Post by vu on May 10, 2006 12:54:39 GMT -5
Note:[/i] There have been a few changes in the character’s rank from the crawler discussion thread. And, I’ve spoken to Ashuku about teaming up with him and he’s okay with it.
Name: Vu Ganesa, Captain of the 8th Mobile Land Ship Team—Detached Platoon (8th MLST-DP), aka Lucky Eight
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Group: Fire Nation Military (Army)
Nation: Fire Nation
Bender?: Yes
Physical Appearance: Born amongst people long lived in the Fire Nation’s equatorial region, Vu’s ochre skin tone is one of three identifiable features that allow him to stand out among the military’s standard rank and file. Second being the powerful, well-developed muscles on his arms and torso on his 5’10 frame that are easily visible while in uniform and armor yet very lightly developed legs muscles to match; though this physique tends to be standard among veteran land ship/war crawler firebenders. Third being his bald, clean-shaven head as he is considered rather young to be bland and lacks the topknot those who shave their heads often maintain. This was a personal choice due to the discomfort of wearing a helmet while having hair. His hair of a jet-black color, Vu tends to shave his facial twice as often as his head in order to make a clear facial appearance. His face is slightly long with a squarish jaw, broad forehead, angular eyes of a solid amber color, high angular cheekbones and a thin nose with sharp ridge.
Clothing/Armor: On leave, Vu wears a pastel red with crimson trimming, short sleeve, large cuffed silk tunic with a silk white undershirt and silk pastel red pants. When not on leave he wears the standard issue Fire Nation uniform consisting of heavy, slate gray silk for both shirt and trousers made a half-length longer than normal and completed with maroon colored, leather boots. Armor, worn over shirt and trousers, comes in a total of seven pieces: light helmet, leg and arm vambraces, vest, pauldrons (shoulder plates), collar/cowl and skirting. Vu would also add a white silk bandanna, at times wrapped about his head, used mainly to soak up sweat from his head.
Central feature of the standard Fire Nation armor is the maroon colored vest, opening in the front and reaching to the hips but is split at sides below the waist. The vest has a seam or buttons down the sides to separate front and back portions yet come quite close to meeting when fastened or tied with a belt or sash wrapped about wearer’s waist. The rectangular-shaped pauldrons and two-sectioned skirting, used to protect the upper and lower limbs respectively, are maroon colored with lighter maroon edges. Peripheral to these are the maroon colored, leather leg and arm vambraces to add light protection to shins and forearms respectively, yet the arm vambraces have additional, lighter marooned colored, cloth cuffs to keep them from sliding into the wrist and hands. A maroon, often cloth, shoulder-length collar/cowl with lighter trimmings is used to protect the neck. The fire bender of a war crawler crew wears a light, either leather or metal, maroon, cone shaped helmet with a lighter toned frontal crest. The other two-crew members have woolen cloth hoods that extend into a shoulder-length cowl. All crewmembers are issued a pair of goggles to keep the sweat out of each member’s eyes.
Normally each member of a Fire Nation war crawler crew is supposed to have: two waterbags (approx. 1 liter), utility-use knife, sweat goggles, medical kit, rucksack, ration packs, mess kit (clay bowl and spoon), repeating crossbow (ten-arrow single-shot with poison heads), three extra magazine for repeating crossbows, two smoke-grenade sticks.
However items can be lost, bartered or sold over time. Equipment that is not being used or worn at any given time is stowed somewhere inside the vehicle. Many crews pick up additional equipment that is not official or standard (i.e. scrolls, smoking pipes, combs, etc.), also repeating crossbows are often used only by non-firebending members of the crew. Firebenders often carry no sidearm.
The platoon’s war flag/sashimono consist of a black flag with a red elephant head in the center surrounded by eight Fire Nation emblem flames.
Weapons: Vu’s initial and main weapon is his firebender, the competency of which includes not only the standard red flame but the hotter yellow flame, flame projection from his mouth and nostrils, flame projection from his fingers, various horizontal and vertical flame arcs, varying sizes of fireballs, sustained projections and sprays of flame. As part of Vu’s new command, he has instated a daily, boot-camp reminiscent exercise session for the entire platoon, including support personnel, in hopes of encouraging camaraderie and discipline among them. Once part of his own personal once-a-week training, he first devised the idea to apply to his firebenders to keep their leg strength from deteriorating but has changed his mind to apply it to the entire platoon. This group exercise includes not only a twice a week mile run for everyone but also a twice a week target practice for the non-firebending crew so as improve their marksmanship with repeating crossbows. Another idea he has enacted upon his new platoon, though used thus far in practice training and not actual combat, is to have all crews stretch—especially firebenders—before moving out in hopes of staving off muscle fatigue and cramps when inside the crawlers.
Colloquially called war crawler or crawler, though initially termed mobile landship and landship by the Admirality, they are products birthed from the Fire Nation’s industrial technologies and advanced metallurgy. These steam powered, coal fueled, heavily armored vehicles are nigh invincible to many conventional, infantry based weaponry, equipped with four directional fire ports to launch mainly firebender based attacks and two additional smaller ports in the front and rear to allow crew member viewing, and a water based balancing system allowing the central portion, containing crew and engine, to flip over should the entire vehicle be overturned. They also possess two harpoons located at the front of the main carriage used to both aid in the climbing cliff faces and the like but also tearing down walls and structures.
