Case Study: Sun Tzu, III/31

[Marauder06]

With the grade I got on that Spanish test I took today, I should have just spent all last night writing updates to this thread instead of studying, the results would have been about the same.

So, I'm thinking that for now it's probably smart for me to only incorporate site members I've actually met. It's more difficult to write what so-and-so would do in a situation when I've never even met the individual that upon whom the character is based. That's fine, because I've only met a handful of people from the site anyway, so I'm thinking over time I'll be able to work everyone in, even those not in the SOF or .mil communities. I'll PM people when "their" character makes his or her first appearance, and if you decide you don't like the character or whatever, you can let me know and I'll change it to something else.

Now I've got to go decide what happens after the safe incident... MTF.

 

[Dame]

Pobrecito.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

With the grade I got on that Spanish test I took today, I should have just spent all last night writing updates to this thread instead of studying, the results would have been about the same.

Now I've got to go decide what happens after the safe incident... MTF.

Uhh...studying your spanish, Sir?

 

[Marauder06]

Uhh...studying your spanish, Sir?

Here are the frustrating things about Spanish and me.

1) I suck at Spanish (well, it's not just Spanish, it's any foreign language, apparently)
2) This is a summer session class, so it's basically a whole semester of Spanish crammed into 4.5 weeks.
3) I can't get grad school credit for summer session classes. So basically this is just very expensive tutoring three hours a day, every day.
4) I suck at Spanish.

But this thread isn't about me. It's about 2nd SF Group, where men are men and no one has any problem with their DLPTs. So...

/////

A short time later, Faith, The Dud, and the DCO were back upstairs in The Dud’s office. Faith had received some good ass chewings before, heck he had even given one or two out himself. But he had never been present for an ass chewing that he felt was truly epic. Well, until today.

Despite the fact that he was on the receiving end of at least part of it, Faith had to admire the way that the DCO could administer a chewing out. Faith tried to inject one comment into the conversation, actually in defense of The Dud, only to have the full attention (and the full wrath) of the DCO turned towards him. It was at that point he realized that responses to the DCO’s questions and comments were neither expected nor wanted.

Towards what turned out to be the end of the one-way conversation between the three men, there was a knock at the door. “WHAT!!!” the DCO shouted. The door opened, and Chief Michaels entered the room and slid into a chair beside the door. If the DCO cared at all about this intrusion, he didn’t show it.

“Not only was this an epic intel FAIL, it reflects extraordinarily poorly on 2nd Group. If anything like this happens again, I’ll have BOTH your asses,” he concluded. “Now, get the hell out of my office.”

Faith and The Dud looked at each other in confusion; this wasn’t the DCO’s office, it was The Dud’s office. Or, it had been The Dud’s office before the incident with the safe. Faith wasn’t so sure if the S2 was going to keep his job after this. Or if Faith himself would keep his.

Seeing their confusion, Chief Michaels reached over from his seat and opened the door. Faith and The Dud made a quick exit and Chief Michaels closed the door behind them.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Here are the frustrating things about Spanish and me.

1) I suck at Spanish (well, it's not just Spanish, it's any foreign language, apparently)
2) This is a summer session class, so it's basically a whole semester of Spanish crammed into 4.5 weeks.
3) I can't get grad school credit for summer session classes. So basically this is just very expensive tutoring three hours a day, every day.
4) I suck at Spanish.

So, you're taking a class that is using the fire hose method (due to time constraints) and you won't be getting credit for your sucktitude in it? Sounds like a shitty deal. Is it a pre-req for something else, gen-ed class?

























Who would have thought Yale would be difficult...

 

[Marauder06]

So, you're taking a class that is using the fire hose method (due to time constraints) and you won't be getting credit for your sucktitude in it? Sounds like a shitty deal. Is it a pre-req for something else, gen-ed class?

