Because deskwork hates him.

[in_over_his_head]

[While the SCCF was now temporarily silenced their leader was still on the loose and possibly plotting to cause more mayhem under the guise of good intentions. Meaning more work for him while working to ensure that all avenues for Lee to try take over the Unity Group were blocked off. While it was unlikely the UN would hand over the commission to Lee as he wasn't exactly in their service as the member of a Non-ESUN military detachment, the SSR still had achieved quite a bit that some members may consider things.]

Uuugh...

[However... mudslinging and dirt digging can only go so far and at the very most could only serve as a road block. Especially if Lee painted himself up as the only choice they had. So to that end Calvin spent an equal amount of time researching various possible candidates to serve as an interim commander for the Unity Group until the Lady is stopped and Lee loses interest.]

-INTERIM COMMANDER CANDIDATES-

-Cmdr. Amane-
-Pros: Good record built up from engagements with the Wulgaru, Member of ESUN military, Ranking Officer, Skilled Commander, has worked with UG before, Experienced Officer-
-Cons: Already has a Command - ESUN may want to keep her there, May find difficulty with UG's irregular command structure-

-Cmdr. Rin Suzukaze-
-Pros: Trusted by members of UG, Used to dealing with pilots with irregular personalities, ranking officer, has experience with dealing with non-military personnel-
-Cons: More focused on Instruction/Training than actual field command, UG may be larger than can handle, possible scandal involving appearance explicit material(?)-

-Capt. Gloval-
-Pros: Experienced Commander, Record built up with sorties alongside UG against the Zentradi, Officer, Trusted by members of UG-
-Cons: Rank may be too low for some (Request promotion?), Commanding UG different from commanding a ship, Overall command would possibly mean leaving the Macross with a less experienced captain-

-Gen. Hetepheres-
-Pros: Experienced Combatant, experienced commander, trusted by UG, engaged in multiple sorties alongside UG, capable of diplomatic interaction with non-military personnel, diplomatic relations with Gebians may grow stronger-
-Cons: Having an extraterrestrial in command may have negative implications and lead to closer scrutiny, overall command means possibly depriving UG of an experienced combatant and capable field commander-

-Capt. Viletta Vadim-
-Pros: Experienced Combatant, leads SSR Units when Lee is not on the field, Has worked alongside UG, reasonable, has fought alongside mixed personalities and can operate well enough in UG, officer-
-Cons: Member of SSR (possibly may have command stolen by Lee?), Possible connection with Balmarians (Investigate further), Rank may be too low for some (Request Promotion?)-

-(Former) Marshall Stacker Pentecost-
-Pros: Experienced Commander, Experienced Combatant, Used to working with many conflicting personalities given the nature of Jaeger pilots, has worked alongside UG before.-
-Cons: Deteriorating health, Jaeger program dismantled, Retired-

-Grimlock- -NO NO NO NO NO-
-BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD IDEA-

[And in the interest of covering all bases, Calvin ran through various members of UG (even ones who didn't outwardly show leadership qualities) and their allies for consideration. Those ones went into a second pile that was thoroughly marked with red like Grimlock's... as Calvin picked up his sheet and tossed it over to the larger pile.]

I'm going to need a vacation after this...

Comments

[actuallyselfish]

"How's the saying go?" Dido muses. "The one best qualified to command is the one who wants it least? So to find our interim commander, we have to find out who doesn't want it the most!"

[in_over_his_head]

You do realize that by that logic we'd be giving command to either Clades or that plant kid.

[actuallyselfish]

"...there are worse candidates," Dido replies with a sniff.

[in_over_his_head]

There are. But they're still pretty bad.

[brought_it_back]

[Eva is quietly thumbing over her own file. It is, naturally, more red than black.]

...I'm hurt.

[in_over_his_head]

HOLY F-

[And Calvin nearly falls off his chair in response to this. He really needs to learn to get used to her appearing out of nowhere.]

Damnit Eva... One of these days I'm going to ask that boyfriend of yours to tie a bell around your arm.

[The moment his heart steadies he gives her the most annoyed look imaginable.]

And lets be honest... you wouldn't make a very good commander.

Exterally: :|. Internally: literal jumping with joy

[brought_it_back]

...Boyfriend...

