After the tour of the base, Adlai returned to the dorm with her training group and unpacked the canvas pack she'd been issued. Inside were two sets of uniforms, each made up of a pair of cargo pants made from durable canvas, a jacket of the same material, a white tank top and a cyan bandana; a pair of brown combat boots; a stun gun, used for simulation combat; a standard issue knife; and a tablet for note-taking.
The guys were already stripping to change, so Adlai helped the other girls hang a sheet between their bunks so they'd have some privacy, then changed into the uniform. To her surprise, and that of the other cadets, the clothes fit perfectly.
Once again, the girls were ready first, and it seemed like, instead of getting changed, the guys had begun some sort of game that involved throwing balled up socks at each other.
"God," Darcy said with a shudder. "I sincerely hope those socks are clean."
Ilse laughed, and even Harper cracked a smile. Together, the four of them sauntered out of the room, ignoring the guys, and headed for the mess hall. Darcy linked her arm through Adlai's, something Adlai was quickly realizing was one of her new friend's little quirks.
When they reached the mess hall doors, they found Major Kramer waiting for them. When he saw them, he laughed. "I guess this is the beginning of a pattern," he said. "Y'all are on top of your game, and the guys are taking their time, huh?"
Just then, Walker raced up to them. "Hey," he said, panting. "Sorry, I didn't want to be late."
Darcy giggled. "Dude," she said, glancing pointedly at her watch. "You've still got thirty seconds, so chill."
They all laughed at that, even Major Kramer. "Okay," he said, looking the three of them over. "There's one more thing you've gotta do before dinner. There's a photo station just inside these doors. You all need to pick up your ID cards before you eat, so go in, get your pictures taken, then scan your new IDs and go get food. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," the five of them said.
"Good," Major Kramer said. "When you've got your trays, come find our table. It's where you'll all sit until you're done with training. Now, go."
Adlai led the way into the mess hall and up to the photography set up. The technician took her photo, did something with a computer, and handed her a freshly printed ID card straight off the printer. "Clip this onto your pocket and wear it everywhere you go. Got it?"
Adlai nodded and stepped aside so the tech could do the same for Ilse. When the others had gone through, they scanned their new IDs against the machine at the front of the line to the counters where food was handed out, each receiving a tray with a chicken breast, some vegetables, a bottle of water, some rice and a slice of carrot cake. It was a better meal than anything Adlai had eaten on Lares, and, from the look on her friends' faces, they felt the same way.
Walker was the first to pull himself together. "Come on," he said. "We should go sit down."
Adlai glanced around, noticing that the rest of their training group had reached the photo station, as Darcy said, "I can't believe they give us all this food."
Harper smiled. "They probably want us to be stronger so we can fight."
But Ilse shrugged. "I'd heard they had more resources on Earth, but I never imagined it. Maybe this is normal."
Adlai shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "Come on. Let's go sit. I'm hungry."
They found the aquamarine table without too much trouble and sat down at one end, Adlai wedged between Darcy and Ilse, with Walker and Harper sitting opposite them.
"Do we just eat?" Darcy asked.
Adlai looked around. A soldier was just sitting down, so she watched as he began to eat without any preamble. "I guess so," she said.
"Great," Darcy said. "Let's do it."
The other cadets in their training group joined them soon enough, and the meal passed without much ado. It seemed like they were one of only two training groups eating at that particular time, although the mess hall was full of regular soldiers.
After half an hour, Major Kramer, who had been sitting at a table with a handful of other officers, rose. Adlai set aside her cutlery as everyone around her did the same. "All right, everyone," Major Kramer bellowed. "We have some new recruits among us. Aquamarine and violet cadets please rise."
Adlai got to her feet, along with her fellow cadets. Major Kramer went on, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the newest members of the Colonial Network Army!"
The soldiers in the room began to stamp their feet in unison, gradually speeding up until the sound swelled to fill the room. Adlai was awed, and, for a minute, she forgot to breathe. People always talked about the military being like a really big extended family, but she'd never imagined this.
