I've liked this recent supplemental content. While my forgetfulness and lack of any note-taking has caused some issues with misunderstanding (I had completely forgotten that Jayne and Wesson existed, and had no context for the snippet until I reread it today 😅), the background information and propaganda has been really neat to take a look at.
Also, I'll absolutely take a look at your new quest, which looks really interesting.
Honestly, I agree with the Federalist Party trying to make the Coalitions Senate represent groups below the Sector level is a mistake and might make it too big and unwieldy as arguably happened to the Senate when originally every planet had a senator and why they shifted to Senators representing sectors in the first place. Devolving some of the Senates power to sector Senates where each planet in a sector has a voice and possibly with secondary sub-sector Senates if even that size proves too unwieldy and leaving the Coalition Senate to only focus on Galactic issues could solve many issues even if it also creates new ones. I suspect this was not done at Rusaan or before because the Senate objected to loosing its power but the current events provide them an opportunity.
This is interesting because while the Senate tended to have political parties they tended to be either based on whether you supported or opposed government power and often were based on the section of the galaxy the Senator represented with the Core Faction being based in the Core and supporting expansive government power while the opposing Rim Faction was based in the Outer Rim and opposed having an expansive government. I wonder whether the breakdown into a more complex group of parties is because the Coalition is generally based in the Rim and has few Core world members and so various opposing groups that united in the Republic Senate to be able to oppose the Core in a big tent coalition no longer need to work together and so can express their ideological differences or, whether its a temporary disruption due to the formation of the Coalition with the parties eventually combining into fewer parties?
The Workers Party and Galactic Freedom Group are an odd alliance but actually make some sense in that they both oppose the Mega-Corporations even if they disagree on the end result of what happens once the Mega-Corporations are broken. That said I suspect that they will have some spectacular disputes when the Mega-Corporations are dead but fortunately for the Coalition that will probably not occur until after the war unless Palpatine's agents are very good at their job.
Month 5-6: The Shape of the Warfare So Far--Part 2: More Machine and Man
That's something that tends to happen with new technologies generally: The most interesting applications turn up on a battlefield, or in a gallery. - William Gibson
The more mechanical become the weapons with which we fight, the less mechanical must be the spirit which controls them.--Field Marshal Archibald P. Wavell, British Army
The NEXT Project
"What can we agree on? That grenades are good and that droid-poppers aren't as needed? Okay. We can work with that."--Jilin Smyles, one of the Co-Directors of the NEXT Project Committee.
Started in the very first weeks of the war, the NEXT Project, at least up to now, has suffered from its dual purposes. First, it's supposed to work with various war logistics entities to make sure that everyone has functioning tech to maintain the army. Along those lines, they have to make hard decisions to refrain from spending too much on unnecessary upgrades, or to work with what they have.
They're also meant to make New and adapt EXisting Technology to create a unique army, both aesthetically (important for propaganda) and practically (important for victory.) For the first two weeks, all they did was argue, until they came up with the Equivalence Rule: any technology or tool, whether it was a different brand of grenade (they didn't yet have the factories to maintain the exact supply of the exact kind of grenade the GAR used in bulk) or a different sort of hover-tank, needed to be roughly equivalent in usage. If a particular grenade had a slightly smaller range of explosion but packed slightly more punch, that was okay, but a grenade that was strictly inferior to GAR-standard was not.
In practice this meant that the upgrade between the TX-130 Saber and the TX-130T was slower on the Coalition's side. In practice this also meant a lot more experimentation, and a lot less implementation.
NEXT was thus, at least in its first six months, more evolutionary than revolutionary. They approved of a few common but technically illegal modifications and upgrades for the tanks, vehicles, and ships they had, including modifying the body of the Y-Wing to remove the unnecessary back panels. Their reliance on smuggler sources of ship upgrades, especially, served them well. But because of the lack of naval forces, the actual capital ships would consist of whatever was most available.
Of the three notable projects in the first six months of the war, only two were from NEXT. The first was called Headhunter NEXT, and was the brainworm of several Incom employees who had fled the company. They had an idea, even after six months more a sketch and a set of planned experiments, for an improved, next-generation Headhunter, but using S-Foil technology to improve weaponry and heat dispersion, as well as allow greater atmospheric stability. This hypothetical machine, sometimes called the S-Wing, or the ZS-100, requires massive improvements in materials technology, engines, lasers, and more to be all it was promised. Luckily one of the designers came with an example of the prototype engine suggested, but to even get a prototype of this ZS-100 will take years. In the meantime, the project produces upgrades for more conventional ships.
