The next day the assembly hall was filled again with the Cadets. The five captains of the cadets were told when they walked in to go to the area that the drill sergeant would raise up the balcony to talk to the crowd. Now 6 of them were raised above everyone as all eyes turned towards them.
"SILENCE! GOING FORWARD THESE FIVE INDIVIDUALS BESIDE ME WILL BE THE CAPTAINS OF THE CADETS. EACH OF THEM HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED AND EQUAL AMOUNT OF YOU. AS A GROUP YOUR SCORES WILL COUNT AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL TASKS FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS."
"ON YOU MID CURRENTLY YOU HAVE A NUMBER BUT JUST NOW ALL YOUR MIDS HAVE CHANGED COLOR TO YOUR ASSIGNED GROUP." Just then Andrei's turned orange, Julia's turned red, Edwin's turned blue, Loco turned yellow, and Poco turned green while the colors then popped on all the cadets below.
The drill sergeant then turned to them and pointed at a circle on the platform that had the same color. Each stepped on their respective colors and then that part of the platform broke off and moved the captain along the wall so that each was then in an equal distance from each other. Below the platform a spotlight of their color showed down signaling the cadets to gather by their respective captain.
"Yes we got Big Red on our side even though we are orange, guess we could call him Big O" commented one of the cadets. Chatter was abundant as everyone moved to their respective locations. Then out of nowhere glass barriers lifted from the ground in between each of the five groups and one last announcement was made from the drill sergeant.
"YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO HAVE A TEAM NAME!"
Andrei looked around at all his peers and took a deep gulp. "So I am not good at names, I would suggest anyone who has a good idea raise their hand and we will go one by one then take a vote". Everyone stood there staring at him expecting him to continue to speak.
"What about Orange Crush!" was the first option given.
"I like Orangemen, it just rolls off the tongue." chimed in another.
"Fury of the Stars!" exclaimed someone from the back.
"How bout Death Squad?" Andrei blurted out on his own. A lot of nodding and murmuring of wow that is actually a good name. No one else had come up with another option after hearing this and soon Andrei spoke up again.
"So those in favor of the Death Squad?" and not one land was left down. "Well that settles that task, we are the Death Squad!" "Hoorah Hoorah Hoorah" the group chanted in unison almost instinctively. Their glass barriers lowered and it appeared that they were the first ones done. Then above Andrei's head appeared "Death Squad" on the wall written in orange. Then they noticed below it a 0 was written then it became a 10.
Looking over at the other groups Julia was next to finish the assignment and above her balcony "Fire Brigade" and then below that the 0 that was now apparently above all the balconies and not an art design turned into 5.
Edwin's group was next with "Badass Battalion" and then 0 changed to a 3. Loco was moments later "Posse Loco" and a 2 below it. With Poco finally deciding on a name and it was "Delta Force" apparently they could have had this name right away but Poco disagreed with everyone and now were in a hole to start.
"EVERYONE LISTEN UP! THE NEXT THREE WEEKS THIS IS YOUR SQUAD. YOU WILL EAT WITH YOUR SQUAD, YOU WILL SLEEP WITH YOUR SQUAD, AND YOU WILL SHIT WITH YOUR SQUAD IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"
"SIR YES SIR!" every cadet shouted in unison understanding now what was required in their response.
"NOW THERE ARE FIVE CLASSES THAT ARE 1 HOUR LONG. HAND TO HAND COMBAT, ENDURANCE TRAINING, WEAPONS TRAINING, EQUIPMENT TRAINING, TACTICS TRAINING. EACH STATION IS THROUGH THE DOORS BELOW THE CAPTAINS BALCONY." With that a door opened below the balcony the captains were currently standing on as well as a door behind the captains that gave a staircase down to the next room.
The room that Death Squad entered was Endurance Training. What they saw in front of them was a virtual obstacle course. The uniforms they were wearing were virtual reality haptic suits that allowed individuals to experience things virtually while also translating to their bodies. The military found that they could put them in seriously dangerous situations in virtual reality without the fear of death to the cadets.
This room did not need a teacher as it was simply everyone who started running would initialize the one hour mark and thus the entire squad started running. A few minutes in they noticed that the floor was angling upwards and their breath got more labored. Soon a solid bar about 4 feet off the ground was closing on their position and instinctively Andrei yelled "Duck" and most everyone was able to duck under the bar. Those that hit the bar were knocked onto their backs and had to quickly get back on their feet.
