Scuttlebutt

"Ha! That would be a new one for me! Bravo squad seen any action yet?"

Denon - Jedi Quarters

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"Perhaps not" Wals spoke quietly as they made their way through the halls. His eyes were somewhat downcast, but she could see a cast of confusion come over him as she apologized. He shook his head slowly.

"No, I should apologize." He let out a long, nasal huff. "I let the troopers take the lead. I did not take responsibility. I did not... serve a role on that mission. My presence merely complicated the chain of command." He looked down at his claws - carefully groomed, unmarred. "If it had come to blows, would I have been able to fight alongside them? I don't know."

Denon - Mess.

"I got my hands a little dirty with some hot heads, but that was more fun than action." Knuckles says with a smile on his lips as he remembers the scuffle with the crew members, "We did our mission with skill and efficiency, no one got injured and we walked away. I take that as a win."

Ani shakes her head, "I disagree. We had to adjust to the alarms triggering before we were ready, or had hoped. Choices had to be made. Communication was not good by no fault of anyone's.

Your choice to keep moving up, instead of clearing the holds, was arguably the lynch-pin to the great success that the mission turned out to be. We avoided early engagement with the enemy response force, which could have resulted in a much greater chaos - not to mention our men taking fire. Instead, we were able to isolate our operation, take the tactical goal of the forward control room, and from there use non-violent confrontation to achieve their surrender.

Do not doubt yourself. Your instincts are good. The Force is with you.

As for fighting alongside the Clones... It certainly seems a dangerous thing to wade into melee combat in the middle of a fire fight. I have no aptitude with the lightsaber that some have to reflect the shots of enemies... It's not where the Force goes for me, in combat. I don't intend to be charging into fights until I can get my skills to that place.

And that's not fear, or even weakness, it's knowing my limitations. If you know your limitations, and let the Force guide you within them, you have nothing to worry about. In that meantime I know I'll be seeking out better armor for myself...", she smirks.

He let out a breath, lifting one hand and rubbing the back of his neck as she gave her whole perspective on the operation. He blinked slowly, peering over towards her. "Well... as Master Shay taught, we do not bring a sword to a gunfight because it is the best weapon for the job." His brows crested as he felt a pang, recalling his early lessons.

"Perhaps, I could best you in a duel - and only perhaps - but it takes a true master to bring such skills to real battle, not just a skirmish. And there are only so many Master Windu's to go around. The Force may flow through me, it may guide me in such a way, but, well, there are aptitudes I would trade it for."

He scratched his cheek, his lip pursing for a moment, unable to turn off the part of his brain that contemplated the intricacies of martial tradition. "Armor will weigh you down. What forms did your Master focus on..?" He didn't mean Master Kota, of course - they had not been in his company long enough to truly absorb his methods...

"Is there any tactical preference of the unit to be aware of? I found that some generals have a liking for the full frontal assault while others always wait to confirm their intel and about everything in between. Being ready for the right approach can make all the difference once the blasters start firing."

Ani just half-smiles, and ponders his question, "I didn't ever move beyond basic forms under her. But I think she focused on the aggressive dueling style of the Makashi.

As for being weighed down... for now, I'd rather be slow than dead. And I think those are my two choices at the moment.

Was there anything else troubling you? That you wanted to talk about? When you approached me earlier, I could sense... It seemed like something was going on?"

"Makashi?" His thumb traced over his chin, his head tilting as he examined her, with a different degree of scrutiny. "Mm. I could see it." He gave a soft shrug, lip pursing over his sharp teeth.

There was an audible snap, and a wavering hum as the amber blade of his lightsaber ignited, pale, almost flickering. There was a flash as the bright light crossed his body, showing her the Makashi salute. He knew the steps and stances, and his bladework seemed keen enough, but he did not seem to project the poise and effortless grace that was at the center of the form. It was not for him. "Not terribly practical against a battle droid. Although it might serve you well against, say, Count Dooku, if you plan on giving that a try."

He proceeded methodically through a cyclical kata as he spoke, transitioning between the ready stances of each of the six forms - a basic exercise to drill the change of stance to prevent a change of tactics from creating a lapse in defense. He thought better in motion. Spoke better in motion. "Master Shay was one of a handful of Jedi who had permission to practice Juyo. I had hoped to earn the Council's blessing and learn it at his feet... perhaps gain instruction from Master Windu."

His saber gestured broadly as he struggled with his footwork, shaming himself at the demonstration of Niman, before resetting to a basic Shii-Cho stance. "When I asked, my Master instructed me to master another form first, to test my mettle and my... need for such esoteric knowledge. Many a blademaster has made an illustrious career of more orthodox techniques, after all."

"But Master Kota is among that same illustrious group. He is one of a handful of Juyo practitioners in the order. And yet, I am afraid to ask." He looked down at his saber, his motions stilling, ceremonially ending the kata, before turning the blade on its head to adjust the tuning knobs, trying to stabilize the pale core that had plagued the weapon since it was damaged on Geonosis. "I am afraid he might agree. He might teach me what he knows without a second thought."

He lifted his eyes to meet Hirani's gaze again, finally. "I feel Master Kota may be... too impersonal to consider the consequences. To truly judge if I was ready, rather than simply... giving me another technique for my arsenal ... is that... strange?" His eyes left hers, looking to the side, and down at the floor, now more fiddling than finely adjusting his weapon. "Is that... unfair to him?"

