Malena

Black Dawn Academy IC

@Jozarin@Khelzar@Salvation

Merry Christmas, everyone. Now post or Santa is going to sell your toys on eBay.

Black Dawn Academy IC

Day 1 - Dylan, Nadia & Joséphine

When Joséphine climbs aboard the helicopter, the armed guards follow her back on-board, all save one. He approaches the recruit's mother, the one referred to as the Captain. Grim-faced, he has a brief conversation with her, pointing back toward the way the helicopter had approached from. The Captain's eyes widen, then narrow in determination, and she wheels away from the guard, shouting orders that seem to be obeyed immediately - people begin scattering, passing a message along as they go, until the courtyard is a hive of activity. The guard watches all of this begin, then turns to climb back aboard the helicopter as well.

"Alright, we've likely only got a few minutes before the bombing begins again," the guard shouts over the sound of the helicopter rotors. "Let's move out!" He signals the pilot, who immediately sets the 'copter to lifting off. "Brace," he orders, and this time none of the guards reach for the remaining door, instead holding fast to ceiling bars, the seat arms, and anything at all that looks remotely capable of securely holding their weight upon impact.

"There's still one more name on the list, Sarge," one of the other guards speaks up.

"What, no there isn't," the lead guard says, snatching up the manifest. A final sheet of paper flutters to the floor of the helicopter, and he dives for it just before it's blown out into oblivion. "How did we miss this?" he demands, looking from one face to the next, as if in search of someone to blame for this failing. None of the other guards step forward, and they're saved from the scrutiny as the pilot shouts, the helicopter diving into a turn.

"Incoming!"

Though the helicopter is high enough over the ground that the castle is little more than a speck on the ground, with what appears to be a convoy of ant-sized vehicles flooding away from it, when the bomb hits the center of the castle, decimating all those who were unlucky enough to remain inside, the shock of the blast hits the airborne transport solidly, sending it into a tailspin. The pilot manages, somehow, to pull out of the dive.

"We leave it in your hands again," says the Sergeant, though he doesn't sound as if he wants to do any such thing. "Will we stop for the last name on the list, or will we head onward to Black Dawn?"

Black Dawn Academy IC

@Khelzar@Jozarin@Salvation

I've posted the results of your OSA scoring in The Character Thread. These will be updated throughout the characters' time at Black Dawn Academy. It is to be considered OOC information until such a time, if ever, the characters make an IC effort to access the Academy Instructors' notes on their progress. This means you may certainly keep in mind OOCly that this is the outlook that the Academy has on your character, but it cannot be used ICly as information that your character is aware of. I'm extending this courtesy breach in IC/OOC information as I think it makes for interesting analysis, knowing what the NPCs think of your character. Please don't abuse the courtesy.

Black Dawn Academy IC

Active Characters

OSA results:

Dylan Harker, 21, Male - A sensible survivalist, Dylan exhibits tendencies toward peacefulness, touting such ideals as keeping the populace happy and ensuring that laughter isn't eradicated by war. His belief that survival against the elements is more important than actual combat skills lends to a more guerrilla-style response expectation, while his strong faith in science leads us to believe that he would place ending the plague ahead of ending the war, should the choice come to it.
Status: Accepted.
Focus: Subject needs to be toughened up, his weaknesses lie in the realm of aggression. Heavy focus toward combative situations against unfavorable odds. Resource management training.

Nadia Burns, 17, Female - An analytical pragmatist, Nadia exhibits lone-wolf tendencies. Her skill at breaking down a situation into its problems and solutions lends an expectation toward think-tank responses. Information-based decisions along with her belief that the plague poses a great threat lead us to believe she would weigh the pros and cons of ending the plague versus ending the war.
Status: Accepted.
Focus: Subject needs to be socialized, her weaknesses lie in the realm of teamwork. Heavy focus toward dependent situations without solo solutions. Laboratory training.

Joséphine Fournier, 17, Female - A research-oriented delegator, Joséphine exhibits organizational tendencies. Her views tend toward a pessimistic outlook on human behavior, with such views as the ultimate failure of diplomacy and the liklihood of the man-made war wreaking more havoc than the plague. Her willingness to take the lead lends to an expectation of direct-route responses. Her belief that the war will ultimately pose a greater threat than the plague leads us to believe that she would prioritize ending the war above ending the plague.
Status: Accepted.
Focus: Subject needs to be made more confident, her weaknesses lie in the realm of looking to authorities past & present for solutions. Heavy focus toward split-second decision making. Political training.

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For ease of record keeping, all applications will be made in the original Interest Check Thread.

