The gift

[srwu_mods]

[1]
Unity Group's finance-related problems have eased over time. Nowadays they are pretty much gone and situation is back to how it was before.

But now, you get a reminder why the problems started in the first place.


"Holy crap! It's like Christmas came early!"

Loni's here. And so is his new unit. In the hangars, equipped with twin beam katanas, stands a stark white unit. The top of the line one of a kind prototype - the BrightSaber.

[2]
What about the old FightSaber? It's still being used, as a matter of fact someone is taking it through a training course right now. It jumps from cover to cover swiftly, shooting down target drones with gravity blasts while avoiding their counter fire.

Once the course is over, the time and score displayed are impressive. Browsing the results database would show that despite the unit being underequipped compared to its loadout from before, it scored higher than Loni ever did. But he's not the pilot this time.


"Yes, that's acceptable. I can work with this."

Ilinka is.


"Nice, Ilinka. This is a much better ride than a crappy old Gespenst. Now you won't need rescuing all the time anymore!"


"..."

By the way, Desta's nowhere around. Maybe the third of the Gavin party is not in mood for Christmas spirit.

Comments

[actuallyselfish]

"I'm just checking in with a fellow defender of earth. Giving you a heads up." Dido says hastily.

She hesitates. "Well, maybe I am a bit concerned. Not because I'm worried about your health or your how your flight training's going, mind you."

She glances off to where Loni's juggling papers, then back to Ilinka. "Has Loni been bullying you recently? I heard what he said earlier: it sounded like he was trying to shred your sense of self-worth."

[srwu_mods]

"No!"

The answer is immediate - and comes off very harshly. Ilinka pauses for a few moments before she composes herself enough to continue.

"It's true that I am not as good as Desta or Apollonius. Maybe it was because of my machine, maybe it was because of personal talent... it doesn't matter. It shouldn't."

"Loni was the first who saw the person in me."

[actuallyselfish]

"No, no: don't undervalue yourself like that..." Dido reaches and gently rests a hand on Ilinka's shoulder. "Maybe Loni was the first to understand you and your feelings...but that doesn't mean he knows everything about you, or what you can do!"

She pulls out her tablet. "Look..." After some fiddling, she calls up her test results, and juxtaposes them with Loni's. "See the score difference? You and Loni piloted the same mech...but only you were able to draw out FightSaber's potential! Hell, you've been keeping up with him and Desta in a Gespenst, constantly pulling their butts out of the fire! That's talent if I ever saw it!"

[srwu_mods]

"No, you don't understand."

"I'm glad that you are concerned. Thank you. But it's all about something else entirely."

[actuallyselfish]

"...could you tell me what it's about, Ilinka?" Dido asks more softly. "Maybe I don't understand you...but I want to try, if you'll let me."

[srwu_mods]

"Alright. It is not a secret. From youth, I was raised to be a mecha pilot. Nobody saw me as a person, only as a tool. Nobody, until Apollonius rescued me. He was the first to treat me like a friend - and even if it seems different for the outsider, he still does."

"We were always together since then. Everything I have in life, I have thanks to him."

[actuallyselfish]

Dido stares at Ilinka, wide-eyed. "Fudge-skittles." She says under her breath. "I'm so sorry; Ilinka; i didn't know. I can barely imagine what that upbringing must have been like."

She frowns in thought. "I can see why you care for Loni, even why you think you're in debt to him...but why do you feel you have to stay in his shadow?"

[srwu_mods]

"I do not stay in his shadow, don't misunderstand."

"I am not his follower. I am his friend. I do not have to pay off any kind of debt of loyalty."

[actuallyselfish]

"Then...why do you did you let him talk smack to you like that?" Dido wonders aloud.

"I don't know you as well as I could, but I could tell his remark about 'needing rescuing' rankled."

[srwu_mods]

"Because... it's true." This time Ilinka seemed much more hesitant to admit it.

"Unlike me, Loni and Desta were not trained to fight from youth. As far as I know they lived ordinary lives before they were forced into battle. I have much more training and experience, but on the battlefield they are doing much better."

"I don't understand why."

