Debriefing
Colonel Quaritch had been pacing his office ever since Trudy Chacon had called to say they were on the way back with Jesse Andrews in tow. From what he'd heard, the whole situation was a strange mixture of a comic farce and a major breach of both discipline and security: One of the geologists deciding to parachute off a 4000-meter ledge.
Well, at least it's a change from Russian Roulette.
Regrettably, this wasn't the first incident of its nature: Every once in a while, someone would go just stir crazy enough from boredom that they'd pull some nonsense like this off and have to be rescued. The high mortality rates from a tour on Pandora seemed only to invite this sort of behavior. Some teams were worse about it, but every group at Hell's Gate seemed intent on coming up with their own inventive way to amuse themselves and waste company resources.
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When Trudy had radioed in, Andrews had already been checked for major injuries. He'd cracked a rib when he hit the tree, but it wasn't actually broken, so it could wait. Quaritch was missing a patrol he'd planned to join in on, which made him extra irritated.
When Andrews was wordlessly ushured into Quaritch's office, the two soldiers who escorted hurriedly saluted Quaritch and stepped out as soon as he dismissed them, one only stopping to place a video recorder on Quaritch's desk. Jesse was still a bit bruised and bloody from the impact (the soldiers having apparently taken the orders to bring him straight to his office literally), not to mention stiff from having been stuck hanging from the tree for somewhere around two hours while Trudy's team figured out how to lower him down without turning him into viperwolf food.
Quaritch pushed the play button, and watched the video of Jesse's jump from the start until he came to rest below his tangled parachute canopy.
"So, just what the hell were you thinking?"
"Sir?"
"Well, let's go down the list? Unauthorized use of company resources, diverting time and energy to an otherwise unnecessary rescue effort, unauthorized departure from an assignment without good cause, potentially endangering the lives of the rescue team...shall I go on? Or do you want to tell me why I shouldn't have your ass back on the next shuttle to Earth?"
Jesse sat silently for a moment, considering his words carefully, before he began.
"Sir, I acknowledge that I carried out an unauthorized test..."
"Stop right there before you try to pee on my leg and tell me it's raining."
"Colonel, sir, if I may..."
Quaritch relented for a moment and nodded for him to continue.
"Out with it."
"While it looks like I was having fun...and I'll admit it was fun while it lasted...we lost a dozen men when that rock flipped a few years back, and something like this would have saved them. And if you could have afforded to spare me, why didn't you just leave me in the tree?"
There was a moment of silence as Quaritch mulled the comments over.
I hate when these jerks actually have a point...
"That might excuse you procuring that parachute...something we'll sort out in due course, I can assure you, but how does that excuse your behavior today?"
"It doesn't, and I'll take whatever punishment you give me for that..."
Damn right you will.
"Since you like living on the edge, how about does a month of your days off spent on patrol with the men who had to bail you out sound? After you get out of the brig next week and we dock your pay, of course."
"Sir?"
"I can't allow this sort of behavior to be tolerated, and you've demonstrated why we don't issue equipment like this to anyone: Misuse problems, like the Russian Roulette incident a few months back." Taking a deep breath, Quaritch stands up. "If you see a need to request non-standard equipment, do so through the official channels. If we don't think you'll misuse it, we'll consider all serious requests. Oh, and Andrews?"
Jesse looked curious at what the Colonel had to add.
"Next time someone does something stupid like this, we're not sending a rescue team in. Do I make myself clear? Dismissed."
With that, Quaritch called in the soldiers standing outside to escort Jesse Andrews to the infirmary, and then to the brig for the next week.
Well, at least it's a change from Russian Roulette.
Regrettably, this wasn't the first incident of its nature: Every once in a while, someone would go just stir crazy enough from boredom that they'd pull some nonsense like this off and have to be rescued. The high mortality rates from a tour on Pandora seemed only to invite this sort of behavior. Some teams were worse about it, but every group at Hell's Gate seemed intent on coming up with their own inventive way to amuse themselves and waste company resources.
----------------------
When Trudy had radioed in, Andrews had already been checked for major injuries. He'd cracked a rib when he hit the tree, but it wasn't actually broken, so it could wait. Quaritch was missing a patrol he'd planned to join in on, which made him extra irritated.
When Andrews was wordlessly ushured into Quaritch's office, the two soldiers who escorted hurriedly saluted Quaritch and stepped out as soon as he dismissed them, one only stopping to place a video recorder on Quaritch's desk. Jesse was still a bit bruised and bloody from the impact (the soldiers having apparently taken the orders to bring him straight to his office literally), not to mention stiff from having been stuck hanging from the tree for somewhere around two hours while Trudy's team figured out how to lower him down without turning him into viperwolf food.
Quaritch pushed the play button, and watched the video of Jesse's jump from the start until he came to rest below his tangled parachute canopy.
"So, just what the hell were you thinking?"
"Sir?"
"Well, let's go down the list? Unauthorized use of company resources, diverting time and energy to an otherwise unnecessary rescue effort, unauthorized departure from an assignment without good cause, potentially endangering the lives of the rescue team...shall I go on? Or do you want to tell me why I shouldn't have your ass back on the next shuttle to Earth?"
Jesse sat silently for a moment, considering his words carefully, before he began.
"Sir, I acknowledge that I carried out an unauthorized test..."
"Stop right there before you try to pee on my leg and tell me it's raining."
"Colonel, sir, if I may..."
Quaritch relented for a moment and nodded for him to continue.
"Out with it."
"While it looks like I was having fun...and I'll admit it was fun while it lasted...we lost a dozen men when that rock flipped a few years back, and something like this would have saved them. And if you could have afforded to spare me, why didn't you just leave me in the tree?"
There was a moment of silence as Quaritch mulled the comments over.
I hate when these jerks actually have a point...
"That might excuse you procuring that parachute...something we'll sort out in due course, I can assure you, but how does that excuse your behavior today?"
"It doesn't, and I'll take whatever punishment you give me for that..."
Damn right you will.
"Since you like living on the edge, how about does a month of your days off spent on patrol with the men who had to bail you out sound? After you get out of the brig next week and we dock your pay, of course."
"Sir?"
"I can't allow this sort of behavior to be tolerated, and you've demonstrated why we don't issue equipment like this to anyone: Misuse problems, like the Russian Roulette incident a few months back." Taking a deep breath, Quaritch stands up. "If you see a need to request non-standard equipment, do so through the official channels. If we don't think you'll misuse it, we'll consider all serious requests. Oh, and Andrews?"
Jesse looked curious at what the Colonel had to add.
"Next time someone does something stupid like this, we're not sending a rescue team in. Do I make myself clear? Dismissed."
With that, Quaritch called in the soldiers standing outside to escort Jesse Andrews to the infirmary, and then to the brig for the next week.