Like the previous Focus articles, I will highlight the NPC that’s been created, showcase a short fiction showing off how they could function, and then break down and expand on what makes the Discipline cool and how it could work in practice. You can view the Disciplines on their Wiki page, or on CDAWG here.

Today, I’m going to talk about the Ace.

While many will argue the advantages Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader possessed due to the Force, the Star Wars universe features more than a few Non-Force User pilots. Wedge Antilles was the herald of Rebellion pilots, with protégée Poe Dameron later taking the mantle of: “best pilot in the Resistance.” (Watch: Poe Dameron takes out 10 Tie Fighters in 18 seconds of screen time.)

Ace’s are more than just "pilots". Their skills go beyond the simple stereotype of vaping targets in a starfighter. They can operate a wide range of vehicle types and can even make speedy repairs to them. Even in a galaxy where Smugglers tend to fly their own rigs, the niche for an Ace is still very prominent even with the advent of Force-enhanced pilots.

Ace NPC: Lux

I realized that when looking for an NFU Ace character, there was already one with a well developed concept, artwork, and personality. Originally created by Atra Ventus as a companion character, Lux is a fast-talking, hot-shot pilot that packs a quirky wit into a lean frame and with snark to spare in surplus.

(Artwork by Karolding.)

You can check out Lux’s character sheet here.

Since it was his creation, I also voluntold Atra to write this article's fiction. Props to him for coming up with a really awesome piece, and we hope you guys enjoy it. This one is slightly longer than usual (heh), but should give aspiring Ace-writers a good example of what makes an Ace unique.

The Ace

The room was quiet, though not completely silent as the Voice of the Brotherhood manipulated the terminal at the main console. Marick Tyris' blue eyes studied the holomap while his face refrained from betraying even the slightest clue as to his mental state. Beside him, Atra Ventus looked on with controlled interest.

"Has there been word since she made contact?" Marick inquired.

"Negative," Atra responded in his usual lilting monotone. The Combat Master folded his arms across his chest. "No need to worry, however."

"It's critical the hand off transpires without incident," Marick reminded the other man.

"I assure you, she's got this."

---

Unmarked Trader Outpost Colony Three, Ylesia

"I don't got this!" Lux shouted, diving to the deck as a series of shots scorched through the air just above her. The deadly bolts culminated in a shower of sparks as they scorched the stacked containers the pilot had managed to crawl behind. Her green eyes shone as her gaze flit around the large hangar, trying to commit the layout to memory.

The human sat up a little higher against the containers she was using for cover and allowed herself another sigh. Things had been going so well, too. Lux planted her boots firmly on the ground and worked a hand inside one of the pockets on her beige cargo pants. Her slender fingers searched for a moment, trying to find anything expendable that she could toss as a distraction. Unfortunately, they were as empty as her credit account.

Again she paused, finally cluing in to the distinct lack of blaster fire. Lux raised her eyebrow quizzically while she pivoted around and leaned ever so slowly around the edge of her cover. Her eyes widened with the discovery that her attackers were busily setting up a stationary blaster turret. "Are you karking mad?! What's with you guys?" she yelled without actually expecting an answer.

Lux seized the temporary cease fire with zeal and made a run for the far side of the hangar. She needed to get out of there as fast as possible, and out into the jungle where the T-70 model X-wing she had acquired for the mission was waiting. Shouts from behind alerted her to the fact that she hadn't made her mad dash unnoticed. Not that she would have regardless. Still, she didn't have time to think too much about it. Her path was a straight line through a series of low crates which she planted a hand against before kicking off the ground. She winced as her hip hit the hard material but welcomed the rush as she slid across the surface and made it over the obstacle without issue.

Safely behind cover once more, Lux ran the layout of the hangar back through her mind's eye, trying to remember if she had seen anything that could be of use. Realization dawned on her as she spotted the speeder bikes. That was her big play, but it was a risky one. It meant counting on the thugs chasing her being exactly as dumb as they looked and opting to follow her as opposed to cutting her off and taking out her X-wing. All in all, Lux felt that was a pretty safe bet to make considering their track record thus far.

