The morning mist was only just settling as Drex made his way across the Tadeth academy base, the dawning sun made his new armor shine as it reflected off the smooth surface. He had only arrived the night before when had been told training starts tomorrow, bright and early at the lecture hall, a building that however small  loomed a short hundred and fifty yards ahead. As he slowly strolled prolonging the first task of the day curiosity took him and his eyes were distracted by the troopers in training, in particular the jogging group of soldiers being yelled at by their drill instructor. He found himself standing by the solid steel door briefly unaware of where he stood, his mind snapped back to focus as the door slid open. Drexhel entered to find near twenty chairs most of which were filled by either frightened or over relaxed recruits, at the front was a desk over shadowed by a large drawing board. The man at the desk sat impatiently staring at Drex.

“Your late”. He said in a calm horrifying voice.

Gathering his thoughts Drex managed to stutter a reply “g-got distracted sir”.

He sighed then stood up “I get to stand up, sit or get out” his voice grew darker still.
Drexhel scurried in panic to the nearest available chair, one badly located as the sun was up and he was now catching a glare through the window.

“I am Sargent Kai Drell! I will be your Instructor for the most part of your training here!”. The Sargent's voice boomed over the room.

“Today will give you a basic tuition of the first things you need to know”.

The lecture ended here for Drex as the vision beyond the window to his left took has attention away, a shooting range outside was in use by seemingly well trained men. They did not waste a shot as each well placed bolt singed the target and with each expended clip they would ram a new one in its place, this impressed Drexhel as he aspired to be like that some day soon. In the corner of his eye he could see Sargent Drell swinging a rifle around his voice distantly echoing in the back of Drex's ears.

“This is the E-11 blaster rifle, someday soon your life might depend on this very item”.

Zoning out once more back to the window the men were gone, replaced by a maintenance team assembling the range for the next set of men. He watched for only a few moments until a bolt flew past his head singing his hair.

“Something more interesting outside Private!?” Drells volume was now over the top.

“No sir! Brief distraction sir!” Drex answered loudly in surprise.

Kai leered for a second before continuing “As I was saying, on the field of battle you may not always have time to think or plan, sometimes it will be gut instinct that keeps you alive, I want you to think on today often, Your tasks for today are to find the armoury, someone there will issue you a stun modified version of the E-11” He paused a moment “You are not to fire it, it is simply to get used to the weight of your weapon, second you are to explore your surroundings, I don't want any of you” Drell shot Drex a look of poison “being late again, That will be all for today, dismissed!”.

Standing up excitedly Drex shot for the door, happy that this lecture was over, he was closest to the door so he made it out first. Light was now in full bloom and the academy base was now bustling with troopers both experienced and new, Drexhel scanned his surroundings with intense thought, and more distracting thoughts came in its place I need to make a good impression!, I need to succeed here!, where is the armoury?. His focus had whittled away as he realised he was walking, the armoury was not hard to find as it did have a clear sign stating its site in bold lettering. A bounce proceeded each step as he happily headed to collect his weapon, as he got within ten feet of the sanctioned weapons provider he could clearly make out an angry toned conversation.

“Cybernetic enhancements?” Asked one of the Privates.

“No! Prosthetics! Enough with the questions, take you rifle and get out of my face!” shouted the squat man handing out the E-11s.

The Private grabbed his gun and scurried off, Drex moved up to the counter, he could see the badly placed prosthetic limbs and the man could see him gawking.

“Yes! Prosthetics! Here, get going”

Drex took his blaster and moved on with a casual walk, he had the rest of the day to explore the base and planned to have it mentally mapped by night fall. He could see the canteen just ahead of him, deciding on breakfast he continued his relaxed walk as his stomach growled, clearly many of the other new recruits had this in mind as they had gathered around the entrance. The sun beat down on him as Drex walked along, he attempted to remove his helmet but as he did so an instructor barked at him.

“Oi! Take that of to sleep or to eat!”.

Drex shoved it back on and continued sweating as he moved along. The canteen was fairly crowded with shuffling men and women, some of the men from his lecture sat around a table dishing out tall tales, they beckoned Drex to join them, he was hungry but he stopped a moment and took a seat.

“I once took on a rancor with nothing but a DT-57” Proclaimed one of the more arrogant Privates.

