Ask Raxus A Mile in Their Shoes

[Jonathen Baize]

Raxus - Imperial Garrison​

Commander Joanthen Baize walked the line of stormtroopers in formation. The air was tense, normally they wouldn't have had a Commander performing these inspections, but he had shown up without notice. The Commander normally wore his grey Officer's uniform, but today he wore his white and blue trooper armor, rank insignia on the shoulder. His helmet was set off to the side for the moment to inspect the newly graduated troopers better.

He knew they also had guests from the Imperial Knights that day in formation, but he had not reached them yet. Jon stopped in front of a soldier. "Trooper 1578." he said, tone displeased as he turned to face him. "Present your weapon, Private," he commanded, scowling as the soldier tried to stand a little straighter. "Is that dirt on my blaster, soldier?" he said, looking down and seeing dirt wedged into the cracks of the weapon. "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir!" the trooper said with an uncertain tone. "Your leave is revoked," he said, continuing down the line.

Jon stopped several times, stopping at different soldiers and pointing out scuffs on their armor or improperly maintained equipment. These soldiers were to represent the Empire, and as long as he was a Commander, his soldiers would be nothing less than perfect.

Moving down the line, he finally came to the young man in red armor. Still a child, his frown deepened slightly. He didn't like that the nights recruited children from such a young age; it felt wrong. Still, he had agreed with Kali that they should be exposed to the normal daily routine of a stormtrooper, so he had agreed to her program of allowing Squires and Knights to shadow and accompany them on certain missions. There were many in the IAF that still didn't trust the Imperial Knights. Jon understood, having been one of those soldiers. Through Knights like Kali and the others who had fought and died on Dathomir, his opinion of them changed.

He stopped in front of the Squire, looking over his armor with a careful eye.

"What is your name, Squire?" he asked as he continued to scan.

@Apollyon

 

[Caleb of Spintir]

Caleb had been in the academy for a little over a year now. And while he had learned a lot about the importance of the Empire, why it's continued existence was imperative to the Galaxy as a whole, and it's history both recent and before the schism. His instructors had taught him about the Sith and why they were a threat to the Empire on par with, if not greater than the Jedi. But most importantly, he had recently begun learning about the Force and how it was a tool that could aid him in his duties. It was all very exciting, until recently the most exciting thing he'd experienced in a year! Now however, Caleb had been informed that an Imperial Knight had taken him on as her protégé, he'd found a mentor that would guide him into Knighthood! However, before he met his new mentor, there had been a small assignment given to him, one that also excited Caleb! He was to shadow a REAL IAF patrol and begin to learn from the soldiers.

Caleb had donned his red Imperial Knight Light Armor, his standard issues blaster pistol was strapped to his waist, and the vibro-sword he had been assigned in lieu of a lightsaber was in it's sheathe over his shoulder and across his back. He had attempted to buff his armor to a shine like he saw on the posters in the Imperial Academy but he admittedly didn't do such a great job. While the breastplate would shine, when light hit it at certain angles, the rest had small smudges where he'd let the wax settle too long before buffing it off. Despite this, Caleb tried his best to look as presentable as possible to the Commander, he'd been told that he was representing one of the first classes of Imperial Knight's that hadn't been subjected to the Sith's corruption...whatever that meant.

In Caleb's opinion, he had almost perfectly matched the attention stance of the troopers in the line beside him but to a trained eye, there were some key faults. Namely, the boy lightly shifted his weight from one foot to the other which caused a light sway in his posture, a clear sign of his growing anxiety. Caleb's sway slowed slightly as the Commander came to a stop before him, he remembered one of the teachings that he had been given, the Force and his emotions were tools that he could use. So, Caleb accepted his anxiety and through it found calmness. When Commander Baize asked for his name, Caleb's swaying had stopped and the teen was able to meet the man's gaze before responding.

"I am Squire Caleb." He replied "Uh...sorry, sir!" He stated quickly, his eyes growing wide and a grimace having just appeared on his face after forgetting proper conduct. "And thank you for allowing me to shadow your patrol today." He continued, finally breaking eye contact, fully expecting a reprimand.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The young squire shifted slightly as Jon inspected his gear. Had he been like this when he was this squire's age? Jon admitted to himself that he had likely been much worse. It was the IAF that taught him disciple, and from the disciple had come confidence. He knew very well that the training for Squires was different from the common stormtrooper it needed to be.

