Pensive
Companion piece to Distracted and Baffled.
Gaff found his second-in-command on one of the main hangar deck's gantries, a pensive expression on his face as he observed the activities below.
Should have known, Gaff thought, amused and weary all at once as he joined Kase. Taking a post to the captain's left, Gaff leaned his forearms on the gantry's railing, letting his eyes trail over the considerable crowd that had gathered in the hangar.
"Commander."
"Captain."
The two exchanged courteous nods, but neither turned his attention away from the spectacle playing out below.
The men - and Gaff was pleased to note several company sigils on fatigues and armor - were engaged in a lively game of limmie, with a raucous crowd to cheer - or jeer - the two teams on. He did a quick visual sweep of the hangar, adding up all the different company sigils he could identify. A Venator-class Star Destroyer like the Stalwart could accommodate up to twelve companies, almost two-thousand troops in all - and that didn't include the seventy-four hundred crew members. To Gaff, it looked like every one of those twelve companies currently residing aboard Stalwart were represented. There were even, he noted wryly, a few members from Flash Company present, looking guilty and furtive even as they called out insults and encouragements to the players.
Nothing like blowing off a little steam to bring the men together, he noted and gave himself a mental pat on the back for a good idea.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Kase carefully tapping the edge of a datapad against the railing. The captain's expression was not quite disapproving, but the furrowed brow certainly indicated deep thinking that was not altogether pleasant.
He'd better lance that boil, before another of Kase's detailed reports landed on his desk.
"Something on your mind, Captain?"
The corners of Kase's mouth dipped into a frown, hastily concealed as the captain straightened his shoulders. Kase was nothing if not perfectly correct when addressing a superior officer.
"Sir, as we are currently not engaged in hostile activities, I believe it would be beneficial for the company to occupy itself with drilling practice and not..." His eyes cut to the deck below, where half the crowd had broken into wild cheering at a goal and the other was left groaning in despair.
"Games?" Gaff suggested helpfully, when the cheering had subsided to a more tolerable level.
"Sir." Kase dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"I did order the men to take some R&R before our arrival on Coruscant," Gaff reminded the captain gently. "General Arhen and Commander O'sic agreed." And had promptly ordered all non-essential personnel to do the same, doing some creative shuffling with the shift-schedules to allow everyone at least six hours of total free time before they dropped out of hyperspace. That had been a rather unexpected reaction to what Gaff considered a whimsical notion on his part, but he was gratified nonetheless. It was not prudent, however, to point this out to Kase, who was already on sore footing with Commander O'sic, after the captain had sent a rather blistering report to Fleet and GAR HQ about the fight between Gaff and Whynge. It was Kase's version of standing up for his direct superior and Gaff deeply appreciated the gesture, but it had put both of them in an awkward position with O'sic and General Arhen. Gaff thought that after Drongar, some of that awkwardness was dissipating, but he saw no reason to stoke the fires.
"I remember, sir."
It was, at times, impossible even for Gaff to resist teasing the man, though he deeply respected and valued his second.
"And I believe that those orders included you, Captain, or am I mistaking?"
Kase briefly glanced down with a frown of concentration, a manner he adopted when carefully going over orders and comparing them to the endless list of regs and rules filed away in that formidable memory of his.
"Your orders were for the entirety of Elix Company to engage in restful and recreative activities for a full six hours before returning to active duty, sir. Naturally such an order also includes the officers and I believe Lieutenant Teller is currently engaged in playing defensive midfield."
Gaff nodded along, fighting back a smile. "And what have been your, ehm, 'restful and recreative activities' so far, Captain?"
"I have been studying the rules regulating the operational procedures of our main civilian supplier, Rendia Freight."
Oh? Gaff took a second look at the datapad and, indeed, the Rendia Freight logo was emblazoned on the tiny screen. Well, now. Wasn't that...interesting? Naturally, Gaff had heard the rumors about Kase's last encounter with the Rendia pilot. Being female and quite attractive to boot, Pilot L'lago was often the focus of conversation - and more lurid speculation - among the troops. But Gaff had dismissed Ziv's retelling of her last delivery - as had every man in Elix - as being nothing more than the misinterpretation of a battle-weary and annoyed trooper. Because Kase...
Well, as far as Gaff knew, Kase had never shown even the slightest interest in the opposite - or same - sex. His only commentary on the scantily clad females that adorned the barracks' walls had been to cite some obscure regulation on proper conduct when taking occupation of a military facility and to inform Carry that the poster of the gyrating Twi'lek dancer needed to be straightened another half centimetre on the right.
Now, though, Gaff might just have to corner Ziv and get the full story out of the trooper. Because studying the regs of a woman's employer was...Actually, Gaff had no idea how to exactly quantify Kase's actions, but they were certainly significant.
Significant, but not to the point.