One of the inconvenience of the long interstellar travel in a small shuttle is the difficulty to hide or distract yourself from the thing that bothered you. Not that Lucky was one to avoid anything that had to be done anyway.

After a few awkward moment, the clone finally found a good opportunity to address his commander in a relatively discreet manner. He approaches the Selonian slowly, but somewhat confidently.

"Commander Wals, may I have a moment of your time?"

Wals looked up, but his voluminous hood did little to follow his muzzle. After staring into the darkness of the fabric for a moment, He pulled it back to droop over his shoulders as his dark eyes peered up at the trooper. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you Sir. To go straight to the point : I made a judgment call to take out those two guards and I did not follow your lead. I know you expect some initiative from us in this squad. However, my action could be deserving of a court martial in most units. I want to know how much I overstep my bounds, Sir." Then Lucky waits patiently for the Jedi's reaction.

Wals' stubby claw traced over the braid woven beneath his ear, his lip pursing to one side as he contemplated, perhaps too long, on the Trooper's words. "I suspect that I... we... ...Jedi are educated to treat armed conflict... very differently than you."

He tugged a little at the edge of the braid, eyes shifting to the side. "My master... my old... ...Master Shay," he stumbled a little, "taught that it is my responsibility to be trained and alert and attuned, enough that I might survive a stray blaster. To strike first is to force the issue," his voice steadied as he moved into what was clearly recitation, "to deny the adversary the opportunity not to strike at all."

"But I am a Jedi. And a Warrior. But not a soldier." He shrugged, eyes downcast for a moment. "You had an objective. You acted to protect me, Ani, and your brothers." He looked up, tentatively. "I can't fault your actions. I just hope you do not hold my actions against me."

Lucky takes in Wals answers. In particular, he wasn't used to have a commander wishing for his approval. It was, however, well within the unusual parameters of this particular squad as he was getting to understand them.

"Of course not, commander. You are following your training and you respect us soldier, even the ones on the other side. Couldn't ask for more even if you were a brother." The clone hesitates slightly before adding.
"I just don't believe they had the opportunity to not strike at all. No half decent soldier could have let us go after we had been identified as dangerous terrorist. While any delay or fighting from them would bring us closer to being cut of our exit point, it would also have forced us to fight back. Lethally. I figured that the longer we stayed in control of the situation, the less chances of blood spilling on both side..."

The edges of his muzzle quirked, and his sharp teeth showed, just enough to be menacing. It took a moment to decode as a smile - clearly a gesture foreign to him, but one he was... trying out. "If you don't think you could ask for more, you have not seen Master Windu in action." He looked off to the side, the expression fading a bit as he furrowed a brow.

"There is always a choice. Even if you have purpose, orders, information - your actions are your own. Always. You can choose to examine purpose, disobey orders, question information." He shrugged. "There are just... consequences. Actions and reactions. Sometimes the consequences of acting are not... ...fair. But the choice is there."

Choice.. I guess that were the difference is. As a clone and a trooper, choice had always been a rare luxury. But it was a matter to discuss another day, if ever. The commander seemed to accept his actions and that was enough.

"Thank you Sir, for your time and understanding. I'll think about your words." As Lucky was ready to take his leave he remembered he did see Master Windu in action briefly. It was in Petranaki arena in Geonosys as the master Jedi was retreating from his defeat leaving dozens of Jedi and Padawan lying on the ground behind him. A sad expression passed on his face.
"You know, I'm sure even someone as accomplished as General Windu started out as a Shiny.. er.. a Padawan once."

"It is difficult to tell. I had the privilege of crossing sabers with him, when he was exploring his vapaad technique with Master Shay. It was... ...brief. The Masters, they are on another level entirely, and the Council the most extraordinary of those." He pressed his thumbs together, steepling them over folded hands. "Not everyone is born with the potential to be a Jedi. Not every Jedi is born with the potential to be as powerful as Master Windu. We can only try to find our own limits."

All right, Beamer, be cool. New assignment, test the waters for comfort levels, be gracious but professional. Just like the simulations.

As the trooper rounded the corner with a worn deck of cards and a plate of firm but sweet snack discs, he caught sight of the Jedi. His next mental.....noise....sounded like a malfunctioning comm system. The same noise he made when he first got to fire the big gun as a younger man. At least he'd learned how to contain that excitement over the years, and keep a straight face. He re-introduced himself to the Jedi with much more charm than his internal monologue.

CT-8345 at your service, though most of the boys call me Beamer. You're welcome to as well if you'd like. He raised the plate and the cards. I invited the others, so I hope they'll be around soon. But I wanted to offer a more casual engagement before we leave on assignment. Help us click as a team past orders, if you're interested.

Lucky shows up to the card game with a smile on his lips. Organising that kind of get together, especially with the commanders, was not something the trooper would have thought appropriate or necessary before. But clone commandos always had the reputation of being a bit weird. It was also congruent with the experience he got from time he spent with civilians on Burnout, so Lucky was happy to participate.

For the informal occasion, Lucky was wearing a set of civilian clothing he was still trying to get used to.

"Hello Beamer, i'm Lucky. Welcome to Bravo squad. What are we playing?"

Ani, deep in thought, stops short - doing a bit of a double take - at the Trooper with arms full of... recreational items.

They do come in all sorts., she muses to herself, her expression dead serious.

"You really want to play a Jedi in cards... Beamer?", she passes two fingers subtly before the Troopers eyes, mocking at performative mysticism.

Then her face splits in a gentle smile and she nods, "I guess I have enough time, to separate a fool from his credits...", she jibes playfully.