Jon's voice grew quieter, his voice not carrying as it had when he called out to the rest of the soldiers. "Tell me, Squire Caleb, Do your Knight Captain's approve of your armor being in this state?" he asked, running a gloved finger over one of the smudges on his shoulder plate, feeling the excess wax sitting on top of the armor. "Not in my garrison..." his tone disapproving.

Could he have let it pass? Sure. No one else would have likely even noticed the handful of smudges on the armor, but there was a deeper lesson here, one Jon thought important for this Squire to learn.

The Commander stood up straight and took a step back. "8th Platoon!" he spoke louder again. "You have your orders dismissed," he said, their platoon officers stepping in and barking commands as they moved out. They would see to the soldiers who had been reprimanded.

His gaze turned back to the Squire. "You will get your patrol, soldier," Jon spoke as he was brought supplies to clean armor with. "But not looking like that." he eyed the armor one last time. "Let's see that armor, Squire." he said expectantly. Jon waited for him to remove the pieces that needed to be addressed.

@Apollyon

 

[Caleb of Spintir]

The calmness that Caleb had managed to manufacture evaporated when the Commander ran his finger along the edge of his decorative pauldron. The disapproving gaze was magnified by the hushed tone the Commander took when he questioned Caleb. The young squire opened his mouth to reply to Commander Baize’s question but the man continued before a true response could be mustered.

The answer was no of course. Caleb knew that as well as Commander Baize. A Knight’s armor was more than just designed to protect them, it was a sign of their office, rank, and duty. It set them apart so citizens and soldiers alike could easily recognize the sword and shield of the Empire. It was meant to sow fear in enemies of the Empire and inspire her men and allies in equal measure. In its current state, Caleb’s did neither.

The boy had tried to go above and beyond with his maintenance routine just this once. He had failed but not because of incompetence but because he genuinely didn’t know the process of parade shining his armor. Caleb’s head dropped slightly as the Commander stepped back from him to issue his orders to the patrols. A thousand thoughts bounced around in Caleb’s head in those scant few moments the Commander’s attention wasn’t solely focused on him.

“What happens now?”
“Will I be thrown out of the program?!”
“What will happen to me if that happens?”
“I can’t go ho-STOP!”

Caleb’s mind turned back to the instructions of his teachers. He couldn’t doubt himself and had to trust in the systems of the Empire. The Empire wouldn’t abandon him, he had use beyond a minor slip up.

Caleb’s conquest of his own intrusive thoughts were cut short when Commander Baize pulled him aside. Some measure of comfort rushed in to fill the void of anxiety, Caleb felt it was a wave of relaxation that washed over him. A slow sigh escaped his lips as he began to quickly remove his armor beginning with his dense phirik gauntlets, then the light decorative pauldron, and finally the smudged shin and calf guards. As he removed the plates, Caleb would speak.

“I-I’m sorry sir.” Caleb stammered, a twinge of nervous energy causing the twang in his voice to resurface. “I just wanted to make it look like the Knights in the posters.” He continued, referring the propaganda posters of Imperial Knights plastered around the Academy.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The stormtroopers all dispersed, and the yelling on squad leaders echoed before dissipating. Jon's expression softened slightly once they were alone. He knew the difference between laziness and a failed attempt. This squire had certainly tried, which earned him a point of respect. He could work with the ignorance of a willing learner. He could tell this all bothered him. Jon didn't have the Force to show him people's emotions, but he was all too familiar with self-doubt and could recognize it in the boy.

The Commander listened as the squire worked out an apology. "Every soldier makes mistakes. Its how we learn from those mistakes that define us." Jon had certainly made his fair share, even recently. It was easy to let that beat you down, to spiral into self-doubt, but the reward for pulling yourself back up was always worth it.

Jon pulled up two chairs and sat down in one, motioning for the squire to take the other chair. "Here.." he said, holding out a gloved hand for one of the pauldrons. "You used too much wax, see here?" he pointed out a glob of dried wax. Taking out a solution to help break up the wax, he sprayed it on the pauldron before working at the armor with a brush. There was another set of supplies for Caleb to follow along.

"Why do you think having polished armor is important?" Jon asked as he continued to work with a brush. The squire certainly held some value because he had at least tried to polish the armor, but Jon still wanted to hear his thoughts.

