trans_9 | Proving Ground [ Open To All ]

The sensoriums made for a convenient training ground for all the right reasons, but most of all because they allowed Motoko to cheat. It hardly seemed fair for the world around to be controlled by whatever constituted the strongest mind, or the most established, but on these proving grounds, as ever, fairness was not part of the equation.

The world was a sleepy summer day, warm with cicada song and dry, ragged grass, knee-high in places, scorched to the earth in others. An abandoned, decrepit skeleton of a Soviet military base dominated the landscape, dotted here and there with holes like dark hollow eyes among the crumbling walls and roofless, exposed innards. Once, this place had been alive, and now it was as bleached as bones in the grass, as nature retook what man had conquered.

Here and there the rusted-out remains of tanks slumped where they had been abandoned. Red paint, incongruously fresh, marked a series of them as targets at the far end of a carefully 'makeshift' firing range, though most sat aimlessly, unmarked and unattended. The place nearest the door was dominated by one such tank, perhaps in slightly better repair than the others, and perched upon it was the reason for all the fuss and trials. Major Kusanagi folded her arms and leaned her back against the treads, casting a sidelong look at what was left of Section Nine.

It was going to be a long day.

[ OOC: ~~Wait for Subthreads, please.~~ OKAY, GO GO GO GO! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Laurie is here because she'd felt absolutely useless on the battlefield against the Ohm. She'd been alright with the medical staff, keeping the people calm while they were being tended to by Medical. But against those little grunts?

"Um...I guess don't really have any experience. My power isn't really combative."

Motoko's arms stayed folded, but that brought a questioning cant to her head.

"Alright. What can you do?" She deadpanned, half in curiosity, but mostly with no real intention. A good grounding in bare-handed defense was essential, regardless of occupation.

"My power is Empathic Toxikinesis. It's, um, where I generate highly potent air-borne scents based on pheromones, which affect the chemical balance in other people, altering the moods of those around me."

Which does jack-squat when Ohm grunts are at her heels, snapping and snapping and snapping...

But not because it's useless, simply because it's being used improperly. Of course, on the Major, it would be useless. She doesn't possess olfactory senses, not in the traditional sense.

"That could be adapted to useful ends," she replied flatly, "You should take it up with the Science department. It doesn't exclude you from a basic knowledge of self defense techniques."

"But I can't fight well. I had to rely on throwing stones or using sticks to beat the grunts. I barely managed to get away before someone came in and took over."

She folds her arms and looks up at Motoko. "You said that we all need to improve. And hand-to-hand combat is where I am at my weakest." She would dig her heels in the ground if she could.

"You want me to teach you."

It wasn't a question.

And here is where Laurie wobbles. "Unless there's another way..."

"Not if you're going to back down like that," the reply was sharp and really, what else could it be, "This isn't exactly a beginner's course, you know."

That, and instructing someone who was not only all-natural, but completely inexperienced was going to be a hassle and a half. On the other hand...

"Knute! Get over here."

Proving Ground [ Open To All ]

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