Looking around Andrei noticed some of them were already getting worn out and were slowing down. For some reason it made his own movements harder, that is when he realized they were going to move as quickly as the slowest can. They had felt it when a couple of people got knocked down as if they all got pulled backwards for a second.
"Everyone lets slow down together to a brisk walk for just a moment" Andrei shouted out as best he could. Most heard him as there was no real chatter going on currently as most were focused on breathing. This command gave all of them relief and soon they were all walking.
That is when the virtual environment started to push back at them for slowing down and soon a heat could be felt coming from their backs. They turned around to see a firewall getting closer and closer to them.
"Together let's start to pick up the pace but let's call it 50% everyone!" Andrei threw out another command, he was starting to get the hang of just speaking his mind about what's best for the group.
The group all started to do a light jog and the firewall began to fall further away. Andrei could go full pace the entire hour but knew that he was probably an exception to the rule so he decided that this was a good pace and they kept it. The hour was complete and everyone felt the simulation end, bodies hit the floor in droves. Some had never ran for that long in their lives and it was showing.
Andrei stood their breathing heavy but through his nose checking on those that seemed to be struggling the most. One of the smallest girls in Death Squad perfectly named Mini was one in particular who had never ran that long. Andrei had offered his hand and the small petite girl with big brown eyes stared up at him in awe realizing how massive he was compared to her just from his hand which was larger than her head.
Mini could not get out a word but just shook her head up and down and grabbed one finger of Andrei's with her whole hand to lift herself up still gasping for air. Andrei's warm smile sent all the wrong signals to Mini who was now formulating a plan on how to make him hers as she was smitten.
Most of the girls seeing how kind he was to Mini were starting to have the same thoughts. Unbeknownst to Andrei he was starting to get a fan club.
They proceeded onto the next class in which a 15 minute recess was given to those that needed a breather since not all classes were the same plus those that needed to use the restroom. The next class they were assigned to was Weapons Training class. This was under the Blue Balcony and currently said Death Squad in orange writing.
Weapon's class was taught by a group of teachers who specialized in the different forms of weapons. This class had the most teachers compared to the Endurance class that had none. Knowing they wouldn't have to run anymore some of Death Squad were joking about how easy this class would be comparatively.
Andrei, not having to be the leader in this case, started to slowly walk around the classroom as every wall had different weapons on them. Every weapon was Advanced which had three stat lines on them. Then he noticed that there were even some that had different amounts of +'s in between 0-3. For instance the ugliest shield in front of him had 3+'s to the stat lines.
[+++Advanced Tower Shield]
[Defense 1000]
[+50 to Strength, +100 HP, +100 Spirit]
[+10 to Nature, +10 to Fire, +100 to Presence]
While that was incredible it did not seem like it would fit Andrei's style. Andrei continued to peruse the walls not sure which weapon made the most sense to even test. While the main teacher was talking one of the teachers noticed how Andrei was carefully walking up to each item then moving on as if reading an invisible description. He started to guess that maybe the Cadet would have some sort of forging capabilities if they were so keenly inspecting each piece.
That teacher was known as Paul and Paul had been paying close attention trying to locate a very particular individual. Paul was searching for Andrei, he wanted the meeting to feel as organic as possible so he decided not to look up any information on Andrei, never expecting one of the captains to be Andrei since he told him to hide his power. Paul was expecting Andrei to try and blend in and not stick out.
"Who is the captain of Death Squad?" the main teacher just inquired, everyone turning their attention to Andrei. Andrei was standing sheepishly off the side admiring a longsword that he felt might be calling his name to try out.
"I am Sir, Cadet Andrei!" Andrei boosted his voice to try and get rid of his embarrassment. "It appears you are taking a liking to that longsword eh Cadet? Would you like to know how to activate that weapon to make it even more powerful?"
"Yes sir!" an octave higher than his previous statements Andrei's response got a lot of chuckles out of Death Squad, Andrei's excitement to find out the sword in his hand was more powerful than he currently thought made him giddy.
"Good now pay attention. I wanted everyone to clear their mind by envisioning a flame. This flame is your soul, similar to when you feel your ability flowing out of you. I want you to imagine that the flame of the soul is flowing into your hands."
