MattAtlas

We don't give any more chances after the second, sorry. You will not be unbanned on this server.

Sorry for the wait -- it looks like you were caught in someone else's ban. Try joining and tell me if it works.

Alright. As described in my post above, it is not acceptable to lie to this degree on a staff complaint. When levying accusations such as "this person is being creepy towards me" down to actually claiming there to be abuse and targeted harrassment you should make sure that your facts are straight or at the very least are not extremely basic misinterpretations of common in-game events, because these are things that stick. You will receive a warning for this, because it is simply not acceptable for you to throw labels at people with dubious reasoning, all the while misinterpreting and lying about IC events and claiming that there is some sort of great OOC staff conspiracy against you or protecting staff, when a quick look in the staff complaints archive will show you that this is not the case at all. This complaint will be archived in 24 hours.

Your character "dismissed himself". You were ordered to hand in your gear, but you only handed in part of it. The HoS requested the rest (bags and belts, despite not being security equipment, can hide security equipment, and this is not something I should be having to explain) You refused. Refusing an order means you can be arrested. You were then arrested. I'm not sure what to tell you, this is quite literally how every single security interaction ends when someone countermands security. And this is all without mentioning that searches without warrants are allowed on code blue. With your logic, what is someone supposed to do when the other person doesn't want to be searched? Let's break this down: The ship was on code blue because of a bomber. Code blue allows searches without warrants. Therefore it is completely fine for a head of security to want to search you. You dismissed yourself and were told to hand in your gear. Your backpack and belt can still contain security gear. Basically almost everyone has security gear of some sort in their backpack or belt. This isn't some sort of meta unreasonable assumption, this is just basic game knowledge. Example: with your logic, searching a suspected bomber's backpack would be meta, because "you shouldn't be able to make assumptions". You are not being scrutinized, not once has anyone contested what you did IC, nor were you bwoinked or adminhelped. What you said is being scrutinised because you levied accusations at someone by saying you were weirded out/creeped out/whatever else, and I hope you understand that this is not something you should do lightly. All of these orders were valid. You, once again, refused a valid order. Refusing an order means you can be arrested. There is no other way for me to put it in a clearer way for you -- this is just what happens to everyone that refused to go along with security. You were not barraged with orders. You were told to hand in your security gear. You seem to be under the impression that these were all completely different orders, when essentially they were one and the same: "hand in your gear". Just because someone examined you to see whatever else you had on you that might contain security gear to have you take it off doesn't mean that they were making up orders as they went. I think you severely misconstrue or exaggerate a lot of normal game mechanics to be "creepy" for some reason. This is really evident by how you keep claiming that you were "beaten" (prodded with a stunbaton because it's the only way officers can make someone comply with force, as happens to everyone), "paraded around/humiliated" (brought to processing to have your gear checked, as happens to everyone). Describing all of this as some sort of "OOC abuse" is simply not something that makes any sort of sense -- nothing that happened to you is unique, this just happens to everyone that antags or goes against security in some way. If a bartender decides to not serve a head of security, tells them to go fuck themselves as an example, and gets arrested, they get your same treatment -- they get stunbatonned, cuffed, brought to processing, searched (bags and all), charged and then let go. With that said, there isn't any issue on the head of security part, or on Yonni's. I take some issues with the way you, as I said before, misconstrued normal game eventts to make them fit a narrative of a player creeping/weirding you out. I will now give you some examples of this. [23:43:30.592] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) So.. the chief is just being an asshole. [23:43:33.650] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) We dont have a solid plan. [23:43:49.926] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) And there is an actual factual intersteller unibomber running around this ship. [23:43:43.095] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) If you two can report this to the captian. [23:43:46.727] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) You would really help me out. [23:43:50.710] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) This abuse. [23:44:08.094] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Ill report it man. [23:44:20.972] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) But cmon, let me help you up. [23:44:43.494] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Really are. [23:44:45.604] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Gramps. [23:44:57.269] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Yeah. [23:44:53.466] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Will you really report it? [23:45:00.799] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) That shit was extreme abuse. [23:45:04.982] SAY: N8-Toe/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Once im sure our baby eating boss wont actualyl flay me for it. This is what was said in front of you, and the officer clearly said they'd report the HoS to the Captain -- yet, you omitted that. [23:34:39.939] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to handcuff BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) [23:34:52.877] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove a leather satchel from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:35:07.511] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Well done, you caught the bomber. [23:35:24.711] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) No. [23:36:13.129] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Well done, you're making the station a safer p-place. [23:36:37.763] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) I tried to conduct an investigation and was surrounded by r-rubes talking shit at my first assessment. [23:36:53.437] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) You very much do. [23:36:58.048] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) TOo much even. [23:37:20.996] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove HUDsunglasses from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:37:29.823] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove a security radio headset from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:37:37.349] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Disgusting. [23:38:06.646] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove some handcuffs from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:38:12.009] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) You cant conduct an investigation if the Officers on scene cannot help and just stand there screeching, sorry. [23:38:26.914] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Fucking a-animal. [23:38:40.936] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> passes out. [23:39:24.497] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) U-U-U-Ugh... [23:40:14.680] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> is lying face down on the steel tiles. [23:40:38.194] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Ugh.. [23:41:02.176] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Looks