(Wing Commander Taal gives us an update on Katrina's rehabilitation and lets us know his son is soon to get his implant all pilots get that will be a crucial step in following in his parent’s footsteps. Before that happens the family is off to Centauri Base for the Tri-Base ski races for some R&R. Taal likes the aggressive nature of his so who we find out is bested in his crèche by the three Cubs of Mark and Tia.) 

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Taal: attention.

Russ:  hey, greetings Taal.

Taal: greetings Russ. Function well do you not?

Russ: functioning quite well I might add.

Taal: good, good.

Russ: and yourself?

Taal: functioning excellent.

Russ: and Katrina and the little one?

Taal: Katrina is better, little one is many headaches for both of us.

Russ: Katrina’s not a 100% yet?

Taal: no, she still has few, deep psychological scars.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: but she starts patrolling in safe area soon.

Russ: hey great, it will be nice to get her air legs back under her.

Taal: she spends lot of time in simulator trying to get over fears.

Russ: hmm, it must be tough to get out of that gun-shy mode.

Taal: gun-shy not problem, overly aggressive problem.

Russ: why would that be a factor after the fact?

Taal: because the urge to get in to confirmed kill can blind to other possibilities around.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: that in itself becomes hazard when you focus in on one kill, one kill only, you are dead. Not see the craft sneaking up behind or see blip on screen moving in for kill. Or as Katrina’s teacher say, beware of Hun in sun?

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: she spend lot of time with Baron.

Russ: well that’s good.

Taal: yes, very good.

Russ: he’s someone who’s seen it all.

Taal: correct, Baron understand better than I think Katrina realize. Looking at Barron’s record, Baron had same incident at one time.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: so I feel fortuitous to have Baron on base that understand better then you, I or anyone understand.

Russ: uh-huh yeah, he’s definitely seen it all but how did he come around and fix it, did you ever find out?

Taal: do not know, best ask Barron some time.

Russ: all right, I’ll be happy to.

Taal: surmise I that Baron might be way Baron is because never truly overcome psychological problem?

Russ: hmm.

Taal: maybe that key to making of great pilot, who knows?

Russ: now that could be a possibility though. Like what was his record before the incident and his record after the incident?

Taal: before good, after poor, passing of time excellent.

Russ: interesting, there’s a pattern there somewhere.

Taal: yes, I yet to see it but I know what you mean.

Russ: and you have never had an incident even coming close to that right?

Taal: no, I am good pilot. After all, what is bad pilot?

Russ: there is no such thing.

Taal: why?

Russ: because he’s a dead pilot.

Taal: good, you understand well.

Russ: oh yes, absolutely. Now with yourself, you tend to follow the complete 360° around you at all times.

Taal: correct.

Russ: so the key for maintaining that is to not focus or put blinders on to just one direction and one focus.

Taal: correct.

Russ: even though that might be taking all your attention, it can’t take all your attention.

Taal: correct.

Russ: hmm, now doesn’t your ship back you up with data feed and you'd have to actually ignore the ship….

Taal: correct.

Russ: to miss any kind of dangers from around you?

Taal: but easy to do in heat of fight, battle. When focus in on craft in front, have targeting….

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: on screen projected for side targeting what is going on around. Way to understand. Put hand out at arms length.

Russ: okay.

Taal: raise one finger, focus on finger. Do you see that?

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: do you see that?

Russ: yeah.

Taal: do you see thing beside you out of window? Keep focusing on finger.

Russ: no.

Taal: no turn head. Do you see feline near top of stair?

Russ: no, where?

Taal: I thought feline near top of stair.

Russ: oh okay, no. I’m like wow, that’s good Taal, you are really, really good.

Taal: but you see idea?

Russ: right yeah, I see what you’re talking about. I mean I could see your hand move but I don’t know exactly what you were doing. Like if you were holding up one finger or something while you were doing that, I didn’t see it.

Taal: no, it was just hand up and down.