[She has to cover her mouth with both hands to hide her smile-until she's collected herself again. Hearing someone else say it makes it more...real.]



...Still. I have a distinguished record of military service, despite being 19.

And I'm not *that* crazy. I don't even have hallucinations, that often.

[in_over_his_head]

With little to no leadership experience, records of antagonistic behavior... _{though everyone has that here at some point}... you also had to have your personal weaponry confiscated from you.

The 'that often' part also doesn't help your case. I'd trust you to watch my back but not to give me orders. No offence.

[caressedthedarkness]

So, this is one of the Unity Group's current problems...

[A particular Kijin gazes at the list of candidates, with concern reflected in her expression.

After all, she missed the majority of the Lee-related issues and Antov's passing while she was away. This is without counting Loni and the Lady.]

[in_over_his_head]

Its one of the more irritating ones for sure... and leaving it alone might be more trouble than its worth.

[Calvin rests his head in his hands.]

Have any input to offer?

[caressedthedarkness]

You are worried that this...Lee Linjun...will take over Unity Group.

[She ponders the question for a bit.]

We should not disturb Marshall Pentacost...and...

...I think that Kei is quite capable of this as well.

[in_over_his_head]

Its not likely that his attempt to get control over the Unity Group will be approved but... less likelier things have happened. It pays to have a defense ready in case the worst happens.

[Calvin nods... it was probably for the best. The man's fight was already over and there was no reason for him to spend even more straining himself.]

Maybe... she's definitely one of the more responsible members of the Unity Group and also has a lot of good tactical knowhow... but the problem with her is that while she'll have respect from us, people outside the Unity Group would be disinclined to listen to her because of her age... even with everything she's done.

[caressedthedarkness]

As your list states, there is no leader with no flaws, and no leader that everyone will simply accept... I know that as well, after what I have gone through.

But... it is because she is young and intelligent that I put her name forward.

[And also highly publicized via Team Rabbits propaganda, but she doesn't mention that.]

[in_over_his_head]

Well... looking at it like that...

[Calvin's adding Kei to the list of candidates.]

-Kei Kugimiya-
-Pros: Skilled tactician, experienced combatant, exemplary list of engagements against various aggressors, trusted by members of UG, Member of MJP - used to dealing with mixed bag of personalities.-
-Cons: Young age and lack of command rank might cause concerns, lacks experience in Command matters beyond tactical concerns (Delegation + Advisory Team from other commanders?)-

Have to wonder if others might think the same way you are.

[caressedthedarkness]

...I can only hope there are those who do.

Admittedly, I only succeeded in the Kijin world by mimicking those I know from Earth. Kei is one of those people.

[in_over_his_head]

There's worse people to use as an example. Kugimiya's definitely one of the better ones you could pick.

[a_linear_mind]

Oh this should be fun.

[The least qualified candidate manages to finds his records and starts digging into the juicy red details.]

[in_over_his_head]

Believe me when I say this...

[Well Willis... the Red was a lot less in regards to the shenanigans and lack of seriousness you often displayed and more other things. Signs of PTSD, survivor's guilt, possible suicide risk given the fight with Jii Edel, a difficulty of communicating with others. There were holes in the information - specifically because you did a good job keeping it as buried as possible but Calvin did his best to research you as he could.]

It really isn't.

[a_linear_mind]

Suicide risk is going a bit far don't you think?

[If the hammer hitting the nail on the head bothered him he didn't give any indication of it. Not that he was arguing with any of the other points here.]

[in_over_his_head]

I'm pretty sure that from all accounts diving headfirst into certain death by stabbing something and not even trying to escape from a dimensional rift would probably be a decent indicator Mr Clades.

[Calvin takes a sip of his now unfortunately cold coffee with a grimace.]

But its not just that. You've had the track record of throwing yourself into the line of fire for others, no matter what the odds of survival were. That latest incident was just dotting the 'i's.

Honestly if you did somehow have every skill to make you the perfect candidate to keep Lee off our backs... I don't know if they'd cast a vote of no confidence so being in charge doesn't crush you or if it'd be a landslide vote in favor to keep you from actually getting killed on the field.

[a_linear_mind]

Technically the odds of being killed in a dimensional anomaly are actually quite low given what happened after the incident with Jii.

