Chapter 7: Sparrows and Lilies
The days were beginning to turn into weeks, and yet the melancholy fog never left the base; the usual repartee traded for quietude. Families were still in mourning of their lost loved ones. Kore thought it barbaric. The only way to find out if one's son or daughter had died in battle was their nonappearance when the army returned. They couldn't even consider what they were doing deemed living. It was a hollow shell of a life. Retirement could possibly fill the void caused by years of witnessing and participating in the murder of their race; for most, it didn't. Watching your children grow into young adults was a precious gift that could be stained with death any moment. It was a horrible way to live, and it needed to end.
The base continued on. Weapons were being created, daily chores were always completed, battle strategies were being designed, and the normality of it all wasn't what it should have been. It seemed like they were frozen in time; never truly moving forward, but not necessarily being pushed back either.
The crisp Autumn air was slowly turning more bitter each night, the first frost a sign that winter would be just around the corner. So much needed to be done to prepare for the first snowfall if anyone wished to survive throughout the coming months.
Kore spent most of her time working out her frustrations in training. Each day a different man of her squad would join her while she exercised. She avoided Alekai like the plague, not wanting to face her emotions. Her knuckles had begun to sport shallow bruises, and her muscles screamed at her in protest anytime she moved. She overworked herself on purpose, having figured if exhaustion set in at the end of each day, then she wouldn't have to feel or think. She could just collapse each night into a dreamless sleep. Wolfe kept her mind busy, almost always ending her nights leaving his lab.
***
Morning came too soon. Kordelia groaned as she pushed herself off her bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she grabbed for her nearest uniform and got dressed quickly. Today was the day for the new recruits to join in the ranks. There would be testing and training until mid-afternoon in an attempt to detect each individual's strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the day, weapons would be chosen for each new soldier, and tomorrow they each would begin training in that certain area. Each person had a unique set of skills, and the military planned on making use of each person's specialties. If you excelled in one area more than the others, it was usually an easy decision. The harder ones to decipher would be the individual's that excelled in more than one.
Kore dragged herself downstairs to the mess hall to join everyone for breakfast, not really feeling all that hungry. The mess hall was filled with a modest amount of excitement. New recruits meant that the elite core of the army would not participate in normal training for the day. Kore and her squad, along with the others would be in charge of inspecting each draftee and determining the best course of action for them. Without their attending leaders, it usually meant the regular Officers would get to slack off all day with no fear of being reprimanded.
Kore took up her usual perch with no energy for chitchat. She yawned and pushed food from one side of her plate to the other while her boys talked among themselves. Over the past few weeks they had grown used to her silence. The only time she found anything worth talking about was when she was with Wolfe, and even then, it was only bare minimum. With Felix and Madocc, she only spoke with her fists on the field.
Directly on cue, an alert sounded throughout the area, signaling that training was to begin for the day. Everyone began to leave the hall, Officers splitting to left while the Elite split to the right. Kore walked slowly, for once dreading the day. She just wanted to go back to sleep.
When they had all finally arrived and lined up in formation, Alekai stepped forward from their crowd to address the group of newbies. Kore looked over each of their faces. She could easily see the fear and the interest in their eyes. She wasn't sure if the fear was for the unknown that their new careers would bring them, or the way the Elite exhibited intimidation.
"Today begins a new path for each and every one of you. Today you can decide your fate; our fate. Today you will gain brothers and sisters that will willingly lay down their lives for you. Today you will find what your true calling is." Alekai spoke boldly. "A series of tests will be completed today. It will test your strengths, uncover your weaknesses, and determine your place in the cause. We will be looking out for your muscular strength and your endurance. You will be tested on your knowledge and your capability to wield a weapon. Each of you will be designated to one of our Elite Lieutenants or a Major General. Your Commanders, such as myself, Commander Foster, or Commander Gemma will be supervising your efforts, only offering advice if needed. Any questions you may have can be answered by your personal trainer. The next few weeks will be challenging. We expect nothing less than perfection. You will be pushed harder than ever because your life, our lives, depend on it. Pairing will be as follows..."
Alekai began to read off the names of each new recruit, followed by which person they would be training with. Kore dazed off, watching the way the sun's rays came in waves across the grass. Soon, the sun would abandon them into a brutal winter. There was no time to enjoy little things.
