Alrighty then! With the vote done, have an Omake I worked on! Thanks to TaliesinSkye for helping me edit this.
Back to Basics
Dud-dud-dunt. Dud-dud-dunt. Brianna cast a scathing look to the direction of the obtrusive noise, or more so at its cause. Atton Rand offered a casual, almost jovial wave of the hand in return, before continuing to strum his fingers along the arm of his seat. His immense boredom could be seen as well as felt through the Force by the rest of the Council, even as they conducted their discussions in spite of the noise. With Atton it was anyone's guess as to whether his boredom was a disguise, or his true feelings.
Still, he kept clued into the ongoing noise, even as he mentally kept count of his game within his head. Flip the 2, subtract from 21. At 19 now… good enough, stand. His mental gymnastics kept him occupied as the rest of the members rehashed events. Yadayada dark side, yadayada sending Sith holocrons into the stellar garbage shoot. All pretty standard fare in the Sentinel's eye.
"And so, we move on to the next topic of discussion," Bao-Dur began, his tone locked and steady in that way it always was. "As we are all aware, we are to hold an election for the position of Battlemaster in today's meeting. I assume you all looked over the messages I sent you regarding primary candidates?"
"I would like to say, before anything, that I wish not to be put in such a role. I believe myself more suited to the front-lines of combat, and have not much mind for things like tactics," stated Juhani. Bao-Dur nodded, but frowned.
"Unfortunate, but your opinion will be noted, Master Juhani." She seemed calmed by this, as her presence in the Force mellowed itself out. While a skilled fighter in her own right, Juhani was one of the most easily read of the Council, her emotions echoing outward through the Force she actively suppressed them.
"Do we have any volunteers?" Bao-Dur asked. No voices were heard, no hands were raised, and so the man sighed. "Alright. Let us hear the nominations then."
Brianna was the first to speak, almost immediately. "I would nominate Bastilla." Their eyes met, a mutual respect evident between the two. "Her experience in previous battles speaks for itself. I believe her leadership will allow proper teamwork to be fostered throughout the Order. A core understanding of group cohesion is something that should hold priority."
The Council gave thought to the words, Bastilla taking in the praise with a straight face. Then she spoke as well, "I nominate Brianna." A slight smile, as though she were amused by herself. "She has much to teach, and a lifetime of culture and techniques to share and incorporate. Her fighting prowess is among the greatest of us all. Would anyone disagree?" None did.
Yet more time spent considering the proposal. Bao-Dur glanced around the room, filtering out his thoughts to truly analyze whom he thought fit the role best.
"I nominate Atton."
The man known as Atton Rand lost count of his cards.
Mical met the eyes of confused compatriots, resolve on his face. He returned the harsh flare of the Sentinel without an expression marred by his thoughts. Taking in the confused mass of the Council, Mical gave his take on the discussion. "It is to my belief that the Jedi as a whole were defeated not just by the Sith, but their unwillingness to adapt to new threats. They grew too hidebound, too caught up within their assured safety behind the walls of the temples… I would hope that this new Order we are creating can avoid the same mistakes repeated by the previous generation."
"And how's that involve me?" Atton's voice was cutting, suspicion tinging his tone, though somehow retaining the professional lilt to it that had slowly been creeping into his voice since he'd taken on a Padawan. His posture was tense now with his eyes narrowed, his presence extended in the Force, searching for a trap.
Mical met his suspicion without hesitation and with a calm to his voice. "You have prior experience working with the Sith, do you not?" An uncomfortable question, though Atton had long since divulged such knowledge to his companions, and so with a glare the man gave a tight nod. "You have developed your own manner of defenses against certain Force related techniques, have studied different avenues of approach to defeat Sit-"
"Jedi," he interrupted, hostility now clear. "I learned how to hunt Jedi. Not Sith."
Mical cleared his throat, tripped up only momentarily by the interruption. "Ah. Yes. Regardless, such a long list of experience fighting Force users without your own use of the Force is commendable, and could prove paramount in any future battles the Republic may come to face. It is my belief that you would make an excellent Battlemaster."
