trans_channel | Shipwide Announcement [Slightly bendytimed]

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Shipwide Announcement [Slightly bendytimed]

I really haven't bothered to do any campaigning, for a number of reasons. And even this isn't some kind of campaign speech, but on the eve of elections, I felt the need to talk to everyone for a few moments.

Forgive me if this rambles a bit, I'm not entirely sure what I want to say right now.

My father once told me that God puts you where you need to be. You can either stand there and complain about it, or you can do the best you can, and trust that God has a plan, even if you can't see it yet. I've never been a terribly religious guy, so I don't know if God has a plan, or if this is all random, or somewhere in between. But, looking back on my life, I can't help but wonder if my Dad might have been on to something.

I've been serving as Acting Captain of this ship for the past few weeks. What the title of 'Acting Captain' means is that... that this job belongs to someone else. Someone who, unfortunately, wasn't there to do it, so I took it upon myself because I was there and the job needed doing. I'm only on the ballot by default, basically. I have the job now, so if you want me to keep it, I'll keep doing it. If you don't, I'll gladly step aside for whoever you choose. I was quite content being Chief of Security, I had more free time to spend with my daughter, then.

That's really all I see this as, another job that needs to get done. That's mainly why I haven't bothered campaigning. If given the choice between either A) pandering for votes to keep a job that's been sucking up all my time, been grinding me to death, and wasn't even my job to begin with, or B) doing the job as best I can for as long as I have it... I'll choose option B every time.

And this is a tough job, made all the more harder because everyone I talked to expects me to pander for votes when I just want to cross a few more items off of what's become a massive To Do list. If this isn't my job anymore come tomorrow, then whoever wins, I do not envy in the slightest.

But maybe they'll handle the job better than I have. This job comes with a steep learning curve, and it's not like I'm a natural at this. I'm not a politician, or a monarch, and I've never been commander of an Imperial fleet, or led a revolution. I'm just a guy doing a job because someone had to do it. This whole thing has been a learning experience, to say the least. Which might be why I can't figure out what you all want in a leader.

I realize that, yes, everyone will want something different, but... I've been listening. I've also been barking orders for the past few weeks, but I've also been listening. Listening to the campaign speeches, to the responses, all of it, just trying to figure out what you guys want in a leader.

Strangely, while everyone has been going around saying 'this is what you should look for in a leader', no one has really bothered to ask what you want in a leader. This is probably why I felt compelled to address you all like this, so I can be the one to ask.

What do you all want in a leader? What are you looking for in them? What kind of person do you want them to be? When you go vote tomorrow, are you voting for the kind of leader that you do want? Or are you just voting for someone you can live with?

I guess I'm wondering because, on my world, politics tended to boil down to people voting for the least worst option on the table. I'm curious to see if that's what will happen here. I sincerely hope not.

Best of luck to all the candidates tomorrow.

Special Agent Leon S. Kennedy, US Strategic Command
Acting Captain, Transmigration 9

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It must be a simple mind indeed that rests inside your skull to resort to such words so quickly.

There is a difference between confidence and humility. That mister Kennedy chose to speak plainly instead of pandering to fools like yourself speaks quite a bit on his humility.

Confidence alone is worthless. I could have the absolute, utmost confidence in myself that I could go out and slay all the Ohm in existance with my bare hands, yet that confidence does not make it true. One also needs the wisdom and humility to admit to themselves that there will be times that they will not know the answer, but have the confidence that is necessary to seek out those who will.

Mr. Kennedy is not perfect. Neither is your son, nor is anyone here. To balance confidence with humility is what is absolutely necessary for a leader of a crew such as this.

From what I have seen of his skill and temperment, I believe Mr. Kennedy is one of the few among us to be close to achieving such balance. I have yet to be able to say the same of your son.

Thank you for calling me a fool, shitbag. I appreciate that. I would think you of all the jackbags and assholes on this ship wouldn't pander to weakness and evident unwillingness to one's duty without whining about that duty. Am I somehow fucking mistaken in the fact that you're something of a space marine? A soldier?

Furthermore, I never said my son was perfect. Nor the fuck am I. My point was, Kennedy has no experience with this shit. I don't give a flying fuck who you vote for--though it's obvious you're a Kennedy man. I'm pretty fucking sure John will turn to the people he needs when he needs them. That's part of what he's had to fucking do as the main leader to the resistance against the goddamn metal fuckers that tore my home apart. I'd say he manages that shit real well.

