(no subject)

[outstandingbalance]

Who: Natasha Romanoff
Broadcast: video
Action: SS Vanquish
When: now or later

[Natasha's face appears on the video, looking tired but focused. Thoughtful. She also looks like the image she presents, insofar as she can control it, is intentional. She's in her quarters, but the camera is angled to reveal little aside from a blank ship wall and the edge of her bunk behind her face and shoulders. There's no fumbling.

When the video starts, she flashes a slight smile.]

As announcements go, this one's a bit late. As of the end of calibrations, I've been the listed captain for the Vanquish.

[It's not an announcement that comes with any pride, or any sense of authority.]

It has had me thinking. I know different ships treat the titles differently, take them more seriously—or less. Most of the time it hasn't mattered to me all that much.

Not like there's any qualifications for it.

[The 'but' in her words is heavily implied in the pause that follows, the slow way she sighs through her nose.]

I've been wondering lately how people would like it to be. If you had a say in it—hypothetically unless you're my crew I suppose—how would you like captains to treat their job? And what would you say their job is.

[She leans back a little, visibly waiting for a response before the video cuts out.]

Comments

video;;

[fantachetic]

I would send you a congratulatory gift basket if there were any inkling that you enjoyed that sort of thing. It's very hard to say whether the position holds merit in a place where our ships, for the most part, have a destination of their own in mind. [ Dorian, your boyfriend is literally the captain of his ship. ] However, it is typically best for the one running the establishment to have some sort of ideal in mind for their personnel. For instance, whilst the Inquisitor does not know the exact steps he will have to take, he still has a general idea of what he wants the Inquisition to be known for.

[outstandingbalance]

Like I said, it's not something I put a whole lot of stock in. That or gifts, either one.

[And Natasha's boyfriend was too. Same ship, even. To say nothing of her other friends and teammates.]

So you think that the best expectation for a captain is for the captain to have expectations for their crew?

[fantachetic]

Precisely. The best leaders tend to know how to delegate. What use are people who do not know the inner workings of their own designation? Running from it merely proves that they are unwilling to accept the changes that approach them.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha hums at that, choosing not to be insulted by that.]

So you do thing captains are leaders, ideally.

[fantachetic]

[ He doesn't mean any offense by i-- okay, yes he does, but he's thinking more of the officers than of the captain. What use is a Communications officer that doesn't know the ins and outs of their position? How very boring. ] Perhaps when the situation gets precarious it is best to have one voice.

[outstandingbalance]

And it's good to know who that voice is going to be before hand. No scrambling to figure out the chain of command after the shit's hit the fan.

[So to speak.]

[fantachetic]

Precisely, yes.

[outstandingbalance]

And would you be happy with your captain doing that?

[fantachetic]

Quite. It came in fairly handy with that mess that was the planets with the cannibals.

[outstandingbalance]

[She nods a that, understanding and accepting.]

Were you on the planet when that happened?

[fantachetic]

I was, yes. Nasty business I would appreciate not reliving.

[outstandingbalance]

Considering what I heard, I believe that. I was lucky enough to sleep through most of it.

[If you call that lucky.]

Hopefully we won't be facing anything like that again anytime soon.

[But they might, and having a direction when it happens would be better than the alternative.]

[fantachetic]

[ He would consider it lucky, yes. ] I should certainly hope not.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha would disagree, but that's where they are.]

You and the rest of us.

I'm sure that will last just as long as the next ratings dip.

[fantachetic]

Oh, we can count on it. The hits tend to come one after another.

[outstandingbalance]

They do tend to. Sometimes different from others, though. Lately it's been mostly familiar faces.

[fantachetic]

[ Dorian quirks an eyebrow, interested. ]

Is that so?

[outstandingbalance]

Friends. Mostly. It's complicated.

[sassy_assassin]

Here, who knows. Mediation, I suppose. Making sure no one does anything stupid. Deciding on a united front for big decisions.

[outstandingbalance]

As opposed to other places? [Since that's the implication.] Sounds like you know a thing or two about it.

[sassy_assassin]

It's more of a closed environment here than at home. Less free will overall.

But yeah, I have some captaining experience.

[outstandingbalance]

There's enough freedom to swap ships, at least. But deciding where to go and what to do...

That gets tricky.

[sassy_assassin]

It's not that complicated to me. We can't decide.

This your first time being captain?

[fantachetic]

My dear lady, I am quite accustomed to 'it's complicated'.

[outstandingbalance]

Hm. Not to put too fine of a point on it.