✨ XIMILIA TOWN HALL MEETING ✨ ( video/audio/action )

[farr]

[ some morning in the middle of the week, during their return to the station, an invitation will be taped on the door of every orber. though the calligraphy would suggest this must have been typed on a computer and printer, each invitation is actually very carefully hand-written and reads as follows: ]

[ the idea is for everyone to meet in the mess hall at the intended time, but if some choose not to attend, the meeting can still be accessed by the earpieces, allowing all orbers to watch or listen in and contribute however they wish, no matter where they are.

however, for those who do decide to attend, the mess hall features a full display of bagels and donuts, along with plenty of fresh coffee, all to help everyone wake up and feel refreshed for the meeting that's about to take place.

a makeshift little stage, arranged by stacking together a few metal boxes is at the center of the room, atop of it being the one and only rita farr herself, with a bright optimistic smile. when she sees enough people present and settled, she speaks up, loud and clear: ]

Hello, everyone! Welcome to our first Annual — or monthly, or however we decide to do it — Town Hall meeting! Thank you all for coming and please enjoy the food to your heart's content. For those who don't know me, I'm Rita Farr. Now— though my name does appear on the invitation, this is hardly about me. This is about all of us.

After our ... last mission, it became quite clear that our group could use a bit of improvement with how we approach our next missions moving forward. And I thought the best way to plan for that is to allow all of us an opportunity to discuss how we all feel about what we've done well and what we could do better. After all, everyone deserves a say in this, right?

[ she points behind her where a giant board is on display on an easel, once again, hand-written with careful and precise calligraphy in giant letters: ]


Here, I've written some sample questions we can all try to offer answers to, but the floor will also be open for any other questions and suggestions that anyone might have. Remember, there are no wrong answers! We're all here for an open forum discussion. But before that!

[ she reaches over to the board, pulling it off to reveal another one behind it. this one reads as follows: ]


Please consider the "Keys to Success", not only on our missions, but as we talk together in this room right now. We'll go ahead and take turns either stepping up here on the stage or speaking out from wherever you are. There are no microphones but the earpieces should get your voices out to everyone. Now, who would like to start?


( this post is open to all! the idea is that everyone is taking turns in each thread to speak out to the entire group (whether from within the room or from elsewhere), but thread-jacking and hopping around for discussion is the key here! feel free to run wild with ic suggestions or questions regarding mission layouts or planning or whatever floats your boat (ic complaining/protest is always an option too). though rita is organizing it, it's open to whatever people are inclined to discuss. )

Comments

[legalcy]

Of course! The draft is not complete, but I am interested in your input. I will send a copy to you shortly.

[It's not dense, but there is a lot of language about waging war and selling technology, then a section on war crimes, but the general message is on how to accomplish military missions without disturbing a society that has not had aline contact yet.]

[farr]

[ hey, now. ]

I'm sorry— [ rita holds her smile, but there's definitely a slight twitch. ] Are you ... suggesting that a theatrical performance is mere child's play compared to spy work?

[firstroar]

[he nods.] I will try to review it...quickly. You...you'll send it to the others as well, won't you? Those with...more valuable input.

[legalcy]

Dramatics makes others suspicious. A noble is not deemed a noble based on his spending and public acts of selfishness. [He huffs a little.] They'll watch your every move, even when you aren't doing anything in particular. You must fit their narrative else you are discovered.

[bindsthedead]

True. If only to know who to ask for backup if things go poorly.

[legalcy]

[Itachi talked to him about this; the document must be comprehensible to those unfamiliar with legal language.]

Of course. However, you will also be impacted, thus your input is of equal value to theirs.

[deaddrop]

As much as I'd love to think that won't happen again, the precedent would suggest otherwise.

[farr]

Well.

[ she breathes a soft laugh, because it's the only thing to help her keep her cool. everything else here she can approach with a level of collectiveness. but when it comes to her craft— ]

I'm not sure you realize the lack of respect you're placing on an actor's ability. I'm not talking about amateurs like Deborah Kerr or Steven Seagal who wouldn't be able to act their way out of a speeding ticket. I am talking about those that can pour their heart and soul into becoming one with their character to the point where it's nearly impossible to find where one ends and one begins. Because, for an actor, there are no rolling credits to the sweat and tears that go into that perfect mastery.

Now, I beg you, do reconsider your stance about the cons of dramatics. Because aside from playing with a few fancy technical gadgets, there is nothing that any spy agent can do that a critically acclaimed actress can't do even better.