The armor, discussed below, is the most successful of the NEXT projects for now, but whether the bickering councils and project-managers can work together in anything beyond that remains to be seen.
Scurrg H-6, H-7, H-8, etc Bomber
"It's perhaps the ugliest, slowest hunk of junk I've ever had the misfortune of seeing. I'd like at least ten."--Jedi Master Adi Gallia, Master of the Jedi Order
"'If you think the H-8 is good' she said, 'just wait until the H-18."--Punchline of a joke among pilots.
The H-6 has a long, strange history. The prototype was created five years before the Siege of Naboo, and at the time it was undoubtedly the galaxy's best heavy bomber… made to be sold to Naboo, which was of course not even remotely interested. The original design is now somewhat outdated, and the H-6 is slow and heavy… but the prototype was stolen by Nym, a member of the anti-Trade Federation pirate group the Lok Revenants. He upgraded and modified it further, and worked with Adi Gallia during the war. Upon hearing of the upgraded and improved version, some pro-Republic Naboo patriots spent considerable amounts of their fortune creating factories that ultimately made two-dozen of what were labeled the H-6B's.
As the Republic-Coalition war began, a new version, the H-7, was released, which required only three operators: pilot, turret gunner, and bombardier.
The H-6 and its sisters were huge ships, with strong shields and armor that made it able to survive direct laser blasts in a way more fitting of a small corvette than a bomber. They have their own hyperdrive, slow though it was, and six laser cannons, a turret, and room for over a dozen torpedoes, with mechanisms that allow multiple kinds of torpedoes to be housed together, or even swapped out for more conventional bombs or even mines. It was, of course, outrageously expensive.
The H-7 made it easier to produce, reduced the number of sentients required, and updated its launching mechanisms.
The H-8 slightly reduces the armor and maneuverability in favor of slightly more speed and a significantly lower cost. Already there are plans by several enthusiasts of the bomber to use new cheap durasteel variations to return to an H-9 just as armored and maneuverable while still being almost as cheap, and even faster.
In short, it's an eternal work in progress at the moment. However, supported by fast, nimble fighters it has now proven itself both in the more chaotic southern theatre and now under Commodore Ackbar. However, the famous story of a single H-8 destroying a Star Destroyer was more a result of bad circumstances on the part of the Destroyer, and high-level piloting on the part of the H-8. This event did lead to much greater caution among Republic forces, and almost single handedly revived what was a flagging interest in this work-in-progress of a ship. It, quite clearly, had potential.
Coalition Armor Revamp
"We'll be the most stylish and aesthetically pleasing corpses in the galaxy."--an anonymous Clone cynic, on the Coalition Armor mk 1.
Immediately as the war began, there was a very real problem. Two, though only one was practical. First, there were difficulties in telling one set of clone troopers apart from another. Second, the Clone armor was viewed as de-sentientizing.
Throughout the Clone Wars (sometimes called the First Clone War), there had been moves towards individualized armor, including different color schemes based on different armies. In the long term, the Republic's backlash against that--placing all Clone Troopers back in pure white armor with no identifying marks at all--helped distinguish them.
At the time of the start of the program, that wasn't known. They decided that they should slim the armor down, make it more breathable and comfortable in a wider variety of environments, and also more personalized. The first version managed all that, but also managed to protect the wearer about as much as just stripping them down naked and sending them off into battle. The armorweave wasn't properly made, and the armor panels were liable to shatter or splinter, besides not being modular enough.
The tests ended in disaster, and many spoke of abandoning it as a lost cause.
It was only the intervention of several Jedi and political figures, most infamously the Council Member Jordyan Bell, that saved the program. He whipped up a frenzy among pro-Clone groups within the Legislature, and soon there were accusations against the entire sub-committee. Jordyan Bell, who had absolutely no experience in the creation of armor whatsoever, managed to save the already expensive project, complete with a rename from Clone Armor Mark 3, to Coalition Armor, designed not only for clones, but a wider range of humanoids.
Fortunately, it worked this time, since it could have been a complete disaster. The new armor was modular, equally protective, and a lot easier to wear in every environment but arctic planets or regions in heavy winter, which eventually will be phased in. It was then tested, relatively successfully, and is currently being given to armies currently on rotation out of battle zones, so that they can get used to it and note any failures or problems, in case there needs to be a Mark 3.
