Ivan Wyke Becomes Governor-General of Nesuna

Civil action

Ivan Wyke uncovers a society that does not know how to stop being soldiers anymore within the Weeping Company of Nesuna. The council decides to abdicate their positions and name Ivan as the Governor-General of the planet so he has the required freedom to enact his agenda of reforms.

"Word has probably spread like wildfire about the Council's self-abdication and my appointment as your leader. I want to get to the point and address the scars of the past. You are a society that has truly only known war, a literal interpretation and not some silly self-description for an upstart tribe that uses it to justify frequent violence. Here, past decisions have been made with the goal of surviving - and maybe winning - the war against the Still Lady. Most were okay, some were unfair, but not an insignificant amount were… cruel, to say the least. Perhaps they were better than no decisions as you came out victorious in the end, but we now have the luxury of hindsight and a long moment to scuritinize the actions of the past.   "Under such scrutiny and in light of some truths, no doubt also making their rounds person-to-person, the Council decided to self-exile, leading us to the present moment. The Weeping Company is effectively dissolved in all but name. I would be a fool to suppose that the sins of the past would dissolve with it, something to be moved on from and never thought of again and left only as paragraphs in your histories. To ignore the pain everyone shouldered through the generations of fighting would lead to ruin and give the Still Lady the most pyhrric of victories. - [11:03 AM] "I'm going to do my best to fix what I can. To reverse harm done, heal what can be saved, excise what has festered, and finally, to promote new, healthy growth. The new Weeping Company will still be a martial people, I don't think I could ever change that - but I want you to have something worthwhile to fight for. Lives worth living. Lives worth fighting to the bitter end should another existential threat ever loom over you once again. This is a life I've known, even something I'd say myself and many others on the other side of the L-Gate take for granted, some even paying that ultimate cost. You are not soulless fighting automata with plug-and-play personalities and memories, pawns to be thrown into the grinder. You're people - I would even say many people, for those who woke up one day to only a retelling of your past actions before your demise.   "From here on, there will be many large-scale transitions. I intend on reducing the professional military to a combination short-term training-and-readiness conscription and long-term volunteer force. This will be a gradual process as I am able to review everything left behind for me and make considerations for the wider Protectorate, of which I am still sworn and willing to serve. I will never force you to do the same. Should you choose to follow me into the countless breaches and fields of death on the other side of the L-Gate, it will be to keep the enemy far, far away from your home. - [11:03 AM] "As for those who stay outside of military service, you will have to learn how to be civilians. This… I cannot order you to do. I cannot teach you, only provide you the means to learn for yourselves. I would even hesitate to formally guide you, as I wouldn't want to taint your own discoveries with my influence. I want you to find intrigue and passion in the world around you, and through those, you will improve society with your work and knowledge independent of my leadership. This is the 'home' I need you to build - a meaningful stake in this universe that you'd be proud to have and willing to defend.   "I need you all to learn the value of the yourselves - the indescribable spark inside of each of your slates - not the quality of the meat surrounding it.   "Hopefully with the incoming support of your sister-city Chiron on the other side of the gate, I can set the seeds of inspiration. Give you things to do that aren't marching, training, and preparing for a war that only exists in our imaginations. My only request is I'd like to see a soccer match sometime, and I can sit among the spectators who all call me 'Ivan' as naturally as they would have called me 'General Wyke' only a few weeks prior.   "I am your leader by decree, but my hope is you'll let me stay your leader willingly through the best and worst of times. You will learn that despite my titles, I serve my duties for you, on the battlefield and off. Let's rebuild Nesuna into a world that those slates without frames will be amazed by when they come back to us. Now, when you're able to, please - take a break. Do nothing for a little while. Have a moment to think about anything, or nothing at all. You earned this a long time ago."   As Ivan thanks his captive audience and walks off of the stage, a list of his overarching agenda not mentioned in the speech is presented: [11:04 AM] . Establishment of a representative civilian council to work with the Governor-General's office Review and reform of laws and punishments, including past offenses, to fit in line with wider Protectorate society and military standards Reduce or forgive current and past punitive punishments in light of previously ignored evidence and nuance Exploration outside of the Dreadburgh for survey and eventual exploitation Program for repatriation and amnesty for non-traitorous deserters in the wilds Program for non-punitive reform for traitors and seditionists who willingly turn themselves in, likely with the help of the Paragons of the Living Flame as a third-party; confidentiality ensured Gradual transition to near-unrestricted travel across the L-Gate Accelerate biomass production to increase frame availability   Finally off of the stage, Ivan exhales as if he had sprinted up a mountain in front of the advisors he had inherited from the previous council. They had their work cut out for themselves.   "That speech was for all of you, too. You're probably going to have some of the hardest jobs in the city, soon, given the new things I want to do. Hardcore administrative work might not get you shot, but you'll work your slate to some kind of mental death if you don't take it easy every once in a while. Just give me a solid 75% effort on average from yourself and your subordinates. That way you have some bandwidth to spare if things hit the fan." - [11:04 AM] "Oh, and if you've have any issues and grievances, or notice some, let me know, okay?" Ivan looks at all of them, letting the implication that any number of them or people under them could have had seditious thoughts in the past hang in the air. "About anything, and I mean it. Maybe you want to rant about your old bosses, maybe you need help about something private and don't know where to start. I want you all to experience you can bring any issues to me without getting screamed at or threatened in any way like before. This is a culture that needs to permeate the organization, and it must start with us."   "Now, let's get some paperwork done. If anyone knows some food that isn't the usual slop they serve here, get it. And a lot of it. And get the head frame production coordinator here. I have some things I need to discuss with them."