(no subject)

[warandpeace]

☄ Audio
[Mama Miller is having concerns about the smaller people on board. He often claims to not like children, but he remembers what it felt like to be treated like he should be an adult. He's so good at business because he was running one at the age of ten, because his mother had become ill. He's seen so many child soldiers have their lives stripped away. He thinks that with a little bit more support, they won't grow up to be the type of people he would hire.]

[Better survival rate in general.]

It's come to my attention there are not only a lot of refugee children on board, but a few among the crew as well.

I'm dubious about giving those sorts of jobs to children. Not my call to make, though. What I do think is they should have some sort of education. Reading. Writing. Math. The basics. There's a decent library for materials, and I suspect people willing to tutor. And some activities that don't involve the mess hall or cleaning bathrooms.

They're crew, but they're still kids. They deserve all the advantages of being one.

Comments

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

[Speaking of child soldiers, naturally Ocelot has to chime in. There's a good chance no amount of schooling would've changed his own path in life, but maybe other kids can have that chance.]

You're setting up a day care now?

[audio]

[warandpeace]

Don't you start, too.

[He already dealt with this on motherbase from Snake. He doesn't need it from you.]

Besides, I think helping them out would be good for morale. [Better than risking watching kids get more miserable.]

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

I actually agree with you.

[Which doesn't happen too often but it does happen.]

There are people on this ship that aren't suited for combat. Those are the roles we play.

[It's the life they lead.]

Giving them something less dangerous but constructive to do is good for morale.

[There's an amused tone in his voice.]

Maybe you should get a job as head morale officer, instead.

[audio]

[warandpeace]

I think my current one is fine, but morale is still important.

[He's not all that surprised that Ocelot agrees with him. He went along with the idea at motherbase without any protest, now that he thinks back on it. But it's still a little baffling when they reach a cordial agreement in general.]

I suppose even if they're capable of combat, it shouldn't be the focus of their lives if it doesn't have to be. And I've seen what the library has to offer. There's a good chance to learn about histories that they never would have had access to before.

text

[a_shadow]

I'm one of the certified crew teachers. There's three of us. Looks like the captains were a step ahead of you.

[warandpeace]

That's a good sign. [It legitimately is to him. He didn't expect it. Now he's genuinely curious.]

Do you need any help with resources or have any specific plans?

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

The library? Yeah, I need to check that out.

[He imagines a library on a spaceship is pretty impressive.]

If people work in the library, I'm sure they can find the time to teach the kids a thing or two.

[audio]

[warandpeace]

Looks like there's actually some teachers. So maybe some people can help with the recreational bit, too.

I found some books about military figures from different planets in there. Except right now I'm thinking a little more local, brushing up on the history of the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion. It's a good example of the use of guerilla warfare in early American history.

[The problem with Miller starting to talk to you like a normal person is that he starts becoming like this and people have to deal with that. At least he derails himself.]

Did you play any games as a kid?

[a_shadow]

As of now it's just to read to them and keep them engaged. We're going to work out an actual curriculum soon.

Why do you ask?

[warandpeace]

Just curious. I could keep an eye out for potentially useful materials while I'm at the library. [Not that he doesn't think she isn't, but a sometimes a little extra help comes in handy.]

text

[a_shadow]

I have as much access to the library as you do. If you want to be involved I suggest you contact the captains about transferring jobs.

[warandpeace]

[That was much more aggressive than expected. But he won't argue.] Fine. Just an offer.

[a_shadow]

Thanks anyway. I'm sure if we end up needing help there will come a slot open.

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

[Ocelot is more interested in books about this ship or the technology that brought them here. Though any of those have probably already been read through by whatever geniuses are onboard, and if they couldn't figure out how to send them back home more quickly, Ocelot is sure he doesn't stand a chance doing it.

When he's asked that question, Ocelot chuckles, soft and deep.]

Not games any kid should be playin'.

[Not any games Miller would approve of.]

What about you?

[audio]

[warandpeace]

[Russian secret military programs probably don't produce the best children's recreational games.]

Kickball and otedama. I was blond so not a lot of children wanted to be around me. But I did it a few times.

