RTC MORRE'AC, WEEK 14, DAY 6, 3644 BBY, 1033 HOURS


The entire squad had to be woken up.

After more than a hundred hours of constant physical exertion with almost no sleep, it's all they could do.

They got off the dropships and were herded into the mess hall.

What greeted them, was a Warrior's Breakfast.

The chow line was filled with at least 8 different types of meats, a dozen vegetable and plant entrees, 20 side dishes, and an assortment of desserts and iced sweet drinks - a treat forbidden to them before during training.

The best part was the attendant asking Kat, "What items do you want and how much, Marine?" Kat was almost overwhelmed. No more rationing or restrictions. Hell yes.

She decided to take a little bit of everything "ah, what the stang?" and took a whole plate of different desserts - payback for the time they got smoked by the DIs because Jeruz had been caught with contraband candy bars. She loaded up her canteen and glass with two different drinks, and headed off.

She tried to scan the mess hall for C'alee and Aikern. Have they dropped off yet? One of her platoonmates waved her over to a table on the other side. She tried to carefully balance her tray as she weaved through the throngs of people. As she neared the table, she saw Aikern and C'alee already downing their mountain of food.

She chose to sit between the both of them. "Hey-loooo there…" "Kat! You made it!" exclaimed C'alee. He's a lot more chipper now. "Shut up, I wanna eat! I'm famished," Kat said as she stabbed a piece of roast meat with her fork. She ate it, her first meal as a Marine. The meat was salty, smoky, peppery and moist. It was the best damned roast meat she ever had.

She proceeded to down every entree and side she picked out with gusto . She savoured every flavour and texture - sweet, spicy, salty, smoky, sour, tanginess, crunch, gloopy. Even the ones she didn't particularly find amazing still tasted good, especially after almost a week of eating combat rations.

After she finished her food, she then gulped down the sweet, cold, neon-blue coloured iced drink. It tasted of berries, and it was heaven - iced drinks were allowed for everyone but the recruits. Finally, she downed the desserts, starting with a piece of coffee cake closest to her - also another thing that was denied to them as recruits. Now they get to enjoy the spoils of their labor.

"Chowing down, eh?" said Aikern. His eyes were bloodshot. "Yeah… You OK? How did it go?" "Well… I nearly drowned, but other than that, it went as well as everyone's," "Holy crap, Kat! What happened?" C'alee interjected from the side, food stuffed in mouth.

"We were… trying to cross the river on the way to the battalion rally. Me and a few others were testing the current depth and strength. We decided not to cross so we got back. When I tried to climb the riverbank, my hand slipped and I fell. The water was thigh deep and the current was strong, so I almost got carried away. Thankfully, my squadmate was standing near the edge and grabbed me up," "Oh my, that's rough! Are… are you OK now, though?" asked Aikern. "Eh, I made it all the way to the end, I'm fine. Was shaken up at first, though,"

"Hey. I know you're strong, but you know you can always talk to me if you feel like you need it," "Yeah! Me too, guys! Isn't that what friends are for?" "Yeah… Er, hey… how was y'all's Blaze like?"

"Oh, it was stressful! Being squad leader was overwhelming at first. But then I decided to listen to what's happening around me, and to my squadmembers, and went out surprisingly fine! It was still difficult - We had one "casualty", but he was able to make it to battalion! I carried his pack and rifle all the way through," "Hell of a job, C'alee!" said Aikern. "Thanks! It's just what leaders are supposed to do, What happened to your squad, Zee?"

"They sent us to capture a bridge as this grid, but when we got there, it was already "destroyed" and there's no enemy! Our SL (squad leader) logged it in as captured and we decided to move on. Since the bridge was destroyed, we had to move through the nearby swamps. My clothes were muddy, as you can see here," and pointed towards his muddy cammies. "I can still feel the mud in my boots… Anyways, we were sent to capture an enemy vehicle, and we did. We slept for 10 hours in there, hahahaha... The next day, we marked the vehicle as "captured" and proceeded to the rally point. The rest… well, you know!" Aikern flashed a big smile.

"Can't believe we're done," said C'alee. "Yeah.." and Kat got up with her tray. "Where are you going, Kat? Back to the platoon bay?"

"I'm going for a second helping."


PLATOON BAY 40, DAY 7, 2143 HOURS

Kat slowly went over what she's going to choose.

They have been left to their own devices since they finished the Warrior's Breakfast yesterday. Graduation will be held at the end of next week - from tomorrow until then, they will moved back from the Basic Combat Center back to the main base to begin a long process of attending a series of lectures on their selected profession fields, as well numerous typical bureaucratic processes like filling out forms.

Such fun.

She had always known she wanted to have her boots on the ground and in the thick of it. Kat, truthfully didn't mind, although she remembered she chose infantry during her initial enlistment for a reason.

There were thousands of professions, and only three general profession fields she could choose, at most, so she went with -

Infantry

Armor

Medical

She pressed "send" on the datapad to send to Systems Command.


