Status Report [Tal]

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki was rarely seen wearing her uniform, unless she was spending a day in bureaucracy. Today was one of these days. She didn't mind though, because it was a change of pace. Of course, if someone tried to chain her to a desk, that'd be a whole different story. She was proud of her work as a Chief mechanics in the Republic Navy, as her grade of Captain proved her worth.

She had adjusted her name tag, her twin sister and her being the only one wearing ones with their first name instead of their last one. It had been former supreme commander Angellus who had given these name tags to the Reese sisters. Oh, how they had made fun of the situation back then.

The blonde in her thirties reached the level where she was headed and announced herself. She had been reviewing a lot of the New Republic's technical supplies and ship parts, over the past month, and it was time to give the report to the General.

Now, she was just going to wait until he could see her, especially as she had arrived early.

[Tal Kote]

-Anything navy related; the mandalorian had left in the hands of the Navy officers. Kote had complete confidence that they would get the job done without the need for direction. Of course, that was to go without saying of the Chief of Starfighter Corps. Through and through it wasn't anything to be stressing about. The mandalorian, himself, was a pilot. He could fly starfighters around and engage in battle. But tactics? Forget that. The man was near clueless when it came to coming up with a plan for a mission. He could definitely do it with the Army... it was just a little more difficult with the Navy. And of course the personal in the Navy were working hard to bring reports and studies of what was truly happening.-

-In the Onasi Compound; one hardly saw the blond in a service dress uniform. Unless it was a meeting of the minds -- Chief of State, High General, and Director -- to discuss new things concerning of the NR. Here of all places where nearly every officer had their uniform on... the mandalorian himself just didn't dress the same way they did. Personal preference possibly.-

-The shirt he wore was white on the top down to about half way, and the bottom of the shirt was black (like this, a nice pair of blue jeans. and a good pair of shoes to go along with them. Since he was a little more mature now; he actually hid his prosthetic arm under synthflesh. However, his other arm was a different question. Tal may of looked to be a skinny scrawny guy, but through it all he was rather muscular in frame and built. This just showed how much time and training the mandalorian put into keeping himself fit. Even with all that his hair was still neatly pushed off to the side.-

-It was just one of those days with nothing to do, but observe the daily activity of the officers before him. Of course, he didn't have anything to do; but the military officers was a different scenario all together. Wandering around the halls; the mandalorian came up to a person who was introducing herself to his secretary.-

"Aaahh here he is now," -She said in a calm tone of voice.-

"Captain Reese, you are here early?" -Tal questioned looking at the clock on his left wrist.- "I wasn't expecting you to arrive till about an hour or two?"

[Ranooki Reese]

When the High General showed up, Ranooki turned on her heels and saluted, a grin on her lips. "Professional habit, sir. I realized I was fifty minutes early when reaching this floor." She was always the first to arrive to work and last to leave. Mechanics were her life, and that meant that she had a tendency to be early wherever she was meant to be.

"I'm good with waiting until the right time of course." She added. After all, she could always keep herself busy with some reading or going through more supply orders she had to place later on during the day.

[Tal Kote]

-The blond mandalorian smirked; it was everyday that someone in the NR came out with sly comments. Of course that was speaking if they were good ones or ones against the higher staff of the military. government, and Intel. Between attending meetings with his officers and in turn attending meetings with the respective leaders... he had his hands full. However, today was just one of those days that the man wanted to sit and relax. Captain Ranooki was the only person who requested a meeting with the High General an got it "approved".-

"I see nothing wrong with that," -He responded in a thick mandalorian accent.- "Since you are already here; I see no reason in keeping you waiting any longer. Come; walk with me."

-Instead of heading into the High General's standard office; he paced past the captain down the hallway of the Onasi compound. Military personal of many different ranks did their job. Those of higher rank had more things to do compared to that of those with lower rank. Tal knew, he had paperwork for when he was with the SpecForce, and now he was signing papers as the High General. Walking down the hallway; Kote's intention was to leave the building and head somewhere a little more interesting. He always hated being crammed into an office with a desk, a holo-computer, a chair, and paperwork to sign.-

-As they walked; Tal's yellow eyes looked over to the mechanic before him.-

"Something on your mind, Captain?" -He finally questioned breaking the silence.-

[Ranooki Reese]

"Sure thing, sir." Ranooki appreciated to be walking instead of being stuck sitting in an office. She liked being able to be on the move. While her work as a mechanics could be physical at times, she could also be stuck in the same position of ours when tinkering with certain ship parts.

"I wouldn't have sought to meet with you if I didn't have a good reason." She replied with a slight grin. She had a lot on her mind, but she would take things one at a time.

"The supplies needed and the evaluation of the new equipment we received are all noted in the reports that I just gave your assistant today. So you can go through them at length without my presence."

