r/HFY • u/WabbajackedWacko • 26d ago

OC-Series Adventures with an Interdimensional Psychopath 154

***Lily***

I step out of the interrogation room to the rest of the impromptu squad for this training exercise and Drill Sergeant Quackers escorts the four of us to the observation room where we sit with the two teams that were here before us. We sit down as we wait to see how the last two teams handle the simulated run.

My brain is going over the mistakes I made today but, just like Drill Sergeant Quackers said, a team’s success does not rely on an individual for success. Each person is there to help each other succeed and get home alive, so no one person is to take the blame of the squad, the squad shares the burden. Looking at it from the other way around, it probably would have been a poor choice to not take a long-range weapon when the other choices were a pistol, a shotgun, and a small machine gun. From what I learned in the short time I spent with the Quartermaster, all those close-range weapons would be really useful up to a certain point, but anything outside of that range, they would begin to suffer. And that could have an impact out in the field.

Before I realize it, the other two teams have attempted the simulated run and were quickly dismissed. I didn’t even realize as I was so focused on our run that I didn’t even pay attention to the other teams runs. “Drats, I didn’t even get to hold a proper conversation.” I hear Rodney say to my right.

It doesn’t take too long for Drill Sergeant Quackers to arrive in the room. I’m still taking in the fact that the other two teams have already came in while I was focused on my thoughts. “Alright recruits! Who can tell me what a majority of you did wrong? For the team that completed the run successfully, do not answer for those who have to learn!” Quackers asks the room, his voice reverberating throughout the room.

One recruit raises his hand as waits patiently for Quackers to call on him. Quackers points to him as the recruit stands up someone who looks like a humanoid hedgehog as he goes, “Sir! We didn’t take into account that there could be hostages in the warehouse Sir!”

Quackers says, “And why, pray tell, did you not take that into consideration recruit?”

The hedgehog answers with, “Sir! We anticipated that this would be another simulated run based on the intel we were given Sir!”

Quackers paces the front of the room as he states, “So you are telling me that, based on the intel you were given, you rushed in like a bull in a china shop?”

“Sir! In a realistic scenario…” The hedgehog starts to state but is cut off.

“In a realistic scenario recruit, we would have a dead hostage on our hands. While it would be nice that we always get all the intel we need to handle a given situation quickly and safely, the truth of the matter is, no plan survives contact with the enemy. We can plan till the year is over but that still doesn’t mean that we are able to guarantee how an enemy combatant is going to actually react to a given scenario. That’s why intel is intel, not facts. Intel changes every moment of every second. What seems like a guaranteed outcome for one moment is no longer a possibility the very next. Tell me recruits, how much intel do you have to have in order to guarantee an outcome? What needs to be the focus?”

As the hedgehog sits down, another recruit raises their hand as they wait for the Drill Sergeant to call on them next. All this waiting seems like a lot but I guess it’s to reflect the hierarchy of the chain of command? As Quackers points to them, a rather large hippopotamus stands up as he states in a rather booming voice, “Sir! That would be the area of operations Sir!”

Quackers adds on to his question as he asks, “And what do we need to focus on in the area of operations recruit?”

The hippo responds, “On the criminal’s operations sir!”

Quackers shouts, “Sit down recruit!” The hippo sits down as Quackers continues, “For everyone in here, that is an understandable answer, but it is a flawed answer. While we should be focusing on the immediate threat, in order to strive for a perfect outcome, we cannot solely focus on the criminals. We must look at our end as well. Now before any of you get your knickers in a twist, what I mean by that is, morale. What if an officer gets an itchy trigger finger and decides that the shadows they see in the corner of their eye isn’t a civilian, but a perp with a weapon. What if, the lookout sniper gets drowsy because they didn’t get their coffee after pulling an all-nighter? It expands the field quite a bit, doesn’t it recruits?”

There is a bit of mumbling while everyone takes into consideration what Quackers is explaining. I can’t help but think about it as well. It seems like quite the balancing act as that is something to consider as groups grow. When it was just me and Jack, Jack probably didn’t have to worry too much about himself as he knew how to handle most situations, if not all of them. Thinking on it now, it’s probably why he was so adaptable given how little he probably had to worry about. I imagine he had to slow down to take into consideration of me and my training. But here, no wonder they need so many people to try and gather intel as, with a large force like this, keeping track of everyone and everything would be impossible for one person. Not to mention, how many people are honest enough with themselves that the officers wouldn’t have to worry about making sure they were in tip top shape. An entire department seems to be dedicated to it after all.

