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Graves stepped into the starship simulator. He had been at it for a week solid now and was improving. When he had first been accepted into the the Mandolorain ranks he had never been more than a passenger on a ship and had done that only when absolutely necessary. But after joining the Protector’s he had flown many times and even completed a successful free jump of over three clicks through empty space. It had been beyond nauseating for him but he had done it.
Wasn’t the idea behind being mandolorian to overcome challenges? This was one of Graves biggest, but here he sat, now capable of piloting a starship,
He grabbed the controls and took the ship up off the landing pad. The display showed a nondescript planet falling away below him. It was a smooth take off. A voice came over the speaker. “Good, remember to be gentle. Treat the controls like your blasters. Squeeze too tight and your sure to miss, same idea here.” The voice was gruff and brokered no response. It belonged to Jaghar Nalgra an aged mandolorain veteran of countless space battles. More importantly a Protector.
Graves completed the course with ease, setting new records in every category.
“Excellent work, Graves. You improve each time.” Said Nalgra.
Graves nodded as he stepped out of the simulator. He finally felt confident, or at least comfortable in the cockpit. He desperately wanted a cigarette, he always did after a flight, in fact he always wanted one when he was flying.
“I think you are ready for the real thing.” The pair walked through the corridors of the Brave Blood, the flagship of the mandolorain Protectors. “How about now.” Nalgra gestured down a hallway with a sign posted on its wall.
The sign read “Hanger” with an arrow pointed down the hallway. “Now?” Graves said surprised.
“No time like the present.” Normally this was a trait that both Graves and Nalgra shared, a propensity to live in the moment. This was different though. He had never flown a real starship. Still it was a challenge and he had no reason to back down.
“Let’s do it.” He said trying to smile but failing miserably.
“It will be fine.”
The controls inside the Star Blade Fighter were different from those in the simulator and Graves could feel a pang of nervousness in his stomach at the realization. He took a deep breath and punched in the launch sequence. “Control, Wallace Graves requesting permission to take off.”
“Graves, we have no scheduled flight in our logs.” Came the response. “Please power down and exit the Star Blade.”
Nalgra’s gruff voice cut in. “This is Nalgra, allow clearance under training protocols.”
“Acknowledged.” Said control.
Graves had begun sweating, he took a deep breath and allowed the auto pilot to take the the ship out of the hanger. Once outside he switched over to manual control and glanced over the readings on the monitor and sensor displays. His combat experience proved to be invaluable in flight as well. One quick glance and he saw it all as if it were an array of enemy soldiers laid out before him. His eyes moved rapidly from sensor to sensor taking it all in. All systems read fine and he eased the ship out into empty space. The feeling was surreal, terrifying. But he had done this without even a ship to protect him, he leaned heavily on that thought as he moved along.
“Good.” Came Nalgra’s voice, scratchy over the ships intercom. “Ca Beviin is just a click away. Go fly over there and come back.”
“Yes, Sir.” Graves said. The flight was trivial but nothing turned out to be what it seemed with Nalgra. He was a firm believer in learning by experience and surprise.
Graves began to get accustomed to the feel of the Star Blade as he made the turn to head back to the Brave Blood. This wasn’t so bad at all. It wasn’t a walk in the park either. As he came back around he saw the Brave Blood jettison a handful of small objects from a side port. The objects immediately spread out. Two dropped straight down upon exit, another two straight up, one to each side and seventh headed right for him.
As it came closer he could see it was a simple sphere, maybe a meter wide. Graves felt that pang in his stomach again, this had Nalgra written all over it. Graves was watching the path of the six spheres on his scopes while keeping an eye on on the one headed straight for him. The sphere suddenly let a blast of light fly out from its center. The laser blast hit the Star Blade on its left wing. The small ship jolted badly, but no damage was done. The shield monitor flashed red and lowered to 95%.
Another blast came from the sphere, but Graves was ready this time, dropping the ship down to avoid the blast. The two spheres that were below him opened up with more blasts. Graves had forgotten the other spheres when he had taken the hit and now he was paying the price, just like a firefight on the ground. Graves swung the ship again, feeling sick to his stomach with the movement of the ship. He wasn’t fast enough and took another hit on the hull. Shields down to 88%.