Their gazes were locked, matching one another up in a rivalry of wills that had never truly been decided. Bao-Dur's slight clap of the hands was enough to jostle them, the sound of flesh meeting metal resonating in the Council Chamber.
"Right then. Is that everyone?" He looked around the room, searching for detractors, before nodding. "If you all would, please cast your vote."
"Bastilla." Brianna spoke first once again.
"Brianna." Bastilla followed up smoothly.
"Atton." Mical was not far behind.
"Brianna." Juhani unsurprisingly followed the lead of her friend in this matter.
"Hmm. Atton." Mira had an odd smirk on her face as she spoke, an interest in her eyes that was rarely found during these meetings.
"Bastilla." Atton said, odd tone to his voice.
"...Atton." A few measured looks of surprise towards Visas, who remained resolute in her vote despite it.
"And as the final vote here, I too vote for Atton." Bao-Dur concluded, even as the human male slumped back in his seat with shock at the turnaround in today's discussions. "That is," he continued, steepling his fingers together and looking to the former smuggler, "if you would take the position. Of course this is not going to be forced upon you. You are free to reject it and leave it to someone else."
"...what choice do I have, if people think I'm the guy for the job? Would hate to let everyone down." False bravado entering his tone, alongside a hint of resignation. "I'll do it."
And so the meeting was called to an end.
Atton slowly shuffled his way back to his room, mind wandering, before receiving a message from his comms. A look down at its contents had him frowning.
Meet in the Training Halls. - Brianna
He sighed, considering the possibilities of ignoring the schutta before abandoning that train of thought. He had to be 'responsible' now and that meant going to meet other members of the Council when called. He mentally cursed himself as he turned down a separate corridor, beelining for the Training Halls. Placing a hand on the final door, he could sense Brianna in the room inside, not bothering to hide her presence. The door opened with a hiss and he took a step inside.
"Alright, what's so import-"
It took him almost a quarter of a second to register that the presence he'd felt in the room was already fading, and beneath it he could now sense the one that had been concealed behind it. It took even less time for his body to drop, entering an unarmed stance, defending himself.
Brianna took a fraction of the time to penetrate every defense and lay him out flat on his back, the breath leaving his body in a huff of expelled air.
"You were not ready," she cut the atmosphere with a cold voice like a blade. "I was barely making an effort to hide myself from you and yet I took you by surprise. Were we not allies, you would be dead."
The man in question struggled to rise, chest still trying to recoup as air fought to reach his lungs. "Well excuse me for not expecting to be attacked by a crazy schutta!" He was clearly ready for battle now, body entering Echani battle forms that were ingrained in his stance. Even so, Brianna frowned at the sight.
"You are excused," she allowed. "Still, if you are to be in charge of administering training to so many… you cannot allow yourself to be unprepared." The determined sound in her voice took Atton off guard.
"Oh yeah? And why do you care?"
Her frown spoke volumes. "I care because I do not believe you are worthy of the role you have been given. You are lazy and unmotivated, you treat your tasks with behavior unfitting of your station. Therefore, I will ensure that you are ready. I will not have others suffer for your failings."
To Atton strangely enough, her hostility was comforting. Familiar. Put the entire situation into perspective. "And if I refuse?" He questioned carefully.
"Then I shall bring my complaints to the Grandmaster. It is not my place to question the judgment of the Council's final decision, and so unless my hand is forced, I will make do with what I have." She looked the man's form up and down, frowning as her scrutiny intensified. "Your form is unfinished. Stance not cemented in the basics. Whoever taught you did a terrible job."
His pride taking a hit at the slight, Atton was quick to counter, "I'll have you know I'm self-taught. Lots of Echani mercs on both sides of the war, and you end up fighting quite a few if you survive long. I picked up what I could. Excuse me if it isn't exactly up to your standards of perfection, your Highness."
"I am not royalty," she countered. "And that is fine. I will have to bring you back to the basics. Now, watch closely."
So it was that Atton came to immediately regret having taken the job of Battlemaster.
