File: 1351728294752.png-(72 KB, 627x551, Odessa_cropped.png)

You do have to admit she's been doing better since you started observing the class more closely. Still, you have a feeling there's more to it than just that. It's not like you've ever been much of a good luck charm, right? Hell, Boser's performance took a 180 in the same time span, though it's not like she was doing stellar in the first place.

"Do you hear that?" Odessa asks, jumping back to her feet.

"I do," you reply. The faint roar of a piston engine and the propellers it drives. The plane is here.

Poking your head out into the cold, you spot the old and lonely cargo plane swoop onto the runway, slowly coming to a stop. After several moments (probably the pilot going through landing checks and shutting everything off, you suppose), a hatch on the side of the plane opens and a head pops out.

"Hey!" it calls as it spots you, "Been awhile, stranger!"

You laugh. "Not long enough!"

Lt. Rae Caulders, your prisonmate and fellow escapee, climbs out of the plane and jogs through the Australian cold. Dressed in the typical witch uniform, she looks quite cold as the bits of clothing that go past her waist flap in the wind, bouncing against her otherwise bare thighs.

"So, how've you all been?" Rae asks as Odessa hides in your shadow.

[ ] Good, yourself?
[ ] Odessa's not been having a good time.
[ ] The trainees have some issues...

>>21377365

[x] Good, yourself?

>>21377365
[x] The trainees have some issues...

[X] The trainees have some issues...

Miss Hexencursed is the least of our worries, we've got a whole crew of nuggets and failures that don't know how to not die in combat.

Oh? So this is still going on after all?

[x] Good, yourself?
[x] The trainees have some issues...

>>21377448
Sorry, been having issues with running on Friday. Trying to get myself planned properly before double dipping now, so I probably won't run this friday, either.

>>21377448
Never stopped.

>>21377472
Really? Then it looks like I'm being fed faulty information. Thanks for letting me know.

>>21377528
Huh? Someone said it ended?

>>21377549

Probably flap from that planefag thing. FYI for everyone else, planefag was like "I'm going to quit" and everyone was like "NOOO WE LOOVE YOOOU" which is basically the fatguy equivalent of the /cgl/ camwhores who go BOOHOO I'M FAT so people will tell them they're pretty.

File: 1351729647232.png-(692 KB, 1000x901, test-logo2-bright.png)

"I've been doing alright," you say, "though the rookies..."

Rae nods, understanding. "Not just Seaman Rothrock then, huh?"

"Nope. They're just not really getting it, you know? Going through the motions but they're not putting two and two together."

"Well, that's what I'm back for, right? We're putting them through more practical stuff next week."

You nod. "Yep. Good to have you back. I don't think I could handle much more theoretical combat stuff. Did you know no one has any idea exactly what a Subwitch is supposed to do?"

Rae laughs. "Yeah, I had to start from scratch. I'll go over most of my notes with you-"

"Hmph..." Odessa pouts from behind you.

"Oh, who's that?" Rae asks, trying to look past your shoulder."

"Seaman Rothrock. Hey, Rothrock, what are you doing back there?"

Odessa doesn't answer.

[ ] Oh, yeah. Find out anything?
[ ] Go on about your notes!
[ ] How was your trip?

>>21377629

[x] Other: Pick up Rothrock, set her in front of us, and introduce her again to Rae, seeing as Rae's been out on assignment.

[x] Oh, yeah. Find out anything?

>>21377654
I like this.

>>21377654

THIS.

>>21377629
Hahah this >>21377654
Too perfect.

>>21377654

this. literally, physically pick her the fuck up.

>>21377741

and HUG HER FROM BEHIND as we introduce her again, peering over her shoulder to look at Rae.

>>21377654
Seconding this.

In addition to the other thing
[x] Oh, yeah. Find out anything?

File: 1351730755735.png-(158 KB, 1000x700, Odessa_Rothrock.png)

"Odessa?"

Again, silence.

You roll your eyes. Really? Come on, Rae's here for you! With a sigh, you turn around. Odessa's eyes fill with fear as you grip her sides with your hands. You lift her up with a grunt, her legs flailing in surprise.

"Wh-Hey! C-cookie, put me down!!" she cries as you swing her around in the air. You set her down in front of a very confused Rae, keeping your grip to so Odessa doesn't run away. With a firm hand, you spin her around.

"Rae," you say as Odessa now faces your friend, "this is Seaman Rothrock, our most notable trainee and the reason why you got a nice vacation from instructing."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Rae says. "We didn't really get a chance to know each other, huh?" Rae extends a hand. "I'm Lt. Rae Caulders. I was supposed to be handling the combat portions of training, but..." She laughs. "Cleo—er, Chief Kuykendall needed a favor, so..."

Odessa stares at her feet, her face filling at red as you force her to stay facing Rae. After several awkward seconds, it's clear Odessa isn't going to shake Rae's hand of her own volition.

[ ] Hey, Odessa, be polite.
[ ] Sorry about that, Rae...
[ ] Other.

>>21377893

[x] Hey, Odessa, be polite.

>>21377893
[ ] Hey, Odessa, be polite.

>>21377893
[x] Hey, Odessa, be polite.

[x] Sorry about that, Rae...

>>21377893
[x]Other
Grab her forearrm, extend her hand and say, while trying to immitate Odessa's voice 'Hello, Lt. Caulders, I'm Odessa Rothrock, it's nice to meet you.'
Joking, of course.
[x] Hey Odessa, be polite.

>>21377893
[x] Hey, Odessa, be polite.
So I've been thinking, our little ragtag group of future corpses is going to need a name. And our primary role will probably be sabotage of Martian supply lines and so on, right?
Can't think of anything more fitting than Cookie's Cutters.

>>21378112

MacArthur's Minnies work, but lol fuck that guy

>>21378112
Cookie's Corpses works.

>>21378112
I like it.

File: 1351731967917.jpg-(450 KB, 1117x735, 1348709196495.jpg)

"Hey," you whisper in Odessa's ear, "be polite! She went out searching for days to try and help you, you know!"

Slowly, Odessa's head rises. "Um...I'm...Odessa Rothrock. Thank you for helping." Odessa takes Rae's hand, giving it a feeble shake.