He thought about calling out to Nalgra but knew better. He wouldn’t get a response he was on his own. Nalgra was just a guide, not a body guard. Graves leveled the ship out and glanced at the scopes. They were all around him now. He spun the ship in an upward arch bringing the first sphere back into view. Activating the targeting systems he lined up the shot and fired.
The sphere dodged nimbly to the side, unscathed. Graves got hit by another blast from behind. Shields at 83%.
Graves took a deep breath as he executed another evasive maneuver. He was griping the controls as if he was trying to strangle them. He relaxed his grip and brought the first sphere into his targets again, this time anticipating its movement and blasted it. The sphere erupted in a flash of light. The Star Blade felt much better as he lined up another sphere and laid waste to it as well. In the process he took two hits from the trailing spheres. 70%.
He swung the ship around and in a tight arch and let off a few blasts, but it was a lazy, inexperienced move. 55%.
Still he felt good now, battle rush flooding over him, coursing through his veins. He took out the remaining spheres only loosing another 10% of his shields.
***
“Better.” Was all Nalgra said as Graves climbed out of the cockpit of the Star Blade. “Only 5% of your shields lost that time.” Another week had passed since Graves first voyage and subsequent battle in space.
Graves gave his customary nod in response.
“Back to the simulator now.” Said Nalgra. For two weeks Graves had done nothing but study and train in the art of space combat. He was itching for something more real. The feel of blasters in his hands, solid ground beneath his feet. But he had a long way to go.
***
A month later Graves was still in the simulator. Now he was working with Kom’rk class Destroyer ships. The process was much more about when and where to direct the power of the ship. To shields, to weapons, to engine power all while getting the optimum output for each individual situation without over working the ship’s power generators. It was difficult but he was getting the hang of it. “Forward shields to 75% power, divert power to main cannon batteries, focus on enemy gunships.” Graves called to his simulated crew.
“Captain, incoming fighters on our flank.” Said a simulated voice.
“Dispatch Fire Squad 3 to engage. Watch for larger ships, maintain current shields.”
“Don’t under estimate small fighters again.” Nalgra’s gruff voice spoke up. Graves had lost engine control the last time around to fighter class ships. He didn’t intend to do the same thing twice but he knew he couldn’t commit two fighter squads so early in the fight.
“Captain, two enemy gunships down. Enemy fleet dispersing in a defensive position.” His bold attack had caught the enemy off guard as he had hoped gaining a small victory right from the get go.
“Excellent. Dispatch Fire Squad 2 to assault their flank.” He could see the fighters leave the hanger and move out in a wide arch. Gunships moved to engage them. “Concentrate fire on the the encroaching gunships.”
“Fire Squad 3 is taking heavy damage.”
“Dispatch Fire Squad 1 to help them.” He saw one of the enemy gunships go down and knew he had them. Fire Squad 2 moved in and began to pepper the enemy ships disrupting their defensive position.
“Enemy fighter squad in retreat.” A pause. “Enemy forces in full retreat.” Said the simulated voice.
“Good work crew.” Graves said, well aware of the fact that they didn’t actually exist.
Graves stepped out of the simulator and found himself face to face with Nalgra. His face was stern and seemingly holding back powerful emotion. Rage came to mind. What had he done wrong? He thought to himself. He felt he had done everything right. It had been his quickest and most decisive victory.
Nalgra continued to stare at him, eyes unmoving. Then slowly, deliberately he reached out a hand. Graves took it and Nalgra shook it. “Congratulations.” He said. “I have a gift for you. I had it specially made for you.” Nalgra pulled out a small cylindrical object. It was shorter than a pen but thicker. He handed it to Graves. It was soft, yet rough, lightweight. It had a familiar feel to it, but Graves couldn’t place it.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Its a fake cigarette, made to replicate your own hand rolled ones. It dispenses nicotine in a gas with a similar consistency to smoke but disperses immediately upon exiting your lungs. I know it can’t replace the real thing, but you can use it on ships.”
Graves didn’t know what to say. It was a thoughtful gift, far beyond anything he thought Nalgra capable of. “Thank you.”
“One other thing. I got you an apprenticeship of sorts on Ca Beviin. You will be aiding her captain and learning the role in live action. We can’t just put you in charge of such a large ship so you will start there.”
