✨ 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. )

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[callada]

[Rosinante turns up a few minutes early and finds himself a seat off to the side so he's not blocking anyone's view. He's got a cup of coffee to go with his cigarette, as well as a notepad and pen. As people talk, he's either taking notes or jotting down ideas of his own.]

First off, I do want to point out something everyone's mostly been doing well, which is communication. The earpieces make it easy, but it's still easy to forget. Update your teammates when things go wrong or right so we can make informed decisions. Sometimes there's not a lot of time to debate, we just have to make a call then and there. Outcome's best if we know what's going on elsewhere with other people, especially in large cities like the last one where it's easy to have no idea what's going on somewhere else in the city.

Now, with the last mission, I think it's been reinforced that we're visitors to these places. I've said it from the start, I'd prefer to leave these places better than we found them, but we do have a tendency to... cause problems. Not through bad intent, we're just a lot of people who aren't from these places. We have different mindsets, different cultural backgrounds, different priorities, and maybe it's best if we just focus on getting the orb and getting out. Even when that's hard, even when we want to help. We have to keep focused on the broader mission.

[Probably none of this is controversial at this point, right? Time to wait and see if there's still any dissent.]

[bindsthedead]

That's a reasonable approach, if the orb is unclaimed, as it was in Viveca's world.

But if someone has it... We can ask them to hand it over, but often, those who have it have some goal they're desperate to achieve, and won't hand it over until they've accomplished it. 'Staying out of it' and 'Recovering the orb as soon as possible' would be contradictory goals.

And the one time we tried to steal an orb in a bargain... it was a disaster.

[callada]

Yes, and so working with them to achieve their goal still counts as getting the orb quickly and leaving. My point is that getting involved when it isn't necessary is a poor use of our time, and places us as well as the people on those worlds at additional risk.

On the last world, there was no need to side with the Fables and help them in their revolution except that people felt it was the right thing to do. We could have stayed out of it entirely once we had a lead suggesting the orb was under water.

And before anyone gets the wrong idea, I was in favor of staying and helping them remove their world's poisons, too. I still want to believe it was worth the effort, in the end, but it showed clearly that we probably shouldn't be doing that everywhere we go.

[legalcy]

"Everywhere?" Would you say that this level of involvement lead to a positive outcome in the past?

[He hadn't been able to get opinions about prior missions, only facts, so this is one of the first opportunities to get a feel for subject measures of success.]

[callada]

We haven't tried to be involved to this level before. There were those who took sides on Giva for their own reasons, and I won't suggest everyone needs to clamp down on their emotions and lock up their sympathies. But we still had people on either side focused on finding the orb, too.

Never before has most of the group apparently decided they wanted to work with one political faction to topple another when doing so wasn't related to getting the orb, and we certainly never stuck around for weeks afterward before. I don't think we even considered that a realistic option. I had asked Viveca about it before and she said once we had the orb, we would have to be immediately retrieved.

[legalcy]

I assumed that allying with the Fables was our best option for getting the orb. We would have the numbers on our side to distract the guards while a team investigated the lake. It would be difficult to bring everyone with the power to purify the water or to enter the contamination zone via guard disguises.

[It felt like the obvious solution. Minimus does consider the obligation to join the rebels considering that it is the home planet of the ship's leader.]

I was also under the impression that taking the orb would bring us back to the ship. What changed this time?

[callada]

It was an option. I'm not convinced it was the best one, but maybe there's information I'm missing, and I should take back my comments about everyone keeping us all well-informed.

[He gives a wry little smile at this. It's true, after all, that he still has mostly no idea what happened outside the first couple of circles during everything that went down, but he doesn't blame the people out there for not speaking up over the network, since his impression is they were trying not to die.]

As for how we stayed, I don't know. I haven't seen an explanation for that. Viveca could probably shed some light on it better than I can.

[bindsthedead]

True. In that case, it might be better to agree ahead of time that it's acceptable to tell anyone who has an orb what their true nature and start negotiating as soon as we identify them, rather than putting it to a vote each time, often weeks after we've learned who has it. More often than not, we've had to deal with the orb being claimed, rather than unclaimed, and so far most of them have been willing to hand it over once their problems are solved.

