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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Strange Sci-fi tales #23 - Brilliant Plan, Flawless Plan [#105]

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            It was a brilliant plan, one without flaw. No one could find fault in such a perfect idea. It was simple really, Optopia-8 was a planet of only water, not a single plot of land above the water’s surface. Thus a fortress built on the planet would have a natural defensive advantage. Only attacks from the sea or air could fell such a structure. Since there was no need to spend an ounce of labor on land defense, air and sea defense would be so much easier.
            It was a wonderful plan, but most refused to acknowledge its splendor. Governments, militaries, and guilds wanted nothing to do with the water bound fortress. With no official support, the fort would need to funded out of pocket. There were private investors and plenty of laborers who could use the work so that wouldn’t be a significant problem, but it was an added bit of frustration. They’d see the error of their ways one day.
            It was an excellent plan, but few could understand the details. It took years to get the fortress built up to a livable standard. Three long, storm and hunger filled years. The laborers were paid but were still upset by the conditions. The investors had their fortress but were not pleased by how long it took. They’d soon see, once the fort proves to be untouchable it’ll all pay for itself.
            It was a perfect plan, it was without fault. While not complete the fortress was solid enough to weather storms and raids. Some opportunistic thugs and thieves tried to sink the mighty fortress, but they couldn’t even land on it. Their attack by air was repelled, and their assaults by sea ended disastrously for them. What horrors would have occurred if they had reached the fort? A pointless thought, because that could never happen.
            It was a faultless plan, but not without consequences. As the fortress was filled and further constructed, the laborers and staff began to feel off. Perhaps it was the confined, artificial space, it was not like they could go outside and stretch their legs. They missed the sensation of solid ground and had grown to despise the smell of seawater. Understandable frustrations, but they needed to hold out a little longer. Soon it would be all worth it.
            It was a brilliant plan, at one point at least. Tensions were high, the discomfort was tremendous, and the money could not solve any of it. Success, it was just around the corner, but the staff couldn’t stand it anymore. There were fights, raw emotions, and misplaced aggression. Usually, such a thing would hopefully pass with time, but it persisted. Then those thugs returned, better prepared and even more determined. The coordination needed to repel them couldn’t be mustered again. The thugs got their wish to sink the mighty fortress, although I don’t think they intended to be on it when it did. This shouldn’t have happened the fort was so close to perfection, right? It was a flawless plan, a wonderful plan, but could it have gone any differently?

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When you have grand ambitions it's easy to be blind to your smaller faults. Of course, even the smallest faults add up overtime.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
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