[actuallyselfish]

"It's not because they're more skilled, let me tell you that." Dido says. She gestures at her tablet. "You've clearly got better targeting, maneuvering and observation skills."

She points a thumb at her own chest. "Honestly?" She says, face twisting in discomfort. "Loni and Desta are a bit like me: I had no training before joining the UG. I've only survived so far because my super robot has unusual abilities enemies aren't used to...and because I rely on my friends for help."

She points a finger at Ilinka. "Those two rely on you as well. They probably don't realize it, but your combat experience and hard work has kept them alive all this time!" She clenches her fist. "Heck, you could even surpass them with FightSaber, if you...well..."

Dido hesitates.

[srwu_mods]

"If I try hard?"

[actuallyselfish]

"Trying hard never hurt." Dido says. "But I was going to say imagine."

She scratches her head. "Loni and Desta are brave and...heroic...but they've never evolved any strategy beyond 'Charge and attack a lot'. They don't know how to analyze a foe, guess it's abilities, or visualize ways it can be brought down."

She meets Ilinka's eyes. "You have a cool head, and can think under pressure. Learn to imagine ways of winning in combat...and you'll be a marvel on the battlefield... someone who can protect their friends and innocents!" She glances at the ground. "Uh...does that make any sense?"

[srwu_mods]

"Yes, I understood what you mean. However..."

"I have already been doing this. Are you saying it should be different with a new unit?"

[actuallyselfish]

"Already...doing this...?"

Dido blinks, caught off guard. "You have? Well...um. Huh...in every battle I've seen you in, you seemed to just follow Loni and Gavin's lead."

She scratches her head. "Maybe you three have been using tactics outside of the battle's the UG's witnessed?"

[srwu_mods]

"That's how it looks from the outside, but it still takes a lot of planning..."

[actuallyselfish]

"Like what?" Dido asks, curious. "I've been yammering on like some kind of expert, but really, you've got more experience than me."

[srwu_mods]

"You need to judge the situation and maintain an effective distance from your enemies while not letting them flank you."

[actuallyselfish]

"And do Loni and Desta do that?" Dido wonders (while also wondering if she should take notes). "Judge their distances and keep an eye out for flankers? Take point, provide covering fire, and all that jazz?"

[srwu_mods]

"Not really..." An answer which should be obvious.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido nods. "Yeah..." She glances over at where Loni's juggling paperwork. "Those two are brave and have good reflexes...but they let their passions rule them, and act before thinking..."

She groans under her breath. "...screw this dancing around." She faces Ilinka and rests a hand on her shoulder. "Look: Loni and Desta are incompetent." She hisses. "Really incompetent. And they're gonna get themselves killed unless you strong-arm them into learning teamwork and tactics!"

[srwu_mods]

"You're wrong." Ilinka takes a step to the side. Out of arm's reach, your hand no longer rests on her shoulder.

"If they are incompetent, we wouldn't get as far as we did. There were complications during fights but how do you explain the rest?"

[actuallyselfish]

"Luck, natural talent, super-prototypes, and you!" Dido replies, a bit more loudly. "They'd have been dead in ten days without you!"

She exhales a ragged breath. "I...I'm sorry, Ilinka: I shouldn't be so harsh. But..."

She composes herself. "Have you ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect? It's a cognitive bias the psych-techs discovered a while back. It's where screw-ups falsely think they're hot stuff, because they're not skilled enough to realize how incompetent they are. No basis for comparison, you see? And because of that, they never try to learn or self-improve."

She meets Ilinka's eyes. "There's also awesome, skill people who falsely think they're incompetent . They're discouraged because they know enough to realize how far they have to go, how much more they have to learn. Sound familiar?"

[srwu_mods]

"..."

"..."

The period of quiet is long and awkward. But finally:

"I see."

"I'll have to think about what you just told me."

[actuallyselfish]

Dido exhales softly. "Thank you, Ilinka. I didn't mean to be a downer; I really do believe that with better teamwork skills, you and your friends will be able to overcome anything."

She turns to go, then hesitates. "Say, Ilinka? That super-soldier program that Loni and Desta rescued you from...you guys burned it to the ground, right?"