And now all that's needed is to start manufacturing it in bulk.
*****
A/N: And Part Three will be coming out in a while, and will be about two people!
Well if you want an effective heavy bomber there aren't many better then the H line as the update notes but unfortunately even with the pressures of war the X-Wing will take years if not at least a decade to produce so unless this war goes on longer then expected it won't be a factor in the war. Still at least they managed to get functional upgraded armor the question is will stormtrooper armor be as protective or not since the Empire in the Galactic Civil War tended to view stormtroopers as somewhat disposable and thus did not maintain good quality armor but they are now fighting a peer competitor.
I suspect that Coalition will face difficulties with fighter combat since for all the TIE fighters flaws it was noted to be significantly faster and more maneuverable then contemporary fighters at the time of its introduction . I suspect upgrades of the Z-95 or Y-wing could close the gap but it will be interesting to see which is actually superior in frontline combat. Fortunately I suspect the Coalitions fighter doctrine will be far superior then the Empires view that the fighters are solely to protect the capital ships.
Also I assume both sides are working on upgraded capital ships they just haven't entered production yet?
Well if you want an effective heavy bomber there aren't many better then the H line as the update notes but unfortunately even with the pressures of war the X-Wing will take years if not at least a decade to produce so unless this war goes on longer then expected it won't be a factor in the war. Still at least they managed to get functional upgraded armor the question is will stormtrooper armor be as protective or not since the Empire in the Galactic Civil War tended to view stormtroopers as somewhat disposable and thus did not maintain good quality armor but they are now fighting a peer competitor.
I suspect that Coalition will face difficulties with fighter combat since for all the TIE fighters flaws it was noted to be significantly faster and more maneuverable then contemporary fighters at the time of its introduction . I suspect upgrades of the Z-95 or Y-wing could close the gap but it will be interesting to see which is actually superior in frontline combat. Fortunately I suspect the Coalitions fighter doctrine will be far superior then the Empires view that the fighters are solely to protect the capital ships.
Also I assume both sides are working on upgraded capital ships they just haven't entered production yet?
Yep! And in the case of the Coalition, they also can't really afford to try to streamline the kinds of capital ships they use. So Mon Cal will make its own kinds of capital ships, and the usual places will make various sorts of Star Destroyers, and etc, etc.
The Republic meanwhile will be a lot more uniform in that area... and also, of course, have a lot more in the way of ships in general.
I'm always kinda surprised by how people write about star wars tech- equivalent stuff has existed for tens of thousands of years, but everyone writes about the new spaceships in terms of generational improvements like they were jets right after WWII. Faster, more powerful, better armed- and all in the timescale of decades. In a setting where thousand year old ships are totally usable.
There's this disconnect between the culture around aircraft development and the lore that I don't think I've ever really seen anyone explore.
I'm always kinda surprised by how people write about star wars tech- equivalent stuff has existed for tens of thousands of years, but everyone writes about the new spaceships in terms of generational improvements like they were jets right after WWII. Faster, more powerful, better armed- and all in the timescale of decades. In a setting where thousand year old ships are totally usable.
There's this disconnect between the culture around aircraft development and the lore that I don't think I've ever really seen anyone explore.
To be fair, over the past thousand years there have been no large-scale wars, so I assume that a lot of the fighter upgrades up until the last few decades have been evolutionary ".00001% faster" sorts of stuff.
Jason Fry is actually really good at creating a feeling of slow evolution of technology over the last ten or twenty thousand years, even if it's of course much slower than anything IRL would ever see.
Nope! He wrote the Essential Atlas and also the Essential Guide to Warfare, and--though I've never read it--the novelization of The Last Jedi. As I said earlier when talking about grand strategy, he almost singlehandedly gave Star Wars an actual history instead of a series of disconnected events, which is what it was.
So the Coalition is still pretty outnumbered by the Republic, but not hideously so like the Rebellion vs the Empire?
Seeing the Havoc brought back great memories of the Starfighter series games on the PS2.
I'd attribute the slower march of technology to the sheer devastation many planets and governments have suffered over the years. Like it's hard to technologically innovate consistently when your economy and infrastructure is getting devastated every other century.
