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

[hallelujahjunction]

[Not assuaged at all.]

It’s a shorthand for creating a system of power where some folks get listened to louder than others. We don’t need it.

[Dan very much believes in the 34th Amendment of the United States Constitution, the one that says laws are fake and we’ll never leave the gold standard.]

[millenyal_pink]

[Oh no. Okay, let's try this again.]

We literally have a method of communication that allows everyone's voice to be equally loud to everyone else. Suppression starts with cutting off means of communication and expression. As long as you have your mirror, you're going to be fine.

[She knew Dan was too good to be true. She can work with libertarian paranoia, though. It could be worse, he could be a straight-up fascist. That would really put a damper on things.]

I don't think we can even get rid of the things, really, with the way they follow us around. What're the chances if we tried to leave 'em behind they teleported to us as well?

[hallelujahjunction]

Not literally listened to louder. Amplified by an arbitrary social structure that says that some folks got authority and some are better obeying it.

I can’t stop y’all from choosing to organize this way, but I ain’t participating in elevating someone like that or in listening to them extra after.

[Also, the government planted dinosaur bones to scam citizens into funding museums.]

[millenyal_pink]

I'm just saying, as long as you have a platform for expressing your opinion that can reach others, it's much harder for oppressors to rule unchallenged.

[Okay. He's either an anarchist, or a batshit off-the-wall conspiracy theorist. Elle is hoping for anarchist, but it isn't looking good.]

But I respect your right to separate yourself from an organized power structure, and your desire to keep oppressive forces from taking advantage of others.

Plus, it's Stacia. She's half joking, and the serious part is out of a desire to help those who depend on structure to function.

[Okay, Elle may be oversimplifying things with that, but she's definitely not wrong.]

[hallelujahjunction]

[Worse: he's a sovcit.]

Thanks. All I'm asking is that we don't take our first steps down the too-short road to tyranny, and well, if we do, leave me out of it.

[millenyal_pink]

[Yup, okay he's a batshit conspiracy theorist. Damn. Why is it always the nice ones?]

It's good to have someone who's looking out for us if we head that way.

[She even means it. It's good to have at least one person who's suspicious of any situation in a large group like this. Or a small group. Or a group of one.]