With the usual exception of the firebending commander-gunner, war crawler crews carry a repeating crossbow (Cho-ku-nu) as a standard sidearm for use outside the crawler. Able to discharge ten arrows within seconds, they are effective for stopping the rush of an enemy, temporarily defending a position, or securing an on foot retreat. Small and light, the bolts have little penetrative power and thus the steel heads are often coated in poison, allowing a wound to prove fatal. The stock is much the same in design and construction as the standard crossbow, yet has a replaceable magazine containing eight to twelve (depending on design) featherless arrows laid atop one another. The lever that works the crossbow, hinged to stock by metal pins, is moved back and forth to load and fire each arrow and can be worked as fast or quickly as needed. The crossbow’s effective range is around eighty yards with an extreme range of nearly two-and-a-half times that.
Vu’s platoon size detachment consists of six war crawlers (18 men) and support personnel, which were among the remnants from his previous regiment. The standard tactic used when working as a unit, alone and alongside infantry, is to provide mutual support in groups of two or three: two or three will advance while covered by the others, halt, then provide cover fire for the others to move forward. This is Vu’s preferable standard tactic when attacking an enemy position, as it keeps his men from fighting as separate units and allows some small form of communication between them through “fire signals” (think Morse Code with flames shot straight up through the entry/exit hatch). This same tactic is also used on the very rare occasion any of his men must proceed on foot.
Placed under the command of Admiral Ashuku, Vu’s Lucky 8th is to serve as both infantry support weapon and cavalry equivalent. As such the 8th’s list of duties include: clearing battlefield obstacles, killing enemy soldiers, aiding infantry advance to and through enemy lines, exploiting penetrations in enemy’s front and flanks, breaking enemy lines to attack rear positions, providing shock and intimidation to an enemy force, and providing cover fire in a retreat.
Personality: Belonging to the religion for the “Enlightened Way” (i.e. Buddhism, Taoism), Vu as well as his religion had to come to terms when living in a nation advocating the divine right of the Fire Nation’s imperialist pursuits and absolute loyalty to the Fire Lord. Between suppression and adaptation of their religious life and beliefs, Vu’s family became the latter, his father reluctantly joining the Fire Nation’s military in the supply-support role of quartermaster and even falling prey to the “Enlightened Way” warrior-solider amalgamation called bushido when in the military.
As a result of Vu’s background knowledge of both the “Enlightened Way” and bushido and emphasis on mental and physical therein, he meditates daily not only to clear his mind but also prepare it to receive what it must do as soldier and commander. Yet he has his fallacies in adhering to both as he still maintains his own personal interest and desires such as: women, being assigned a commanding officer with insight and ability to use the war crawlers to their potential, publishing a book on war crawler tactics and strategies, and putting a halt, even indirectly, to the Avatar’s plan of continuing the war already in the Fire Nation’s favor by attempting to master the four elemental arts.
Though generally reserved in nature, Vu is often quite sociable especially around his comrades when out of view of senior and high ranking officers. When around senior and higher ranking officers he attempts to portray the required impersonal, commanding, disciplined and authoritative personality a true commanding officer is expected to possess. Those among his platoon who know him personal will aid in this, while telling the others of the platoon to do so as well, by falling suit in being respectful and obedient soldiers under his charge. After which Vu and his platoon will often laugh and joke about their ability as actors. His socializing, personable attitude and friendships with members of his platoon extend to their days as a larger regiment. Now as a detached platoon those who have yet to know Vu until now are finding him somewhat likeable and amusing with respect to his colorful cursing when angry or reprimanding someone and his levels of conveying respect to his comrades in arms (calling them infants at worst and my brothers at best, children, boys, men and comrades are in between the two extremes).
Background: Eldest son to a firebending quartermaster who permanently relocated with his wife and young daughter to a military community and port city at Hokage; Vu is junior to his elder sister by five years and senior to his younger brothers by three, five and eight years. Though being a member of the “Enlightened Way” religion by birth, as a child Vu participated in the usual Fire Nation boyish activity of playing war to which his parents could do little to admonish him for lest their own indoctrinated children report them for dissension and disloyalty to the Lord and Nation. Yet rather than admonish him, his father as a religious soldier, instead taught Vu, and later his younger brothers, the values of bushido which he himself was being taught by other religious soldiers in the military.
Through the lens of “Enlightenment Way” elements mixed with warrior-solider values, Vu’s war games with the other children and propaganda indoctrination were to be considered teaching guides in properly serving both the Fire Lord and greater Fire Nation in not only bringing them honor and prestige but becoming a causation for others’ enlightenment. Yet after teaching them ever once in a while about their religion and bushido, Vu’s father repeatedly insisted that when his sons had to inevitably take part in the Fire Nation’s military they would do so in the support role much like he was currently doing as quartermaster. He insisted this not only because the karma his boys would incur from being in actual combat, but do to his own concern for their well being.
