video + action

[handing]

[The transmission opens to a shot of Pepper in the gardens, featuring a wide open area of green that she means to transform in the next 24 hours or so. She honestly a little nervous about making this announcement--it's entirely possible that more of the crew are tired than not, and she certainly can't blame them. They've just been through something pretty trying, and there's the distinct chance that some would rather shut out any hints of the particular holiday coming up rather than celebrate it.

But for those that might, albeit in a less than traditional way, Pepper wants to put something together. She also wants to make her job worth something, and after the whole mess on Emiri, the crew needs a break.]

Good afternoon, Moira crew. I'm Pepper Potts, the Chief Morale Officer on board. For those of you not aware, tomorrow is February 14th. On Earth this is an annual holiday called Valentine's Day, which celebrates romantic partnerships. I'm very aware that most of us are probably tired of being forced into some sort of connection thanks to our recent encounter with Link'd and all that entailed, but I'd still like to put something together to celebrate--not necessarily romance, but friendship and camaraderie as well.

The idea that even so far from home, we're not alone.

[Never mind the murder that's happened among the crew or other rumored attacks. They need something to counter that, otherwise this trip is going to be all the worse.]

With that in mind, I'd like to put together a sort of dinner and dance, or a dinner and enjoy-the-music night, if that's more your speed. It'll be held in the gardens thanks to permission from our caretaker, and everyone is welcome to come, provided you have medical clearance and are not otherwise assigned to some sort of duty. Those of you who are supposed to be in the mess hall are not excused as per the Captains--[oh, and that gets a tight smile; Pepper had tried to get them a night off, but no luck]--but you may trade shifts if you wish to attend.

Of course, since this is all last minute, I need some help as well. [And here she references a list, because what is Pepper Potts without her paperwork?] All Morale staff, if you would please check-in; there's plenty of work to be done, provided you're able. I'd also like to get with whoever is in charge of the mess hall to see what sort of meal can be put together; if nothing else, I'd like a way to serve at least some of dinner out here. If someone or several someones can provide bartending services that would be very helpful, and of course there is setting up before hand and cleaning up afterwards.

I'm also in the market for music, decorations, tables, chairs--pretty much anything you can think of. [Well, she did say this is last minute, right? And unfortunately, Pepper lacks her contact list of vendors from home. She honestly hates going about something like this in such a fashion, no planning, no resources, but it's important--not just for the crew, but for herself.

Otherwise she's going to spend Valentine's and the hours leading up to it focusing on the fact that her boyfriend got impaled, and no one really wants that.]

Thank you in advance for your time and efforts. Hopefully any future events of this nature won't be quite as impromptu, but I think that we can still pull together something good. I'll be in the gardens should anyone want to contact me in person.

Again, thank you.

[And so ends the feed.]



{{ooc: Mingle log to go up tomorrow! And as per the mods, if your character is on mess hall duty and wants to come, you can handwave saying they switched with someone.}}

Comments

[forwardmomentum]

Would you believe me if I told you it was sheer coincidence? I started out in Sanitation, though, so I consider anything a promotion after that.

In theory, I work with the captains to maximize crew efficiency and oversee job assignments. In practice, though, I triage most personnel concerns to direct them to the right people, and I handle just about anything else that isn't covered by some other post. I've become the go-to man for...just about anything, it seems, so if you've got questions, please don't hesitate to direct them my way. I can at least point you in the right direction.

And, of course, there's the suggestion box.

[ more like complaints box. and a repository for sans' shitty puns. ]

[handing]

Considering the glimpses at the organization I've seen thus far? I could see it. [The assignment of jobs almost seems haphazard, especially considering that children are expected to hold equal positions on the crew as well. But as Miles goes on, Pepper suspects he wouldn't have power to change that either.]

So instead of working from a position of authority, you're more of a sign-post? [Pointing people where they should go instead of being able to affect change himself.] It's interesting, since in most companies matters of personnel are crucial. To be in charge of that is a position of trust.

[Oh, but the mention of the suggestion box earns a grin from her end.] I'm sure you've gotten some interesting ideas from it. [A potentially anonymous forum for a mass of kidnapping victims with no idea of when they might be sent home, trapped together on a ship going from one bad situation to the next? Pepper can't say she envies Miles that particular tool.]

[forwardmomentum]

[ miles has decided he likes pepper. ]

Oh, ouch. Cut me off at the knees, why don't you?