Finally, the cacophony died down, and Major Kramer spoke again. "Welcome, cadets! Now, make sure you're back at your dorms by ten. Training starts tomorrow!"
The soldiers roared with laughter at that, and a couple yelled, "Brace yourselves," which, of course, spawned more laughter. Adlai and the others finished eating and cleared their trays, then went back to their dorm.
Adlai settled on the edge of her bed, wondering what she was supposed to do until lights out at ten. Darcy plopped down next to her. "So, apparently we're allowed to use the training arena for sports games if we'd like, and the guys are organizing a netball game against violet cadets. They want two teams of ten so we can have a starting seven and two rotating games."
Adlai smiled. Netball was something she knew, something she was good at. It was the most popular sport in the Network, so it was a good choice for a game for everyone to play. "Count me in," she said. "What are the teams?"
"All guys," Darcy said. "And girls and guys. All the girls are playing, so dump your jacket and come on."
Adlai shucked the uniform jacket, leaving her in just the tank top and cargo pants, just like everyone around her. She tied her bandana around her arm, like the others were doing, and, once everyone was ready, they set off for the training center. The guys had produced two balls and were passing them back and forth. Adlai hung back with Ilse, who, she'd noticed, didn't seem entirely comfortable around the guys.
Once they reached the training center, they set up two courts by regulations standards, each with nets at both ends, then split into two teams without much fuss. At the other end of the arena, the violet group cadets were doing the same thing. The Earth boy, Wren Solberg, nominated himself captain of the all guys team, and they went off to their court, cheering loudly.
Meanwhile, no one in her team, which included, along with all the girls, Walker and five other guys, had stepped forward and volunteered to be captain, so Adlai asked hesitantly, "Would you guys mind if I captained?"
"Go ahead," one of the guys, Adam, said, tossing her the ball.
"Okay," Adlai said. "Um, let's say the starting seven are, uh, Ilse, Walker, Harper, Darcy, Adam, Luke and Sutter," she decided. She knew they would want to start, so she could hang back and wait.
Harper stepped forward. "Actually, would you mind starting instead of me? I... haven't played in awhile."
"Um," Adlai said. "Is that okay with everyone?" Nobody said anything, so she assumed it was. "Who's most comfortable playing Center?" she asked.
"Uh," Walker said, looking around at the others. "Not me."
"Yeah," Darcy said. "Nope. Anyone?"
Adlai looked around. The Center had more responsibility than other players, who couldn't move around the court at will, but were confined to their areas, and it seemed no one wanted that much importance. "If no one minds, I'll do it."
No one said anything, so she rolled her eyes. "Okay, figure out what the hell positions you want to play, then get back to me."
Finally, they had it figured out. Walker was Goal Keeper, Darcy was Goal Shooter, Ilse was Goal Attack, Adam was Wing Attack, Sutter was Wing Defence, and Luke was Goal Defence.
One of the C.O.s had volunteered to referee, so, once the teams were in position, he signaled them to start. Adlai leaped into action, acutely aware of her teammates, and snatched the ball, sprinting across the court, avoiding the other team's players, and passed the ball to Ilse, who set up a perfect play for Darcy to shoot the ball, which she did perfectly.
The other team got the ball, and now Adlai followed the down the court towards her team's goal. Their Goal Shooter lobbed the ball at their hoop, but he missed, and Walker intercepted him. The game went on, and, while the violet team, did their best, Adlai soon realized that her players were really good.
Occasionally, Adlai would glance over at the other game, and, more often than not, she caught Wren Solberg staring back at her, his expression dark. She shook it off every time, and went back to playing.
The game ended with Adlai's team completely flattening their opponents, and, as Darcy scored the final point, Adlai heard clapping coming from all around them. She looked up, only just noticing that a small crowd had gathered around their makeshift courts. Adlai noticed several familiar faces, including the Ranger Lieutenant.
Major Kramer stood front and center, applauding them. "Nice job," he said, looking over each and every player on her team. "I'm impressed. Before you go, Fletcher, I'd like a word."