@Apollyon

 

[Caleb of Spintir]

Commander Baize waited until the patrols had all left to continue their conversation. The silence that stretched until then ate at Caleb. The teenager couldn’t help but wonder if he had given the wrong reply. However, these fears were quickly dismissed once Commander Baize spoke once more.

Instead of a reprimand, Commander Baize was understanding. The man even got them a pair of chairs, took a seat and began to point out the flaws in Caleb’s first attempt at polishing the armor. While Caleb took a seat, it wasn’t across from Commander Baize, instead the boy was enthralled by what he was being taught and had pulled his chair alongside and to the left of Commander Baize. Caleb’s eyes flickered from the pauldron and back to Commander Baize, he hung onto the career soldier’s every word.

When Commander Baize picked up the solution to clean the pauldron, Caleb instinctively followed suit. The boy plucked up a Phirik wrist guard, identified the dried clumps of wax and then began cleaning. As he sprayed the wrist guard, Caleb would glance back to Commander Baize in effort to emulate the man as best as a possible. A small smile crested the boys lips, this reminded him of Spintir. The simple work reminded him of oiling the equipment at the end of the week, it reminded him of the farm, it reminded him of home.

That silence was broken when Baize posed a question to Caleb. The boy was silent for a moment, he carefully thought about the answer and how to word it best.

“It’s a lot like oiling equipment right?” Caleb asked rhetorically, his eyes peeled from the wrist guard to glance at Commander Baize. “You have to clean and maintain them or they break.” Caleb continued, as his brow furrowed for a moment. “Can armor break like that though?” The boy wondered aloud as he paused from scrubbing to give that a momentary thought.

“My armor looks different from the soldier’s armor.” Caleb pointed out after a moment. “My instructors say it’s because my armor is meant to be a symbol.” He explained. “They told me that it will be my job to protect the Empire. Isn’t that your job too though?” He asked in genuine curiosity.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He nodded to the squire's first point as he methodically continued working on the armor, taking his time not only so Caleb see what he was doing but also because it was simply not a task that should be rushed. "If you allow dirt, grime, whatever to build up, it will eventually weaken it, I suppose. It also shows a lack of discipline, which is unacceptable," he explained. "We are called to be better, hold ourselves to the highest standards."

"Both Soldier and Knight alike are symbols of the Empire's strength, its resolve to protect its own. Though we may appear different, our missions align, to serve the Emperor with our lives," he said, beginning to apply a small amount of wax to a towel and started to apply it to the scrubbed pauldron. "See, not a lot, just enough..." he said, slowly working it in small circles.

"Your armor bears the scars of your deeds. It will be dirtied, scuffed, and scared. You earned those signs of wear, but we chose not to wear those badges of our deeds. Instead, we restore, clean, and polish away those signs of battle. So that when the people of the Empire see you, they see the pristine wall of defense you represent. They are safe because of you." he continued to speak as he picked up a clean towel and began wiping the wax off in circular motions.

"Make sense?" he asked, looking up at the young squire.

@Apollyon

 

[Caleb of Spintir]

Caleb had continued to scrub at the wrist guard after he had answered Commander Baize’s question. However, that effort was short lived once again as the Commander began to explain the true answer to him. Caleb’s cleaning effort slowly grinder to a halt as he listened to Commander Baize, his mouth hanging slightly agape.

Commander Baize spoke of how both the Knights and the IAF served the same purpose. They were both to serve not only the Empire but the Emperor and had to be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the greater. Death wasn’t something that Caleb had honestly considered. He knew it was a possibility of course but never had it been so plainly or directly stated.

Commander Baize’s next words drew Caleb out of his thoughts, back to the present, and the task he was supposed to be accomplishing. As a reaction, he began to scrub more furiously at the wrist guard as he attempted to catch up with the Commander. After a few moments of scrubbing at the wrist guard Caleb stopped to inspect his work. He grunted and nodded his head in approval before his gaze turned back to Commander Baize. He watched as the man gently poured, spread, and then buff the wax into the armor.

Caleb emulated Commander Baize to the best of his ability as he listened to the man’s continued explanation. While Caleb had understood that he was meant to inspire soldiers, he hadn’t considered that it was in equal measure meant for the citizens of the Empire as well. Those words resonated with Caleb as he worked at polishing the wrist guard. Caleb dwelt in them until Commander Baize looked up and addresses him once more.