Unfortunately, being in a port city regularly visited by warships and downtime combat soldiers would drown out his father’s pleadings. Even more so on the day he caught sight of what he still considers one of the Nation’s greatest industrial technological achievement: the steam powered, coal fueled mobile landship—behemoths, he called them. All ready taught to believe in the invincibility and technological might of the Nation, and these machines he believed were the present pinnacle of that proof and idolized the soldiers who controlled them. Getting as close as a boy was allowed, he begged and pleaded to know everything about it and to be allowed to sit inside one (which he sadly wasn’t).
The wants of father to keep him from active combat were officially drowned out. Vu was determined to command a behemoth, even a group of behemoths, one day and during his latest war game from then on he would convince his friends and anyone on his team to gather baskets and crates. In teams of five (“four directions and one commander”) he would organize them into his own behemoth division with him as they’re general.
Due to his own military ambitions and the discovery of his firebending ability, at fourteen his parents, reluctantly, enrolled him into Hokage’s local Fire Nation military school where along with a standard education he was taught the Fire Nation’s military traditions, trained in basic military subjects, trained in how to use his firebending and further learned the ethics of bushido from the more religious members. Upon graduation, succumbing under cultural expectations as a firebender and personal desire to command a mobile land ship, Vu continued his military education in one of the few Fire Nation military academies with courses in the operation and command of a mobile land ship, crew and unit along with the standard teachings of military tactics and strategies. After graduating just below the top ten percent of his class, Vu returned to enjoy downtime with his family in Hokage before attending the month-long officer training for mobile landship command elsewhere. Upon leaving, the proud send off from his family, along with most of the neighborhood as he was the first to command a mobile tank crew, would be his fondest memory of his seven year absence from Hokage.
Twenty-two and exiting officer training as first lieutenant he was assigned to an infantry battalion in the western Earth Kingdom. During his first four years as a mobile landship commander, the aspirations of his military career slowly dimmed. Through his own experience and conversations with other war crawler commanders, Vu came to learn the resistance to the war crawlers, most of which came from the cavalry units who were regarded as the elite and influential within the army. As a result, along with the battalion’s colonel similar pro-cavalry mindset, Vu and other crawler commanders often did little in battle save for picking up the cavalry’s scraps or occasionally saving them, carrying infantry units into the battle field and wounded soldiers off, but allowed to shine during siege operations where cavalry were rendered useless (though they were nothing more than battering rams then).
And throughout those four years and despite his bushido code telling him to respect his commanding officers, Vu would repeatedly quarrel with the cavalrymen and even vie with them in gaining the colonel’s favor. After four year tour he requested to be reassigned elsewhere, yet ended up being posted in a regiment at the archipelago containing the Northern Air Temple. For the next three years his job consisted of colonial police and garrison work in a quiet “frontier” region being repopulated by Fire Nation settlers and expatriates and refugees from the Earth Kingdom. During this time, on his off hours, he would write and revise personal notes and suggestions on thoughts and strategies concerning the war crawlers. He still hopes to one day publish a treatise on war crawler tactics and strategies as well as mechanized-armored warfare.
Three years into his new post his regiment was ordered to attack the now resettled Northern Air Temple where the engagement not only included a shameful defeat but minor skirmish with a waterbender and what was then speculated to be an airbender. While the regiment recovered from the humiliation they were acquired by the late Admiral Zhao for his assault upon the North Pole. Despite the cold of the environment, Vu was extensively pleased as a siege provided the best of circumstances in not only proving the worth of the war crawlers but testing some of his tactical ideas, which he went over and revised with the aid of the other officers.
But his ambitions were dashed due to the second sighting of the assumed airbender who was in fact the Avatar. During the siege he became, much like everyone there, he became a witness to the “Avatar State” which froze him in place through fear moments before he and his crawler swept nearly out to sea. Nearly succumbing to hypothermia and witnessing the destruction of Admiral Zhao’s fleet he’s obtain a fear and hatred for the Avatar. Fear for the Avatar’s power and hatred that the boy’s mere existence will only perpetuate a war that’s in the Fire Nation’s favor; for that boy’s quest will only cause others to stupidly resistance and even stall the Fire Nation.
As the remnants of Zhao’s salvaged fleet were licking their wounds, along with awaiting further orders Vu found himself not only promoted to Captain, under his Colonel’s recommendations and to replace one of two captains lost at the North Pole, but reassigned his own detachment from the regiment’s ranks. The detachment, named the 8th Mobile Land Ship Team-Detached Platoon (8th MLST-DP), was part of an earlier order made by Admiral Ashuku for reinforcements and heavy weaponry but postponed due to Zhao’s attempt to invade the North Pole.
Now, promoted to Captain with his own detachment and redeployed to the Earth Kingdom, Vu hopes, even prays, to somehow in someway aid in the Avatar’s defeat, with conquering the Earth Kingdom as peripheral, even if that means defeating the child indirectly. Just so long as the end result involves the continuation, sovereignty and dominance of the Fire Nation. He feels that all he needs to accomplish this is a loyal crew and a commander who can properly utilize the talents of the war crawlers.