"Think nothing of it. It was a nice vacation!" Rae says cheerfully. "Got to...see some old friends.." she says, trailing off. "Anyway, yeah. Good to meet you."

You shiver as another cold gust blows by. Peering behind Rae, you can see the unloaders wheeling supplies off the plane. They'll be opening the hangar doors more widely to move it all in... "We should head inside," you suggest.

"Oh, great idea. I'm getting chilled," Rae agrees.

"Maybe if you'd wear some pants for once, you wouldn't be so cold."

"Maybe if you wouldn't, you'd have had a better time at the bar," Rae responds. It was meant playfully, but Tom's recent letter makes you wonder seriously. Should you?

"Where are we going?" Odessa asks.

"Good question. It's dinner time, right?" Rae says.

"Yeah," you respond.

"Then we might not want to head to a cafeteria filled with people," Rae begins. An interrupting rumble of her stomach changes her mind mid-sentence. "Then again..."

[ ] Cafeteria
[ ] Lounge
[ ] Other

>>21378189
Acquire foodstuffs, take to lounge

>>21378189

[x] Cafeteria

Let's get the woman some food

>>21378189
[x] Labs
Alice probably has a fridge down there to reduce time lost fetching food.

[x] Lounge

It should be nice, relaxing and quiet there

>>21378189
[x] Food

Whichever one gets us to food faster. Cookie needs a samich.

>>21378285

Cookie needs some cookies

>>21378189
Cafeteria.
If the other cadets are there we can point them out to Rae.

>>21378317

What's Cookie's favorite type of Cookie? I vote molasses ginger, the good kind with shortening.

Still soft and warm when you take them out of the oven, delishus.

>>21378189
Grab food, then find someplace less traveled to get down to business. We are going to need to start putting the hammer down to get our girls trained.

>>21378189
>Tom's recent letter

DOHOHOH I need to read the archives

>>21378374
Oatmeal Rasin - The best kind of cookie for the best kind of Cookie.

Now that you think about it, you're pretty hungry too. You last ate about six hours ago, after all. "We can just grab some food from the cafeteria and go from there," you suggest.

"That'd work," Rae replies. The two of you begin heading for the staircase, eager to head for food and warmth. Turning your head back, you notice Odessa hasn't moved.

"Come on!" you encourage, gesturing towards the stairs.

"...Ok..." Odessa replies meekly. Man, what's with her? Is it Rae?

The three of you grab food, Rae taking advantage of finally being back to bully "Tommy." With Rae's plate holding significantly more food than either of you, your group heads down to the lounge.

"What's that music?" Rae asks.

"Huh. Dunno," you answer. Faint classical music begins to fill your ears as you approach, growing louder with each step. "It's coming from inside."

Rae shrugs and opens the door. The music becomes alive, no longer muffled, as the sight of Victor in an oddly comfortable yet classy set of pajamas reads a book in a fluffy chair you're certain wasn't in here several days ago.

[ ] Victor?
[ ] Ignore him
[ ] Other

[x] Ignore him

Let the guy unwind, there's stuff to be talked about.

>>21378466
[x] xqs me victor, but wtf r u doin

victor pls
pls victor

>>21378466
>[x] Ignore him
Let the man have his peace.

>>21378466
>[ ] Other
Nod companionably to him and find a couch.
Ask Rae if she's found anything more about Odessa's situation.

>>21378482

The most eloquent phrasing of this man's post convinces me that his vote is a good one. I second this proposal, and further venture that Cookie's entreaties should be phrased in just such a fashion. No man minds explaining to a cutely confused cutie that he's in the middle of being Classy and Erudite As Fuck.

>>21378466

[x] Ignore him

Dude, the man's got a book and a fluffy chair. We'll let him have his peace.

>>21378492
This seems to pretty much equate to "ignore him" but seems a bit classier. So I'll back it.

>>21378466
[x] Ignore him
Dude's got class.

>>21378466

[ ] Victor, WHAT THE FUCK

"Cleo, what the hell is going on?" Rae asks. "Isn't that Victor?"

You nod. "He's been...different these past few days. Let's just let him be..." you suggest, entering the room. You eye him curiously, half expecting him to pull out a pipe as he reads. When he raises a hand, you're afraid that he actually does have a pipe. Instead, you merely nod at his greeting. He returns to his book.

Taking seats around a table, you all spend several minutes to eat and shoot the breeze. By all, of course, you mean Rae and yourself; Odessa, bless her heart, stares meekly at her food as you two catch up.

"...she asks if I'm having trouble finding things! Could you be any more obvious?" you ask.

"Heh, not really. So what'd you do?"

"I got tired of it. Gave her an earful. Boser needs to shape up!"

"...You chewed her out?"

"Yeah. Seems to have worked; Boser hasn't been making a fuss since. Hell, I haven't heard a peep out of her."

"You sure that was the right thing to do?"

[ ] Yeah
[ ] Well...
[ ] Other.

>>21378800
[x] Well...

She's got no friends and she's no good at making them.

>>21378800
>[x] Yeah
Maybe not, but it seems like something she needed to be told.

>>21378800

[x] Well...

Y'know, we COULD have been comforting when she told us she LITERALLY had no friends.

[x] Well...

We never did find out the exact root of her friend problem as I suspect she ran into some sort of discrimination growing up and it affected her.

>>21378800
[x] Yeah
I don't think anyone has ever told her outright to shape up; maybe because she's a Witch they just transferred her rather than have to deal with the hassle of disciplining a Witch.
Yeah, she's got no friends, but before she has friends she has to make sure she doesn't get prospective ones killed due to her own incompetence.

>>21378830

In an addendum, when someone tells me they have "no friends," that will pretty much INSTANTLY garner sympathy from me.

>>21378800
[x] Well...
We were kind of hard on her. And by 'we' I mean the derp brigade.

>>21378908
>before she has friends she has to make sure she doesn't get prospective ones killed due to her own incompetence
Don't worry about that. They'll get themselves killed from their own incompetence before she can kill them with hers.

>>21378927

That, while true, is kinda horrible. And are they really THAT incompetent still? I mean, what's the worst they could do to themselves?

>>21378944
Drown, mostly

>>21378957
You are a terrible person, and i like you.