The pilot resigned herself to the new course ahead of her, pulling her blaster from the holster at her hip. It was hardly anything special — a rather common DL-44 — but it had proven itself reliable, which is exactly what she needed in her life. Taking advantage of a brief pause in fire, Lux peered out from her cover in order to quickly reassess her situation. As she did so, her gaze caught on the cluster of fuel cells not far from where they had set up the turret. Well, that's convenient, Lux thought with a grin. "You know, they go through so much trouble to properly label all these 'hazards' for you guys," the pilot called out, "but it makes them just so karkin' inviting!"

Gripping her weapon tightly with both hands, she stepped out from cover and levelled her sights. Time seemed to slow within her perception and sound faded into a dull roar, save for her deep inhale as Lux held her breath and squeezed the trigger. The world came rushing back into sharp clarity as the explosion sent a shockwave through the hangar that threatened to rob Lux of her footing. She didn't pause to take stock of the end result, nor did she wait to catch a breath. The pilot was sprinting the short distance towards the waiting speeder bikes.

She vaulted over the back of the bike and landed solidly on the seat, her hands already working over the series of switches needed to activate the engine and bring the repulsor lifts roaring to life. "Generic design, everything seems to be in the usual places, I can totally fly this," Lux murmured before gulping, "I think." She gripped the handles without so much as a glance over her shoulder and was almost sent tumbling back over the seat as the speeder shot forward like a missile.

"This is not standard issue spec!" the pilot shouted, more for herself than anything else as the words were lost in the rushing wind. Her hair whipped back and forth violently as the gusts licked against her cheeks. The humid air bit into her flesh like a series of lashes, forcing Lux to squint protectively just to see where she was going. Her knees pressed tightly against the chassis beneath her, locking her in place as she leaned into the winding turns.

Rather than taking a straight path towards her waiting ship, the pilot opted for a more serpentine course in an attempt to shake any pursuit. Still, she finally arrived at the small clearing she had claimed as her makeshift landing pad. Lux barely came to a stop with the speeder before she was dashing through the low brush towards her X-wing. The heat of the jungle, and her physical exertion, was catching up with her. Lux could feel sweat trailing from her forehead and collecting at her chin before dripping to the jungle floor. Her lungs were burning, demanding more air, but she had made it. Her ship was finally within arm's reach when a curious sequence of excited beeps interrupted her focus.

"Not the time, chrome-dome!" Lux managed between gasps of air as she put the vehicle between herself and any would-be pursuers. Another quick series of chirps came down from the astromech — designated R7-B8 — sitting comfortably in the X-wing's docking port. Lux's focus, however, was on the fact that the vehicle hadn't even begun to power up — a fact that was far from amusing. "I'd think it obvious that we're leaving. What're you waiting for, Bait, a royal decree?"

The woman was forced to duck with her arms crossed over her head protectively as blaster fire screeched through the brush, laying down a spray of shots in her general direction. It seemed her winding route hadn't been as off-putting as she had hoped. "Stop putting holes in my ship," she shouted defiantly.

The super-heated plasma threatened to damage the X-wing irreparably, which even R7-B8 recognized through a series of frantic tones. That was something she couldn't afford, and knew there was only a short window of time to act. Lux gripped the handrails tightly and pulled herself up into the cockpit, practically jumping between the footholds as opposed to climbing.

She found the world outside less important as she settled into the seat, like she was coming home. The pilot didn't need to so much as glance at the controls as she hard booted the launch sequence. Her hands were a blur, moving between the panels with a familiarity that couldn't be imitated. She knew the X-wing's interior to such an extent that she could prep it blind.