And if I could escape without outside help I would have, whether I like it or not there's not much I can do to influence those sorts of things.

[There's a very unusual smile on his face now.]

Personally, I would call it a hero complex rather than a suicide risk.

Besides, I don't think that not being afraid to sacrifice yourself to protect others is necessarily a bad thing.

[in_over_his_head]

Perhaps...

[There's a look on the Inspector's face that's distinctly wary now.]

I can't say I know you very well, personally or through what little information I could find of you... and in all honestly there are a lot of implications that truthfully scare the crap out of me. The nanomachine systems, AEGIS... everything.

Maybe you do have a hero complex or maybe its just an excuse you're using to dress up the truth Mr Clades... but I get the feeling you might be far more tired than you let on.

I'd die to protect someone if I had to, anyone else in this place would do the same I bet... but I'm hoping for Miss Ohara's sake, as well as every other friend you made that you weren't going to use them as an excuse to just disappear.

[Calvin glances at his coffee.]

Or maybe I'm wrong and I should apologize to you.

What do you think?

[a_linear_mind]

You don't have to put on a face like that, we're all on the same side here right?

To be perfectly honest, you're half right. Sometimes I'm not sure myself what I want or why I'm still here.

but...I wouldn't still be here if I didn't want to.

[in_over_his_head]

Yeah... yeah we are. But sometimes we just can't help worry about how others are doing.

And that's an answer I guess I can accept.

[stupidhonor]

On Ankaia, this dispute would be solved in a much simpler way. Simpler. Not necessarily better.

[Sielje picks up one of the papers and reads it without much ceremony.]

Explicit material?

[in_over_his_head]

True. I'm not going to deny seeing someone beat Lee Linjun's smug face into the ground wouldn't be satisfying to watch though.

[Calvin pauses upon hearing the query and coughs weakly.]

There's... a slight rumor going around about entertainment material that's... what's the right word for this...

[The inspector ponders before snapping his fingers.]

Ribald. Bawdy. Something that bore her likeness that was rather lewd. Its difficult to tell if it really is her and it might be a bit awkward to look into it further.

My job may be investigation but...

[Once again, tremendously awkward.]

[stupidhonor]

Do people of Earth always stick their noses into affairs of others like that?

[in_over_his_head]

Some...

[The investigator shrugs and shakes his head.]

There are people don't have anything else better to do than dig up scuttlebutt like that. I can't say I approve of it completely... but there's some cases where it has its use.

[stupidhonor]

Then, should anyone in this group do anything similar, someone will find out about it?

[in_over_his_head]

Secrets always end up turning up somehow. Honestly its only a matter of how badly a person wants to find out about it.

[stupidhonor]

Earth is not to be underestimated...

[Sielje glances suspiciously.]

[majestic_keiki]

...

[Kei had just reached the bottom of the list of suggestions and suddenly fell very quiet.]

...No obvious candidates, it seems.

[in_over_his_head]

If there were I'd actually be worried... unless its standardized testing obvious answers always mean that there's something up.

[Calvin leaves his seat to get a fresh cup of coffee.]

Anyone you'd suggest?

[majestic_keiki]

Commander Simon, maybe? He's already led a major military program and has a long military career. Even if charging in to blow himself up at the gate probably wasn't the best call.

[There's no comment on the last name on the list that already exists, though. The one clearly added later since it's beneath the joke Grimlock entry.]

[in_over_his_head]

That's true. The man has a good record and I considered putting him in the short list...

[He watches the steam rise from the cup.]

But... I get the feeling he's got a few similar reasons to Clades. Putting him in another command might put a lot more pressure onto him along with what else he still might be dealing with.

[majestic_keiki]

Yeah. And I think he retired, at least from military life. I think that it is a good idea to put him on there for consideration, Marshall Pentecost is retired as well, for example.

[in_over_his_head]

Makes sense...

-(Former) Cmdr. Simon Gato-
-Pros: Experienced Commander, Ensured Wulgaru threat removed, has worked alongside UG before, Connection to MJP program means he is used to dealing with unconventional personalities.-
-Cons: Retired, Psychological issues (Investigate extent of)-

[majestic_keiki]

Yeah. Somebody else is going to make the choice and we need to be as thorough as possible if we want to avoid having them choose commander Lee...And this list doesn't present anything too promising.