Jaakko reflects on Kommadants statement about deployments, while holding his gaze on some artifacts dedicated to the history of Valhalla AFB in the corncer. He deduces the statement is true, remembering slave planes making little attempt to escape, or being left behind outright.
"It's unnerving to think the one is left to command by virtue of not buying it," Jaakko laments.
He thinks to himself as his eyes look to the bar and at the rows of alcohols that rest around the centerpiece, though his eyes don't really see it, or process it.
He reflects on Geary's innate aptitude for squadron command. Jaakko considers saying that he supposes that it is a responsibility now that he lead the squadron. A part of his conscience prevents him from saying it though, one that remembers Xiaomei's venomous words after losing the base at Tocatlan when Jaakko was riddled with self-pity.
Jaakko is left thinking that it is his responsibility, of this responsibility, that it was an accident. But he had been in the chain of command, the 'hat' of commander, the responsibility had come to rest on his shoulders as it must find somewhere to rest. It was up on him, on his accountability. The result of centuries of a military's necessity for redundant and safeguarded command systems had found that Jaakko Kirves was to be charged with the wellbeing his men, not by accident, but by design.
A catharsis of sorts.
It is a responsibility. It is now his responsibility.
Not by accident. By design.
And it was his job to either step up, or step aside, for the wellbeing of his squadron. Geary was a null point for the command structure, it was now only Major Kirves.
The thought of this being an accident entered his head once more, but he found that the idea carried much less weight. It was not as forceful- much less so. Perhaps it was an accident, but if it were he would soon find himself replaced, but at that it was his responsibility to ensure that only Jaakko Kirves was replaced, rather than the Mjolnir Squadron.
Jaakko shifted his gaze to Rikard, then Yamashiro, then Coaxoch. He felt underneath them. Perhaps rightly so, but for sure they were his elders in their experience.
Jaakko looks to the table, and is left with the feeling that he is either to learn or leave, and that the ends must be justified by whichever choice he takes, and that if either result in anything less than the highest standard of wellbeing of his men, then he had made the wrong choice, and at that point he was to surrender the responsibility of command, so that the 'hat' would go to find the next suitable candidate.
Poll