Ask Taking Aim

[Nathan Braxon]

HIGH SIGHTS COMBAT RANGE, ORD MANTELL​

Nathan put the butt of the blaster rifle against his shoulder, finding the familiar padded spot that would give it the best cushion. If only making politics happen was as simple as setting up a shot.

The Senator was pretty handy with a pistol, but he had few opportunities to train with a blaster rifle these days and it was now nearly getting on for a decade since he had graduated from Begamor's military academy. He took every chance to keep his skills sharp.

The simulation began and Nathan's dark eyes narrowed on the targets, locking onto each projected figure as it emerged and charged towards him. He took aim and fired, each time without hesitation. He knew one day he could be in a firefight for real and took such things seriously. Besides, there was a scoreboard continually refreshing above their heads.

Nathan's turn came to an end and he contented himself with being in the upper third percentile. He set the rifle down, straightening his more casual attire as he waited to watch the next shooter's performance.

The man in the next booth was Senator John Tyr, representative for this very world. Nathan's intel had told him Tyr was a frequent visitor to the shooting range and he was pleased to find the information had been correct. It was no accident that he had booked in alongside him and the young Senator was hoping they would have the opportunity to speak of common aims today.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

John had his DG-34 Peacekeeper in a stable, professional grip with both of his massive hands. From the olive-drab short sleeve shirt and grey cargo pants, one would think he was simply an officer of the Ord Mantell Defense Corps off duty, but most knew better than that. The only person the Senator dressed up for was his wife, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to dress up to put some bolts down range.

His emerald eyes watched the simulation in the lane next to him play. Who ever it was, had some good shots. That was a good thing to have on Ord Mantell. They were relatively safe here in the capital, but a couple regions over one could find Hutt funded rockets raining down for breakfast, gangs looting in the aftermath for lunch, and terrorist cells taking over schools and hospitals for dinner.

A large fist hit the start button. John’s own simulation was one of peace talks gone wrong. Several blue humanoid figures appeared in his lane, all relatively close. They looked as if they were talking, when one reached for something behind them. The blue hue turned orange. John put the sights of his heavy blaster pistol on the figure that had turned orange, exhaled quickly to get a natural pause and pulled the trigger. The heavy bolt ripped through the figure, disintegrating a chunk of its chest.

Like a daisy chain of explosives, the blue figures started shifting orange. With the expertise of a veteran, John shifted the sights to each figure. His eyes would acquire the target first, then his body would naturally move to square up, his outstretched hands bringing the painted sights of the blaster pistol into his natural vision. Every shot made his muscles ripple as he controlled the recoil to put follow up shots on each target.

The last target was the only one that was hit in the leg first, only for a second heavy bolt to rip through the top of its shoulder and through the rest of its body. The simulation ended, giving him a score that he didn’t look at. It wasn’t about score; it was about survival. Peace talks with Hutts never ended the way you ever wanted them to.

Sliding Peacekeeper into its holster on his right hip, John took a step back from the booth. It was relatively quiet in the shooting bunker. There was only one other person in it aside from them; some hunter sighting in a new light blaster rifle that would barely register as a noise to the electronic ear protection the range rented out.

“That was some good shooting, Booth One,” John said, his voice gruff as if he’d smoked a pack a day for a long, long time.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Tyr was an even better shot than Nathan’s intel suggested, even taking it in via a disinterested sideways glance. He would have to make sure never to find himself in the older Senator’s sights.

”You’d know Booth Three!” he called back, before cocking his head in apparent recognition. “Senator Tyr, yes?”. He set down his ear defenders and walked up to extend a hand “I heard you’re a fan of this place”. Nathan quickly sized up the man and his hangers on. “To be honest I was hoping to run into you”. Tyr was smart enough to know this was unlikely to be a coincidence and Nathan would not do him the disservice of pretending it was.

“Might we talk?”. The range had extensive grounds from what he knew, and a bar to boot. Word was Tyr spent a few hours here, so hopefully the other Senator would have nowhere to run off to just yet.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

“Call me John,” he said, taking the man’s hand and shaking it firmly. “Just don’t tell my wife; she thinks I’m checking in with the Defense Corps leadership." The way the man spoke, it was clear he wasn’t just a normal person from the streets. Definitely not from Ord Mantell. It was more proper… trained even. The fact he led with the word Senator gave it all away anyway. Only people that called John “Senator Tyr” were fellow Senators.