As for last mission- I think you're ignoring the difficulties of getting enough people in and removing the orb without the government stopping us- could you imagine what might have happened, if they'd interrupted us halfway through and taken the orb for themselves?

Besides, I do not think we could have gone into that camp and ignored what was happening.

[callada]

No arguments from me over starting negotiations quickly. It seems to work in our favor once we open up and discuss with people.

As for the last mission and the government, we had options. Send people in who can teleport or make themselves invisible. Joining a revolution was pretty damn risky, in my book. A good way to get most of our team imprisoned or killed, if it had failed, and then how would we get the orb? We'd instead be here lamenting we hadn't gone straight for it and mourning our losses. We got lucky.

[bindsthedead]

Agreed. Lets put it to a vote before the next mission, and see if enough people feel the same.

As for sending in people who could teleport- didn't people try that in another camp and get captured? Every choice carries a risk of failure. Not that there weren't other options- we could have tried infiltrating the camp independent of the Fables, passing ourselves off as guards and prisoners.

But there would still be the risk of discovery, and there's no way we could have ignored the suffering of the prisoners. And to be honest, the Fables understood more of the world and had a better plan for handling the camps than we would have if we'd just gone in and reacted to what we saw.

[callada]

Always risks, no matter what we do. Maybe it's just that I was surprised by how quickly people seemed to personally want to join them, and not just for the sake of the orb. Our efforts could have been focused a little tighter.

[But, shrug. It's the nature of gathering together a bunch of untrained, disorganized people who keep coming and going and trying to get them to do something unified. There's a lot they need to work on and talk about here today on how to improve all of that.]

Have you or anyone else asked Viveca why we were able to stay so long this time? I thought once we had the orb in hand we'd be brought back no matter what.

[bindsthedead]

Many of us have seen suffering and injustice, and worked against it in our worlds. Expecting people to just sit by and watch while a group was trying to help stop that was bound to lead to disorganization.

As far as I understand? Because we recovered it without touching it, and hid it away somewhere others couldn't reach it, until we decided to leave. Physical contact seems to be what sets off the teleportation, so we found and exploited a loophole.

[Sabriel had been at the reservoir during the initial recovery effort, using an air bubble spell to help the orbers involve minimize contact with the water.]

[coordination]

Unfortunately we didn't know about the orb's location until well into the mission. [ Yzak frowns a little. ] We were originally told it was in the First Circle, so I put my focus there - tch, it sort of feels like a waste now, since it was nowhere close. Not that my position didn't come in handy in a couple of pinches, but at least the Fables were a good place to gather information. Some of the team were already well involved with them by the time we got the correct information, it might not have been easy or safe to disengage by that point. And ultimately, our connections with the Fables did prove useful toward the end.

But you are right, we shouldn't always put in that extra effort. There will be exceptions for sure, and it's a shame that this wasn't one because moving forward when we actually come across that exception, others have been soured by this. But I want to believe, too, that our staying, ultimately uncomfortable for all parties involved, was worth it.

[callada]

No matter what we do on any mission, we'll second-guess some aspects of it. And I know not all of us share opinions - our variety of viewpoints is, I'm sure, part of what makes us effective.

Just surprised me how quickly so many of our own were ready to jump to helping to stage a revolution for reasons that didn't seem like they had much to do with the orb, that's all, considering what we're here for. I'm glad it ended up working out.

[farr]

Originally, I was of the belief that staying longer on the planet would simply be an act of contributing to a good deed — helping to make sure the locals were comfortable after the climax of their war. But —

[ she brings her hands together, folding her fingers together almost nervously as she recalls her days during those extra three weeks on the planet. the way they were all disgusted by "that giant woman". ]

I know from experience — both recently and prior — that we should learn to accept when we aren't wanted, however good our intentions may be. And I've begun to agree that we should do better about laser focusing our efforts on the mission in capturing the orb.

We shouldn't completely ignore anyone in need of help, but there's such a thing as overstaying our welcome.

[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.