Russ: oh okay, right.

Taal: but you see?

Russ: right.

Taal: you see it was movement but you focused on finger. 

Russ: right.

Taal: now say finger is......put arm back up as….

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: okay, focus back in on finger….

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: five, four, three, two, one, my hands are enemy, you dead.

Russ: oh wow, that fast huh?

Taal: correct. Now as you were focused on finger did you see hand come up?

Russ: not till it got to the halfway point.

Taal: from here you were dead.

Russ: man.

Taal: you have to be aware at all times. Eyes, ears, feeling, hearing, all senses.

Russ: hmm, we kind of call that being in a groove.

Taal: yes, we call it line site.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: all you see is line of site, no aware of around you.

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: I believe you pilots on your planet call it situation awareness?

Russ: yeah, S.A..

Taal: very important. Katrina at moment have line of sight.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: bad. I am being of too young to be widower.

Russ: no doubt.

Taal: and little one would miss mother tremendously as would I.

Russ: hmm. Well, it’s fixable right?

Taal: yes.

Russ: time spent with the Baron is going to really help that.

Taal: yes, Baron being harsh, very harsh.

Russ: well, will he fly with her during that safe, first few patrols maybe?

Taal: unknown. It is hard when soulmate and bond mate lie next to you and wet your shoulders with tears, but necessary.

Russ: hmm, well let’s hope these conferences come out good and you can take some of that anxiety out of your patrols.

Taal: I see conference no difference in making of our patrols. After all, did not Monka or Athena say that nothing in essence changes?

Russ: nothing changes during the preliminary talks.

Taal: correct. How long did little one say preliminary talks last?

Russ: oh.....

Taal: ten, a hundred?

Russ: yeah but that’s nothing compared to what your lifespan is.

Taal: correct.

Russ: I mean my lifespan it's a different matter altogether but I mean you guys will be able to deal with that but her problem is a little bit more immediate than that.

Taal: correct.

Russ: hmm, so what she really needs to do is focus more on depending on the ship…..

Taal: correct.

Russ: instead of her own self.

Taal: correct.

Russ: hmm, so how is the simulator going to help if she’s not inside her own ship?

Taal: it helps in the fact that she walk away from mistakes.

Russ: well, is the ship tied into the simulator in any way?

Taal:  yes.

Russ: okay.

Taal: as through helmet.

Russ: oh good.

Taal: we have chip in here…. 

Russ: hmm.

Taal: that link us to helmet which links us to ship.

Russ: oh okay, I get it. So when you’re in the simulator it’s as if you’re actually in your own ship.

Taal: correct.

Russ: hmm okay. Well that will make a difference then. Hmm, because doesn’t the ship have feelings for when she gets killed simulator wise?

Taal: relief I believe….

(Russ starts laughing)

Taal: but it is not for real.

Russ: oh well.....

Taal: even though ship is machine, it is thinking machine.

Russ: right. I mean we've talked about the ship and the special link between you and it…

Taal: correct.

Russ: but it has to be able understand the importance of failure and success…..

Taal: correct.

Russ: or else it wouldn't be able to do its function and job.

Taal: and, it learned from her mistake and my mistake when training.

Russ: oh really?

Taal: correct. It see where we go wrong, analyze where we go wrong, come up with answer and input.

Russ: hmm okay.

Taal: each machine stores each mission.

Russ: hmm, so you play those back in your mind or when you’re in the ship.

Taal: correct, it is great way of long, boring patrols to spend time. Ship is aware of possible dangers and you get to review and see where you made mistake and improve.

Russ: hmm, now can the ship give you other people’s experiences, mistakes they’ve made?

Taal: only when on base linked into systems.

Russ: hmm, because you can learn from others people’s mistakes too.

Taal: yes, there is vast library here on our part of base.

Russ: hmm okay. So you can…..let's say you have an enemy that you haven’t faced before but other people have…

Taal: uh-huh.

