maskormenace

[The Major addresses the network in her tan JSDA officer's uniform, perhaps looking and seeming even more commanding than usual.]

For those who don't know me, my name is Motoko Kusanagi and I'm running for Maurtia Falls ambassador. First of all, I'm not a politician. My goal isn't to use this position as a stepping stone to higher office. Rather, I think my background makes me uniquely qualified to address some of the biggest issues that affect Maurtia Falls. I served as a major in the Japanese military and as the squad leader of a police unit dedicated to fighting terrorism and government corruption. I hope to use these skills in office to make Maurtia Falls a better, safer city.

I've lived in Maurtia Falls since arriving here, and my focus has always been on combating crime within the city. Whether it was independently, briefly as a member of RISE, or as part of the anti-crime organization Archangel, I've tried to make the city a safer place for both ImPorts and natives. But the problems in the city are more than just muggers and drug trafficking. I would say that institutional corruption is the largest problem facing the city and the biggest threat to its residents. The government and police all have extensive ties to organized crime, making any efforts to clean up the city a futile effort. I hope that as ambassador, I would have sufficient leverage to begin purging the corrupt elements from the city.

My second goal is to foster more productive and transparent relations between ImPorts, natives, and the government. It's no secret that there have been difficulties on this front in the recent past, and with the rise of both pro- and anti-ImPort factions, it's only likely to get more difficult if there is not a significant change. Speaking as an ImPort, vehemently pro-ImPort organizations such as the Constellation that claim to have ImPort interests at their heart but remain concealed in the shadows are not the answer to the problems facing our community. These cabals only serve to heighten tensions and steer the course of the ImPort-Native conversation toward violence, which is in the best interest of no one save perhaps the leadership of the Constellation. I would caution anyone swayed by their rhetoric to consider who benefits most from their actions, and who is likely to get hurt by them. Only through transparent dialogue can we start to address these issues in a constructive way, not through secrecy and subterfuge.

I'm open to any questions, concerns, or ideas. After all, the role of ambassador is to serve you, not to seek my own aspirations or those of some other group.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If Jacob looks surprised, that's because he is surprised.]

You're running for Ambassador, Major? Gotta say, I did not see that coming.

Honestly, I wouldn't have expected it either. I've always been more comfortable working outside the spotlight. But it's apparently going to take measures outside my comfort zone to clean up Maurtia Falls.

Hard to picture you behind a desk. You sure this is the way to make things different there?

I have to admit, having an office isn't exactly my preferred work space. But the office of ambassador might afford me the clout necessary to achieve more than just a never-ending stalemate with the criminal elements in the city.

Maybe. It's pretty obvious by now we can't just punch people until the place gets better. What are you planning to do with the job that Revan and Baelish didn't?

I'm always pleased to see someone else interested in ending corruption. You seem to have more experience with the issues it pauses in this place than I do.

While I'm running as well, I would be interested in speaking with you about it further no matter who wins the election.

I'm always happy to lend my expertise if asked, regardless of who is in office. Politics isn't exactly my wheelhouse, but working behind the scenes on issues like these certainly is.

I suspect the rest of this conversation would be better held not in public, but at some point in the future I hope we will speak on this matter. Your experience sounds like something that can only benefit this city, and I am always interested to learn more on rooting out corruption.

[Corruption, organized crime, people keeping secrets, shadowy organizations creeping among the shadows, leaving everyone else with questions? Sounds just like home. A driven military type looking to untangle some of the knots? Feels just like home.]

Hmhm, what a shame to hear that these problems remains so prevalent, but I can't say I'm surprised. How long have you been here?

It seems like it's a universal constant where humans are in charge.

I've been here almost three years, with a brief period where I was sent back home.

Oh, I've run across an expert! What makes you choose to run for the ambassador position now?

Besides there being a vacancy? I've fought against the corruption and crime in Maurtia Falls the entire time I've been here, and while I wouldn't say that my efforts have been for nothing, they certainly haven't afforded the radical change the city needs to get on the right track. Hopefully the office of ambassador would allow me to fight on a new front in that battle, and maybe achieve some lasting results.

A vacancy, of course, but if it's a position that's up for election I would have expected their to be earlier opportunities. I wish you good luck on your campaign. Is your own home similar to this one?

To an extent. In some ways it's more technologically advanced, and in other ways less so. We don't have flying cars or teleportation technology, but most people have at least some level of cyberization allowing them to interface directly with the internet or each other. And as you brought up, crime and corruption are a constant no matter where you are. The challenges are just somewhat different in a world where a person's brain can be hacked.

[Hange understood very little of that, but...]

That sounds frightening! What are the benefits of being able to interface in such a matter? What does it mean when one's brain is hacked? I'm from a world with technology far behind both here and, from the sounds of it, your home. This is all very new to me.

Sorry, I forget that not everyone is used to cyberization. The benefits are instant communication without the need for an external device, and instant access to vast amounts of information. If you don't have sufficient defenses, you're open to hacking, which means that a sufficiently skilled person could access your memories or even implant false ones, or even take control of your entire body against your will.

Ahh!

[Access to information, rapidly, completely, in massive amounts: that would be worth it. The other parts, perhaps not so much.]

And what do you do, in your home world? Are you a soldier? [She speaks like a soldier.] I presume you hold similar values as you do here.

I used to be in the military, and then I worked as a police officer. I was working freelance and choosing my own investigations before I came here.

It sounds like you were successful at your job, if you managed to succeed in a private practice. Incompetence can be carried through office but if you work alone, you must rely on your own skills.

[She doesn't sound judgmental, more thinking aloud.]

And have you registered here, and carried on with government work?

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ps padme is 100% going to hit her up

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