Andrei was listening closely with his eyes closed, to what the head teacher was stating and the longsword in his hand lit up. Multiple students started commenting on how incredible it looked. The teachers gasped as well as they had never seen that longsword act the way it just did. The longsword was glowing with pulsing colors flowing through the sword. White/Blue/Yellow/Green/Red swirling in random patterns across the surface of the sword.
Andrei opened his eyes and saw a multitude of notifications pop up but his eyes were glued to the display in front of him on the sword.
[Skilled Leveled up: "Identify" LVL 3]
[New Skill learned: Activate Beast Equipment]
Andrei looked close now at the information displayed from his "Identify" and he got a better description of what just happened.
[Beast Weapon Activated: Longsword of Elemental Rage. The user's attunement to the elements will be on full display as the sword is encased in the elemental abilities of the user. Elemental attacks can now be utilized from the longsword at no cost]
Andrei was just standing there looking at an open area of the room thinking does that mean I can cast a meteor over there and BAM! A massive meteor struck the back of the classroom causing everyone to have a reaction of some kind.
"You fool you are supposed to not be showing off!" Paul shouted across the room. This startled almost as many people as the sudden meteor shower. Andrei realized he really was sticking out like a sore thumb. Too late for that now, better own it, he thought to himself.
"This sword allowed me to do something I didn't know was possible till right now, I apologize for my actions and take responsibility for damage caused." The mature response given by the captain shook everyone out of their shock and the main teacher regained his composure.
"So if everyone would like to check out weapons, as you select them our teachers will be there to assist you. Please refrain from using the weapons' beast abilities until the teacher gives you instruction. That longsword should only respond to the element you are attuned to. So everyone be safe, we don't need someone dying the first day."
The overall volume increased from chatter and weapons clinking being taken on and off the walls. The students hurriedly checked out what they thought might work best for them. Andrei had put down the longsword and decided he was going to look into the ranged weapons as he technically had two different melee weapons at his disposal already.
Andrei settled on an armguard sling shot that could be put on his right forearm.
[Beast Weapon Activated: Sling Shot of the Elements]
[The user's attunement to the elements allows the user to fire pellets of elemental energy.]
[-1 Spirit per use]
Since he already displayed the meteor he decided to practice only fire pellets. There were practice dummies set up across the room designed for everyone to work on their enemies and they had target ranges along one of the walls next to the ranged weapons. Walking over to a range he focused on the Element Fire and pulled back the sling sticking his right arm towards the target with his left hand he let go of the sling pouch. The fire pellet released started to expand and once again became a dragon's head. The dragon's head hit the bullseye and a celebratory "DING!" was heard above Andrei's head.
"Do you not understand the concept of keeping a low profile?" Paul had ignored everyone and followed Andrei to the ranged target lanes.
"I swear I am only trying to do my best knowing I have a lot to learn and not sure how long I have to learn it" Andrei responded with a frustrated look on his face realizing a bunch of people just turned to check out why his lane made a noise compared to anyone else.
Paul understood this frustration because he kind of put the burden on the kid in the first place having now realized this was the Cadet he was looking for. "Well now that I see you I guess blending in has never been a strong suite for you would be my educated guess."
"Gee you think?" Andrei responded sarcastically.
Andrei took another shot with the slingshot but was thinking about how it was in his nature to not blend and of course the pellet shot out expanding into a python's head with fangs pointed out as it hit the bullseye and creating another "DING!" sound.
This time people were watching and chatter started to pick up because now people were for sure talking about Andrei since everyone else who had grabbed the longsword had only been able to activate one color. Andrei's 22 was starting to make sense to a lot of the cadets and also why he was their captain. The stealth objective failed if what Paul had said to him was a quest.
Looking at his quest, joining the military was still active so he apparently still hadn't joined. Guess I need to finish the 3 weeks is all Andrei could think of so he left it alone and since he knew what this slingshot could do with two of the elements he decided to fire the last three elements. Lightning seemed like it would hurt as it not only increased in speed but the bolt it formed broke the target. A new one replaced the old and was reset to the previous distance.
The water pellet turned into a cyclone that bore a hole in the target. Then the Wind pellet instantly pierced the target in a small hole. Testing his theory on how quickly the target was hit he moved it back to 1,000 yards. Taking aim he held his breath and thought about Element Wind and he squinted his eyes and it felt like his hand raised ever so slightly up as he let go of the Wind pellet. "DING!"
