myrtle

Susan? Susan! Do you hear me? The enemy has heavy weapons not mentioned in the intel. We need fire support!

Susan! Where are you—damn.

We shouldn't have chased them here. How could they have a weapon like that... I knew nothing good would come of getting on their bad side!

We can still make it out of here! F-Forget the goods! Run!

Get down, you idiot! Stay in cover!

Panicking won't do any good. Stay put while I think of something...

Stick close to me, guys! I'll provide support!

Don't give up! We've come this far! Take back the goods, and we'll make it back in time to book dinner at the fanciest restaurant!

We won't live to see dinner if this goes poorly!

Mom always told me that running away is the surest way to lose! There aren't that many of them! We can beat 'em if we work together!

I'll cheer you guys on!

Now's not the time for that! Their supply station is over there. We might be able to hit it if we changed position...

The enemy bombardment is easing up? Now's our chance! Get the others, Myrtle... Myrtle? Where are you?

What... what are you doing?

What? Why'd you stop?

Boss, look over there... something's not right...

Susan... are you full yet?

Yeah, I'm full. Oh... you can have this roasted leg.

Thanks!

Just don't choke on it...

We got five days off after completing that mission. You can eat here every day.

And I'm not gonna waste a single one— Oh yeah!

So I found this on my desk this morning. It says... er... 'Field Operator Mission Report Form'...

Do you know what it is?

You didn't submit your mission report? It's your first mission. Didn't anyone tell you?

Mission report... I think I saw something like that, but I didn't know where to fill it out, and then I just forgot about it.

So this is where I write my report? I just fill it in and submit it, right?

Yup.

Easy-peasy! I'll do it right now.

Here, napkin. Wipe your hands first.

Let's get the dishes, Hoger.

Susan! I'm done!

Wow, that was quick!

Piece of cake!

Let's see... 'mission complete'... wait, that's it?

'Report—Mission complete.' Is there a problem?

...Myrtle, are you sure you know what a mission report is?

Of course do. When I was helping out at the mead store back home, I would write 'All checked' after I'd received and checked all the goods.

But it was such a bother to write that every time, so I replaced it with a tick whenever I checked off an item.

Wasn't that smart?

...Let me explain.

You have to write down what you did during the mission and your thoughts on it. Otherwise, it's just a piece of paper.

The mission report is submitted to HR, and then to your supervisor. It's a very important part of our work. You need to take it seriously.

What? That's such a pain!

Fine, I'll fill in all the blanks.

Code name: Myrtle... Combat experience... When I was five, I beat up a drunkard causing trouble on First Avenue...

You don't need to go that far back... I just sent you a template, okay? You can follow it and fill out the first few sections.

Great! That makes it so much easier!

Hey, Hoger, wasn't the mission report due yesterday?

Oh...

You're right! I remember I got it in just before the deadline!

Okay, Susan, I'm done. Can you check for me—oh!

Do you mean... it's too late to submit it?

Let me think... I think the reports are still being processed at HR.

I missed something so important on my first mission... Will I fail my trial period?

Calm down, Myrtle.

Is there any other way? Can I sneak into HR?

S-Sneak in? Er... Hoger, you know a bunch of folks in HR. Do you know how long it usually takes for them to process this stuff?

Two or three days, I think. They're probably still... Hey, you don't mean—

Just slip it into the pile and no one's the wiser.

So I can sneak in then?

But that's against the rules...

I remember now! The operator's manual says you have to submit a mission report, but it doesn't say when!

We wouldn't have had to deal with this if you'd just remembered that earlier.

Whew... Now I don't feel so anxious.

It's too soon to relax. You need to fill it out ASAP and sneak it into the pile before they're all taken away!

We'll help you recall what happened on the mission and finish the report, okay?

O-Okay. I guess it's pretty serious.

Let's start from the beginning. Do you still remember?

Of course! We went into the barrens with that caravan. Our mission was to escort it to the destination.

Good. Write that down. Next?

Well... the sun was hot and the air was dry. I was thinking I should put on more sunscreen the next time—

You don't need to put in anything that doesn't have to do with the mission!

Alright, how about this? Just write down what I say.

There was nothing out of the ordinary during the first half of the escort mission, aside from a few wild animal attacks.

Got it.

At 1604 hours... don't forget the zero.

At 1604 hours, we encountered bandits in the wilderness. I was responsible for protecting the caravan and providing combat support.

During the fighting, I made the decision to unload the goods from the trucks, which helped repel a wave of enemies.

Done? Let me see.

Here you go.

'And then I accidentally chased the enemy away...' That's totally different from what I said!

Nice and simple, isn't it? Exactly as it happened.

Just that? But I saw you...

Yeah, I was protecting those guys.

While you were fighting over there, I saw a bunch of people coming from the other side.

A good generalissimo knows when to fight and when to retreat, so I called for them to get onto the trucks so that they could get out of there.

Then you unloaded the goods...

Less weight means more speed, right?

...So it was just an accident?

Should we put it in like she said, Susan?

I guess we could, but...

You should think about how the accident had the effect it did. That's why we write reports, after all.

I have to put that in even if I didn't think about it?

Reports aren't just to let others know how we do things, or for command personnel to reference. They're for self-reflection too.

In cases like this, we should consider the situation, weigh the pros and cons, find a solution, and put it into action. Mission reports are about writing down what you were thinking at the time.

And if you weren't thinking, you should organize your thoughts now, in the report.

I see. So since there's a thought behind every action, and I should think about it now if I wasn't thinking during the mission?

Correct.

Can I try to fill out the rest myself?