Oh Geez [Dragon School]

[Josh Dragovalor]

For one reason or another, a group of his students had requested a group session. While normally for less experienced students he kept them to singular sessions until they were ready after a series of failed students had made the group formula need to be cut down, Josh was fine to make an exception if that was their level of comfort.

Josh was still walking gingerly but he was finally off that infernal walking stick and able to walk freely. He had [member="Eenia Vahn"] to thank for that, he supposed. Either her or her sister had been dragged into this rigamaroo organized by these two miscreants somehow, but he would oblige them if that helped to repay the debt he felt he owed.

When @Raj Lono, [member="Lucius"] Andros and whichever’s Vahn sister it was, entered, Josh had set up the holographic capabilities of the training room for this session.

“I’ve thought about what sort of lesson I should organize for a requesting group and I think I’ve found it” He revealed to the group, looking from one to the next to the next with his hands folded behind his back. “Today you will be entering a simulated environment with one goal. Protect any and all civilians.”

He tossed training lightsabers - things that would minorly burn at the touch if they managed to graze themselves - to Raj and Lucius, as he continued.

“You will be facing a group of Tusken Raiders within a desert village on Tatooine. You will feel the real scorching heat and it will slow you down and fatigue you faster. But that will not mean the bolts being fired from their blasters will be weakened, nothing will be going easy on you here. If you are hit, they will hurt. And potentially incapacitate you. But the most important part of being a Jedi... Is defending others. That is the lifeblood of our work. The whole reason we’re here.

If a single civilian dies, the simulation ends and you fail. It doesn’t matter how. Shot, beaten to death... Blown up... Caught in the crossfire between you and your enemies... Collateral damage to human lives are unacceptable. You will fail if they die, no matter how they die. Your mission is to eliminate all threats while preventing civilian casualties. I repeat: All threats. No casualties.

Any questions?”

 

[Trayze Tesar]

"Are the Tuskens fair game?" came the quickest response from the Nautolan. It was the simplest, though most daring one so far, though very much the character of Raj Lono. Peace through decisive acting, and superior firepower was the maxim the Nautolan lived behind. "And perhaps for Lucius, they can't be negotiated with, can they?"

The half-teasing tone actually belied a sincere intent, that either coordinating the civilians or persuading the Tuskens would be more viable and preferable than going in guns blazing. "Maybe we could bore them to death with Lucius's rhetoric, an' by the time the tuskies realize what's up, the civilians would be long gone." Lucius always one a master or rhetoric, while Raj preferred letting his actions do the talking. Though this new girl...he'd never seen her before. Or maybe he did, the Academy was incredibly large.

[member="Lucius"] | [member="Josh Dragonsflame"] | [member="Eenia Vahn"]​

 

[Eenia Vahn]

This was so not a good idea. Eenia was only just getting back into training. She was only just getting used to moving the way she needed, and stretching her Force abilities the way she had been doing. Her body was still a little stiff in the way she moved, was still a little rough around the edges, but she was at least at it again. However, the idea of a group training? Well, that wasn't something she was sure she was ready for. The last ones she had been a part of, well...

No, she didn't want to think about those. Ever.

So, Nia made her way to where she had been summoned, and she stepped into the room with a deep sigh through her nose. She glanced around once, then twice, took in the setting, and her brow immediately creased. What the hell was all this, and what was she getting into now?

She didn't have to wait long for an answer. As soon as she was lined up with the pair she was apparently going to be working with, their Master began to speak. The crease in Eenia's brow deepened, and her stance even dropped a tad. A simulation field? That was...pretty hardcore. But more than that?

"Master," the blonde girl spoke out, and she glanced at the male pair briefly before looking back to Josh. "Do I get a weapon?" It was a fair question, considering the boys had been given training sabers and she hadn't been.


[member="Josh Dragonsflame"], [member="Lucius"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Raj Lono"] asked if the Tuskens could be killed safely, and if there was possibility of negotiation. "There is no time for negotiation when it comes to Tuskens forming a raiding party. Kill them if you must, though do not get too comfortable with killing" Josh would remark toward him in turn. It was there that he looked to [member="Eenia Vahn"] when she asked about a weapon of her own. And with that, a smile began to cross his face. He had been wondering how to go around to doing what he had to do. He'd intended to give it to her for a little bit, but the war had occupied his time until now.

It seemed now, he would be able to start repaying his debt.

"Why Eenia" He spoke up with feigned surprise with a cheeky grin as he strode toward her, pulling out her lost lightsaber and pressing it into her hands. "You have a weapon, don't you? Remember not to lose it. To many Jedi, a lightsaber is their life. And indeed, it very much can mean the difference between life and death."

Anora had returned it some time ago, though had decided not to perform the task herself. Josh had been chosen to do so in her stead. He supposed this was as good a time as any to do it.

 

[Lucius Alexandros]

Lucius analyzed the situation...
No diplomacy, no civilian casualties, defeat all threats...Interesting. That means that the traditional approach would be to keep them hidden, but if you're thinking realstically here that's what the Tuskens would anticipate, thus the safest position for them is actually...