Sample RP:
“Scribble, scribble, scribble. Jot jot jot.”
… Although the infantry commander may have the best of intentions when in battle, his true function—which he has spent the most, and often sole, time training for—is controlling his own troops, not a war crawler let alone a group of war crawlers assigned to his unit whether permanently or temporarily. As such… …
“…,” sighing he looked around, thinking. Inspiration is easy. Perspiration however is the hardest part of any endeavor.
Moving further down the scroll. I’ll come bake to that later. Then began to write a heading.
Coordinating The War Crawler Platoon [draft five]
As a unit, when maneuvering the platoon as a whole, the platoon leader is responsible for coordinating the team’s movements. Likely missions would most likely consist of fire support for the movement of regular infantry. This is a difficult movement in battle as two types of units must coordinate in tandem. Platoon leader may to choose to arrange his team in sections (preferably two crawlers per section). Though this shall provide flexibility in supporting the infantry during combat, there will obviously be heavy responsibility upon the sergeant or corporal commanding one of the two member sections. As such, an experienced non-commissioned is necessary…
“Sir…?”
…Whenever each section is placed under the control of an infantry platoon leader in a given operation; though effective in maintaining an equal rate of progress between these two different unit types, it requires much pre-mission training in crawler combat control for the infantry leader. Normally crawler crews resent such control [including myself] as many infantry commanders are currently inadequately uses them, in some cases many have assigned single crawlers to provide close support to infantry units. This often endangers the crawlers as even though they are providing support and cover for the infantry, the infantry can not adequately do the same for them. Thus the necessity for two-crawler sections—
“Captain Vu?!”
“Mmm… Shiro?” Looking up he locked eyes with the young second lieutenant, who along with two or three members of the support personnel was among the platoon’s youngest men. The youth had left his raven black hair down as usual; nearly neck length as it was there still wasn’t enough to form a decent topknot.
Saluting, “we’re all here, sir. Meeting you on deck near sunset, before supper as your request, sir.”
Standing up off the pillow cushion, Vu watched the long bearded Jintei playfully muss Shiro’s hair. The two commanded the only two crawler crews that though serving under the same regiment as Vu had not served directly alongside Vu until now. They were slowly coming to learn the lax in decorum around Vu which the other three crews were already accustomed to.
Including Vu, the platoon was somewhat over thirty members with only eighteen of them doing the actual fighting. The rest being support personnel, but moderately trained as replacements if it came to the worse. Much like him they all were clad in the standard slate gray silk shirt and trousers. Most wore maroon colored, leather boots while a few others wore sandals made from rice, straw or rope. Save for the ship’s regular crew none of the other soldiers that were now being transported to Admiral Ashuku’s command needed to be on their guard… for the moment.
“That I did,” he looked at his scroll scribbled with doodles and tactical notes. “I was planning on making some sort of speech to go along with what I have to say. But I never bothered to right it down.”
“Bah! The best speeches are made in the moment,” yelled Anji. “But if we laugh it’s with you and at you.”
“How in encouraging,” Vu noted. “Ahem!”
Rolling up the scroll he began to address them. “If any of you haven’t heard as of yet then listen now. The ship’s captain has informed me that we should arrive at the Admiral’s camp before midday tomorrow. Once there we’ll be assigned to him,” he began to grin. “So please be on your best behavior with our new comrades-in-arms and try and make friends with them while you’re at it.”
“Yes mother,” a few spouted.
Nodding, “not only we’ll we be living and fighting alongside them but our ‘new fangled horseless oversized metal carriages,’”—a flash annoyance—“may be what’ll save and protect their sorry worthless unblessed dirty rears in the thick of battle so we might as well give a good first impression so they’ll accept that fact later on.” Vu snapped his heels together. “Once we accomplish that,” mischievously grinning, “you’re welcome to show any and all of those cousin marrying blue veined cavalry nobles that we come across what they’re good for—within reason and provided you’re not caught!”
Virtually all of them began to cheer and applaud.
“After supper I want us all to give the crawlers a once over: diagnostics, equipment checks, cleaning if necessary. Once done everyone is to pack their equipment and belongings for immediate-moments-notice departure. When that’s all done you can rest in for the night and until arrival—I’m suspending drill exercises for tomorrow.”
The loud cheers of the platoon drew many a glance from everyone on deck.
Unable to keep himself from smiling, “Buuuttttttt…”
A few groans were elicited.
“Tomorrow, I want each and everyone of you to take a moment to reflect upon our greater that was revealed to us. Not just the mission involving our duty to the Fire Lord. To the Fire Nation. To our commanding officer. The mission that boy! revealed to us he demolished Admiral Zhao’s entire fleet and nearly us along with it! The mission where our success can, even indirectly, keep that boy from continuing this war. A war who’s victory is ours by divine right. Under Admiral Ashuku’s command we must do our best in rolling this kingdom under our wheels—yes Maru Maru—while halting for the lovely maidens, of course”
“Hooray!”
