voidtreckernet

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Good evening, Voidtreckers. I'd like to announce a council meeting in three days. It's overdue and I believe we have a number of items to discuss.

Please council members take some time over the next few days to come up with and notify me of topics we need to discuss so I can prepare an agenda. If anyone who is not a council member feels strongly about a certain topic we should consider, either tell me or seek out a council member so they may relay the information.

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[Sven's a laid-back, non-confrontational, empathetic kinda guy...at least until you position yourself as some pillar of authority, and then use said authority to act like a dickhead towards people wanting in on your secret circle. Definitely doesn't touch a nerve or anything!]

Oi, oi, oi! Are you seriously telling young Miss Alice that she can't sit in on the council meetings?! Maybe she's a child--isn't she also a Voidtrecker? You know, somebody who's life will be affected by whatever discussions will be taking place in your secret little meetings?

Yes.

[He crosses his arms at the unfamiliar man on the screen.]

My reason though isn't 'to have a secret little meeting'. This will be the first council meeting and I want to give the new members a chance to talk without everyone scrutinizing every word. That and I don't want the extra distractions. We're already a group of twelve. It'll be chaotic enough as it is.

However, I've offered to have the whole meeting transcribed and I'll be happy to answer or explain any and all decisions made with the rest of the train afterward.

[Sven mirrors the gesture, squinting at the visual of the guy on this so-called "video screen".]

I don't trust in that. You think transcriptions can't be manipulated? Matters of government on any scale should be open door, if you can't control the floor then that's your own failing.

Not when the person who is taking the transcripts dislikes me. I'm having to trust that the transcripts aren't going to get manipulated to make me look worse not better. However, I'm taking that risk because I know you all deserve the most accurate and most transparent option available.

Look, I don't know you which means you're new but only a few weeks ago we did a train wide vote for the members of this council. I didn't pick them. They are people who others on the train saw as trustworthy.

[He pauses to chew over the information he's been given. Such a system does sound reasonable on paper, but Sven is having difficulty--or rather, is straight up resisting--trusting anything to do with the council at face value.]

Democratically voted groups are not immune to collusion. [He'd trusted the leaders of his church, and look how that panned out for everybody.] Yes, I'm new. I didn't vote for this council, I don't know half of you, and yet I'm expected to trust you? If space logistics are such an issue and you really, truly cannot make it work, why not open the floor for a limited number of spectators to invite themselves on a public, first-come basis?

I'd be okay with people coming on in regardless.

[Like she'd said originally. But again, she's not Council Lead.]

A sort of 'find it, you can hear it' deal?

I was thinking more along the lines of "first ten who call dibs can sit in". On there could be a random draw?

[Nita puts a hand to her chin, considering.]

Either could be doable, really.

[As long as the location of the meeting gets out, it doesn't really matter.]

We could probably work the Passenger Roster into it somehow, at least for most of the names...

[Since some people don't GO by those names, and all.]

There were a hundred people on this train when the election happened. You can ask around, I made every effort to be transparent and fair with it. It's true that a voted in group can be corrupted, but this literally just happened a couple weeks ago and this is our first meeting. I'm good, but I'm not that good. Well...

[He thinks that over a moment and smirks.]

Okay, I could but I wouldn't and I didn't. You're hearing Eva on this right and Nita? They're both on the council and they're only two who don't put up with my crap. So yes, give us a chance.

[The suggestion of a limited number of spectators though has him pausing again. This time a serious one.]

How would you propose we select these people? Is it literally whoever shows gets it? Who is going to turn the others away and what do we do if they refuse to be turned away?

[Heh, Nita gives this blowhard a hard time? Sven can see that.]

Nita I trust, at least...smart kid, that one. But this is about maintaining transparency when apparently our passenger list is a constantly opening and closing door. [~~D&D doesn't have revolving doors ok~~] I didn't realise turnover was that high, but surely that makes it more important that people can see the inner workings of the machine.

[At least Tony seems open to actionable suggestions, so maybe the guy's not all that bad. Sven won't roll over and just accept his word, but he does appreciate that Tony does seem earnest in his bid for transparency, which earns him just a hint of a smile from Sven.]

If you have people who refuse to be turned away then surely whatever's on the table is important enough to them that you should let them in anyway, right? If you've got the entire train vying for a space in the audience, then that should indicate you've got a big problem on your hands and enough seats will be the least of your issues.

Keeping doors open is most important. You should be glad if people care to sit in, cuz too many people naively accept that their governing bodies will do what's right by them and not give a stuff otherwise. You arrange your meetings in advance anyway, so, slap up a sign up sheet with limited slots and get people to put their names down if they want to attend. If the list is bigger than your expectations, then I don't know...let them in anyway? This train's intercom-systemy-thing won't let you show your meeting on a separate channel, or feed or whatever?

Well that depends on who you ask. It's not that high of a turnover. The last two stops have been more than they have been but there's a solid group has been here since the beginning, like I have. I've been on this train for months now. And with a hundred or more passengers, I'd say we've lost about ten percent and gained about twenty. We've had other months where we've gotten maybe five and lost only two or three.

[He'd prefer people asked questions and talked things out rather than make assumptions. Now that it seemed the man wasn't just looking for a fight, but an exchange of information and opinions, he relaxed too.]

I'd agree under most circumstances but we have a group of a hundred bored individuals. Sure, some may be there for legitimate reasons but I'm unconvinced all of them would be.

[He rolled that idea over in his head and nodded.]

I'll give that some thought. We might be able to rig something like a separate channel. If we don't by this first meeting, we certainly could figure something out by the next one.

[Although you just gave him a bone to chew on and he has an obsessive personality. If it can be done, it's very likely he'll figure it out in the next three days.]

By the way, who are you?

[He looks satisfied by the responses given. Sven gives a small nod.]

I can't ask fairer than that, can I? Thanks, for hearing me out. I'm Sven.

[Out of habit, he offers out his hand for Tony to shake...only to realise where he is and drop it.]

...Damnation. Video-thingy. Anyway -- Tony, right?

[He smirks]

That depends on who you ask too.

[He chuckles as the fellow gets tripped up over the ICP vs reality.]

Nice to meet you Sven. Yes, Tony Stark. Apparently I'm the devil on the train who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Again, depending on who you ask.

[Sven laughs.]

Maybe not as big a pit in the ground as I might've judged you for off the bat, but we'll see! I accept the need for some kind of running order around this place, [Reluctantly, if his tone is anything to tell by.] if nothing else I'm glad to see people caring about keeping things honest and fair. Guess I'll be running into you more often, either on video or in person if you do start taking audiences for your meetings.

[He really isn't thrilled by the idea of sitting in on council meetings, but he'd be a big damn hypocrite to advocate for the opening up of meetings and then never show up himself. And since he's stuck in one place for the first time in a good half a decade, it seems to him that he should take it upon himself to be aware of how things are being run.]

[He grinned at that.]

You probably will. I've been held up more lately than I used to though. Someone recently left that meant a lot to my kid, so..

[He shrugged.]

But if you ever need to find me, my office is the quiet room with the currents. You're welcome to knock if you need anything.

[He didn't leave it open as often as he used to also because of another confidential project he was working on. But he'd try.]

[He frowns just a little, his expression sympathetic.]

Ah, well...that's gotta blow. My condolences to your child.

[He nods.]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll keep in mind where to find you.

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[Audio] Because it's threadjack-city over here, apparently. XD

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