Military Democracy

[Petitioner]

Battleship Klaxon - All-Hands Meeting Minutes
08/09/830 AS - Final Tally

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The crew had assembled, debated, and argued. True to his word, Howe had given every crewmate a chance to vote, with the dozen or so low-ranking personnel being provided an opportunity by Schlesinger to have their say recorded after the fact. Yet, regardless of all, the outcome of the Klaxon's very first act of internal democracy was clear: the crew was almost universally opposed to joining up with the Corsairs. The chalk tallies on the board made it evident that not even a dozen more ayes would outweigh the nays, and for his part, Howe was strongly relieved. At the conclusion of the commentary and the raising of hands, with the last ensigns stating their positions, the captain rose his voice once again to speak out above the murmurs.

"Attention! Our final tally is as follows: 26 ayes, 137 nays, abstentions and absent personnel not counted. Quartermaster Schlesinger is to record the absentees and provide them to the stenographer for a formal, conclusive report. However, our choice has been made clear: we reject the Deterrence organization's offer. COMMO Stirner and I will investigate further alternatives. If any of you have any suggestions as to where we go from here, relay them to me via your immediate commanding officers or contact me personally at a later time. For now, we will maintain position in the Guerrero unless government forces come on-radar. Crew dismissed."

There was a nigh-audible sigh of relief among the crew. Liberty's last freedom fighters would not resort to piracy and terrorism to further the cause, and all save a handful were glad for it as the assembly dispersed, returning either to their assigned posts or to the few sections set aside for off-shift personnel. Howe noted that several of the mates who'd voted aye seemed to congregate among themselves. He was loyal to his beliefs to the end, but the practical and analytic part of his mind toyed with the thought that this new system of self-governance might lead to cliques, or worse, among the crew. Still, only time would tell what might befall them.

//The final ooRP vote tally is as follows:
/////Ayes: 2
/////Nays: 8

//Thanks to @Sombs for voting as the only community member uninvolved in the project longer-term. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this thread and are as excited about this style of roleplay as I am. I hope to see more participation in future votes!