"Towards the end of the Great War, after it became clear that the Republic had a chance to survive the seemingly never-ending onslaught of the Shols, the President gave the two heroes, Eric Sharp and Bridget Hayes, full say in how to conduct the rest of the war. With the two of them at the helm, the military deployed different strategies, oftentimes facing stiff opposition from the generals and admirals at the time, their pride wounded by having command snatched from them by two relatively new recruits. However, after a stunning victory on Cebos, in which Eric led a small number of troops to take on a Shols stronghold, even their most ardent detractors became silent."
The loud ringing of a bell could suddenly be heard, causing the lecturer, a middle-aged man with short salt and pepper hair and a scar across his forehead, to stop. "Be sure to read the next chapter before our next lecture. Combat training will not be an acceptable excuse for not knowing the material before class."
The man left the room, leaving the class alone. Amanda loudly sighed after the man left. "If I had known we'd be stuck in a stuffy room for most of the day, I'd never have joined."
Kolten shook his head. "We all should have known what we'd be getting ourselves into. However..." Kolten glanced over at Freya, who was sleeping, her face covered by her textbook she had set up. "It seems not all of us are willing to put in the effort expected of us."
Melek, who was seated next to Freya, chuckled. "You'd think that after being the first to leave training yesterday that she'd have the most energy out of all of us. However, she slept through every class. Not sure if I should be impressed or disappointed."
"Obviously, you should be disappointed." Kolten said, with obvious disdain in his voice.
Eric stretched in his seat. "I'm with Amanda though. I'd rather be training to hone my skills, not listen to some man talk for over an hour about things we all should know by now. The liberation of Cebos has been taught to us since the first grade."
Brandon chuckled. "I actually quite like our classes. Hearing about the Great War from people who went through it, and not just from textbooks, is fascinating."
The door to the room opened and Sydney walked in. "Alright everyone, I'm here to rescue you all from the classroom. Up and at em. We're going to the arena for your first combat test."
Amanda smiled. "Now we're talking!"
Melek reached over and gently shook Freya. "Might want to wake up, Freya. We're leaving for our combat test."
Freya groggily lifted her head and slowly took down her textbook. Yawning, she stood up and followed everyone else out of the room.
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After a short walk to the arena, Sydney had everyone standing at attention in the waiting area. "So as announced at the beginning of your time here, this combat test will be to determine how well you've picked up on the basics, and to see how well the Red team has improved their weaknesses from their failure during the introductory fight."
Sydney started pacing in front of them. "Now, I'm not a 'one size fits all' when it comes to a combat test, so I spent the past couple weeks helping modify the arena to be split into specific sections. Amanda, I've set up a sniping section for you. Remember what I told you to focus on improving and you should ace this test. Kolten, after our discussion last week, as well as talking to command, we've granted your request. Your combat test is hereby postponed until next week, same day, but ten minutes after the final class. Your new weapon should have been delivered to your dorm today. However, not only do I expect you to not only get accustomed to your new weapon within the week, but also to be ready for the next combat test at its already scheduled time. Understood?"
Kolten nodded. "Understood ma'am!"
Sydney glanced at Brandon. "That goes for you too Brandon. You were originally assigned to face Kolten. Use this time to further hone your skills. I expect nothing but the best from you when your test comes."
"The rest of you will be paired up as combatants and undergo a series of requirements to fulfill in a duel. Should you fail...well I hope you don't have any plans for the next two weeks besides extra homework and assignments to complete. This is a military academy first and foremost. Failure on the battlefield could lead to death, so a test should be treated with the same regard."
Sydney took out a handwritten list from her back pocket. "Amanda, head to the western portion of the arena. You'll see your weapon already there. Make any adjustments you need and press the button next to you when you're ready to begin."
"What should I expect in this test ma'am?"
Sydney glared at Amanda. "Should I have prepared you a study guide? Hold your hand and tell you what I've prepared? As I said earlier, this is a military academy. In a real battle, the enemy won't tell you their goals and strategies. You'll have to figure that out yourself."
