Commanding Officer Application - Goodwheatley
What is your BYOND key?
Goodwheatley
What is your Discord ID?
goodwheatley
What is your timezone in UTC?
UTC-05, EST
Player Name You Use Most?
Foster Hawking
Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:
None
Have you been banned in the last 3 months?
No
If so, why?
Haven’t ever been banned
Command Knowledge:
How familiar are you with command positions?
I am confident I am familiar enough with the command structure of CM to perform well in any role. From the Commanding Officer to the Rifleman, I understand how every marine factors into the decision making of command and how they can affect the outcome of the round. I’ve played command on every variety of server population and understand the nuances for how the game changes when the server is at peak and low hours.
Hours in XO:
52.0
Hours in SL:
108.1
Character Information:
Why did your character decide to become the CO of a ship?
Foster Hawking could have had it all. Born to an upper-class family in Texas with a father who did consulting work for the UAAC, the trajectory of Hawking’s life was laid out for him to coast through education and eventually land a cushy job at his father’s consulting firm. Unfortunately, Hawking turned out to be the type of person who really didn’t want to coast through life.
After graduating from the international boarding school his parents had put him through, Hawking did end up going to college like his parents had intended, but not for what they wanted him to do. Majoring in synthetic design at an Ivy League college, it only took Hawking a few months to realize he was in over his head. Having already pissed off his parents with his decision to study for what he actually wanted to do, and unable to keep up with what was being taught in his classes, Hawking would end up choosing what seemed like the only viable option- the USCM recruiter at the booth in the cafeteria.
Becoming enlisted in the USCM, Hawking was quickly able to find an outlet for the technical skills he had, rising through the ranks over the years as he accumulated more experience. Eventually promoted to leadership positions due to his ability to constantly think on his feet, Hawking would reach the rank of Gunnery Sergeant before being recommended to go for OCS by his commanding officer.
As Hawking became an officer and continued to be promoted, he was driven by the same core idea that had seized him when he first was put in charge of leading marines- he was the best person for the job, and all he had to do was prove it.
How did your character attain the position of CO?
After graduating from OCS, Hawking was assigned to the Arikara-class transport USS Halcyon to serve as a Staff Officer. Throwing himself into his work, Hawking still didn’t particularly stand out from his peers until being assigned to a standard recon mission four months into his position. Hawking’s actions on Patrol Cedar-Sortie would end up with him receiving a medal of valor for successfully completing his objective despite numerous operational difficulties, and he was promoted to First Lieutenant shortly after.
Hawking’s career returned to a fairly standard trajectory after Cedar-Sortie, eventually being promoted to Captain and assigned to command the Halcyon itself. After a few more unremarkable years of successful operations, Hawking’s file was put up for review on the next promotion cycle, where he was eventually deemed fit for being promoted to Major. Due to the events of Tychon Tackle happening just a few weeks prior, Hawking’s first assignment was to fill the hole in the Almayer’s command structure, taking over as the Commanding Officer.
Provide a short story of your CO.
Command Actions:
When do you believe it’s appropriate to pardon a prisoner?
Pardons should only be granted in the case of clear bias against the prisoner, the charges applied to arrest them being based on shaky reasoning, or if what they did was genuinely an accident. When pardoning someone, the intent of what they did is important- It makes much more sense to pardon someone if what they did was an accident and they feel remorse for it, over if it was done with malicious intent. I do not believe what job a player is should factor into a pardon decision- if you rolled weapons specialist, you should not be able to get out of jail just because you’re critical to the operation. The onus was on you to not make trouble for yourself.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use pardon.
It’s the middle of the round, and I’m in CIC helping with the operation when the CL starts yelling over command radio that they’re being arrested for no reason. Upon reaching the brig, the MP arresting the CL claims that they’re being arrested for Major Contraband after finding Mindbreaker pills in their office. The CL claims that the MP is lying, and that they have a grudge against them ever since the CL found the MP in his office and told him to get out. Upon asking the MP where the Mindbreaker pills are, the MP says that they were left back at the office due to being in the process of arresting the CL. Upon checking the office, there are no Mindbreaker pills to be found, and the MP claims a MT must have stolen them while he was away from the office. In this case I WOULD pardon the CL. The MP is failing to provide evidence that the CL actually committed a crime, meaning the Contraband charge was likely maliciously placed. I would also order the MP to be put under Discretionary Detainment while the circumstances of the arrest are being investigated.
The marines have just evacuated from the FOB, and after the Alamo lands on the Almayer the Charlie SL begins yelling at their SO about why they’re being arrested by a MP for Insubordination. Upon asking the SO about this, the SO claims that the Charlie SL was not listening to their orders to defend south FOB during the siege and instead went over to west FOB to fight there. The Charlie SL claims that the xenos were actively breaching through west FOB, and he needed to go over there to help hold them off. The xenos ultimately breached the FOB and caused the evacuation through the west side of the FOB. In this case I WOULD pardon the SL. They did, by the letter of the law, commit Insubordination, but they did it in the process of trying to defend the FOB and hold off the xenos from breaching, which was in service of the operation as a whole. I would also talk to the SO about when it’s proper to apply Insubordination from the Overwatch console, since this was not a valid case for it.
