This is a one shot for an upcoming story
Ashland was at the academy helping teach some students because she and her crew were on Earth for a bit and the academy teachers mentioned needing some help teaching a course. When Ashland found out which course she volunteered immediately because she was the most qualified after the Admiralty. The cadet she was currently helping wasn't making much progress and declared himself a failure when all of a sudden she heard laughing
"It's not funny"
"Sorry cadet it's just that I myself was remembering the first time I was learning how to pilot a shuttle. You see I was a bit cocky that first time due to the fact that I thought I could fly the shuttle having flown myself here. I learned my lesson the hard way
A few years earlier
"Cadet Portland we're going to teach you how to pilot a shuttle today, it's one of the simpler things you can fly and is a good step before learning how to fly one of our ships"
"A shuttle? No problem I can do this without anyone in the cockpit with me"
"If you're sure..."
"I'm sure, after all I flew myself here for the most part"
"Okay, we'll be outside waiting for you to ask for help"
Karen goes inside and sits down in one of the seats and realizes just what she got herself into
"What are all these buttons?"
"You said you could fly, I'm sure you'll figure it out easily"
The Admiralty let Karen flounder about for a few minutes but finally shut down the program and then made sure an instructor was with her the rest of the time she was learning
Present
"That was a lesson I never forgot, you see the reason I was cocky was because I was assuming Republic and Federation technology was basically the same. That day I learned it wasn't, after that I payed attention to all my courses even the ones where I thought I knew something because there was a possibility that what I thought I knew didn't apply with Federation technology. I was also one of the ones who helped plan our battle tactics when it comes to shuttles which you'll learn at a later date"
"Wait battle tactics?"
That's when the Admiralty step in
"Yes you see after she got used to the shuttle she realized that there was a potential of a shuttle being caught outside their ship when trouble struck so she applied what she knew from the Republic to the shuttle's here and after we found out what she was doing we helped her with the development of what you're going to learn during your senior year"
"It's also part of the reason why I have such secure lines with the Admiralty, because they weren't just checking up on me but also asking for my input on what and how to teach the cadets to use their shuttles as weapons"
"That was a right complicated mess you gave us Portland"
"Yeah well it's helped save lives hasn't it?"
"True but that doesn't mean we have to like it"
"I know"