Month 5-6: The Shape of the Warfare So Far,Coalition--Part 3: Profiles In Competence
Month 5-6: The Shape of the Warfare So Far,Coalition--Part 3: Profiles In Competence
"Anybody will do for you, but not for me. I must have somebody."--Abraham Lincoln, on the challenge of finding good generals.
"War is too important to be left to the generals."--Georges Clemenceau.
Commodore Ackbar
Where, exactly, did he even come from?--One admirer
Why exactly is an army Captain so elevated?--Naval detractor
Captain Gial Ackbar was a prominent figure… but in the army, not the navy. Yet when the war began, he was given a Captain's rank in the Mon Cal Navy, and it is there that he's managed, against all expectations, to shine. A loyal patriot and a believer in Dac's system, he's largely self-taught when it comes to naval theory.
He seems to believe that the best set of tactics and strategy was the simplest. His tactics are not, at the moment, polished, and are instead carefully chosen to place the bulk of his forces where the enemy is weakest. This is obviously both very difficult and very simple, but he seems to manage this and the subordinates that he's gained on his ascent. After a stunning draw with Admiral Tuuk, saving a losing fight, he continued to serve ably against the forces of the Separatist council, before being reassigned to the collapsing naval front in the 'north' quadrant of the war.
There he executed his first pincer maneuver at the Battle of Ilim, saving Lantillies and with it the hyperspace road to Uyter, from the Republic forces. He trapped a seemingly victorious enemy between two strong forces and then, startlingly, hitting them with a well timed third. It was here that he first used the Ackbar Slash, flying in between two enemy formations as they tore each other apart. By the end of the battle, the Republic wasn't crushed, but they lacked the numbers to continue their advance, and retreated.
Just like that he was a hero. There's already talk on promoting him even further, but for the moment he remains a Commodore, and one of the bright spots in a war that has seen many naval disasters.
Sluzid
The unlikely first Clone General was not born or bred or even trained for leadership, but instead rose in power and position over the three years of the clone wars, most famous for his curiosity about other cultures, and for that matter how they waged war. His curiosity got him named, by one tribe, Sluzid: Questioner.
Certainly, he asked his questions politely and almost shyly. But he was quickly spinning out of control, and the 'worst' part was that the Jedi who commanded him encouraged it. He quickly realized that even with all the specialized training and units, Clones couldn't be everything and if they tried it'd be a problem. They should in fact learn from others in each new battlefield if they were to be surpassing soldiers, the best in the galaxy.
But increasingly he decided that this wasn't enough, and began encouraging working with the locals, not merely as an auxiliary, but integrated into the army. However, This was not at the unit level generally. When the second war came, he was ready, and when his Jedi fell he enacted his enlistment of the local Wali, and the Wookiees whose skill at jungle warfare was undoubted, and other groups, combining them not based on species' biases per se, but what they were good at. This mixed and combined arms tactics worked well with the ramshackle air support and different equipment that he had access to, and led to a bloody but decisive victory. This saved Von-Alai, consolation for the disheartening loss of Contruum.
Now, suddenly a General, he seeks to spread this idea. When called before the Upper Council, he was bold in his predictions:
"We have a better army than the Republic will have now, or in two years. At this very moment we could do nothing more than to make sure to keep them supplied, and their arms and technology up to date, and they will not surpass us on the battlefield in numbers or skill. But they don't need to. With their advantage in naval forces, if we stay still and let our advantage on planetary battlefields erode… we are lost. We are more than lost, we are doomed. So we must continue to evolve: not a dozen tools in a Generals' arsenal, but hundreds, Wookiee jungle fighters, Twi'lek commandos, Zeltron spies, human irregulars, and more. Not merely separate auxiliary armies, but part of every army. If we can do this, we can make a fighting force the likes of which the galaxy has never seen and will never see again."
He said it all so quietly, so politely, but he meant every word. And the politicians heard not only something that seemed pragmatic, but politically and ideologically sound. It would be far easier to encourage various planets to send their forces if they were part of the Clones, who were trusted and respected, and even more so if the Coalition was seeking not merely the common footsoldier, but the elites, or the experienced cadres. Harder to replace, but less likely to revolt.
Plus, of course, the vision of the species' of the Galaxy all working together as one was a great symbol. They approved the experiment almost entirely unanimously, despite the cost it would entail. The only caveat was that it would be an experiment, present in only a few armies at this point, until it was proven.
But even with that caveat, the Coalition now had a leading general, and a new set of tactics and deployment doctrines.