Now all the teachers were staring at the shooting range seeing that the target was at 1,000 yards. Andrei did not realize the distance of the target was displayed above his head for the teacher to be able to observe if someone just hit a bullseye they could quickly praise their distance.
The teachers were standing in shock because Andrei was standing there with a slingshot. Paul audibly slapped his forehead and ran his hand down his face trying his best not to show his frustration because he knew every moment Andrei showed his abilities the more danger he was going to face.
The hour was up and the class left the room returning all the equipment to where they grabbed it from. Paul grabbed the slingshot and put it back on Andrei's wrist.
"Consider this the first of many gifts but also understand that it is for your protection and I am only doing this to keep you alive" Paul stated sternly looking directly into Andrei's eyes looking for a response. Andrei added the slingshot to his "Activate Armor" and it disappeared off his arm. Paul was startled and took a step back. Andrei gave a warm smile and said "Thank you! I will use it wisely"
Paul wanted to ask what he just witnessed but then realized it was better not to ask for the time being as he still did now know how powerful Andrei was and why he did not score a 25. Edwin was the only 25 and thus his class was the first to take the weapon's class so Paul could meet Andrei. When Paul did not see anyone acting like they might be Andrei and when the captain was identified as Edwin, Paul naturally thought Andrei was doing a good job of blending in.
Now that they had met Paul knew he needed to intervene right away as the spotlight was only going to get larger on Andrei's back. Paul contemplated who he could find to help guide Andrei correctly besides himself, then it hit him. SPRU always takes the best candidates and if they were to know of a multi-elemental candidate they would jump at the chance to get them on the front lines. At least that would get Andrei the best equipment and training the Academy has to offer but it also meant Andrei was going to be put in the most grueling training there was known to the military.
Sorry to put you through this kid, but you seem like you can handle it, Paul thought as he grabbed his communicator and placed a call to the Commander of SPRU.
*********************************************
Now that two classes were done, the squads were given an hour to grab a bite to eat. The cafeteria hall was below the training grounds, next to each balcony a spiraling staircase appeared that led down to the cafeteria. Upon entering the cafeteria at the bottom of the steps a long table the color of the team led towards the center and the students started filling in all the seats along the table.
Andrei decided to sit down near the middle for no particular reason. Mini was the first to see Andrei sit down and instantly slid in next to him. "My man" she murmured under her breath and Andrei didn't realize it but he asked "What?". Mini's cheeks turned red, not sure how to respond. She leaned forward and grabbed a sip of water from the cup in front of her.
Across from Andrei sat down a group of three girls who had been doing everything together so far and they decided they wanted to get to know their captain at lunch time. Airwrecka, Sophia, and Lily were their names and they were rapid fire with their questions not really giving Andrei time to respond.
"What is your strongest element?" Lily asked.
"How many elements have you mastered?" Airwrecka inquired.
"You single?" Sophia bluntly examined her captain looking him up and down slowly licking her lips subconsciously.
"Where did you grow up?" Lily continued her questioning.
"Who do you like so far at this school?" Airwrecka asked while thinking about how Sophia had asked if he was single and if that was the right question.
"Want to go to the bathroom real quick?" Sophia looked him dead in the eyes. Andrei hesitated then decided no one was this forward. "What if I say yes you're going to meet me there?" Andrei jabbed back expecting this to throw her off.
Sophia jumped up from the table and ran off towards the bathroom completely tempting Andrei to follow her. Andrei sat there with his jaw to the floor thinking to himself, am I really supposed to follow her right now? Am I stupid if I don't? Am I stupid if I do?
Airwrecka, Lily, and even Mini chuckled at the expression on Andrei's face. They all knew they were going to enjoy teasing him at bare minimum going forward. It was obvious Andrei had never received attention from females before and each of the girls was loving it.
Andrei ultimately decided not to follow Sophia and she returned a few minutes later with a very obvious pout. "You know I would have made it worth your while if you would have followed me" Sophia grumped back into her seat. Mini, having heard that, decided to make her own move by placing her hand on Andrei's leg and gently started to rub up and down on his upper inner thigh. Trying to locate a sweet spot, Andrei glanced down at what she was doing and just gave her a warm smile. She realized she was being a bit too forward and that he was trying to ask nicely to stop and so she blushed a crimson red and pulled back her hand.