BULIDING 5, ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPLEX, RTC MORRE'AC, DAY 1, WEEK 15, 1407 HOURS

The recruits were standing in line - they had taken their platoon-wide images and holos taken that day, now it's time for their personal graduation images and holos.

They were all wearing the Marine Corps' service uniform - form-fitting, with a striking mix of grey and azure blue accents. They wear the emblem of the Galactic Republic on the left collar, and wore the shield, delta and crossed rifles emblem of the Marine Corps on the right. One medal hanged from the left side of their chests - the blue and white-ribboned Republic Defense Service Medal (RDSM).

A braided cord ran from the back of their left side along to the center-front of their chests. On their heads, they wore a slouch hat with the Marines' emblem in the center. Finally, they wore dress boots - the first time in their Marine Corps career.

I..look...great!

A specialist beckoned her forward.

"Keep your bearing, and face towards the camera, please," she said before taking the images.

It took 15 minutes for both the image and holos.

"Take your cover off, Marine," she took her slouch hat off and set it aside. "Look towards the camera, again," and the specialist took one last image.

"We're done here. Thank you, Marine… Next!"

She exited the room, went down the stairs and out of the building to head back to her platoon bay - profession briefings wouldn't be for another half an hour.

She looked around the busy base - vehicles transporting materials and recruits and even more recruits were urgently walking towards more training, with DIs either singing marching songs and cadence's.

Kat caught the eyes of a few recruits. They gawked at her, realising that they could be like her in the future. She gave a small nod of acknowledgement before stoically moving on.

Good luck recruits. You'll need it.

She quickly heads to her next briefing : infantry corps.

She went into the designated hall for the briefing. It was well lit, with rows and rows of long tables and chairs - the room could fit 500 people at once. The front rows were already filled with new Marines. She recognized none of them - the only ones she knew that had infantry in their choices were Rews, Jar'an, Aikern, and herself. The rest either didn't choose infantry or were attending other concurrent briefings for other profession fields.

She chose the frontmost empty row and picked a seat. She set down her hat on the table, opened her issued datapad, and readied herself for her briefing. The recruits around her were in a mix of their issued cammies and service uniforms - from the imaging process as she had.

A green Lasat male entered and went up onto the stage. He was wearing a service uniform like Kat was. "Attention on deck!" a voice boomed. The entire room stood to attention.

"At ease. Welcome to the General Profession - Infantry briefing. This will provide information and help you with choosing your profession in your career ahead. Now, let's begin..."


PARADE GROUNDS, RTC MORRE'AC, DAY 3, WEEK 15,

Kat tried to remember the marching orders they had been given. They had been taught for two hours a day for two weeks before they went off to the Basic Combat Center, and two days of rehearsals prior. She thought it's still not enough.

They were all in their formal navy and gold-accented dress uniforms. A standing collar with the Marines' emblem on the right side and the Galactic Republic emblem was on the left. The front is divided by 8 gold-coloured buttons with the Marines' emblem embossed on it. The RDSM ribbon is placed above their marksmanship badges.

A silver coloured-belt is wrapped above their hips. From the belt hangs a kama cape, descended from the Marines' first Commandant, Hall L. Cole, who hailed from Concord Dawn and was of Mandalorian heritage. Their marching dress shoes collective gave a unified clack on the parade grounds.

That day, it was the 5th and 6th Training Battalion's turn for the graduation ceremony. The heat was formidable, and their uniforms weren't making it easier, Kat finds - the high collar and thick coat were slowly constricting her. These look really good on me, but I'll be damned if I ever wear this outdoors ever again.

They all marched by platoon, then company, out into the parade grounds. Their senior DIs were leading the pack, holding their ceremonial swords straight up into the sky. A Marine band - the only service to still have organic players - played marching music as the graduates stepped along to the beat.

They all moved in unison to the marching commands. Finally, they halted in formation. There was a small podium not too far front of them, and further in front were seatings for the family members of the graduates. Where's mom and dad?

Their drill instructors stood opposite facing them, also in dress uniforms, but with more ribbons, medals and stripes - some indicating meritorious service, some indicating combat experience, and some indicating valorous actions in battle.

Kat tried to eyeball her instructors without being noticed. Her instructors had the typical ribbons that every Marine will gain during their time of service - expeditionary and service ribbons and unit citations. She noticed - SGTs Kaj'fra and Darrow and had one Gallantry Cross each. The one who stood out the most was CSGT Ra'az - she had a Medal of Valor and One Gallantry Cross, an amazing feat for an aviation mechanic Command Sergeant. Kriffing hell. What a Marine…

There was yelling, then the guidon bearers from each platoon moved up to their designated DI and handed the guidon to them. The guidon-bearing DIs then moved towards the front and formed a line.

A Major General came up to a podium near the front of the parade grounds. "Thank you, to all the family and friends for attending. My name is Major General Pequul. Today is a very special day for your loved ones - this graduation ceremony marks…"...Kat recognized the voice. He was the one whom she talked to during the firewatch! A… A General? She immediately tried to steady herself before she began to lose her composure.