Adlai walked over to him, using her bandana to wipe the sweat off her face. "Have I done something wrong, sir?" she asked.
Major Kramer placed a hand on her shoulder and drew her aside. "No, no," he said. "I just want to tell you that I was impressed with your strategy."
"I'm sorry, sir?" Adlai asked, confused. She hadn't really had a strategy beyond just blitzing her opponents.
"Letting your teammates play," he said. "You had the one position that would allow you to essentially play the entire game on your own, but you recognized your teammates strengths and let them use them. That's more than I can say for Solberg. He played Center and edged everyone on his team out. He would have won if he hadn't."
Adlai was surprised. She hadn't really noticed what was happening on the other court. "They lost?" she asked. "I didn't realize."
Major Kramer nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Well, I just wanted to commend you on a job well done. You're a good player, Fletcher, but you're a better leader. Now, go get some rest. Breakfast is at six o'clock tomorrow."
Adlai straightened. "Yes, sir," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "Thank you sir."
***
The next morning, the cadets were awoken by an alarm going off at quarter-to-six the next morning. Darcy groaned and slapped her pillow over her head. "It's too early," she muttered.
Adlai swung herself out of bed, ignoring the other cadets' protests and grumbling, and dressed herself quickly, folding her bandana into a headband. Everyone seemed to be using them differently, and she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do with it.
Sliding her feet into her boots, she took stock of the others around her. Darcy was still asleep, so she signalled to Ilse and Harper to fill their cups with water, and, together, they dumped it onto Darcy, who shrieked and leapt out of bed. Unrepentant, Harper said, "Shoulda got up with the alarm, sweetie."
Darcy cursed and got dressed, shooting dirty looks at the other girls. Unlike before, this morning, the cadets stuck together, heading for the mess hall in one group, huddled closely together. It was the first day of training.
When Walker sidled up to them on their way to the mess hall, he snorted when he caught sight of Darcy. "Why are you soaking wet?" he asked between chuckles.
"Fuck off," said Darcy, giving him the finger.
Sutter, who was walking near them, laughed, slinging his arm around Walker's shoulder. "If I didn't know any better, Darcy, I'd say you didn't like mornings," he teased.
Darcy swore again. "I'm going to find some new friends who aren't cruel," she grumbled, but made no move to walk away. They were laughing when they reached the mess hall, and they all took turn scanning their IDs and picking up their breakfasts–some kind of nutrient-rich porridge, fruit and either tea or coffee.
They ate quickly, not wanting to be late for whatever they were doing first. When they were done, they hurried back to their dorm to gather their canvas gear bags, then hurried to the training center.
Major Kramer met them there and studied them, his head tilted to one side. "Okay," he said finally. "Our schedule is–and will be for the foreseeable future–as follows: from seven to nine, we'll have strength and endurance training. Nine to eleven, combat training. Eleven to one, tactics and strategy classes. One til two is our lunch break. At two til four, field skills. At four til five, history and geography classes. Five until seven is simulated warfare, then dinner at seven. Any questions?"
Wren Solberg raised his hand. "Sir, what's simulated combat?"
Major Kramer frowned at him for a moment, the explained, "Simulated combat is where you'll break into teams and fight each other. Some days, you'll be fighting together in the simulation room. Some days you'll be in different locations, fighting each other. Anything else?"
Nobody said anything. Major Kramer considered them for a minute, then led them into one of the arenas. "Okay, let's start by running. We'll start here, jog around base, and see how long you can go for. Keep pace, run in unison behind me. And remember, the most important thing to do is breathe. Let's go."
The cadets fell in behind him as he began to jog. He set what Adlai thought was a wimp's pace, but, as they ran, it became obvious that the altitude was getting to some of the cadets. But Adlai was used to the slightly stronger gravity and thinner air on Lares, so it wasn't as hard for her.