Andrei, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, reached around Mini and pulled her into his side and gave her a hug. Looking back up at Andrei, he stated "We have at minimum 3 weeks to get to know each other quite well, there is no rush"
"I can't sit here and answer any of the Power questions that you asked since I truthfully don't know the answer. Well except yes I am single, now I know no one to claim I like anyone here. Also I grew up in Hathin's Military Housing District. My parents work in the SPRU so I never get to see them since I turned 6. I see them maybe 1-2 times a cycle."
More people had sat down around their captain and were intently listening to his story.
"Honestly I was shocked I was picked as a captain. If you were to ask anyone from my school I would be the last person picked. I got along with no one, they were all afraid of me because of what I did when I was four."
"My best friend was murdered right next to me two weeks ago and I think his death manifested my powers. I am still learning them and not sure what they all entail. My first two powers seem to be completely different from anything else. Playing Duel I was able to learn 5 Elements as well as multiple other abilities that are quite complex."
A hush fill the cafeteria as Andrei's word seemed to have naturally amplified when he first started talking and everyone was now listening in.
"The Power that manifested in me, I was told, is to save the Galaxy. Whether or not that is true I don't know but I signed up for the MA as soon as I figured out that no matter what I needed to become more powerful. I'm not looking to lead anyone but those that follow me just know that I will do everything in my power to protect you. Threaten those I am protecting and expect swift retribution!"
The place was silent, a spoon dropped from one of the cadets hands and crashed on the floor. Over at the teachers table their discussion had stopped to listen in on the captain speaking from the orange table. Paul had his new look, the hand slapping the forehead sliding down his face once again in action. The other teachers soon started chatting amongst themselves about their take on what was just said.
"We have a new Supreme Commander in our midst." one of the teachers chimed in.
"Do you think he can back up those words?" another teacher questioned.
"When was the last time day 1 cadets listened to anyone?" the eldest looking of the teachers worded from his end of the table.
*********************************************
The next section of classes started and this room was similar to the weapon's room only this was armor not weapons through the entire hall. This class also had chairs for them to sit as they would mostly be learning about beast gear and the different strengths and weaknesses. Also how to find beast cores and whether or not something might be of value for forgers.
Andrei took note of the helmets that were lined up as well as the belts. He had purchased neither and while Advanced was much better than Standard, just getting an idea of what to expect from future belts and helmets seemed to be worth the investment in time.
The whole class kinda flew by since it had lots of information and all of it was fascinating. Since all of them were able to activate their beast weapon they then knew how to activate their beast armor. They would practice at a later date but Andrei had taken note and was looking forward to testing the armor that was hanging up on the walls.
They moved onto the next class after the recess and once again they were in a classroom but this was organized where everyone was surrounding the one teacher standing in the middle. There were several rows of seats and each row was lower than the last; the teacher was on the lowest level. The teacher utilized this to show everyone what he was referring to with the VR displaying the graphics around him.
Standard squad operations were groups of 5 up to 50 of those groups of 5 to take 250 soldiers in a platoon. The platoon tactics were used when attacking Epic and Legendary beasts. Advanced beasts should be taken out by most 5 man squads. Intermediate and Standard were considered to be solo and tag team adventures for seasoned soldiers for the Cadets Standard could be tough for 5 of them.
The teacher ended the lecture by saying that "Knowing who is with you will always prove to be the best offense and the best defense. Keeping secrets from each other will result in failure and in war failure is death."
The class took their last recess, this was the first time that commotion was happening as apparently someone had collapsed during the endurance training. People thought the kid had died but none had known that the kid was just faking it to get out of running.
This class Andrei had secretly been hoping was first but finding out it was last gave him just as much anticipation. Upon entering the room it was exactly what he thought it might be. It was similar to Jojo's Dojo, in this case there were only a couple teachers and this was mostly to make sure there were eyes on all the cadets working on their techniques.
Andrei walked into the class and couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. When the head teacher spoke up the sensation went away as if it was the head teacher breaking the sensation.
"Hello and welcome to Hand to Hand combat class. I am Master Jojo. Today and everyday in this hour we will focus on the many forms of Hand to Hand combat. I would ask that the captain please step forward as I would like to demonstrate our first technique."
"Cadet Andrei reporting" Andrei had approached the main teacher and saluted upon reaching him.
"Very good, you are captain of this orange squad. Now show me what you know" and the teacher assumed a fighting stance. Andrei's sensors all lit up as if hey we are ready lets go! "Identify"
[Master Jojo]
[Legendary Boss]
[????????]