"...When they return to you, you will notice that they are bigger… stronger… and more confident! But at heart, they still remain the same beings they once were…"

"How long is this going to take?" she wondered, before letting her mind wander.

"...And now, we present to you, the Corps' newest Marines!" The attendees cheered.

One by one, the guidons were retired, and the Senior DIs yelled out commands. When it reached Kat's platoon, CSGT Ra'az yelled as loudly as she could.

"Platoon FOUR! CEE! FIVEEEE! DIIIIIIiiiissss…. MISSED!"

She sheathed her sword and stepped back.

The platoon stepped back, stomped once, and fell out, throwing their slouch hats up in the air, and embracing each other.

They were finally Marines.

The new Marines went around, hugging and patting each member of her platoon and congratulating them. Kat found C'alee and Aikern, and hugged them. " Hey, congratulations, my friends!" "Hey, congratulations to you too!" C'alee patted her shoulder.

She turned towards the dispersing crowd, scanning for her parents. Then she saw them walking towards the platoon. Kat lost all bearing and ran towards them. Her parents stopped. "Cathria!" The family bear hugged each other for a long time. Kat felt her eyes well up.

She pulled back and had her first good look at them in four months. Her father was smiling at her, his light brown hair and skin and blue eyes beaming in the sun. He put his hand on her shoulder. Kat then set her eyes on her mother, wiping her tearful green eyes away with a cloth. Her auburn hair was like Kat's.

Kat pulled in her parents for another bear hug. "My dear, Cathria… I've missed you so much," her mother softly said. " I missed you, too, mother," "How was your training, daughter?" asked his father. "It was great. I made it through, thanks to you, my instructors and platoonmates, father," "We're so proud of you, my star," said her mother. "Where are your friends? We'd like to see them," said her father. "Just a bit back. Come on… I'm sure they want to meet you,"

Kat spent the next half an hour introducing her parents to the members and families of 4/C/5 and taking images and holos. She tried to find her DIs, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"Well… I think we're done here. Let's go back up and get my stuff. Let's go home," "They allow you to go home, daughter?"quizzed her mother "Yes… for five days," "Wonderful. The faster we go, the faster we will get home," her father said. "Carus! It's not often we get offworld for something like this… Let's take our time…" "Mom… there's not much here. I've done and met everything and everyone I could. Let's go," "You listening to that, my dear Leessa? Let's get a move on, then?"

The Marines and their families went up to the platoon bays. In the middle was a pile of each Marines clothing, their combat gear having been turned into the armory. Kat took her two clothing bags and hoisted them on her back and shoulder. Carus Merrick tapped her shoulder, beckoning for her to give the bag to him. "You sure, dad?" "You must have been tired from all that training, daughter! Let me carry!" and glared at his wife. Leessa tugged her sleeve and said, "Let me carry the other one, Cathria…" "No, mom… It'll look bad for me to have you both carry my bags. Let dad carry the other one, at least…" And left the building.

As they passed the exit of the platoon bay building, they read a sign.

"ALL NEW MARINES MUST PROCEED TO THE ADMINISTRATION, SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT OFFICES TO TURN IN RECRUIT ID TAGS FOR NEW IDENTIFICATION AND ASSIGNMENT ORDERS AND CHECK OUT PRIOR TO LEAVING

-MARINE SYSTEMS COMMAND"

Kat sighed and signalled her parents to follow her. She headed towards the offices. When she got in, she saw recruits already lining up in front of the designated machines. "Wait here," she told her parents. She took her hat off, as is required indoors, and removed the recruit tags from her neck. She waited in line.

After 15 minutes, she got into the front of the line and inserted her recruit tags in. This is taking too long, hmm… she thought as the machine whirred. The machine spat out her new tags, a military ID card, and a small chip for her datapad. The screen read

"MERRICK, CATHRIA

PRIVATE

MARINE CORPS SERIAL NUMBER 502428419065/1927

MARINE SPECIALISED PROFESSION DESIGNATION - INFANTRY - BREACHER (02/028)"

Huh. They picked me out as a breacher. I got my first choice after all...

"NEXT ASSIGNMENT : MARINE INFANTRY ACADEMY, CORULAG

REPORT TO THE ASSIGNED LOCATION WITH ALL RELEVANT ISSUED EQUIPMENT WITHIN FIVE STANDARD DAYS OF THIS MESSAGE.FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON ISSUED DATACHIP

- MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL COMMAND"

Here we go.

Kat checked out, took the tags, wore them immediately, and stored the card and datachip in one of her uniform pockets. I'll read this at home.

She went back to her parents, who were sitting near the exit. She picked up the bag and they headed towards the exit. They went to a speed that her parents had rented. They stored the bags in the storage. "Let's go to the spaceport. Time to go home,"

The speeder whirred up, and they began driving out and away from the base. Kat took a good, long last good at the base which had given her so much happiness and heartbreak.

Thank you… for everything.

Onwards and upwards.

The speeder zoomed away from the camp towards the spaceport.