Firebase NOBLE, Reach
November 13, 2557
UNSC Med Dep, Psych Division
PSYCH Report - AD2456583
LOCATION: BASE NOBLE, EPOSZ, REACH
PATIENT: Capt. Bowman Jacob O. – Spartan 37th SSD FIRETEAM EON - ACTIVE
PRACTITIONER: Dr. Clements T. Renee
Date: NOV 13, 2557
Captain Jake Bowman was transferred from the 9th MTSFO after a recommendation and approval from XXXXXX following a series of hasty conflicts during his tours against the Covenant. The traumatic experiences have had no effect on his combat performance or his mental sharpness.
Off the battlefield, Bowman is much more complex. He refuses to tell me the details about his divorce, only saying that it was a bitter time, lasting a year and a half before splitting. He is remarkably able to put these angst feelings aside when stepping inside the MJOLNIR armor.
It's quite inspiring, as this focus that he possesses is an experience that gives him a purpose to live for something and keep his mind off his dilemma. Most other soldiers I've had to evaluate have "dead" eyes, staring straight through me as if I don't exist. Despite Bowman's dark past, he does not have these traumatic signs which greatly impress me. His leadership is not unique, but it is reliable nonetheless.
Captain Bowman is not displaying any medical hindrances, whether physical or mental.
STATUS: COMBAT READY
SIGNED: Dr. Renee Clements
Tyrant placed a set of headphones on his head and clicked the play button. In his other hand was a datapad, filling out the newest session of psych evaluations. Eon was the last on his list and two of them, Fowler and Pine had completed theirs before leaving for Cyrus VII. Bowman and Austal were the last two before they all could be submitted away.
[[PLAY AUDIO]]
Clements: Captain Bowman.
Bowman: Doc
Clements: Please sit down.
Bowman: You know that I hate psych exams more than my ex?
Clements: I've seen your past ones and am aware of that. It must be done, so I'll try and make it as brief as possible.
Bowman: Appreciate it.
Clements: Jake, are you feeling alright? Sleeping okay?
Bowman: Yeah. Sleeping fine. No issues.
Clements: Good.
Bowman: To be honest with you doc, you need to just take a step back and let me do my job.
Clements: Then you need to be a little more respectful and let me do mine as well. Soldiers tend to indulge in their work, especially after suffering traumatic experiences on or off the battlefield.
Bowman: Doc, have you ever experienced combat before?
Clements: I've been at Sigma Octanus when the Marines assaulted Enfield and I've seen what it does to people.
Bowman: That's not what I meant. Have you ever been on the frontlines, shots being exchanged and all? Have you ever been shot at by someone else, intending to kill you?
Clements: No.
Bowman: See? That is the problem here. You've never had the choice of life or death in your hands. Once you have the rifle sitting comfortably, you have that power. All it takes is pointing it at someone and a little squeeze of the trigger. Boom. You've taken another life. In an instant, a living breathing thing is nothing but a limp pile of organs and flesh. Sure, it's justified that the other guy will do the same thing if you don't do it first, but imagine it. Imagine if that happened to someone close. A brother, father, or even a friend. Someone you've loved and cherished your entire life and all of a sudden this tiny plasma bolt or brass cone just turns out the lights for good. They've left this place forever. I've had that experience with many people, some of them I've known for decades since childhood.
Clements: Are you trying to convince me?
Bowman: Why don't you write down what you think they should do to me? Go ahead; tell them I have PTSD or whatever your egg-heads call it. Still, when it happens to a member under my command, it doesn't faze me or make me regret what I do. In fact, makes me want to find whoever is responsible and show them that they fucked with the wrong guy. Doc, I do very bad things to bad people. The reason is because I don't, then someone else will. People like us are what will keep those intending to do us harm from succeeding and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. The sooner you realize that, the sooner me and my team can get back to work.
[[END AUDIO]]
UNSC Med Dep, Psych Division
PSYCH Report - AD2456584
LOCATION: BASE NOBLE, EPOSZ, REACH
PATIENT: SFC. Austal Marcus A. – Spartan 37th SSD FIRETEAM EON - ACTIVE
PRACTITIONER: Dr. Clements T. Renee
Date: NOV 13, 2557
Sergeant First Class Marcus Austal is displaying a remarkable amount of resilience to the many experiences he had been on. He is definitely younger than the average Spartan and I'm impressed how he made it into such an elite unit.
From his missions against the Covenant to his role in suppressing the attempted revolution by the former Venom Party on his homeworld of New Corsica, I'm wondering if Austal could possibly become Bowman as the years pass.
