Collan and Niil: Assemble the Militia

[Collan]

Collan looked at Niil. He wasn't a pilot by any stretch of the imagination. He could fly a ship better than someone just off the street but only by a little bit. If things got hairy, he could always use the Force but that caused it's own problems.

"I can fly a ship better than a being right off the street but I'm not a pilot personally, sir," he noted.

[GM Craig]

Kota looks disappointed, then turns his bandaged eyes to Niil. "And you?"

[Niil Spaar]

Niil shook his head with a trace of a blush, keenly aware that he was about to compound on the general's disappointment.  "Just repulsor craft, sir.  I'm pretty well in the same boat with Collan in regards to shuttles and fighters.  Skills I'd definitely like to improve on, sir."

[Collan]

Collan added, "If it makes a difference, sir, unless we're talking about combat manuevers, I'm capable of flying a ship and getting us from point A to point B."

[GM Craig]

General Kota takes a breath and heaves a heavy sigh. "What are you kids these days? One trick ponies? You're not much use to me if I need to send a pilot with you everywhere you go. How do you expect to get anywhere as a Jedi if you can't even fly? We're fighting a rebellion here, we do not have the people to have a pilot at your beckon call. And never mind that, the galaxy is a dangerous place! Getting from A to B is not the issue. It's what happens when you run unto trouble than counts."

Disgusted, he pulls out a comlink. "Jann? I'm going to need a pilot with a really bad attitude, and the most uncomfortable shuttle you have. I have a special mission for Niil and Collan, but I want to punish them while they are away."

There is a pause. "I have just the pilot and shuttle you need, sir."

Kota nods. "Good. I need them gone in 24 hours or less."

"I'll make it happen sir."

Kota cuts the link.

"That's the problem with young people these days. Everyone wants to be a special snowflake, so they specialize. In my day, a Jedi was a technician, slicer, pilot, tactician, negotiator, and driver. We needed all those skills, not just Force powers. If I hadn't branched out when I was younger, where do you think I'd be now, hmm?" He waves a hand in front of his eyes impatiently for emphasis.

"There's more to being a Jedi than the Force, and more to being a good fighter than being able to shoot the nads of a sandflea at 3000 yards. I suggest the two of you spend some significant effort rounding out your skills, or you are going to spend much of this rebellion watching from the sidelines. You'll have some time to contemplate the advantages of broadening your skillset on the trip I'm sending you on. Learning about the Force is important, but you need other skills as well. Not everything can be solved with a blaster or a lightsabre."

[Collan]

Collan piped up at this point. Kota wasn't wrong but neither did he have the full background...at least on him. Niil was his own thing.

"With respect, sir, my Resistance job was officially 'medic' but I was also transport and combat. I've been learning on the job since I escaped from the Malkia nor did I have the benefit of a youth spent in training to be a Jedi or anything else but a slave. I am doing everything I can to catch up in every area of my life."

Collan did his best to keep his tone neutral. The General was a crusty old Jedi, not too dissimilar to Ch'lana, but his snap judgments without even assessing what his background was showed his own biases.

"And if I may speak freely, sir, it doesn't help if you make assumptions about what I should and shouldn't know how to do if you barely make an effort to understand my background."

Outside of his stunt on the Death Star, this was the most assetive Collan had ever been. His heart was beating hard in his chest at the level of candor he displayed. It was taking all of his calming exercises to his mind calm even as his body shot out adrenalin.

"With respect, sir, I'm more than happy for advice, guidance, mentorship, and training," he finished.

[GM Craig]

Kota's frown deepens.

"You want my respect, boy? Earn it! Had a rough history? So have many people. Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. You have done good things, and I am grateful for your efforts to free me from the Death Star. But this is war. The average Imperial is not going to care what you did before, and they're not going to be impressed that you hauled an busted old man out of an impregnable prison. They're going to try and kill you, or capture you which is worse. You need to be able to defend yourself. You can't always rely on the Force to get the job done, and there isn't always going to be someone to cover for your weaknesses. A Jedi needs to be able to stand alone. So set some goals for personal development and meet them. Pick something you are not good at, and get better."

He sits forward. "Show me you can do that, and maybe I'll lay off a bit. But don't count on it."

[Niil Spaar]

Niil kept his jaw clamped shut through the general's tirade, and almost . . . almost let loose with a salvo of his own.  If it wasn't for us "one trick ponies", general, your men would've all been flash-fried by those gun platforms back at that malfing base, he thought bitterly.  One trick ponies, my ass.  That drek was uncalled for.

Niil slapped his own irritation down.  The general was right about one thing . . . there were skills that Niil definitely wanted to bone up on.  Straightening, he replied in a calm, flat voice, "Do we have any down-time before we have to leave, sir?  I'd like to speak to some of the pilots and see if I can find at least one to train me."

[GM Craig]

"You have at least 12 hours. Once you get back, I expect you will have a couple of weeks before we deploy."

[Collan]

Collan wanted to bristle at the old man because again, he completely missed the point. This wasn't about respect but clearly Kota took a position that hardness taught better than understanding.

And then Collan had a realization. Kota kept talking about Jedi training and what a Jedi needed to do. He almost burst out laughing. In his own way, Kota was training them as Jedi. It was almost funny how clear that was. Kota's approach was more hands-off and indirect but it was still guidance.

"I have two questions sir. Do you have any ships that need a pilot or are otherwise unused for us to learn on?

Then, he focused on the mission.

"And, what is our mission?"

[GM Craig]

Kota's scowl softens slightly. "I'll see you're put into the patrol roster as a second seat on a Y-wing. When you get back. Now go and make yourselves useful. I'm tired."

[Collan]

"Sir," Collan saluted and exited. He waited for Niil on the other side of the door.

[Niil Spaar]

"Yes, sir!"  Niil gave the general a salute of bone-cracking precision, did a smart about-face and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him. 

Once the door was closed, he let out his breath slowly between his teeth and looked at Collan.  "I don't know about you, Collan, but I'm heading down to pilot country to see if I can find one of the shuttle jocks.  Hopefully he - or she - will take on a newbie.  After that . . . I'd say that we hunt down Commander Jann and see if she can 'make us useful'."

[Collan]

As they walked away, Collan bore a knowing smile on his face. He was playing back the discussion and Kota's tirade in his head.

"I think it'll be more efficient to get our gear cleaned and stowed and get kitted out before anything else. Then the Commander. Then food. Or maybe the Commander first to get our quarters."

Once they were far enough away, Collan said, "And did you hear Kota? What he really said? He sorta let slip that he sees us as his apprentices (at least unconsciously). Where Ch'lana was too damaged to want to take us on, Kota doesn't have time to directly train us but cares enough that he made sure we understood our deficiencies as Jedi and work on correcting them."

[Niil Spaar]

Niil's pace slowed as he thought about it from Collan's angle.  Damn me and my pride, he does have a good point there.  "Sneaky bugger," he muttered softly, although there was somewhat of a smile on his face.  "To be truthful, I've always wanted to learn now to pilot shuttles and fighters, but back on Karvis, those ships were rare commodities, and the resistance already had experienced pilots that already had their hands full.  And I sure as hell need some more savvy with technical and mechanical.  Oh, yeah . . . diplomacy, too, if we're to be proper Jedi.  Forming a rebel's alliance is going to require a lot of smooth talking if we want to bring together dozens of different cultures under one banner."

"So . . . maybe the commander first to get ourselves squared away?  She can also tell us where she can use us, and maybe even suggest who to talk to about piloting training.  And food.  Yeah, definitely food.  I think I lost all of mine on that sky-dive."