She paused for a short moment and then went to the crux of the matter. "I have served as Chief Engineer aboard former Supreme Commander Angellus's flag ship, and also for both Wraith Squadron and more recently Rogue Squadron. In the last month, I have also traveled to check on new ships being constructed for the Navy on other Republic planets. I would be interested, when the time is right, to be considered to take charge of reviewing of Navy mechanics and oversee their work." She knew that she was nearing possible promotion to the rank of Lt. Commander, and that this position was based on Telos. She was hoping that her credentials would allow for such things in the near future.

[Tal Kote]

"That's one way to put it," -The mandalorian responded rather abruptly.- "I don't think it's just out Navy that needs overlooking, but our army as well. We do have mechanics in the army, but they don't have the kind of drive our naval mechanics do. From the reports I have gathered so far you went to rather extreme measures to ensure our forces were ready for combat. Whether it was through an actual battle or a simulated exercise. I have no doubt that your reports are spot on, but I'll still read them to confirm what you have said is true. One that note..."

-There were a few people who understood the previous Grand Admiral's way of doing things. Tal was still learning how everything was to be done on his end, but he was getting somewhere in terms of Navy. Slowly adopting a strategy to order the ships and starfighters around. He even took a few practice around in the simulators -- running an X-Wing -- to understand combat more.-

-Walking they had eventually ended up outside. A cool breeze brushing past the both of them as they continued down the side walk of the Osani Compound.-

"You have been chief mechanic through most of the navy squadrons. But that doesn't say much of our army 'understanding' mechanical features. We do have army mechanics, but I feel their knowledge is a little out of the ordinary." -More of unorthodox way of fixing the ground ships they used while fighting a battle.- "What is your take on our army mechanics?"

[Ranooki Reese]

"My reports are mostly Navy oriented, but the reviews of maintenance equipment and mechanics' tools also covers part of the Army needs, since we share some of the facilities with them." Ranooki explained. "Since I know the warehouse like the back of my hand, I have found myself assisting some of the Army mechanics or personnel over the years." She nodded to what he said about her good results. "Thank you, sir."

She looked at the skies as they stepped outside, the cool breeze bringing a smile to her face. She liked the weather on Telos. She very much considered this planet her home.

"Due to some losses during the war, including on the mechanics' sides, we have several Army mechanics who are on the younger side, but they are getting there. Most of them are really flexible and quick to react. They could benefit from more training with the actual equipment they have available, which might help them save time and energy. Even for the battleground, we have several tools and machines which are portable enough to be carried around."

[Tal Kote]

"So do you believe -- as a top mechanic from the Navy -- that our army mechanics are under qualified to do their work?" -Tal questioned.-

-This wasn't a matter of who was the better mechanic or getting the work done. Tal wanted to understand a certain point of view from both sides. The military was the bread and butter to the New Republic, and without that bread and butter there would be only a government that can dispute over political things and an Intel department who only had Intel to go off of... and little to no room to back it up. So the military had to be strong. Kote was working hard to get everything up to speed. Even if this meant combining a few units together and making promotions happen rather rapidly.-

[Ranooki Reese]

"Under qualified isn't what I would say." Ranooki replied, because actual "qualifications" sounded bizarre, especially since not all of them had actually studied in a university course prior to joining the Republic as military mechanics.

"They perform well, for the most part. A couple of the most recent recruits have proven troublesome and with regularly lesser results. What I am saying is that some would benefit from extra training, both on Telos and on the other worlds. Short but thorough courses with small groups would be the most beneficial, both Army and Navy."

She spared another glance at the High General. "They are the raw material we want to refine, if I am to state a comparison, sir."

[Tal Kote]

-Overall Tal could agree on some of the things Ranooki has stated so far. Training on a specific world only took you so far. This was part of the reason why he had held such high standards for the Special Forces unit. Because most of their missions were in various locations off world. The same came with the newly formed "Ghost" unit that only followed the High General's orders to the letter "T". But was was a well placed soldier if they didn't have a fighter pilot, what was a fighter pilot if they didn't have mechanics. It was a cycle that continued on.... and on.... and on. Tal was just only ensuring that they were doing their best to ensure a swift end to the war against the Empire.-

"You do have a valid point to make Captain," -Tal responded.- "But the understanding of simple tech can be misleading. Whether you are working on a starfighter or fixing a prosthetic arm a soldier lost three years ago; there still needs to be the knowledge and the willpower to understand what the faction wants altogether. There are the three areas of the New Republic you know about: Government, Military, and Intel."

-As he spoke of the three main branches of the New Republic; he also counted them off with his fingers. Of course she would already know of the three main branches to the NR... even the Empire wouldn't be dumb enough not to have a military leader, a political leader, and a intel leader. Everything would fall a part without them.-

-After a brief exhale the blond continued.-

"I'm pretty sure you know that already. And each area is branched onward: the government has their politicans, the military has the army and navy, and intel is well intel. Everything continues, but without one the other cannot function. So if the military didn't have mechanics... then we wouldn't have the machines needed to fight against the empire. But this is probably something you knew already."

-Kote could only chuckle when he seemed to lecture on and on about the different forms of the NR.-

"So if you where to compare the New Republic's mechanics to that of the Empire, what would you say?"

