"I shall bend like a reed in the wind"

Posted on Mon Aug 2nd, 2021 @ 10:52pm by Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius 'Gladius' & Lieutenant JG Nozomi Kusuda 'Gemini'

1,204 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Operation Romulus Return
Location: CAG's office
Timeline: Present

ON:

Marcus sighed and headed for his new office, recently vacated by Trigger. He would debrief his pilots individually. First up was Gemini. He tapped his comm badge. "Ensign Kusuda, report to the CAG's offce. Repeat; Ensign Kusuda to the CAG's Office."

He sat into the chair at the CAG's desk... his desk, he corrected himself. This would take some getting used to. He waited.

Ensign Kusuda arrived a few minutes later, making some last-minute adjustments to her uniform to make herself more presentable in the presence of her squad leader. She was putting up a brave face, but it was evident to anyone else in then room that she was still a little awkward when it came to these debriefings.

"Commander," she nodded, clicking her heals together and standing at attention.

"At ease," he said. "Take a seat." He turned on the holo projector and replayed the footage of the game of tag. "Now, he said, "I want you to give me an honest critique of the game. Look at all the fighters, their positions in space, what moves they made, and what strategies they employed. Then I want you to tell me how you think you did."

Nozomi sat down and intently watched the dogfight play out in its entirety.

Marcus saw her wince as she noticed perceived errors in her flying.

"Not great, if I'm being honest," Nozomi sighed once the footage had ended. "I was still getting the hang of the 1a firmware when we initiated this dogfight, so I kind of had to come up with something on the fly. I might've pushed the thrusters a little hard for a training situation, and those parts aren't cheap to maintain. And while that evasive maneuver around the three of you was impressive, I might have been cutting our wings a little close, when I should have arced my trajectory a little bit further to give you some distance."

She turned away from the projector and looked Marcus square in the eye.

"I understand that I may have been a little reckless, and given what we're allegedly going up against, it isn't going to be good enough; as such, I'm willing to subject myself to additional flight training in the holodeck, or any other supplemental training regimens you specify, sir."

Marcus nodded. "I knew it would be challenging for you because you had mentioned your unfamiliarity with the 1A variant, so no points against you for that. As for pushing the thrusters too hard, there's a saying among engineering circles: 'The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.' Ensign, the design of the thrusters on the Valkyrie 1A are very simple. They did what they were designed to do. You didn't treat them with kid gloves, and in combat, you shouldn't. How will you know what your bird is capable of if you don't train as hard as you fight? I don't expect an answer, but it's something I want you to think about and ask yourself." he paused the playback at the point where she began her banking escape maneuver.

"While you did cut it close with some of your escape maneuvers, you were still within safety parameters, and I did take you by surprise. While not as good or in control as I think you can be, you held your own against a surprise attack, and managed to stay in the game a good while. I think with practice and discipline, you'll make a crack pilot. You've given me some ideas for our next training session. Now, do you have any questions or comments for me? Anything you say will be treated as confidential as it relates to Delta squadron."

Nozomi blinked in surprise. In her mind, she felt she had put up a rather sloppy effort compared to what she knew she was capable of, and was expecting Marcus to be a lot a harder on her.

Especially after, well...

She shook off the thought. It wouldn't do her any good to brood on what had happened all those years ago; if anything, she should be thankful that she was getting off as light as she was, and set aside some her personal free time to improve her combat skills in the holodeck.

She shook her head. "No; nothing at this time, Commander."

Marcus saw the surprise in her face. He guessed she had come in here expecting a real dressing down, especially after seeing her service record. "Gemini, think on this: As individuals, we are always hardest on ourselves. You gave me an honest critique of your performance. I didn't have to go hard on you. When you make a mistake, you own up to it, and you try to do better next time. This is something I expect of my pilots. I expect honesty and personal accountability from my pilots. In return, they can expect the same from me. The most important thing to me is that while in that exercise, you played within the confines of the rules of engagement I had set out for the game. It is that kind of discipline which allows us to trust each other and achieve the esprit de corps we need as a unit. I know I can count on you, even when you don't feel up to the task. Yes, you made a few mistakes, but nothing that would jeopardize the missing as outlined. You improvised, you adapted, and you did so within the confines of the rules. If you have any questions or concerns, I want you to bring them to me."

He stood up. "Now on to other matters. You may not have heard yet, but you'll notice a new pip on my uniform. The captain has made me CAG, as Trigger has been promoted to XO after Daxer's sudden reassignment. I will still command Delta squadron, but will be concerned with and responsible for the entire contingent of fighters and pilots aboard the Tokyo. I will maintain my open door policy, and try to give all squadrons equal time. As far as I know, Sorceress is still the assistant CAG. Just keep improving yourself and your flying. Be the best 'you' you can be; not just in the cockpit, but out of it as well. Now if there are no further questions, you are dismissed."

Nozomi seemed to hesitate for a moment, perhaps due to the fact that Marcus had practically read her like an open book. But she could hardly find fault in his assessment; she'd done just about everything right (given the circumstances), and even when she didn't, she didn't hesitate to owe up to her mistakes. And if Marcus was going to be the type of supervisor who could easily overlook her past shortcomings when so many others had passed her along as an insignificant desk hand...

A smile crept across her face. She knew she was going to be in good hands here.

"Thank you, sir," she expressed, bowing her head politely before getting up and excusing herself from the room.

OFF

RSS Feed