All approved Character Sheets will be reposted into the Black Dawn Academy OOC Thread.

This Character Thread will only have posts from myself, that way I can keep track of who is alive/dead, active/inactive, and so on. This thread will occasionally be updated with pertinent information, so check back often but remember:

Do Not Post in This Thread.

Black Dawn Academy IC

Day 1 - Nadia & Dylan

When Nadia sinks into her seat in the powerful aircraft, the armed men pile back inside as well, barking out an instruction to buckle up and hold on tightly. Dylan is already strapped in. As the helicopter rises into the air once more, there is a sense of urgency on-board, though none will say what it is.

Just as the tension reaches a pitch that is so high, the air seemingly crackles with it, a screaming sound pierces through even the eardrum-piercing scream of the helicopter's rotors. Red lights inside the cabin begin to flash, a universal warning sign embedded into the psyche of the human race. "Brace!" calls the pilot, banking hard to the left just as an explosion flares into life, back in the opposite direction in which the helicopter now flies - back near Dylan's homestead.

The helicopter is battered by abusive winds as the sonic wave of the blast eventually hits them, sending the helicopter tumbling through the air like a toy. "Hold on!" shouts the red-faced pilot, the gunmen white-knuckled and silent as they cling to the supports overhead to keep from being pitched from their seats, restraints or no restraints. Through some miracle, the helicopter straightens itself, flying onward and forward, and for a time, the red lights cease their flashing. Scarcely enough time to catch their breath passes before the whistling begins again, and the pilot warns, "Brace!" once more.

This time, the detonation is louder, closer, harder - the helicopter is hit so hard that the sound of splintering can be heard as the titanium alloy used to form the slick, black outer layer of the aircraft is creased and crumpled by the impact like a cheap soda can. The helicopter goes tumbling once more, a door ripped off the hinges, hurtling away into the wind-buffeted abyss outside. Along with the door go two of the gunmen unfortunate enough to be holding to the door for support. Through the open doorway, it isn't hard to miss the detonation site: Nadia's home, and everything within a 2 mile radius - is no more.

"An unavoidable tragedy," comes the voice of one of the tactical team members. "Someone knows where we are. Someone knows that our mission is to collect the Black Dawn applicants. They missed us the first time, and very nearly got us this time.We'll need to consider reevaluating the plan to stop for the next pickups, or I fear we may not survive the encounter." When he speaks, the other men with the guns look at one another, then finally one speaks.

"The two of you must decide it together. Do we pick up the last entry, or do we abandon them and head on to Black Dawn?" Seven pairs of eyes look between Dylan & Nadia, pressing this weighty decision onto their shoulders amidst the chaos of the recent bombings.

Black Dawn Academy IC

Jack Caesar

Before the war. California State University student, poli-sci major, future king-maker.

2) City/State/Country of Origin: Palo Alto, California, USA.

3) What do you consider the most important quality in a leader, and why? The most important quality in a leader is character assessment. A leader needs to know what to expect, and how to plan ahead for it. In order to determine what to expect, a leader needs to know how to read the signs of the people around him. Is this ally loyal, or resentful of your leadership? Is this enemy complacent, or are they planning to move against you? Are the people satisfied with your leadership, or are they a single incident away from civil unrest? Being able to read the language of the unspoken word is a quality shared by the best leaders in history. Those without this talent have unfortunately caused the situation we're in now. They didn't see this coming. They say no one did. I say someone should have.

4) Describe a time when you could have demonstrated good leadership skills, but failed to do so. My sophomore year, I was invited to the UN Summit as a student ambassador. I declined at the time, feeling as though my career path in political science didn't have time for humanitarian efforts. I had a new girlfriend, a scholarship, and though war loomed on the horizon, that just seemed like an opportunity for more doors to open to me. I declined at the time, and just years later, my girlfriend is lost - probably dead. My school was decimated in one of the earliest bombings, and war is all around us, closing doors on opportunities and lives all around us. Could I have made a difference? A useless question, now. I didn't go, and here we are today.

5) If you were the leader of a world power, what are the first three steps you would take toward ending the war? First: A tactical dismantling of the tactical leadership in hostile foreign nations. North Korea, Syria, Afghanistan - remove their leadership and the infrastructure crumbles. Second: Shore up any loose ends within the UN. Re-negotiate peace treaties, forge new alliances, broker an 'Us vs Them' stance that clearly paints the picture of who is on our side and who is an enemy. There can be no neutrality this time around. Not with this much at stake. Third: A concentrated push with our sworn allies into those countries aligned against our own, for a total annihilation of those that would see this war prolonged.

