The Ko Report - Edition #8 - Dan The Man
Q & A -Alliance General Dan The Man, Commander of the "Dauntless"
Leader, Family man, Hero of the Rebellion. He is a rather quiet and deliberately spoken man, so one pays good attention when he speaks. But that is not the only reason. Behind the weathered face and calm exterior, there is an intensity that compells the listener's interest and suggests that he is revealing only what he deems beneficial for you to know. To do otherwise might be harmful. It is perhaps just the voice of experience that resonates with a dull certainty that the things he says carry such an impression - or, it could just be that my own exposure to such a man has been limited and thus a certain intimidation factor comes into play. Whichever it is, and it is most likely both, General Dan generously opens up about past experiences, shares stories of old glories and gives advice to those who wish to benefit from some one who has passed their way already.
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Commander Dan recently provided the "Dauntless" as a transport/launch platform for Rogue Squadron to rendevous with the new Jedi roving Convoy, The Wheel. His continued resistance against the Empire has not lessened over the decades of his service. An intruiging and unexpectedly charming man.
So, WE WANNA KNOW:
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Do you believe we can lable your fight against the Empire as Good against Evil?
"Certainly. I'm a believer in the existence of both. I lived through both the Clone Wars as well as the Galactic Civil War. I've seen how galactic conflicts affect lives. You can't wash away things like Alderaan and file it under moral relativism. It's inexcusable."
As a young cadet in the Alliance, what was your greatest ambition?
"Actually, I was never formally inducted. Back in the early days, it was a sort of a motley band. If you were fed up with the Empire and you could fight, that was it. I think I became a General about the time we were ready to begin a large attack at that time, and I was reckless enough to lead from the front. Time went on, and we got more organized. Guess the title was grandfathered in.
As far as my ambition, at least back then, it was pretty hand-to-mouth. I knew too many people who were suffering, or who had died, and I was acting out of anger and outrage."
As a General, has that goal changed or have you attained it, or perhaps replaced it with something else?
"The price of success is having to deal with the mundane, I guess. The raw outrage is still there, but we're so much larger and organized. You have to really lead, and to set an example in that way. I'm uncomfortable with politics, but I think what I do now is pretty close to what you'd consider that to be. I think if I had to turn in my pips for a governorship I'd do it. I'd be dragged into it, but it would fit the resume."
What is your greatest military victory to date?
"I led a group of sappers to Kuat, oh, what was it, ten years ago? The Empire had put up a new wing of ships of the line. Probably a good dozen star destroyers, all coming operational at the same time. We spent months infiltrating the shipyards, and pulled off sabotage successfully on ten of those ships, which had to be scuttled. It was at a pretty low time when we couldn't have taken much more from the Imperial Navy, and it saved a lot of good lives."
What is your greatest military failure to date?
"I was at Endor. Obviously it wasn't my command, and I was lucky to get out of it alive. It was the most bitter I think. We were close enough to outright victory that we could taste it. It just didn't fall that way. I think anybody who survived that fight on either side can understand that."
What quality do you most admire in a Man?
"The ability to make a stand on principles. Having integrity is a rare gift, and it's getting rarer."
What quality do you most admire in a Woman?
"The ability to change a man's mind when he's wrong and he can't see it himself. I've been saved more than a few times because of that."
What is your greatest fear, or is there only the fear of fear itself?
"My fear is that when we win, and long after the guns are quiet, people will forget history, and forget the lessons we paid for with blood. We should never forget the sacrifices those we've lost have made. We not only have to remember, but we have to work to rebuild a just and verdant galaxy."
What is your most prized possession?
"I have a bottle of Corellian Thraagyn Whisky that's two centuries old. It comes in a zero gravity cocoon and I forget how much money I paid for that, but I guarantee you it's worth a lot more now. I keep saying I'll find an occasion to open it, but never do. I can think of one, but we're not there yet."
You are a family man - what is the hardest price men like you must pay to serve your position in the Alliance?
"You don't leave your family behind in a vacuum when you go on tour. I know men and women who've missed entire years of their childrens' lives. It's an intangible casualty of war, and I've always found it to be cruel."
What do you consider the most overrated virture?
"Bravery. I think its something people write about who want to live vicariously and imagine things to be bigger than they are. You can say it's brave to charge a hill under blaster fire, but sometimes you do what you have to do, and a few seconds pass. You don't realize what you did until the adrenaline wears off and it finally sinks in that you probably did something nearly-possibly stupid and almost died."
What is your greatest extravagance?
"Did I tell you about my whisky? Heh heh."
What task do you hate doing the most?
"I could live ten lifetimes without paperwork and it wouldn't be enough. It's one of those things that is boring and will always be boring."
What is your idea of the perfect day?
"I took a fishing excursion out to Dac about a year ago, when things were looking calmer. I remember taking a day boat out and coming home with a cargo hold full of fish. We just dropped anchor and set up bonfires on the beach, and time stood still."
What is your greatest regret?
"There were a lot of friends and loved ones I lost in the early days. I regret that I couldn't do more for them, or was too ignorant to help them until it was too late. That hurts, and doesn't get better with age."
Who is your greatest enemy or nemesis?
"I'm not a grudge holder. I've spent too much of my life fighting a bigger fight against a bigger enemy to get tangled up in a smaller mess."
What is your favorite book?
"Seven Eggs a Day, which is one I used to read to my daughter Teagan I don't know how many times. It was the unusual book in that young kids and even old guys like me could enjoy it."
What one thing do you do that most irritates your partner?
"When I write, I sometimes lapse into shorthand. It's a hard habit to break, and she thinks my penmanship is terrible."
What is your most stirling attribute?
"I'm still alive. In my line of work, that's sometimes tough."
What is your most unattractive trait?
"I'm a sore loser. It's never something I've swallowed willingly or with any dignity. I'd consider that a drive to win even more, but it sometimes brings out ugliness."
What phrase do you overuse?
"Back in my day...ugh. I try and catch myself doing it, because I don't need any help dating myself sometimes."
Which is harder to bear - a battle you lose or a battle the other guy wins? This can be a hypothetical question if you like.
"Definitely the first."
Who is the one person you would most like to meet?
"I've met so many people in my position that I can't think of anybody I've missed."
What is your advice to those who wish to stand out in their military career?
"Watch the other guy's back. I can usually tell the people who are in it for medals and they're likely to get themselves and other people killed. Guys who go far are the ones who are just trying to get their portions in and keep breathing. Simple needs sometimes create big deeds."
What is your motto?
"Sometimes being first is as important as being right."
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Dan's Recent Threads:
The Scribe's Apprentice: The Waltz of Treachery
A Study in Tolerance
Dan does not have a WIKI page at this time.
Fashionably yours, Dakota Gue - SWF Correspondent :)