“I’d say you’re the one with the blaster, but we all have one here,” John said, motioning to the other shooters that had stopped to look. “Grab your gear, let’s walk.” John turned into his own booth, reloading his blaster pistol and holstering it at his hip. He hadn’t even gotten through a single cartridge, which was a fair less amount than he usually shot on these outings. Guess he’d have to schedule another round of ballistic therapy for the following week.

A smile spread across his lips at the thought of Kiyomi glaring at him. She hated his love of blaster, but she also definitely wasn’t from Ord Mantell. Show John an Ord Mantellian that hated blasters and he’d show you a liar.

John would wait for the younger Senator to gather his gear, then made his way through the exit and out of the range entirely with the younger man in tow. “So what’s your name?”


@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

“Nathan” he replied “Nathan Braxon, Begamor”. Like most, John was unlikely to be familiar with his Outer Rim home world, but the Senator found his planet’s obscurity was often helpful. A more notable planet might have a legacy to get in the way.

They headed up from the range and arrived in the club bar. Nathan tapped the polished wood and turned back to John. “What can I get you, John. I promise no word to the wife”. If earning favour with the man could be as simple as keeping his secrets, Nathan was more than happy to oblige. Fortunately, he had no wife or otherwise looking over his own shoulder.

”I did some time at military academy, but the Senate could do with more men and women like you who have served” he said, shooting the barman an impatient look.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

“I’m not familiar,” John said of the man’s planet. It was no dig; John simply hadn’t done much travelling in his time. Becoming a Senator was what spurred on all of his travel, actually. He was born, raised, and forged on Ord Mantell through and through. They were a tough, blunt people; the kind that would give it to you straight without mincing words. The bar was one of John’s favorite. A wall of whiskey, some smooth, dark blues from the jukebox, and not a worry in the world in sight.

“Bourbon, neat,” he said, giving Nathan a nod of thanks. “If more Senators knew the real cost of war, I doubt many would be so inclined to let their constituents start them.” The bartender saw the impatient look, flashing a glance to John who simply nodded at them, his expression just a tight lipped frown. John’s emerald eyes returned to his fellow Senator.

“Stick around Ord Mantell long enough and the Hutts will make a soldier out of you, yet,” John said, huffing his amusement at the thought. Senator Bootcamp, he’d call it; take a group of Senators on a tour of the front lines, and show them what it’s like to dodge Hutt snipers and terrorist cell improvised explosive devices. Could probably fund a battalion to get updated gear before the program would get shut down. “To what do I owe the honor of the visit?” Enough day dreaming about military funding. Business and bourbon were on the table.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan nodded approval at the bourbon, ordering himself an old fashioned. He was pretty damn good at sipping slowly by now.

”For sure” he agreed. There were certainly countless Senators who were clueless about the sharp end of their decisions. Nathan did his best to keep grounded and climbing his way up from near ruin certainly helped. Tyr had come from simple beginnings too if he recalled correctly, farming of all things.

”I had hoped to exert some pressure on the big slugs early on” Nathan said, swilling his glass “but the Senate is too big a ship to try and steer on your own”. Nathan‘s recent motion on the Senate floor had failed, and the Hutts would now face no diplomatic consequences whatever the outcome of their incursion. Maybe it was apt he was now meeting with a former solider.

“I wanted to feel you out” Nathan answered honestly “feel out Ord Mantell. I and others feel we can’t all go on scattered and divided, at the mercy of the Hutts, the Empire, the ISC…”. John represented an independent world same as him, he had to feel the same impotency sometimes. “I am looking to explore a new union between those of us with common interests. We could use a man of your experience”.

There was simply no point obfuscating this time. John Tyr was a straightforward man, he could tell.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

The bartender slid the bourbon down the bar. John caught it in a large hand and immediately took the first sip, letting the heat numb his pallet before swallowing. Top shelf… good. He listened to his fellow Senator. While John couldn’t participate in the recent motions, he had paid close attention to them all the same. The Hutts getting what they wanted was almost always a sure fire thing. John couldn’t help but wonder how many speakers the Senate had gone through.