Drex chuckled at them lapping this up, he'd met a rancor once and a pistol would be no use.

The Private took a dark look about his face “You think you could do better?”.

Drex shook his head “No, but I don't think you did that either”.

The Private stood up and pointed his stun rifle at Drex “Think your better than me? Is that it?”.

The other Privates sat around with gaping mouths as did Drex “I'm out” He turned to walk away but felt the knock of several bolts in his back, he fell face first with a tingling in his spine. He stood up and turned to find the Private smiling malevolently, Drex pounced over the table and begun landing blows into the recruits face. He familiar loud booming voice broke off the conflict as Drell arrived on scene.

“Private Drex Helban! That's twice today you've annoyed me, solitary for the remained of the day, follow me!”.

Drex trudged along in silence beside Kai who clearly had some anger issues as he took breaths like an enraged wild beast.

“In!” Barked Kai.

Drex nodded and wandered in, the same squat man who was on weapon duty sat at a small desk.

“Days confinement?” he asked.

Drex nodded sheepishly.

“In you go, I'll let you out in the morning”.

Entering the small cell like room Drexhel looked around to find it empty, other that a small metal toilet and a fold away bed attached to the wall, with nothing better to do He lay on the bed and went to sleep.

Awakening to the piercing sirens Drex sprung to his feet his cell door slowly opened and he stepped out, the mangled frame of the cybernetic man stood brandishing an E-11 at him.

“Take it! Base is under attack rebels of some sort”.

Drex grabbed the rifle and charged out the door to see carnage, Privates fighting and being gun down effortlessly, and a series of crudely dressed men dotted around the base spraying all in their path. Fear gripped Drexhel as the vision he was given turned worse, the illuminating flashes of red on the dark base etched into his mind I'm not dying here!. He turned to run from the battle but came head first into Drell.

“Where do you think your going Private!, turn and fight or I will shoot you myself!”.

Going on the back foot Drex readied his rifle, he ran into the open inaccurately spraying bolts everywhere,  one of the rebels quickly took aim and hammered Drexhel till he blacked out.

Awaking five minutes later to find the other Privates standing in a line, Drex weakly wandered over, Sargent  Drell was giving out another lecture.

“This was a test, what do you do in the heat of the moment, you pathetic maggots would have died”.

He paced up and down the line a few times before continuing.

“You may have failed spectacularly but!, you are new recruits and I expected this, over your time here you will learn to correct this, dismissed, except you Drex, back to confinement”.

===========================7 Weeks Into Basic Training==============================

Since the night of meeting Pergull Yarveris, Drex had seen hid nor hair of the miscreant man, perhaps he had been booted or maybe he just left. Seldom did his thoughts travel from his training now that he was beginning to grasp the basic forms of his training and his method of staying away from the attention of others showed great promise of success. He stood with the butt of his E-11 pressed firmly against his shoulder looking down the site at the targets a short fifteenth meters away, letting loose a few bolts that landed on a human shaped cut out. He took a few steps back and hand took strong grip on his shoulder forcing him to turn face on with the drill instructor, who for a change bore a beaming grin on his face.

“Well placed shots Private!”.

His hand dropped to his side casually, Drex saluted with gratitude to the compliment.

“Thank you sir”.

“We have something to discuss, walk with me”.

He motioned his hand in a random direction, Drex followed suit and started a strained walk.

“These last few weeks you've come on in leaps, which is why I put your name forward to try your hand on our squad course, I thought I would give you the privilege of hearing it from me personally”.

Drex blinked ad raised his eyebrows in surprise, it had been no less that three weeks ago he was accused of theft and breaking into the canteen after hours, although half was actually true.

“With respect sir, all I've done is kept my head down”.

Drell stopped in his tracks, turned to face Drex and sighed.

“Your skill advancement is impressive and you've gone with less incident that the others of your level as of late, you may not fully deserve this but, you are more deserving that others”.

He pointed a log finger to a thin wooded area a short while off.

“Sargent Maxi will brief you ad the others selected, go on, get moving”.

Sargent Kai Drell strolled off, Drex assumed, to shout at some new recruits, slinging his blaster over his shoulder, he made hast towards the woods. Some two minutes later a group of twelve men came into view near the outskirts of the thinner trees, Drex broke into a jog trying to avoid being late. Halting with a slight deepening in his breaths he raised a hand to show he was there, Maxi stood in front of the group waving a hand at Drex he stopped dead in the centre of his pacing route.