Maybe you ought to sit down and have a talk with John, soldier to soldier, before you open your trap.

Edited 2010-07-21 04:37 (UTC)

Duty? Serve for nigh on eight centuries and then speak to me of duty, child. We might then actually have something to truly speak about.

Mr. Kennedy has been doing this job precisely because it was his duty to do so. Duty does not mean that one wants to do so, but that one must, above all else, do so. That Mr. Kennedy does not quit merely because it would be inconvenient to him, without hiding such feelings, shows me where his sense of duty lies.

In this case, your son's so-called experience is ultimately worthless. He has fought a nigh undefeatible enemy? So have I, a thousand times over. I intend to share that experience with my comrades-in-arms, yet that alone does not make me suitible for Captain. Other factors must be taken into consideration, most paramount among them is the ability to trust.

Your son's first action upon awakening aboard this vessel was to steal weaponry from the crew and hole himself up in the city. This does not speak to me as a man who trusts, but one who looks out for one life only: his own.

Does this act show him as a good survivor? Certainly. But a good survivor is not necessarily a good leader.

Don't call my mother a fool. She's a lot of things, but a fool isn't one of them. She's just expressing her opinion, which something she's always done, and I wouldn't ask her to hold back with it. Just like I wouldn't ask anyone on this crew to stifle their opinions. It's not always pleasant, but it's a part of this process.

Like Kennedy I too have a family. A wife, and an infant son. I have no idea if their on this ship, or not. I can't let that distract from the mission we have right now though. That might seem cold to some of you, but my wife wouldn't want me to act any other way. Even in my universe they had to be a secondary priority to doing my job. That's the price of leadership. If you can't handle that you shouldn't be leading. It always has been.

I've also listened to several members of this crew if anyone bothered to notice. Kang seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and he understands what it's like to live through a genocidal war. He also was willing to extend me a bit of trust even though he didn't have to. I don't know if he trusts me, or even likes me, but he has my respect for that. I'm also willing to return that trust because he was willing to actually talk to me reasonably instead of just calling me crazy.

I've also been nothing, but honest. I'm a soldier, not a politician. My only goal is to win this war. I'll contribute to that however best I can.

JOHN.

YOU HAVE A SON? WHEN THE FUCK WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME I HAVE A GRANDSON?

When things were a bit more settled around here. I also didn't want you to worry about if they were on board or not. We had too much we had to focus on.

MORE SETTLED?

Something tells me that's a fucking pipe dream. You got anything else you wanna tell me or is that the extent of the "SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKER!" for today?

...also, congratulations.

Do you want me to just get them all out of the way now?

John.

When we blew up Skynet Central, and rescued Kyle I was injured. Took a piece of rebar through the heart courtesy of a brand new T-800. Marcus chose to save me. He donated his heart to replace mine.

He's also a Terminator, but not like we've seen before. He's human, at least his brain, and heart are. They wrapped that up in a metal skeleton, and sent it off to find me. It almost worked too. Guess Skynet still has trouble accounting for the human tendency to react badly to being played for a fool.

[Private, Encrypted, Unhackable]

terminatefate - 2010-07-21 05:57 (UTC) - Expand

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robots-omgh8u.livejournal.com - 2010-07-21 06:01 (UTC) - Expand

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terminatefate - 2010-07-21 06:24 (UTC) - Expand

A fool is a fool, and I have seen many in my time.

And you are capable of putting such things behind you in times of war, then? I would applaud you, if you were content with merely being a soldier.

Such a nature is not one this crew needs in a captain. Their heart must be tempered not only with the fires of conflict, but also with compassion and peace.

The force that lies dormant within the walls of this ship can be counted among the most powerful in all existance. A callous hand such as yours nor mine should not be that which holds its reigns, for it is capable of far more harm than good if wielded with such detachment.

I asked you once politely. Now if you're going to be sitting there lecturing about civility I suggest you exercise some.

Don't equate my willingness to put the war first as callousness. I'm just realistic about what has to be done, but that doesn't mean I'm going to bomb our own people just to kill the enemy. I want everyone one of my soldiers to come home if I can help it. I also have to accept that isn't always going to happen, and do my best to minimize those deaths. I hope that's the compassion you're speaking of because if not then I don't know how you would wage war.