“You left out the Jedi,” John noticed aloud. His wife was partial to the Jedi. A fellow Senator of a world recently allied with the Jedi, she was fond of peace, and usually tempered John’s soldier instincts of hit first and ask questions later. He took another sip of his bourbon, letting out a satisfied sigh as it went down smooth. Bourbon was an art form, just like shooting targets, and warfare. John had a distinct taste for arts that hit hard, it seemed.

“You want to create a union of mutually protected systems? Aside from Ord Mantellian muscle, what would be defending this union if any of bigger fish are looking for a snack?” he asked, sharp emerald eyes shifting to Nathan’s. “What would be benefit that outweighs the detriments?”

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

John’s mention of the Jedi had Nathan tipping his glass in agreement. “Well indeed” he smiled, pleasantly surprised this particular Senator shared his realism. “Another group pursuing their own personal agenda. Perfectly natural, but so many pretend it’s not happening”. Nathan was arguably more sceptical of the Jedi than the rest put together, but for now they encroached less on galactic order.

”Well we are all snacks already, John, don’t forget” he answered, considering how much to share. As before, Nathan judged openness was the best policy this time.

“Gatalenta and my own world of Begamor form the core of the bloc“ he explained “my people do not lack for military prowess. We are both supplying troops, Gatalenta the land and money to train them. We have some ad hoc Mandalorian support and I am in talks with Kuat and others about joining the fold”. Building an alliance was not easy; he needed those bold enough to take the leap and the rest would follow.

”There should be no detriment to pooling our resources” he added “but imagine the benefits. Even a small group of us could begin to make a real impact”.

Nathan reeled himself in, cautious about going overboard. “What would you want from a new team, John?”. There was room for collaboration in this enterprise, even if the final destination was clear in his mind.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

John nodded quietly. Every group acted on their own personal agenda. Even this new union would be acting on their own personal agenda. Which raised an interesting question in John’s mind. How would the union be led? Would they act as a quorum? Or would one planet be in charge of all the others? And what would happen should that quorum not be unanimous in a decision? Without some sort of leadership, it would simply be a loosely bunch of allied worlds all acting on their own worldly interests, safe from the others they had allied themselves to. John pushed the thought away; he was starting to think like a Hutt with that logic, always looking for ways his allies could stab him in the back. He’d fought too long against the slugs to start becoming them.

“Sounds like military is taken care of, then,” John said, taking a sip of his bourbon. He pursed his lips in thought at Nathan’s question, letting the beginnings of the preaching go as new Senator excitement. A mutually beneficial union with a collection of military assets from all planets involved willing to provide them would be good. It meant expertise in different areas of warfare. A military wasn’t the only thing the union needed, Kiyomi had wormed her way enough into his head to know that.

“A council, or assembly, for starters,” John said, bringing his earlier thought back as he took another sip. “No one system rules the others. Mutual aid in all aspects, especially humanitarian and military, across all members of the union.” John paused. There was nothing more he could want from a group of systems banding together. Like a small Republic, but hopefully one that would actually act and accomplish things. There was however, the issue of the baggage Ord Mantell would bring.

“As for what Ord Mantell needs, we need funding,” John said flatly, emerald eyes turning to Nathan. “We’ve put the Hutt presence on the planet on the backfoot; drove them all into one province. The problem is that the Defense Corps is outfitted with archaic blast vests and DC-15’s. Funding would allow us to develop new weaponry and armor.” John took another sip of bourbon.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

“We’ve got the beginnings John” Nathan acknowledged in relation to the military “but Ord Mantell can take us further I’m sure. Our military would combine the best of each, establishing a force greater than the sum of its parts”. The Begamorians were capable, but the military of Ord Mantell had much greater battlefield experience and tactics honed from a long history of involvement in galactic conflicts. Nathan did a lot of reading.

”An Assembly is precisely what I‘m thinking” he said smiling “in fact, I am not even suggesting we reinvent the wheel. There is a mantle we could claim, a legacy we could revive. Together, we can reestablish that which meant so much to so many; the Galactic Republic”.