6) In wartime, which is more important - military protocol, or the morale of the people? Military Protocol. A war fought with precision, disciplined soldiers, and a solid command structure is one that can be waged with efficiency and a minimum of casualties. High morale is a side-effect of war waged well, not a goal.

7) Throughout all of history, name the leader whose style you would most closely emulate, and why. Stalin. Stalin came into power while his country was at an all-time low. Despite the fact that many like to parade the high death rate of the time, it is important to note that those deaths can be directly attributed to Lenin's administration. Far from passing the blame, Stalin accepted the flawed nation that was handed to him, and under his iron-fisted rule, the country flourished, becoming a military power and quadrupling it's resource output, restoring an economy that had collapsed twice, and holding off Hitler, a feat accomplished by few in that era. During this time of war and rebuilding, the world needs a Stalin to help pick up the pieces and put them back together better than they were.

8) Rank the following in order of least to most important: Wilderness survival, espionage training, getting a good night's rest, the art of persuasion, martial prowess, agricultural skill. Getting a good night's rest, the art of persuasion, espionage training, wilderness survival, agricultural skill, martial prowess.
9) Which do you think has the capacity to be more dangerous in the long-term - the ongoing war, or the illness ravaging the population? The illness. Nuclear fallout has a maximum radius. This disease operates under no such confines. It is spreading without an end in sight.

10) Describe your personality in in one concise paragraph. Strategically-inclined, I prefer to formulate a plan of action instead of a committee. When I have a goal I do not deviate from it, when I have an order I do not take short-cuts and I do not leave a job half-done. My commitment to my obligations is paramount, my pride is not a weakness but a signature upon my contract of personal honor.
These days, the strategic moves I plan aren't simply for my country, they're for the human race.

Black Dawn Academy

@Jozarin

Sure, post your Online Segmented Assessment here, I'll let you know when you're approved to go IC.

Black Dawn Academy IC

And this space as well.

Black Dawn Academy IC

I'm reserving this space.

Black Dawn Academy IC

Everyone's Starting Point

When the first bomb shelters began taking applicants, people scoffed, some laughed outright. It would never come to nuclear war, they said. Remember Hiroshima, remember Nagasaki! We're a civilized world, they said. When the first bombs landed, the laughter ended abruptly. It was as if someone had lifted the needle on the vinyl record of life as we know it. The music stopped, the party was over.

Shelters popped up more and more often, in more and more places. Far from laughing, people were desperate to get inside at this point. Currency was still currency in some places; Americans especially rejected the idea that the dollar bill could ever be supplanted or suppressed. In other places, the barter system was employed, to varying degrees. Artwork, virgin daughters, promises that would chill the spine of Satan - no earthly possession was considered too valuable, no oath was too sacrosanct.

The 'Castle Movement' that had begun in the previous decade, once considered the paranoid folly of men with too much money and not enough sense, had seen a sharp uptick in participants, with medieval-style castles springing up in mountain passes, river valleys, and rocky canyons - anywhere defensible. Stone and steel walls were erected in fortification, while tunnels and channels were burrowed underground, forging shelters where people could live on, where the human race could survive and propagate should the worst come to pass.

Perhaps it is one such bomb shelter you reside in, crowded in with family, friends, or perfect strangers with little air and even less food. The fortified basements of elementary schools, the catacombs beneath a Gothic church. Or perhaps you somehow scored a more lofty place to hold out for the end of days. A wealthy castle-baron's child, or a possessor of some secret that secured you a place within the durable stone walls, complete with fresh air, hydroponic gardens, and a slice of normalcy amid the chaos. Even still, perhaps you were unfortunate enough to be granted access to neither, and have been making your own way on the mean streets, ever fearful that the next sunrise you see will be your last.

Whatever your particular circumstances may be, they're about to change, and drastically. When the helicopter arrives, it does so with an urgency that cannot be mere efficiency. Rotors still spinning, men in all-black tactical gear spill forth, guns at the ready, securing the immediate area. One calls out, and his words are your name. You've been chosen. The Black Dawn Academy emblem on their shoulders is all the confirmation needed - none of them take their hands off their guns to flash a badge.

The decision is yours: Will you go, or will you stay? The men bid you to make haste, though none will say what the hurry is, there is no mistaking the fact that if you tarry overlong or seem uncertain, they will leave you behind. The helicopter doors remain open, the wind from the rotors whipping leaves and debris in a maelstrom of sound and wind around the predatory air transport. You have fifteen minutes to gather your belongings, say your goodbyes, and board the helicopter, or risk losing your one and only chance at a new lease on life at