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+--- Thread: To the Liberty Navy [LN] Command (/showthread.php?tid=36120)
To the Liberty Navy [LN] Command - EisenSeele - 03-07-2010
:::Incoming Transmission:::
Greetings Sirs, this is J.C. Heinlein of the Secondary Fleet reporting.
I apologize for the disturbance, however the purpose of this communique is to address some issues with the current relationship between the primary and secondary fleets.
As you already know, any and all members of the primary fleet are superiors to any of the secondary fleet. While the superiority of the primary fleet over the secondary fleet is not in question, the above has resulted in many problems.
It is of common opinion throughout the secondary fleet that, forgive me for speaking candidly, certain members of the primary fleet pull rank to an excessive degree. Even speaking from personal experience, there have been, on more than one occasion, been a situation when a member of the primary fleet has issued orders which breach the protocols set forth by the Laws of Liberty to enforce the Laws of Liberty, which brings me to my first point:
1. Do the orders of a Primary Fleet member override the Laws of Liberty? If so, which laws can a Primary Fleet member legally nullify? If not, what provisions are there to prevent such a breach of law by a Primary Fleet member?
Legality aside, there has also been an issue of the issuance of spitefully arbitrary orders, in a most dismissive, condescending, and disrespectful tone (unbecoming of a proud member of the Primary Fleet). This brings up issue two and three:
2. To what degree can a Primary Fleet member issue orders? Must they be strictly military in nature, or can they be of any conceivable topic to the issuing Primary Fleet member?
3. Is it too much to ask that Secondary Fleet members be afforded the respect due as fellow members of the Liberty Navy, or are members of the Secondary Fleet merely the subhuman currs which we are treated as?
There has also been an issue with, if you can pardon my candor once again, less than well thought out orders. Just this morning, there was an encounter involving a superior force of Lane Hackers, wielding superior firepower, and piloting superior ships, just outside of Manhattan. As but one of a group of Navy Vessels at the scene, a group which included a member of the Primary Fleet who shall remain nameless (unless requested by order), I proposed a tactic which utilized the regular Carrier Patrols around Manhattan for a decisive tactical advantage against an otherwise vastly superior enemy. The Primary Fleet member present decided to ignore my recommendations and decided that it would be better to launch an attack head on with inferior forces, disregarding the obvious tactical advantages offered by our Carrier Patrols. As we were forced to follow the orders of this Primary Fleet member, our forces were decimated. This brings me to my final point:
4. Can an order of a Primary Fleet member be disregarded, if following said orders will undoubtedly lead to the unnecessary death of civilian and military personnel? Or must all orders be followed without question, regardless of the validity of said orders?
That being said, I wish to point out that there are many Primary Fleet officers for whom I have the utmost respect. It only goes to show the depth of the problems inherent in the present system, that I point out these issues despite the shining example of many in the Primary Fleet.
As I have spoken candidly before, and because the personal consequences of bringing to light the abuses in power by certain members of the Primary Fleet are already most likely forthcoming, I humbly submit to you a possible remedy for this problem.
Is it possible to establish a system of jurisdiction and privileges along the graduations of Primary Fleet members over the Secondary Fleet? - What I mean to say is that it is ridiculous for an ensign of the Primary Fleet to wield authority over the entirety of the Secondary Fleet. Could there be a more respectable rank, which is more likely to have much more competent and wise officers, at which one of the Primary Fleet may issue orders?
If not, is it possible to establish a system of rank equivalents within the Secondary Fleet? In the course to rectify a lack of organization, many have resorted to fragmenting the the Secondary Fleet into various miniature fleets. The same miniature fleets whose leaders lack proper command over their own units despite being put in command after attaining the experience afforded by countless engagements when so much as an ensign of the Primary Fleet decides to override sound military strategem for, at best, daring bravado.
My apologies again for being so blunt in bringing these issues to light, however I feel that it is only right that with every power exists a form of accountability and check - as it is in the spirit of our great nation to have such balances of power. I hope that this has not offended anyone, as it is not my intention to do so (as evidenced by my lack of finger pointing towards specific officers).
I do realize that some may construe this manifesto of sorts to be a treasonous outburst by a dissident, and I shall accept any and all consequences stemming from this. However, please keep in mind that I, as a member of the Secondary Fleet, like any other member of the Primary Fleet, have dedicated my life to the protection of Liberty and the enforcement of her laws.
Thank you for your time in reading this,
J.C. Heinlein, Secondary Fleet
:::End Transmission:::
To the Liberty Navy [LN] Command - EisenSeele - 03-08-2010
:::Signal Lost:::
:::Reestablishing Signal:::
:::Rebroadcasting:::
To the Liberty Navy [LN] Command - Sonja - 03-08-2010
Transmission; Start
Identification: Commodore Christina Robinson
Location: New York system, Planet Manhattan, Fort Bragg
Captain Heinlein;
This entire arguement seems to be based upon the fact that you believe that any Primary Fleet officer no matter the rank can issue orders to any Secondary Fleet officer, no matter the rank.
The above is completely untrue.
- An ensign may request a battleship captain to stand down.
- An ensign may phrase it like an order.
But you are only under obligation to follow the directives of the current Liberty Navy Primary Fleet High Command. Currently, this consists of Fleet Admiral David Hale, Admiral Ryan MacTavish, Vice Admiral Galen Anderson and myself, Commodore Christina Robinson.
An ensign may however give us the details of a situation, which we can then deal with as required; sometimes as advised by the ensign.
On that note, Vice Admiral Galen Anderson may recieve a promotion to Admiral, if he requires it to pull rank. However, he is an easy-going gentleman, so it will likely be me yelling at you for a variety of different reasons rather than him.
With that clarification, let me now address each of your conveniently summarized points in order;
Quote:1. Do the orders of a Primary Fleet member override the Laws of Liberty? If so, which laws can a Primary Fleet member legally nullify? If not, what provisions are there to prevent such a breach of law by a Primary Fleet member?
The laws were written to allow flexibility in their execution. You will notice that most infractions can be dealt with by anything from a verbal warning to an on-the-spot execution. I cannot comment further since you did not give an example to work with.
Quote:2. To what degree can a Primary Fleet member issue orders? Must they be strictly military in nature, or can they be of any conceivable topic to the issuing Primary Fleet member?
They must be military in nature, but not strictly so.
Quote:3. Is it too much to ask that Secondary Fleet members be afforded the respect due as fellow members of the Liberty Navy, or are members of the Secondary Fleet merely the subhuman currs which we are treated as?
This is rhetorical, but I shall answer anyway.
Members of the secondary fleet are treated with the respect that they deserve according to their competance, observance and to some extent, their ability to banter with the men and women in the Primary Fleet. Camaraderie is much more important than officers in the Secondary Fleet seem to think. At least, that is my observation. Of course, I might not have the same reaction to a typical conversation as a Lieutenant may though.
Quote:4. Can an order of a Primary Fleet member be disregarded, if following said orders will undoubtedly lead to the unnecessary death of civilian and military personnel? Or must all orders be followed without question, regardless of the validity of said orders?
I believe I already covered what could happen if you disregard the orders of an ensign, who then reports your actions to a member of the High Command.
If, however, you disregard an order directly from a member of the High Command, bad things will happen. Especially if its me giving the order.
I hope this clarifies things, Captain.
Transmission Terminated.
Addendum;
Interestingly however, the TLG are not considered the best examples of the Secondary Fleet, after many run-ins with all sections of the Primary Fleet. This includes observations and unofficial complaints which I have had the pleasure of listening to on our private communications array. Therefore I can understand the emotional charge with which you make your third point, as you fly under that banner yourself.