This is Captain Shi Xin Feng of the EPN HvCFT Rocinante speaking.
I was one of those who received a 'reward' for my involvement. Although, to be blunt, at the time, I felt like it was more of an effort to shut me up than it was of saying thanks.
I have refrained from speaking on this matter because I wanted to think about the entire situation. Here is what I have determined.
On both sides of this issue, many people, including myself, are angry about how things have turned out. We have been making this known through the various channels of postings on the 'official RedPill message boards', directly to our Liaison Officers, and to each other. The reason for our ire? Disrespect. Utter disergard for our efforts.
Even so, I think that perhaps some of our anger is misdirected. Yes, we want acknowledgment from our leadership for having done a good job. But, more than that, I think we want respect from the people in our own organization. For them to acknowledge that they were there because we got them there. The operatives who jumped in at the last second and "got in on the fun" as it were, didn't even say "good work, guys" to any of those who really worked hard at this mission.
Instead, some of those people, notably Zionists, had the audacity to complain about us "hoarding" information. This, after we called a meeting with Zionists and EPN'ers alike to discuss this mission. We even requested a sit-down with Zion's Liaison Officer, only to be told by said LO that the Council had decreed that there would be no sharing of information between Zion and EPN. Yet they still had the gall to say we were hoarding info from them.
This was, ostensibly, a mission that was supposed to lead us to more information about Morpheus, if not directly to the man himself! I get the feeling that, somehow, that was just a diversion or misleading information; Morpheus was never going to be at the end of this 'bughunt'.
What made matters worse, especially for me, is that our people put all that time and effort into following the clues (deciphering complicated messages, hunting down vague contacts, tracking (useless) truck locations, erroneous shipping invoices and manifests, and, not to mention, dealing with some glory-chasing fool who tried to make himself look official but really had nothing at all to do with this), only to have it end so incredibly anticlimactically; so absolutely worthless to us.
I didn't join EPN to fight security gaurds for someone's initials. If this is the kind of work we can expect in the future, I think I will have to forge my own way in this organization.
I am not here for glory or reward. EPN is my cause; it is what I believe in. I will bear this flag until I can no longer do so, even after there is no flag left to bear. And long after the EPN flag has turned to ashes and dust, this faction, E Pluribus Neo, will still stand for that which it stands for today: the Right to Choose and Freedom for those who choose it.
But mark my words. I will not allow my crew members to get shot up and nearly killed for "initials" or any other *CENSORED* clue to the whereabouts of Morpheus and I don't give a *CENSORED* who thinks it is important. I don't ask my people to stick a 6-inch steel spike in their heads daily and risk Agents and a whole slew of trigger-happy Redpills for worthless causes like this one has apparently turned out to be.
We will continue on as ordered. The Rocinante is still at the service of the Kid and the Neo's Hope. Let's just hope it is worthwhile service, eh?
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