Military Democracy

[Petitioner]

Lieutenant-Commander Max "Barrelman" Schlesinger
Quartermaster

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As the previous crewmates spoke, Schlesinger gave nods of approval, and when finally Jeong had said his brief piece, the lieutenant-commander rose to chime in.

"Years ago, I said that the thing I least expected from the Bundschuh was a backstab. Time has proven me right; they've given us more than water and flour, they've given us a new port of call. New crewmates"—Max looked around, locking eyes with some of the new arrivals to the Klaxon's ragtag family, including the Zoner from Nine who took over as gunnery chief—"new ideals, maybe, for some of us"—here he glanced over at Doorstop, a barely-suppressed twinkle of admiration in his eyes for the snub jockey's newfound idealism—"new friends, new supply lines. They've given us everything we could'a ever asked for, and by god, it's about time we started givin' back. Whether we fight to spread the wealth or merely to stick it to the corpo-puppets what seem t'be ruling every damn house even beyond our own, this ain't a colony ship. It's about damn time we got back into the fight.

"As Quartermaster, my duty doesn't change. It's to make sure all of you have what you need to do your jobs. What the hell am I here for if none of us have a goal to work for? I vote aye! Let's topple Rheinland's damnable emperor, and when we're done here, we'll set our eyes on Liberty with the people of a free nation at our back!"

At this enthused call-to-arms, the crew roared in favor. Howe beamed with pride as he chalked dozens of lines under the PLATFORM column on the blackboard.