Commanding Officer Application - Maple01
What is your BYOND key?
Maple01
What is your Discord ID?
maple001
What is your timezone in UTC?
UTC-7
Player Name You Use Most?
Brandon ‘Brandy’ Brookfield
Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:
Have you been banned in the last 3 months?
N/A
If so, why?
Stayed clean
Command Knowledge:
How familiar are you with command positions?
I’d consider myself super familiar with command positions and across all departments from my experience as an XO, SO, and ASO. I’ve on top of that aCO’d more times than I can count across all roles and have solo’d CIC on lowpop frequently, and even as a civilian role (CL) i’ve aCO’d twice with ARES’ blessing.
I’ve ground commanded as SL on every map and am familiar with the colony layouts and knowledge on how squads operative, function, and interpret/respond to command orders; and keeping squads wrangled on objectives as both XO and SL. Mechanically, I consider myself very familiar with all CIC consoles and decryption, as well as able to be constantly keeping tabs on the flow of information and communication.
Hours in XO:
61.2
Hours in SL:
79.1
Character Information:
Why did your character decide to become the CO of a ship?
Brandon is on top of the world. Born into old money, best schooling and college money can buy, wealthy beyond his dreams, successful business owner, and rapidly promoted in the corporate chain to a cushy job that is the envy of all. At a glance, it’d be stupid for one of the Brookfield heirs to, in most eyes, risk the prime years of their life on what is the military, especially one that’s near guaranteed to become Weyland-Yutani’s newest director.
Hence his problem - one of. Brandon is locked into a ruthless inheritance battle with his relatives due to his family’s customs of winner takes most, one that has kept the generational wealth generational. His benefactor uncle in family patriarch Henry II is concerned with his eccentricities, recent press scandals, and questionable discipline, always covered up by the wealth and family machine. Brandon needs to prove he’s serious enough and not just a growing liability. Having commanded and coordinated PMC teams before with the Special Services Department and PMC Dispatch, what better way than serving his country? Above all, Brandon recognizes that the family above all else is looking to see how he acts in a system they both don’t heavily manipulate and don’t control - being the armed forces.
Following in his uncle’s footsteps in the military and partly encouraged by his superiors in Wey-Yu’s concerns with company-aligned USCM officers and growing tensions between both conglomerates, Brandon joined up with his country and was fast tracked through officer training. With nothing left to prove at the Company presently, he only now has to prove to his family. Who knows, maybe he’ll also see there’s more for him in commanding than desk work, and find a new calling in life.
How did your character attain the position of CO?
It’s both an open secret that in the years since Brandon’s commissioning, Wey-Yu and the UA made a backroom deal, alongside that Brandon’s corporate and family connections fast tracked him through the ranks and his rapid promotions.
For the UA and USCM, the Neroid Sector and the Third Fleet is not a priority posting and filling the undesirable position with a glorified nepo-hire in exchange for needed goodwill and political favor with the military industrial complex was too good to be true. To the Company, gaining another loyal officer able to perform some political maneuvering and respond to the ever-increasing hostile elements and colonies going dark in the sector fits with their priorities and aligns with what Brandon was already doing with his original postings playing fireman, except with marines instead of PMCs. A symbiotic exchange and the path for a new commander.
Provide a short story of your CO.
Command Actions:
When do you believe it’s appropriate to pardon a prisoner?
Legitimacy of both command and the rule of law is highly important to maintain and a pardon negatively affects that legitimacy. Absolving a guilty prisoner from punishment undermines the hard work of the Military Police and the validity of the law through the CO overriding it - on top of a bad pardon can lead to legal repercussions for the CO.
As Brandon as a character himself is fighting for legitimacy, undermining the institutions he draws from - especially the law - is a bad look and he would not pardon prisoners who were properly arrested for valid charges that negatively affected the marines, morale, operation, or ship’s health.
Marines can make mistakes and the law could be improperly applied, however. Both IC and OOC, would pardoning the prisoner affect the round positively? Would pardoning the prisoner help save more lives than keeping them away would? Was their temperament and crimes positive for the former and severe for the latter? Was the player new, and/or made an honest mistake, having shown remorse and a willingness to improve their behaviour?
As such, I investigate the crime and how the prisoner conducted themselves. I would take into consideration if the prisoner acted in bad faith and if the malice was intentional and/or affected the operation to a major extent. I would also use my discretion to determine if the potential pardoned is of a solid character, and how they acted during the arrest - such as compliance, turning themselves in, being respectful, genuine remorse for their actions, etc. I would also consider if the arrest procedure was properly followed by MPs and/or MPs acted in bad faith against the spirit of the law.