Had your mother offered any civility, I would have offered some in return. That she deigned not to means I am under no obligation to do so towards her either. It is because you asked politely that I speak to you with civility.

But it is exactly the fact that you place the war first that I find you too callous. Are you capable of compassion? I should hope so, or I would doubt you to be human. But by placing the war first, you will be forcing yourself into a position where you would likely have to make sacrifices. If you were not callous enough to withstand that, then you shouldn't have made it a priority.

No, duty to the crew should come first, for without this crew, all is lost. Without this crew, this war is lost.

But by saying you place the war first, that leads me to believe that you will occasionally make decisions that are not in this crew's best interests, or you are a liar.

I've delayed, and even called off assaults to rescue prisoners instead of destroying them enemy if that's what you want to hear. I also did it while trying to minimize our own casualties. It was also in the best interests of the war effort. Placing the war first, and caring about my people don't have to be exclusive things. That means keeping this crew alive, and well is the best thing for the war effort. Any decent commander can see that.

So what will you say now? That I'm not callous enough? Make up your mind. I'm exactly what I've said I am. You can have a general, or a politician. I'm the former.

Make up my mind? I should ask you to do much the same.

You say that you will place the war effort first. Then for the moment, I shall take you at your word. For you, the war effort supercedes all else.

Then imagine a situation in which the war effort might be far greater served with the sacrifice of a number of crew members than would their survival. Certainly not impossible. Even with your compassion, it might be an inescapable possibility.

So which would you choose? To sacrifice the crew members and prove yourself callous, or to prioritize their survival and prove that you are not decisive enough to stick to your own decisions?

The war effort and the crew's survival may not always be exclusive, but that does not mean that they will always coincide. Any real commander could see that.

I'm not answering that. That's simply too vague of a description to make a call, and you know that. No decision of that importance is as simple as that. Present me an actual scenario if you want an actual answer.

Also why aren't you posing this question to Kennedy? You might trust him, but what about those of his that haven't been here as long as you? We don't know him. If you're so concerned for this crew show it by grilling us all the same. That will serve them better than singling me out.

How about a question for you? Who's more valuable, the people back on that planet we defended, or this crew? Pretty vague isn't it? I wouldn't expect you to give a reasonable sounding answer to that because you can't. No matter what you say you'll sound either too weak, or too callous.

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daemonomicon.livejournal.com - 2010-07-21 07:51 (UTC) - Expand

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robots-omgh8u.livejournal.com - 2010-07-21 08:00 (UTC) - Expand

...He is very good at this kinda thing

daemonomicon.livejournal.com - 2010-07-21 16:27 (UTC) - Expand

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robots-omgh8u.livejournal.com - 2010-07-21 17:25 (UTC) - Expand

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daemonomicon.livejournal.com - 2010-07-22 04:20 (UTC) - Expand

Your mother is most definitely allowed to express her opinion. However, to be frank, others would be more inclined to agree with her if she would exercise a bit more tact.

And unfortunately, being the Captain of this ship requires the ability to be diplomatic as well as decisive. It's a military position, yes, but you will be representing every single person here.

I'm also not my mother. I'm aware of the responsibilities of the position, and I would act appropriately.

I lost tact the day a motherfucking metal machine tried to choke the goddamn fuck out of me. Other people can deal with my lack of goddamn tact because I'm pretty sure I'm not going to find it any time soon. I don't give a shit who likes me and I certainly don't care who hates me.

I wasn't put on this ship to be sweet and shit rainbows and butterflies. I'm also not going to apologize for anything I've said because I don't fucking need to do that shit.

I missed the part where you were actually listening to me but O.K., if you want to say that.

Didn't say I listened to unreasonable people.

Because being concerned about equal rights is unreasonable. Gotcha.

No, because you didn't listen to what I was actually saying. I didn't say I was going to be singling out anybody. Just being pragmatic about it I wouldn't have that luxury so I'm willing to work with whoever is on this crew. Just don't expect me to have a beer after a mission with all of them.

No, you didn't listen to what I was saying. Which was how am I supposed to trust you with the safety of my crew mates when you're going solely by what is pragmatic? Why should I trust you to protect them and their rights as much as you would protect anyone made out of flesh? Way to miss the point.

Because we're in a war, and we need them. Can't give you a better reason than that. I don't have a lot of warm fuzzy stories about playing catch with a robot from back home, sorry. That was just my world, but this isn't, and I'm trying to adapt.