>>21378800
"No, but it's not like i'm going to do her any favors by letting her get away with pranking her commander, is it?"

>>21378944
Break their equipment and get crushed by water pressure when their strikers stop boosting their magic.
Blow themselves up with their bombs.
Get disoriented and dive too deep/up into enemy fire/get lost completely in the middle of the fucking ocean.

"Well...she's been acting...you know! She's got a problem with people, with me. She can't operate smoothly with others, and that's a problem in the field. If she doesn't get her act together, she'll get them killed!" you explain.

"She say anything while you chewed her out? Maybe something that explains why she has a stick up her ass?" Rae asks.

"Um..." Thinking back, she did mention something about having no friends.

"She did, didn't she?"

"Something about having no friends," you admit.

"You chew her out for that, too?"

"...Yes."

From your right, Odessa finally speaks up. "Lt. Boser hasn't been saying much during meals anymore..."

"What was she like before?" Rae asks.

"She was...loud...and mean..."

"Then it's an improvement, right?" you ask.

Rae shakes her head. "Not necessarily. What if-"

The door swings open, loudly interrupting both Rae's sentence and Victor's peaceful reading. Natsumi Ogawa steps into the room, her face ever frozen. As she scans the room, her eyes stop on you. "Chief Kuykendall. Might we speak a moment?" she asks. Her expression hasn't changed nor is her voice anything but calm, but you can't help but feel like there's a new, sharp edge to her words.

[ ] Of course.
[ ] Not now.
[ ] Other.

>>21379036
[x] Of course.

>>21379036
>[X] Of course.
Seems important.

>>21379036

[x] Of course.

Who wants to bet Ogawa is stepping in on behalf of Boser?

We done fucked up.

[x] Of course.

I think it's related to the topic

>>21378916
And she probably needed a stern talking to.
Look at her record: always being transferred but not a single disciplinary note. No one bothered to make her shape up by telling her she was doing anything wrong, probably because they didn't want the hassle of trying to discipline a Witch that's already out of the Academy.

And her performance HAS improved after we chewed her out.

>>21379036
Of course

>>21379078
see >>21377365

A 180 is bad. She's doing bad, now.

>>21379036
[x] Of course.

>>21379078
What she needed was someone pointing out that whatever her problems were, they are ultimately irrelevant in the face of the war.
She didn't need Bitchy McBitchTits being a bitch at her.

>>21379078
I think we (and thus Cookie) went over the line in the process of things and likely made things worse.

/tg/: your one stop place for all your social retard needs

File: 1351736197004.gif-(388 KB, 500x536, sum-wan-wan.gif)

>>21379102
And doing a 360 is good right?

>>21379121

We weren't a bitch exactly, but I don't think made the best choice.

"Of course," you answer, nodding to your companions. "I'll be right back," you tell them.

"Thank you," she said flatly, exiting the room. You follow her just outside, closing the door. As you turn back to continue following her, Ogawa stops you. "Lt. Boser's demeanor has abruptly changed."

That's not a question. It's a statement. Nevertheless, you nod.

"None of the students say they said or did anything to her."

Again, a statement. Again, you nod.

"I believe them."

Nod.

"Do you know what happened?"

[ ] I spoke to her.
[ ] No.
[ ] Other.

>>21379166

[x] Other.

"I pointed out that her attitude was a problem. She also mentioned that she had no friends.

Seeing as she's changed her attitude, perhaps you could help her with the second half of that problem?"

>>21379166
[x] I spoke to her.

Ain't no point in lyin'
Maybe little miss professionalism here can stir up some camaraderie to improve her unit's cohesiveness and therefore combat effectiveness.

>>21379165
We were a fucking huge bitch. Maybe you should go back and read the actual posts.
And the real kicker? After Kotters posted it, you were all perfectly happy with how Cookie acted.
>>21379166
[x] I spoke to her.

>>21379166
"I may have come down on her a little too hard for something she should have known better than to do."

>>21379134
Yes, unless you start moonwalking afterwards.

>>21379166
[x] I spoke to her.
We pointed out that her current attitude was detrimental to the training being done here, and that her personal problems pale in comparison to the requirements of the war.

>>21379198

>Perfectly happy?

The FUCK I was. Jesus Christ we were harsh.

>>21379166
>Ogawa asked all the other students if they did or said something to Boser before coming to us about it.

Ogawa seems mighty concerned about Boser, maybe she can help.

[ ] Other.

"I gave her a dressing-down because I was getting tired of her attitude. Is there a major concern of which I need to be aware?...are we going to need to set up a suicide watch or something, is that what you're trying to tell me?"

If she's done a complete 180, we should be worried anyway. But we should outright panic if Boser starts to act calm, relaxed and generally at peace.

>>21379210

Bullshit. Moonwalking is awesome. Have you SEEN the video for smooth criminal?

[x] I spoke to her.

Might as well fess up.

>>21379203
This. Ask for guidance on rectifying the situation.

>>21379190
You're assuming the change in attitude was positive.
People are also assuming that her performance doing a 180 meant she improved; if you'd go back and read the first couple of lines in Kotters' second post you should realise that it instead got worse.

>>21379198
Yes we were harsh, as expected of a training instructor that is expected to turn out combat-capable Sub Witches at the end of next week.

>>21379198
I was under the impression that the chewing out wasn't as bad as it was until the recent updates. And there wasn't a choice to cover Cookie's attitude after the revelation of no friends.

>>21379253
There's limits to such harshness, too much and she ends up blowing her head off with a cannon or tossing bombs into the rooms.

An instructor's job is to make a person a soldier, not a broken wreck without any regard for their own life.

>>21379253
There will be no combat capable Sub Witches at the end of next week.

Hell, the rest of the fucking instructors have a combined ten minutes of combat experience, and all of them almost died.

We need to tell Victor to tell McArthur to give us more time.

>>21379253
Well now it's looking an awful lot like we're going to be turning out corpses before the end of this one.
>>21379256
That was likely due to the attitude of the posters; everyone was gleefully jumping on the 'scream at the bitch' bandwagon without even contemplating moderation.

>>21379256
If you all have issues with how that aspect of the post was handled, please provide feedback. I'm here to provide a fun experience for the audience, not railroad them into things they don't want. I interpreted that decision as an overall desire to be forceful with her.