[ hmph!! ]

action—

[shumi]

( kakashi can spare a clone to attend the meeting, especially since rita went out of her way to curate and send out the invitation. it was an amusing thing to find on his door, one he can understand the rationale behind, even if he retains a certain amount of skepticism towards it. showing up in a dark "I'M ONLY HERE FOR THE FOOD" t-shirt and a black pair of pants, the clone has a customary mask and plain headband covering most of his face.

he appropriately heads for the refreshment table, but rather than partake in the food and drink, he simply flips open a book and begins to read.

not to worry, of course. he's paying attention. it's unlikely to hear him offer up an opinion first, but feel free to pull him into a conversation or leave him to his devices. )

[firstroar]

[his mouth twitches on one side, as though he has a rebuttal to that. instead, though:] As you say. Thank you... [...] Forgive me. I don't...know your name, do I. Or if I did, I've lost it.

[firstroar]

[not much to venture in this chair, so just fuckin edit the scene so they're near each other. THEATER OF THE MIND BITCH

Blue looks over, aware the presence here's just...y'know. only a piece of Itachi. but it's fine; there's enough of him there to know it still counts.]

...Mixed. I'm...glad it's happening, all the same. Strengthening bonds this way...will do us better than going without.

[callada]

Yeah. I'm sure if we set firm rules we'll find exceptions, but I think most places will be better off if we move on quickly. Besides, we know the orbs can do a lot of damage in a short time. Might be best for the places upcoming if we don't make Viveca have to wait on us.

[callada]

My thoughts exactly. I did want to stay and help. I felt for those people too. I thought we could do right by them. I had been wanting that since we started doing this a year ago.

But I've been persuaded now that moving on quickly is the right course of action. Stick to the mission, get it done, head on to the next one. We'll reach more worlds more quickly that way, and removing an orb from a world is probably the best thing we can do to leave people better off.

action—

[aurable]

I'm sorry I'm late. [ Drift slips in five after the appointed time, trying to keep his head low and treading carefully around the potential to interrupt anyone. He poured a cup of coffee that he couldn't drink and just held it because he needed something to do with his hands while standing. ]

There was a miscommunication — completely my fault — I had trouble reading the invitation left on my door. The written English language is easy to parse, but I couldn't make heads or tails of [ He awkwardly motions to one of the signs' flowing, impeccable caligraphy. ] All that.

action —;

[lateness]

[ As if the Doctor could resist the call of a good doughnut, and perhaps noseying about — in person and not on his communications device. He does so like a good face-to-face encounter when given the choice.

When it's his turn to speak, he gets to his feet, stick-straight, and clears his throat. He opts for a more serious tone this time around, which might be surprising to some, but expected by others. This isn't, after all, a matter to take lightly. ]

Hello! Hello, can you all hear me? Yes, yes, good, right — I'm the Doctor. [ He gives a little wave with the hand not holding onto a chocolate glazed doughnut. ] Now, I've been with this crew since we first set foot on Gyeongje and recovered our very first orb, so I've seen the way these missions have changed a number of us. Of course, not only that but I've seen the different ways the orbs affect each world we've been to and what effects they've had on us as a team.

We've all got our strengths, certainly, and I think all of us have some form of good intentions but the problem is that we've got about sixty-some sets of intentions all going in all different directions.

There's a rule in time-and-space travel — which I suppose can lend itself to the sort of space traveling that we do — and that is to observe as much as you can without getting involved, and to interact with the world we visit by following its rules and customs. [ He's got his own set of personal rules too, but he won't recount them here. ] I've traveled for two-thousand-some years now, and I suspect I'll travel for hundreds of years more after this face, and while I've helped a good many planets I would never presume to know one better than its locals — and I think that's where some of us got a bit mixed up.

What happened before those last weeks in E-23b really shouldn't have happened, certainly not by our hand, and certainly not when we already had the orb with us. [ Not to speak of retrieving Viveca's body from the Chacier House which did wind up being a good thing in the end, but could have ended very, very badly for some of the team. It's the sort of risky calculation even the Doctor, for all his risktaking (and delighting in it), couldn't agree with. ] You see, while we do have our designated job to do, we are still tourists in a way, and we shouldn't forget that. Refocusing on why we were sent down to a planet in the first place, with the knowledge that removing the orb from that planet will allow it to recover and return to its former glory already — that's what we ought to do. Because — you see, because it doesn't actually need us as much as we think that it might.

And believe me, all right, I've made mistakes just like the ones we'd made on E-23b once or twice before. Hard not to when you think your experiences are universal. But they aren't, not always.

