“… join the press conference live, where Colonel Roc Wieler continues to address the Republic. This is a Scope News exclusive.”

Flash bulbs continuously flared in front of me, my heart rate accelerating at the explosions surrounding my ship during the heat of battle.

Camera drones hovered and zipped around, angling for the best shots possible, my adrenaline surging, willing myself to target the incoming swarm of Warrior IIs.

“Colonel Wieler, Colonel! Is it true that many of the smaller pirate organizations are forming makeshift alliances in Minmatar lowsec zones as a response to your open declaration of war on piracy?”

“Colonel Wieler! There are eyewitness reports that you recently lost a command ship in Amamake space to a pirate attack. How is the military responding to the increase in their push into the heart of the Republic?”

The comm chatter buzzed. I wished I could turn it off. This wasn’t a fleet battle; I wasn’t in space. I was standing behind a small podium in a comfortably carpeted reporter gallery. They were not my enemy; they were merely doing their jobs. I had to do mine.

“Please, I’m not taking questions at this time. I have a prepared statement I would like to make.” I waited until the reporters from the various news agencies took their seats. I scanned the crowd as the noise dwindled, thankful my eyes were hidden behind my sunglasses as I glowered at an Amarrian reporter from the Empire. Freedom of the press my ass. We were at war. I didn’t care if he was an official envoy of the Amarr Empire; he was a threat to the Republic and shouldn’t be present.

They were waiting on me now.

“There has been a significant increase in pirate activity within our space; that much is true. Outlaw gangs have been making increasingly brazen attacks closer to our high security systems. There is no need for alarm. Recruitment rates in the Tribal Liberation Force have shown a dramatic increase in the previous days, and these green pilots are quickly putting real experience beneath their belts. Our ‘anti-piracy’ initiative is still progressing, showing tangible results, and I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all Matari to continue to stand against these terrorists, to remain vigilant in the face of these grave times, and to nourish and foster hope that soon we will look back at this moment in history as a small hiccup in the proud legacy of the Republic. That is all, thank you.”

As I turned to leave the speaker’s podium, pandemonium erupted. 

“Colonel Wieler! One question, please! What about the Amarr? Are we abandoning the millions still enslaved? Are we leaving them behind?”

I paused in my step, wanting to speak, but remembered the Sanmatar’s words, ‘Say the speech, then get out. Let the politicians handle anything else.” It didn’t sit well with me then, nor now; I had a hard time keeping my mouth shut when someone breached a touchy subject dear to my heart.

I began walking away again, the gaggle of reporters squawking incessantly behind me.

“Colonel! Colonel Wieler! There are independent casualty reports showing staggering civilian deaths and loss of equipment due to prevalent piracy. Don’t you find your assessment of the situation a bit idealistic?”

That stopped me cold in my tracks. I exhaled a calming breath before turning to face the reporter. I was sure Maleatu would give me hell later, but I couldn’t let this one go.

I clenched my fists, and aggressively stormed towards the reporter, my body language obviously conveying the boiling rage inside me as reporters quickly cleared me a path. I stopped directly in front of the man, his expression of terror a clear indication I was inside his personal comfort bubble. Good, that left us on equal footing.

I pointed my finger at him, a menacing grimace on my face. “You’re right.” I said with thinly concealed contempt. “It is idealistic. 100%.”

I backed up a step, waving my outstretched arm across the group of reporters, whom were all holding out recording devices, but keeping a cautious distance. I looked at each and every one of them before continuing.

“We need ideals to strive for. Societies are not driven forward by the masses; they are advanced by the ideals of the few, the passions of those willing to stand up to make a change for what they believe in. So am I idealistic? Hell yes I am. I believe in principles. I believe that what applies to one applies to all.

Think about it.

Doesn’t matter whether it’s your business relationships, your husbands, wives, childrens, your job, your military career, whatever it is you do. Whatever principles work on a personal level MUST work for the entity as a whole.

For example, look at me. I am a soldier. I am also an employee in the private sector. It isn’t uncommon for me to work with a freelance agent, taking jobs on my own, then executing those tasks with a strong work ethic and precision. At the end of the contract, I get paid, often with a bonus for exemplary performance, and everyone is happy with the outcome. I am happy; client is happy.

If I can do that as a single person, then a corporation should be able to execute its business with the same precision; the principles remain the same and hold true. So when a company process doesn’t flow freely, it isn’t the fault of the ideal. We are injecting the issues. We are the ones to inject problems into the principle.

We need to strip away the dross, to take things back to their most basic functioning form. Cut out the layers of red tape, cut out the layers of management and involvement simply because that is the way it has always been done, and get back to the ideals of business. Do the job and do it well.

The same applies to everything, like I said. 

So yes, I am idealistic. I hold each and every one of us, myself included, to a higher ideal, to a more noble calling and way of life than we have currently. And will I ever give up on those principles, on those ideals? Not while I have breath left in this shell. 

We need idealism. We need people to hold onto their lofty dreams, to mold them by fire into reality that we may all benefit. Don’t spend another moment of your day simply going through the motions. Don’t allow yourself to just meet the status quo and simply exist as a faceless zombie in the crowd, existing but not truly alive.

Dream your dream. Overcome whatever stands in the way of your dream coming to fruition. Infect those around with your ideals and you will find you are no longer alone. 

Adhere to the principle of the one. Be idealistic.

What is my ideal? A free Republic. I dare you to stand in my way.”

I turned on my heel, my voice hoarse. I only realized when I had finished how fevered in pitch and volume my diatribe had become.

As I left the Reporter’s Gallery, needless security escorting me to a private meeting room for a debriefing, I could’ve sworn I heard the sound of applause behind me.