Ambassador: Xaaron Interviews Override

[Override]

OOC: This thread takes place on Day 15, after the Autobots have gained their new extra-dimensional allies.

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Most of the tunnels the Autobots have been hiding out in have been part of an underground road system, used for getting through the deserts and other less pleasant environments... and just for staying out of the sun.

As such, there are underground charging stations, similar in most ways to the surface ones. However, while the surface stations have receiving dishes for beamed energy, the underground ones have cables that run up one wall and disappear into the roof - presumably they attach to surface-side receiving dishes.

It's at one of these near the Autobot refugee encampment that Override has been called. The directions were good and accurate, and she's good at following them, and so she arrives a bit early - despite having intentionally left late.

The leader of Velocitron comes roaring up the tunnel that attaches to the station, dropping her speed only enough to allow for one of her lightning-fast transformations. She lands on her feet, her metal feet kicking up sparks as she skids to a stop. For a moment, it almost looks like she will continue to slide right past the station, but no, she stops in time. Once done with this, she looks around.

"Emirate Xaaron? You wanted me here?"

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron stands near the refuelling station, off to the side of the underground road. He is more or less at ease in the tunnels, but his demeanour now is formal. Emirate Xaaron is not leaning against anything, and is hands are at his side, not folded behind his back.

When Override addresses him, he bows slightly, and he greets, offering her a hand to a shake, "Indeed, I did, Override."

She is a planetary leader. He is a Councilman from one city-state of many. Also, she is an alien, albeit an alien of a similar form to his people and with similar goals.

Hmm.

Pee-Dee is also an alien, and Firebolt's a rather strange child of Earth.

Perhaps women are simply a different species?

He places his free hand on his chest and then holds it out, explaining, "We have been in the habit of interviewing new personnel, as they appear, but you are not exactly, hmm, personnel, are you? You lead a planet."

[Override]

Emirate Xaaron seems to be forgetting about Arcee!

There's something of a confident swagger to Override's step as she closes the distance between herself and Emirate Xaaron, and when she shakes his hand, her grip is firm. Her stance, however, is very casual. She puts most of her weight on her right foot, causing her left leg to bend slightly, and her right hand supports itself at her waist.

"Well, yes, I do, technically, but we're not on that planet right now, are we?" She shakes her head. "Look, Emirate, I may be the best racer in the galaxy, but this isn't a race, and I know my limits. I push them, sure, but that's why I know them. But what I'm saying is, I understand what's at stake here, and I know there are other people here who know more about soldiering than I do."

"I may lead the pack back home, but that doesn't mean I can't figure out when to settle down and let someone else be the pace car. So here and now... yes, I think I am 'personnel.'"

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron tries to forget about Arcee.

But I kid.

Emirate Xaaron sees that she is confident, as is seemly for a planetary leader. She seems informal to him, but informality does not imply a lack of a power. He considers her words carefully, and he searches her face for hidden meaning.

He comments, "There is one of yours here. Swerve. For all I know, a dozen more of yours could arrive tomorrow. They will not object?"

[Override]

Override is, in fact, very plainspoken for a planetary leader, but considering what her culture values and the fact that she generally wasn't particularly active as an administrator, this shouldn't be too shocking.

She shrugs. "If they do have an objection to my decision to follow, they can take it up with me. It's my problem, and in that case, it probably will get settled the way my people settle things."

The right corner of her mouth pulls up in a bit of a smirk. "Of course, you should probably know that so far, I haven't been dealing with 'mine' very well. Swerve accused me of using fuel additives when I was trying to get him up to date on things back home." She lowers her hand from her waist to shrug. "If he isn't going to believe me, I'm not going to bother wasting the energon talking. If he can't handle the truth, it's his problem; it's not like his wishing makes it any less true."

"There's also some of 'mine', unfortunately, that signed up with the 'Cons." Swerve himself mentioned as much in his report, but Override hasn't seen that report. "Some folks can't handle the circuits and have to find some other way to get ahead."

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron tries to analyse her leadership style, based off that scanty few words they have exchanged and what he has heard, and he is frankly baffled.

However, it does seem clear that she has no issues with his leadership thus far.

Slowly, Emirate Xaaron explains, "Perhaps I should explain my background, and the background of my people. From what I have gathered, it rather different than what you would know."

