~*~

"This is SS A2. It will be your new home. Follow me." Col Matarner had been waiting for the new students to arrive. They looked ordinary. He thought they should have shown something that was different about them. Everyone was shoving or being shoved, they wanted to be the first to see their new home. They got so eager that one threw a punch at Leera's face, but seemingly from no where Alexander caught the kid's swinging arm. He used the larger kid's momentum to pull him off balance, leaving the kid on the hot asphalt. Alexander bent down so that his face was in the other kids, intimidating. "Leave her alone." He hissed. That was all he really needed to say. They could tell that there was something different about him, something strange.

"I said follow me! Or is everyone a dimwit?" Col. Matarner shouted. Now this is an unexpected turn of events. He'd expected the Sextant boy to keep to himself, to be a loner. Not to intervene or help anyone. Help? When had that word ever come into the boy's vocabulary or even knowledge? When he had met the boy a few years ago he had been much more unforgiving. Sextant was the last person he'd expected to come to the Storm girl's aid. The child hadn't cared enough to interfere and try to help someone. He was going to have to remember this.

~*~

The beds in the barracks were smaller than most were used to, but since they were 13 and pretty small, it didn't really make that much difference. They had been told to choose beds and settle in. Leera had chosen the bunk below Alexander's.

"Thank you." She whispered

"Huh? For what?" Alexander stuck his head over the edge and stared at her.

"You know, when we got off the shuttle. You stopped that guy from hurting me."

"Yeah, well you should learn how to protect yourself, if you're going to live here."

"Would you teach me?"

"I guess, if you're serious."

"I am."

"It'll be hard."

"I'm up to it."

Since she looked kind of unsure he said "What are friends for?" He didn't smile. He didn't like to. But it comforted her because she smiled.

"Barrack 13, report to the training room, and be dressed in training outfits." The loud speaker clicked off after delivering its message.

The suits were made of a tough gray canvas that looked like it could take a lot of abuse and still come out in one piece. There was a belt made of nylon fibers and was black. The suits were hard to put on and even harder to move in. They were made of something that clung to the skin, but were tough to move in.

When they reached the training room, the door slid open, and they walked through. The room was dark, but everyone got the impression that the room was huge. Leera got a quick glance at Sextant's face before they passed the threshold. There was a strange look on his face, but she thought nothing about it because there was a man talking to them and what she heard changed her life. There was a lone light focused on an officer.

"You are the new soldiers of the WCP." He shouted "From now on you will be trained as a WCP soldier. It will be your duty, passed on by the countless soldiers of before, to protect the world and colonies from any possible danger. It is a hard job, and some of you will not be able to complete the training to become a soldier. Those people will be sent to a different training system. The soldiers that stay will be determined by various tests you will be taking. Nothing will be easy, but the people who stay will be the commanders and officers of the armies of tomorrow. From now on there are no first names to anyone everyone is to be called by they're last name. But for today you will receive defense training. The basis to good fighting is being able to defend yourself..." The man explained the things that they had to learn by the end of the week.

~*~

They didn't talk, just slowly moved back to their beds. They could barely walk. Most of them had just fallen into bed. Their bruises and sore muscles would be twice as bad the next morning. Everyone was either asleep or almost there, just the last bits of awareness hanging on.

"You knew didn't you, Sextant?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I've was here before I was sent earthward."

"I'm scared."

"Don't say that! Never show your feelings; you have to be the perfect soldier. And soldiers don't have feelings." His whisper came out vehemently, "Remember that."

"But...?"

"No, you have to trust me on this. There is no way you will succeed through this program if you don't do exactly what I say."

"But, Sextant, what if I can't?" Her voice came out of the darkness, needing comfort.

"You will."