"Hello?" She repeats. She is greeted by silence. The she exclaims in a chibi voice. "You better shown yourself or else! Or m-my big brother will come and h-he is gonna be mad! Then you will regret not listening to me!"
She jumps at the sound of a chuckle. Then a deep, smooth voice responds, "Oh really? In that case I am almost tempted to remain hidden. It would indeed prove interesting if your brother's martial prowess is as advanced for his age as I have heard."
"Martial prowess?" She repeated, scoffingly. "My brother hates fighting! He always has his nose buried in a book!" She spoke heatedly, still slightly worked up from the previous night.
"My, my, what a silly little girl you are!" The man exclaimed, "do you honestly believe the 'facts' that you have just stated? Haven't you heard? Your brother, the bookworm, is destined to become a gundam pilot!"
"G-gundam pilot?" She repeated. She had heard the name being whispered during one of her parents conversations. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that it was going to take her brother away.
" Why is he gonna be a gundam pilot? Can't you take someone else?" She plead, grasping at straws; a tear rolling its path down her cheek. "You foolish, foolish girl. Don't you understand? This is a tremendous opportunity for you brother! Many would give much to be in his place! He will be a hero of our colony!" Then as if suddenly realizing that he had allowed himself to become worked up, he abruptly changed subject.
"Now, little one, I realize that you are still young; but have you thought about how your brother's future may affect your own?"
"What do you mean? I am a girl. The only future I could have is at home or maybe something like a secretary, like mother. The only way to become something interesting would be to leave the colony. But I don't want to leave Father and Mother…."
"Well child, it appears that you can think. You are correct in saying that you will have to eventually leave the colony. Now, I realize that you are yet a child, and this is a decision that would normally be made by your parents, but I will let you decide. I can see some promise in you. You don't have to answer me now, but I would like to offer you a chance to become something alike to what your brother is training to be."
"A gundam pilot?" Aranel questioned, wide-eyed.
"Not quite. I can't promise that you will ever become a gundam pilot, per say; but I can promise that you will receive that best training in everything. How good you truly become will be left for you to determine…"
" ….Tell me more." Aranel implored, definitely intrigued by the possibility of being with her brother and maybe becoming as good as(or better) than him.
"Well, if you did take my offer, you would begin your training when you turn age six. That would give you time to prepare and say your goodbyes, and it would give us time to prepare for you. I warn you. The training will be tough. There will be times when you will regret your choice to accept. You will be in training for three years. At the end of those three years, you will be introduced to the rest of your team. At that point you will all be trained to work together as a unit, yet at the same time you will each maintain your own individuality. This point of your training would last for 5 years. At the point of accepting this offer, you will be contracted to us until you turn 18. This would entail completing the individual training phase, then the group training phase, and then working for us for four years. At that point you will be offered further employment, but will have the option of continuing life elsewhere." The man said behind a smirk, knowing that after twelve years it would be almost impossible for them to recognize and survive in any lifestyle that did not employ the art of war.
"I turned five a month ago. So I would have eleven months. How long before I need to tell you my decision?" She questioned.
"….One week." Came the reply.
" Alright. How do I contact you?"
" I will contact you in a week. Think long and hard. An unwilling student of war will not survive long. Make sure that this is what you want to do."
"I will. One last thing before you leave."
"…Yes?"
"Would you show yourself so that I can trust you are honest?"
After a moments hesitation and consideration, he dropped down from the rafters in rooms to the one place 45 degrees to Aranel's right. Startled slightly, she edged back into a defensive stance; but then relaxed. She examined his facial features and realized that while he appeared to be in his late teens/early twenties, he had a lean, dangerous look to him.
'If this is what I could become, then I should do it! This is my only chance to show my brother that boys aren't the only things out there that can kick butt!' She thought with satisfaction. "I think that I want to do this." She said calmly.
"Well that is excellent to hear. I will leave you with a week yet to make sure that is what you want In a week, if your decision is yet strong, then we will start the preparations on the complex where you are to be trained."
" What exactly are the preparations?" Aranel implored.
" Ah, this is where it gets fun. The complex you will be training in will be specifically modified to you. Your training room, the miscellaneous, um, classrooms, and your quarters. Make no mistake. You training will be extremely harsh and demanding, and it will only worsen as your skill improves and your stamina increases; but when you are not in training, those few times, you will be treated like any normal child. I have heard of some of the training regiments that some of the other instructors have written up; and I tell you now, while you are under my station, in my training and my care, you will be treated well!"
"Doesn't this cost a lot of money? All this for one person?"
"Don't you worry, child. The person backing this is well aware of the financial issues and more than able to meet them. And don't worry, but the time you turn eighteen you will have more than paid back the money for your training. Hehe…I ASSURE you of that…."
"Okay… Then that's great!"
"Good. Then I will contact you in one week. Oh, and don't mention this to ANYONE. Do I have you word?"
"Um… Yes. I promise."
"Okay. Farewell then." He responded slipping silently out the back door.
A few minutes later, her family poured through the front door. "Aranel!" her mother called, " Come help me prepare dinner!"
"Yes mother." She then walked into the kitchen.
Meanwhile
"Yes sir. I just spoke with her. I think that we got her. Excellent choice, Sir. Her parents really are both of genius classification. At age five she comprehended everything that I said, considered it, asked intelligent questions and then made a decision!…Yes Sir! The future may yet indeed prove interesting…."