[Override]

As leaders go, Override really doesn't do much leading, unless it's from the front of the pack on a race track. Had things gone on as they were supposed to, by the time her stay with the Autobots was done she would have learned how to inspire her people to battle when needed, but even then, she was taking orders from someone else. But her normal leadership style? "Baffling" works well enough.

She nods at his suggestion. "All right," she gestures with her right hand, encouraging. "The flag's down, then."

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron stumbles over the racing slang in her speech. He may as well have no alternate mode at all, really, for how often he uses his, but even if he admitted to his alternate mode, he is pretty far off from ever needing to use racing slang.

Start talking about cannon bores, and maybe he'll be listening.

He folds his hands behind his back, and he explains, "I am from Cybertron. My... extended stay on Gillanan represents my first time off Cybertron. Before the war, I was a Councilman on the Iacon Council of Elders. Iacon, you see, was one of many city states on Cybertron, albeit one fo the more affluent and influential. When the war came, most fo the Council wished to surrender to Straxus and his Decepticons. I... disagreed. It is why I am alive today."

He pauses.

[Override]

Override listens thoughtfully, then inclines her head. "It took me some time to figure out the Decepticons couldn't be trusted, myself. When the war first came to my planet, both the Autobots and the Decepticons came to me with the exact same story, except for one detail - both sides said the other side were the dangerous ones. No one had proof and I didn't know who to trust."

She shakes her head. "Didn't take long for the Decepticons to show their true colors, though. I could see being fooled by them for a little while, but..." She chuckles. "I was wary of them when all they were doing was asking about the Planet Key, and back then I wasn't even sure what that was. A surrender? Nuh-oh."

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron moves his hands in front of him, where they can be seen, and he twists them, awkwardly. He explains, "Initially, I dismissed the Decepticons as cranks. It took me a long time to see them for what they are. Too long. Still, I saw it before it was too late, which is more than I can say for the rest of the Council."

"Optimus Prime was appointed to leader of what was called the Autobot army at my behest. Turns out, politicians aren't do good about leading a war. However, he was lost in space, with a great many men, and I slipped into the role of resistance leader. I fought from the underground, organising various resistance cells."

No one has ever pointed out to him that he's awfully like a male Elita-1.

[Override]

Override bobs her head once, and shifts her weight slightly from one foot to another.

"Well, you figured it out eventually. And if your resistance is still around, then it wasn't too late - it's not too late until they've won and we've stopped fighting!" Ah, but it's easy for the racer to hold such a hopeful outlook. She's a child of speed, not a child of war, and while competition is a way of life for her, oppression is alien.

[Emirate Xaaron]

Half of Emirate Xaaron's mouth curls in a smile that Override's enthusiasm but no more. He is a cynic, after all.

He continues, "Eventually, Optimus Prime and his men got in contact again, but by then, the war had spread to other planets."

He holds up his hands. "That's my story. The people here voted me in charge, due to my past experience."

[Override]

"So, you're telling me that not only have you been in charge of the Autobots for an extensive amount of time in your own universe against overwhelming odds, but here you managed to win the confidence and vote of a collection of total strangers not only from different worlds, but totally different dimensions, and you've managed to keep that confidence long enough that they haven't seen any reason to depose you."

She pauses, puts most of her weight on her right leg, and crosses her arms. "And you're worried about my people objecting to your leadership because...?"

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron puts a hand on one of his hips and considers his other hand nonchalantly, nodding. He replies, a little cryptically, "You could interpret it that way."

He gestures to his featureless frame, and Emirate Xaaron explains, "I rule based on the support of my people, not off my ability to win a race. It is a cultural difference."

[Override]

"Don't you get it?" Override asks, a bit exasperated. "It's a cultural difference I accept. And if I can accepted, most of my people are going to be able to figure it out. Sooner or later. And if they can't, then they can follow your orders because I said so and because I can beat them in a race."

"Sure, I'd rather them come to terms with the way things work here on their own, but if they don't..." she shrugs. "Why are we so worried about this, anyway? Okay, sure, we could get a dozen Velocitronians showing up tomorrow. Or we could get a dozen other people who are used to figuring out leadership in some other way." Like, say, possession of the Matrix. "And I can say, 'Oh, it'll probably go this way,' all I want, but until it happens, even I can't be sure."