One month later
"98...99...100!" Grayson shouted across the square. "You can stop."
Relieved, the recruits stood up and brushed the dirt off their training uniforms. They had spent the whole day doing various exercises. It was so late that the sun had gone down and headlights had been turned on.
Expectant, but also a little trembling, Ellen looked at the chief and waited for his next announcement. The past three months had hardened her body so she didn't mind the training as much, but now she was pushing her limits. Beside her, she heard Alex curse under her exhausted snort.
"Chief?" someone asked in the front row.
Grayson smiled. "You did it. Your basic training is hereby officially finished. Freshen up and come down to the canteen for the...unofficial part of the graduation."
And without another word he turned and left. The recruits looked at each other in confusion for a moment, then burst into loud cheers.
"We did it!" Lauren yelled, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck. Ellen clapped as Alex held out her right hand.
"Finally," Norah said exhaustedly, stretching.
During her training, Ellen had been particularly worried about Lauren because she wasn't as physically fit as the others, but with her iron will and the support of her friends, she persevered to the end. For everyone else, especially Alex, Norah and Ellen herself, the last few weeks hadn't been a problem and Olivia hadn't excelled, but she had passed everywhere.
They made their way to the showers together. Alex and Lauren chatted excitedly.
"Now the whole galaxy is open to us," exclaimed Alex, raising her arms to the sky.
"If we're even allowed to leave our ship," Lauren objected. "Presumably, our unit will initially only accompany simple patrol flights."
Alex grinned mischievously. "I'm sure we can borrow a shuttle for a little trip..."
Ellen walked a little behind them and eyed Olivia, who walked silently beside Lauren and Alex. Her face hardly showed any emotion. She had changed over the course of basic training and was even calmer than usual, but Ellen couldn't make sense of it.
"You noticed it too?" Norah asked quietly, who was walking next to her and seemed to follow her gaze. "I worry about her."
Ellen shrugged. "Maybe it still has to do with the death of her parents."
"Maybe."
"Hey, what are you whispering about back there?" Alex asked amused, who seemed to have noticed that Ellen and Norah had fallen behind a bit. "Shall we leave you two alone?"
Ellen's face suddenly felt a little warm, but she was sure it was too dark to see.
Norah hastily replied, "I think I'd get in trouble with one of our male colleagues if you do."
Everyone laughed, even Olivia, but Ellen was confused as she had no idea what they were talking about. And she was almost certain to have heard a faint undertone in Norah's voice that sounded more bitter than amused. But she immediately dismissed this thought and blamed it on her own wishful thinking.
"Come on, don't dally, I'd really like to get out of those sweaty clothes," Lauren nagged and they hurried to the showers.
The bathroom was in chaos. Casey and Ida had somehow managed to smuggle a few bottles of champagne in, and now they were splashing each other with one while drinking from another, cackling like little girls. Ellen grabbed one too and took a deep sip. She noticed that Holly was sitting alone in the corner, seeming a little lost. Karen had been sent home a few weeks ago because of an injury, and Holly hasn't seemed to speak to anyone since.
Noticing Ellen watching her, Holly grimaced and said sullenly, "What is it?"
Ellen took a few steps towards her and held out the bottle. "Here, have a drink too."
Reluctantly, Holly picked up the bottle. "Thank you."
Ellen noticed that her blond hair had grown significantly in the last three months, and while it was now sticking out in all directions, she didn't seem as scary as it had when she first started basic training.
"You're welcome," Ellen replied and turned away to finally be able to wash off the dirt of the day.
When Ellen was back in her room, she sat down on her bed, closing her eyes for a moment. Everyone else was either still in the bathroom or already on their way to the canteen, which is why she enjoyed the quiet for a moment. One was seldom alone at the base, even if a few rooms on Ellen's floor had been empty for the past few weeks. During the course of basic training, more than half of those who had reported for duty had been singled out or left voluntarily.
Ellen was relieved that she had survived the first few months of her Allianz career well. Overall, she has been pleased with her accomplishments so far and optimistic that she can rise to many challenges in the galaxy, but her mother had warned her in her last message to be prepared for anything. Their chances would not only depend on themselves and it was to be expected that there could be losses.
Ellen clenched her fists at the thought. She wouldn't let anything happen to anyone. A vow she'd made to herself some time ago, when her friends told her they wanted to get recruited by the Alliance as well.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the blink of her omni tool. She called up the message and her jaw dropped as she read its contents.
Recruit E. Webber,
please come to my office immediately. Building 10, second floor, room 210.
Major E Wells
None of the recruits had seen the major since he greeted them on the first day. Ellen wondered if she could have given cause for complaint or punishment, but she couldn't think of anything.
