Archive for the 'Beowulf Squadron' Category
Many years ago, when I was first starting |Bahama-Wear|, I dreamt of a successful tailoring business. Back then I thought if I could just sell enough clothing to support myself, I’d be successful.
Recently I’ve been thinking about what success means now. Admiral Fenris shared his thoughts on achieving the rank of Admiral and obtaining his pride and joy, the Agamemnon. I completely understand how he might be a bit sad to have reached the top.
My business now is successful beyond anything I’d imagined. Just the other day, a customer I’d never met called me a celebrity. I still find that rather funny and I know he was probably just being a little dramatic…. but it made me think.
I have achieved creating a successful tailoring business. So what’s next?
I like having goals. I like working toward something. So is there still something for me to work toward?
Though sometimes it’s like keeping up with the laundry, I try to keep my vendors well stocked. I work toward serving the customers I have and winning over new ones. I work to supply uniforms to the fleet and find ways to get all our members everything they need to succeed in their choosen professions.
But in all the work and goals and meanings of success, a key thing is lost. See, I didn’t become a tailor because I wanted a successful business. I became a tailor because I have a passion for clothes. Because I love the thrill of putting together a terrific outfit or discovering a color I’ve never tried before or making someone look really good.
Success isn’t defined by how many customers, ships or credits. It doesn’t depend on level or rank.
Success is knowing what you love to do and being able to do it.
You’re looking at the newest ship in the Beowulf Squadron fleet, the Agamemnon.
And here is the proud owner and our newest Admiral…
Yes, through long hours of perfecting his skill and with the support of the whole squadron, Jaegen Fenris has earned his promotion to Admiral and acquired a brand new gunship. He’s been busy getting her ready for service. From the impressive bridge…
To the well appointed crew’s quarters…..
the functional droid bay,
and the opulent Admiral’s Quarters…
….the ship is simply gorgeous. But I know Admiral Fenris. He won’t be satisfied until he can point her at the stars, start the engines and take her out into battle.
One of the more odd things I find being a member of the Beowulf Squadron is the procedures and protocols. I’m not terribly comfortable with the titles, the saluting and, yes, the uniform.
Thus far, Captain Fenris has been accommodating. He’s either not bothered by my lack of military graces or else manages to keep quiet about it. While I appreciate that, there are still times when I just feel out of my element.
The promotion ceremony was a good example. It was one of the rare times Captain asked me to wear my uniform. I always feel a little guilty putting it on. It’s a privelge I’ve not really earned. I always think it’s a bit deceiving to those who see me there, dressed like those other highly skilled pilots. I don’t want anyone to assume I have talent or long hours in the air like most of our members.
Nor do I want to have members themselves take offense. I sometimes think I can’t win either way. Arrive in my uniform and risk someone thinking that wearing it shows a lack of respect for those who’ve earned it. Skip it and I risk someone thinking that I’m so full of myself I’m exempt from the uniform guideline. I’m not sure which is worse.
Which is why I’m going to stick with my policy to wear it only when I’m asked to. And hopefully they’ll all let me stay even though I don’t quite fit the mold…. or the uniform. 
We joined Captain Fenris and -Haruko- aboard a very special ship for a very special ceremony recently.
-Haruko-, a extraordinary pilot and devoted member of our guild, acquired a rare gunship through her many hard fought battles in space. This feat of courage and skill earned her a promotion from Captain to Admiral.
Captain Fenris conducted a promotion ceremony and gave a touching speech. Though I know -Haruko- might have been a bit uncomfortable with the spotlight given her quiet and humble nature, I was glad that we, her guildmates, had an opportunity to show how proud we are of her.
One thing I love about being a member of the Beowulf Squadron (besides knowing a bunch of excellent pilots who can help me if I get into trouble) is the opportunity to get to know the other members. They really are a nice bunch of people. I wrote before about the generosity of one member. It seems that it’s a quality that extends to the others in the group as well.
The other day I met Nian at my shop. She invited me to come see her house located just on the other side of Theed. It had recently been built and was largely unfurnished but it was stunning. The house was huge. The rooms were gigantic. It was spacious while also being quite homey.
And then there was the view. Even though it was a cloudy day, standing on the rooftop patio inspired awe. As we descended through the maze of corridors, I thanked her for taking the time to show me her incredible home.
As we reached the front steps, she told me how she’d noticed the dangerous creatures circling my shop and wondered if such a small house could provide enough space for my business. As she talked the sun came out and the view of Theed, in all her glory, was before me.
Then she said, “Bahama, I’d like to offer you this house.”