[ He, too, had to learn this the hard way. ]

Suppose what I'm saying is that in the event of something like this occurring again, we really ought to take the time not to get too caught up in it all, to remember that it's better not to make too big a splash, and to remember that the orb put in place on that planet is already the thorn we're to remove. Once we've removed it, well, then our job is done. Every planet will carry on without us, trust me, it will. I've seen it happen. And while it might feel like we're abandoning a planet to its own devices when some of you might think, 'shouldn't we do more to help?' what we're doing isn't pointless, and we are helping. I'd argue, we're helping the very best way that we can.

[ He pauses, and then lifts his doughnut up. ]

And these doughnuts are very, very good. Think I'll take another one before we're through here.

[homeostatic]

I just got here, ( he mutters bleakly into his coffee, looking ahead to the next person who begins to speak.

And he frowns, leaning in closer to murmur, with notable confusion, )

Who is Newt arguing with?

[business]

Spoken like a true relic, grandfather.

( two thousand, yeesh. that's even older than his dad was. still, rhysand says it playfully, with no shortage of fondness. )

You're of the mind, then, that taking the orb is always the right decision? Removal is synonymous with aid, and should be our focus. Yes?

[legalcy]

Minimus Ambus, former Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, former Second-In-Command of the Lost Light, current Administrator of Luna-1 and Overseer to the Bronze Generation.

[With that full introduction out of the way-] And yours?

[coordination]

[ There's a disdainful little scoff at the mention of compromising morals and molding wills, because yeah he ain't about that either.

He leans forward a little, hands braced on the handles of the wheelchair to keep his balance. ]

Not to mention, [ He adds. ] using Badrock as an example, we don't even know if we're always going to get briefings that accurately reflect what's really going on. Swift adaptation and investigation will probably always be key, but you're right that more times than not, our bigger decisions have been in the midst of the chaos we're trying to stop. So what we do in those moments are far more difficult to coordinate, and sometimes even the perfect preparation for something can easily crumble.

[legalcy]

[Actors, honestly! Minimus never did quite get along with them, and he supposes he never will. His sits down and picks up his papers.]

I'm certain you are skilled in your profession, Rita Farr, but I believe a espionage and theater do not intersect to a great degree. Tell me, how would you assume a dead woman's identity, if you were required to do so?

[Everything must be taken seriously, no fun is allowed. Granted, not everyone in this had to partake in government-mandated identity theft and hide their true forms to avoid persecution, but Minimus can and will hold others to the standards he was held to.]

[legalcy]

Ah, the cursive font. Not used in formal documents, rather in letters, poetry, and personal diaries. [He nods to himself, digging up what he's read in the past millennia.] I could show you the alphabet. It will help you pass more easily as an organic if the situation comes to pass.

[hatejakku]

[ Welp, Finn's apparently going to speak up for the first time. His voice just as tired as he looks, though. ]

What if the damage is already done? Like-... Like in Gyeongje. If we were able to take the orb and leave... what would have happened to them? They didn't have the means and knowledge to stop the- the virus or whatever it was.

We could interfere on a case-by-case basis, but how do we know when it's the right thing to do and when it isn't?

action;

[hatejakku]

[ There's a man standing in the back of the room, leaning against the doorjamb. He looks like he hasn't slept in a day or so, the truth of which is anyone's guess since he's rarely been seen since the last mission.

But as luck would have it, he had intended to search for something to drink late in the night when he noticed the invitation on his door. And while he doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to keep screwing up much more. Not to mention that he owes Rita a hell of a lot...

So. Finn's here, staying quiet and not really offering commentary. Sadly, he'll eventually turn and leave, deciding that this whole thing probably won't change any mission or his decisions on them. Feel free to catch him before he goes or run into him while he's on the way out.

Or just ignore him. Honestly, he's just as surprised as everyone else that he made an appearance. ]

[homeostatic]

( He'd like to think he isn't broadcasting any difficulties, as he hands her the mug and goes to pour his own, but he wouldn't be the first to underestimate her observational skills.

Adding a splash of milk to his coffee, McCoy pauses, before capping the jug once more. )

Getting by.

( Realizing a half-second later how brusque that sounded, he softens considerably, touched and humbled that she cares. )

It's very kind of you to ask, thank you.

[homeostatic]

I'd like to read what you have so far.

At home, we have a regulation known as Starfleet General Order 1, or the Prime Directive. Non-interference "in the natural, unassisted, development of societies, even if such interference was well-intentioned", as such interference includes "the introduction of superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely."

( Yes he's quoting directly from memory because all the Fleet men are nerds, all of them. )

Starfleet officers are expected to give their lives, even the lives of their crew, to uphold it.