Reaching Out

[ghost_shield]

Who: Nicholas Reeve and all interested in his Native/Visitor Diplomacy group
Where: The Nadeisico
Summary: Nick proposes a group which can help mediate some of the tensions between the Visitors and the natives. But he may have a few side goals in mind too...
Warnings: Presumably none.

Nick's been through a lot of different things in his life, but he has to admit it's the first time he's ever been in a space battleship, let alone hosted a MEETING in one. Hell, it's the first time he's hosted a meeting, period. But something has to be done, and he knows it.

He'd seen the anger. Real or manufactured, something was threatening to explode unless they as arrivals -- voluntary or otherwise -- confronted it face on. To ignore such a thing during a period in time like this would be to invite disaster, and quite possibly this great and terrible danger the people who had disappeared had been sent to confront. Whether or not this world was truly his own, that just wouldn't cut it. After all, he's all too familiar with the notion of destroyed worlds...

He looks around at the setup. It's sort of weird, hanging out in a place with giant robots to conduct business. He hopes people don't get too distracted by that. At the same time, this is really the only place to do this. Some of Nick's ideas might be a bit, well, controversial. Still, even if people DON'T go along with his secondary objective, hopefully they'll still be amenable to the primary.

Still, his plans would work better with help.

Comments

[pastalishe]

Cloche listens quietly to what Nicholas has to say. She agrees with a great deal with what he's talking about: the situation between the Visitors and the Citizens is growing tenser each and every day. Without something to alleviate that tension, one day, the line of communication between them will snap--and the results won't be pleasant.

And yet, when he speaks of using this effort to uncover information, she can't help but disagree. Cloche frowns and, after he is finished, clears her throat. When she speaks, her tone isn't angry or confrontational; instead, it is calm and insightful.

"I find the goals that you propose to be commendable. Ideally, there would be complete transparency between leaders and their people... unfortunately, the situation in Hinoto-Ri is far from ideal." Cloche raises a hand to her chin, expression thoughtful. "A government's first responsibility is to its people: to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. Information, when misused or mishandled, can be dangerous--especially in a city where rumor can become reality.

I don't doubt that Hinoto-Ri's government is keeping secrets from us. But I believe that, in a time of global crisis, the government is obligated to keep dangerous information out of the public eye. Some secrets are kept for good reasons. If you propose to uncover information, what do you plan to do with it? Are you prepared to take responsibility for it and the consequences that may come with it?"

[ghost_shield]

Nick cross his arms. "I understand the government may have its reasons for doing what it does. But I think it's up to us to decide whether or not this information is really so dangerous that exposing it properly will cause problems on a catastrophic level. Right now, I'm more concerned about what they'll be willing to do to suppress it if we're too open about asking. We've already established that they're willing to censor even communications among ourselves asking these questions, and quite frankly that worries me. Besides, the less we know about WHY things are how they are, the more likely we are to bumble into things that'll just make things worse ANYWAY."

He looks away. "And... the less we know, the more power the Anoli have. Because they seem to know something we don't too, and it irks me that they know more than we, the supposed government agents, do."

He purses his lips, then looks back at her. "In other words, yes. I'm willing to accept the responsibility and the consequences. As I said, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. This is my own philosophy, however, and one I choose to abide by."

[pastalishe]

"I believe your heart is in the right place, Nicholas," Cloche says. "But, I must respectfully disagree. I feel that uncovering and exposing information that the government wants kept out of the public eye undermines a structure that, despite its flaws, appears to be doing its best to serve the people of the city. Moreover, it is dangerous to be swayed by the words of a group that uses murder and fear tactics to try and force change."

Cloche's eyes haven't left Nicholas' face since he began speaking; she doesn't flinch or waver. She's very passionate about what she's speaking about.

"I believe in the government of this city; I have faith in what it means to its people and the work that it does to keep Hinoto-Ri functional. I respect your philosophy, but I cannot follow it." She bows her head in deference for a brief moment. "I am happy to contribute to the other aspects of this group... and I will not reveal your actions to the government. I will have faith in your words; I ask only that you act responsibly within the scope of your investigations."

[ghost_shield]

Nick's eyes do not waver themselves. His passion is the same. But it's a passion tied to no one government, no one person. He's heard too many stories, seen too many things. The voices of the dead have told him of the crimes of the living, some of them members of their trusted leaders. The government of Gran Frontier hadn't been infallible; at least some of the elected officials there had been openly anti-refugee. Anti-HIM, in that respect. He almost envies her dedication to the law, the ability to believe in a cause regardless of the darker actions taken to protect it. Or... perhaps she simply doesn't acknowledge them. Who could say.

He looks away, finally, a mysterious little smile. "I hope your faith pays off, then. I apologize if we cannot see eye to eye on that." He looks back at her. "And I'll hold you to your word on that. At least you understand the risk I took admitting my views in the first place."

He crosses his arms, brightening. "And in the meantime, even if our politics don't coincide our desire to do good is the same! So let's do everything we can in our abilities to help the people, okay?"