"I got this," Lux stated with a smile. Her confidence swelled with the reassurance of the vehicle around her and the quiet almost imperceptible hum of the vehicle powering up, but B8's frantic warnings broke through her revery. "What do you mean 'we have a problem'? Did you not notice the people firing at us? Pretty sure that already qualified!"

Another series of whistles and chirps.

"So redirect the conduit!"

A disappointed note was the droid's response.

"Can't you just... Fine," Lux said before leaning under the console and muttering to the X-wing, "sorry about this, girl."

The pilot's deft fingers pried open the access panel under the console and pulled out a series of wires. She hummed and cursed to herself as she tried to focus past the blaster bolts peppering the shields of the X-wing, which was the one thing B8 had managed to get running. Lux held a few wires between her lips, muttering with muffled incoherence as she worked away intertwining several of the strands to form new connections. A sudden surge of power and a sharp spark against her fingers heralded the success of her efforts. Lux yelped in both pain and joy before shoving the vehicle's innards back into the compartment. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

The astromech droid beeped in agreement as the pilot gripped the controls and pushed hard on the throttle. The X-wing rose with frightful speed, but Lux was in an almost zen-like state. So long as she was at the controls, she was untouchable. Two hostile signatures appeared on her scopes but it only brought a smile to her face. "So they want to play, do they?" she said while double checking her instruments. "Show me what you got."

A quick glance to the right gave Lux visual confirmation of the oncoming threats. Z-95 Headhunters? These guys work old school, she thought before grimacing as she realized they were probably as heavily modified as the speeder bike she had borrowed. Still, she had a base knowledge of their capabilities. Such knowledge was the difference between life and death as a pilot. Lux quickly adjusted the ship's power distribution to add some extra push to the thrusters, vectoring for an ascent into orbit. There she'd be able to increase her advantage without the planet's atmosphere hindering the X-wing's maneuverability.

Lux allowed herself a smile as the planet's glow faded in her viewport and gave way to the darkness of space. The enjoyment was short lived, however, as streaks of red cut through the expanse and a shrill cry from the droid reminded her of the looming threat. "I don't think they understand, Bait. They're in my world now, and I'm fresh out of mercy," the pilot said before locking the S-foils into attack position.

Lux pushed down hard with her left boot, triggering the pedal there while tugging the joystick to the right and pulling back. The X-wing responded gleefully, entering into a rolling corkscrew that spiralled around the focused fire of the Headhunters. The pilot was in no mood for an extended encounter, and knew she had the advantage, so she was going to press it with everything she had. Lux's glanced over her shoulder to get a bead on the enemy fighters while adjusting the firing angle of her ship's blasters. She was going to cut it close, so needed the shots to converge as quickly as possible.

="You know, chrome-dome... sometimes I envy droids." Lux didn't wait for any response before cutting the throttle. She grit her teeth as the g-forces pressed in against her, wanting to keep going as she worked the pedals to flip the X-wing around. The ship pivoted around its nose-tip like a pendulum, with the halt in momentum bringing the Headhunters in close as her guns came around. Lux squeezed the trigger, sending a flurry of blaster fire through space. The shots converged not even a quarter of a klick out, splattering against the enemy ships' shields in a flurry of sparks before piercing the hull. Both ships broke apart in a fiery explosion that Lux had little time to appreciate as her X-wing continued its spin.=

She kicked in the throttle again, working against the inertia to bring the X-wing under control once more. Lux let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and did her best to keep what remained of her lunch on the inside. "All righty, Bait," Lux managed with a sigh as she readied the jump to hyperspace. "Let Tall-Dark-And-Broody know we got his package... and I need a raise."

Highlights + Breakdown

Skipped ahead? That's okay if you did. I’m going to highlight the important parts anyway, but wanted to give organic examples of how an Ace’s unique Feats can come in handy in practical fiction writing.

