People interested in becoming Handlers, those about to be handlers, and those who just became handlers listen up.
You're gonna need this to get through Boots on the Ground after Boots on the Ground.
1. You're going to see everything your pilots see. You're going to see the unfiltered nightmare of the field. Make sure you've got a vice of choice that you can stay steady. Avoid booze. You need to be clear.
2. You're their guardian no matter how much they think they're bulletproof out there you're the one making sure they're actually bulletproof. The information you send them is what makes sure they don't die.
3. They will die. One of your pilots will die. You can't stop it. It doesn't get easier.
4. When they get back to base your job isn't done. You finish the after action report. You make sure your pilots get what they need. Only once they're settled is your job done for the night.
5. One day they're going to ignore an order. You have a choice. Keep yelling at them to try (and fail) to get them on track. Or you can buck command as well and make sure they survive.
6. You are not the pilot's friend. You're their handler. You point the weapon they are. The second they're inside their mech and you're in your chair talking to them on comms they're your ward.
7. Never celebrate right after a battle.
8. Never get comfortable in the chair. No mission is ever as simple as the briefing makes it.
9. Your pilot will prove you wrong.
10. Break all these rules the second it feels right. You're a handler, you manage pilots, the bastards fueled by willpower and spite. You've got to have more will than they do.
//Signal\\