like my house will get foreclosed on afteral. [23:41:42.738] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) That was abuse. [23:41:53.242] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> is still catching his breath. [23:42:28.270] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Whats the point? First of all, you claim you were "strip searched". Only a leather satchel, your glasses and a radio were removed from you. You lie here. You then immediately countermand yourself, which means that you knew it was not actually a strip search, you were just exaggerating it on purpose. However, you repeat yourself here by saying you were "strip searched" again. You are doing this on purpose. Again you misinterpret normal game events (officers looking at processing) to be something it isn't ("people looking in shock"). I searched the logs -- nobody actually ever said anything about this treatment being overboard and dirty. Fortunately, I had a screenshot of the manifest, so I could filter the logs using the names of the officers. [23:34:30.370] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) A-A-A-Are you fucking s-serious? [23:34:31.187] SAY: XXX/(Samuele Savoia) : (Ceti Basic) Also- why are some of us armed and others not...? [23:34:39.939] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to handcuff BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) [23:34:52.877] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove a leather satchel from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:34:59.528] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Because some of us where going E.V.A and...others are cadets like us. Yeah. [23:35:07.511] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Well done, you caught the bomber. [23:36:11.191] SAY: XXX/(Trovensky Heapatus) : (Ceti Basic) What's the ROE for this suspect komandir? [23:35:07.612] SAY: XX/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Im waiting at the armory, want to check something out since im on the guys kill lis-- [23:35:19.490] SAY: XXX/(Nathan Rogers) : (Ceti Basic) Uh, everything ok? [23:35:24.711] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) No. [23:35:32.976] SAY: XXX/(Samuele Savoia) : (Ceti Basic) Oh. [23:35:56.392] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) What the. [23:36:13.129] WHISPER: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Well done, you're making the station a safer p-place. [23:36:35.990] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Cool dog. [23:36:37.763] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) I tried to conduct an investigation and was surrounded by r-rubes talking shit at my first assessment. [23:36:47.425] EMOTE: XXX/Odio_el_Comino : <B>Joshua Rudnik</B> nods. [23:36:53.437] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) You very much do. [23:36:58.048] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) TOo much even. [23:37:04.596] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Harden? [23:37:19.306] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Oh- really? [23:37:20.996] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove HUDsunglasses from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:37:22.009] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Sure.. [23:37:29.823] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove a security radio headset from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:37:37.349] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Disgusting. [23:37:41.147] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Daw. [23:37:52.787] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) What a cute little dog. [23:38:06.646] ATTACK: peppermint96/(Xochiquetzal) attempted to remove some handcuffs from BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) (INTENT: GRAB) [23:38:11.235] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Thank you madame. [23:38:12.009] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) You cant conduct an investigation if the Officers on scene cannot help and just stand there screeching, sorry. [23:38:24.990] EMOTE: Joshua Rudnik/Odio_el_Comino : <B>Joshua Rudnik</B> gives a half smile. [23:38:25.632] ACCESS: Logout: XXX/(Nathan Rogers) [23:38:26.914] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Fucking a-animal. [23:38:40.936] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> passes out. [23:38:51.364] SAY: XXX/(Joshua Rudnik) : (Ceti Basic) Oh.. [23:39:24.497] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) U-U-U-Ugh... [23:39:27.281] ACCESS: Login: XXX/(Nathan Rogers [23:39:51.799] SAY: XXX/(Samuele Savoia) : (Ceti Basic) What happened? [23:40:14.680] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> is lying face down on the steel tiles. These are all the logs of the relevant situation, from processing to you being put in the lobby. Again - nobody said or did anything that you mentioned. Most officers weren't even there. One of the cadets wasn't there. The extent of your interactions with the other cadet: [23:38:17.477] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Harden? [23:38:26.914] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Fucking a-animal. [23:38:32.651] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) W- [23:38:40.936] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> passes out. [23:39:24.497] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) U-U-U-Ugh... [23:39:53.304] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) What the hell? [23:40:14.680] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> is lying face down on the steel tiles. [23:40:38.194] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Ugh.. [23:40:44.075] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Greetings. [23:41:02.176] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Looks like my house will get foreclosed on afteral. [23:41:14.890] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Christine... [23:41:27.681] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) I guess you should take a look at Med lobby... [23:41:42.738] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) That was abuse. [23:41:44.049] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Harden? [23:41:53.242] EMOTE: Jack Harden/BL1NKY : <B>Jack Harden</B> is still catching his breath. [23:42:01.506] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) I'm sorry, but the order- [23:42:22.264] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Man, you gonna stand up?... [23:42:28.270] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Whats the point? [23:42:41.878] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Tell me what to do, 'cause I know nothing. [23:42:46.049] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) What to start from? [23:42:51.764] SAY: XXX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) What to do next? [23:42:55.035] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Do not interact with the HoS. At all. [23:42:56.595] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) Who killed the monkey? [23:43:07.296] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) I dont know, I couldnt condict that investigation. [23:43:18.216] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Then the next one I tried, I got screamed at and couldnt even begn. [23:43:29.395] SAY: XX/(Ash Callahan) : (Ceti Basic) So she suspended you for, what for? [23:43:30.989] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Then was beaten for walking away. Most of what you said didn't happen. One cadet asked you what to do next because they were shadowing you -- they were most certainly not begging, most certainly not two cadets, and they most certainly did not say "no one is showing us what to do". @BL1NKY I would like to know why so much was misinterpreted by you and why so many completely normal interactions were construed by you as "creepy", "humiliating", "uncomfortable", and why you decided to intentionally exaggerate things to this degree.