“I want you all to keep that in mind—along with the maidens.” He stood at ease, proudly smiling at his platoon. “Verdict?” his head tilted.
Name: Vu Ganesa, Captain of the 8th Mobile Land Ship Team—Detached Platoon (8th MLST-DP), aka Lucky Eight
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Group: Fire Nation Military (Army)
Nation: Fire Nation
Bender?: Yes
Physical Appearance: Born amongst people long lived in the Fire Nation’s equatorial region, Vu’s ochre skin tone is one of three identifiable features that allow him to stand out among the military’s standard rank and file. Second being the powerful, well-developed muscles on his arms and torso on his 5’10 frame that are easily visible while in uniform and armor yet very lightly developed legs muscles to match; though this physique tends to be standard among veteran land ship/war crawler firebenders. Third being his bald, clean-shaven head as he is considered rather young to be bland and lacks the topknot those who shave their heads often maintain. This was a personal choice due to the discomfort of wearing a helmet while having hair. His hair of a jet-black color, Vu tends to shave his facial twice as often as his head in order to make a clear facial appearance. His face is slightly long with a squarish jaw, broad forehead, angular eyes of a solid amber color, high angular cheekbones and a thin nose with sharp ridge.
Clothing/Armor: On leave, Vu wears a pastel red with crimson trimming, short sleeve, large cuffed silk tunic with a silk white undershirt and silk pastel red pants. When not on leave he wears the standard issue Fire Nation uniform consisting of heavy, slate gray silk for both shirt and trousers made a half-length longer than normal and completed with maroon colored, leather boots. Armor, worn over shirt and trousers, comes in a total of seven pieces: light helmet, leg and arm vambraces, vest, pauldrons (shoulder plates), collar/cowl and skirting. Vu would also add a white silk bandanna, at times wrapped about his head, used mainly to soak up sweat from his head.
Central feature of the standard Fire Nation armor is the maroon colored vest, opening in the front and reaching to the hips but is split at sides below the waist. The vest has a seam or buttons down the sides to separate front and back portions yet come quite close to meeting when fastened or tied with a belt or sash wrapped about wearer’s waist. The rectangular-shaped pauldrons and two-sectioned skirting, used to protect the upper and lower limbs respectively, are maroon colored with lighter maroon edges. Peripheral to these are the maroon colored, leather leg and arm vambraces to add light protection to shins and forearms respectively, yet the arm vambraces have additional, lighter marooned colored, cloth cuffs to keep them from sliding into the wrist and hands. A maroon, often cloth, shoulder-length collar/cowl with lighter trimmings is used to protect the neck. The fire bender of a war crawler crew wears a light, either leather or metal, maroon, cone shaped helmet with a lighter toned frontal crest. The other two-crew members have woolen cloth hoods that extend into a shoulder-length cowl. All crewmembers are issued a pair of goggles to keep the sweat out of each member’s eyes.
Normally each member of a Fire Nation war crawler crew is supposed to have: two waterbags (approx. 1 liter), utility-use knife, sweat goggles, medical kit, rucksack, ration packs, mess kit (clay bowl and spoon), repeating crossbow (ten-arrow single-shot with poison heads), three extra magazine for repeating crossbows, two smoke-grenade sticks.
However items can be lost, bartered or sold over time. Equipment that is not being used or worn at any given time is stowed somewhere inside the vehicle. Many crews pick up additional equipment that is not official or standard (i.e. scrolls, smoking pipes, combs, etc.), also repeating crossbows are often used only by non-firebending members of the crew. Firebenders often carry no sidearm.
The platoon’s war flag/sashimono consist of a black flag with a red elephant head in the center surrounded by eight Fire Nation emblem flames.
Weapons: Vu’s initial and main weapon is his firebender, the competency of which includes not only the standard red flame but the hotter yellow flame, flame projection from his mouth and nostrils, flame projection from his fingers, various horizontal and vertical flame arcs, varying sizes of fireballs, sustained projections and sprays of flame. As part of Vu’s new command, he has instated a daily, boot-camp reminiscent exercise session for the entire platoon, including support personnel, in hopes of encouraging camaraderie and discipline among them. Once part of his own personal once-a-week training, he first devised the idea to apply to his firebenders to keep their leg strength from deteriorating but has changed his mind to apply it to the entire platoon. This group exercise includes not only a twice a week mile run for everyone but also a twice a week target practice for the non-firebending crew so as improve their marksmanship with repeating crossbows. Another idea he has enacted upon his new platoon, though used thus far in practice training and not actual combat, is to have all crews stretch—especially firebenders—before moving out in hopes of staving off muscle fatigue and cramps when inside the crawlers.
Colloquially called war crawler or crawler, though initially termed mobile landship and landship by the Admirality, they are products birthed from the Fire Nation’s industrial technologies and advanced metallurgy. These steam powered, coal fueled, heavily armored vehicles are nigh invincible to many conventional, infantry based weaponry, equipped with four directional fire ports to launch mainly firebender based attacks and two additional smaller ports in the front and rear to allow crew member viewing, and a water based balancing system allowing the central portion, containing crew and engine, to flip over should the entire vehicle be overturned. They also possess two harpoons located at the front of the main carriage used to both aid in the climbing cliff faces and the like but also tearing down walls and structures.