“Now we're all here lets get this under way!”.

He hawked up a chunky spit ball and projected it to his left.

“This is your first lesson of squad training, you will navigate these woods as a team, you will fire as a unit and you will aid your squad mates as if they where your own flesh and blood!”.

Again he spat a groggy ball of tar.

“Objective! Is to reach the flag located in the middle of the forest, once your there, set of the blue smoke bomb, which is given to your acting squad leader, each of you will be given a red flare, this is your distress signal, use it only as required”.

He pointed over their heads to a transport rolling its way over.

“That contains your opposition, the test squad, some of you met them during the base raid test on your first day, they will be acting as hostile forces in the woods today, you will also be given stun modified E-11s, also encountered on your first day with the exception that these pack a nasty shock, they will paralyse limbs and knock you out I they his something vital”.

Maxi pointed to several crates containing the issued equipment for the day the transport was now unloading the test squad who disappeared into the woods almost as quickly as they came. Drex lifted his red flare gun and his stun modified E-11, holstering them accordingly, he then gathered with the rest of the squad where the acting SL stood up front giving a preparation speech.

“I am Private Pergull Yarveris, a trainee just like you, except I'm way cooler and trusted to be the SL”.

Drexs jaw dropped.

“Basically, tight formation, keep quiet, keep in cover, fire on my orders only, the test squad are good but we're better, understood?”.

With a muffled combination of yes's and aye's Pergull turned on heel with a swooping over head hand motion telling the rest to follow. Drex crouched low, the test squad scared him, the memory of the last encounter still embarrassed him to a sever degree, something he was in no hurry to repeat. The woodland wasn't as dense as it first appeared, the trees were thick but well spaced and the grass came only a few inches in hight above the soul of his boot. There seemed to be a lacking of real navigational skill as well as in squad experience as each man seemed to be looking over his ow shoulder rather than watching everyone else's back. Drex stayed near the back, Pergull Yarveris was trouble, something Drexhel was willing to shoot his own squad to avoid, Pergull stopped and pointed at Drex.

“Up front with me, you have a sharper shot that most”.

Batting his eye lids in disbelief, he marched to the forward point of the squad who were murmuring in an offended tone. Pergull took cover behind a thick fallen tree trunk the leaned over to engage whispered conversation.

“Thought I didn't see you back there? Your not actually sharper than these guys but you have more mischief I your head, I need that here”.

Drex started replying but was but off by a barrage of bolts cutting the air above them, Drex peeked over the trunk to see the test squad retreating deeper into the woods.

“Pergull! Man down!”.

One of the men near the back hadn't found cover yet and had taken many of the bolts in the chest.

“Shit! We loose marks for that” Screamed Pergull.

An urge overtook Drex as he smacked Pergull in the back of the head.

“What the hell was that!”.

Drex took a dark tone about his voice.

“One! Your being loud, Two! Man down means he's hurt, not he's effecting your grade”.

Pergull shook his head

“I miss red you Drex”.

A panicking Private pulled his flair gun out and launched it in the air, Pergull launched himself on the man a little to late. The red sparks emitted from the projectile clean into the air, for one over reacting man they had failed the test.

============================20 Weeks Into Basic Training============================

Drexhel Lay restless in his bunk with a mixture of thoughts jumping between the surface and his sub-conscience, one such thought was the daunting re-take of the squsquad test the next day ad how miserably they failed the last time. The fact he wanted to sleep didn't help and with the garbled snoring around him it lessened his chances, by the end he slipped into memories, this particular one was the recollection of himself and Pergull in the confinement cell seven weeks ago.

The door slammed shut with a head splitting echo both men had been launched in stumbling to their knees, Drex was first to get up and swung a heavy kick into Pergulls ribs.

“Ooof!”.

Perg rolled over against the wall then slid up to standing.

“There's no point in violence Drex, we're stuck in here for a while”.

Drex slumped down of the fold away bed in the far corner of the room.

“Fine, but the bed is mine”.

He smiled as Pergull got on steady feet.

“Fine, but we're talking this out I want to get out of here eventually”.

Drex gave a sarcastic applauses as he thought finally! The mad man sees sense.

Pergull snorted the continued his attempt to be rational.

