Challenges
August 31, 3072
Now I'm facing the first true challenge to my skills as a leader. Our new contract will be in the Elgin system which is located in the so-called Chaos March. That in and of itself isn't the hard part. Nor is it the fact that we're going into a politically turbulent world at the behest of the new Prime Minister. Neither is it the fact it'll be 12 months long involving a combination of garrison duty and training up the local militia to the standards of the Red Dawn.
The difficulty lies in the fact that we'll be working side-by-side with the Word of Blake.
Personally I don't have that many issues with them, aside the fact I do think a great deal of their people are religious fanatics, but they aren't insurmountable. After all, I do have a reasonablly decent working relationship with Major Brock and Captain Bingham.
My greatest concern is Spyros, who does have major issues with the Blakists.
I can understand why he feels betrayed by the Word of Blake and I'm not asking him to trust them. But I need to get it through his thick skull that I'm asking him to trust his officers, that we will back him and everyone else if the Blakists should prove to be as false as my mother. I don't need him going off half-cocked at shadows and stirring up trouble where there wasn't trouble before this.
At least I got a very minor, grudging, agreement out of him to try not to start that trouble.
Thank whatever deity of your choice that Victor and Jain only have distaste for the Blakists, not outright hate. Otherwise I'd have to explain to the medical staff why I want a steady supply of sediatives for my lance. Bad enough I'm going to have to spend more time than I should on keeping an eye on Spyros while keeping him on a tight leash, I don't need the other two going off also.
Now I see why they kept me as lieutenant when Spyros's experience would have been valuable as a war-leader. While I have few, if any, virtues, I do at least know how to work with those I detest. Something I'm not sure if Sergeant Alexander has really learned.
As for people that I detest...I think I'm going to have to remove Brock and Bingham off that list, or at least bump them down a few notches. Apparently this newfound ability to forgive has shown me other ways of viewing people, or at least let me get over my irrational biases.
Major Brock has effectively made my lance his jury and myself their judge. He feels he's lost touch as a leader and wants us to tell him when he's being an idiot, not quite so bluntly. Which is why I imagine why he wants me to consider what the others have to say before passing it on to him. The disturbing part of the whole matter is the fact I've never felt so reluctant to give anyone a piece of mind before this. What happened to the woman who wasn't afraid to tell the Archon she was a cheap whore?
Oh, who am I kidding? I know what happened. She gained so very much that she's afraid to lose it with the wrong word. But it seemed that very hesitation seemed to encourage the Major into believing he chose rightly. And maybe he was right, only time can tell.
And perhaps he did do rightly since I can no longer see him as a martinette, just someone who made mistakes and is still suffering from that. No matter how I try to conceal it, keep it from myself and others, I can't stand to see others suffering when I know there's something I can at least try to do to help it.
He also had a good start in winning the Second Calvary by apologizing to them about how he greeted the Dawn when we returned from Lothan. And gave a bit of insight as to how he's been acting the way he has, I know it made some uncomfortable, but I believe we all needed to hear it as much as he needed to say it.
Then of course he and Bingham to drop their little bombshell about the new contract.
I wonder if I should mention to Captain Bingham that it's a bad idea to show nervousness in front of a room full of mercs. Angry mercs no less.
Apparently our new contract involves going to the Elgin system at the behest of the newly elected Prime Minister to act as garrison forces and to help train the militia. I suspect it's also to help bring some measure of peace to that wartorn planet. How Brock challenged the Second on how to handle the new contract has actually caused me to start respecting the man and have a little hope that he'll be able to lead us well.
Odd to think I have a slowly growing respect for a alumnus of my academy who is a Lyran noble to boot. Now how to figure out that lesson and teach it to Spyros.
It's going to be a long year.
With the new contract now being spelled out, I can now see why Nicholai asked my lance to act as his honor guard when Mueller's people can't do it. Spyros and I have the knowledge of how to deal with nobles of all levels, Victor is just plain sneaky and Jain has a way of winning friends in unlikely places.
And I thought I left the political crap when I left Tharkad!
Ah well, such is life.