With the usual exception of the firebending commander-gunner, war crawler crews carry a repeating crossbow (Cho-ku-nu) as a standard sidearm for use outside the crawler. Able to discharge ten arrows within seconds, they are effective for stopping the rush of an enemy, temporarily defending a position, or securing an on foot retreat. Small and light, the bolts have little penetrative power and thus the steel heads are often coated in poison, allowing a wound to prove fatal. The stock is much the same in design and construction as the standard crossbow, yet has a replaceable magazine containing eight to twelve (depending on design) featherless arrows laid atop one another. The lever that works the crossbow, hinged to stock by metal pins, is moved back and forth to load and fire each arrow and can be worked as fast or quickly as needed. The crossbow’s effective range is around eighty yards with an extreme range of nearly two-and-a-half times that.
Vu’s platoon size detachment consists of six war crawlers (18 men) and support personnel, which were among the remnants from his previous regiment. The standard tactic used when working as a unit, alone and alongside infantry, is to provide mutual support in groups of two or three: two or three will advance while covered by the others, halt, then provide cover fire for the others to move forward. This is Vu’s preferable standard tactic when attacking an enemy position, as it keeps his men from fighting as separate units and allows some small form of communication between them through “fire signals” (think Morse Code with flames shot straight up through the entry/exit hatch). This same tactic is also used on the very rare occasion any of his men must proceed on foot.
Placed under the command of Admiral Ashuku, Vu’s Lucky 8th is to serve as both infantry support weapon and cavalry equivalent. As such the 8th’s list of duties include: clearing battlefield obstacles, killing enemy soldiers, aiding infantry advance to and through enemy lines, exploiting penetrations in enemy’s front and flanks, breaking enemy lines to attack rear positions, providing shock and intimidation to an enemy force, and providing cover fire in a retreat.
Personality: Belonging to the religion for the “Enlightened Way” (i.e. Buddhism, Taoism), Vu as well as his religion had to come to terms when living in a nation advocating the divine right of the Fire Nation’s imperialist pursuits and absolute loyalty to the Fire Lord. Between suppression and adaptation of their religious life and beliefs, Vu’s family became the latter, his father reluctantly joining the Fire Nation’s military in the supply-support role of quartermaster and even falling prey to the “Enlightened Way” warrior-solider amalgamation called bushido when in the military.
As a result of Vu’s background knowledge of both the “Enlightened Way” and bushido and emphasis on mental and physical therein, he meditates daily not only to clear his mind but also prepare it to receive what it must do as soldier and commander. Yet he has his fallacies in adhering to both as he still maintains his own personal interest and desires such as: women, being assigned a commanding officer with insight and ability to use the war crawlers to their potential, publishing a book on war crawler tactics and strategies, and putting a halt, even indirectly, to the Avatar’s plan of continuing the war already in the Fire Nation’s favor by attempting to master the four elemental arts.
Though generally reserved in nature, Vu is often quite sociable especially around his comrades when out of view of senior and high ranking officers. When around senior and higher ranking officers he attempts to portray the required impersonal, commanding, disciplined and authoritative personality a true commanding officer is expected to possess. Those among his platoon who know him personal will aid in this, while telling the others of the platoon to do so as well, by falling suit in being respectful and obedient soldiers under his charge. After which Vu and his platoon will often laugh and joke about their ability as actors. His socializing, personable attitude and friendships with members of his platoon extend to their days as a larger regiment. Now as a detached platoon those who have yet to know Vu until now are finding him somewhat likeable and amusing with respect to his colorful cursing when angry or reprimanding someone and his levels of conveying respect to his comrades in arms (calling them infants at worst and my brothers at best, children, boys, men and comrades are in between the two extremes).
Background: Eldest son to a firebending quartermaster who permanently relocated with his wife and young daughter to a military community and port city at Hokage; Vu is junior to his elder sister by five years and senior to his younger brothers by three, five and eight years. Though being a member of the “Enlightened Way” religion by birth, as a child Vu participated in the usual Fire Nation boyish activity of playing war to which his parents could do little to admonish him for lest their own indoctrinated children report them for dissension and disloyalty to the Lord and Nation. Yet rather than admonish him, his father as a religious soldier, instead taught Vu, and later his younger brothers, the values of bushido which he himself was being taught by other religious soldiers in the military.
Through the lens of “Enlightenment Way” elements mixed with warrior-solider values, Vu’s war games with the other children and propaganda indoctrination were to be considered teaching guides in properly serving both the Fire Lord and greater Fire Nation in not only bringing them honor and prestige but becoming a causation for others’ enlightenment. Yet after teaching them ever once in a while about their religion and bushido, Vu’s father repeatedly insisted that when his sons had to inevitably take part in the Fire Nation’s military they would do so in the support role much like he was currently doing as quartermaster. He insisted this not only because the karma his boys would incur from being in actual combat, but do to his own concern for their well being.