She nervously set off. Building 10 was a large, magnificent structure on the north side of the site. Two flagpoles lined the wide staircase leading to the wide dark wood front doors. A US flag hung on the right, and an Alliance flag on the left. Both blew lightly in the breeze, as if beckoning Ellen to enter.
She walked up the stairs and was half knocked over by Jenkins, who just mumbled a short "sorry" and disappeared.
Ellen looked after him, irritated, but then just dismissed the situation with a shrug and continued on her way to Major Wells.
When she found the right hallway on the second floor, she only went very slowly because her boots clattered very loudly on the light-colored parquet floor and she didn't want to announce her arrival to the major from many meters away.
Eventually she found room 210 and knocked hesitantly.
"Come in," it came from inside as she opened the door to a rather inconspicuously designed office. There was a wide desk made of black lacquered wood, an old-fashioned display case that held a few bottles, and occasional awards on the wall. The Major was sitting on a sumptuous leather armchair and appeared to be studying a datapad with concentration.
"Ah, Recruit Webber, sit down," he said, glancing up briefly and motioning to the chair on the other side of the desk. Ellen nervously sat down and waited until he finally put the datapad aside with a sigh.
"This bureaucracy will bring me to my grave someday," he grumbled and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "You want some?" he asked her with a grim smile.
"No, thank you, sir."
"A pity, you're missing out." He downed the amber liquid in one gulp.
"Well then. You're probably wondering why you're here, as are the other four I called in before you. During the three months of basic training, we collected and evaluated countless data and results from the entire unit. Congratulations, Recruit Webber, you're in the top five."
Trying not to grin widely and stay serious, Ellen replied as matter-of-factly as possible, "I've always done my best, sir."
Wells nodded. "Good. I hope you will continue to do so as you and the other four will be promoted to Privates 1st Class. This promotion makes you group leaders for the next time. You will find out tomorrow morning which four Privates 2nd Class will be assigned to you. And of course you get 100 more credits per week than your subordinates."
Now Ellen could no longer hold back and beamed all over her face. She'd known she'd done well most of the time, but she'd never dreamed of being good enough for a promotion. "Thanks, sir!"
"I assume you don't mind it, then," he said nodding, tapping a datapad briefly. Then he looked up again and smiled mildly. "You can go. Celebrate with the others."
Ellen got up, saluted and left the office. She took the elevator down and breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed. At the same time, however, there was some uncertainty in her. Was she already skilled enough to lead a squad? Would the privates subordinate to her even listen to her orders? And what if she made a wrong decision and put the others in danger as a result?
"You don't look happy for a recruit who got a promotion straight away," Norah said. Ellen hadn't even noticed that she had already reached the ground floor.
"It's nothing," Ellen said, trying to smile. "Wait a moment. How do you know about that?"
Norah grinned meaningfully at her. "I had the same conversation with the Major just before you. Since you will apparently not be part of my unit, I won't have to deal with your stubborn head at least."
Ellen laughed and her gloomy thoughts dissipated. "I hope Alex gets put into your squad so at least she can keep you busy," she replied, amused.
"Maybe I should have dropped some names when I talked to the major..." Norah moaned, but Ellen knew she wasn't serious. In combat, Alex was a reliable companion and seemingly gifted marksman. Coupled with Olivia's sense of tactics and Lauren's enthusiasm for medicine, the five of them would have made a good team.
"Actually, I'm only here because I wanted to go to the cafeteria with you for the party," Norah said, nudging her lightly with her shoulder as they strolled across the grounds. Ellen wanted to lean into the touch but resisted the urge.
Norah explained: "The unofficial graduation is a whole lot of beer and booze."
"Of course," Ellen said, giggling, and they walked across the dark grounds together.
The next morning, Ellen was gently woken up by Ida. "El, you have to get up, it's about time."
Startled, she sat up. "How long have I slept? What time is it?" It was only then that she noticed a sharp pain in her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Don't worry. It's only 9 a.m. and our orders say we're not leaving until 11."
"Orders?"
"Yes, they just came."
Ellen's brain was still working very sluggishly. The party had been a big mess. They had laughed and drank with their instructors until they were released around 2am to be presentable today. Ellen had toasted to her promotion with a lot of people, which explained why her head hurt so much.
She got up slowly, swallowed an aspirin from her cupboard and almost staggered to the bathroom. After the shower and a short breakfast she felt better and life came into her sluggish limbs. Curious, she grabbed her omni-tool and opened the first of two messages received, which only confirmed her promotion to Private 1st Class. The other contained some surprises.
Orders for the 231st Platoon from Camp Cody:
Patrol flights aboard SSV Rome under the command of Commander T. Lance.
Departure time from Camp Cody: 1100
The division of the teams was based on performance and looks as follows:
Alpha Team:
Private 1st Class Eli, N
Private 2nd Class Krieger, L., Schmidt, L., O'Malley, J., Nguyen, T.