Amanda was silent as Sydney continued. "First pair: Aidan and Eric. Should be a good match for each other when it comes to skills." Sydney continued listing pairs. However, Maxim noticed that there was now an odd number of students taking place in the test. As the last pair was announced, Maxim's name had yet to be called. "The order in which the pairings were announced corresponds to the section of the arena designated for your duel. First pair goes to section one etc." Sydney paused and looked at Maxim. "Maxim, let's see how well your 'luck' that you claim to have holds up. You're with me AFTER everyone's finished their tests."
Maxim gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. Now, to your stations everyone."
Everyone, with the exceptions of Maxim, Sydney, Kolten, and Brandon walked into the arena. "Kolten, go get your weapons from your dorm. Then you can go to the general training area with Brandon and continue with your personal training. Maxim, stay here until told otherwise." Sydney walked into the command room, able to keep an eye on every test being administered at the same time.
Kolten, making sure Sydney was no longer in ear shot, looked at Maxim. "I see that our instructor seems to have a chip on her shoulder when it comes to you."
Maxim sighed. "Sure looks like it. I can only imagine what she has planned for me with no one else watching."
Brandon chuckled. "Whatever it is, I don't envy your position. Anyways, I'm going to head to the personal training room. Have to make sure I keep up with everyone else."
"I'll join you once I get my weapons."
Maxim turned to Kolten. "If I may ask, what weapons did you get that the academy didn't originally offer?"
"It's a new form of weapon that was developed a few years ago. They're energy gauntlets, made for those who specialize in hand to hand combat."
"Interesting. I'll be looking forward to seeing how they work."
Brandon sighed. "Of course I'm the one who has to fight you. No matter, I'll see you when you get to the training room."
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Amanda made the last adjustments to her sights, looking through the scope to make sure everything was to her liking. Getting into position, she waited until Sydney's voice rang out. "Looks like everyone is ready. As I'm sure you all saw, I did leave a list of some areas that are required to have some improvement in. With that being said, there's other requirements that must be met if you are to attain high marks during the test. Once your test is complete, a green light will light up. Anyways, your test begins in three...two...one...begin!"
Amanda looked through her scope, soon seeing some holographic targets. However, these targets also moved in erratic patterns, making them difficult to get a read on. As she did start to fire, hitting some targets which caused them to disappear, one of the holographic images raised a weapon and shot a holographic blast at her. Instinctively, she ducked, avoiding the blast. I guess this is what she meant when improving on weaknesses during the first fight...if I'm able to keep an eye on the test as a whole, she said I'd ace this test. Challenge accepted.
Amanda quickly peeked over her hiding spot and saw the positions of the four remaining holographic images, two of them firing shots at her. Ducking to avoid the two blasts, she quickly got back in position, aimed with her scope, and fired at one of the images, hitting it. Seeking cover again retaliation from the images, she grinned. Piece of cake.
As she exited cover and quickly aimed, she saw movement from her left, an area where there weren't any hostiles earlier. Glancing over, she saw four other images appear and fire shots at her. Taking cover yet again, she sighed. Should have figured she wouldn't make this as easy as it looked. Guess I'll show her some of the modifications I made during my time in the corps.
Amanda pressed a small button on the back of the rifle. Feeling a slight jolt from the change in modes, Amanda swiftly aimed again, firing a shot off. This blast, however, was much smaller and had much less recoil. This allowed Amanda to maintain a relatively stable position as she changed her aim to an image moving towards her, firing a blast. Amanda fired another blast, causing the image to disappear, while still having just enough time to get back in cover. Within a minute, the rest of the images had been dispatched in similar fashion. As soon as the last image dissipated, she saw a green light appear to her right. Guess that means the test is over.
After several minutes, Sydney spoke up again from the command center. "And these tests are over. Overall, I'm pleased with what I saw. It's clear to me that most of you have trained hard and have, in some capacity, shored up some weaknesses. They aren't necessarily areas of strength, far from it, but at least you're heading in the right direction. You're all dismissed for the day, just make sure you aren't in the arena. However, Maxim, head to section one. I'll be there in a minute to conduct your test."
Maxim, who had been waiting in the waiting room, sighed. "Just what are you planning..." He muttered to himself as he started to make his way to the section.
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