Personnel management is crucial on a crew, too, or at least a military one -- I don't have much experience with civilian ships outside the Moira. I'm about as close to a position of authority as anyone gets on this ship who isn't a captain. You might've noticed the chain of command isn't...really a chain. My job sounds like a flimsy posting, but you'd be surprised how much time I spend in that office handling other people's problems. Especially when it comes to the suggestion box, which, for the record, has been dominated largely by suggestions for recreational violence, unflattering personal correspondence, and bad puns.

[handing]

Sorry. [Even if on her side of the text, she happens to be laughing a bit.] I'm just trying to understand how things really are set up here. In my own world I'm a businesswoman, and I'm in charge. It's a little frustrating having to piece together how this is all supposed to work, when I'm also incredibly limited in what I can do to effect any sort of change in the system.

But if I did bruise you a bit too much, I know a doctor you could go see.

[The rest, however, speaks more to her concerns. Like Miles she's noticed that yes, their chain seems to be more of a clean divide, the captains over all with the crew shuffled around below. But if Miles truly can alter the situation that is, then far be it from Pepper to miss out on the opportunity.]

In that case, perhaps you can spend a bit of time addressing one of the worst allocations of resources: the children of this crew. [Because they are not, in fact, workers who should be assigned jobs in the first place.] Not that the kids who have been assigned to duties of morale aren't enthusiastic and capable--but I would much rather run the whole thing myself, and know these children are getting an education, or in a worst case scenario, don't have the added pressure of responsibilities to the crew if they were to endure some of the harsher things that seem to happen on board this ship.

[forwardmomentum]

[ oh, pepper, you're delightful. miles is grinning at his MID. ]

Oh? I could always use a referral. You never can have enough doctors. If you're me, anyway. And if I may ask, what kind of business do you deal in?

Your concerns about children on the ship aren't unfounded. But if you're concerned that the infrastructure isn't set up to accommodate for children, that's largely because there weren't really any children on the Moira until very recently. This crew has been pretty much all adults until now. As far as your concerns with education go, I think you'll pleased to hear that we do have three crewmembers assigned as teachers on the ship, and I've been in touch with Alice Quinn with regards to getting a dedicated education space arranged.

And while I do agree that children should be kept away from any physically demanding or dangerous positions, giving them at least part-time job postings isn't all that bad. Aside from our occasional pit stops on planets -- which, I'll be frank with you, do not historically go very well -- we're on our own here. I don't know if you have any experience with space travel in your line of work, but on long-haul trips like this, resource management isn't just key, it's essential, and the crew is a resource, too. The fact of the matter is that this ship is understaffed, and we need every set of hands we can get. But that doesn't mean the children have to be put through unnecessary rigors or miss out on an education -- and look on the bright side, it helps keep them occupied. We do not, unfortunately, have a Juvenile Supervision Officer on board.

[handing]

Technology, particularly in the production and distribution of clean energy. [Regardless of how Loki had twisted their efforts in his bid to take over New York, Stark Industries still stands as the industry leader in that regard—at least on Earth.] We've also got a number of other divisions, including medical advancement and worldwide defense and security.

[But no weapons. Not since Tony left the world speechless after his little press conference.

It's interesting to hear that the influx of children is something of a new happening. So the captains presumably were doing the best they could for something they stood unprepared for? It's not exactly satisfying as an answer, but it at least makes Pepper a little less indignant about it all.]

Sometimes I think that's a subset of being "Chief Morale Officer." [Okay, so maybe that's not entirely fair, but Pepper can't help but notice most of her staff are under the age of adulthood—and she can't exactly think of Papyrus as a grown-up either.] I'll be honest with you: I'm not used to working with kids. I manage a multibillion dollar company and its numerous adult employees, but children...

[For some reason, Pepper almost finds the prospect a little daunting.]

It still feels wrong to expect them to shoulder so much responsibility, if the morale of the crew is something meant to be taken seriously. That's the assumption I've been working with, at least, because otherwise I've been put in charge of a glorified babysitting service, which brings up an entirely different set of complaints.

[forwardmomentum]

Unfortunately, that's the hand we've been dealt, and the deck seems to be fresh out at the moment. Believe me, we could be in a much, much worse situation -- but that's precisely why morale is so important. We wouldn't need morale officers if morale wasn't under threat.

But our last Chief Morale Officer made her first act an attempt a start a mutiny, so I'd say you're already doing fairly well. And I wouldn't be quick to put children to work, either, but at least they'll be getting an education on top of it, and it'll keep them busy -- not a whole lot of playing outside to be done on this ship. I don't think you'll have them on your hands too much, but just think of them as a new class of personnel. You'll learn. Nothing better than some hands-on experience, eh?

But don't hesitate to call if you need a little help.