Unfortunately, being in a port city regularly visited by warships and downtime combat soldiers would drown out his father’s pleadings. Even more so on the day he caught sight of what he still considers one of the Nation’s greatest industrial technological achievement: the steam powered, coal fueled mobile landship—behemoths, he called them. All ready taught to believe in the invincibility and technological might of the Nation, and these machines he believed were the present pinnacle of that proof and idolized the soldiers who controlled them. Getting as close as a boy was allowed, he begged and pleaded to know everything about it and to be allowed to sit inside one (which he sadly wasn’t).
The wants of father to keep him from active combat were officially drowned out. Vu was determined to command a behemoth, even a group of behemoths, one day and during his latest war game from then on he would convince his friends and anyone on his team to gather baskets and crates. In teams of five (“four directions and one commander”) he would organize them into his own behemoth division with him as they’re general.
Due to his own military ambitions and the discovery of his firebending ability, at fourteen his parents, reluctantly, enrolled him into Hokage’s local Fire Nation military school where along with a standard education he was taught the Fire Nation’s military traditions, trained in basic military subjects, trained in how to use his firebending and further learned the ethics of bushido from the more religious members. Upon graduation, succumbing under cultural expectations as a firebender and personal desire to command a mobile land ship, Vu continued his military education in one of the few Fire Nation military academies with courses in the operation and command of a mobile land ship, crew and unit along with the standard teachings of military tactics and strategies. After graduating just below the top ten percent of his class, Vu returned to enjoy downtime with his family in Hokage before attending the month-long officer training for mobile landship command elsewhere. Upon leaving, the proud send off from his family, along with most of the neighborhood as he was the first to command a mobile tank crew, would be his fondest memory of his seven year absence from Hokage.
Twenty-two and exiting officer training as first lieutenant he was assigned to an infantry battalion in the western Earth Kingdom. During his first four years as a mobile landship commander, the aspirations of his military career slowly dimmed. Through his own experience and conversations with other war crawler commanders, Vu came to learn the resistance to the war crawlers, most of which came from the cavalry units who were regarded as the elite and influential within the army. As a result, along with the battalion’s colonel similar pro-cavalry mindset, Vu and other crawler commanders often did little in battle save for picking up the cavalry’s scraps or occasionally saving them, carrying infantry units into the battle field and wounded soldiers off, but allowed to shine during siege operations where cavalry were rendered useless (though they were nothing more than battering rams then).
And throughout those four years and despite his bushido code telling him to respect his commanding officers, Vu would repeatedly quarrel with the cavalrymen and even vie with them in gaining the colonel’s favor. After four year tour he requested to be reassigned elsewhere, yet ended up being posted in a regiment at the archipelago containing the Northern Air Temple. For the next three years his job consisted of colonial police and garrison work in a quiet “frontier” region being repopulated by Fire Nation settlers and expatriates and refugees from the Earth Kingdom. During this time, on his off hours, he would write and revise personal notes and suggestions on thoughts and strategies concerning the war crawlers. He still hopes to one day publish a treatise on war crawler tactics and strategies as well as mechanized-armored warfare.
Three years into his new post his regiment was ordered to attack the now resettled Northern Air Temple where the engagement not only included a shameful defeat but minor skirmish with a waterbender and what was then speculated to be an airbender. While the regiment recovered from the humiliation they were acquired by the late Admiral Zhao for his assault upon the North Pole. Despite the cold of the environment, Vu was extensively pleased as a siege provided the best of circumstances in not only proving the worth of the war crawlers but testing some of his tactical ideas, which he went over and revised with the aid of the other officers.
But his ambitions were dashed due to the second sighting of the assumed airbender who was in fact the Avatar. During the siege he became, much like everyone there, he became a witness to the “Avatar State” which froze him in place through fear moments before he and his crawler swept nearly out to sea. Nearly succumbing to hypothermia and witnessing the destruction of Admiral Zhao’s fleet he’s obtain a fear and hatred for the Avatar. Fear for the Avatar’s power and hatred that the boy’s mere existence will only perpetuate a war that’s in the Fire Nation’s favor; for that boy’s quest will only cause others to stupidly resistance and even stall the Fire Nation.
As the remnants of Zhao’s salvaged fleet were licking their wounds, along with awaiting further orders Vu found himself not only promoted to Captain, under his Colonel’s recommendations and to replace one of two captains lost at the North Pole, but reassigned his own detachment from the regiment’s ranks. The detachment, named the 8th Mobile Land Ship Team-Detached Platoon (8th MLST-DP), was part of an earlier order made by Admiral Ashuku for reinforcements and heavy weaponry but postponed due to Zhao’s attempt to invade the North Pole.
Now, promoted to Captain with his own detachment and redeployed to the Earth Kingdom, Vu hopes, even prays, to somehow in someway aid in the Avatar’s defeat, with conquering the Earth Kingdom as peripheral, even if that means defeating the child indirectly. Just so long as the end result involves the continuation, sovereignty and dominance of the Fire Nation. He feels that all he needs to accomplish this is a loyal crew and a commander who can properly utilize the talents of the war crawlers.