>>21379271
It doesn't help that instead of the cream of the crop, Cookie's getting the "rejects and dregs". If it was the former, then a week might be doable, not so much the current case.

>>21379283
I think you handled it fine; not your fault most of the posters at that point were out for blood.

>>21379283
No, I think it is a little late to retcon it. You are doing fine. We said harsh, you gave us harsh.

>>21379283
I don't think any of us saw "no friends" as an issue point and (WRONGFULLY) assumed she was just being a bitch.

Realistically such a revelation would blunt whatever harshness most people would have. Cookie is yet to reach the cold harshness of Lt. Hartman of FMJ infamy.

Though I doubt we'd have seen it coming with the rageon some anon were having combined with normal /tg/ social retardation (not to mention perhaps half the people reading this are like Boser than they'd like to admit)

>>21379329
I wouldn't dream of retconning it, it'd be an important lesson to anon to learn about not being such fucktards

>>21379283

Eeeeeh, I personally would have pulled back a bit after the "no friends" thing. But the general trend of the votes was "be forceful." And I don't remember, but even though I think I voted for some clemency or mercy, people were pretty satisfied, or seemed that way.

I didn't say anything afterwards, but I really felt bad for her.

And you are representing her being traumatized as fuck fairly well. I'm favorably impressed.

>>21379329
I don't think even Kotters thinks himself a bad enough writer to consider resorting to retcons.
We get ourselves into this mess, we can get ourselves out.

>>21379283
No, I think it was fine.
These aren't rookies fresh out of the Witch Academy; they're all soldiers, even if they're the bottom of the barrel.

>>21379329

I'd vote for no retcons either, not just on principle, but choices were made, we need to deal with them.

>>21379367
>they're all soldiers

Could've fooled me.

>>21379367
>witches
>soldiers

Last time I checked, most witches don't get any real soldier training, just witch training. Cookie's an exception as she choose the hard way to do things as opposed to sitting easy on the "Witch commission" that most seem to do.

I suspect whatever Military groups that have witches don't care to sort through whatever issues they might have.

>>21379346
Well buddy, we need you to speak up if you get the heebie jeebies at such a thing. It would help keep us from making Cookie a raging cunt.

>>21379402

Shitty soldiers, cannon fodder maybe, but they are still soldiers.

They signed up to fight and die, theirs not to question why.

Our job is to make them GOOD soldiers.

Just to clarify, I was not considering retconning. What happens happens. However, I'm very open to feedback and thoughts on how things should be handled in the future. Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it.

A sinking feeling fills your chest. "I spoke with her about her attitude," you answer.

"...And so she has changed her attitude."

Another statement.

"Why did you speak with her about her attitude?"

"Because her attitude was toxic," you reply. "She's liable to get her fellow witches killed in combat that way. I told her she could shape up or ship out."

Ogawa's silence is a harsher reply than any words could have been.

"She shaped up! She's no longer being abrasive or arrogant. She can work with others now—"

"Work with others? Has she done so since?" Ogawa asks, cutting in.

"Well, no, but—"

"Then do you think that this attitude is any less toxic than her previous one?"

[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] Other

>>21379434

<3

>>21379434
Perhaps the next time such a revelation comes up have a choice on how Cookie would adjust her current heading (harshen up, soften up, etc)

>>21379440
[x] No

What does she suggest?

>>21379440

[x] Other

Fair enough Ogawa, you have a point. However, her attitude was only half the problem, and she is at least taking steps to remedy that. She also mentioned she had no friends. Would you care to help her with that?

>>21379446
I will do so. I'm just very against having short updates. I've been writing uncomfortably short ones in this thread, but I suppose they're necessary at times. Assuming too many actions can result in unsatisfactory or controversial results, as I'm learning.

[x] Yes
[x] Would you have any idea what might be at the root of her socialization issues before now?

I think she's turning it against herself and I'm not sure if Cookie should admit to wanting help on how to fix the mess she made.

>>21379440
[x] Yes, slightly. But not enough.

>>21379468

Eh, I think it was okay. If I recall, I voted for being nicer to her, so my preference for the "kindness" option, or at least the "kinder" option was consistent for my vote. It wasn't the way the thread went though.

>>21379466
Reasonable.

>>21379440
[x] Other
"Ffffffuck. No. Goddamnit Boser. Where is she now?"
Get Rae to chat with Odessa about ye olde family bullshite and ask Ogawa to take notes for us while we go fix Boser.

>>21379476
You just want to make it worse, don't you.

>>21379440
[ ] Other.
"You raise a good point. On the one hand, it's not exactly helpful. On the other, she is not actively interfering in training. That said, she's retreated into a shell....hey wait a minute. You seem very concerned. Did you just volunteer to help pull her out of that shell? I THINK YOU DID!"

>>21379440
[x] Yes
[x] Other
"She's not actively being hostile to other students or instructors, so yes, that's a start.
"As you seem to know her better than I do, do you know the root of Boser's problems, Ogawa?"

>>21379476

If ANY witch is willing to admit her mistakes it's Cookie. She bloody well ENLISTED. She knows she's not too good to admit to what she's done wrong.

>>21379476
Yeah. Never admit that you made a mistake, just be open to finding ways to fix the mistakes you didn't make.

>>21379527
That's a good start.

>>21379544

Uuuh. What?

>>21379440
No
"I think I probably fucked up. I was probably too harsh on her. How can I fix this?"

>>21379538
Yes, but isn't it more important right now to have Ogawa enlighten us on what problems, exactly, Boser has?

>>21379440

>>21379527 <- this

>>21379522
Nope but I think she's currently being toxic to herself.

>>21379560

I think what problems she has pretty goddamn obvious. She's currently drowning in a sea of self loathing.

>>21379468
Thanks Kotters. Giving us a chance for changing tact based upon response would be handy, but I understand how obnoxiously short it would make the updates.

>>21379583
I think people are referring to the root of her socialization problems in the first place before We made it much worse.

>>21379597

Fair point.

>>21379601
I figure understanding that would be key to resolving the whole thing as otherwise we'd only be able to go to some other messed up state.