******
A/N: And with that, I'm gonna work on the big vote for you to make, plan vote, to get us back into the swing of things. Apologies for the wait! I hope I didn't bore anyone.
To be fair, over the past thousand years there have been no large-scale wars, so I assume that a lot of the fighter upgrades up until the last few decades have been evolutionary ".00001% faster" sorts of stuff.
Jason Fry is actually really good at creating a feeling of slow evolution of technology over the last ten or twenty thousand years, even if it's of course much slower than anything IRL would ever see.
In fairness when looked at over a long enough time scale the current speed of technological growth is an aberration that will eventually have to end as we run into physical laws that cannot be broken or bypassed. We can hope that is far out but it will eventually happen and if Star Wars as seems likely has run into these hard limits its not surprising its technology has plateaued.
I always though Ackbar was a naval officer even when he worked for Len Char as head of his personnel guard but if not he certainly rose to the occasion as a naval commander. I do wonder how he transferred between the army and navy though and certainly understand the shock at finding an army officer was an even better naval commander. Also Sluzid is correct that an army that combines clone numbers and skill with local knowledge and specialties will be fearsome, the problem of course is actually getting them to other planets.
Its unfortunate but Palpatine's advantage in naval warfare is probably more useful when it comes to winning the war then the Coalitions advantage when it comes to its army, since Palpatine is both entirely willing to just bomb planets into submission if he cannot conquer them with his troops as well as the simple fact that if you establish a naval blockade it doesn't matter how strong the army they still can't contribute to the rest of the war, even if you cannot find the troops to conquer them. The Japanese learned this during the Island hopping campaigns of WWII when the United States just bypassed their armies stationed on various islands and left them to wither on the vine thanks to their naval superiority something Palpatines forces are also capable of if they just are intelligent about it.
Seluku and Baqqanid continue Nima's education! What takes up most of her time? (Choose 1)
[] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified.
[] Studying the philosophy of Riders yet further. There has to be some way to synthesize the Jedi and the Rider, though Seluku and Baqqanid try to remind her that Riders are defined by practice as well.
[] Nima could perhaps learn how to make her own Shuhudaku dagger. It'd be difficult, but knowing how to make one's weapons opens up a lot of possibilities.
Social Activity among fellow Jedi! (Choose 2)
[] She has a chance to send a message to Jayne and Wessen, and perhaps give advice.
[] Ayguin gets in contact with her, wanting to talk about… what happened with Barriss, though she doesn't see things Nima's way.
[] She finds herself in close contact with Master Adi Gallia, enough to form very distinct impressions. Mostly positive. Mostly.
[] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
[] Hannah and Katarina together send Nima a message. It's still oddly weird, considering her crushes, to see how well they get along with each other. Weird… and unnerving.
[] She visits Scout very briefly for a stop-over, and gets a peek at what the training is like.
Exploring the Galaxy! (Choose 1)
[] Nima discovers video games on a planet where it's thought of as rude not to at least give them a try. She likes making sure to make all the right choices so that everyone is happy. She doesn't like the violence parts. She reloads the parts where she makes the wrong choices again and again until she gets it right.
[] She sees an astrological event that happens once every thousand years. And she's there, ready for it, by sheer chance.
[] Nima Tyruti learns the joys of trying different planet's cultural foodways across the known galaxy, though she of course has to exercise all the harder for it.
[] Nima winds up accidentally involved in some sort of extreme sport contest. The galaxy really is a strange place, isn't it?
[] Nima advances her attempts to understand Old Coruscanti and the Rakatan heritage, and in doing so winds up the center of a very minor academic controversy.
Social Activity otherwise (Choose 1)
[] Nima gets roped into babysitting for a brief time. Well, okay, so it's not called babysitting, but Han Solo is something of a brat, so really it counts, right?
[] In the middle of her work, she happens upon her mother. It's really kinda awkward when you think about it, because she's trying to be serious and earnest and talk about diplomatic projections, and there's her mother.
[] Nima finds that people her age will--especially if they don't know she's a Jedi--flirt with her. It's honestly kinda weird. But she does wind up making a friend!
[] She gets a surprise appearance from one of the people she'd helped before, on one of the previous missions… in a completely different context.
Diplomatic Training (Choose 2)
[] Studying the exact etiquette of various banquets, feasts, and social events is hardly the most exciting thing in the galaxy--if you aren't Nima Tyruti, that is--but it is very necessary!