I stared at her in disbelief. There was shock, then excitement at the thought of running my business out of such a beautiful place. Then came sadness as I thought about the loss of my shop… the one that stood in that same spot for so many years. I stood for a moment and gazed at the view in silence.
Finally, I turned to her. I told her that I was completely blown away that she’d offer me such a thing…. but that I’d have to decline. As nice as her house was, I realized I really couldn’t be happier than I was with my little shop, surrounded by obnoxious creatures.
She was sweet about it and said she understood. She then offered to let me stay there with her on nights when a trip back to Journey’s End would be too much. I readily accepted. I can’t count the number of times I’ve resorted to sleeping on that couch in the back room of my shop!
Still, what she gave me was far more than access to a guest room. Now each time I make that familiar trip from the starport to my shop, I’m reminded how much I love my little shop. I once took it for granted because it was just what I had. Now I appreciate it because it’s what I chose.
The other day my good friend and guildmate, Kenria, announced she was going to start training a couple of new pets.
Bermuda always had an avid interest in creatures. He tamed and trained more pets than I could keep track of. There isn’t a whole lot I haven’t seen.
Desperately bored from stocking vendors, I asked her which types of creatures they were. Alice, she informed me, was a fambaa. I’m not much of a fan of the fambaa. They have a nasty habit of stomping about my shop while I’m trying to work. Sometimes the ground shakes so violently that it interferes with my crafting. It’s difficult to sew a straight line in an earthquake.
I warned Kenria she should be careful not to get caught underfoot the great beast. She replied back that it wasn’t a concern at the moment since she the baby was only waist high. What? Waist high?
I’ve seen a lot of fambaa… but never one that small! So I ran over to Mos Eisley to see Alice for myself.
Alice was indeed very small. The smallest fambaa I’ve ever seen. She was adorable. But Kermit, the chuba, had her beat in sheer ferocity.
The town isn’t the only thing that Capt. Jaegen Fenris has been working on lately. He’s recently recuited several talented individuals, each with something unique to add to our group. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them all.
The new cantina’s been getting a workout from the talented entertainers…
They really know how to put on a great show!
One of our new members was kind enough to invite us aboard her yacht.
Captain Fenris couldn’t resist showing off some of his best ships….
I’m looking forward to spending more time with all the interesting folks we have in the guild. You’re welcome to come join us! 
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the guild hall. Besides decorating my new office and setting up offices for others, I’ve been cleaning out and reorganizing supplies. While working, I noticed our supply of guild uniforms was depleted. Not surprising as we’ve had several wonderful new members join in the last couple of weeks.
I was busy replenishing the uniform closet when I received a tell from a gentleman. He said he enjoyed my clothing and wondered if I’d be able to meet him in person. Usually that means they need some clothing made and so I asked right away what I could make for him.
His response was a bit perplexing. He replied that he didn’t want me to make him anything, only that he wanted the chance to meet me in person and thank me for the wonderful clothing.
At this point the whole thing sounded a bit odd. I receive hundreds of sale emails from my vendors in a week and while a few unique names might stick with me, for the most part, I don’t make a habit out of memorizing each customer’s name. I do keep a list of customers I service in person as they usually return and it’s helpful for me to remember which wanted all black items and which favored electric purple. He didn’t appear on that list.
The general rule in business is to make the customer happy, so I agreed to meet him, despite my confusion over who this man was and which clothing he referred to. I asked where we should meet. He replied, “Yavin IV, for reasons unknown to me.” Huh, what does that mean?
Now I really had a funny feeling about the whole thing. I sent a quick message over the guild chat that I was going to meet some strange man on Yavin IV and could someone please come look for me if they didn’t hear from me soon. I tried to keep it light hearted. After all, it wasn’t likely I’d really be in any danger. I carry a decent weapon on me at all times and while I’ve got a slow trigger finger, I’m not afraid to shoot if I need to.
A smuggler friend answered back right away. “Wait! Don’t go.” I was a bit alarmed at his alarm. “You don’t have a bounty out on you, do you?”, he asked. Who on earth would be out to get me? I’m just a tailor!
Immediately my friend sent me a group invite and I joined. “Group with him first.”, he told me. I gave him the name of the gentleman and he joined. I arrived on Yavin IV to find my friend had been interrogating this stranger, assuring him he’d be in danger if any harm came to me. The man assured both of us that he only wanted to thank me.
The gentleman did thank me. And it turned out he did have some items he wanted made. Surprise, surprise. He was a pleasant man, an easy customer and paid very well.