Lucius turned to Raj. He whispered.

"Put the civilians on the front lines. Use them as bait, then we'll ambush them. But have hidden shields for the civilians so the blasts won't hurt them, it'll surprise the enemy. This will lure the Tuskens into our trap while preventing civilian casualties. If you're wondering how to protect them from physical attacks, we'll be ambushing them before they get that close. This is actually the safest strategy as the Tuskens would expect us to be protecting them and hiding them, so this will catch them off guard and maximize the civilian's safety. It's risky, but that's what makes it the safest plan."

Lucius was pleased with himself and his own cunning. He was known for thinking outside the box, and taking big bold risks with the idea that the safest plan was the boldest and most unexpected one. But boldness for boldness's sake, of course, could lead into a trap. And being unpredictable doesn't always mean success. So it was a subtle balance, one Lucius aimed to master.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

At first, Eenia had seemed confused. She clearly didn't have a weapon in hand, that's why she had asked the question in the first place. Yet it was very obvious that the Master in the room was up to something, if only by the grin on his face in that moment. So when her had-been lost light saber was brought into view, both of Nia's brows lofted and her arms dropped from behind her back. Her aquatic gaze cast over the weapon multiple times before it rose to look Josh in the face instead.

"Anora is here?" she may not remember all of the details of the fight with her big sister, but she most definitely remembered that the last time she saw the saber, it had been in Anora's hand, and big sister wouldn't have trusted anyone else to return it. Though admittedly, she was surprised it had been returned at all, considering the nature of it's loss.

But it seemed the conversation would need to be put on hold, because she just so happened to tune into the other pair of padawans in the room, and while she couldn't hear the entirety of the conversation over battle strategy, she certainly heard enough to make her frown and shift her focus to the pair. She reached out and took her light saber from Josh, then shifted her frame so that she was mostly facing the other pair. "Are you out of your damn mind?" she questioned, firmly to make sure she pulled focus. "What part of 'no civilian casualties' do you not understand? Using them as bait is exactly the sort of thing that leads to civilian casualties."

Oh yeah, that plan wasn't going to fly with Nia on the team. She was a healer, dedicated to the lives of other people. So this sort of plan? Completely against her (reformed) moral code.


[member="Josh Dragonsflame"], [member="Lucius Alexandros"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smiled lightly at Eenia's reaction and then at her question. "Yes" He spoke softly. "She has returned to the Silvers full time and has been reinstated in my class at her request."

He didn't get a chance to elaborate on the circumstances that led there though. While Eenia beat him to the punch of speaking out, Josh had slowly turned and stared at the other two students, [member="Lucius Alexandros"] and [member="Raj Lono"] who had been in the middle of a strategy meeting. One involving using the defenseless civilian villagers as bait. When Eenia had finished, Josh just continued to stare a hole through them with a piercing gaze. A hole stared through them that most likely they wouldn't forget anytime soon.

There wasn't much his Padawans could do to tick him off. But these lucky sods had managed to find one right out of the gate.

"Three people defending a village against a group of Tusken Raiders" Josh reminded them, his tone calm yet not very well hiding the annoyance under the surface. "Let's say you use them as bait, which by the way... Is utterly inhumane and never should have crossed your mind to begin with. So with a group that large, as most Tusken parties are large... The odds of them breaking past your defences, even without killing you, are very high. And then you just killed a whole village. Congratulations."

He slow clapped. He didn't want to be too harsh with a lecture, but this was something that needed to be hammered out fast. This entire plan was inhumane first up, and also entirely depending on their arrogant notion that no Tusken would get past a couple of Padawans.

"Furthermore, as I said... The act itself is inumane and unbecoming of a Jedi, especially one representing the Silver Jedi Order. Your first priority is to protect them. They shouldn't even be in sight of the raiders, much less being used to bait a trap that if it doesn't kill them all in time, instead slaughters an entire village. Men, women, children... You will have failed them all because you failed to remember these priorities. If you are put in a position where taking a risk is absolutely necessary... Risk yourself, and nobody else. Rule of thumb. The lives of a few of us, are not worth more than the lives of an entire village. That's life. That's what you swore when you came here. You are the shield, not the other way around.

And speaking of humane... Do you really think that anyone's going to go for a random stranger telling them to put themselves in harm's way? What were you going to do if they refused? Force them? Think about the long-term consequences of that. How it effects you... How it effects all of us and our ability to do our job."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "I never want to hear a word about intentionally endangering civilians, or using them as bait, either while you are in my class, or even when you graduate. Never again. Do I make myself clear? Because if you ever do so on the field... You will answer to the Assembly. And they will not be as cordial about this as I have been."

With that out of the way, he supposed the least he could do was help.

"Request the villagers split into groups and hide across the village. It'll be faster and more humane than trying to position them behind shields on the front lines, and they'll be more likely to agree to it. Furthermore, Tuskens are typically bloodthirsty. If the villagers are nowhere to be seen, they'll be less likely to break past your defences in favour of trying to cause what human casualties they can actually see. In the likelihood they do look for others, their hiding gives you time to put a stop to it."

[member="Eenia Vahn"]