A pardon is not appropriate for prisoners who are against the previous standards or, for example, only because they possess a valuable skill that is desired because it both undermines the legitimacy of command and negatively affects round quality and flow.
To conclude, I would consider a pardon appropriate if the health and quality of the round would be benefited, the prisoner is of respectable character, their crimes were not intentionally causing malice to the op or morale, and if procedure was improperly followed.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use pardon.
Would pardon #1:
A small fight broke out in charlie prep between charlies and deltas, with an MP harmed trying to stop it. The perp is marked as wanted and due to one of their own being attacked, the MPs move in force onto briefing. Once it had concluded, the MPs were in the process of arresting the suspect when the CMP discharges their firearm by accident and hits a marine. Several others begin joining in and attempting to disarm the CMP, leading to a punch or two being exchanged and a near riot on our hands. The chaos eventually settles down during deployment, CMP investigated, and the dozens of other concerns and matters alleviated. One of the marines who disarmed the CMP was arrested and brigged for assault. They were respectful in custody and filed an appeal, citing they feared for their brethren’s safety and the MPs were antagonizing the marines.
As difficult as this situation would be to deal with, I would issue a pardon for this. Firstly, the MPs had caused more chaos than order during their attempt at arresting, and with their questionable conduct, goodwill with the marines is needed right now - even if the arrest of this individual was valid. As such, I do not believe they acted in spirit of the law as police but rather as enforcers. Secondly, I find their claims of safety concerns valid due to the accidental firearm discharge, and their behavior post arrest shows they are unlikely to cause further trouble.
Would pardon #2:
Marines are complaining on comms that requisitions has not sent down any needed supply crates in twenty minutes, which has turned a steady advance into a stalemate due to a lack of fresh supplies. Upon an inspection by the MPs and myself, the QM and CT are both in cuffs with an incredibly large amount of contraband crates on the ASRS lift. The CT is new and explains that they were ordered to do so and didn’t know any better, and that they were going to send them down soon anyways, while the QM says he had a side project we rudely interrupted. I would pardon the CT as this is clearly manipulation from someone of higher rank and they were not intentionally neglecting their duties, and the QM would be sent to the brig in their place. I would then ask the ASO or another capable officer to assist the CT and Req in the QM’s absence and help teach the new CT. While OOC I love the black market, in my position as CO and the QM’s position your duties to the ship come first.
Would not pardon #1
Our Field Doc had accidentally overdosed an entire group of marines with stims, putting them into crit, and was arrested by a deployed fob MP. The medical synth takes over their duties. The doctor proceeded to fight back physically against his arrest, attempted to run away several times, screamed on comms that he is being tortured, blames the marines for having chems in their system already, and demands a pardon as he is the main doctor groundside who can perform necessary surgeries or he’ll “get revenge on the MPs when he’s freed.” The arrest procedure was proper.
I would not pardon. While his actions may not have been intentionally malicious, his character and reaction to the arrest has been very poor on top of his revenge threat, which is on top of his words, questionable conduct for a commissioned officer. While a field doctor is unquestionably valuable for the marines wellbeing and his skills are needed, it would not improve the round to let him loose in his current state of mind - nor would it improve morale to do so. The arrest was legitimate and I will not grant a pardon for it.
Would not pardon #2
An SO accidentally fired the OB on supply coords instead of the supply drop, destroying the FOB and gibbing several marines down below. They panic, with marines demanding justice on the radio. She is promptly arrested for manslaughter by the MPs. They comply with the arrest, show remorse, and have otherwise displayed themselves as being of good character. They were only aware it was an OB after the FOB was destroyed.
I would not pardon despite their positive behaviour. Firstly, it was negligent of them not to double check before firing. The console and OB are highly destructive and fob OBs happen too often that this is a valid double check that should have been performed. It is too risky to release them back onto a tool they have neglected proper usage on before. It would also be suicide of legitimacy if I were to pardon the SO who had just permanently killed several marines back to their post and risk both a mutiny and the loss of respect of command from my marines.
When do you believe it’s appropriate to use a Battlefield Execution?
Much like the pardon, the BE is not a tool to be used commonly, nor the first option a CO should consider. A lot of trust is given to the CO to be both the top guy in rounds and enforce what is close to an IC tempbanner. OOC, it also absolutely sucks getting permanently removed and having to sit out for what could be another two hours in a round where your one life is usually the only you get. BEs, like pardons, also undermine the legitimacy of established institutions, particularly the Military Police for crimes or CMO/Synth for insanity related matters, who could handle the problem instead and rp it out; there are many tools a CO can use instead of his pistol.