Beta Team:
Private 1st Class Webber, E.
Private 2nd Class P Jenkins, A Zhao, C Vonn, H McGill.
Gamma Team:
Private 1st Class Gunner, S.
Private 2nd Class I Thurman, O Schulze, W Smith, S Carlson
Ellen only skimmed the names of the other two groups because she hardly knew the people there. She was happy to work with Alex and Casey, but it would be difficult with Jenkins, who didn't like being told anything, especially by women. She thought back to the party yesterday. Shaun had told her that when Jenkins found out that some people had been promoted, he went straight to the major to get his. But Wells had informed him that he was not considered a suitable candidate and that he still had to mature, which made him quite angry.
Ellen's gaze lingered on the name McGill. H... It could only be Holly. She didn't think there would be any problem, because she seemed to become a good Marine and she could be trusted in the field, which was one of the most important qualities, as Grayson had taught them in theory classes.
Casey entered the room holding three dark blue uniforms and berets.
"I took the liberty of picking up our parade uniforms. Our new boots and tiny little bags are already in front of the door, into which we're supposed to somehow squeeze all our stuff. Besides, our uniforms for the Rome are already included", she babbled and put the things in her hands carefully on the table. Realizing that Ellen was awake, she stiffened and saluted.
"Good morning, Private 1st Class Webber, ma'am."
"Stop that nonsense," Ellen said, throwing a pillow at her.
"She practiced that in front of the mirror in the bathroom today," Ida revealed, laughing.
"But only because it feels so weird. She's the youngest of the three of us and yet she sets the tone now."
"Be careful, if you continue like this, she'll give us penalties."
Shaking her head, Ellen got up and grabbed her uniform. It was dark blue and had golden decorated seams. The shoulder pieces were a little darker than the rest of the uniform and each had a broad silver stripe on either side that showed her rank. Once Ellen put it on, she found it fit like a glove, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time due to the baggy workout clothes. Her mother had told her that the fabric conformed a little to the wearer's body in order to look impeccable.
"She may be my boss, but I look better in the uniform," Casey smirked, to which Ida and Ellen both laughed.
Ellen got her boots and bag from the hallway and thought about what to pack. Actually, there weren't very many personal items that she had brought here. The bag she had come with caught her eye. She had been her mother's before while serving in the Alliance, and Ellen had insisted on taking her with her. She took it out of the drawer and placed it next to her new one. They looked absolutely identical, so she packed her new uniforms in the old bag and placed an old-fashioned framed photo of herself and her parents on top. She was just over five when the picture was taken, sitting on her father's shoulders, who was grinning broadly, one arm around his wife and the other hand holding his daughter's leg. Thomas Webber. He died of a virus when Ellen had just turned thirteen. Ellen missed him and wished he could see how big his little krogan, as he used to call her, had grown. She hoped he would have been proud of her.
"Hey, El, come here," Casey said, pulling her and Ida towards her. It was only then that Ellen noticed the small, black square with the large lens floating in the air in front of them.
"A gift from my parents because I made it through basic training. And now smile!"
There was a brief flash and a click. Then Casey picked up the camera and, with the press of a button, brought up a small holographic screen displaying the image. Ellen thought the three of them looked very grown up in their uniforms.
"Well, I'll send that to my family right away," Casey murmured and nodded contentedly.
Ellen packed a few more small items and then went into the bathroom one last time to tie her hair in a tight bun and carefully place the beret on her head.
"Ellen, we have to get going," Ida called from the hallway, where there was already a lot of activity. Ellen got her bag and then hurried after the others.
The group of former recruits, exactly 25 people, had gathered on the large landing field. There they stood in five neat rows in their uniforms, staring straight ahead at their Gunnery Chief, each carrying a duffel bag emblazoned with the Alliance emblem.
"You've been working towards this moment for the past three months. As of today, you are no longer recruits. Look at the stripes on your uniform and remember this moment well. As of today, you are full-fledged Alliance Marines. Most of you will enter as Privates 2nd Class, but the top five of you have been promoted to Private 1st Class and will be your squad leaders," Gunnery Chief Grayson told them.
"Congratulations to you guys and as always, I'm glad to get rid of another group," Grayson continued, and the group laughed.
"We won't miss you either, Chief," Shaun replied.
"Your orders are in your omni tools, but you should have read them all by now. From now on you will serve on the SSV Romel. Make the best of it! Private 1st Class, lead your groups to the shuttles." With these words he saluted, which was returned by the group.
"Alpha Team, follow me," Norah called out and marched with her team to one of the dark blue shuttles behind Grayson. "Beta Team, follow me," Ellen said loudly, walking to the same shuttle. The other three groups also followed them. After they had all spread out, they took off. Through the outside cameras, Ellen caught one last glimpse of Earth and wondered when she would see it again.