisure and pass them on. People might ignore me, but they’ll listen to others. Someone. Someway. Will make sure to get this idea to the rest of the people. I’ve all but internally given up on speaking to others on my views at this point and in my crestfallen state, to push the conversation any further is to strike harm upon myself or others in reckless mistakes. After all… I’m only human. I’ve snapped before, as can anyone under enough duress.

With luck, I will be heard not by voice… but by report.

Ignorance damns progress. Please do not forsake what I have written here.

By: Irving