Graves nodded.
***
Five months later Graves completed his apprenticeship and felt fully capable of commanding any ship. He had overcome a huge personal challenge.
Wasn’t the idea behind being mandolorian to overcome challenges? This was one of Graves biggest, but here he sat, now capable of piloting a starship,
He grabbed the controls and took the ship up off the landing pad. The display showed a nondescript planet falling away below him. It was a smooth take off. A voice came over the speaker. “Good, remember to be gentle. Treat the controls like your blasters. Squeeze too tight and your sure to miss, same idea here.” The voice was gruff and brokered no response. It belonged to Jaghar Nalgra an aged mandolorain veteran of countless space battles. More importantly a Protector.
Graves completed the course with ease, setting new records in every category.
“Excellent work, Graves. You improve each time.” Said Nalgra.
Graves nodded as he stepped out of the simulator. He finally felt confident, or at least comfortable in the cockpit. He desperately wanted a cigarette, he always did after a flight, in fact he always wanted one when he was flying.
“I think you are ready for the real thing.” The pair walked through the corridors of the Brave Blood, the flagship of the mandolorain Protectors. “How about now.” Nalgra gestured down a hallway with a sign posted on its wall.
The sign read “Hanger” with an arrow pointed down the hallway. “Now?” Graves said surprised.
“No time like the present.” Normally this was a trait that both Graves and Nalgra shared, a propensity to live in the moment. This was different though. He had never flown a real starship. Still it was a challenge and he had no reason to back down.
“Let’s do it.” He said trying to smile but failing miserably.
“It will be fine.”
The controls inside the Star Blade Fighter were different from those in the simulator and Graves could feel a pang of nervousness in his stomach at the realization. He took a deep breath and punched in the launch sequence. “Control, Wallace Graves requesting permission to take off.”
“Graves, we have no scheduled flight in our logs.” Came the response. “Please power down and exit the Star Blade.”
Nalgra’s gruff voice cut in. “This is Nalgra, allow clearance under training protocols.”
“Acknowledged.” Said control.
Graves had begun sweating, he took a deep breath and allowed the auto pilot to take the the ship out of the hanger. Once outside he switched over to manual control and glanced over the readings on the monitor and sensor displays. His combat experience proved to be invaluable in flight as well. One quick glance and he saw it all as if it were an array of enemy soldiers laid out before him. His eyes moved rapidly from sensor to sensor taking it all in. All systems read fine and he eased the ship out into empty space. The feeling was surreal, terrifying. But he had done this without even a ship to protect him, he leaned heavily on that thought as he moved along.
“Good.” Came Nalgra’s voice, scratchy over the ships intercom. “Ca Beviin is just a click away. Go fly over there and come back.”
“Yes, Sir.” Graves said. The flight was trivial but nothing turned out to be what it seemed with Nalgra. He was a firm believer in learning by experience and surprise.
Graves began to get accustomed to the feel of the Star Blade as he made the turn to head back to the Brave Blood. This wasn’t so bad at all. It wasn’t a walk in the park either. As he came back around he saw the Brave Blood jettison a handful of small objects from a side port. The objects immediately spread out. Two dropped straight down upon exit, another two straight up, one to each side and seventh headed right for him.
As it came closer he could see it was a simple sphere, maybe a meter wide. Graves felt that pang in his stomach again, this had Nalgra written all over it. Graves was watching the path of the six spheres on his scopes while keeping an eye on on the one headed straight for him. The sphere suddenly let a blast of light fly out from its center. The laser blast hit the Star Blade on its left wing. The small ship jolted badly, but no damage was done. The shield monitor flashed red and lowered to 95%.
Another blast came from the sphere, but Graves was ready this time, dropping the ship down to avoid the blast. The two spheres that were below him opened up with more blasts. Graves had forgotten the other spheres when he had taken the hit and now he was paying the price, just like a firefight on the ground. Graves swung the ship again, feeling sick to his stomach with the movement of the ship. He wasn’t fast enough and took another hit on the hull. Shields down to 88%.
He thought about calling out to Nalgra but knew better. He wouldn’t get a response he was on his own. Nalgra was just a guide, not a body guard. Graves leveled the ship out and glanced at the scopes. They were all around him now. He spun the ship in an upward arch bringing the first sphere back into view. Activating the targeting systems he lined up the shot and fired.
