fandomhigh | How To Get By In A Hostile World, Thursday

"Welcome to Weaseling 101," Atton announced as the class finished filtering into the room. "Better known on your schedule as How To Get By In A Hostile World. Now, I'm going to be honest with you people: I'm a Jedi. I have fancy powers and officially, some disembodied Force has my back all around the galaxy. But before I was a Jedi, I was just another idiot caught in the middle of bigger forces than me, trying to scrape by."

He leaned onto the desk. "My world has a habit of going to war with itself, and the only way I made it through the first decade or so of being on my own was by thinking on my feet," he said. "Exploring the weaknesses of people stronger than me, figuring out how to squeak by unnoticed, that kind of thing."

He considered the class. "I've been a soldier," he said, "I've been a pilot. I've been an assassin. I got to be all of those things and live because I learned a whole bag of tricks: how to cheat at cards, how to talk my way out of a sticky situation, how to work my way around people trying to use their powers on me. These are the skills that are invaluable as long as you don't have special powers of your own to keep you alive, and I'm here to share some of them."

Atton nodded at a random student. "Talk to me," he said. "Who are you? What situation are you facing? What are you hoping to get out of this class? That kind of thing. Introductions are useful here, because a technique is only helpful if it's tailored to your actual situation."

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With hostility.

Kids, meet Atton Rand. He didn't say his name, but he figures you have a syllabus.

"Who are you? What situation are you facing? What are you hoping to get out of this class? That kind of thing. Introductions are useful here, because a technique is only helpful if it's tailored to your actual situation."

He's playing cards when he isn't talking.

In the few years since I last ran this class, my job has so rewired my brain that I'm twitching about the lack of dividing elements between the third and the fourth paragraph.

Breq

It wasn't like she was going to go into her real situation in a class introduction.

"I'm Breq. I travel a lot, and found myself here by accident, enrolled in a school, and thought I could just as well stay. I don't have anyone who would miss me if I didn't return."

Apart from "travel a lot" most of that was a lie. And while no one would miss her personally, she had heard that Justice of Toren was officially missing.

Peebee

Gratuity Tucci

"I'm Gratuity," Tip said. "Um. When I was eleven my mother got abducted by aliens in front of me. And then I drove across the country with an alien outcast? And then a year later we lied to Mom about going to Philly and flew to Jupiter instead. So, anyway, life has settled back down since then so I kind of worry I peaked at eleven."

That was possibly oversharing. But she'd actually worried about that since she was eleven, so.

"That's... not depressing at all," Atton said.

Convincingly.

Really.

"By traveling, what are we talking about? Interplanetary? Between countries? Between cities?"

"Yeah, no, for people like you, there's only ever a lull," Atton said, after a pause. "Take it you had to make things up as you went along there?"

"Oh totally. There's not really a guidebook where I'm from on navigating alien invasions. Or busting your best friend out of an alien prison." Tip tilted her head a little. "I guess there are probably a bunch on driving from Pennsylvania to Florida to Arizona, but we didn't have any when we did it."

"Got any tips for the rest of the class if they ever wind up in the middle of one?" Atton asked, lifting his chin at the rest of the students.

She sounded like she knew a few things.

"Make friends," Tip said firmly. "You might think you can just go it alone and then you don't have to worry about anyone but you but oh my god it's so much easier to survive if you band together. And it's more fun." She paused, thinking, then added "And don't be afraid to let the assassin trying to kill your friend do the busting out of prison for you. And then run."

"I'm a big fan of that last one," Atton said, leaning back. "Rely on other people, but also your enemies."

"They can make really good distractions, if nothing else."

She hadn't meant for it to sound depressing, but then perhaps it was, from a human perspective. Breq chose not to comment on it.

"Interplanetary," she said. "There are quite a few inhabited planets and solar systems where I am from."

Mara Jade

Mara gave Atton a little smile. "I'm Mara Jade, I'm from Imperial Center in a different galaxy--still--and politics there gets deadly. I need to make sure I'm as prepared on all fronts as I possibly can be because I'll be going back at the end of the year."

Shiemi Moriyama

"Shiemi Moriyama." Shiemi stood and bowed slightly. "I'm from True Cross, in Japan, and uhm. I don't know what I'm supposed to get out of the class?"

She tapped her chin, considering. "Ano. I'm in a lot of hostile situations when my team and I go on missions?"

Ringo Noyamano

"Hi," Ringo sing-songed. "I'm Ringo Noyamano." She tossed in a quick sketch of a bow to go with her introduction. "And, um, I think most of the really dangerous stuff I'm involved in these days is here on the island. Things back home have really calmed down, but around here you never know what'll happen."

"Right, good." That was a scale Atton was specifically familiar with. "Ever run into bumps along the road?"

"What are you expecting to run into, Mara?" Atton asked.

"And are you the biggest bruiser on your team, or would you describe yourself more as a backbencher?" Atton asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like sharks falling from the sky," Atton agreed. "... Though I haven't come up with a solution to that one yet, besides 'don't be there'."

Hyacinthe

"I am Hyacinthe and I am facing no immediate troubles," Hya said, chewing on his lip. "The political situation back home is less stable than one might wish, but that 'tis more a problem for nobles than someone like me. I am here because the cards are stacked against me back home and no Tsingani worth his salt ignores a chance to level it some."

She supposed having the Lord of the Radch make her shoot her favourite lieutenant, and then have her-as-a-ship blown up could be seen as a bump in the road, but she wouldn't mention that either. And after all, it was only reasonable to start from the moment she found herself in one human body.

"I suppose I could consider ending up here a bump in the road, but as I said, I'll try to make the best of it."

"Oh, the usual," Mara said. "Actively conniving Imperial bureaucrats, ones that are just dangerously incompetent, Senators and Moffs squabbling for attention...everyone trying to seize the tiniest bit of power. I'm just trying not to get squashed in the press."

"Rin is the only one on our team who doesn't get bruises," Sheimi replied, a little confused at the question. "What's a backbencher?"

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