File: 1351738645084.jpg-(33 KB, 465x565, 124022951785.jpg)

"Yes!" you say, eager to get some sort of leverage in this conversation. "Yes, but not enough. She's not liable to get others killed now. She's liable to get herself killed."

Ogawa's normally stoic eyes tighten. "...And this is how you help others?"

"It's a work in progress. No one turns around in one night. You care about Boser, right?"

Silence once more.

"Well, do you know what's troubling her?"

"Your discussion."

"Besides that. The root of the problem. Why was she so abrasive?"

"...It is not my job to investigate every witch around me. That is yours. You are the instructor, are you not? Do you not have profiles on every one of us?"

[ ] I'm human. I don't know everything.
[ ] Don't you think you should have an interest in your comrades' well-being?
[ ] Other.

>>21379636
[ ] Other.

"The profiles don't tell me everything. For example, they don't tell me why you're here."

>>21379636
>[ ] I'm human. I don't know everything.
"The profiles don't tell me everything, so that's where talking to people and other forms of investigation need to come in."

[x] I'm human. I don't know everything.
[x] Those profiles do not have nearly enough information.
[x]Don't you think you should have an interest in your comrades' well-being?

I suspect the last one has the risk of having her sister come up.

>>21379636
This. >>21379650

>>21379650

Ooooh. I like this one.

Although she should have an interest in her comrades' well-being, especially as their lives will depend on each other.

We REALLY need some teambuilding exercises soon.

Well, once they stop being utterly incompetent.

Who has ideas on how we can fix the mess we're sitting on.

>>21379636
[x]Other
"Yes, I have profiles. But such profiles are rarely ever complete. For example, yours showed you have a very promising career; above-average magical aptitude and in the Imperial Navy, which traditionally treats its Witches well. But now you're in this backwater as part of an experimental and nearly suicidal prototype weapons program, without any explanation for your sudden degradation in performance or why you're out of favor.
"As for Lt. Boser, her profile only says that she gets worked up over issues that don't exist. Well, she apparently does have one that exists, but her profile doesn't say what it is. And since you seemed to be so concerned with her well-being, I was hoping that you would already know it so I could better prepare to talk with her."

>>21379675
We really don't know why she's there though. This is the dumping grounds for witches, right? And she's super professional, right? What did she do, fuck a donkey in front of an admiral or something?

>>21379636

>>21379650
this^

>>21379650
I like this. Let's do it.

>>21379675
We have a week left. We CAN'T fix it. We can teach them enough to not drown on the demonstration exercise but after that they're screwed.

>>21379715
I think fixing it is a much for them to be competent.

>>21379703
>This is the dumping grounds for witches, right?
Pretty much.
Basically the Allied navies sent the Witches that they wouldn't mind dying to this program.
If they live and the program works, that's great.
If the program kills them all, that's also great, because it gets rid of baggage they'd rather do without, and at least they can say that the Witches died in the line of duty without endangering any actually important front-line units.

>>21379734
That's the current impression. That and I get the feeling if a Witch starts showing issues, she gets dumped into a program like this as opposed to spending time on said issues. I think such things are better dealt with in Joint Wings than normal units.

"I do have profiles. Know what they tell me?"

"I do not."

"Lt. Natsumi Ogawa. IJN. Age 16. Traditional lineage. Competent. Capable. Determined."

"I fail to see how that is relevant," she says, her dark eyes piercing through you.

"Not a damned Witch here is worth her salt," you say bluntly. "They all have issues, problems that need to be worked out. Rothrock has strikers exploding when she puts them on. Boser has her attitude. Harton is a lazy sack."

"…"

"So what the hell are you doing here? You see what I'm getting at? I've got the official reports, pictures, half your life's story, but I don't have shit on who you are."

"…"

"Profiles don't tell me everything. There's a limit to what I can do with them."

"…"

[ ] Lt. Ogawa?
[ ] Continue.
[ ] Other.

>>21379750
I think its because of the war and the pressure that the Allied Command is under.
They can't discipline Witches like they can regular soldiers.
With regular soldiers, it's acceptable (by the standards of the time) to be harsh enough to either fix them or have them no longer be a problem (either because they wash out or commit suicide, either way gets rid of excess baggage), but you can't do that with Witches.
Besides their relative rarity, their long-standing traditions and political clout prevent that, and probably leads to them being treated with kid gloves.
So for High Command, it's better to move such problem Witches to these kinds of programs that get them out of the way of front-line units, who don't need to be distracted with dealing with trouble-makers when they already have to deal with the fatigue and stress that well-performing Witches are experiencing.
With the Martians constantly pushing at every theater across the world, quietly removing problem Witches like what we have here is a better usage of resources. Better that resources go to keep high-performing Witches fighting, than to try to rehabilitate rejects that are just as likely to get their entire unit killed as they are to be able to complete mission objectives.

[x] Lt. Ogawa?

I'm getting a feeling it's related to her sister.... it's going to come sooner or later.

>>21379856

Okay. How CAN we treat them so that they'll shape up?

Because we don't HAVE those high performing witches.

>>21379856
>can't

it's more like won't, likely due to long standing sentiment against witches.

>>21379850
[x] Lt. Ogawa?

We've made our point. We are trying our best here but we don't have a lot of time or experience and we need more cooperation.

>>21379850
>[ ] Lt. Ogawa?

>>21379850
[x] Lt. Ogawa?
BRACE FOR EMOTIONAL OUTBURST oh who am I kidding we'll be lucky if she fucking blinks.

>>21379850

[x] Lt. Ogawa?

>>21379850
[x] Lt. Ogawa?
Give her half a minute to respond.
[x] Continue.
"As you said, they are not relevant. The profiles do nothing to tell me what the problem is beyond that there is a problem. And that's why I need to know what you know about Lt. Boser. If you don't know, then please tell me now."

>>21379885

In addition to my vote, I'd like to second your addendum.

"Lt. Ogawa?" you ask. Her sudden silence is foreboding. You find yourself on edge; in the short time you've known her, she'd never gone silent. Not like this.

"…"

"…"

Seconds pass. You're about to continue when she finally speaks.

"You want to know what I am doing here?"

"Well, yes."

