Slick's Plans for his Squad

It would have been a good squad - an excellent squad - if Slick wasn't going to break them. With the exception of Twenty-three they had names; Jester introduced them all to Slick somewhere during the middle of asking endless questions. That was Gus and this was Twenty-three who had been at Geonosis. Punch and Sketch were brothers, and he was Jester.

"Because I'm always so serious," he joked though his smile faded as he looked at the body of their squad mate who fallen to his death. "Zev named me," he added in a quieter tone, his fingers lightly reaching toward the corpse then falling to his side.

Jester asked good questions and made interesting observations. Mostly Twenty-three, but occasionally one of the others, would nod or add 'Good thought' to one of Jester's suggestions. Slick mentally catalogued them for future reference because they were shrewd and indicated an eye for detail. Mostly though, he observed the others as Jester spoke. He saw how they nodded and how their body language reinforced Jester's words.

They listened to each other, deferentially and without interruption and Slick saw their structure as they made their way up the hill towards the barracks and the armory. Their deference indicated Twenty-three and Sketch were their high-rankers.

Slick pulled up their Kamino scores in his helmet; it was Sketch and Punch highest-ranked, Twenty-three not one-one-thousandth of a point behind. To himself, Slick nodded as he pointed out the refugee camp to the squad and the reinforced barriers where the droids usually tried to attack. Twenty-three was not only point-good, but battle-experienced, introduced to the squad after medical had cleared him post-injury. His experience in the opening strike against the Seppies gave him the squad's respect though that wasn't the only battle he'd seen.

Twenty-three responded to their admiring respect like he was starving. With two previous squads dead, he'd be afraid of losing them. Yet, after only two weeks with them, he wasn't quite comfortable in knowing them as brothers.

Slick knew how to break Twenty-three before they reached the base entry gates.

He merely had to denigrate the trooper in front of the others - demerits should do nicely. A day's observation should tell him which rules Twenty-three was more likely to be lax on; very likely the same ones that bothered Slick because of their Kamino exactitude. The rules showing the Jedi thought them and battle conditions 'identical' in all ways. The rules showing the Jedi thought Slick and his brothers unable to think or be creative. Slick frowned as the general's words echoed through his mind.

You need only obey orders, sergeant, and let the Jedi made the decisions you are not equipped to make.

A quick glance at the trooper showed his armor had been slightly trimmed at the inner elbow joint and at the back of the knee. It was just enough to not pinch the skin. Slick bit back a memory of how Knife trimmed his armor - large areas gouged out of his armor for maximum maneuverability. He shook his head to clear the memory, making his decision; a daily demerit for the experienced trooper until he had the armor Kamino-perfect. There would be a demerit for every trifling, picayune rule from Kamino that wasn't usually carried out in the field. Slick would make sure those rules were enforced in his squad.

The squad would be torn in listening to the experienced trooper or to their new sergeant. They'd hesitate, not knowing for sure who was right and Slick would simply quote regulations they could research themselves. Coming directly off Kamino, they wouldn't know that some rules couldn't be enforced.

He would isolate Twenty-three as 'different' from the squad; scarred and weaker because of it. He'd already started. Just keep up and the squad will protect you. The trooper had flinched as if he'd taken a blaster wound and Slick wondered how much 'breaking' he'd have to do to free Twenty-three from the Jedi and Kamino.

By the time they reached the morgue, Slick knew how to break Jester.

Jester took pride in being the squad's voice. Slick would shut that voice with disdain. It would weaken the entire squad, changing their structure and interpersonal relations, cracking them further apart as a squad and isolating them as individuals. It would destroy Jester.

"Do you talk in your sleep?" He didn't even turn around to acknowledge the trooper as his voice carried the smallest note of censure.

"No, sir," came the reply quickly. For a few heartbeats, Jester was silent then spoke again. "Sir, would it be alright if I traded out my vambrace with Zev's? I'd like to have something of his to keep."

Slick was already nodding with a small smile. "Of course, Jester." He'd need to start slow, to squeeze them of their confidence gradually so they wouldn't notice. "But make sure to have it certified at the armory. A fall like that probably damaged the armor." He made no mention of the trooper, as if the trooper was of less consequence than the armor. Slick didn't bother glancing back to see their expressions.

The brothers, Sketch and Punch, seemed like good, sturdy troopers; confident in themselves and each other. To break them, he'd first need to destroy the bond between them.

Slick scratched his chin as he absently watched his new squad turn in Zev's body, Jester softly saying remembrance as he removed the dead trooper's left vambrace, switching it for his own.

Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Zev.

Absently, Slick signed off on the flimsiform for medical and Lieutenant Gray.

Would destroying the bond between Punch and Sketch be enough to break both troopers? No, their bond was of equals; not of a more capable brother keeping track of someone just a little less than Kamino-perfect. There weren't supposed to be any katini in the GAR but when it was a squad that passed the finals rather than individuals, some weaker ones slipped through.

He'd think on the two brothers. Separate them, of course, to start. He'd give them different duty hours but he'd observe them a bit more before he finalized plans for Punch and Sketch.

Slick wasn't sure about Gus. He was low man, last ranked, but that seemed fine by him. He contributed to the conversation with the squad with no apparent jealousy or envy. He complimented Jester's observances, asked Twenty-three how it had been done in battle, and elicited Punch and Sketch's responses.

Slick pondered the questions. How did you break the low man in a squad? You broke the others by showing their strengths as liabilities but how did you break a trooper who didn't consider himself anything but himself?

It came to him as a revelation as he stared at the dead shiny.

You took away his 'self'. He would promote Gus as his second; praise his weaknesses as strength then simply let the force of reality take over. Gus would fall and shatter.