Now I'm facing the first true challenge to my skills as a leader. Our new contract will be in the Elgin system which is located in the so-called Chaos March. That in and of itself isn't the hard part. Nor is it the fact that we're going into a politically turbulent world at the behest of the new Prime Minister. Neither is it the fact it'll be 12 months long involving a combination of garrison duty and training up the local militia to the standards of the Red Dawn.
The difficulty lies in the fact that we'll be working side-by-side with the Word of Blake.
Personally I don't have that many issues with them, aside the fact I do think a great deal of their people are religious fanatics, but they aren't insurmountable. After all, I do have a reasonablly decent working relationship with Major Brock and Captain Bingham.
My greatest concern is Spyros, who does have major issues with the Blakists.
I can understand why he feels betrayed by the Word of Blake and I'm not asking him to trust them. But I need to get it through his thick skull that I'm asking him to trust his officers, that we will back him and everyone else if the Blakists should prove to be as false as my mother. I don't need him going off half-cocked at shadows and stirring up trouble where there wasn't trouble before this.
At least I got a very minor, grudging, agreement out of him to try not to start that trouble.
Thank whatever deity of your choice that Victor and Jain only have distaste for the Blakists, not outright hate. Otherwise I'd have to explain to the medical staff why I want a steady supply of sediatives for my lance. Bad enough I'm going to have to spend more time than I should on keeping an eye on Spyros while keeping him on a tight leash, I don't need the other two going off also.
Now I see why they kept me as lieutenant when Spyros's experience would have been valuable as a war-leader. While I have few, if any, virtues, I do at least know how to work with those I detest. Something I'm not sure if Sergeant Alexander has really learned.
As for people that I detest...I think I'm going to have to remove Brock and Bingham off that list, or at least bump them down a few notches. Apparently this newfound ability to forgive has shown me other ways of viewing people, or at least let me get over my irrational biases.
Major Brock has effectively made my lance his jury and myself their judge. He feels he's lost touch as a leader and wants us to tell him when he's being an idiot, not quite so bluntly. Which is why I imagine why he wants me to consider what the others have to say before passing it on to him. The disturbing part of the whole matter is the fact I've never felt so reluctant to give anyone a piece of mind before this. What happened to the woman who wasn't afraid to tell the Archon she was a cheap whore?
Oh, who am I kidding? I know what happened. She gained so very much that she's afraid to lose it with the wrong word. But it seemed that very hesitation seemed to encourage the Major into believing he chose rightly. And maybe he was right, only time can tell.
And perhaps he did do rightly since I can no longer see him as a martinette, just someone who made mistakes and is still suffering from that. No matter how I try to conceal it, keep it from myself and others, I can't stand to see others suffering when I know there's something I can at least try to do to help it.
He also had a good start in winning the Second Calvary by apologizing to them about how he greeted the Dawn when we returned from Lothan. And gave a bit of insight as to how he's been acting the way he has, I know it made some uncomfortable, but I believe we all needed to hear it as much as he needed to say it.
Then of course he and Bingham to drop their little bombshell about the new contract.
I wonder if I should mention to Captain Bingham that it's a bad idea to show nervousness in front of a room full of mercs. Angry mercs no less.
Apparently our new contract involves going to the Elgin system at the behest of the newly elected Prime Minister to act as garrison forces and to help train the militia. I suspect it's also to help bring some measure of peace to that wartorn planet. How Brock challenged the Second on how to handle the new contract has actually caused me to start respecting the man and have a little hope that he'll be able to lead us well.
Odd to think I have a slowly growing respect for a alumnus of my academy who is a Lyran noble to boot. Now how to figure out that lesson and teach it to Spyros.
It's going to be a long year.
With the new contract now being spelled out, I can now see why Nicholai asked my lance to act as his honor guard when Mueller's people can't do it. Spyros and I have the knowledge of how to deal with nobles of all levels, Victor is just plain sneaky and Jain has a way of winning friends in unlikely places.
And I thought I left the political crap when I left Tharkad!
Ah well, such is life.
posted by Reika at 11:36 PM
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