The problem with this reasoning is that players aren't telepathic -- they can't know what you have in your bag or belt, and what you may have stowed away or even just forgot about having on you. Just off the top of my head the investigator has access to maglights (security equipment), potentially things from opened security officer lockers, autopsy equipment, evidence, et cetera. You saying "yes I handed my gun and kit in" doesn't mean that you handed everything in, and this goes doubly so for a character which is openly challenging the HoS' authority and quite literally stated on the radio that he will no longer do his job: [23:31:03.011] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) I'm not showing up on a scene and getting fucking mocked by our Officers. I was told there was a bomb there, I was looking for a bomb. [23:31:49.750] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) I don't have time to get shit talked by your Officers, Commander. [23:32:34.178] SAY: BL1NKY/(Jack Harden) : (Ceti Basic) Enjoy your shift. Asking you to give your bag and belt (at the very least have them checked) is perfectly reasonable in these circumstances. You may have followed previous orders, but that doesn't mean you get to openly ignore following ones. I'm also not sure why you keep bringing attention to "being beaten" here. Officers have exactly two reliable ways to get someone on the ground nonlethally: either by stunning them with a stunbaton, or by shooting them with disruptors/LTLs. Stunbatons also don't do permanent damage, they just inflict pain to you -- IC this is the equivalent of prodding you, as the logs clearly state.

You refused a valid order. Refusing a valid order means you can be arrested. How is that an OOC grudge?