"I am here because I am not worth my salt. I am here because I have become useless. I am here because I am incapable of performing my duties," she answers. Her voice carries a cold force, unstoppable momentum. "I am here because I have failed, because I am not in control."

[ ] You seem rather in control.
[ ] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here.
[ ] Other.

>>21379989
>[x] You seem rather in control.
>[x] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here

>>21379989

[ ] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here

Da fuck? She's like the only one who doesn't have obvious and serious issues. Hell, we're just now seeing it.

>>21379989
[x] You seem rather in control.

>>21379989

[x] You seem rather in control.

Terrifyingly so in point of fact. If you don't ease up a little, and maybe become a bit less brittle, you can break.

The willow thrives where the oak tree shatters, or some asian proverb.

>>21379989
>[ ] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here.

>>21380028
Sounds about right

>>21379989
"Explain. Because that made no sense , Ogawa."

>>21379989
[x] You seem rather in control.
[x] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here.
[x] Other.
"You'll have to explain in more depth, lieutenant."

[x] You seem rather in control.
[x] Not worth your salt? You're the best performing Witch here.

I'd ask about what might have caused her decrease in performance as something like her doesn't all of a sudden go bad without good reason.

>>21379989

WAIT A FUCKING SECOND.

SHE'S FUCKING QUOTING SOMEONE.

>>21380090
Yeah, us.

>>21380098

For the "SALT" bit yeah. The rest? I did a ctrl+f for the other words she used.

That sounds like someone said something to her. This is a problem.

>>21379989
[x] Other.
"And do you wish to dispute this assessment of your abilities made by the IJN and Allied High Command? So far, I have not seen such failures, but if you believe my assessment to be in error, please tell me now and I will adjust your training accordingly."

"What the hell are you talking about, Lt. Ogawa?" you demand, feeling like you're talking to a pressurized air tank about to blow. "You look pretty damned in control to me. You're the best performing Witch here! If anyone's worth their salt, it's you—"

"Look!? I look in control to you, Chief. Cleona. Kuykendall!?"

"Well—"

"Is this the eye you use to examine others, the mind you use to determine your actions, the way you guide those that trust you!?"

"Lt.—"

"Is this how you work with those under your care!?"

The sudden outburst is beyond anything you've ever experienced. You can feel the hurt, the flame behind her words, the exclamation that forces you to pay attention to them...but the cold precision is still there. They pierce you straight to your core, even as you scramble to determine what she is getting at.

[ ] ...Is this about your sister?
[ ] I'm only human.
[ ] Other.

>>21380209
Lt. Ogawa I am starting to see your point.

>>21380221

Agreed.

>>21380209

[x] Is this about your sister?

>>21380209
[X ] ...Is this about your sister?

>>21380209
>[x] ...Is this about your sister?

>>21380209

[x] Other.

I think we need to sit down and have a talk. Maybe give her a hug and discuss just what her problem is.

Ooooor skip the hug for now. But I think she definitely needs to talk to someone.

[x] Is this about your sister?

And maybe if possible after the speech,

[x] "I'm only human, it wasn't too long ago that I was a trainee myself"

As honestly, Cookie isn't a trained instructor or any sort, but rather someone who got the job by virtue of actually surviving a test run of it and on top of that, she gets all sorts of Witches with issues.

>>21380279
I say we hit her until she stops with the whole "saving face" act.

>>21380209
[X] I'm only human.
We're doing our best damnit. One week to diagnose and solve a whole bucket of emotional issues as well as train them for combat?

>>21380209
[x] Other.
"Point taken. You have a problem, just like the others. You keep yourself to a strict code of professionalism in the hope that it can somehow redeem you in the eyes of the IJN, though you know they will never take you back.
"Your sister probably has something to do with the initial drop in your performance, doesn't it?"

>>21380337

We... hit her. We hit the soldier under our command who has FINALLY opened up?

no. just no.

fuck no

no

anon pls

>>21380209
[x] I'm only human.

"Is this about your sister?" you ask calmly.

Ogawa stops mid-rage. With just a few words, her assault has been halted, her persona broken. For once, her eyes are wide with surprise, her face emotive. The sixteen year-old girl stands before you, hurt, angry...and sad.

"Lt. O—No. Natsumi?"

A tear begins to run down her face, features frozen in a much more vulnerable expression. "I..." she manages weakly.

"Are...are you ok?"

Another tear falls, then another, and another.

[ ] Silence
[ ] Comfort
[ ] Apology
[ ] Other

>>21380350
yeah both points need addressing, especially the sister one as if we leave it alone it'll blow up some other time in a worse place.

>>21380357
I can sort of see where he's coming from. Summary corporal punishment was standard in the Imperial Armed Forces, according to my grandfather.
But yes, I don't think it would work very well in this case. But neither will being too soft with her, either, since Ogawa seems to have gone through real Imperial Navy training.

>>21380422

[x] Comfort

[x] Silent Comfort

Not sure if words would do much good in this case.

>>21380422
[x] Comfort

For reals. She's crying.

File: 1351742659009.gif-(2.42 MB, 742x648, 1351379511478.gif)

>>21380422
[x] Comfort

>>21380422

[ ] Hug

NO WITCH LEFT SAD
NO WITCH IS USELESS
HUG NATSUMI.

HUGS FOR THE HUG GOD
CONDOLENCES FOR THE CONDOLENCE THRONE

Alright time out what is the deal with her sister again?

>>21380422
[x] Silence
[x] Comfort
Keep in mind her cultural norms.

>>21380451
Her sister is dead.
We served with her (as short as it was) on the Tullabee.
She had her brains exploded by a Martian sonic cannon.

>>21380459
oh

OH

>>21380459

Aaaaah shit, she may blame us. Touching bad?

File: 1351742852937.gif-(794 KB, 256x145, 1350938876972.gif)

>>21380459
"dead"

>>21380422
[x] Silent Comfort

>>21380475
We already blame us, she can join the club.

