it outlives me when I'm gone

[cannotrest]

WHO: Ashley Williams, Archie, Lucina, Jeroen Akobi, and Darin Altway
WHERE: Helix Station, Maurtia Falls
WHEN: October 5th evening, before the cipher texts came in
WHAT: Division of duties
WARNINGS: sads

Ashley's heart is heavy as she calls the other Aegis agents who have covered leadership roles to the Command Centre, where she has Jacob's instructions to divide responsibilities between them and goodbye message displaying on two of the screens. It's only been a day, but there's no telling whether it will be permanent this time, and they really ought to figure this out before the next person Ports out and someone's left scrambling for agents as Archie had been in July.

Once everyone's assembled, she takes position just to the right of Jacob's usual spot at the table.

"If you've tried to contact Jacob in the last day or so, you probably know why we're here," she says. "And if you haven't - well, he's Ported out again. Maybe this is jumping the gun and he'll be back tomorrow, but he trusts us with responsibility for the Force, so we need to keep things running smoothly... And make our plan sustainable long term in the event that he doesn't come back."

Their leadership first time they'd been without him, when he'd died, was not what she'd call sustainable long term. This time they at least aren't fresh off destruction, injuries, and a PR disaster.

Comments

[fauxmarth]

Lucina, for the most part, keeps her mouth shut unless spoken to. She knows she wasn't the best during the last time that Jacob went absent, so she doesn't want to impress the idea that she's going to become a liability again.

Long-term... She hopes it doesn't come to that. She hopes this is just another hiccup, the porter letting Jacob go back to see his family.

Really, she ought to wish him to stay with that family. But.

It's complicated.


"Whatever you need doing that I can support, tell me." She nods grimly. "I'll see it done."

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin was afraid this might happen sooner rather than later, but at least this time he's here for it and ready to do what's got to be done.

"I can handle Public Relations alongside the Reserves recruits. Which, if Jacob doesn't come back...we should probably start preparing some kind of an announcement. We can divvy up things as much as we like, but Aegis is going to need a 'leader' to go public with. A face people are going to be willing to trust."

[ralltiir]

Akobi is as well-dressed as ever, but his expression is fraught, haggard. He has not had the greatest few months, ever since porting back in with the Force.

"I can take care of internal affairs. Mr. Altway is right, we need a public face, who the people can believe in. After recent events, I believe I can squarely take myself out of the running..."

The public won't trust a man who musically confessed to bombing a hospital.

[h2no]

Last to arrive, Archie flops into a chair and frowns, listening to everyone else's input first.

"Put me on reserve for whatever's leftover or if someone gets overwhelmed. I don't want leadership again," he says, simply. "I can work on anything except PR, ain't no natives out there that gives a shit what me or Akobi might try an' do for our crimes."

Archie shrugs.

"Between us we can probably catch up most internal stuff."

[fauxmarth]

Lucina hesitates.

“I could take the press duties, if you think it appropriate. I could use more experience with it, anyway.”

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Eagerly, Darin looks at Lucina.

"I can teach you how to spin a story in a positive light. It's all about word choice while still remaining honest. Regardless, it's something worth practicing. I had to do it a lot back home when it came to selling my wares."

As for Archie and Akobi, Darin felt relieved. Not that he didn't trust either of their judgment, but he was glad that, especially in Archie's case, he had the sense to step down. He always put so much on himself and, given his checkered past, it always seemed to take the most out of the man.

"I'm glad you guys are at least willing to stay on in an advisory capacity. I know only a small fraction of the team has leadership experience...so having the experience and differing perspectives will make whoever takes over more effective and trustworthy. That said...is there anyone that someone would want to nominate?"

[cannotrest]

Darin's got a great point about the team needing a public face, and between Archie's suspensions and destruction and Akobi's musical confession to an atrocity, she's glad they have the judgment to sit it out. With the #LoseLucina campaign, criticism of their hiring teenagers back in May, and Lucina's own hesitation, Ashley has some concerns about her taking over public relations, but Darin's a good person to learn it from and she supposes there's no other way to learn the job.

Which leaves leadership.

If it weren't for the PR shitshow and team mourning that had pervaded her brief stint at leadership, she thinks she would have liked it. The actual duties were interesting, somewhat like her work back home with the Alliance but much more varied. She's mostly managed to avoid mass destruction and Majority Report scandals. And she has ten years of training and working towards and finally getting to gain leadership experience.

She's worth this.