Who would have thought Yale would be difficult...

lol

Yes, it's a program requirement. I have to have four semesters of foreign language (it has to be "four semesters of the same foreign language," or trust me it would be 1 semester of Spanish, followed by 1 semester of French, followed by 1 semester of Italian, and finally one semester of Indonesian ;) ). I took Korean my first semester and dropped it, so I was a semester behind in terms of language. So taking Spanish 2 this summer catches me back up. I don't get a grade per se but it checks the block to allow me to take Spanish 3 in the Fall. It's all good. It's just frustrating to me that I'm not better at it, given the time I'm dedicating to it. But at the end of the day it's still just school, and "Oh noes, I might get a "C" in a class" is a hell of a lot less to worry about then what I was doing previously, and what people like Pardus and Freefalling and dozens of other of our fellow members have to deal with every day. I try to keep that in mind when I start complaining.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Agreed, Sir. I wish more people had that perspective when they go on ranting about the dumb shit that goes on in their life. I tend to do the same thing some times as well, but this site (and its members) and the fact that my brother is headed back to the sand box in 3 weeks helps me keep my head about me.

 

[Chopstick]

I would help you but my Espanol es muy mal. However I can ask "donde esta el bano"? Now since it is established we both suck at Spanglish hurry up and keep writing the story!

 

[Marauder06]

“Hey, sir,” Faith said to the Dud once the door closed behind them, “We can go down to my office if you like.” The Dud said nothing but walked briskly down the hall to Faith’s office. His body language indicated he was angry. Faith had barely entered the office when The Dud slammed the door shut. Startled by the unexpectedness of the act, Faith jumped.

“I can’t believe you did that to me!” The Dud stated angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Faith inquired, genuinely confused.

“That thing with the safe, you did that on purpose!”

“Um, no I didn’t,” Faith countered, “I was trying to help you out. The inspectors said that we would fail if the safe wasn’t opened. You said the safe was empty. I tried the default combo and the safe popped open. I had no idea any of that stuff was in there.”

“I know why you did it,” The Dud said, his voice dropping ominously, “You want my job.”

“What?” Faith responded, incredulous.

“You think if you can get me fired, they’ll make YOU the Group S2. Well let me tell you, that’s just not gonna happen.”

“Look sir,” Faith sighed, “I don’t want your job. In fact, I have already been offered another job. You couldn’t PAY me to take your job. I’ve never seen a more jacked up shop in my entire life.”

“What job?” The Dud asked hurriedly.

“What do you mean?” Faith responded.

“What job were you offered?” he demanded.

“The Group MID.”

The Dud looked at Faith in stunned silence.

“That was supposed to be MY job!” he insisted. “My reward for two years of sucking it up in this crap assignment. You stole my job from me!”

“Hate to break it to you,” Faith said condescendingly, “but you were never going to have that job.”

The Dud looked at Faith in stunned silence for a moment, then without a word, turned and left the room.

After he was gone, Faith collapsed into his chair, wondering if he should have pressed harder for the job at Division. As he went over what he might have done better, the phone rang. He considered ignoring it, then picked it up.

“Tell me that the safe you told me about last night didn’t turn out to be full of classified,” the caller said, without preamble.

“Hi honey,” Faith responded, recognizing his wife’s voice. “It’s true, I’m afraid. But how do you know about this already?”

“The whole post knows about it!” she answered. “The SOCOM team had to notify the installation about the security breach, and the haters here at Division are just pleased as punch that something has gone wrong at 2nd Group.”

“Figures,” Faith said.

“Look,” his wife added, “there’s going to be an investigation. Division has CI responsibility for the installation, so they are sending a team over this afternoon. The lead CI warrant is squared away, she works down the hallway from me, she’ll be tough but fair.”

“Good to know,” Faith replied.

After he and his wife said their goodbyes, Faith settled back in his chair and began to mentally map out a course of action. He figured he should probably let both The Dud and the DCO know about the investigation team coming from Division right away, but at the same time he felt he probably needed to let them cool off a bit first. He probably also needed to secure the site downstairs in advance of the investigating team arriving. He would like to assume that had already happened, but then assumptions were got them into this mess in the first place.