>>21380451
From the badly-written writefaggotry backstory, originally posted in SWQ:

"AAAAAAAH!" yelled Ogawa. No one could hear her, but it had to be done. The alien sonar ping was loud. Very, very loud, and Ogawa had just found the sub. It was very close. There was a loud clunk as its hull struck Ogawa's helmet. Yes, very, very close. Shrugging off the pain, she reached into her pack, grabbing a pair of limpet mines. Working quickly, she armed them and attached them to the alien sub's hull. With a quick push, she started widening the miniscule gap between herself and the sub. A few more pings jarred her, but she'd already reinforced her shield to bear the brunt of the sonic bursts. Clearing safe distance from the mines, she started celebrating in her head. One more kill on these creatures, she thought with a smile.
Then the ringing in her ears became unbearable and her helmet shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

>>21380475
I don't think she will at the moment.

>>21380492
And the most wonderful thing about all this?
She might not be dead. We might have left her on the Harbinger.
And I know you'd do that Kotters. You promised to kill all the witches but then you didn't. She'd be the only one.

>>21380492
Oh right, the second most successful subwitch, one of two that actually managed to deliver ordnance into the general vicinity of the enemy. What a promising program to funnel more witches and money into.

Unless Caulders actually got any hits in before getting flyswatted

>>21380422
[X] Other

Slap her so she regains her senses. Tough love.

>>21380426
Yeah, let's do the hit. Being soft is weakness to these people.

>>21380422

[ ] Other.

Someone needs a hug.

>>21380529
Wouldn't matter; she was using a skimmer, not a substriker.

>>21380529

Cynical much?

>>21380492
was that death planefag approved? I remember he had a strict rule on dead witches: never to exceeed a low number and thus a writer can't go killing them off nilly willy.

>>21380556
Planefag originally signed off eagerly on the higher intended death count; originally only Rae and Cleona would have survived the backstory. Rae could have died at the beginning of the quest.

You would have been alone.

>>21380525
But since Socks was in charge of the Martian research program on Witches, wouldn't he know about Ogawa being brought in? It's one thing to keep secrets among humans, but remember that the Martians are telepathic.

>>21380555
Fuck yes I am. Putting little girls on submarines is completely reprehensible. Launching them out of torpedo tubes and expecting them to fight underwater is bordering on the unspeakable. MacArthur is a cunt.

>>21380579
That commander was being a dick to Socks before we even came on board. Hiding one Witch from him wouldn't have been hard.

>>21380529

That being the case, I'm surprised we don't have a lot more Russian witches. And German witches as well, considering their hard-on for U-boats.

>>21380571
Was this before he put in the "7 witches dead PERIOD" matter in the SWQverse?

>>21380634
Good point, I'd have imagined Germany would have looked into something like that, though they might have been enjoying the massive successes their air witches are.

>>21380636
After, if I recall correctly. Either way, SWQ takes place around spring 1943. We're in August.

>>21380636

That was the number of witches who have died THUS FAR. Not how many can die ever.

>>21380594
And yet it needs to be done because the alternative is even greater loss of life among conventional naval crews, the loss of hundreds if not thousands of tons of Allied shipping, and events like the bombardment of Brisbane.

This is a war of extermination at the interplanetary scale.
Your points are noted and promptly thrown in the trash by everyone on the planet.

>>21380634
They may have their own programs, or their experience with submarine warfare may have allowed them to see the folly in it, considering they are dealing mostly with air and land based threats.

>>21380661
>spring 1943 getting ready for Operation Overlord
>August, the Allies still getting their shit kicked in.
So, Operation Market Garden hit a snag?

>>21380594

And strapping planes to little girls and having them murder martians is TOTALLY SAFE AND WE SHOULD DO THAT ALL THE TIME.

>>21380668
The Martians had exactly one submarine. We've more or less resolved that issue. Airborne witches kill surface combatants just fine, and even if we did need subwitches, they could deploy from convoys and battleships rather than underwater deathtraps.

>>21380673
>considering they are dealing mostly with air and land based threats.
In the European and Euroasian theaters, yes.
But the Martian commanders in the Pacific theater seem to be concentrating on naval warfare a lot harder, especially with their recent deployment of those naval dreadnaughts that they used against the Harbinger.

>>21380685
Relatively speaking, yes. At least they don't instantly die horribly in the event of a minor equipment failure.

>>21380701
Right, and Germany isn't fighting in the Pacific theater, so they don't need das unterseehexen

>>21380663
I was under the impression that was mentioned as a limitation, not an invitation to go killing off Witches so much it resembles something by frank miller.

>>21380679
I think it depends on the front

>>21380679
>implying you'd see effects from Overlord on the other side of the world

Though, the invasion of North America is probably to blame for why the area isn't doing so well right now. We'll have to wait and see how things turn out here.

>>21380704
That's true; they die horribly in a few seconds once their decreased performance lets a Martian needle-fighter fill them full of holes.

>>21380715
It was Minna telling Young how many witches had been killed thus far. A limitation was never set. Also:

>One POTENTIALLY dead witch
>killing off Witches so much it resembles something by frank miller

>>21380704
Yes they do.

>>21380704

Yyyeaaaaah they do. And subwitches don't necessarily die instantly. Just at crush depth.

>>21380739
Depends on the battle as well there's been cases of witches making crash landings, a few of which have been mentioned in the writefaggotries, though these cases had the advantages of other forces to A) save them or B) distract the enemy.

But yeah death is a worst case scenario for air witches while with sub witches, it's a matter of how she'd die.

>>21380739
>>21380722

That seems to happen far less often than the problems affecting subwitches. They seem to have the benefit of backup focuses for landing and emergency shields so that they don't die every time they get shot down.

7 other witches dead in the first three years of the war, out of hundreds if not thousands. First deployment of five subwitches, 1 likely dead, 4 captured. 100% casualty rate.

"Natsumi?" you ask cautiously. It's like working with a house of cards. One false move...

"My...my sister..." she whispers, eyes staring beyond you.

"...It's ok, you know."

"…"

"To cry, I mean."

"…"

You step forward, hand outstretched. She doesn't react. You take it as a good sign. "We're all losing people in this war," you say. "My brother, Tom, he's fighting every day. I don't even know if he's still alive—"

Sudden horror flashes across Ogawa's face as she recomposes her stony visage. Eyes hardened once more, she steps backwards. "I do not...." she begins, but falters as her eyes water once more. She turns around, her back to you.

You reach out gingerly, trying not to startle her. As your hand touches her shoulder, however, she beats it away. "N-Natsumi?"