Your character was suspended, and your character was an investigator. It thus reasonably follows that you would have to give all your gear in (belts, bag, etc, as they can contain security equipment). You were ordered to do so by a head of staff, you followed it up with a really weird and out of place comment (alluding to strip teasing is absurd when you're being asked to remove a bag and a belt) which is a refusal, so you were arrested for this. All of this is a completely normal circumstance in SS13 - you were made to comply with stuns, aka the only tools officers can use at that point. How were you being harrassed here? How was any of this creepy? I don't follow, quite frankly, because all of it just seems like usual escalation to me. It's no different from an officer trying to search X person, they refuse, and so the officer forces them to comply. As an aside, if you refuse to do your job, the head of staff is completely justified in suspending you, no matter the reasoning. It being an IC issue goes both ways - both for you refusing to do your job and both for the head of staff deciding to suspend you.

MASS ARRESTS OF SOLARIAN RESTORATION FRONT COLLABORATORS IN THE MILITARY Article 5 of the Amor Patriae Prologue At 10 AM this morning, the director of the SIIB, in collaboration with the SIP-CPA and SISA, hosted a press conference announcing the arrest of a large number of military officers accused of treason and conspiring against the State. This number includes 313 Navy officers, including the ones previously discharged by Minister of Defence Lucien Courtois, 98 Army officers and 58 Marine officers. Further arrests of involved enlisted personnel will be carried out in the following month, with a projected number of 1291 further arrests. The director of the SIIB explained these arrests as a reaction to a recently uncovered web of arms trafficking into Solarian Restoration Front territory. According to the authorities, these arrested officers were facilitating and even directly participating in transporting arms, food, and other military goods stolen from Alliance military bases. Further interrogations have revealed “exceedingly dangerous concerns regarding national security”. The directors of the three agencies have declined to comment further on this particular issue, explaining that further investigation into the matter is still required. The arrested individuals have been immediately stripped of rank and will be judged in a military tribunal, with the hearing scheduled for the 19th of January. The Ministry of Defence has put out a statement fully endorsing the SIIB’s decision, explaining that the defence staff was strictly involved in the investigations leading up to these arrests and that “the Solarian military is no place for traitors”. The Head of the Provisional Government, Yuhan Verhasselt commented that the intelligence agencies acted with the blessing of the government and refused to answer any further questions. Senators Hendrik Strom and Le Hanh Trang have fully endorsed the SIIB’s decision, claiming that “it is about time that traitors in the military were brought to justice”.

It isn't a hivemind language though, if that's what you meant.

While I don't like the usage of military clothing, it can be excused for a member of the diplomatic service, I guess. Accepted.

Yes, the point is that each of those cyborgs does the humans' job but better, without their limitations on knowledge.

Voting for dismissal. Not really needed or wanted -- the term is clear as is. You are always contesting a decision (thus making a complaint about it). Anything else is semantics. Also, moving this to the appropriate subforum, which is policy suggestions.

I like this conceptually but putting them in medsci takes away their biggest representation, which is Heph. Not sure how we can fix that.

People play certain depts (engineering, medical) for a mix of gameplay and roleplay. If someone who is faster and more efficient than you is constantly taking your job, how is that not stealing? Your argument would work if a borg could only do specific things. That's not the case -- a borg does everything and anything in a department, better than you, faster than you, with less limitations, less gameplay issues, no access issues and no roleplay requirements. Nevermind that there is more than enough free time in a round for both medical and engineering for them to not really want even more.