They jogged from the training center out into the forest beyond the shooting range, and, as Major Kramer led them along the wooded paths, Adlai took in the beauty of Earth's nature. Lares was a barren wasteland, but here, animals that she'd only ever read about in textbooks fled from the joggers, sounding the alarm in the otherwise quiet forest. Birds flitted from tree to tree; insects buzzed around little, white flowers. Something Adlai thought was called a deer bottled across their path, and some of the cadets started.
Major Kramer laughed at them as they gathered themselves. "That's a deer, people. They're everywhere, so get used to them. They're the most common and least dangerous of everything in this forest."
A couple cadets, Adlai included, chuckled at that. Wren Solberg snorted derisively, and Harper planted a sharp elbow in his side. "Shut up, Earthling," she said stiffly. "Not all of us were lucky enough to be born into a life of privilege like you."
Solberg stumbled and struggled to keep pace. Adlai noticed that he, like her, hadn't seemed bothered by the altitude until then, so, either Harper's elbow had hit harder than Adlai had thought, or he had hidden his discomfort well. She wanted to think it was a bit of both.
They jogged for the better part of an hour, twisting and turning along the forest paths until, suddenly, Adlai realized they'd circumnavigated the base and were about to enter from the front this time. They jogged in through the massive doors, then down the hallways until they were back where they started, in the training center.
Major Kramer drew them to a stop. "Okay, those of you who struggled today, bear in mind that things will only get harder from here on. Everyone drink some water–not too much, or you'll be sick. Then, we'll see where you're all at in terms of strength, now that I've got a sense of your endurance. Let's go."
Adlai pulled her canteen out of her gear bag and took a few small sips before putting it away again. Ilse copied her and, when she'd finished, edged up to her. "So," Ilse whispered. "Bets on when Solberg gets publicly disciplined? We're starting a pool."
"We?" Adlai asked, already sure she'd be placing a bet. Ilse just shrugged, so Adlai decided to raise the stakes. "I guess I should tell you that Kramer told me that he'd had a word with Solberg after the netball games yesterday. Apparently, Solberg wasn't letting his teammates play."
Ilse giggled. "I wish you could have told me that before I placed my bet," she said. "So, you're in? Ten units, half-hour slots?"
Adlai chuckled. "Half-hour? Shit, you guys have absolutely no faith in either Solberg to keep his mouth shut, or Kramer having any restraint. But, fine. Put me down for within a half-hour from now."
"Oh, you of little faith," Ilse said, muffling her laughter. "And a hypocrite. You just said half-hour slots were ridiculous! Fine, since you're probably gonna lose."
Adlai burst out into full on guffaws. "Shut up, Moreau," she said playfully, elbowing the other girl in the side. Ilse yelped and jumped out of reach.
Before either of them could do anything else, Major Kramer spoke up, "Okay, everyone. Eyes on me." Adlai handed Ilse a ten-unit bill out of Kramer's line of sight, then gave Kramer her full attention. "Pair yourselves up, choose a weight machine, and situate yourselves, one spotter, one lifter. Got it?"
Solberg, who was standing a little ways away from Adlai and Ilse, let out a groan and whispered to one of the guys with him, "Seriously? We just ran like five miles, and now he wants us to workout even more?"
Kramer's gaze latched onto him, and Adlai crossed her fingers. "Get ready to pay up," she whispered to Ilse.
Kramer crossed his arms. "Solberg," he called out, his voice cracking like a whip across the training center. "You got a problem?"
Solberg shifted, ducking his head. "No, sir," he muttered.
Kramer stalked towards him like a caged tiger, all grace and lithe muscle. "Are you lying to me, boy?" he demanded. "Cause I swear I heard something sounding a lot like a complaint coming from your direction." The training master loomed over his target, and Adlai shrank back involuntarily. Major Kramer had gone from looking like a bit of a country boy, all good nature and small smiles, to being downright terrifying. She felt a brief surge of pity for Solberg, then shook it off, deciding the guy had it coming.
"I'm sorry, sir," Solberg whispered.
Major Kramer straightened, his flinty gaze only intensifying. "Oh," he said, his voice dripping venomous sarcasm. "Well, if you're sorry..." He grinned maniacally, walking up to one of the weight machines. "Then, I guess you get to demonstrate. Come here, Solberg."