“Mmm.” Caleb replied as he looked up to return eye contact with the Commander and then gave a nod of affirmation. “I think so.” He continued.

There would be a short silence before Caleb spoke again.

“Commander Baize, sir, why did you join the Army?” Caleb asked after a brief hesitation.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He gave the squire a nod as he said he understood. Jon had moved to another piece of armor but still glanced up as Caleb continued to work.

"That's good..." he said, tone approving as he pointed out Caleb buffing out the wax on a particular spot.

Afterward, there was a brief period of silence; the only sound was the slight noise of cloth against armor as they worked. Jon could see the question as it worked its way out of the squire. "Well.." he said, running a hand over his beard as he thought.

"I grew up on Spintir on a small farm with my parents. It was great, but I wanted to see more, do more.." he said. "..I wanted to be able to help people. The army seemed like a way I could do all of those things.." he said with a bit of a shrug. It wasn't any more or less noble than the average soldier, he guessed.

"Why did you want to become a Knight?" he asked, setting a finished armor piece aside and directing his focus toward the boy as he waited for a response.

@Apollyon

 

[Caleb of Spintir]

Once Caleb had returned his attention back to his work, he had solely focused on it. As such, when Commander Baize had approved of his work, it took Caleb as a pleasant surprise. A small smile formed at the corners of the teen’s mouth as satisfaction settled into his soul.

That smile would form fully as Commander Baize began to give a scant few details about his past to Caleb. They had both come from Spintir, they had both been raised in farms! They had something in common! A different sort of attention was focused on Commander Baize, it was the attention of an enthralled adolescent. When Commander Baize finally asked why he’d chosen to become a Knight, Caleb was quiet for a moment.

“Choose?” Caleb quizzically asked the Commander, as he cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t get to choose, my grandpa told me I had to go with the Knights.” He explained slowly, his voice filled with confusion.

There was a small pause while Caleb mulled over the idea that he was supposed to choose to become a Knight. After a moment the teen shook his head to clear his thoughts, shaggy hair fanned as he did so.

“I was raised on Spintir too though!” He exclaimed excitedly, changing the subject entirely. “I was raised on my Grandpa’s farm with the farmhands.” He continued, the excitement quickly fading from his voice. “The farmhands told me that my mom died when she was having me. They said my dad had left to join the army when he found out she was pregnant.” He explained after a moment of hesitation. “That’s why my Grandpa sent me to live with the farmhands…” Caleb’s voice trailed off. “…because I’m the bastard that killed his daughter.”

There was a tremble of sadness in Caleb’s voice at tail end of his explanation.

“I guess that’s why he sent me to the Knights when he saw me doing magic.” Caleb explained with a depressed sigh.

Once again Caleb would fall silent, this time it would be one built of melancholy. Up until that moment, his insecurities had been hidden from everyone else. The conflicted teen felt tears well up as they often did when he was alone. Parts of him missed home, other parts hated his “family”.

“Do you ever miss home, Commander Baize?” Caleb asked after he sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He listened as the boy spoke, a slight frown touching his lips. He didn't much like the fact the Knights let in children, and to think they could be made to join against their will turned his stomach a little. He had been on Dathomir, fought against children; it was a dark path to go down. He hoped the Empire could do better.

Jon raised an eyebrow at the boy's next comment. "Oh yeah?" he asked. It was always nice meeting someone from back home, which eased the homesickness a bit. Caleb's story took another sad turn, the mood growing solemn for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that. Family should never treat you like that..." he said. He placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder as tears welled up in the Squires eyes. "You will always have a family with your fellow Knights. Nothing can take that away from you.." he said. "You hear me?" he met the squire's eyes. He gave the boy a moment to gather himself before answering his other question.

"Sometimes. Its been years since I have been back. Now the food....that I definitely miss." he said, chuckling, hoping to lighten the mood some.

He held up the last piece of polished armor. "There!" he said, handing back to the squire. "I'd let the Emperor himself eat off of that." he joked as he pushed himself up to his feet and pulled his helmet on.

"Let's get a move on. Those streets aren't going to patrol themselves," he said with a smile. He started to lead them to their designated patrol spot. "So, who have you been training under as a squire?" he asked.

@Apollyon