Hoping his thoughts didn't show on his face, Gaff took up the thread of the conversation once more. "That sounds...of interest, but not what I would call recreational." He didn't add that it actually sounded like work, because, Force help him, Kase found nothing more relaxing than studying regulations.
Kase hesitated, eyes tracking the jovial activity below, but his mind was clearly on things other than the inter-company limmie game. "I was considering logging in extra training time with the slugthrowers, to enhance my performance with the weapon."
Gaff blew out a breath. "Training generally isn't considered a part of R&R."
"Yes, sir, but it would be a useful occupation of my time. And," he added, chiding in typical Kase-fashion, "for the rest of the men as well. Lieutenant Wess' report indicates that thirty-six percent of casual injury among the company during the Battle of Drongar was caused by unexpected recoil and ill-handling of the unfamiliar weaponry."
"The men need play, Kase," Gaff replied softly, deciding it was time to drop the formalities. "A distraction. You're right that we need to train more with the slugthrowers and I've already scheduled extra hand-to-hand combat sessions once we're back on Triple Zero, but more than training, we need battle-ready troops." He straightened, catching Kase's gaze and holding it. "We don't offer the men a break from the war and the next thing you know, they'll be coming down with battle-fatigue." General Arhen had already sent four troopers back to Coruscant and light duty with the Coruscant Guard for exactly that reason. Veterans, the lot of them, Gaff knew, and all survivors of other companies. Drongar hadn't bitten as deeply into Blazer Corps' ranks as it could have, but there were enough empty slots to fill that Commander O'sic and the general were sending their troop requests directly to Kamino. That meant more shinies, stepping off the storm world and right onto a Star Destroyer. No, they couldn't afford to lose a single man to anything but fatal injury.
Kase must have followed his reasoning, for the captain - impossible as it seemed - straightened even more and tucked his hands behind his back in a close parade-rest. "You are, of course, correct, sir. I apologize for my oversight."
Gaff shot him an indulgent smile. "You may save your apologies, Captain, for when you commit something truly egregious, such as forgetting my morning caf."
Kase looked at him, wide-eyed and startled for a moment, before his features resettled into his trademark stoicism. "A joke, I take it, sir?"
"Yes." And this time, Gaff couldn't keep himself from grinning. "Finely observed, Captain."
"If not train, then what would you have me do, Commander?"
Had it not been for Kase's natural reserve, Gaff might have reached out to touch the captain's shoulder in silent reassurance. The question was pitiful in itself, but worse was the bewildered glimmer in Kase's eyes. The captain had no idea what to do with a gift like time for himself. He'd flourished in Kamino's strictly regimented environment, but floundered like a gooberfish asked to fly in the real world. Gaff felt both sorry and guilty for putting the captain so rudely up against his limits and was a little lost himself for an answer. He could order Kase to do practically anything, but the point of the exercise was to have fun.
Maybe I should let him go back to his regs.
Below them, the tone of the game suddenly shifted.
Gaff quickly glanced down from the gantry, seeing that the game had broken up and the players were now forming a circle around two wildly gesticulating figures. It was Scope and Dron, arguing, it would seem, about some unorthodox direction the ball had taken.
"It was out!" Scope shouted, loud enough to be heard above the crowd of troopers, who were cheerfully egging the two on.
"You shabla blind?" Dron scoffed. "The ball landed on the line! It was in!"
"The ball was clearly out of bounds," Kase observed. "The Galactic Limmie Association states that the game-field ends at the pre-decided border, not on or behind it."
Gaff glanced at him, surprised.
Hands still folded behind his back, datapad tucked into a pouch on his fatigues, Kase was peering down at the defunct game, managing with little more than a twist of his lips to convey a galaxy's worth of world-weary recognition that no one but him ever bothered to read the manual.
"You know limmie, Captain?" Gaff asked, totally taken aback.
Kase looked back calmly. "By osmosis mainly, sir. The men have displayed a pointed preference for the sport and the barracks' viewscreen tend to be turned to one match or another."
"Ah." Gaff glanced back down towards the hangar. It looked like Scope and Dron were getting ready to settle the argument with their fists. "In that case, Captain, I would like you to stand-in as on-field referee for the duration of the game."
"Sir?"
"It seems a shame," Gaff went on, working hard to keep his expression professionally neutral, "for the men to waste their free time in argument. Much more efficient to have someone with proficient knowledge of the game's rules to oversee the matter and ensure that petty quarrels do not interfere with my orders."
Kase raised one eyebrow, obviously taken by his logic. "That appears to be a prudent suggestion, sir."
"Very well, then." Gaff tugged at the hem of his fatigues, nodding gravely at this second-in-command. "Carry on, Captain."
Kase gave him a smart salute and turned on his heels, striding quickly and purposefully towards the ladder leading down to the hangar deck.
Gaff watched him go, smiled, then surveyed the crowd of spectators. There appeared to be a handy empty crate left, perfect for a seat and good view of the match. He decided to claim it as his own. A good commander, after all, led his men by example.