Her only response is to run down the hall.

[ ] Chase
[ ] Let her go
[ ] Other

>>21380797

[ ] CHASE

>>21380797
[x] Let her go

Let her cry it off before talking to her again.

>>21380797

[ ] Other.

Let's give her like twenty minutes to get herself put back together. Long enough that she won't feel ashamed to face us, too soon for her to really regain her mental defenses.

>>21380797
[x] Let her go
She needs to cry, just can't do it with an audience.
Back to Rae and Odessa. We'll deal with Boser... eventually. Fuck.

>>21380797
[x] Let her go

Clearly we need to talk to her more, but she needs some time.

Also looks like she isn't going to be able to help us with Boser so we're back to square one there.

>>21380797
>[ ] Let her go

>>21380797

[X] Chase

We were making good progress here, and we need to resolve our issues with her if we want here help with Boser.

>>21380797

[x] Let her go.

For now. We DO need to talk to her soon. But we can give her a moment to pull herself together. It probably won't be any easier when we do have that conversation.

>>21380797
[x] Other
Go after her, but slowly to give her time to compose herself before reaching her.
She's an Imperial Japanese Navy Witch. She's a proud member of the Empire of Japan. I really don't think you people understand her mentality.

>>21380878
Hitting her is what would be culturally be appropriate in this situation.

>>21380939
goddammit will you fuck off with that already

File: 1351745810349.png-(22 KB, 1000x176, shatterwitch.png)

You don't know what to do. You don't know what to say. All you know is that letting her go is probably the best thing for both of you at the moment. You watch as she turns the corner, her black hair flying. Natsumi Ogawa. Well. There's something you didn't see happening today. With not even enough energy to sigh, you turn back and enter the lounge. Not even Victor's classical music can help wash you of your discussion with Natsumi.

"So? What was up?" Rae asks, chomping on a cookie.

"Well, that's two witches now that I've managed to emotionally distress. At least this one might not be my fault."

Rae groans. "God dammit, Cleona, don't you realize that you're responsible here? If you keep messing up these girls—"

"Hey, I'm not messing her up, Rae! She was holding shit in, alright! I get it, I was harsh with Boser. I'm trying not to do that with Ogawa, but...she's got more issues to deal with. She's got that stony front she's been showing people. I have to...shatter that before I can help. I guess."

Rae gives you a look.

"What? It's not like I feel great about it! It just needs to be done!"

"Then how'd it go?"

"She ran off after I finally got her to cry."

"You made her cry!?" Odessa gasps.

"Well, yeah! I didn't know her sister was such a touchy subject! Hopefully now she'll actually talk about it instead of bundling it up inside!"

"I hope you're right, Cleo," Rae says quietly.

As you take a bite out of an apple, you can only agree.

>>21381009


NEXT TIME ON CLEONA SHATTERWITCH: WEDNESDAY, 8 PM EST
I'LL HAVE A PLAN! THANKS FOR PLAYING!

>>21380939
Actually, since she's a commissioned officer, no it wouldn't. If she was enlisted, then yeah, beating her for even slight infractions would be a given.
But remember that she's a lieutenant AND Imperial Navy. They were not as heavy-handed as the Imperial Army.
But that doesn't mean she would disregard the code of bushido that permeated Imperial Japan at the time; only that she doesn't let her belief in Japanese superiority blind her from reality.
Ah, and she may have the prevalent attitude of disdain for submarine warfare that a good portion of the IJN had.

From the journal of Major-General Claire Lee Chennault, CO of the American Volunteer Group, 15 March 1943.

I am not sure if I should consider today a very good day.

Today, I received a top-secret telegram from the White House. It said that I was doing a stellar job in China, despite the insane nonsense I have been facing. It also told me to form a new Air Corps in China, incorporating the Chinese and international elements of the 23rd Fighter Group. And it was signed by the President himself.

While I’m quite pleased that the President himself recognized my role in China (without a doubt from the media and those aliens invading), this news is worrying.

The 23rd is being stretched thin. Besides defending our supply lines and training these horrible, no-talent recruits to a somewhat acceptable standard (if one could consider surviving their first major crash acceptable), I have to listen to Stilwell prattle on about the KMT absconding with war materiel meant for fighting the Jap- I mean, the aliens.

Worse still, I’m being forced to make my boys fly no-credit bombing runs that endanger their lives than do anything good. Stillwell says it improves morale. BAH. He can go kiss my boot if he suggests another damn bombing run. Fuck him and his morale.

Training the witches to be air combat-worthy has been marginally better. They may seem slight and lithe, but they have had centuries, nay, millennia of combat training drilled into them since young. now if they’d only stop trying to murder each other before they finish training, I’d be more than pleased.

In the memo, the President that I’d be assigned a cadre of trainer witches, fresh from combat elsewhere to help me. And Wavell has asked me to write to the Polish Air Attaché for help. I hear there’s a war hero working there. Hopefully this could be of some help.
Still, this is a step up from being forced to babysit madmen and soldiers of fortune. I have had my fill of filling and approving incident reports, especially of a certain Gregory Boyington. Talented pilot he may be, he has little to no discipline at all. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

I should sleep. My new command awaits me in the morning.

>>21381041
>>21381049
Oh god what? I'm getting a writefag?

>>21381073
This is some kind of madness

>>21381073
YOU POPLAR NOW.

>>21381073
Maybe this will be the start of a brand new Strike Witches quest?

>>21381131
>>21381159
Well, I had Maul and Corsair Witches before he got bored of it.

This came out of the blue, though. Pleasant surprise.

>>21381184
Well, now I know what happened to Corsair Witches. I'm disappointed to hear that he got bored of it.

>>21381199
You can try talking to him. He hangs in #swq and #writescribbles on rizon.

>>21381073

Good thread <3

>>21381199
I'm offended he dropped Corsair witches to do some 40k high school story. I wonder if Corsair witches is still even canon due to its dropped status.

>>21381159
> YOU POPLAR NOW!

FTFY

>>21381219
He only ever bothered talking with the other writefags when Deme was around (very rarely) and then got indignant when he found out he was out of the loop. To be honest, I'm not surprised he gave it up.