[He guesses that's a reason why the kids definitely should play.]

[niffin]

working on it! i don't see any reason it has to be limited to kids, though. if there's anything that you want to learn, chime in. if we can all expand our skillsets, this place gets easier for everyone to handle.

but tbh i think any kid vanished onto a magic spaceship has earned some summer vacation. if they want to participate, great, but i'm not going to conscript anyone unwilling. i'm sure anyone who does choose to participate would appreciate your help tutoring.

the library's great, but some of these books are crazy out of date, or look like they're from places where the basic rules of stuff are just different. it's going to take a little bit of curation.

[warandpeace]

I had been considering that. Especially since people come from so many time periods, worlds, it's hard to find consistancy. I'd have to imagine anything beyond the basics would be incredibly difficult for you guys.

But I know I've been appreciating reading some histories other than my own. I've spent the last decade or so as a base commander, but I do drill instruction and survivalist education on the side. [At least he did before the attack.] There was no ill intent meant.

We had to take responsibility for some child soldiers on our last base. Thanks to a bad egg, it didn't go so well. Hope it goes better for you guys here. [Something that still bothers him, as he did sink a lot of his own money into that. He really wanted them to have all the chances they wouldn't have had to, otherwise.]

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

I'll bet you showed them up. Being different, you probably had something to prove.

[Kaz didn't have it easy, so maybe the kids here can have an easier life than either of them ever did.]

[audio]

[warandpeace]

If showed them up means that I kicked a ball too hard and bloodied another boy's nose, then yes. I did.

...Wait, how old were you when you started acting like a cowboy? [He's sort of wondering if this is the longest game of pretend ever.]

[niffin]

oh i know. the best sign of a good idea is if a couple people have it at once, right? i'm glad people are thinking about the kids here.

[ She's thinking of Red, and Dave, and every other too-capable kid who only gets thought of as a skillset, as a worry totem, as a threat. She hopes that somewhere, out there, they know. ]

sorry if we seem a little stressed out. two of us got here about five minutes before this turned into an action movie. but i do mean it about the tutoring. there are going to be areas we can't cover. i'm hoping we can put out a survey or something about that. get people interested ready to help.

i think we're probably going to have to default to "how stuff works in this world" w/physics and stuff like that. it's the most immediately useful anyway. no clue how we're going to teach reading with everyone seeing it in their own language, but maybe the translators are just that good.


[ PRIVATE: ]

i think we have some mutual concerns about some of this. how badly did things go at your base?

[audio]

[yer_pretty_good]

That's pretty much what I envisioned.

[So yup, that would be showing them up.]

How old? I dunno... I started watching westerns when...

[Wait a minute.]

Are you mocking my persona?

[warandpeace]

☄ Private

They came from a group of child soldiers, survivors of village massacres, led by a sociopathic child calling himself "White Mamba". He was strong even for a fully grown man, and would bully the other children into obedience. But he promised them in following them, they would avenge their fallen families.

He helped a traitor repair a weapon we had impounded, then stole it and left with the children, holding one of our pilots hostage.

He said it was their last chance to face the world with no regrets. He never intended for them to survive. I think without him, though, they would have wanted to stay. I certainly didn't want them to go back into those warzones. It just took the one bad influence cutting them off from the safety net other adults could have provided. I know some of the children here have had to fight, and will probably continue to do so. But that shouldn't be all they have in their lives.

[audio]

[warandpeace]

No, if I was mocking your persona I would recommend you wear an obnoxiously shaped straw hat.

[Which is frankly, absolutely ridiculous to imagine Ocelot in.]

I was actually considering maybe you did get to have your own sort of fun when you were younger.

[niffin]

how would you have handled that now?

[ Alice knows where her own instincts lean. Sometimes, you need to amputate — but that's not the kind of thing you tell a stranger. Particularly one with an expert opinion. ]

[warandpeace]

[Amputate. Funny way to put it, but he wouldn't disagree.]

I would have killed the traitor who helped fix the robot.

Probably just keep the leader locked up until he agreed to behave rationally, emotionally capable or not.