Over the next two months Jason and Zadyk worked together on designing their first corvette. Jason spent some time training on the different mock-ups to get familiar with the control systems. He and Zadyk decided on a steering system controlled by the feet, pull the left foot back, you went left, and vice versa. Slowly their corvette took shape, slowly yet faster then some others, namely J'mes' and C'rrol's. J'mes was basically the lughead of the squad, he reckoned he was invincible, that his corvette was going to be the best, that he would be a Strike, a team leader. C'rrol was almost as bad, though if she kept her mind on the task at hand, designing and constructing the corvette, instead of eyeing up J'mes at every opportunity then she could probably achieve something, but, alas, she spent more time looking at J'mes and his 'package' than doing her job.
Jason and Zadyk actually finished their basic corvette chasse first, but a jealous J'mes decided to cause trouble.
"What'cha doin?" He asked Jason, whom he called J'son
"Our job maybe, J'mes" Jason retorted as he helped Zadyk finish fitting the cockpit windows and door
"Hmmmmm, that piece of junk will never work J'son. You need something like mine" J'mes replied, not getting the hint. He then pointed at his corvette, which was just a frame and wheels. As Jason and Zadyk turned, J'mes drew his atlas blade and hacked a bit at Jason's corvette. Both Jason and Zadyk turned in the same moment, in the next J'mes found himself held against the wall in the grip of a lion's paw, with a glowing sword at his gut. Jason had Deamanad and was charging an ice attack when D'vid came over, pushing his way through the gathering crowed.
"All right, all right, break it up, break it up. Jason, drop J'mes, NOT onto the point of your sword, good, now explain"
"I was just walking around, minding my own business when J'son grabs me and threatens to destroy my corvette here…" J'mes gestured at Jason and Zadyk's corvette "…them J'son mutated or whatever and you came over, Sir"
"Mmmmm, yeah, I'll believe you J'mes…When Yarxx fly in the air as dragons, now, Jason, you tell me what happened"
"Well Sir, J'mes was wondering around, bunking off his work…" "I was never" "…when he came over here and started gloating at us about his corvette. He pointed to it and whilst we looked, he tried to sabotage our corvette by slashing it…" Jason pointed to the slash marks on the back of the armoured cockpit "…I Deamanad out of rage and pinned him against the wall when you came, Sir" Jason explained
"J'mes? Is this true?"
"Well, Yes, Sir"
"Fine, you are sentenced to two lashes, one for attempted sabotage and one for dereliction of work, take him outside"
Two weeks after that Jason made an interesting discovery. He was looking around the storeroom for some weapon components when he stumbled into a steel barrel. He opened the lid and prodded the silvery stuff inside with his knife, it was vaguely familiar, and so he decided to do a little test. First he marked the barrel as his and Zadyk's property, and then grabbed a canteen of water, and a small silver of the metal. He climbed to the observation deck, fixed the metal to the underside of the canteen's lid, screwed it back on and threw it as far away as possible. The canteen exploded a good way off, and Jason punched the air in triumph, just as he had suspected, Francium, he could do a lot with that barrel. When he brought the barrel back to his and Zadyk's workshop Zadyk looked at him like he was mad
"Why have you brought a barrel full of fire lighting metal?" Zadyk asked him
"Because I have a weaponry idea" Jason replied
Their corvette was almost complete; it had a chasse, steering system, sails, a ramming spike, and two small crossbows. They were in the middle of building the light scorpion, giant crossbow, on the front of the corvette.
Four days later they had finished the corvette and were attaching it to the launch bay system when D'vid came over to them
"Good work guys, oh Jason, here" he handed him a badge "you are going to be a Strike, you will lead the 'Desert Trail' cadet squad in our first mission"
"Thank you Sir, thanks a lot. Hey, is J'mes going to be in my squad D'vid, I mean Sir?" Jason said to D'vid
"Yes, if he ever gets his corvette finished"
"Hey Jason, Ready for launch?" Zadyk said to Jason
"Yep"
Jason climbed into the cockpit and closed the door; he strapped his feet down to the steering pedals and grasped the arm pegs. He gave Zadyk the signal to launch, and held on tight. The bay door opened and gave Jason a straight ramp to the desert below, Zadyk turned the handle that winched the belt forwards, and tipped Jason down onto the desert below.
The wind caught Jason's sails and he went rocketing away from the desert city, he pulled his left foot back and swung round in an ark to face the city again. People looked out of windows and all the cadets watched in fascination as Jason put the corvette through its paces, turns slow and fast, tight and loose. After a while Jason turned back to the ramp, and a crane picked him up and deposited him in the launch bay, to the cheers of the Windblades. He climbed out and went over to Zadyk
"I think it works fine," he said
Two weeks later, everyone's corvettes were finished and tested and assigned to squads. J'mes was fuming about Jason getting to be Strike instead of him, and that his corvette had ended up slower and less manoeuvrable than everyone else's.
There was then a shout from the observation deck
"Battle stations, Sarenjek City sighted and closing fast"