The Ruler - Archive Entry 001. The day the system said no.
OFFICIAL SYSTEM RECORD
Classification: Administrative
Authority: The Ruler
Appeals: Unnecessary
Current Status: Final
There comes a point in every functioning system when someone must say no.
Not maybe
Not we'll see
Not let me think about it.
NO
The kimboverse had reached that point.
It began with a request.
a perfectly ordinary exception to a perfectly reasonable rule.
The ruler reviewed it.
REQUEST 001:
Can we make an exception just this once?
RULING:
No
The matter should have ended there.
It did not.
Apparently, the phrase just this once has a very different meaning to the person requesting the exception than it does to the person responsible for maintaining order.
A second request arrived.
REQUEST 002:
What if we don't call it an exception?
The ruler reviewed the wording carefully
RULING:
Calling an exception something else does not make it less of an exception.
NO.
The request was returned.
Three minutes later, it came back.
REQUEST 003:
What if we call it a temporary adjustment?
The Ruler stared at the request.
Someone had clearly spent those three minutes productively.
RULING:
Denied.
A note was added to the system.
Changing the name of the thing does not change the thing.
The Ruler considered this clear enough that no reasonable person could misunderstand it.
This was her first mistake.
-------------------------
THE APPEALS BEGIN
By midday, requests were arriving from every direction.
REQUEST 004:
What if we've already started doing it?
RULING:
Then stop.
REQUEST 005:
What if stopping would be inconvenient?
RULING:
Inconvenience is not an emergency
REQUEST 006:
What if it feels like an emergency?
RULING:
Feelings do not override policy
There was a pause.
The Ruler enjoyed seven uninterrupted minutes.
Then:
REQUEST 007:
What if nobody finds out?
The Ruler did not bother opening the entire request.
RULING:
I already found out.
Another pause.
This one lasted eleven minutes.
Progress.
_______
THE SYSTEM IS UPDATED
At 2:14 p.m., The Ruler issued a system-wide announcement.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
No exceptions.
No special circumstances.
No creative interpretations.
No temporary adjustments.
No technically, the rule doesn't say we can'
And absolutely no beginning a sentence with: "Okay, hear me out."
The new policy is flawless.
Order had been restored.
The Ruler leaned back in her chair, satisfied with a job well done.
Then she received a notification.
SYSTEM REMINDER:
All official rulings must be submitted before 3:00 p.m. to be included in the daily system record.
The Ruler looked at the time.
3:07 p.m.
She looked at the unfinished ruling sitting on her desk.
Then back at the clock.
This presented a problem.
The deadline existed for a reason.
The rule was clear.
The Ruler herself had approved it.
She considered her options.
The first option was to follow the rule and wait until tomorrow.
Unacceptable.
The second option was to violate the rule.
Also unacceptable.
The third option was obviously the correct one.
The Ruler opened the system.
⸻
ADMINISTRATIVE NOTICE
POLICY REVISION 14-B
Effective immediately, the 3:00 p.m. submission deadline may be extended when circumstances require additional administrative flexibility.
The revision was entered at 3:11 p.m.
The unfinished ruling was submitted at 3:12.
Order had once again been restored.
Unfortunately, someone noticed.
REQUEST 008:
Isn’t that an exception?
The Ruler read the question twice.
RULING:
No.
REQUEST 009:
But the rule said 3:00.
RULING:
Correct.
REQUEST 010:
And you changed it because you needed more time.
The Ruler paused.
This conversation was becoming unnecessarily detailed.
RULING:
The policy was amended to better serve the operational needs of the system.
REQUEST 011:
So…an exception?
The Ruler closed the request.
Some matters do not benefit from continued discussion.
⸻
FINAL SYSTEM RULING
For the sake of clarity, The Ruler issued one final statement.
An exception occurs when someone ignores a rule because following it is inconvenient.
An administrative adjustment occurs when The Ruler determines that a rule no longer adequately serves the system.
These are entirely different things.
The fact that they may occasionally look identical is irrelevant.
Further questions will not be accepted.
Previous questions should also not have been accepted.
The system remains fair.
The rules remain intact.
The deadline remains 3:00 p.m.
Unless otherwise determined by The Ruler.
SYSTEM STATUS:
Order restored.
POLICY STATUS:
Firm.
EXCEPTIONS:
None.
ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENTS:
As needed.
APPEALS:
Denied.
— THE RULER
Ruling final.
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