Russ: and you can go up and you can study people…..those tactics from those battles and learn from the different maneuvers you need to make for each particular craft.

Taal: correct.

Russ: because each race doesn’t have the same craft, they have different craft like you do.

Taal: correct, different craft do different capability and maneuvers.

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: so, we work hard, have not yet met superior maneuverability or superior skills.

Russ: how about superior craft?

Taal: there are superior craft but technical data is restricted for you.

Russ: oh for me yeah but not for you.

Taal: correct.

Russ: right. So superior craft but not superior pilots?

Taal: what did I just say?

Russ: yeah, it's restricted. Well it’s a generalization, I don’t want any particulars. Okay, so it sounds like as long as she’s patrolling the safe area she shouldn’t have too much trouble, should get her confidence back.

Taal: yes, one hopes.

Russ: hmm.

Taal: do not think down that avenue.

Russ: well, the most important thing is she gets her confidence back, she gets her skills back…

Taal: correct.

Russ: and she becomes an excellent pilot like the Baron.

Taal: yes, one hopes that in retirement both of us sitting going, “ahh, those were the days.”

Russ: watching the little one going up and matching your feats.

Taal: hoping yes.

Russ: how’s his little car coming along?

Taal: it is coming along fine, he soon gets implant.

Russ: oh, does he now?

Taal: yes.

Russ: hey congratulations.

Taal: uh-huh.

Russ: all right, that will be excellent.

Taal: yes.

Russ: he’s coming right along.

Taal: yes. Now, coming up soon, little one, Katrina, myself make trip to Centauri. You coming?

Russ: uh-huh, I’m going to make the trip out there.

Taal: good.

Russ: it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Centauri, it will be a good trip for me.

Taal: yes, it is R&R for us? I fly escort? Little one in the same place as last time, sitting up front with dad as it were.

Russ: uh-huh, well that will be neat. Where’s Katrina going to be?

Taal: she fly transport.

Russ: oh she’s flying transport?

Taal: as she put it, she fly bus driver.

Russ: and then you all watch the races together.

Taal: of course.

Russ: oh, same as last year.

Taal: all part of rest and recuperation on Centauri base. What would you people say down there? R&R in Tokyo?

Russ: yep, R&R in Tokyo. Excellent, now that’ll be really fun for you. When was the last time you were on Centauri?

Taal: oh, few years back.

Russ: oh good, excellent. So a chance to see all the old sites again.

Taal: yes.

Russ: all right Taal, excellent job.

Taal: looking forward to it much.

Russ: I am too. Going to do any skiing?

Taal: do some, little one learning as well.

Russ: all right, excellent.

Taal: when we get back little one go into med lab for procedure.

Russ: oh, so this is his last moments here before he gets the implant.....

Taal: correct.

Russ: and things will really change for him.

Taal: yes. He show aptitude that I like.

Russ: oh good, aggressive nature?

Taal: yes, some, he bested by little, not so little threes with pointed ears (the Cubs of Mark and Tia).

Russ: oh really?

Taal: in his crèche?

Russ: uh-huh.

Taal: when in crèche, few can best him. When crèches get together for exercise period only three best him in fun.

Russ: and that would be the three little girls who can match minds as one.

Taal: not as one, each individual one-on-one match aggression level above.

Russ: oh really? Well.

Taal: I think it is nature of them.

Russ: yes. All right, well it’s nice to get a little insight on how your child’s doing.

Taal: yes. Think a secret is fingernails.

Russ: and natural hunting abilities too.

Taal: correct. Think maybe when older they make excellent pilots…..getting look from mother of little ones.

Russ: I can imagine you would be. Well we'll put them in a simulator someday and see what happens.

Taal: yes, entertaining no. Okay, time to be of departing.

Russ: all right Taal, thank you very much. Have a great time, I’ll see you on Centauri.

Taal: that you will. Dismissed.

Russ: farewell.