“They might need it, Fives,” Echo argues. “I needed it, but even then it wasn’t enough. We know so much. If something goes wrong, they’ll need to be able to hold out.”
“Absolutely not,” Fives repeats. “I know you needed it, but we can’t–ugh. Who’s going to put them through the training? You and I?”
“It’s part of ARC training, Fives–”
“Echo, we can’t do that to them. We can’t. Neither of us could remain professional enough to take others through a T&I course. And it wouldn’t help them, if it was us. It has to be someone you don’t know. Someone you can afford to hate for the rest of your life.”
Echo is silent for a moment, expression twisted in displeasure. Fives doesn’t blame him for the hesitation. Fives has never been tortured–not like Echo has.
“Alright,” Echo says slowly. “You’re right, Fives. I just… I was grateful for it, when the time came.”
Fives puts a hand on his shoulder in support. “If we do our jobs right those three will never be in a situation where they need it,” he says. Echo draws in a breath and nods in agreement.
“What about the other things, then?” he asks. “If T&I is out… pain tolerance is out, too. Emotional control? Mental stability?”
“Force,” Fives mutters, and pinches the bridge of his nose. “They’re so young. Haven’t even seen a real battle yet, would they really understand how to keep PTSD locked down? I don’t even… well. That bit was hard enough for me. I doubt I could teach it, even if they did understand.”
“Maybe I could teach it, but not to shinies,” Echo says grimly. “Their inexperience is working against us.”
“Maybe that’s for the best,” Fives tries, for the sake of remaining optimistic. “I mean, they deserve to learn and grow at their own paces, right? This is the first time for them.”
“I suppose,” Echo says reluctantly. “But will we regret it, if we don’t teach them? The mental and physical sides of ARC training go hand in hand, after all.”
Fives sighs. So many questions, and so few answers.
Raf's rants 