Nathan knew it was bold. The Republic had faltered and collapsed for good reasons and restoring it would be difficult, to say nothing of the feathers it would ruffle. But the history and legacy had a powerful draw on him, as they did on many. If a Republic could be reborn, millions would unite under its banner.

”The last Republic was overly focused on the Core” he went on “and ran aground because there were too few driving it on. I believe a new Republic should be built by worlds across the galaxy, by leaders united not by proximity but by values and ethics”. His own world sat in the Outer Rim, while Gatalenta nestled in the Core. A union that united them all could truly call itself a galactic Republic, to eclipse any from the past.

”Together, I am sure we can get you funding” Nathan added, draining his glass ”and perhaps more. The Hutts are powerful, but as a bloc we may have more sway to make demands of them. Failing that, we have formidable Mandalorian friends”. The Endless Watch had already proved themselves allies of both founding worlds; Nathan intended to further their role as part of the alliance’s military arm.

”If I arranged a gathering, a get together of sorts…” the Senator mused, signalling for another drink “would you be game? Those of us open to the idea can talk specifics?”

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

John listened with increased interest. He took sip after sip of bourbon until it was gone. The lingering burn and woody taste boosting his already heightened mood. A session at the shooting range, bourbon, and talk of getting the band back together to form a new, tighter, better Republic? Hell, John’s old age was probably the only thing keeping him from signing the papers as fast as he’d signed his enlistment papers.

“I’m partial to the word, Commonwealth, myself,” John quipped. “Ultimately it’s up to the people of Ord Mantell, but I can promise you that if you get them funding, they’ll be on board.” He wasn’t about to make agreements the people he represented had no clue about, but he knew them well enough to know they would be willing. It would have to come to a vote anyway.

“I’ll put a vote to the people. In the meantime, I would gladly meet to talk specifics,” John said. “Maybe not at a shooting range this time around though. Politicians and firearms don’t tend to mix very well.” He gave Nathan a joking smirk. “I would ask if we want to celebrate this potential arrangement with another drink, but that seems like it’ll turn into a party.”

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan was quite warming to John. The man had an upbeat, direct manner and cantered at a good pace but still with some character thrown in. He sensed they could work together well.

”Has its merits” Nathan replied honestly, weighing the idea of a Commonwealth. The name was negotiable, but he was loathe to give up the natural legitimacy that would attach to any echo of the Republic. Still, John’s suggestion was not half bad.

He merely smiled at the suggestion the people of Ord Mantell would make the decision. It was a nice idea and the basis of democracy, but Nathan had long ago decided it was his role to interpret the people’s will. As far as he was concerned, he was a representative, not a delegate, empowered to steer his people‘s future as he saw fit. His manifesto had been deliberately broad to give him licence.

”You do that” Nathan said, nodding as if John’s vote for the people was a solemn necessity. “But consider your funding a sure thing“. Gatalenta had explicitly agreed to contribute funding for arms to their union. “I’ll seek out a venue a little more appropriate for a formal gathering” he smirked “though I’m not so sure. A couple of rifles on the table might focus the mind; we all face a threat every day we stand alone”.

He had the sense he had talked business as much as he could tonight. But he was surprised to find he was in no rush to leave. He was enjoying himself.

”I’d have to check my definitions“ he laughed “can two people have a party?”.

@TheDudeMike

 

[John Tyr]

John laughed at the thought of rifles being on the table at a discussion on the finer points of recreating a Republic. He liked Nathan. Wasn’t afraid of a blaster, wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. There was always more that met the eyes when it came to Senators though. John was willing to overlook a lot if it came to getting funding; his wife, not so much.

“I suppose you’re right,” he said. “I’ll bring mine just in case, then.” With another laugh, John slid off the bar stool, extending a hand to Nathan to conclude their business. It was time to show the other Senator was Ord Mantellians could get up to. “On Ord Mantell, anything can be a party. Now that business is out of the way, let me show you.”

Once the men had shaken hands again, they paid the tab and left. John took Nathan out of the city, for a treat only Ord Mantell could have provided.

@Alhon