Cyberformed: Inbox

[loyaltyandhonor]

"This is Commander Dreadwing. State your business, and I will return your message in due time."

un: 1stLtDreadwing

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[seekermiddlemanagement]

Dreadwing, do you mind if I ask you a question?

Re: text

[loyaltyandhonor]

I do not mind. What is it you wish to know?

Re: text

[seekermiddlemanagement]

[How to approach this in the least confusing way possible?]

Being a Decepticon means obeying Megatron, yes? His word is law? I accept this, and have no desire to change it, but ever since arriving, I have been told that freedom and independent thought is more desirable to have than absolute obedience.

[Is she rambling? Maybe.]

How do you approach independent thinking while still being loyal to the cause?

[loyaltyandhonor]

[ That was not the type of question he had been expecting. It takes him some time to answer. ]

When it comes to one’s duty, desire has nothing to do with it. As loyal soldiers it is our obligation to support our leader, and our fellow Decepticons.

There have been very few times when I acted against Lord Megatron’s orders, but it was always in pursuit of justice or the defense of others, including Megatron himself. I do not feel that my decisions were misaligned with the cause, and neither did Megatron after the fact.

[seekermiddlemanagement]

I see. So you're saying the independence is not a bad thing as long as it serves the cause?

I think I understand now.

[So it's okay to disobey Megatron at very specific times.]

[loyaltyandhonor]

Yes. The ability to take initiative is a valuable skill for any warrior, but what good is it if it is not used to serve a higher purpose.

May I ask what prompted this line of thinking?

[seekermiddlemanagement]

[How honest should she be with him? She thinks about this for a very long time.]

Many things.

I am dead in my own world. I died because I tried and failed to save my fellow Decepticons. I died because, like my Seekers, I obeyed mindlessly without any critical thought as to why. That version of Slipstream was loyal to a fault, and it was all for nothing in the end.

I'm here with a second chance at life, and I think that maybe I want to be a new version of Slipstream. A better one who thinks for herself. But it's so hard that I'm not entirely sure where to start.

If that makes any sense.

[loyaltyandhonor]

[ Her words caught him off guard. The value of a death without purpose. It was something he had found himself dwelling on ever since he arrived on Earth. The parallels between her fate and his brother’s demise did not escape him. That Skyquake had fallen attempting to fulfill a command thousands of years past, unsuccessful in both his mission on Earth and that original order, weighed on his mind.

He refused to accept it was pointless. ]

Your death may have been for naught, but was there not value in your life? Your service? As a captain did you not encourage your forces to be better? None of that is meaningless if you committed yourself to it whole heartedly.

Perhaps the place to start is to focus less on “independence” and first identify that which moves your spark. What is it that is most valuable to you, and what must you do to protect it.

[seekermiddlemanagement]

[In a way, she's glad she was honest. She thinks that Dreadwing understands in his own unique way.]

It's true that I have lead many teams over the years, and that I lead them well enough that Lord Megatron saw fit to promote me to Captain. It meant the world to me to be able to lead them for the glory of the Decepticon cause, and when I lost my last team, all my Seekers, to Starscream...

It devastated me. Most of them didn't have two thoughts to rub together and if you hit them hard enough on the head you'd hear an echo, but they were my team. That made them good enough.

I think this is the first time in a long time that I haven't had a team to be responsible for. So maybe you're right, maybe I did do some things of value.

[loyaltyandhonor]

It is clear you cared deeply for your teammates, and that dedication is commendable. It sounds like being a leader was important to you, what was it about leadership that was compelling to you? Is that something you see for this "new" version of yourself?

[ This was turning into deeper conversation that he was used to having, but he felt obligated to honor Slipstream's decision to trust him with this. Besides which, it was much easier to guide her towards whatever answer she was seeking than grapple with his own demons. ]

[seekermiddlemanagement]

I liked having people rely on me, and I liked living up to and surpassing those expectations. I always knew that if I did well, than I was helping my cause. I guess a problem here is that I have no one to lead. There are so many Decepticons here that are of way higher rank than I. I will try to find a way around that.

...

Thank you Dreadwing, for listening to me. It means a lot to get this insight from another Decepticon.

[loyaltyandhonor]

You need to understand that the traits that make a good leader are often those that make a strong individual as well. To be reliable, and to improve ones self, are valuable traits regardless of your position. It was because of this that I able to rise to my current position, even after my armada was disbanded and my brother sent into stasis.

You are welcome. If you ever require assistance, do not hesitate to reach out.