This One Just Became a Leadership Conversation

[prettycoolguy]

This is Spartan One-One-Seven broadcasting on an unknown communications array.

[ A few members of the team have seen the Master Chief around, but he hasn't made major contact before now. For most of the group, it's the first time they've seen this scarred face. And for one of them, it's far from the first. ]

I understand that this is a different world than the one I come from, and we have no way to return until we accomplish an... objective.

[ An objective that they all have only vaguely heard about from a weird hallucination. He doesn't have to say that part. They already know. ]

This being the case, I'm offering my skills.

I have significant experience leading teams on a variety of ops. I can work longterm on terrain like this. You can count on me in a fight.

But first of all, I do need to know who's in charge of this outfit.

[ Bless his entire heart. ]

Comments

[prettycoolguy]

[ She's not what he expected, but she's acting the part. He can fall in. ]

Sounds clear, ma'am.

[ Aside from the magic, but badgering people about that will be easier once he's more sure of what he's even doing here. ]

For the moment, I am at your disposal. Is there anyone I should coordinate with?

[ One gets the sense he's asking out of politeness and protocol moreso than because he believes he'll get an affirmative. ]

[credit_not_blame]

[See, he's already seeming less flustered. Always a good sign.]

I'll find someone to fill you in on the details we've got, but right now feel free to see what kind of supplies you can find. Or get patched up, I'm hearing some conversation about you being injured and there's no point in you walking on injuries that you don't have to.

[konman]

Dude, she's fibbin'.

[credit_not_blame]

How am I fibbing?

[Rude!]

I don't recall anyone else stepping up.

[konman]

I didn't vote for you! Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses.

[He doesn't drag the Monty Python joke on too long.]

Seriously, though, this is something that should be a group decision. You can't just assign yourself the leader.

[credit_not_blame]

Has anyone been organizing the group to come to that decision yet?

[Stacia has expressive eyebrows.]

Would 'interim leader' be more acceptable? Until we can flush all the paranoid and/or confused new arrivals out of the trees to put it to a vote? Because I've seen several people show up hoping for someone to be in charge and I'm getting tired of saying that we're just haphazardly poking at each other with sticks.

[konman]

Why don't you go with "community organizer," leadership pending on an actual discussion and vote?

[prettycoolguy]

So, no one's in charge here.

[ Effervescent. ]

[credit_not_blame]

Have we sat down and had an election and drawn up a chart? No. Am I willing to prove that I can organize people, take input from expert sources, and yell very loudly when needed? Yes.

Honestly, it's probably worth shoving your mirror under something and taking a nap until everyone's done yelling at each other.

[prettycoolguy]

[ He's really considering it. ]

Thanks.

Would appreciate a little more transparency in future.

[hasapoint]

[Need is amused.]

Speaking as someone who's seen a lot of people assume leadership in a whole mess of different ways: that's the way so many of them start.

[prettycoolguy]

[ The Chief closes his eyes, draws in a big long breath, and lets it out again. The weariness is palpable. ]

[konman]

Sorry, man, we're just kind of an anarcho-syndicalist commune right now.

People have been pulling together on gathering up food supplies but we still need to sit down and figure out who's in charge and how we're moving forward.

[prettycoolguy]

Good to know.

[ He hates this so much. ]

If this were a UNSC operation I'd volunteer, but I don't think my skillset's a match.

[steelandtemper]

Syndicalism is defined by the presence of unions.

[Knowledge of human society, yes. Knowledge of pop culture, no.]

[wheyoftheadept]

She's messin' with ya, chummer. We don't really do "in charge" around here. Mostly what needs doin' ends up bein' pretty clear, an' it's just a question of talkin' over the how.

[prettycoolguy]

A clear chain of command is critical in situations like this.

[ He's very worried that other people don't seem to have a problem with this state of things. ]

[konman]

Yeah, uh, slight problem working that out with a giant group of a lot of civilians.

There are people here from all types of conflicts from the sound of it, but all wildly different ones, and not all of them are military.

[prettycoolguy]

I've been picking that up.

My expectations are revised accordingly.

[just_ace]

It's okay. I know it sounds like chaos but Stacia is a Ragabash. If anyone can be in charge of an anarcho-syndicalist commune it's her.

[prettycoolguy]

Is that a title?

[ He can guess the gist of anarcho-syndicalist commune. ]

[garmr]

Can't really expect people to follow orders around just 'cause someone tells 'em to.

[ hell, he was bad at following orders when he was in a proper army.]

S'gonna be a bit chaotic while we all get to know each other.

[prettycoolguy]

Leadership isn't just giving orders. But you're right about the second half.

[ John is homesick already. ]

[wheyoftheadept]

In the field, sure, I like to know my ass from a hole in the ground same as the next guy. But right now we don't even got a fucking handle on the strategic situation, nevermind an objective. Might as well fuck around, get to know one another, see what shakes out as the social patterns

[prettycoolguy]

[ This is the Chief's second long, steadying breath of this disaster he unwittingly created. ]

Can't wait.