Major Kramer situated Solberg on the machine's bench and showed him how to grip the bar. As Major Kramer moved over to the control pad that would regulate the amount of weight put onto the machine. "Let's start easy," Major Kramer said, and Adlai saw that Solberg was sweating profusely. "Fifty pounds."
Adlai felt her shoulders relax. Fifty pounds. That wasn't much. But, in even increments, Kramer began adding on five pounds at a time, until Solberg was trembling, veins bulging. The red numbers on the side of the machine said that he was lifting 235 pounds. Adlai winced in sympathy as Solberg's muscles gave out and the boy collapsed. The bar dropped until it hung over his chest, effectively trapping him.
Major Kramer calmly keyed something into the control pad, and the bar shot back up to its former position. Solberg rolled off the bench, wheezing. Walker uncapped his water bottle without saying anything and offered it to the other guy, who took a couple sips, then, with trembling hands, dumped some more over his head.
Major Kramer looked much less angry now. "Very good," he said. "Especially for a first go. You're never going to lift more than twenty pounds more than that, and only if I think you're able to."
He turned and pointed to a massive telescreen in a corner of the training center. "Now, this screen will display the rankings of each training group. Each group is rated, and any sports games you play against each other in your free time will contribute to our score, so good job, last night's mixed team. You've bumped us up to third in the ranks. In your dorm, there's another screen, which will display personal rankings, and personal rankings add up to our group score. The higher your ranking, the better, and more difficult, the post you will be assigned after your training is complete.
"Now," Kramer went on. "Your personal scores factor in your sex, height, weight and age, and combine your academic, fitness, tactical and specialized training. Your current scores are based on our run from this morning, and your performance in last night's game."
Darcy raised a hand. "Um, wait. You score us on the sports we play in free time?"
Major Kramer nodded at her. "Good question. We only score your performance in competitions against other training groups, not against each other. So, for future reference, you should know that these games are basically one of our main forms of entertainment here. We also have the occasional cadets vs. trainers games, and you really want to make those teams."
Major Kramer clapped his hands together. "Anyway," he said. "Pair yourselves up, choose a machine, and the first lifter should input his or her details into the control panel. Your stats will automatically be correlated into your rankings. Spotters, once the lifter is situated, you get to control the additions in weight. Make sure your partners are okay before you add anything, got it? All right. Get started."
Darcy and Walker paired up; Harper and Sutter went together, and Adlai found herself with Ilse, which she didn't mind. They chose a machine in the far corner, right under the telescreen, which flashed to life.
The training group rankings popped up first, and, true to Kramer's word, Aquamarine group was third, three slots above their opponents in the previous night's netball game. Then, the screen changed, and the display played through the two top ranked groups before showing Aquamarine group's cadets' ranks.
Adlai's jaw dropped when she saw that her name was fourth out of the twenty cadets, her endurance and sports scores printed beside her name. Solberg had the rank below hers, Walker was third-highest, and Sutter topped the list. Luke's name was right beneath Solberg's. Darcy was eighth, Harper was ranked one above her, and Ilse two beneath, and Adam between Ilse and Darcy.
Ilse cheered softly as Adlai got herself ready, pulling on the weightlifting gloves that had been left beside the machine and inputting her details into the control pad. When she slid onto the cold bench, Ilse stepped up to the controls.
"Okay," Ilse said, considering the display. "Your size class has you starting out at thirty pounds. Ready?"
Adlai gripped the metal bar, bracing herself. "Ready," she said, taking a deep breath. Ilse did something with the control panel, and a manageable amount of weight pressed on her arms. She remained steady with hardly any effort. She had lifted far heavier working in Lares' factories. "All good," she told Ilse, who adjusted the weight, adding five pounds.
Again, Adlai didn't struggle much. Gradually, Ilse increased the weight she was lifting until her breath came out more quickly, and her muscles heated up. "How heavy?" she asked, after a while, remembering to keep her breathing steady.
