JeffEngel wrote:cthia wrote:Oh, Truman does what she does well, for certain. What has been Alice's problem is her own lack of confidence. She lacked it, though I don't know why or whether it still exists.
I can't see that in Alice Truman for the entire time we've known her.
At introduction, in HotQ, she risked breaking a centuries-old boundary on the highest hyperbands a ship can reach in order to get back to Manticore with the news of the fighting in Yeltsin. This does not suggest any lack of confidence.
In Silesia, she operated fairly independently with a slow, vulnerable modified freighter, with brand new internally carried and deployed missile pods and revolutionary LAC's.
At Hancock Station, she put her career on the line in order to get fair testing for the CLAC/LAC concept, and used them in defense of the system at risk of compromising their secrecy.
Since then, she's been responsible for many system raids, where she's demonstrated a remarkable ease trusting subordinates to do their jobs with her entire force relying on them doing it well. She's been the senior commander in space for the forces defending the home system in its darkest hour. She's faced off against a Solarian League task force in the heart of their space.
She is not suffering for lack of confidence. If it could be tapped, Manticore could export tons of her confidence and she'd do wonderfully with whatever is left over.
All she's missed is glory. But she does not need it.
munroburton wrote:Damn right. She's one of those quietly confident and completely assured people that just goes on doing what need and must be done, never complaining when she lands in the muck.
Talk about rising to protect the honor of a damsel! Who says chivalry is dead!
Hey! No one loves Alice Truman more than I. No one! If you had bothered to read the Cupid thread and many others you would have gotten the updated memo sent on-chip to all the members of the GA regarding my claim on Truman.
I've been in love with Alice since she first hypered onto the scene. And not just because I love a strong female character with long hair and because she sports golden treasures of tresses simply grown for
my pleasures and for me to run my fingers through.
But! I've always been frustrated
as a reader because Alice never got a chance to truly strut her stuff, in the manner of Honor, or Terekov, or Henke, or Hamish... And a lot of my personal frustration hinges on the fact that I have always placed Truman arguably in the top 5 tacticians, (see top tacticians thread). Yet, she never got a chance to showcase it. I mean, come-on! Truman in command of a Heavy Cruiser, a fleet or a task force deep into Peep territory on a raid, or in defense of a critical system from a surprise Peep attack would have been awesome! To hell with the modesty. I wanted that. Still do!
Now, I understand the need of someone to play the role of best supporting character - to fly under the radar. And I agree that Truman does that well. Her contribution to the war effort has always been accomplished with a sort of humble endearing quiet - which makes me fall for her even more. She plays the supporting role akin to a point guard on a basketball team, that although doesn't score much, if you look more closely, you'll see the numerous unselfish assists. Romantic? Yes. But we who see under the radar, want that point guard to make a few looong, glory inducing shots of her own.
So, with frustration in hand, I spent some of my high security clearance long ago and checked Truman's wiki file and this is what has been recorded and follows her in her file...
Alice Truman was an honorable officer and took her duty to the Crown very seriously, yet she wondered if she could handle the rigors of command, especially after watching the stress take its toll on Captain Harrington.
Now, you and I don't see it. But it lurks in Truman's mind and
I've wondered if the powers that be, because of it, had something to do with
my frustration.
