Moonshanks - Commanding Officer Application
What is your BYOND key?
Moonshanks
What is your Discord ID?
Moonshanks#3223
What is your timezone in UTC?
UTC+0:00
Player Name You Use Most?
Mateo ‘Buckwild’ Martinez, Victor ‘Iron’ Mallard, Zabin Luar’ke
Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:
Accepted Moonshanks - Yautja Application - Zabin Luar’ke
I haven’t provided my moderator application as it is over a year old, though I can on request.
Have you been banned in the last 3 months?
No
If so, why?
N/A
Command Knowledge:
How familiar are you with command positions?
I have a total around 50 hours in command roles.
19.3 hours in SO
32.5 hours in XO
Hours in XO:
32.5
Hours in SL:
14.6
Character Information:
Why did your character decide to become the CO of a ship?
Mateo ‘Buckwild’ Martinez worked extensively within auxiliary support departments. Specifically they worked for USCM intelligence as a field officer (IO) from 1st to 2nd LT.
During this time they were assigned a team in order to perform operations in the field, typically in information gathering but sometimes in strike missions behind enemy lines.
Mateo and their team were part of a strike team during the Canton Operation to eliminate AA defenses around key space-ports prior to the rival of the main USCM fleet. Though their team had heavy casualties, and they lost both dropships they came in on (needing to be extracted) they were successful for their mission, a feat that Mateo was awarded the rank of Captain for, and a mentorship under a major on an escort ship the USS Halsey, assigned to anti guerrilla operations in the Neroid Sector. Eventually after proving themselves in hit and run tactics Mateo was promoted to Major and put in charge of a retrofitted cargo vessel the USS Damocles.
The USS Damocles was designed to appear outwardly as a normal cargo vessel on all scanners, it’s primary mission was protecting haulage vessels against piracy both in and out of port. The reason for the USS Damocles’ concealment was one of psychological warfare. The thinking in the USCM at the time was that because the USCM didn’t have the fleet power to protect or patrol all cargo lanes, instead it could convince pirates that any cargo vessel could be armed. The USS Damocles was not a ship fit for conventional warfare, it was both under-armored and undergunned, however, as a vessel to perform stealth takedowns on pirate ships it was more than adequate, and its deployment in the Neroid Sector lowered piracy significantly.
The USS Damocles was finally damaged beyond the point of being worth repairing when it came into conflict with an unidentified pirate vessel, along with the TWE ship the HMS Beowulf, a much bigger warship in its own right that was unable to properly engage the pirates at the time due to sabotage onboard the vessel.
During this fight Mateo sustained injuries resulting in them being fitted with a prosthetic left arm. It was after the loss of the Damocles, and the subsequent loss of the Almayer’s CO during Operation Tychon Tackle that Mateo was assigned to the Almayer. They were picked to be the CO of the Almayer due to their experience in anti-piracy and guerrilla warfare, as well as their battle experience in the Neroid Sector. However, doubts have risen amongst the upper brass about Mateo’s ability to lead a vessel as big as the Almayer, since both the USS Halsey, and USS Damocles had significantly smaller crews.
How did your character attain the position of CO?
Mateo obtained the rank of CO through dedicated and specified work in informational warfare, and guerilla fighting/deep operations.
While they weren’t picked initially for a commanding role due to their tendency to fly off the handle (hence the nickname buckwild), they proved themselves useful in the new age of warfare that the USCM found themselves in.
Assigning Mateo to the Almayer is a gable by HC but the hope is that their experience in dealing with asymmetric warfare, as well as their extensive knowledge of the Neroid Sector, will assist Mateo in wiping out any CLF threat that arises once more.
Provide a short story of your CO.
Command Actions:
When do you believe it’s appropriate to pardon a prisoner?
Pardons are a useful but rarely utilized tool in a COs arsenal. I do not intend to change this.
A pardon should only be used if the following conditions are met:
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I am confident the person/s will not commit another crime for the duration of the operation. I cannot pardon someone twice and I can be held liable for crimes they commit after they are pardoned. As far as I am concerned, the Commander (meaning the person commanding the ship) is the most important person in maintaining a smooth operation (second only to the synth in certain situations). There is no personnel that are worth being arrested over releasing.