[Ranooki Reese]

If there was one person who understood the importance of mechanics, it was Ranooki. This had been her whole life. Her twin sister was the pilot, she was the mechanics, the one fixing the machine, the bird, whatever you wanted to call it. This was why she was doing all she could to make sure that everything was stellar in what she was responsible off, why she tried to mentor less experienced mechanics and was infuriated when some pilots didn't care for their ships, because they existed, albeit being extremely rare.

"After years of service in the New Republic, I would be worried if I didn't recall our branches, sir." She quietly replied, before letting him continue, hands clasped behind her back.

"The mechanics are a vital part of the military. That's something I have believed in since I joined. Even as I grew up fixing my sister's, now in the Navy as a pilot, speeder and other vehicles I rebuilt from scratch, this was obvious to me that the machines needed the ones keeping them in good shape, for the ones using them being able to do their job."

When asked about the imperial mechanics, she thought about his question for the moment. "For what I saw, they are skilled as well. Thing is that their heavy use of Tie-fighters focuses more on actual construction than maintenance, at least to a degree. They use many different types of crafts, but the fragility of Tie fighters make them more discardable, while our own Republic fighters, and not just the X-Wings, are stronger and can sustain greater shock, though they need extensive repairs afterwards."

[Tal Kote]

"I would be worried as well," -Tal responded.-

-Even before Tal himself joined into the ranks; he was going back on several decisions. Joining was one of them. Another was what branch to join? He was always stuck between military and intel. Being a mandalorian meant you had an array of skills that you were good at. Tal was a crafty man, but it was hard for even himself to place where his skill set were.-

"I've shared a good amount of knowledge to the New Republic over my years of service. You can probably tell I am a little young to take up the role of High General. However, you would find it a little hard to comprehend on what I've learned over the years. So believe me when I say that what you do is what keeps the military as a whole alive."

-But that goes without some drawbacks, and there were always drawbacks.-

"So it's like a battle droid from the Clone Wars?" -Tal questioned; he already knew the answer but wanted to hear her input.- "The battle droids were mass-produced to ensure a swift victory without any consequences, and that is what the Empire is doing... don't you think?"

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki had never judged anyone on their age, nor had she questioned the High General's authority. Yet, it felt as if he was expecting her to and it was rather baffling. The same way, what she was explaining seemed to possibly be misunderstood. She was no fancy orator, but she believed she was clear enough in how she expressed herself.

"One's age, gender or species is of little importance. What matters is that the person is suited for their job, sir." She simply replied.

She quirked a brow at the comparison with battle droids. "There is a huge difference between battle droids and Tie fighters. The latter are piloted by living beings. This makes a great difference. While the ships can be mass produced, they still require pilots. This is probably why the Empire use more advanced Tie models and other starfighters as well. It gives me more room to keep the ships and the pilots around. This has probably increased their mechanics' talents as well, besides how these were always needed on larger ships."

[Tal Kote]

-Well, there was one who gave a little more respect. There were several individuals who questioned the Chief of State's actions on appointing such a young man the role of military leader. However, through it all experienced spoke the most. Tal's own records had said enough to impress Adrian. Even with some recognition from the director; Kote was able to fly through the ranks without much of a problem. Executive officer of the SpecForce, to Commanding Officer of the SpecForce, and then finally High General of the entire military. He didn't go to Chief of Army Operations.... that was skipped and the position was reassigned to a more fitting character.-

"One can only wonder," -Tal responded.- "Intel can only give us so much information about our enemy. Whether it's through the number of forces they have or what strategy they hold. That's usually a basic foundation of the information you can gather. But experience out ranks many when it comes to battle. I'm not good as a navy fighter pilot..."

-The blond mandalorian paused for a brief moment; his bright yellow eyes focused to the sky remembering that he did learn his own piloting skills from piloting them podracing events, and he was rather good at it.-

"Well actually you can say that I am not good with naval based strategy, but to experience how their ships work is a far better understanding. I am pretty sure you've seen several X-Wings come back barely alive, a busted wing, or a crack in the cockpit? So that shows just how well rounded them Imperial mechanics are."

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki nodded to what the High General said about the impact both information and experience had. "I'm a decent pilot when I need to travel across the galaxy, but I am no combat one. That's my sister's field." She remarked with a proud smile. Taylor and her loved to hate each other, but they were still as tight as they were when children.

She smirked when asked about the states of X-wings she saw return. "I've stopped counting how many dying ships I helped saving, sir. I have been assigned to both capital ships and fighter squadrons, so that's helped me gain more knowledge and experience with different types of blows. Serving on Commander Darksun's E-wing former squadron also proved that older models can be reliable if kept into good shape and upgraded to the best of possibilities."

Pausing, she looked up into the skies for a moment. "Our starfighters are extremely important, especially in time of war, but remembering that every ship, every pilot and crew member has their role to play is a life safer. As you pointed out, all branches need one another, just as every piece of each branch."