Posted by Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist (Weaver of Webs) in Main Sim - Welcome to Fantasy Planet - The Island of Nemornia

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Main Sim - Welcome to Fantasy Planet - The Island of Nemornia

Posted by Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist (Weaver of Webs) in Main Sim - Welcome to Fantasy Planet - The Island of Nemornia
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Janna stepped closer, unsure what to do now that they had been separated from everyone else. She had been safe in the tree and thus not whisked away to the hotel, but in her mind she had taken the right and safer option for herself, and thus others. She didn’t want to be a distraction by putting herself in a dangerous situation where others had to worry about her safety, not when there were bigger things going on.

“What can I do to help?” Kingston asked, rather uncertain right now.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Kane also looked uncertain. Turning his back on his daughter business he looked at Janna seriously. “You could help me understand why people are so mad about what we were trying to do”. His eyes were sad, “I’m not sure what we did that was so wrong”.

Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist

Well, this was something that she could do. Janna shook her head in disbelief. “This crew has put themselves on the line time and again for causes they belieeved in. They followed great leaders into danger not just because they made a vow to the Federation, but because they trust that leader. What you’ve done here is force our hand, force our participation.” She sighed. “Even if free will is an illusion, many people in the galaxy want to believe they have a choice about whether to risk their own lives or not. That choice is a fundamental part of our existence. You’ve forced our participation and for that we can’t trust you, Kane. We will do what is necessary, but do not mistake that participation as approval or agreement.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Kane was obviously trying to understand her words and also just as obviously struggling with it. “So it was wrong to do what was necessary to survive as a species?”

Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist

Her inhale filled her chest and Janna slowly released it bit by bit. “I think ‘wrong’ isn’t the right way to think about it. Yes, you absolutely deserve to survive, but you have to consider the consequences of your actions. If your survival requires others to die who have had no part in this conflict, is it okay? I’m not saying there is a right answer here, Kane, but we in the Federation are greatly aware that actions at any cost are tricky and complicated things. Sometimes we have to make impossible choices with outcomes that are all undesirable. So we do the best we can to make the best of bad choices. We understand that, we do. BUt you must also consider how we feel about being pulled into such a difficult circumstance without warning or permission.”

She turned more fully to Kane, feeling the fullness of her compassion and empathy. “Many of the Athena’s crew have lived through some very traumatic events. What you’ve done is forced them to be potentially traumatized again without a say in it. All I’m saying is that if people are upset and objecting, for a moment consider how they might feel. It might not change anything, but then perhaps you can understand our resistance. We fight for causes we believe in. I can guarantee that if you had just asked, you might not only have had some people say ‘absolutely’, but you might have bene able to leverage our amazing creativity. You’d be amazed the solutions this crew can come up with if given half a chance,” she said with a small smile.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Kane sighed and his massive shoulders sagged a little, “We have much to learn of others, this is why Athena sought to join the Federation to learn of your ways. However, they also agreed to this and must be held to account, we did not do this without their permission and none could have accurately predicted that Ares would do what he did or that he would do it while you were here. Ultimately that decision led to his defeat because I doubt we would have held our own without your aid. Is it not then the fault of Ares that you were traumatised?”

Gamemaster Conspiracy Theorist

She could almost feel the weight that had suddenly overtaken the man and so Janna’s gaze was one of empathy. “It doesn’t matter who caused what, the situation is what it is. Deferring responsibility elsewhere doesn’t imbue a sense of trust, Kane. Yes, Ares has had a role to play in all of this and we are not asking you to take responsibility for that. All I am asking on behalf of my crew, for whom I am responsible for the mental health of, is that you recognize your own role and make amends if and where needed. Sometimes all people want to know if that the other party recognizes that they put people in harm’s way and apologize. Sometimes you can’t make it right. It just depends. In this case, a little humility would go a long way to ease the burden of a crew that continually is asked to sacrifice for the greater good.” How she had gotten on the track of making speeches she wasn’t sure, (it usually wasn’t her style), but sometimes you just had to stand up and make a point.

~Janna Kingston, CNS