Even though it turned out there was no danger at all, I’m grateful to my smuggler friend. When Bermuda left, I didn’t really have anyone to call if I got into trouble. It’s nice to know that now I’ve got someone to watch my back.
I wrote before about my fear of flying and how I was feeling a bit better about space travel.
Forget what I said.
Last night Captain Jaegen Fenris requested my help aboard the Beowulf for a little space hunting. He assured me my job would be easy and so I agreed to go along. After all, he’s fully aware of my fear and would never put me in a position where I’d be sitting on a bridge surrounded by windows and ask me to be the only one in charge of making sure the shields held up to protect the ship and everyone aboard. Right??!!!
Wrong! As soon as I arrived on board I made my way to the back… away from the windows and that long skinny walkway into the cockpit. Imagine my surprise when he told me I’d have to walk across it and sit in that chair next to him. I knew right then I was in trouble… big trouble.
Some of my guildmates know about my fear. But most don’t understand the severity of it. I don’t really talk about it in front of them. After all, I don’t want to be known as the psycho tailor who can’t handle being in space. With so many of them on board I figured it wasn’t a good time for a total breakdown.
I stood there frozen for a minute or so then carefully made my way to the seat. Being securely strapped in did nothing to stop me from shaking. I blocked out everything except for the controls and listened intently as my duties were described to me. Three buttons. Few enough that I could spend most of my time concentrating on breathing.
My body was tense, my stomach was queasy and my head was spinning. I didn’t feel well at all. I sat wringing my hands and avoided looking at the vast space I knew existed just a inches from where I sat. I reminded myself that Captain Fenris had brought me home safely before. He was a good, experienced pilot. He would keep me from harm…. Or I’d kill him.
As we engaged enemies I kept my eyes fixed on the display panel. Those shields had to stay up. I held on to the seat cushion tightly and waited for the rocking to stop. It felt as though a long time had passed. This was taking forever. I kept catching myself holding my breath and digging my fingernails into the upholstery. Then I would suddenly realize I was spacing out thinking about how overwhelmed I was and tried desperately to refocus myself on that display. Shields. Shields. Watch the shields!
Though I can’t understand how, everyone else on board seemed calm and relaxed. They traded insults with our enemies. Joked with one another… and with me. I was glad at that point to be sitting so far forward. While I normally handle teasing with ease, I was so emotionally overwhelmed at that point I struggled to hold back the tears.
Once again all was quiet and Captain Fenris announced, “Home we go!” I sat back in my seat a bit and closed my eyes. My body was still shaking and I felt tears of relief swelling up. Then all the sudden I heard Captain Fenris say, “This is going to be a tricky.” I sat upright, my heart pounding. WHAT?! One of my guildmates asked, “We aren’t doing anything stupid like trying to take out the corvette are we?” Clutching the seat, I looked over at Captain Fenris hoping to see some evidence of a misunderstanding. “That corvette will be tricky”, he replied.
At this point I think I officially lost it. No longer fearful of appearing to be the psycho tailor, I started to mutter insanities. Not happy… not happy… not happy….I had such a pretty house, why didn’t I just stay in my pretty house? We’re gonna die….
I froze at one point and the ship took damage. The fighting was endless. My efforts were barely keeping the shields up. My heart sank and my brain tried to grasp the reality that I was going to die.
But suddenly our enemy disappeared. Vanished. Gone. We finally headed for home. But having been deceived once already I refused to let down my guard until we were safely back on the ground.
When we landed I sat down and let go. I cried and cried. I couldn’t stop shaking. It was quite a while before I could even walk again. Later that night I tried to shake off the lingering tension and contemplated my experience.
I’ve decided I am definitely NOT feeling better about flying.
With Mayor Jaegen Fenris back in office, decisions have been made about the fate of Journey’s End and her citizens….
Beowulf Squadron is here to stay along with Captain Jaegen Fenris.
In fact, we’ve already attracted some talented new members!
Journey’s End will also remain nestled right outside Doaba Guerfel. To celebrate, a new cantina has been constructed. Mayor Fenris put his finishing touches on it and summoned all available members for a photo shoot.
Afterwards we enjoyed the talents of our magnificent entertainers. Let it never be said of our esteemed Mayor that he’s too stuffy to pull out his dance moves when the situation calls for it…
I’m happy with the way things have turned out. I love living in Journey’s End. Let the adventures of the Beowulf Squadron continue….
(If you’re up for some fun with some nice folks and you live on the Ahazi server of SWG, don’t hesitate to contact Mayor Jaegen Fenris or myself in-game)