He has a great deal of independence as well as a strong desire to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. There is no doubt, that the 37th is lucky to find him.
Austal definitely brings a unique skill set to his team and like all the other Spartans, is a valuable asset. He does not suffer from any significant medical issues, physical or mental.
STATUS: COMBAT READY
SIGNED: Dr. Renee Clements
[[PLAY AUDIO]]
Clements: Sergeant Austal.
Austal: Doctor. Please call me Marcus.
Clements: Very well Marcus. Take a seat. We'll just have a casual conversation and promise me that you answer everything truthfully.
Austal: No hypnosis right?
Clements: I'm no witchcraft practitioner.
Austal: Okay. I'm in good hands.
Clements: Marcus are you sleeping alright?
Austal: Yeah, yeah. Most of the time, I sleep very well.
Clements: What do you mean by most of the time?
Austal: Well, sometimes I have very vivid dreams. They don't happen under any set circumstances and I'm not quite sure why. No set significance from my perspective.
Clements: Dreams, whether bad or good can seriously alter your behavior in your conscious state. What type are you experiencing? How frequent?
Austal: Varies and it's hard to tell. Sometimes I'm in combat scenarios, from when I was with my unit back on previous tours on Earth. Others are my Spartan missions with Eon in New Corsica. Other times are peaceful and happy memories.
Clements: Having very detailed dreams about combat is a factor that you could possibly be developing PTSD. Do you live by yourself?
Austal: Yes.
Clements: Now I've heard that you were in jeopardy of being removed from Eon due to your relationship status. I apologize if I'm delving too much into your personal life, but that's where I want to focus for this psych eval.
Austal: Do what you have to do doc. As long as it isn't too sensitive, I don't mind.
Clements: It's Renee. Now that the prerequisite has been taken out, you are no longer required to have a relation to stay within the unit. It's needless to say that you've found a worthwhile partner in the meantime. Are you two still together?
Austal: We are.
Clements: How would you describe it?
Austal: Well…I'm not quite sure. She's had quite a troubled past with her family as well, so we both share something in common and we have one another to comfort about it. She is the closest thing in years I've can call family and I don't doubt that I myself am the same for her.
Clements: Does she know that you're a Spartan?
Austal: No. I tell her that my occupation is for a recon and surveillance group. I think it's for the best that she doesn't know.
Clements: Being a Spartan means you won't get to see her for a long time right?
Austal: Longest I've been away from her was for two weeks. We've been fortunate to keep it steady and I'm always a bit worried it is affecting her in a negative aspect. It still doesn't make me rethink what I do.
Clements: That's good. Soldiers who are in a good relation with their spouse or partner tend to take fewer risks and return from operations alive. Shifting gears here, I've seen footage of your combat performance. It's impressive seeing you single-handedly eliminate nearly a dozen hostiles while not suffering a scratch. Seeing how you are rated as the number one in CQC and stealth in the unit, how does that weigh on you?
Austal: That's what a Spartan is. We are trained to be as lethal as possible. The ancient Spartans and the class twos were just like that. What many others will say about this is that we kill for a purpose. Every enemy you face in combat is going to be different. Unless they're grunts.
Clements: Does knowing that you've killed many people ever make you feel remorse to your enemy?
Austal: Talk about a damn mind fucker…Let's just say that everything I've killed to this point means one less individual willing to do the UNSC any harm. Sadly even with the war over, people just can't get along and the Covenant are no exceptions. Maybe someone killed by me or my team was acting in self-defense and sometimes it's tough knowing that they may have families of their own and they'll know soon that their son or father isn't coming back. Then again, you would have to be pretty stupid in my eyes to take a Spartan head-on, let alone four of the most elite group. I do this job because someone else doesn't have to. It does place family and friends in harm's way, just because they know you. I do everything I can to keep them from getting hurt because of my work. If my girlfriend got hurt because of what I do, I'm not sure exactly how I'd react. Same applies to any of my teammates on the field. Those responsible will definitely not want to repeat it again. That's why I aim to keep that from happening.
Clements: One last question, is that how you view war?
Austal: When we don't see eye to eye, some groups just have to settle it over lethal fights. It's saddening if you look at it. Sometimes the UNSC and its enemies can't lay down their arms peacefully. That's why there are Spartans. My team and I are here to make sure that when a conflict escalates, we'll be the ones on the winning side.
[[END AUDIO]]
How did I do in writing a psych exam? Maybe not the most accurate, but I think it was good for a first try. I'm actually now on schedule with updating, so expect the next one soon. Austal is planning to spend the following day with his beautiful girlfriend, but duty might call in the middle of it...
Thank you for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.