Whatever You Are, Be a Good One

Once Starsider had stabilized, it became our nightly haunt. After a days work and dinner, it was time to check in our second lives in a galaxy far, far away. Bedtime would come and go, and we'd push forward toward whatever goals we had set for ourselves, bleary-eyed but determined. Tomorrow could wait. This was Star Wars, for crying out loud!

Though we'd all frequently group together, we sometimes would scatter about the worlds to find that perfect DL-44, an iconic location, or... as I was still looking... a pair of fingerless gloves! Surely they existed, right? The hunt was on!

So off I went on my own, with enough credits in my pocket to get there and back again, hopefully with the prize I desperately sought.

There wasn't any direct way to find player-run vendors at this point. The hunt was very much: "Shuttle and Seek". If you came across a really well-stocked store, you'd set a waypoint and visit often. I hadn't yet found my favorite yet.

Let's skip to the ending now to tie up this plot thread: I didn't find my tipless gloves. But I did find an idea and an inspiration that I think I had forgotten, or maybe dared not entertain.

While coming empty-handed out of a vendor's shop on Corellia, I ran into Nikki. Sure, you remember her - our newest companion and frequent hunt buddy.

Nikki was teaming up with Random Toon, running quests and raising havoc.

A few introductions, an emote or two because they were free, and it was "Good luck, and Good Hunting (for tipless gloves)". Nikki and Vincer would team up again and soon, but tonight we each had our own plans.

Just as we were about to head our separate ways, Nikki said to Random, "That's my commanding officer." Huh. Really?

Ever since the "Mos Espa to Bestine Epic Adventure" in beta, I had designs on becoming a Squad Leader. But as serious as I was about achieving my goal, I hadn't considered that others would look to a Squad Leader to... you know... lead them. I mean, I wouldn't introduce Shakkara as "Hey, that's my bounty hunter!" or "Cyra's my smuggler!"

It was then that I realized that being a Squad Leader - of which I was still working towards - was more then just having a few cool buffs and titles, but it meant stepping forward and making decisions, organizing adventures, and being a stable island in a sea of occasional chaos.

Anyone could play a smuggler, or pretend to hunt bounties, or craft droid parts. But of all the professions in the game, the Squad Leader demanded as much out of the player as the player did the toon.

It was time to be serious. It was time to lead.

Even if I didn't have tipless gloves.