"110," Ilse said. "Can I add more?" Adlai nodded, bracing herself ever so slightly. The effort was starting to become uncomfortable.
Major Kramer's voice cracked across the training center, and Adlai flinched, almost losing her grip on the bar. "You're not allowed to just give up, Morales," he bellowed. "I say when you stop, and you go until then, or until you collapse. Got it?"
Adlai gritted her teeth and got on with it, tuning out various cadets' groans. Ilse added ten more pounds before Adlai heard Kramer again. "You drop out now, your scores will suffer, and today is the starting point for the rest of your training. I'll figure out your limits and base the rest of your training around it. You lose it this early, your whole training regimen will suffer for it."
Adlai was breathing heavily now, and, when Ilse added another five pounds, she winced slightly and forced herself to breathe more evenly. Her hands began to sting, even with the gloves she was wearing, as she repositioned them on the bar. Ilse added another five pounds. 130.
Adlai gave up keeping track of how much she was lifting as she heard Kramer bark, "You're wusses if you give up this early." Not long after that, Adlai heard the sound of someone retching, and Kramer said, "Know your limits, people. Most of you are going too fast. Take your time, otherwise you're going to collapse long before I call time."
Ilse slowed down, but Adlai now thought they were going too slowly, so she managed to tell Ilse, between gasps, to speed up a little.
"Keep going," she heard Kramer call out. "I haven't told you to stop yet. You go for as long as I say so!"
"We're at one forty," Ilse said, and Adlai glanced around, realizing that the lifters around her were struggling, or had collapsed or given up entirely. She braced herself, shoving aside her discomfort until it didn't control her anymore. Her mind focused on something else: netball strategies, which was the first thing to pop up in her mind, so she began coming up with game plans, tuning out Ilse and Kramer and the rest of the training center.
Finally, she could ignore her discomfort no longer, so she concentrated on getting on keeping the bar above her, on breathing, on not throwing up. She tuned out everything else–own thoughts, her pain, whether she'd gone for long enough–everything.
Then, suddenly, the weight pressing on her arms disappeared, and she thought, for a second, that she'd passed out or dropped the bar. She blinked, fighting off the spots from her vision, and saw that Kramer was bent over her machine. "That's enough, Fletcher," he said.
"What?" Adlai asked, her mind much more sluggish than normal. What was going on?
Kramer's gaze was kind, so she assumed she hadn't done anything wrong. "You're the last one going, Fletcher," he said, taking the bar out of her hands and securing it above her. "You got to two hundred and five pounds, and that's higher than some of the guys." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now, can you sit up?"
Adlai tried her hardest to do as he instructed, but her abs cramped and refused to do as she bid them. Feeling nauseous again, she shook her head.
"Okay," Kramer said, slipping his arm around her waist and gently lifting her up until she was sitting on the bench. "You did really good, Fletcher. Take the rest of the hour off, then meet us in the outdoor arena for combat training at eleven. Got it?" He straightened and looked around. "Walker, you help her back to the dorm. You did really well, too. Coleman, you pair up with Moreau."
Walker edged up beside her and pulled her to her feet. She noticed that he was shaking, too, and that he let his arms drop limply, as if he couldn't use them anymore. "Can you walk," he asked, taking his bag from Darcy, who then gave Adlai hers.
"Yup," she said. "My arms feel like overcooked noodles, but I think my legs are fine."
"Okay," Walker said. "Let's go."
They left the training center in silence as the spotters traded places with the lifters. When they turned down the hall to their dorm, Walker nudged her in the shoulder, making both of them wince. "Shit, I'm sore," he said. "You know, when I finished, I thought I was the last one," he said, grinning goofily. "I didn't see anyone else still going, but then I looked over at you, all the way in the corner, and you were still going. You kept going for, like, five more minutes, too. You're fucking awesome, Fletcher," he announced. "You know that? Who'd have thought you had it in you?"
Adlai rolled her eyes. "I'm not awesome," she said. "I think I'm going to throw up."