The sphere dodged nimbly to the side, unscathed. Graves got hit by another blast from behind. Shields at 83%.
Graves took a deep breath as he executed another evasive maneuver. He was griping the controls as if he was trying to strangle them. He relaxed his grip and brought the first sphere into his targets again, this time anticipating its movement and blasted it. The sphere erupted in a flash of light. The Star Blade felt much better as he lined up another sphere and laid waste to it as well. In the process he took two hits from the trailing spheres. 70%.
He swung the ship around and in a tight arch and let off a few blasts, but it was a lazy, inexperienced move. 55%.
Still he felt good now, battle rush flooding over him, coursing through his veins. He took out the remaining spheres only loosing another 10% of his shields.
***
“Better.” Was all Nalgra said as Graves climbed out of the cockpit of the Star Blade. “Only 5% of your shields lost that time.” Another week had passed since Graves first voyage and subsequent battle in space.
Graves gave his customary nod in response.
“Back to the simulator now.” Said Nalgra. For two weeks Graves had done nothing but study and train in the art of space combat. He was itching for something more real. The feel of blasters in his hands, solid ground beneath his feet. But he had a long way to go.
***
A month later Graves was still in the simulator. Now he was working with Kom’rk class Destroyer ships. The process was much more about when and where to direct the power of the ship. To shields, to weapons, to engine power all while getting the optimum output for each individual situation without over working the ship’s power generators. It was difficult but he was getting the hang of it. “Forward shields to 75% power, divert power to main cannon batteries, focus on enemy gunships.” Graves called to his simulated crew.
“Captain, incoming fighters on our flank.” Said a simulated voice.
“Dispatch Fire Squad 3 to engage. Watch for larger ships, maintain current shields.”
“Don’t under estimate small fighters again.” Nalgra’s gruff voice spoke up. Graves had lost engine control the last time around to fighter class ships. He didn’t intend to do the same thing twice but he knew he couldn’t commit two fighter squads so early in the fight.
“Captain, two enemy gunships down. Enemy fleet dispersing in a defensive position.” His bold attack had caught the enemy off guard as he had hoped gaining a small victory right from the get go.
“Excellent. Dispatch Fire Squad 2 to assault their flank.” He could see the fighters leave the hanger and move out in a wide arch. Gunships moved to engage them. “Concentrate fire on the the encroaching gunships.”
“Fire Squad 3 is taking heavy damage.”
“Dispatch Fire Squad 1 to help them.” He saw one of the enemy gunships go down and knew he had them. Fire Squad 2 moved in and began to pepper the enemy ships disrupting their defensive position.
“Enemy fighter squad in retreat.” A pause. “Enemy forces in full retreat.” Said the simulated voice.
“Good work crew.” Graves said, well aware of the fact that they didn’t actually exist.
Graves stepped out of the simulator and found himself face to face with Nalgra. His face was stern and seemingly holding back powerful emotion. Rage came to mind. What had he done wrong? He thought to himself. He felt he had done everything right. It had been his quickest and most decisive victory.
Nalgra continued to stare at him, eyes unmoving. Then slowly, deliberately he reached out a hand. Graves took it and Nalgra shook it. “Congratulations.” He said. “I have a gift for you. I had it specially made for you.” Nalgra pulled out a small cylindrical object. It was shorter than a pen but thicker. He handed it to Graves. It was soft, yet rough, lightweight. It had a familiar feel to it, but Graves couldn’t place it.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Its a fake cigarette, made to replicate your own hand rolled ones. It dispenses nicotine in a gas with a similar consistency to smoke but disperses immediately upon exiting your lungs. I know it can’t replace the real thing, but you can use it on ships.”
Graves didn’t know what to say. It was a thoughtful gift, far beyond anything he thought Nalgra capable of. “Thank you.”
“One other thing. I got you an apprenticeship of sorts on Ca Beviin. You will be aiding her captain and learning the role in live action. We can’t just put you in charge of such a large ship so you will start there.”
Graves nodded.
***
Five months later Graves completed his apprenticeship and felt fully capable of commanding any ship. He had overcome a huge personal challenge.