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The person/s who have been arrested have been arrested lawfully and for due cause. If there is anything fishy about their arrest I will fax HC and or ticket it. There is no reason to pardon someone who shouldn’t have been arrested as that is both an OOC and IC issue.
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The person/s who have been arrested have not been LRP in the current round. Linking back to the first condition, there is no reason for a CO to pardon someone who will get them arrested. If someone is behaving weirdly, acting insane, or otherwise being LRP it does not matter who they are, I would not pardon them.
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The person/s who have been arrested are key to the operation, such as being the only doctor, the XO, a key combat operative (they’d have to be the ONLY SL with inactive aSLs or the ONLY specialist who’d picked a really key role, but even then I’m unlikely to pardon combat roles).
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The person/s who have been arrested committed the crime out of necessity or for the betterment of the mission. Crimes which are committed for: revenge, out of malice, fun, or otherwise don’t serve a purpose which assists the mission are not worth pardoning someone for, and are an indicator that they will commit another crime. An example of this could be the ONLY researcher who is on the breakthrough of greenos but didn’t ask for permission for creating them and was subsequently arrested. Or an XO who gave an illegal suicide order for a marine to laz/target a key position and was arrested for the order being carried out (NoD, Manslaughter)
Give some examples of when you would or would not use pardon.
I would not use a pardon if:
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The person committed a violent crime for fun, like assault
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The person was being LRP in game and using netspeak or RPing being insane
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The person was a replaceable role such as a medic, an SL, a specialist, an SO, e.c.t.
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The person had been unlawfully arrested (fax HC and ahelp instead of pardon)
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The person had committed crimes on more than one occasion.
Examples for when I would have been given above.
When do you believe it’s appropriate to use a Battlefield Execution?
Battlefield executions are only to be used:
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When your life or others lives in your immediate vicinity are in immediate danger. An example of this would be if a marine was aiming a gun at another marine and had shouted a threat or had fired a shot.
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When someone is inhibiting your operations/harassing you after being warned. An example of this could be a CL repeatedly pulling you out of the command bubble and shoving you for refusing to sign a document, once they had been warned to stop assaulting you and let you continue your announcements (with the threat of BE apparent such as drawing your sidearm, or saying you will execute them), they would be BE’d if they refused to stop.
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Someone is attempting to overthrow you or the command structure. A prime example of this would be an SL returning to the ship to enact revenge on CIC.
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Someone destroying key areas of the ship such as planting explosives on key consoles (like the navigations console if it’s in the round
)
Though I believe this question is best answered by an explanation and some more detailed examples.
As for an explanation of when I believe it is appropriate to BE someone.
A BE is appropriate when the threat presented is either too fast, or too dangerous for normal reactions such as stunning, arresting, or de-escalating. If there has been every attempt to resolve a slower situation without a BE and this has failed to resolve it then a BE is also appropriate.
With this in mind a BE is never really appropriate when other options present itself, such as a nearby MP, an MP who can respond in time, marines nearby who are assisting in detaining, or if the threat can be dealt with non lethally (it might be wise to carry pepper spray as a CO).
With recent updates (not reflected on the wiki yet) you may now also BE if someone is LRP. Though I would prefer to ahelp the situation unless someone is repeatedly interrupting CIC or a briefing with egregious netspeak, or is acting sexually weird towards my CO (I’ve had this happen as synth 
)
Though the above answer has been given at least 100 times and is pretty textbook, so below In the question below I will set up a unique scenario not listed where I think it is appropriate to give a BE.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use Battlefield Execution.
As mentioned earlier BEs are least appropriate where:
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alternative non-lethal methods such as a pepper spray
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MPs are present in any capacity (so long as they are not the threat themselves or ignoring orders)
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I have not given adequate warning for a BE - for a non lethal threat/non-immediate threat.
Here is a situation where I would hand out a BE.
A marine has signed a contract with the CL without permission and is refusing to deploy. I have warned them that doing so would be desertion and that I have dispatched the MPs. The MPs are unable to capture the MP and one is put in critical by the marine shooting them down. If there is a low number of MPs and my post permits it, I would briefly search for the dangerous individual and authorise lethal force on them. If I were to arrive at the scene without MPs I would BE the individual due to their violent nature, the threat they posed to the MPs and their undermining of the command structure of the ship. I would not BE them if MPs arrived first, or arrested them, but I may use a weapon to lethally take them down for revival, should I be unable to non-lethally do so.