Ace Feat: I Can Fix That

The pilot's deft fingers pried open the access panel under the console and pulled out a series of wires. She hummed and cursed to herself as she tried to focus past the blaster bolts peppering the shields of the X-wing, which was the one thing B8 had managed to get running. Lux held a few wires between her lips, muttering with muffled incoherence as she worked away intertwining several of the strands to form new connections. A sudden surge of power and a sharp spark against her fingers heralded the success of her efforts. Lux yelped in both pain and joy before shoving the vehicle's innards back into the compartment. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Here we see Lux showing off her I Can Fix That II feat.

With it, we see how Lux’s knowledge of ship and vehicular technology is savvy enough that she gains a +1 Skill Point bonus to her Mechanic Skill when fixing anything from swoops and speeders to starfighters and capital ships — even if the vessel is alien or unfamiliar (to a maximum of +5).

In this case, Lux gets a bonus to her +4 in Mechanics, jumping her up to a +5 tier for this scenario. This doesn’t mean that Lux walks around all the time with +5 mechanics, but it just triggers to the next level when she is working on vehicles in particular.

Ace Feat: Smooth Operator

She vaulted over the back of the bike and landed solidly on the seat, her hands already working over the series of switches needed to activate the engine and bring the repulsor lifts roaring to life. "Generic design, everything seems to be in the usual places, I can totally fly this," Lux murmured before gulping, "I think." She gripped the handles without so much as a glance over her shoulder and was almost sent tumbling back over the seat as the speeder shot forward like a missile.

Here we see Lux hop onto an unfamiliar vehicle and put her Smooth Operator II feat into action. With Smooth Operator, Lux has *an inherent gift for picking up new or unfamiliar vehicular/ship technology on the fly. She can operate any land or space vehicle, regardless of her skill in Pilot (S) or (L), even if she has never seen or operated it before.

"You know, chrome-dome... sometimes I envy droids." Lux didn't wait for any response before cutting the throttle. She grit her teeth as the g-forces pressed in against her, wanting to keep going as she worked the pedals to flip the X-wing around. The ship pivoted around its nose-tip like a pendulum, with the halt in momentum bringing the Headhunters in close as her guns came around. Lux squeezed the trigger, sending a flurry of blaster fire through space. The shots converged not even a quarter of a klick out, splattering against the enemy ships' shields in a flurry of sparks before piercing the hull. Both ships broke apart in a fiery explosion that Lux had little time to appreciate as her X-wing continued its spin.

We then see the second part of Smooth Operator here, where Lux’s already potent +4 Piloting (S) gets a neat boost to +5.

Character Sheet Note

Please note that for Character Sheets purposes, Ace’s should list their vehicle of choice as a bullet point item in their Weapons Loadout. Once possessions launches, the Feat will apply to whatever vehicle you have equipped in your inventory loadout slot.

New Pre-Written Aspects

These aren’t new, per-se, but I figured I’d highlight them as they were added to the database as a result of Lux’s creation by Atra.

Spacer
The character has no home planet, at least not one that he can remember. As a child, The character would spend most of his time on different starships and grew accustomed to the atmosphere and nuances of space and the various crafts that traverse it. As a result, The character feels more comfortable on a ship than on any planet.

---

Intergalactic Drifter
Having been born inside a star-ship as opposed to planet-side, The character has never had a particular world to call his home. He grew up in an environment that requires being of use in order to survive, and without the borders that breed patriotism. The allegiances of the galaxy mean little to him, only the strength of individual merit. He is most at peace when in space, and will take on any contract or mission that enables him to remain firmly seated in a cockpit. This utter lack of affiliation often results in what can be construed as insubordination and disloyalty, putting him at odds with those that value such things.

Conclusion

That wraps up another Discipline focus article. Keep your eyes out for a Voice update/news post Soon™ with some more updates. I know this was a bigger fiction than usual, but that's what happens when you ask a Long to write it. (<3)

In the meantime, feel free to check out this quick and simple poll/survey I created to get a feel for fiction competitions in the DJB.

Special thanks, again, to Atra Ventus for writing the fiction and creating the character for this article. Make sure you give him lots and lots of hugs.