[] Her teachers decide to help her understand the art of the non-answer and the deflection, and the value of withholding judgement.
[] A crash course in common conflicts that lead to Jedi diplomatic intervention and how to break them down: a Jedi will not be an expert in tariff policy, but might be called on to adjudicate the matter anyways. Similarly, Jedi have tricks for these sorts of situations.
[] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
[] Lessons in posture, self-presentation, and diplomatic dress. Why exactly can't Nima walk around everywhere in Rider's boots, again?!
[] Awareness and alertness training: while most diplomatic missions remain peaceful, a Jedi needs to be ready in case it all turns into a disaster.
Bell's Messages (Choose 1)
[] Bell sends a message that provides hints of what he's up to that helps Nima understand the state of the war slightly better.
[] Bell's message is sappy and more reflective than 'practical' but that only makes Nima want to write back to him with equally personal details about her life, rather than any of the struggles going on as well.
[] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
*******
A/N: So here we go! This is a plan vote sort of thing. I really do hope I didn't drive away too many people by all of this Interlude stuff. I'm at last done with it, and we'll be back with the regular programming!
[] Nima discovers video games on a planet where it's thought of as rude not to at least give them a try. She likes making sure to make all the right choices so that everyone is happy. She doesn't like the violence parts. She reloads the parts where she makes the wrong choices again and again until she gets it right.
Don't know if theres a Moratorium so till I know just a empty plan
[X]Plan: Hopefully physically less incompetent. -[X] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified. -[X] Hannah and Katarina together send Nima a message. It's still oddly weird, considering her crushes, to see how well they get along with each other. Weird… and unnerving. -[X] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence. -[X] Nima advances her attempts to understand Old Coruscanti and the Rakatan heritage, and in doing so winds up the center of a very minor academic controversy. -[X] In the middle of her work, she happens upon her mother. It's really kinda awkward when you think about it, because she's trying to be serious and earnest and talk about diplomatic projections, and there's her mother. -[X] A crash course in common conflicts that lead to Jedi diplomatic intervention and how to break them down: a Jedi will not be an expert in tariff policy, but might be called on to adjudicate the matter anyways. Similarly, Jedi have tricks for these sorts of situations. -[X] Awareness and alertness training: while most diplomatic missions remain peaceful, a Jedi needs to be ready in case it all turns into a disaster. -[X] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
Whatever's picked I just hope this is among it. I hope it might prevent a repeat of the later half of the last ark, talk about a pointlessly frustrating slog to read through.
[X] Plan Just Stuff I Want To See TBH
-[X] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified.
-[X] She has a chance to send a message to Jayne and Wessen, and perhaps give advice.
-[X] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
-[X] Nima discovers video games on a planet where it's thought of as rude not to at least give them a try. She likes making sure to make all the right choices so that everyone is happy. She doesn't like the violence parts. She reloads the parts where she makes the wrong choices again and again until she gets it right.
-[X] Nima finds that people her age will--especially if they don't know she's a Jedi--flirt with her. It's honestly kinda weird. But she does wind up making a friend!
-[X] A crash course in common conflicts that lead to Jedi diplomatic intervention and how to break them down: a Jedi will not be an expert in tariff policy, but might be called on to adjudicate the matter anyways. Similarly, Jedi have tricks for these sorts of situations.
-[X] Lessons in posture, self-presentation, and diplomatic dress. Why exactly can't Nima walk around everywhere in Rider's boots, again?!
-[X] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
Whatever's picked I just hope this is among it. I hope it might prevent a repeat of the later half of the last ark, talk about a pointlessly frustrating slog to read through.
I think that slog is more a consequence of the events of the Corellia arc. Nima is never gonna be the best duelist, and a lot of the other choices are so great.
[] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
This one seems important to me. It's been so long, and you have to wonder how she has faired in all the time that's passed. I don't know what else to pick though, they're all so good.
Exploring the Galaxy! (Choose 1)
Food holds the least interest for me, and I'm overall more invested in the Rakatan stuff. The others are good though, and I'm curious where other people land.
Social Activity otherwise (Choose 1)
Not sure about this category. I like the idea of a new friend, as well as a returning character, but it means we don't get 'screen time' with people we already know.
Diplomatic Training (Choose 2)
[] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
Nima really needs this, for the second I'm thinking either awareness training or the common conflicts crash course.
