My name is Marcus Kane, and many of you have met me at some time or another during the course of our time here on the ground or since your arrival. I was a Councilor on the Ark for many years before we were able to return to the Earth, and I have been a Councilor since we arrived.
Many of the Skaikru will remember that Chancellor Jaha passed the Chancellor's torch to me some time ago, but I felt, at the time, that Abigail Griffin with her desire to heal the people of the Ark was the better choice. At the time, I was struggling with old ways versus new ways. I struggled with the Culling and my part in it. I struggled with the terrorist attack that took the lives of many of our people, including that of my mother, and I struggled with the loss of the first Exodus ship and the hundreds of people on board, including former Chancellor Diana Sydney. I struggled with my own flaws and faults, including my selfish desire for power.
In the end, I realized that my struggle for power was entirely for the sake of our survival. I thought I knew better what we should do to keep our people alive, and Chancellor Griffin showed me that we have to
earn a reason to survive. We have to be better people, learn to live with one another and grow together. We have to show that we are more than just the people whose ancestors' destroyed this planet and each other.
Abigail Griffin has decided to step down in her role as Chancellor and has passed the torch to me. You have not voted for me, and I have accepted this honor as a temporary balm until we can hold a proper election for the position. Your participation in our government is of the utmost importance to me, and if you chose another Chancellor when the time comes, then we can know absolutely that the people have spoken. Until then, I will attempt to navigate our legislation with the dignity and respect it deserves, and you will have my undivided attention to all matters of state. I will keep my pledge to our survival, but also to our deserving it.
Which brings us to our first piece of business. While in Polis, the center of the Grounder's Coalition, I saw people who were just like us: struggling to survive, fighting for their lives, and trying to establish their own culture. They may see strange or even off-putting to many of us, but I assure you that our ways are just as unfamiliar to them. I met with traders in the city center who were eager to share their food and customs with us, though they could not speak our language and had only heard of us as invaders to their lands. By extending their hand in friendship and inviting us to Polis, they have done something extraordinary: they have invited strangers into their lands for the first time.
Their Commander, Lexa kom Triku, has offered Skaikru something that we have not seen since our first Unity Day. She has offered us a place in her Coalition as the 13th Clan. We have been granted a week to decide if this is the right course of action for us, and after the Council and I deliberate over the next week, we will head back to Polis to give our answer.
There are many things to consider, and this post will be left open to all who wish to convey their thoughts or concerns on this action. I will bring these concerns to the table for deliberations. At the end of the week, I will make another post with the decision from the Council, answer your questions and let you know what our terms will be, if we decide to become this 13th Clan.
Thank you so much for your time.
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