As such, a BE should be saved for when the other tools in a CO’s arsenal are implausible, such as a lack of MPs and on the battlefield for severe offences where every second counts. As a minor IC reason as well, it would not be a good look for Brandon to execute offenders when there are military elements who would see him as a civilian pretending to be a commander and call it unjust murder. Even for extreme LRP behavior which a CO is expected to punish, a BE may just encourage it further by giving the offender attention and should be instead escalated to the moderators and/or the insanity declaration by the CMO or a synth and should also be used with good discretion.
In short, the BE would be appropriate based on a myriad of personal judgement and factors where other tools I can use in my arsenal are unavailable, and should not be used as the go to punish all option.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use Battlefield Execution.
Would BE:
Bravo’s SADAR and our lone specialist had fired a rocket on the frontline into six marines, downing each one and leaving them vulnerable to captures. He later downs another, and after which, he is getting heated over requisitions and the QM hesitant to send rockets as a result due to his friendly fire. Now ignoring orders, he has threatened to kill the deployed SOs and commander for not ordering req to send his rockets, but says he won’t in the end because, in his words, he is “civilized.”
I would grab the Deagle for this one. While his actions on the frontline could’ve been an understandable mistake, his post-threatening of officers and of our requisitions department is unacceptable and he has shown a predisposition to harming his fellow marines. SADAR rockets are a very powerful tool and I will not have him jeopardize the operation further nor threaten my officers’ lives in his anger, nor allow him the possibility of doing so. There is a time for humor of the sort and taking your anger on command in this situation is not that time.
Would BE #2:
Nuclear protocol is engaged and shipside staff are deploying. Two SOs have been ordered to stay behind in CIC with the ASO to coordinate the operation. Suddenly, one of the SOs deserts his post, strips naked and says over comms he’s going “commando” and that he will scavenge for gear groundside. He is capped, completely naked, but rescued before attempting to run into the caves naked again.
I would grab the Deagle here. This is both incredibly LRP for a command officer to deploy for this reason, not to mention naked, and he is jeopardizing the operation by allowing himself to get captured, wasting medical staff’s time and resources. I would also ahelp this issue.
Would BE #3:
I have latejoined as CO on lowpop, hijack happens shortly after my arrival with a hold at engi. Evac was not called as the xenos have significantly lower numbers. Several marines are following the Alpha squad SL who is threatening to take the XO’s head for “failing the operation” and he demands to evacuate to “get out of this shit.” There is a single corporal MP who is new to the role. Due to the time crunch and chaos of hijack, I would BE the ringleader SL. This is a tight situation and the command staff must be free to command, calling for a mutiny jeopardizes the operation and delta alert requires all marines on deck. I would grab the Deagle for the ringleader and offer the other marines a chance to stand down, rping it out before we see how the dice rolls afterwards.
Would not BE #1:
An MT has been given admin antag clearance and has declared himself the “king of rats”, running around the maints, sabotaging the SMES, and has kidnapped Doctor Charleston. He is caught by myself and another MP and arrested, with the doctor found unharmed (physically.) While he has been jeopardizing my operation and done harm to my medical staff, I have a capable military police officer to arrest him and a CMO to deem him insane. Due to the fact I have alternative tools in my arsenal I can use, I would not BE this MT.
Would not BE #2:
During a major assault, I am deployed with a new Alpha private committing several acts of friendly fire downing several marines. This has halted our momentum as a result and given the xenos time to reposition, which likely will lead to further consequences. While his act was negligent, he has expressed remorse and the marines were recovered for the corpsmen.
I would not BE this private. Firstly, he is new to the role and it would be questionable to consider his inexperience as malice. Friendly fire happens often and it just so happens he did it more than once. Secondly, nothing boosts morale more than seeing your commander, your leader, fighting with you into the depths of hell - for a new player to be executed by somebody he would look up to this would severely ruin their experience and both him ooc and other marines IC would lose their trust of command staff. He would not learn anything from being punished so severely for an honest mistake. I would instead take him under a trusted marine’s wing to mentor him while I plan our next offensive.
Would not BE #3
It is hijack, and the Almayer had suffered brutal losses and a CLF ert on top of it. The marines have barely triumphed over the invaders when the last CLF, their cell leader, sneaks up onto myself and cohort, opening fire and hitting a few shots on us. She is subsequently gunned down and brought before me. I have no surviving MPs.
This is a bit tricky- while the CLF had done direct harm to my marines and myself, I lack MPs, and it would be in my rights to do so, from an IC perspective I would find it of greater value to capture them. I would deputize an officer to brig her or detain her in a safe location, and hold her in custody so we can interrogate her for intelligence on our enemy once she is revived. It would also be some fun end of round roleplay to have a captured cell leader in our brig and as such I would not BE her in this case.
