Commanding Officer Application - RussianArmsDealer
What is your BYOND key?
RussianArmsDealer
What is your Discord ID?
katcomputer
What is your timezone in UTC?
UTC+0
Player Name You Use Most?
Lylias ‘Offset’ Shen
Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:
Have you been banned in the last 3 months?
No.
If so, why?
Command Knowledge:
How familiar are you with command positions?
I would say I am very familiar with command positions, having played on and off in a variety of command roles.
I primarily play Squad Leader, Staff Officer, and Executive Officer, occasionally playing other roles for variety and whenever I win the SG/Spec lottery.
I am very familiar with the functions of the overwatch console, how (un)important various Shipside and CIC roles are to the round, and how the various roles interact with one-another. I am well-versed with a variety of maps and the typical strategies and cultures each squad has and how to lead both from the CIC and also on the ground, and the various difficulties that come with co-ordinating marines during a round.
While not directly a command role, I’ve got a combined 20+ hours in MP roles which allowed me to become accustomed to Marine Law and SoP from the side of the ‘enforcers,’ and also how to manage marines who break either SoP or Marine Law. I’ve also had to handle lower-level appeals as CMP, or filling in as CIC Role, normally as XO. I also have experience in the perspective of the management of both the Medbay and Requisitions, alongside Engineering and how these different departments interact.
Hours in XO:
60.3 Hours
Hours in SL:
83.2 Hours
Character Information:
Why did your character decide to become the CO of a ship?
Lylias Shen never intended or desired to become a CO. From an early age she had wanted to join the Corps. While an ordinary child and teenager would typically care about the current social trends and culture, she was focused on learning military theory and training to enlist. Her first memories were of playing soldier. Her studies allowed her to enroll in the officer corps, and as an idealistic young cadet she dreamed of supporting the men and women she’d one day be leading. However, misfortune seemed to follow her everywhere she went, leading her to having a particularly poor reputation that she made up for through sheer hard work. That sense of duty and work ethic was her reason for accepting the position, as it would give her more opportunities to positively influence the USCM.
How did your character attain the position of CO?
Shen was cursed with bad luck; normal patrols would turn out to be CLF ambushes, a boarding to inspect a vessel would lead to a gunfight with smugglers, and important mission-critical equipment would malfunction at inopportune times. The only thread linking these incidents would be her presence.
Despite this and her career-induced neuroticism, Shen never quit, never gave up, and was capable of turning dire circumstances into USCM victories. This quick-thinking and grit allowed her to ‘fall upward,’ all the way to Captain where she was Executive Officer to the USS Yukon.
3rd Fleet Command eventually took note of her track record as a career officer, and give her the opportunity to take the reigns of her very own command.
Provide a short story of your CO.
Behold, 8000 words of pure slop for your viewing pleasure:
Command Actions:
When do you believe it’s appropriate to pardon a prisoner?
Pardons can be a tricky thing to get right, because at the end of the day, they come down to the subjective view of the Commanding Officer granting it.
Despite this, they can be a useful tool that allows a round/operation to continue smoothly. It also offers flexibility when an offender of Marine Law/SoP makes a genuine mistake they are apologetic for.
Were Lylias Shen a CO, she (and I) would consider these points before issuing a pardon:
- Can this be handled sufficiently through the normal appeals process?
- Did the individual break rules maliciously?
- Will a pardon improve the round for both the individual pardoned, and the whole?
Commanding Officers are given a great amount of power, and that power comes with responsibility. The consequences of their actions reflect directly on them, both in the round and out of it.
The Marine Law page on the wiki uses the phrase “Exceptionally pardon”, and to me a pardon is exactly that: a tool to be used in exceptional circumstances, where not doing so would be a detriment to the round and the players involved.
There are cases where I would more commonly be willing to give out a pardon than others; I believe I would be more biased toward new players who are learning, and break Marine Law/SoP because they have recently started playing. That is not to say I would be willing to give experienced players leeway; if they make a mistake or their actions were in the interests of the operation/round, I would be inclined to issue a pardon. At the end of the day, sometimes people ask for forgiveness instead of permission because there wasn’t time to get permission in the first place.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use pardon.
If somebody’s actions were evidently malicious, I would not issue a pardon.
If somebody knowingly broke marine law, I would not normally issue a pardon.
However, if there were exceptional circumstances and the spirit of the law was not violated, I would issue a pardon.
I would not issue a pardon for capital crimes (as is Marine Law except for exceptional circumstances).
I would issue a pardon before an appeal is done if expediting their release was crucial for the operation.
When do you believe it’s appropriate to use a Battlefield Execution?
When you carry out a Battlefield Execution, you are making the decision to permanently remove an individual from the round. It is not to be used lightly, and it should be the only recourse for the situation. In a way, I consider a Battlefield Execution to borderline be an ‘out of character’ action to take to swiftly end a situation that could swiftly run out of control, or to punish behavior that goes well beyond acceptable standards.
While it can be used even if MPs are present or individuals have been deputized, it is important to ensure you’ve done what you can to prevent a situation where BEing is the only option in the first place. This can not always be done, and it is inevitable that a Commanding Officer will end up carrying out a BE during their time on the Almayer. At the end of the day, it’s another tool to keep the round moving forward, and to bring weight or punishment to certain exceptional situations.
Give some examples of when you would or would not use Battlefield Execution.
I would BE an individual who starts to gun down other marines or crew; e.g, the fabled Req line shooter.
I would not pre-emptively BE marines for communally preparing a mutiny, especially with good reasons: Be it my own actions or my command team’s as a whole. However, I might consider carrying out BEs should I/Command succeed in suppressing the mutiny, to add to the consequences and weight of what just transpired.
I would BE a marine going out of their way to countermand myself or command to the detriment of the operation: E.G, a single squad leader completely refusing to co-ordinate with CIC, to the point that the operation might end in a loss.
I would BE an individual who is consistently doing LRP behavior, and unhesitatingly BE someone speaking or carrying out obscene/explicit actions.
I would not BE an individual for arguing with me, or for criticising my leadership or that of my command.
I would not BE an individual in a way that could cause collateral.
I would not BE an individual if the situation can be resolved by shoving them in a cell or other alternative.