Sample RP:
“Scribble, scribble, scribble. Jot jot jot.”
… Although the infantry commander may have the best of intentions when in battle, his true function—which he has spent the most, and often sole, time training for—is controlling his own troops, not a war crawler let alone a group of war crawlers assigned to his unit whether permanently or temporarily. As such… …
“…,” sighing he looked around, thinking. Inspiration is easy. Perspiration however is the hardest part of any endeavor.
Moving further down the scroll. I’ll come bake to that later. Then began to write a heading.
Coordinating The War Crawler Platoon [draft five]
As a unit, when maneuvering the platoon as a whole, the platoon leader is responsible for coordinating the team’s movements. Likely missions would most likely consist of fire support for the movement of regular infantry. This is a difficult movement in battle as two types of units must coordinate in tandem. Platoon leader may to choose to arrange his team in sections (preferably two crawlers per section). Though this shall provide flexibility in supporting the infantry during combat, there will obviously be heavy responsibility upon the sergeant or corporal commanding one of the two member sections. As such, an experienced non-commissioned is necessary…
“Sir…?”
…Whenever each section is placed under the control of an infantry platoon leader in a given operation; though effective in maintaining an equal rate of progress between these two different unit types, it requires much pre-mission training in crawler combat control for the infantry leader. Normally crawler crews resent such control [including myself] as many infantry commanders are currently inadequately uses them, in some cases many have assigned single crawlers to provide close support to infantry units. This often endangers the crawlers as even though they are providing support and cover for the infantry, the infantry can not adequately do the same for them. Thus the necessity for two-crawler sections—
“Captain Vu?!”
“Mmm… Shiro?” Looking up he locked eyes with the young second lieutenant, who along with two or three members of the support personnel was among the platoon’s youngest men. The youth had left his raven black hair down as usual; nearly neck length as it was there still wasn’t enough to form a decent topknot.
Saluting, “we’re all here, sir. Meeting you on deck near sunset, before supper as your request, sir.”
Standing up off the pillow cushion, Vu watched the long bearded Jintei playfully muss Shiro’s hair. The two commanded the only two crawler crews that though serving under the same regiment as Vu had not served directly alongside Vu until now. They were slowly coming to learn the lax in decorum around Vu which the other three crews were already accustomed to.
Including Vu, the platoon was somewhat over thirty members with only eighteen of them doing the actual fighting. The rest being support personnel, but moderately trained as replacements if it came to the worse. Much like him they all were clad in the standard slate gray silk shirt and trousers. Most wore maroon colored, leather boots while a few others wore sandals made from rice, straw or rope. Save for the ship’s regular crew none of the other soldiers that were now being transported to Admiral Ashuku’s command needed to be on their guard… for the moment.
“That I did,” he looked at his scroll scribbled with doodles and tactical notes. “I was planning on making some sort of speech to go along with what I have to say. But I never bothered to right it down.”
“Bah! The best speeches are made in the moment,” yelled Anji. “But if we laugh it’s with you and at you.”
“How in encouraging,” Vu noted. “Ahem!”
Rolling up the scroll he began to address them. “If any of you haven’t heard as of yet then listen now. The ship’s captain has informed me that we should arrive at the Admiral’s camp before midday tomorrow. Once there we’ll be assigned to him,” he began to grin. “So please be on your best behavior with our new comrades-in-arms and try and make friends with them while you’re at it.”
“Yes mother,” a few spouted.
Nodding, “not only we’ll we be living and fighting alongside them but our ‘new fangled horseless oversized metal carriages,’”—a flash annoyance—“may be what’ll save and protect their sorry worthless unblessed dirty rears in the thick of battle so we might as well give a good first impression so they’ll accept that fact later on.” Vu snapped his heels together. “Once we accomplish that,” mischievously grinning, “you’re welcome to show any and all of those cousin marrying blue veined cavalry nobles that we come across what they’re good for—within reason and provided you’re not caught!”
Virtually all of them began to cheer and applaud.
“After supper I want us all to give the crawlers a once over: diagnostics, equipment checks, cleaning if necessary. Once done everyone is to pack their equipment and belongings for immediate-moments-notice departure. When that’s all done you can rest in for the night and until arrival—I’m suspending drill exercises for tomorrow.”
The loud cheers of the platoon drew many a glance from everyone on deck.
Unable to keep himself from smiling, “Buuuttttttt…”
A few groans were elicited.
“Tomorrow, I want each and everyone of you to take a moment to reflect upon our greater that was revealed to us. Not just the mission involving our duty to the Fire Lord. To the Fire Nation. To our commanding officer. The mission that boy! revealed to us he demolished Admiral Zhao’s entire fleet and nearly us along with it! The mission where our success can, even indirectly, keep that boy from continuing this war. A war who’s victory is ours by divine right. Under Admiral Ashuku’s command we must do our best in rolling this kingdom under our wheels—yes Maru Maru—while halting for the lovely maidens, of course”
“Hooray!”
“I want you all to keep that in mind—along with the maidens.” He stood at ease, proudly smiling at his platoon. “Verdict?” his head tilted.