Plan [X]New Millennium
[X] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified.
[X] Ayguin gets in contact with her, wanting to talk about… what happened with Barriss, though she doesn't see things Nima's way.
[X] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
[X] She sees an astrological event that happens once every thousand years. And she's there, ready for it, by sheer chance.
[X] Nima finds that people her age will--especially if they don't know she's a Jedi--flirt with her. It's honestly kinda weird. But she does wind up making a friend!
[X] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
[X] Awareness and alertness training: while most diplomatic missions remain peaceful, a Jedi needs to be ready in case it all turns into a disaster.
[X] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
I think that slog is more a consequence of the events of the Corellia arc. Nima is never gonna be the best duelist, and a lot of the other choices are so great.
I know exactly what the cause was, doesn't make it any less of a frustrating slog to read. It took a lot of effort to not just skim till the end. And while she might not be the best duelist right now, that can change especially if we try to make her actually train to be less physically inept. Because we know she can be better, like when she incorporates her rider skills she does become a great combatant.
[X] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified.
[X] Ayguin gets in contact with her, wanting to talk about… what happened with Barriss, though she doesn't see things Nima's way.
[X] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
[X] She sees an astrological event that happens once every thousand years. And she's there, ready for it, by sheer chance.
[X] Nima finds that people her age will--especially if they don't know she's a Jedi--flirt with her. It's honestly kinda weird. But she does wind up making a friend!
[X] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
[X] Awareness and alertness training: while most diplomatic missions remain peaceful, a Jedi needs to be ready in case it all turns into a disaster.
[X] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
Nima's not the most excited about violence, but this is an integral part of being a Rider, so we should do it. Aldo, The Laurent, I think some text got cut off from this option.
[] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
[] Hannah and Katarina together send Nima a message. It's still oddly weird, considering her crushes, to see how well they get along with each other. Weird… and unnerving.
[] Nima Tyruti learns the joys of trying different planet's cultural foodways across the known galaxy, though she of course has to exercise all the harder for it.
[] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
This works well with both Nima's talents and the previous vote. Let's teach Nima the ancient Jedi art of sounding wise by speaking in mysterious nonsense metaphors!
[] Plan Agressive Negotiations
-[] Practice at throwing her Shuhudaku dagger. It's a deadly option, in a way that even a lightsaber thrust doesn't have to be… but she faces foes where this might, as a last resort, be justified.
-[] Ahsoka happens to be there during one of the more minor diplomatic missions she was dragged off to. Nima wonders whether it really can be a coincidence.
-[] She has a chance to send a message to Jayne and Wessen, and perhaps give advice.
-[] She sees an astrological event that happens once every thousand years. And she's there, ready for it, by sheer chance.
-[] In the middle of her work, she happens upon her mother. It's really kinda awkward when you think about it, because she's trying to be serious and earnest and talk about diplomatic projections, and there's her mother.
-[] Training in how to better read emotions and interpret them when it comes to negotiations, and how to use one's Empathy to your diplomatic advantage.
-[] Awareness and alertness training: while most diplomatic missions remain peaceful, a Jedi needs to be ready in case it all turns into a disaster.
-[] He gives her advice on training regimes and making sure not to let her physical fitness and lightsaber skill wane all that much.
[X]Plan: Hopefully physically less incompetent.
Reasoning:
Rider: I think the dagger is neat and am sad to see it not mentioned or used enough plus mystery trait
Jedi Social: Three people Nima hasn't interacted for awhile
Explorering: There is no coincidence only the Force and something I think Nima should see nature is beautiful
Social: Not much to say about this one just think it's nice addition to diplomacy arc
Diplomacy: Handy skills
Bell: Yeah Nima a diplo character but as the previous arc showed she's getting in more dangerous situation and Nima might not be lucky to land in the hands of reasonable foes
And while she might not be the best duelist right now, that can change especially if we try to make her actually train to be less physically inept. Because we know she can be better, like when she incorporates her rider skills she does become a great combatant.
I don't think, in straight combat, that she's likely to surpass what constitutes average. At least any time soon. The weight lifting might mean she's a bit stronger than normal but Nima is already split between Diplomacy and Mind Healing. I just think dedicated saber training is a distant thing quest-wise, and something that Nima herself would focus on as much as those other things.
That said, I am open to voting for Bell's training advice. I'm just waiting to see what other people have to say, and get a read of where people's priorities lie.
