story_myrtle_1_1

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?

Sure. I'll look over it once you're done.

Hoger, there's something I need to check with you.

The part where we chased the bandits back to their hideout and took the goods back... I was acting separately from you two at the time.

You were fighting the bandits at close range while I provided fire support from above.

We'd better cross-check the parts that I'm not entirely sure about, so that we can keep Myrtle... focused.

I remember that! We started fighting at the entrance of their base!

I wanted to lead the charge, but it was my first time seeing a battlefield like that, so all I could do was get the others to cover.

That was more than enough.

We had the advantage until they brought out some big thing, like, THIS big, that blew up a truck with one shot!

We would've been blown up too, if you hadn't pull us into cover!

There was no intel about any heavy weapons. It might have been a recent acquisition.

I heard you talking about it over the comms. There was a lot of smoke and I was busy calibrating the distance, so I didn't really see what was happening.

I was wondering, though... How did the two of you charge into the fray under that kind of firepower?

What did you do, Hoger?

I-It wasn't me. It was Myrtle...

It was all thanks to Hoger! He was amazing!

Huh?

What?!

I saw it with my own eyes!

Hoger leapt out of cover and charged forward with a war cry, and everyone else followed!

The bandits must've been shocked, because they just stood there motionless! It was like they were under a spell!

So Hoger just punched the guy, and down he went!

Hey, why are you guys so quiet?

I remember it all so clearly! I'm gonna write it down now.

Hoger...

Myrtle, don't you remember what you did?

Me? I just did what you asked, keeping everyone safe and supporting them as much as I can. Last but not least—

I gave everyone a morale boost, like a generalissimo should!

It may have been my first mission, but I'm really good at that!

I-Is that all?

Yeah!

...That's not how it went. Wasn't it all thanks to you that we won?

Oh, stop teasing me, Hoger. Mom always told me not to take credit for something I didn't do.

This is how it happened, Susan:

Myrtle ran up to the front and jumped up on the ATV we were using for cover. Then...

...She raised her white flag high and waved it. Everybody could see it clearly.

I was freaking out and trying to pull her down when I realized... it wasn't just us. The enemy was dumbfounded too.

So I took the opportunity to charge in while they weren't shooting. The rest went as she described.

Oh yeah, I was waving my flag! Haha, forgot about that.

Well, it was nothing. It's the generalissimo's job to keep up morale!

People always feel energized whenever they look at me! It always worked when I did it at home, anyway!

That's it?

Yeah. To get something done, we all have to come together. We can do it if we work together!

And there I was, wondering how you came up with the idea of waving a white flag...

Sounds like it had an unexpected effect again. I think I know what to put in the report now...

What are you going to write?

My reflections, of course.

'Sometimes my actions have effects that I don't expect, but my teammates always take the opportunity to defeat the enemy.

Therefore, I need to trust the people behind me and do everything I can to support them...'

How's that?

Myrtle...

What do you think, Hoger? It does make sense, but I feel like it could lead to the wrong conclusions.

...Let's see the rest of it first.

My hand hurts... is this good enough?

Yeah, I guess it's presentable.

Well, that was exhausting, but now I understand how you guys work! Very productive!

Are you sure you really understand?

Of course! Now comes the exciting part!

Did you take a look, Hoger?

Yeah, all of HR is in a meeting right now.

I know the layout of their office. I think I can slip it in... My only concern is that someone might suddenly come back.

Myrtle, how about you wait for us with the report at the door to HR? We'll scout out the meeting room.

Don't let anyone from HR see you with it! The operation will fail if we're discovered.

No problem, I got this.

Here we go.

30 minutes later...

She's not back yet...

Could she have gone in already?

Impossible. You didn't even tell her where to put it... She couldn't have found another way, could she?

Shh, the HR folks are coming back.

Hey, Susan, look at what that guy's holding—

It's Myrtle's report!

Good evening, Susan! Did you need something?

Hey, just got a question... how did you get Myrtle's report?

Hm? Why do you ask?

Oh, well, er... we were on the same mission, and we submitted our reports a while ago, right?

So seeing you guys take out Myrtle's report in particular makes me concerned that there might be a problem... yeah, a problem.

Oh, there's no problem. But honestly, I was wondering that myself, because the Doctor handed this to me just now.

The Doctor?!

The Doctor said something to the effect of, 'Next time, give the new recruits a little more time to submit their reports.'

Even though the submission deadline for the new folks hasn't passed yet...

Huh? So we spent half a day on that for—oh!

Thanks for your time—let's go find her, Hoger!

Hey guys! I'm over here!

I was looking for you. Where are you going?

Myrtle? Where did you go?

I came back from the Doctor's office... Sorry to keep you waiting.

Why did you go there? And how'd you wind up giving them your report?

That's why I was looking for you! I ran into the Doctor on my way here.

They asked how I was getting on, and I talked about how I hadn't handed my report in yet.

That was okay because the Doctor isn't in the HR department, right?

So they offered to take it for me, and I accepted. Since they're the boss, they'd get it in the end anyway, right?

But then I remembered that I had kept you waiting here...

And the Doctor let me grab some candies from the office!

So here's the candy. Don't be mad at me, okay?

*Sigh*... Give me one.

One month later

Thanks for coming over today. I wanted to talk to you about Myrtle's performance.

Don't worry, it's not that there's a problem. All the missions she's performed with you have gone smoothly. We just want to know more.

...I'd still like to know the reason you're asking.

Very well. There are some... discrepancies between her mission reports and yours.

Frankly, they don't even sound like they're from the same mission.

...Didn't she said she understood?

It's our fault for taking her word for it.

Also... she submitted a few hand-drawn pictures along with her last report. Take a look.

...Generalissimo Myrtle's Tactics Manual?

She seems to believe that operators who work with her should understand her tactical thinking. So she put this together so other operators could review it.

You two have spend a lot of time with her. Do you have any, er... questions about her?

...Hoger?

Of course I do. Who doesn't?

I don't think it matters, though. She has a knack for making things simple.

As far as I'm concerned, it's easier to just charge forward with her than try to understand her through those pictures. We can put our trust in an outstanding operator like Myrtle.

Understood. I have no further questions. Thank you for your time.

(Whisper) That was the right conclusion to reach, right?

(Whisper) I... guess?

Excuse me... could we borrow Myrtle's Tactics Manual for a couple of days?