Meeting Operatives [Tarak]

[Madison Townsley]

Madison had heard about the Career and College Fair through the grapevine. Interested in the rumblings through the school about Operation Patriot and its new members. So, since she had some free time, she made her way to the auditorium, smiling politely to the people she passed in the halls.

The Operation Patriot table was empty enough, and a nice looking young man was manning it. Weaving her way through the crowd, she stopped by the Operation Patriot table and smiled.

"Hello," She greeted him cheerily, "My name's Madison, I work up at the Institute. Do you mind if I ask you some questions and things?" She hoped that didn't sound too formal.

[Tarak Rana]

Tarak was quite pleased with the career fair Operation Patriot and Hammel were co-hosting. With all the prejudice meta-humans faced they really needed the leg up, and knowing that all these businesses existed run by metas and willing to take younger metas under their wings was heartening.

Oh, not every meta student would face job discrimination; not every employer feared or hated the meta population. But some would, and some did, and it was necessary to have this program in place as a safety net for as many people as possible.

So he was glad to be there, even if his table and his resume polishing skills didn't seem to be in high demand; he wondered if he ought to have hired a booth babe to increase visibility. He always seemed to be overlooked.

He glanced up from shuffling resumes as footsteps thudded up to his table, then were silent.

"Hello." He greeted the woman before him. She was too old to be one of the students, and her introduction confirmed that. A teacher or trainer, then, most likely. Well, they could benefit from Operation Patriot, as well, and if the more knowledge they had about it the more students they could pass it on to.

"Of course, that's what I'm here for." He gave her what he hoped was a pleasant smile. "I'm Tarak Rana." No use saying Terry when she could see him; besides, she didn't have white privilege, either. "What may I help you with, Madison?"

[Madison Townsley]

She smiled back at him; he seemed like a nice man. "I hope you've been having a good day." Manners always.

"I've just heard so much about your organization and most of it is just so vague. I was wondering if you could tell me about what it is you do?"

She was curious, because she knew some of the staff on Hammel were nervous about having a government organization working in such close quarters with the school and Pilot Ridge. Madison didn't know much about these things, so she didn't have an opinion yet. Maybe once she talked to someone actually involved in the organization, she would be able to have a more informed opinion.

[Tarak Rana]

Vague. That was not the word he wanted associated with Operation Patriot; they couldn't very well do their job if people didn't know why they existed! However, he had noticed a lack of knowledge about their intent, and so any opportunity to clear things up was welcome.

"I'm glad you asked." He flashed her another smile, clasping his hands in front of him. "Operation Patriot is a federal organization designed to help meta humans find employment in government and with government contractors. We believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to make an honest living and that abilities shouldn't be a detriment to finding employment. However, many employers remain biased against metas, and we're still not legally protected from employment based discrimination in all states. So this is a small step in the right direction, making sure that these young people have opportunities, to tilt the scales of privilege until the playing field is equal."

[Madison Townsley]

Madison was impressed; this certainly sounded like a wonderful operation, all told. She was certainly no stranger to bias and discrimination and anything that worked to stop these things seemed okay with her.

“Well, that’s very interesting,” Madison said enthusiastically, “What kind of jobs do you help metahumans get?” She asked, curious, “How long has Operation Patriot been around?”

“I only ask,” Madison explained after some thought, “Because I know some of the other staff is a little nervous to have…recruiters from the government here at the school. So I’m a little curious is all.”

[Tarak Rana]

"Well, as you can see we've helped to host this career fair," Tarak laughed, gesturing around at the tables hosting local business owners and their representatives. "What jobs I can help people obtain definitely depends on their skill set."

He tapped the pile of resumes he'd been going over before she'd caught his attention, "I help polish up resumes and help people focus on which career options are best for them. Of course, government jobs covers a wide range. Public school teaching is an option. Postal workers, although there's a list to get one of those jobs. Really high demand, even among baselines."

One leg crossed over the other, then uncrossed. "Of course, there are numerous entry level jobs. Receptionists and clerks and that kind of thing. Engineers, air traffic controllers. Quality control, health inspection, budget analysts...actually, there are inspectors and analysts for a whole range of things. There's even need for things like nurses and attorneys. The public sector is huge, so it's just a matter of matching up the right candidate with the right job."

Another smile, to show he didn't have any hostility at her remark regarding her coworkers. "I don't suppose your coworkers plan on giving up their government funding, then? Last I checked the Institute wasn't precisely a private school. It wasn't when I attended, anyway." He shook his head dismissively at that idea. "The government provides a lot of opportunities and my colleagues and I want to be sure that Hammel's students don't miss out on them just because they're meta. Of course, most students aren't going to graduate and enter the workforce immediately, but it's easier to let them know when they're still students here rather than hunting down every single college for a handful of students. We'll work with them through their higher education to find opportunities."

[Madison Townsley]

“Yes, you’ve done a wonderful job with this job fair, I must say,” Madison commented with a smile.

She listened with great interest as Tarak talked about his work with Operation Patriot. She was charmed in part by his enthusiasm and his energy. It reminded her, in a way, of her sister and how fiery she could be about something she believed in. She was also starting to think that perhaps her colleagues were probably being a little hasty in their judgments, although she surely could understand their initial concerns.

“Well, I’m glad you’re doing this, then,” Madison said earnestly, “It’s very important that people be educated and aware of different organizations out there, including yours.” She nodded, “I think people were initially nervous because your organization sounds so…serious.” Which wasn’t quite the word she was looking for, but the words Operation Patriot even gave her a little pause, and she was hardly the most politically minded woman in the world.

“But after talking with you, I feel much more informed,” She assured him, “Thank you very much for your patience.”

[Tarak Rana]

Tarak nodded in agreement at her remark about knowledge and education. "Oh, absolutely. It's difficult to make an informed judgement based off rumor and hearsay."

He tried not to grimace when she pointed out that their name tended to rub people the wrong way. "I suppose it comes off a bit nineteen-fifties." He confessed grudgingly. "I don't know who came up with the name." He had come in after it had already been formed, and he certainly had no influence on that. "Guess the focus group was out of step with Pilot Ridge. But you know what they say about judging a book by the cover....or title, as the case may be."

He was glad she had asked, however, and he felt as if he had shown his organization and their work in a positive light.

He hoped she would pass that on to her colleagues.

"It's been my pleasure, Madison. Do you have any more questions?"

[Event !]

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