My opinion on the matter is that I think borgs and maintenance drones are problematic because they're the remnant of a really, really ancient design philosophy. What I mean by this is that borgs were created for the LRP/MRP round cycle from a long time ago: very little player courtesy, player speeds were all the same (borgs were slower!), no roleplay was required or expected, and people were essentially walking toolbelts with a name. It's really obvious that a cyborg is just that when you look at it: it has a set of tools, it can't pick up anything that it isn't explicitly allowed to, it doesn't interact with most game mechanics (no organs, no antag interactions beyond emagging which never happens anyway, ...), it doesn't have any lore beyond "You are a posibrain made to serve", it has to follow a stringent lawset in order to balance it, so on and so forth. Expectations never increased for cyborgs the way they did for human characters. We expect characters to take the time out of their round and roleplay, take things with a certain degree of slowness (engineers have several more caution steps to take than a cyborg in order to do most tasks: welding goggles, insulated gloves, hacking into places, going generally slower, ...). Cyborgs are required to do none of those things and are pretty much capable of handling almost* entire departments on their own, while being practically able to go the whole round without speaking to anybody. Maintenance drones suffer the same issues but even worse: they straight up cannot roleplay. And to everyone saying that playing a background character is fine: there is a difference between playing a normal background character, and a background character with inbuilt buffs that exists purely to steal your job, as it cannot have meaningful gameplay interactions or even offtime. Some will bring up exceptions but they do not unmake a rule. This all a bit problematic because stealing gameplay from others *is* a real, tangible issue. It has repercussions on the medical and engineering gameplay loop. The only real solution is removal, purely because there is no developer or administrative will for a rework and there will never really be. This kind of shows how much people are actually invested in borgs, which is little to nothing -- they have never received any real updates (despite having severe and obvious issues) beyond power creeping here and there or some variable changes. The same can't be said of any other department or species.

Voting for dismissal. I don't want to legitimize backseating as an uninvolved character. If you want to command, play Command and bear the responsibility - no in-betweens.

Unbanned.

This discussion came up a bit ago in staff chat and I will be implementing a hard number of minimum of rounds played for the command whitelist.

Fact of the matter is, security cyborgs incite players to act in an extremely validhunty way for several reasons, chief among them the fact that they're lawed to defend crew/the ship. The same problems would happen, regardless of whether or not the playerbase has matured, simply because the role itself makes the players act a certain way. That's also without speaking about the balance issues of having a robot that feels no pain and no fear barrelling at you with a taser and handcuffs, and additionally the fact that we don't want 2 extra security officers. Voting for dismissal.

You should be able to join now. If not, get back to me.

Accepted.

Accepted.

How would you keep one captain for each event? Not everyone can always attend events (timeslots for the event itself can vary, discounting possible emergencies or extra work for the player in question), and even not counting that, would you really want us to go down the route of bwoinking captain players to not roll for this event "because we already picked a captain"? What the crew did was unplanned, but that doesn't mean it was wrong. It was an outcome like all the others -- we can't predict every single scenario, nor would anyone at the time have reasonably predicted that the crew would betray both factions. This paints an unnecessarily (and frankly, is actually a lie) hostile picture of events. You are trying to create a problem where there is none. Characters were not railroaded and the fact that we cooperated with their choice means that they always had agency in the matter. Again you are trying to imply that things were railroaded -- they were not. All characters in the events were written as characters that do certain things because of how they are. Prideful solarians (especially an admiral) being unwilling to retreat isn't rigidity, it's the lore team playing a character. It isn't reasonable at all for us to select a team of five people and have them show up literally for every single event while blocking others from participating. It'd be railroading in the opposite direction and completely unfair. They knew the extortion that was happening as we made it very, very clear to them that what we were demanding was the result of the sum of what happened beforehand. Dennis Linton and Kei Nakai are not command characters yet changed much more in the arc than quite literally all Command players put together in the grand scheme of things. The FSF is not a unitary, centralized faction, it's an umbrella term for a lot of mercenary fleets. The FSF wouldn't care because there's no centralized government or anything. It's just what a random fleet is doing. If anything the Caravaggio itself might care. The Horizon didn't get looted, mind you, it stole phoron stores which were then demanded back by the Caravaggio. As for why it isn't using its own fleets to escort the Horizon, how does a narrative become better with a mcguffin that solves all issues and doesn't allow any sort of standoff or hostile confrontation? The simple answer is that it doesn't and the Horizon being alone is one of the few reasons that it provides a unique dynamic -- characters can't just go "oh the Icarus will save us!" and fuck off to their rooms to brood over the mutiny happening upstairs. It being alone is why characters are forced to take action and this is not something that can be given up.

How is it distracting? The planets have nothing to do with the arc and don't tie into them. Planets are also not that large and generally only require 30-40 minutes of reading. Nor are you obligated to read a planet when it immediately gets released.

Planets are released as they are made/reviewed and arcs don't matter for their release -- both of these planets have nothing to do with this arc. I don't see why they would either.