“So whats your problem with.....”.

Drex raised a hand to stop him.

“I have no problem, you pulled that out your ass when you blamed me for failing that test”.

Pergull sighed.

“So I was arrogant, can you blame me? I'm just that cool.

Drexhels face remained like stone and Pergulls face fell.

“Pull the stick out man, yah know get a sense of humour, I was making a joke”.

Drex shook his head with distaste.

“Don't do jokes”.

Perg laughed raucously.

“Check one! We're getting somewhere”.

Drex pondered a moment before re-engaging the conversation.

“We didn't fail that test by anyone persons fault, we failed as a squad”.

Pergull shot up in outrage.

“I was perfect! You guys just held me back!”.

With one motion the elbow of Drex hit Pergull square in the face.

“That's our damn problem, you were meant to lead but your lust for personal glory got in the way”.

Perg rubbed his face cringing each time he passed his bulbous bloody nose.

“Can you please stop hitting me? So ok I'm to blame then, get someone else to lead next time”.

Drex walked to the door and knocked.

“We've come to a conclusion”.

Drell approached the eye sized slit in the door.

“Yes?”.

“Pergull Yarveris is an arrogant ass sir”.

Pergull up-started from the back of the room.

“Hey!”.

Drex waved a hand.

“Going somewhere with this Helban?

“Aye, he's admitted fault during the squad test, that's what this has been about”.

The door clicked and creaked opening to the sight of Kai nodding.

“Ok, on your way then”.

The recollection ended here as a sudden ease of heart rolled over Drexhels body, the test was the next day they had trained longer and harder than most and with a sense of what they needed for this test.All I the team work where Drexhels final thoughts before he drifted of to sleep.

*************************************The Next Day**************************************

Drex stood in the half squad as the sun rose in the scenery spreading an orange glow over the warm fields of the academy base, wondering when the rest of the men would be getting here. Pergull had been the last up the hill to stand on the fringe of the woods which over the last few weeks had thickened with foliage and long grass. Sargent Maxi limped up and down the line up clearly sporting an injury of some kind, tilting his head towards the sky he turned and spoke.

“You might be wondering why there are only six of you today, this is a handicap due to your advanced training, The course is the same as before, you should damn well remember the drill”.

He nudged his head in the direction of a pile of crates.

“Get your gear, Private Yarveris will be acting Squad leader again”.

Drex gritted his teeth in frustration while he picked out his red flare gun and stun E-11,Perg you better have your head in this!The angered thought made his blood boil.

“Ready?, Go!”.

The half squad moved as one, breaching the edge of the forest, Pergull at the head ad Drex closely tailing him, all with their heads bowed as they moved. A nerve racked Private tripped, both Drex ad Perg stopped to catch him, with a nod of respect to each other they lifted the Private to his feet. Coming to the fallen tree trunk  all six men took cover in a line expecting the ambush that had come the last time, true their assumption was as the barrage of red flew over them. Drex sprung up letting an arc of bolts fly at a squeeze of his finger, a few thuds were heard as one of the test squad fell, like before they ran into retreat. They begun a follow up but the hostile force had vanished, [i]how did they do that?[i/] Drex thought as they passed the fallen enemy. Some ten minutes of walking in tension and paranoia the flag came into view with not a movement from wind, it was completely secluded and sat in the centre of a five meter round diameter pit surrounded by sand bags. Pergull was first to take the leap, followed closely by a simultaneous movement of Drex ad the others, Perg set of the blue smoke bomb that hissed as it spouted a cloud.

“Wait, what are we supposed to do now?”.

Drexhels question was answered as a unnoticed comlink buzzed to life.

“Trainee squad do you read me? Multiple hostile men inbound on your location, extract is on its way.

Like a jinx as soon as the com died the test squad began appearing around the clearing, at first ten then twenty, fear gripped Drexhel as the numbers kept climbing and there blasters pointed the squad. The flag made a sudden whipping sound as it began to fly, Drex smiled at the rippling beacon of hope, Pergull pointed to the sky as a transport ship loomed down upon them, lowering the squad made a jump in. Maxi sat comfortably in the ship, serious even in success.

“This was only a test boys, it was meant for lesser troopers but is a requirement for graduating, you pass but with no credit to your ability, report to Sargent Drell after we land”.