Teamwork

After the short break, the rookies are told that each pair will be receiving their feedback separately from one of the Captains as well as one of the Senior Rangers. In the first room, Sami and Rain gathered with Aaron and Cinder. Astrid and Jay went into the second room where they found Haneul and Enzo. The senior rangers would give them feedback on their overall performance as a group, while the Captains would give them feedback on their individual performance.

Scenes of the simulation flashed through Rain’s mind as she was sitting in the room waiting to receive feedback. Sami was quiet but he also seems to be lost in thought. “What is with the concerned look on your faces - relax! Take it as a casual discussion,” said Cinder cheerfully. Aaron smiles and asks the two, “What did you have for lunch earlier?” Rain had a blank look on her face, what? Did I hear that correctly… “Not much, just some sandwiches.” Answered Sami.

“Nice, and how are you finding the food in the canteen here?”

“A little plain for my taste…”

“Right? I’ve been making suggestions to switch things up but they insist on keeping it simple and healthy.” Aaron sighs and shakes his head as he said that. He then looks at Rain waiting for her to answer.

“Oh um, I like it I guess.” She answers in a low voice.

“Looks like Rain’s mind was too busy thinking about today’s induction and training.” Cinder says as she gave a light chuckle. “We should go to some good restaurants later on as a team. There’s one Barbeque restaurant that’s especially good.” - suggests Aaron out of the blue.

“Ah yes, your favorite.” says Cinder as she rolled her eyes.

He nods then continues, “Anyways, more on that later. Now let us get to the feedback. Cinder will you start us off please.”

Cinder nods and clears her throat, “Overall you did well. You seemed to have some differences as a group on how best to defeat the Outsider in the beginning, and it was more of an individual battle rather than a group. Of course we understand that despite the fact that you were trainees around the same time, you might not have necessarily worked together before. Hence, you were not aware of your teammate’s capabilities. But your teamwork seems to have a lot of potential, as we saw towards the end. My advice is to take time to get to know your teammate’s; as well as the rest of the teams’ capabilities and skills.” Rain nods slowly in agreement.

It was Aaron’s turn to give feedback about how they performed as individuals. He asks both of the rookies, “How do you think you did?” They both stay quiet for a few seconds. Then Sami leans back on his chair, looks up to the ceiling and exhales. “I already know how this is going to go…” Aaron raises an eyebrow and asks, “Oh, how so?”

“ …that I should have taken my time and assessed the situation- like Rain did, instead of jumping straight into battle.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“I have been told something like that during our training days.”

Aaron folds his arms and nods slowly. “I see. So if you have received such feedback before. Is there a reason why you did not demonstrate this during the simulation?”

Sami sighs and says, “I don’t know…when I’m in action, my instinct tells me to move-to fight. I find it difficult to stay still and come up with a plan-then act. Although I know it’s what I probably should do…”

Aaron stays quiet for a couple of seconds then looks at Rain and asks, “What about you Rain? How do you think you did?”

Rain takes a moment to think then answers, “I guess I was being too careful… which made me hesitate to act in the beginning.”

“And why do you think that could be a problem?”

“It would give the Outsider time to deal damage to its surroundings…and to civilians…”

Aaron grins and nods, then says, “I see you both already identified your weaknesses. You also seem to balance each other out, which is great until you start being too dependent on each other. Because remember that the circumstances are not going to remain the same every single time. You may get paired with someone else during the mission, or even end up alone even if for a short period of time. Hence, you need to be flexible and aim to be self-sufficient as much as possible; sort of like an all-rounder.” He looks at Sami and says, “You are not wrong in your approach Sami, I’m sort of like you as well. In the real world, you cannot afford to waste a second.” He then looks at Rain and says, “You are not wrong either Rain, it is a wise choice to observe from a distance and analyze what should be done. However, like you said, in reality you would have given the Outsider time and room to deal damage and attack.” He looks at both and continues, “The idea is to find that balance. Move carefully and think at the same time. Your priority should be to defend civilians. Remember that.”

                                         ************************************

In the other room, Haneul, Enzo, Astrid and Jay sat in silence for a couple of seconds. The mood was more tense and serious. The rookies had just received their feedback as a team from Enzo. “In all honesty, your teamwork was not very good. You seemed to have different expectations from each other as well. Individually your combat skills were great for your level. But it is important to adapt to your team and understand each other, so that we can have a chance at surviving and defeating those monsters.” He takes a pause then continues in a more reassuring manner, "But this is only the beginning. We were not expecting perfect teamwork from any of the rookies. With time and experience you will improve." 

It was Haneul’s turn now but she stayed quiet for a bit as she was looking at both of the rookies. She sat crossing her legs and arms. Then starts, "To be blunt I am quite disappointed in both of you. Jay- you were placing too much responsibility on Astrid, not trying to take much initiative, but rather waiting for her to tell you what to do. But you do realize that you won't always have someone telling you what to do during a fight. You need to rely more on yourself." Jay nods slowly-avoiding eye contact with Haneul as he felt embarrassed. 

"And Astrid- you tend to hesitate a-lot, hence making your reaction slow at times. In addition you were not too familiar with Jay’s capabilities, yet you still assumed that he would be able to make that attack happen. Now of course, it is good to trust your allies but also be realistic. That last attack was too risky and might’ve led to serious injuries-or even death, if it was real.” Astrid takes a moment to absorb the feedback she'd just received, then thanks Haneul and Enzo. Reassuring them that she would not make such mistakes again.

After a brief pause, Haneul shakes her head then says, “Listen here, both of you. The path you have chosen is a dangerous one. This is not some school project. We cannot afford to hesitate and make silly mistakes. Here a mistake or slip up can kill. The Outsider that you faced had a very low level, yet you still managed to get injured.” As she gets up from her chair she further explains “I know you have potential once you get your act together, but I need you to really think about this seriously. Do you want to be here? Are you capable of this? If not, there are other jobs that would be easier and less dangerous. I hope you think about it and come to a decision soon, who knows when our next mission would come up.”

After Haneul and Enzo walked out the room, Enzo suddenly asks, “Captain, is something bothering you today? You seem to be more harsh than usual.” Haneul stops walking, Enzo was standing right behind her. She says in a low, firm voice, “I need to make them understand what they are getting themselves into. I do not need confused children in my team.”