He was about to get up and head down to the SCIF when Chief Michaels appeared at the door.

“Hey sir,” he said, sliding into the office and gently closing the door behind him. “While you and Major Dudley were getting that little OPD* from the DCO, one of the guys in the SCIF came and got me. I checked through the contents of the safe, and I don’t think it’s going to be as big a problem for us as we originally feared.”

“That’s really good news, Chief,” Faith said with relief.

“Well, we’re not completely out of it, but I think we’re going to be OK.” He looked at Faith closely. “Look, sir, here’s some advice for you, you can take it or leave it. One, in a situation like this inspection, you should never ask a question you don’t know the answer to. Two, in a situation like this, you should never do anything for which the outcome is not guaranteed.** I understand why you did what you did, but we could have handled it in a much different way. We could have told the inspectors to continue on their inspections in the SCIF while we got the safe open, for example. Just something to think about for the future.”

“Thanks Chief,” Faith said, “That makes a lot of sense.”

“That’s what I’m here for, sir,” Chief Michaels replied.

“Did they teach you that in Warrant Officer School?” Faith joked.

“Actually, your father taught me that,” Michaels said before leaving Faith’s office.

/////
*OPD = Officer Professional Development
**thanks policemedic!

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Oh snap!!
CWOs know everything.

 

[SpitfireV]

Faith is being a bit of an arrogant dick to someone who might have friends.

 

[Mac_NZ]

OMFG policemedic is Capt Faith's Father!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not see that coming in all honesty.

 

[SpitfireV]

Poor, poor bastard.

 

[Dame]

Poor, poor bastard.

Are you talking about Capt Faith or his mother?

 

[SpitfireV]

Why not both!

 

[policemedic]

OMFG policemedic is Capt Faith's Father!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not see that coming in all honesty.

It's all in the details, my good man, all in the details.

Or perhaps the highly regarded Faith Sr. was mentored by a wise, wily warrior who wore a shiny silver and gold badge.

Then again, there are a few nights I don't remember very clearly...

In any case, I'll never tell.

 

[Crusader74]

I would feel slightly sorry for Maj Dud with the safe incident.. Knowing that there is no love lost between Capt Faith & Maj Dud, how "coincidently " Capt Faith was able to open the safe when an inspection was being carried out.. If I was Maj Dud, I would strongly feel Capt Faith did that to undermine and make him look incompetent. In saying that #1 Maj Dud should have known the state of the safe #2 should have moved the safe knowing an inspection could be called at any moment.

I would be looking for a log book for the safe to find out who was last at the safe and why they hadn't passed on that the safe was still used as a "safe" ..

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Which would have reflected more poorly on 1) the shop 2) the Dud? What actually transpired or not being able to open the safe? Faith could have played dumb and approached the Dud (vis-a-vis the default combo) once the inspectors were gone.

"Hey Sir, now that they're gone, I'd like to try something with this safe." 27-L, 45-R, 18-L...Voila...and with no higher brass around to see all the shit fall on the floor.

 

[Crusader74]

Which would have reflected more poorly on 1) the shop 2) the Dud? What actually transpired or not being able to open the safe? Faith could have played dumb and approached the Dud (vis-a-vis the default combo) once the inspectors were gone.

"Hey Sir, now that they're gone, I'd like to try something with this safe." 27-L, 45-R, 18-L...Voila...and with no higher brass around to see all the shit fall on the floor.

I think Capt Faith was caught between a rock and a hard place, if you recall, the inspection team told Maj Dud that he would fail the inspection if it wasn't opened immediately....

 

[SkrewzLoose]

I think Capt Faith was caught between a rock and a hard place, if you recall, the inspection team told Maj Dud that he would fail the inspection if it wasn't opened immediately....

You're right! Good call.