Noah just stared at the headqurters for SPD. "I'm going in there?" she asked aloud, only her friend hearing.

"Of course you are, Noah. You said you wanted to come here, to be an SPD ranger one day. Here's your chance." her friend answered.

"But Z!" she whined. "I'm nervous. What if Commander Tate disapproves? What if I'm not good enough?"

"I wager you'll do just fine." Z answered. "He took me, didn't he?"

"Yes." Noah sighed. "But you're different. You had powers, and Cruger knew about you!"

"And Tate knows about you. And once he sees you in action, he won't be saying 'yes' fast enough." Noah just stood there with Z for a moment.

"And what if he says no?" she whispered.

"Then you come back next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, all until he says 'yes'." Noah just nodded. "That's my girl!" Z cheered.

"I'm not your girl, I'm your adopted girl."

"Same thing. Let's go."

Inside the base, Commander Tate was worried. His old friend, Z, had told him that she needed to see him. That was all she had said. She gave no hint whatsoever of what it was for.

Was it Jack? Was something wrong on Zion? Was she resigning? Did she want a new position? No. Z would have stated any of that from her post on Zion. Commander Delgado wasn't really one for leaving unless it was important.

Commander Tate stared fixatedly at the door. Soon enough, it opened for him. Z walked in, a small cloaked figure behind her.

"Who's this?" enquired Commander Tate.

"Noah Charlotta Zulon-Delgado. She's my, er, adopted daughter from Zion." Z answered, semi-awkwardly.

"Why did you bring her here?" Commander Tate asked, confused as to why Z would bring a small girl over from Zion.

"She wishes to be a cadet. I had an inkling I didn't have the authority to enter her in training, Sky."

"You don't, Z."

"Knew it." Z rolled her eyes.

"Commander Tate," tried Noah, taking off her hood. "I may be Commander Delgado's daughter, and I understand if some think that you or her might have biased opinions, but I can do it."

Noah's eyes were trained directly on Commander Tate, showing confidence, and almost a challenge. Her small face was set and determined, her neat brown hair tied out of the way.

"What if I said no?" Sky questioned.

"Then I'd come back again next year." answered Noah. "I will be SPD."

Sky remembered how, during his whoe childhood, he kept trying to impress Cruger enough to let him be SPD. He never gave up. He came back year after year, and eventually, he got in. "Tell you what. Prove to me you can. Show me how hard you're willing to train, and I'll consider it."

"Yes sir!" barked Noah, saluting like the cadets from Zion did.

Z bent over and whispered in her ear, "I'll teach you how to salute like people on Earth later." Noah just nodded, not taking her eyes off of Sky.

"Dismissed." ordered Sky, as Noah and Z left.

"That went better than expected." started Noah to Z in their guest quarters.

"You were very brave, ooking him in the eye like that. I'm proud, kid."

"Thanks, Z." Noah looked Z in the eye. "But what will I have to do? I mean, I'm only ten..."

"Only what he deems right. He was in your position once, too, you know."

"Yeah, but really... what if I can't do it?"

"I don't play if."

"Should I be training right now? He said I needed to prove myself... that I would work as hard as necessary... I should be training!" Noah sprang from where she was seated and ran from the quarters before Z could stop her.

"Well, there goes a night of peace." Z sighed.

But Noah kept running, right until she found her way out. She gasped for breath as she stopped and looked around her. Various stations were being covered by cadets of any race, whether they were human, or something else. Noah marched to a station that looked empty enough and tried it out. She picked out one of the sabres displayed on a rack, and swung it around for a few quick strikes. She tried parries and dodges, lunges and swipes, and even a few stabbing motions. The whole wold around her dissipiated as she focused on her sabre, and her fighting.

When she finished, all that was left of the dummy she was working on was a pile of unusable stuffing.

Noah breathed heavily, trying to calm herself. This always happened when she fought. She would lose sight of everything, all she would know was the fight. The Zions called those who possess that a "rager". Noah never really understood the title, she never thought she would.

"You know," said a voice behind her. "in SPD, we really need markmanship. With guns."

"That's next on my list." answered Noah evenly, not looking behind her.

"Good choice." Noah walked away to where she could see some targets and a few guns. Hanguns, large guns, and regular, run-of-the-mill guns. They had everything.

Noah picked up on of the guns that she had recognized from Zion, one of the ones Z had used. A ranger gun. Noah aimed and shot, not taking her eyes off of the targets. Sure, she did miss a few, but this was her first time with a gun. Eventually she got the hang of it, and was hitting each target, even some of the targets that moved. Slowly, her aim was perfected, and each shot was perfect.

Applause sounded from behind her.

"Yes?" she asked coldly, turning around, still holding the gun. The applause died, and the yard grew silent. "Good. I am militant, not some kid who needs applause." she snarled.

She then turned back to the gun station, taking a different gun, the kind regular cadets could carry. "I like this one." she murmured, recalling how she had used this one on Zion. She had an almost perfect shot with this gun. No need to flaunt it. Noah put back down the guns and stalked back inside.

A man in green followed her. "What do you want?" Noah asked, turning exasperatedly towards him.

"Toast." he answered.

"No, with me!"

"Oh, just to say hi. You're Z's kid."

"Z's adopted kid. I'm a Zion!"

"I know. And I'm Bridge."

"Good to know. Bye." Noah kept walking, quickening her pace (which can be really fast for a Zion). She only stopped when she reached the guest quarters that she shared with Z. The door opened before she even tried to open it. Thank gosh for sensory tech, she thought.

"Where've you been?" asked Z. "I need to keep track of my girl."

"Training." answered Noah bluntly, plopping down on her bed.

"And how'd that go? Any 'rager' stuff?" Noah just nodded.

A/N: Hey guys... I'm Epic. And this is a story I recently deleted, due to suckish writing from last year. So, I'm rewriting it. Hopefully, there might actually be some reviews... More than 2? PWEASE?! Aw, well, I can dream.