"Trainee Actaeon Riggins." Kore peeked through heavy eyelids. "Major General MacIntosh."
She sighed as Alekai didn't miss a beat. They all waited at ease for Alekai to finish the listing and when it was complete, he dismissed the crowd to find their duo's for the next few weeks. The boys and girls stepped forward, the trainers remaining in their positions. Small chatter commenced between the two groups, names being exchanged between new and senior members. Kore simply waited for the Riggins boy to find her. She stuck out like a sore thumb and wasn't easy to miss considering everyone, absolutely everyone, knew exactly who she was.
A plain looking boy approached her. He had dark, shaggy waves lying lamely against his head, mild acne, and a rounded face. He had absolutely no muscles to speak of, and walked with a slight limp. Gathering the first impression of this boy, Kore failed to notice that he had his hands full with what looked like miniature crossbows. She only raised an eyebrow when he stopped sheepishly in front of her.
"Actaeon Riggins?" She questioned strictly.
"Yes, ma'am." He answered immediately. Good.
"I am Major General MacIntosh. I don't prefer to be called ma'am. You may simply call me Kordelia or Kore for the duration of your testing and beginning training. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'a-Kordelia." The boy was obviously flustered. "Permission to speak, Kordelia?"
"You don't need to ask my permission to speak. We will be freely speaking to one another over the course of the next few weeks. I expect complete and total honesty, I do not expect perfection, but I do demand growth."
The boy nodded. "I brought these weapons from my parent's as a gift to you."
She tilted her head in confusion, glancing down and confirming they were, indeed, smaller crossbows. "What do you mean?"
He held them up in offering. "They were my older brother, Jaecar's. He would of wanted you to have them."
"I'm sorry?"
"The man you had brought home after the last battle, that man was my older brother."
Realization dawning over her, Kordelia looked into the crowd, searching for Alekai. She found him just yards away, watching her and her new trainee's exchange. The look he gave her poured with sincerity, and he nodded scarcely. Tears brimmed her eye, and Kore turned back to the Riggins boy.
"Your brother was a brave man, Actaeon. Thank you for blessing me with these." She gently took the bows from him. "I will make use of them and will continue to fight for your brother's honor, as will you. His death will not be in vain. I promise you."
***
"Alright, Actaeon. Clearly, a sword or staff is not your strong suit." Kore stated, almost defeated.
Her and Riggins had been the first with the group to try out testing in the area of weaponry. Kore preferred testing his physical capabilities last, having a distinct feeling that he might not be up to par with the others. He tried concealing his limp the best he could, but of course, she had noticed its significance.
"I feel it best to skip over trying out blades and knives, even pistols. My intuition tells me that you might develop a knack for being a sniper." She was confident in her appraisal.
"If that is what you feel is best, then I'm down for it."
"Well, kid, I'm not leaving you much of a choice. I spotted your limp hours ago, even though you try to hide it. The last thing I want is to train you in an area, that ultimately in the heat of battle, will end up with you getting hurt or dead. Sniping will be your best option, but we will need to assess your firing and target potential, and work from there."
He lowered his head in shame. "I fell and broke my leg as a kid. My parents did their best to rehabilitate me."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Riggins." She smiled. "This is just the best course of action, all things considered. We will get started on it right away, and I will have a meeting with Commander Ivanov about pacing out your physical training. I do not feel comfortable testing you without seeing where your faults lie."
He nodded, agreeing.
"Now, first things first, what you need to know about becoming a sniper. I will train you in the way of stalking your target, your land navigation, and your range estimation. Sniping will not only come in handy on the battlefield for us, who will be directly in the fight with you as our defense, but also when it comes to scouting the perimeter and taking out small groups of enemies trying to invade our borders." She spoke calmly, really letting the information settle with him. "You will also be learning the variables that will effect you before you even take a shot. You will need to factor in wind speed, wind direction, target movement, mirage, light source, temperature, and barometric pressure. Once you learn and are confident in these areas, we will take it out onto the field for practice, and by the end of your training, should be damn near unstoppable. I will not be present for your final test of approval. Our leading sniper, Madocc Saint Gen, will conduct it, and it will be his seal of approval you must gain before you will reach the battlefield."
"This is a lot, all at once." He replied grimly.
"This will be your life for the next fourteen years. You might as well suck it up and get used to it."
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