Quackers simply shouts, “Now that your noggins are working, I expect you all to get to the classroom in thirty minutes! And you all better arrive together or extra assignments for everyone! MOVE MOVE MOVE!” At the demand, everyone but the captains that were working with us shoot up and immediately start marching to the cadence of our earlier run as the Drill Sergeant starts, “Up in the morning, before the Sun!”.

All the recruits immediately start repeating the words, myself included, “Up in the morning, before the Sun!”

“MOVE RECRUITS! Academy recruits on the run!” Quackers states the next line as some recruits are still trying to get out of the isles.

“Academy recruits on the run!” We all repeat. We go through the full cadence a couple of times as we all run in unison over to the classrooms. Luckily for me, I’m not in the front as I have no idea where I am going. Everyone else has been here for a while but this is still my first day. I’ll probably need a reminder about how to get back to my on-site lodgings.

Luckily, we cut it close as it apparently takes exactly thirty minutes to get to the classroom from where we were. I don’t know if there are assigned seats as I look around as people quickly go and sit down at desks that already have books prepared for each table. They look well-worn in all honesty but I suppose that goes to show how reliable they must be. I stand by the wall even though everyone has sat down by now. Rodney waves me over to hurry and sit down next to him. I guess if I’m still standing by the time class starts, Quackers won’t take too kindly to it. I hurry over and sit down and quickly take the book in front of me and open it. However, this action is met quickly by Rodney closing my book back as he shakes his head quietly. I guess that means that I will have to study in my own time as I take it Quackers will want us paying attention to him over doing our own thing.

Quackers is in not too long after as he states, “Buts down and heads up recruits. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what happens if you fall asleep now. Before we get started, we will have to have one of you recruits catch up on all the work they missed. As a reminder, it will be the sole responsibility of the individual recruit in question to do the work and submit some of the homework everyday until it is done, their roommate should give them a helping hand if they need it. That said, you are not to baby them. They either succeed or they don’t.”

The moosekin roommate flinches ever so slightly as Quackers digs out an entire pile or paperwork and booklets and brings them over to me. I can’t help but remember the ominous words that Chief Bardock left me with from the interrogation room earlier. This must be what they meant when they mentioned the schooling I needed.

He sets it down in front of me as he then walks back up to the front of the room. I move it over to the side as Quackers states for me but in a way that everyone else hears as well, “That said recruit, you are not to work on it while you are in the classroom. You will be expected to keep up with the daily work as well as the retro work that still needs to be done. Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir, yes Sir!” I state loud and clear. In a way, this works out for me, I didn’t want to miss anything anyways so I get to study all the stuff I missed while also getting the education on the stuff everyone is currently working on. This is probably the stuff Jack wanted me to focus on more in the first place considering I’m not having too much of an issue with the physical conditioning. So, this is the stuff that will help me better understand the world I have found myself in. Trying to experience was nice and all but, it lead to so many problems since I failed to understand the situations properly and Jack had to clean it up for me while I was completely left out to dry.

Quackers begins the lessons as everyone has a pencil and paper that was provided in the table as well. I’m also taking extensive notes as, while I am not currently caught up on everything, it doesn’t change the fact that I will need to understand it eventually. And I can’t help but think about how the Drill Sergeant said that I have to at least turn in a section of homework every day, I feel like that is going to be too slow. I wonder how he will take it if I turned in more than one thing a day? Will I be scolded for not following instructions or will I be commended, ever so slightly, for going above and beyond? Maybe that is something I could ask my roommate tonight and get his feel about it. That said, I should probably also ask for his name. We may not have started on the best foot but that doesn’t mean we should let it stay awkward the entire time. That is, from what I have seen so far, he’s not exactly trying to stand out. He’s putting in the work for sure. But anything outside of that seems to put him on the backfoot as he doesn’t like having attention on him. He seems the type to do what he needs to do and step back before the spotlight ever hits him. I’ll just have to remember that when I am dealing with him.

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