X confronts Signas' decision to make him commander. (Mega Man X fic)
Hoo boy, this one was a doozy to write.
There's a lot going on with this one, and admittedly, Signas is very heavy handed here. Signas up to this point had been very indirect with X about his plans to make him commander. He wasn't exactly subtle, but he never really framed it as a choice.
Signas at this point is unraveling. He is starting to believe that his leadership has lead to too many deaths under his watch -- with Axl being put in a coma by Lumine not helping his downward spiral.
X questions his own lack of agency throughout his career. X is a soldier, performing mission after mission while putting aside his distaste for violence every day to complete his duties. Incidentally, this remains Signas' greatest drive for wanting X to become commander.
X's ability to do what's needed, while never shelving his beliefs is what Signas thinks will make X an even greater commander than he is for the coming battle. X's compassion, alongside his field experience is what Signas believes will save lives. He thinks a non-combat unit like himself can never truly understand what the front lines are like, whereas X has lived most of his life there.
That being said, while Signas' beliefs are founded with good intentions and for the good of the Hunters, it still robs X of his agency. He is ignoring the fact that X would never truly refuse him, even stating that he isn't even offering this as a choice.
You can look at Signas a few ways here. This could be seen as a moment of weakness, where the weight of command has become too much for him-- or you could look at it as a form of self reflection for Signas and him becoming aware of his limitations. Either way, there is a part of Signas that is aware that X would never refuse, which the reader can take that as they will.
Thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed this, be sure to check out the full story. I'll be attaching the series here.