It’s a few minutes before briefing, and the Alpha SL has just been arrested for murder after disarming the demo spec, causing them to discharge the loaded AP rocket in the rocket launcher they were holding and gib a rifleman. The Alpha SL shows shock and remorse when I talk to them in the brig, claiming that they never expected the launcher would fire and that they regret their actions. In this case I would NOT pardon the SL. Even though the misfire was an accident, the Alpha SL should have known better than to begin disarming the demo spec, and their negligence directly led to the irreversible death of another player. I’d make them serve their sentence out as a reminder that their actions do have consequences.
It’s lowpop before marine drop and the Delta specialist has just been arrested for assault after repeatedly attacking another marine with a folding chair, to the point of breaking their chest. When I reach the brig, the Delta spec argues that what he did doesn’t matter since the marine that was attacked is already getting their chest fixed, and they should be let out of jail because they’re important to the operation. In this case I would NOT pardon the specialist. They still committed assault despite the consequences of it being reversed, and the fact that they don’t show remorse for doing it and are instead pulling the “I’m important” card shows that they should not be excused from serving their sentence.
When do you believe it’s appropriate to use a Battlefield Execution?
Battlefield Executions are the ultimate tool at the CO’s disposal and should be treated as such- no other player has the power to instantly and and unquestionably remove someone else from the round. BEs should only be used when there is no other viable option available to the CO, and the course of action that can most quickly resolve the situation is eliminating the player causing it. BEs should NOT be used to try and silence dissent in my opinion, since this could only exacerbate the problem- if I execute a SL for offhandedly commenting my unorthodox plan will get us killed, this only shows to the marines that I a) can’t take being talked back to, and b) I probably will get them all killed since I just executed the SL to shut them up. Ultimately, whether or not to BE comes down to personal judgement and context- there’s never a clear situation where you should obviously BE someone.
I personally believe that BEs shouldn’t be the immediate solution for LRP behavior- not only does it basically mean you gave in to the offender because you went ahead and executed him, but also it’s way more interesting to have them try and justify their actions to the CMO instead of sending them straight to deadchat.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use Battlefield Execution.
It’s a highpop round and I’m shipside in CIC. I’ve gotten a report that xenomorphs are being grown in research, and I haven’t been informed of this happening by the CMO. Moving to research and assessing the situation, the CMO and a researcher are in the containment cells, with the researcher standing next to a convulsing monkey. In this situation I would NOT Battlefield Execute either party. Despite growing xenomorphs falling under Sedition, the situation has not yet reached a point where I need to immediately intervene- the larva hasn’t burst yet, and my direct orders haven’t been disobeyed despite the CMO making the catastrophic failure of failing to inform me this was happening. In this case, I would order MPs to arrest both the researcher and CMO for Sedition, and have another MP with me to terminate the larva once it bursts due to not having the support staff available for growing a hive.
Post evacuation, several marines have gathered outside CIC to protest after alleged mishandling of the operation by command. The Alpha SL in particular is inciting things, repeatedly telling the other marines there they should mutiny against CIC because they were incompetent and got marines killed. No marine has drawn a gun yet. In this situation I would NOT Battlefield Execute the Alpha SL due to how delicate the situation is- if I draw my gun here, it could be interpreted as me suddenly becoming hostile, and if I execute the Alpha SL it will definitely be interpreted as becoming hostile. Additionally, executing someone could further cause the situation to grow out of control, since I would have to announce I executed the Alpha SL for inciting a mutiny and several marines would witness it happening firsthand- and he’d likely go down as a martyr.
I’ve deployed groundside to the FOB to protect the nuke while it decrypts, and the nuke has just finished the 10 minute timer and armed itself. Earlier in the round, a MT was marked for arrest due to deconstructing the walls of the CL’s office, and he fled groundside to escape arrest. One of the MPs that had deployed under nuclear protocol spots the MT at the FOB, and takes it upon themselves to perform the arrest groundside instead of waiting for them to come up to the ship. A rifleman at the FOB sees the MT being arrested, and begins disarming the MP, who retaliates by firing at them with their taser. The rifleman then escalates the situation by pulling out their shotgun and shooting the MP point blank. In this case I WOULD Battlefield Execute the rifleman. Due to the nuke being actively armed, I do not have the time to get both parties to stop fighting- decisive action needs to be taken to ensure that the operation successfully concludes and we don’t have a rifleman going rogue. This wasn’t an ideal scenario to begin with, and the BE likely won’t be a perfect solution, but with the tools I have at my disposal it’s what will likely end it positively the fastest.
I’ve deployed groundside alone to lead the operation, and after pushing up to the caves the main marine front has stalled out. While attempting to coordinate an OB to break through the cave choke, a colony van suddenly drives up to the front, drives over multiple marines, and begins to try and position itself between the pushing xenos and the caves to block their path, running more marines over in the process. Despite repeatedly pointing and emoting at the van to stop, it continues to run over marines in pursuit of bodyblocking xenos, and when the van finally stops long enough for me to get in, the comtech driving the van is adamant that what he’s doing is helping the marines and the people he’s running over should just get out of the way. In this case I WOULD Battlefield Execute the comtech. He was given a chance to stop and refused it, and if I leave him alone his actions will continue to severely disrupt the operation. Due to having no Military Police available to arrest the marine, Battlefield Execution is left as my only course of action.