[homeostatic]

Some– ( not 'we', the distinction is important to him, even as calmly polite as he is in pointing it out, ) –have a tendency to cause problems because they've allowed their impatience, their eagerness, inexperience, lack of trust... ego- whatever -to get the better of them.

( he's trying to be reasonable here, drawing on his own experiences as a leader back home, )

I don't believe in treating the actions of a few as a failing of the entire group. Collective blame doesn't make anyone feel better, it risks fostering resentment over the long term. If someone, or someones, wants to cowboy it up to the detriment of the whole team or the world we visit, they can stand to be counseled individually as well.

[kovach]

[ from somewhere in the room, kovacs scoffs a short laugh, blowing out a small wisp of smoke before lowering his cigarette. ]

No collective blame, huh? Then, hey, don't be shy, Doc. [ his tone is casual, almost amused. ] Since you're so insistent that we should act on a system of pointing fingers, why don't you go on telling the class who you think our problem starters are?

[homeostatic]

( McCoy turns to Kovacs, mildly surprised to see him there. )

Y'see, there's a difference between disliking collective blame and advocating for public excoriation. I'm not sure how you made that leap from one to the other, but I'd prefer you not put words in my mouth, please.

( Turning back to the larger group, he continues, )

If folks want to call for team-building, then learning why some go rogue in the field is worthwhile. If it's a matter of inexperience, a crisis of some kind, they can be supported. If it's a lack of trust in others', then that can be helped as well. The point is in addressing and meeting individual needs to make for better group cohesion out there on missions, so no one has to feel alone.

[shadysided]

People probably make leaps because you always sound like you're on the verge of reprimanding anyone who doesn't respond to situations like a particular fancy-smancy space doctor does.

[Ziggy calls out unhelpfully from the back, eating a donut. As you do.

She holds up her hands in immediate surrender.]

Just saying! Maybe you've both got some 'individual needs' to address like the rest of us.

[... She hobbles over, takes Kovacs' cigarette from his fingers while he's got his guard down, and proceeds to put it out on the side of her leg splint.]

[kovach]

[ he's actually getting ready to bring that cigarette back to his lips when ziggy suddenly swipes it away, prompting a deep squint of his brows and a slightly held out hand in a "what the hell" gesture, though he doesn't vocalize any actual argument.

instead, he licks his lips, now empty of their bad habit as he leans back in his seat, foot over his knee, turning back to mccoy. ]

Like the kid said — you're claiming you don't want to call anyone out, but you were pretty damn quick to make sure any mistakes were the fault of the "impatient" and "inexperienced". You want people to take individual responsibility, but doesn't really help when you go out of your way to suggest the ol' experienced, understanding doctor isn't just as capable of fucking up like the rest of us.

[ some, not "we". ]

[hatejakku]

[ A tired, sighing voice from the back: ]

As one of those who keeps screwing up on missions, that's not what he's saying and we're getting off-topic. We need to support each other, not offer more resentment.

[ Like what's... happening right now... ]

[eschewings]

[ as mccoy's attention switches to ziggy, huaisang — somehow managing to blend into the crowd of people, not least because he's hiding behind his fan the entire time — scoots forward until he's right next to kovacs.

then, he whispers, in a voice ostensibly only for kovacs but just loud enough it might be picked up by anyone listening through the network, ]

Ah, I must say I'm a little confused... isn't he one of those who argued for staying behind and all that, just a few weeks ago? The thing that actually led to more harm than good? So I guess my confusion is... if he's saying only some are to blame, isn't he blaming himself?

[ huaisang scratches his cheek. ] This is why I hate cultivation conferences... no one ever says what they actually mean.

[homeostatic]

( As he's been pretty even-keeled and calm the whole time, versus his bristling in the field, he shoots her a mild, questioning look. )

I'd prefer to remain on-topic, versus derailing the discussion to police my tone, Ziggy. ( Though he adds, pleasantly, ) I'd be happy to talk more with you about it after the meeting.

[shadysided]

[On-topic he says!!! She snorts.]

Aaaand there's my point, with big flashing neon lights.

[She hobbles off to get more snacks.]

I'd rather you just ignore my opinions, so I can avoid being lectured in private.