ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A/Dutch

Dutch Interview
{Dutch enters the room}

Buck: Corporal.

Dutch: Need a baseline image? How about a bird?

Buck: That'll work.

Buck: Name and Rank?

Dutch: Corporal Taylor H. Miles, everyone calls me Dutch. Buck, you really need to get in my head for this?

Buck: Office of Naval Intelligence wants to be thorough.

Dutch: ONI's running this?

Buck: Yes, ONI's running this.

Buck: What led you to the ODST?

Dutch: Honor.

Buck: What experience do you have with close-quarters combat?

Dutch: Experience with close-quarters combat is extensive. You've got detailed accounts on engagements for Ariel, Jericho space elevator, and Coral asteroid belt in my file.

Buck: As an ODST?

Dutch: Yeah, I've succesfully engaged - you know, this should all be in my general file, Buck.

Buck: I need to ask. You just need to answer. So?

Dutch: As an ODST, I've succesfully engaged the enemy under various conditions, before and after orbital drop.

Buck: We're looking at a textbook shipboard mission. An orbital drop to some Covenant Cruiser over New Mombasa. Nothing you haven't seen before.

Dutch: Really? Like Tribute? Like Reach?

Buck: Corporal, do you feel you'll be able to operate at maximum effectiveness on this standard orbital drop mission?

Dutch: Yes. One hundred percent, sir.

Buck: Thank you.

Buck: So how's Gretchen?

{Pause}

Dutch: She's better.

Buck: What do they say?

Dutch: If it was up to her, she'd be coming on this drop - but they say she's done. Maybe something behind a desk, but i don't know.

Buck: Well, I don't see her typing up reports.

Dutch: No. Me neither.

Buck: You were a trucker for a while, right?

Dutch: I try not to think that far back.

Buck: Can you still handle a rig?

Dutch: It's been a while, but I guess I could. You're trying to tell me I'm going to have to drive a truck into that Covenant bird?

Buck: You will get the details of the mission at briefing.

{Pause}

Buck: Now the fifth man on this op is going to be a rookie. Transfer from the 26th MEF.

Dutch: Cygnus? Didn't think there were any survivors.

Buck: Me either.

Dutch: He might be a little shook up. Can't we get someone else? What about Bhasin?

Buck: Bhasin? You haven't heard. An HEV drop over Sigma. Chute panels got compromised during entry burn - he couldn't slow down.

Dutch: Yeah, hell - a rookie - Why not? Why not?

{Classified clip}

Buck: We're headed towards Earth.

Dutch: Earth. Okay... Now I know why ONI's involved.

Buck: Last time you were there?

Dutch: A long time ago. Weekend pass. The last thing I did before I applied for ODST.

Buck: Do you understand what's at stake?

Dutch: Hm. This is about more than some Covenant ship, isn't it?

{Classified clip end}

Buck: You spent some time at university, right?

Dutch: A little. I was two years in when I got drafted. Pulled shifts on rigs to pay tuition.

Buck: You studied a little philosophy, religion?

Dutch: Actually, yes. Yeah. Sort of why I went.

Buck: How's that?

Dutch: I don't know - I guess at the time I had a lot of questions.

Buck: You ever get into end of the world stuff?

Dutch: Yeah, sure.

Buck: And?

Dutch: Everybody's got a different take on what's it about. It kinda depends on who you're asking.

Buck: I'm asking you.

Dutch: It's inevitable. Nobody can save the world, Buck.

Buck: Good to see you, Dutch.

{Dutch leaves the room}