"I don't usually toot my own horn, but I'd like to think I did okay while I was co-leading the team," she says. "I have military leadership experience and I've mostly kept my nose clean with the locals. Though Archie's and my time in command did make me think it really should be a two person job, especially with how many government meetings Jacob was stuck in before Porting out - and I'm really not a word person, I wouldn't want that side of things."

She pauses, looking at Darin as something clicks. Word choice and honesty - he'd be perfect for it. Plus, having two of them would make it easier to sidestep the fraternization rule that applies to command.

"I nominate Darin as co-commander, even if it's not with me," she says. "You've done some great work getting the reserves set up and you'd be great at the PR and government side."

[ralltiir]

Akobi looks over to Ashley, expression stern as ever, but confident. "I would say you did better than okay. It was a hard time for the Force as a whole, and you conducted yourself admirably. I would support a coalition of yourself and Darin as co-leaders. And I would provide whatever help I can, in a lesser capacity."

[h2no]

"Looks like you're up, Darin. You got my vote," Archie says with a light smirk. "An' you did great, Ash. Especially with the odds stacked up against us. It's better we get this chance this time."

[fauxmarth]

Lucina clasps her hands together in front of her, starting to smile.

“I agree,” she says. “You both have great talent and strength! I think Jacob would agree, too.”

[forgeabettertomorrow]

"Me?!"

Darin's voice practically leaps an octave when Ashley dropped a nomination for him. Similarly, his own eyes grow wide when everyone else seemed to be in agreement. After all, Darin had a short list of people he was planning on nominating, Ashley being at the top, but he wasn't expecting something like this.

"W-Whoa whoa whoa. Look, I stand by Aegis with everything that I am and I'll do everything in my power to make sure we continue to stand for everyone but...Co-Commander? I'm not...I mean...I'm not exactly leadership material..."

But is that really true? Maybe before it was, but when he was ported back, a lot of things changed. He's an Alvalean Ambassador now. He's tasked with assembling the First Congress of Nations. He might be a little rough around the edges but...

He crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes in thought. If he kept running away from responsibility just because he felt he wasn't good enough...wasn't he just acting like his old self? The one who ran from relationships and commitment and friendship because he was afraid? Not of what he could become, but afraid of shouldering the burden of a mistake he couldn't take back? Isn't he always the one encouraging others, telling them that mistakes are the fun part of learning?

Finally, he sighs, a huff of resignation. What was it that Allura always said to him? 'Learn to look at yourself through the mirror of another's eyes?'

He trusted these people. And if they saw something that he couldn't...he had to trust in their judgment. Trust himself the way they trusted him.

"...Alright. If...you guys all believe in me that strongly, I can't turn away from trust like that. And Ash, it'd be an honor to work alongside you. I know if there's anyone who understands Jacob's vision...it's you. I was planning on nominating you before you got the jump on me."

[ralltiir]

Akobi looks to Darin, a twinkle in his eye. "I think the fact that you don't consider yourself leadership material adds a point in the column of exactly why you are."

After the revelations he's received about the Empire's own leadership, both back in his galaxy and here on Earth, he's beginning to think that maybe anyone who wants power is unfit to receive it. He stands from his seat, hands braced on the table before him.

"All in favor of Agent Altway and Agent Williams as co-commanders, cast your votes now."

[fauxmarth]

Hearing Darin work through his doubts right then and there fills Lucina with some second-hand pride SHUT THE HELL UP ANT. Actually able to smile, she stands, holding a hand up, nodding to both him and Ash.

"Aye. I think it'll be a good move for this team."

[h2no]

"Aye," Archie chimes in, shooting gun-fingers at Darin. "Ya got it in you, even if you're tryin' to humbly push it off!"

[cannotrest]

When she'd nominated herself, Ashley had expected people to not mind the idea, rather than actively support it, which makes hearing how everyone has faith in her to the point of Darin intending to nominate her himself rather heartwarming. Her most grateful smile, though, goes to Lucina, for saying Jacob would agree with her assessment - Jacob had told her a few times that he was proud of her and that he thought Shepard would be too, and it's bittersweet hearing it with him as the absent party. Darin working through his self doubt on the spot brings a twinkle to her eye, too, though she can't help but wonder if Akobi thinks less of her for nominating herself.

"Aye," she says with a smile. "Thank you for your faith in us."

[ralltiir]

Honestly, if there is anyone on this team that Akobi doesn't think less of, in Jacob's wake, it's Ashley. Save for her questionable taste in films, she has always conducted herself with respectable propriety.

"Then it's settled. I can begin working on a press briefing to announce the new leadership... However, it's probably for the best if Ms. Lucina or someone else is the one to deliver it to the media."