"Skill Sap" and then the female disembodied voice said "Analyzing" in a monotone synthetic emotionless speech. Well that is a first, he wondered if it's because he is Legendary and Skill Sap isn't high enough.
[New Quest: Show Legendary Boss something new]
[Reward: ??????]
[New Skill learned: "A Thousand Fists"]
["A Thousand Fists" releases a flurry of fists. The duration and distance and damage lengthens as it levels. Can be imbued with elements.]
[-5 Stamina per use]
A smile came on Andrei's face as he thought " A Thousand Fists of Fire With Wind Slash" and his body naturally reacted to the command which he had never done before. His hands moved incredibly fast punching with palms out in many directions and massive heads of dragons on fire came shooting out and Jojo, surprised, had to roll out of the way at the last second.
Did he just perform my own move against me but enhanced it? Who taught him that move? Did one of the other classes perform this during recess in front of him and he caught on? These were the questions going through Jojo's head and there was a pause in the action as Andrei did not know if he was to continue or not.
"What else?" Jojo simply asked when he regained his composure. He had moved his hand to his chin and was rubbing it between his thumb and index finger. He was still lost in thought when Andrei performed something else that he should not know.
"Snap Dragon Kick of Ice with Wind Slash" and out shot from his foot a giant ice wolf that traveled 10 yards and disintegrated.
"Now that was awesome!" Exclaimed one of the students. He had only done the Duel Lobby which Andrei guessed could only approximate what it would look like in real life. The fire display followed by the giant ice wolf was now making everyone think they easily had the strongest captain who might actually protect them.
"Snap Dragon Kick of Nature with Wind Slash" he thought and a viper head spiraling out of his foot snapping out, it too had gone 10 yards and disintegrated.
"A Thousand Fists of Ligntning with Wind Slash" he commanded his brain and jagged bolts of lightning shot out of his hands going 10 yards and disintegrated.
Then lastly "Fire Hurricane Kick with Wind Slash" and spinning in the air extending out of his foot was a long neck of fire with a dragon's head on its end of pure fire accelerating through the air in what got audible "oos and aws" from the cadets.
"Splendid, splendid, absolutely remarkable" Jojo started clapping and had a massive smile on his face. "I could not have asked for a better demonstration on the core offensive techniques as well as infusing your elemental powers if you have them with these skills."
"What you just witnessed takes a master cycles to perfect and your captain who is only 9 can do what takes most of their entire lifetime to achieve one. Truly remarkable to behold. Now listen up as we go over what I call "A Thousand Fists".
[Quest Complete: Show Legendary Boss something new]
[Reward New Title: Jojo Dojo No Jo I am Jo]
[Jojo Dojo No Jo I am Jo gives the user when worn a small chance to learn two skills when using "Skill Sap", chances improve the higher the opponent]
Andrei stopped listening as he already knew the technique and checked out the fact he had a title now. There seemed to be the option for more titles, making Andrei think of possibilities which caused him to drift off into his own thoughts.
The rest of the class was learning that move so Andrei started helping out as well as if he was one of the teachers. The other teachers noticed and gave him a warm smile, they always appreciated any and all help when teaching new techniques to the untrained cadets.
Day 1 classes came to a close and when they entered the assembly hall there were no other exits so they assumed they were to gather for an announcement. That is when they noticed the scores had changed and there was a noticeable difference. Death Squad was dominating.
No one had realized that each and every class was being assessed and graded by how everyone, especially the captain, performed. Death Squad was the only squad to not have an issue with the endurance training. Andrei's cool and calm demeanor throughout that class kept everyone else calm and no one was injured even in simulation.
Activating beast weapons was the same thing, only Death Squad had the entire class get it as everyone was helping each other figure it out and were determined to get each activated. All the other squads still had multiple who could not.
"SILENCE!" The drill sergeant had shown up at the balcony with barely any of the cadets noticing. "THAT CONCLUDES TODAY'S CLASSES TOMORROW YOU WILL CONTINUE ON THIS SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS OR UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD OTHERWISE. DO YOU GET ME?"
"SIR YES SIR" the assembly hall of cadets shouted in unison, causing a smile to come to drill sergeants face. He couldn't remember a day 1 cadet class responding this well before. He was set to retire in 30 days after 30 cycles of service.