<strong>Mission Debrief, Bastion Command Dome</strong><br/><br/>The DropShip thrusted up into the sky, carried by ancient engines which barely contained the raw power of the past. It had served well during many centuries and due to expensive maintenence it didn't show nearly as much age as others of its kind. The Bastion had been paid for out of Kevin Perkins' own pockets, how none could really say. He was of an old noble Terran family, its name was tantamount to riches and power across the core of the Inner Sphere. But none had thought it enough for one of its sons to just up and buy a DropShip with his old military buddy Clive Bones, a distinctly non-noble man who had fought his way up from the gutters. Those jealous of Perkins' success whispered of shady deals and selling out. The truth was rather more simple...<br/><br/>Walter had gathered all the MechWarriors in the command dome at the top of the ship as soon as they broke through the atmosphere. He had visited the Bastion's doctor and reviewed the gathered combat photage, to the physician's lament. It was hard enough that he had to examine the man without him being distracted. Now he sat at the round tactics panel with the others gathered, Perkins seated to his right and Erich on his left. He was visably in a sour mood. His brow was frowned, eyes narrowed and everytime he spoke his lips curled up in a bit of a snarl. He sat quite until a crew member came over and whispered something between him and Perkins. He gave a nod and then looked up at the gathered.<br/><br/>"Well, in the words of a very wise man, we screwed that up. Big time. We might have gotten away with minimal damage, but we still took a beating like no other. And I know exactly why that is. Not only did we encounter an enemy we were not familiar with, using tactics and equipment that we have ever seen before. We sabotaged ourselves well before the battle. I put together a battle plan that was meant to keep everyone safe. I put together a plan which presumed that everyone here was a seasoned pilot who could keep their fears and frustrations to themselves. Professionals, comrades, people that I could trust to do their job as ordered and keep their backs clean."<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence. Anyone who tried to say a word met a pair of eyes that burned with challenge, as if saying 'I dare you'. He broke the silence with a fist slamming into the table as he stood up.<br/><br/>"Instead I get insubordination, distrust and headless chickens as soon as their commander takes a nap! Had Erich not been there to pick the scraps up, you would have been dead, every single one of you! You don't panic, you adapt! You don't get to try again, because you will be dead! Trust goes both ways and you have failed miserably. You have proven to me that I can't trust you! That I can't turn my back to you without your second-guessing every order I give. Initiative is one thing, blatant disregard of the perimeters set by your commander a whole other! If you can't live with the hierarchy I set out for you, get the hell out of this company! Have I made myself clear?"<br/><br/>He looked around at the others. It was clear that he didn't want any excuses, no discussions, no nothing, just nods or dismissals. Perkins had his usual smug grin on as he put a hand on Walter's shoulder.<br/><br/>"Alright, calm down Walt, remember what the doctor said." There was a slight bit of solemn sympathy in his words before he turned back to the others, sleek as ever. "I have reviewed the combat logs as well and as a former military commander and seasoned company official I have to say that you don't cut it as it is now. Clearly I misjudged your enthusiasm for competence and sent you out on a mission far too early. Apparently there has been... opinions within the unit. A lot of finger pointing, assumptions and dirt-flinging. While that is expected in a unit of mixed factions, it's all the shitter in a military endeavor. If someone falters or break down during a mission, the responsibility falls on all parts. From commander down to the individual MechWarrior. It's your obligation to know what to do in such a situation to strengthen that person and get them into acceptable shape again. If you shrug your shoulders and point blame, that will only result in you getting your back torn apart because your lancemates don't trust you enough. With that said..."<br/><br/>Walter cringed a little as Perkins brought up a fat file and dropped it with a thud on the table. It was surprising how quick the man was to compile several scores of pages for debrief in under an hour.<br/><br/>"I do have some opinions of my own. Beginning with Graff Gunderson." He flashed a smile at the young warrior and opened the file. "It's my recommendation that you be pulled out of active Lance command and put underneath a seasoned warrior, in this case I reckon Erich should be assigned to put you through some sort of apprenticeship. You tactical knowledge is on edge, but you command skills are lacking, as well as your calm under fire. While I do enjoy Draconis architecture, I enjoy it less when one of our 'Mechs stumble into it to give me a close-up..."<br/><br/>The older veterans knew this too well. Everyone had tasted the acid bite of Perkins' evaluation at some point or another. It was essentially an initiation ritual of sorts. The almost cyborg-like man next turned his smile to Miyoko.<br/><br/>"Shadowborn, I frankly have no idea what to tell you. Your break-down on the field as well as your cultural tendencies are worrysome. As of now I pay the bills around here and unless you can pull yourself together and perform on par with the others, I simply won't. As such, I have recommended to Commander Veijer that you be put in a similar apprenticeship underneath a seasoned MechWarrior and he in turn recommended you be put in cohesion with Elisa Moreno. I hope that Elisa with her extensive mercenary background can give you the pointers that you need."<br/><br/>Next was a bit of a ritual. Perkins turns a page. Perkins sighs and shake his head a bit. Perkins looks up at Maho and smiles disheartening.<br/><br/>"Here we are again Maho. You have along with Fletcher the most expensive 'Mech to maintain. Other companies would have laughed you off. If you are given an order you are expected to follow it without questioning. And while you are small and adorable, you are just as dead as anyone else if you break off on your own. I have told you time and again, don't go solo and yet here we are again. I'm cutting your salary a third until this issue is dealt with, hear? As for the rest of you, it's about damn time you started behaving like real warriors. Especially since... well, I'll let Walter tackle that with you later. Before I go on to the next subject, do we have any comments or suggestions?"