Hey I'm glad people are still interested in this story, it defiantly helps me stay motivated so I decide to add another chapter tonight instead of waiting. Anyway on to the story!

Chapter 10

The next day instead of drilling with the conscripts, she decided to see how well they could shoot after this last month of training. She dressed and went to the training field to meet with Nathan and Zeb who were no doubt not there yet. No one was there yet she was sure. It was about 4 in the morning and she had given up on sleep yet again. She couldn't help comparing the samurai from the street to the woodblock art. He did seem very ferocious and bloody, maybe there was more truth to them than she had believed.

By the mid afternoon Ariel had almost given up on target practice with the troops. Not only was the language barrier a difficulty, but none of the men seemed to understand how to aim yet either. Nathan made a comment about how it was good they were firing in the same direction. She understood how it was for these men though. Having never shot a gun in her life before joining the army, she could understand how these men must feel; frustrating and hopelessness were something she had been used to during her target practices. They just needed a little help and it couldn't be good to try to teach 100 men as a group. She spotted a man who was almost finished reloading his rifle, and rounded her way through the others to get to him. He picked the gun up and started to get into position. Ariel gently grasped his elbow to position it in the right angle.

"Rifle butt against the shoulder. " She set the rifle in the right spot as the instructions were being translated. The man nodded.

"Eye, down the sight. Now slowly… oute!" She leaned in to the gun with him as he fired. The man fired the rifle and when the bullet hit it was almost in the middle section of the target. She leaned away from him and he turned to smile at her. She nodded and patted him on the shoulder,

"Well done." as he turned to the others to point out his deed. As she walked away she noticed Bagely and Omura standing with the others a little ways off. Bagely called for her and she grudgingly swept over to meet them.

"Katsumoto's attacked the railroad at the boarded of his province." She looked at him with an exasperated glower. Omura took this as his chance and added,

"We cannot govern a country in which we can't travel freely. He must be stopped now. My railroad is a priority for this country." She looked at him then back at the troops and shook her head,

"They're not ready." Bagley looked at her in disbelief,

"The rebels don't have a single rifle. They're savages with bows and arrows." Ariel raised her eyebrows and countered,

"Whose soul occupation for the last thousand years has been war."

"You have superior firepower and a larger force. I am ordering the regiment to move against the rebel Katsumoto. You will track him down and engage him. "

She whipped around and swept off to the man she had help shoot earlier and told him to load. She continued down the field toward the target.

"Mr. Graham, tell this man to fire at me." Bagley and Omura looked at each other dumbstruck and Graham looked at her and asked,

"I beg your pardon?" As she got to the target she drew her revolver and pointed it at the man.

"Tell this man if he does not shoot me I will kill him." Zeb tried to get her attention, but she was not to be deterred. She aimed the pistol at the man's feet and fired. Everyone cried out, but she continued to stare at Graham. He stood there in shock so long she had to repeat herself,

"Tell him!" Ariel knew that she shouldn't use this pore man as an example to Bagely, but she had to show him that if the troops were scared an under pressure, they wouldn't be able to handle it. She didn't want to see them die. She didn't want to be responsible for it. She was an expert marksman so she was confident she wouldn't hit him either, just scare him. Graham finally was able to translate to the man what she wanted and he shook his head franticly.

"Load!" Her next shot took his hat off. He screamed and started loading hastily. His hands were fumbling with the shot and powder so badly she thought he was going to drop it all over the ground. Graham continued to shout the translation at the man in rushed Japanese.

"Load! Faster!" She took another shot at his feet as he scrambled to finish loading the rifle. He finished, throwing the ram rod to the ground and raising the rifle to his shoulder. In that moment he wasn't as confident in her assumption that he couldn't shoot her, and she realized that a part of her hoped he did shoot her.

"Fire! Fire, Oute!Oute!" She shot once more at his feet before he shot and missed her by a foot. The man almost dropped the rifle afterwards. Ariel lowered her pistol slowely and wondered if it wouldn't have been better if he shot her. Maybe that way she could get a little peace. She trudged back towards the man and patted him on the shoulder lightly as she continued to where Bagely and Omura were standing. She looked Bagely straight in the eye and hissed,

"They're not ready." She shook her head and continued up the hill. When she was almost out of earshot she heard Bagley announce that the regiment would leave tomorrow at 6 in the morning, and she sighed.

Oh Bagley you idiot…. I hope you enjoyed this chapter more will be coming soon so keep an eye out! See you *.^