Preface: This is a story set in the Battle School of an alternate verse to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game saga, following the lives and experiences of various OC students within it as well as, of course, the school's most famous Battle Room game and their struggles within it. Some liberties are being taken in this work with regards to the general rules regarding the workings of the school and the Battle Room game for the sake of story and drama, but the fundamentals will remain. I hope you guys enjoy it!
LYNN HADRIAN
ASSIGNED TURTLE ARMY
COMMANDER NEIL TOKAR
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
CODE BLUE BROWN WHITE
NO POSSESSIONS TRANSFERRED
A confident grin formed on the girl's lips as the ribbon of blue brown white along the color wall she had been following came to an end before the barracks door. The door slid open before the 8 year old, her small and petite frame betrayed by her bold, hands on hips stance. Bright brown eyes flashed determinedly as the braided ponytail of her long reddish brown hair hung down over the flat breast of her pale green jumpsuit and she found herself glaring into the long and narrow army barracks room. "Lynn Hadrian reporting for duty!" she shouted into the room, drawing attention from the older boys who had been gathered around their bunks.
There was a moment of awkward silence, followed shortly after by a burst of laughter. "Did'ya hear that?" a thin, black-haired boy of about nine who had been laying on the top bunk nearest the door said mockingly, cackling as he pushed himself over the side and landed on his feet. He stepped towards her, and looked down at her with a bemused smile. Though he couldn't be more than a year or two older, the boy was tall for his age and stood a full head and a half over Lynn. "The launchie's reporting for duty! If she's so eager to work, maybe she should start by tidying up."
He pat her on the head with a cackle in a demeaning manner and soon opened his mouth to continue – but found himself interrupted as the girl stepped in and tackled him to the ground. "You tidy up, doll back!" she growled as she came down on him with a flurry of blind fists. "You want a piece of me!?"
The older boy struggled to push her away, and she scowled ferociously as she reared her fist to hammer him in the cheek but fell still when she felt a strong grip tighten itself around her wrist. "I certainly hope this is not the kind of behavior you think we are tolerant of here in Turtle Army," a prepubescent, nasally yet cold voice spoke from behind her, and she turned her head towards it with an irritated grunt.
Lynn fell silent however, at the site of a much older boy; easily over ten and likely well on his way to his teens. He was short with curly blonde hair, wearing a brown trimmed dark green jumpsuit which many of the other boys in the barracks also wore. Scowling, he released her wrist and she stumbled backwards. "Welcome, recruit. I am your new commander, Neil. My apologies for Hayao's behavior, but that does not excuse your response by any means. Apologize, both of you."
The taller boy turned towards Lynn and bowed his head to her in a respectful manner, having stood up and begun rubbing a fresh bruise on his chin as he listened to their exchange. "Shitsureishimashita. I was rude."
Lynn looked back at him with an unsure glare before glancing back at the commander nervously. She'd acted rashly again. Even having wanted to make a strong impression in her first army, proving to her new comrades that she was tough as nails and didn't take crap from anyone, she'd been warned before about her outbursts and this was unexcusable. Getting iced before she even had the chance to play her first match in the Battle Room, which she had been looking forward for two long years, was the last thing she wanted. She bowed her head back, mimicking Hayao's gesture. "I'm sorry too. It won't happen again."
"See to it," Neil responded, adjusting the position of his glasses, "or I will have you iced. I have published for Turtle Army a list of rules which I expect you to follow." He paced before her as he spoke, while Hayao stepped back to his bunk and shot her a taunting sneer when his line of sight was elsewhere. "You will find that we aren't like most other armies. As popular as it may be here in the school, the Battle Room is only a game and Turtle Army places priority on academic achievement above all else. You will be expected to study for at least two hours a day, minimum. If your grades fail to excel, you will not be allowed to hold a leading position within the army. If they persist, you will be removed. Turtle Army currently holds second place in average grade level in the entire school; and we're shooting for first."
Lynn wasn't one for listening to long-winded speeches, not helped by the Commander's boring and nerdish voice, but made sure to listen carefully to his words. He was her superior officer, which meant that she had to show him utmost respect and obey his orders. She'd heard stories amongst her launch group about soldiers in older classes being iced for the slightest hint of disobedience. Her heart sunk a little as he mentioned the army's focus on academic achievement rather than Battle Room combat - the exact opposite of what she had been hoping for. While no fool, she was far from the most intelligent and studious of soldiers in her launch group. The only thing she truly excelled at had been the practice sessions and mock battles held for her Launch Group in the Battle Room, and she'd always hoped that would be what made her stand out to the administrators. She wasn't suited for this army, at all.
Lynn raised her hand, and Neil stopped to shoot her a glance. "Speak."
"Does this mean our Battle Room performance will be extraneous?"
"I never said that. We still work hard on our formations and tactics. You will be given proper training and expected to excel in the Battle Room; we do aim to improve our place in the rankings. The difference from other armies being that we do not believe it should at the cost of one's education."
"And what if one fails to excel?"
Neil's forehead creased. "Our Toon Leaders and their Seconds are required to offer tutoring to you if you request it. I'd advise you to make full use of that." He turned to look down the barracks and motioned his hand for a boy sitting on a top bunk halfway down the left row while using his desk to come join them. "For now, you are in Alpha Toon under Amadei, the Lieutenant Commander. You will follow his commands, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Neil turned to leave as Amadei arrived. Amadei was short for his age, barely taller than the much younger Lynn, with brown hair in a flattop. He looked her up and down, and frowned. The Commander was studious and apathetic, but Amadei was distant and professional in another way. "I'll show you to your bunk. Welcome to Turtle Army, soldier."
"Thanks," she replied, following behind him when he turned to walk down the narrow lane.
"Alpha Toon consists of 18 soldiers, including me and two Seconds. Do well, and you could be transferred to Beta, Gamma, or Delta. Of course, by that I mean both in the Battle Room and in class."
"Study and practice a lot. Got it."
He shot her a glance from over his shoulder before exhaling a slight snort. "A bit simplified, but yeah." He stopped before the 8th bunk on the left row and pat his hand on the bottom bed to signal that this was her spot. "Your first practice with the army is tomorrow at 0800, but you have your schedule in your desk so you probably know where to go."
She nodded and stepped into the space between bunks where she pulled her locker compartments open and looked inside to find a quartet of uniforms in Turtle Army's colors. She immediately began to undo her own pale green 'launchie' jumpsuit and replace it with one of the four green and brown ones. As she finished she turned to lie down on her bed, which had plenty of space given that it was built to accommodate children up to four years older than her. Flinging her braid over her shoulder so that it came to rest over her pillow, she sighed peacefully while spreading out her limbs.
Finally, this was her time. She had been planning this for nearly two years now – excel in the Battle Room and prove herself as a great soldier. She wasn't a launchie anymore. This was the start of her era.
Neil Tokar entered his cabin and took a seat at his desk composedly. He straightened his glasses before pressing a hand on his desk to activate it, causing an abundance of images, pages, tables, and charts to spring onto its surface. He pulled up a new flanking maneuver he had been working on and made it project upwards to create a globe-like 3D simulation of the Battle Room. He typed into the computer for a few minutes before starting it and watching as the simulation progressed.
He watched as two armies of 41 filed into the sphere. His own programmed side was represented by blue lights while the A.I. army following a preprogrammed standard strategy was orange. The orange army quickly divided into four toons, and sent three forward to attack. The foremost of the three was met head on by a massive force, which the other two soon moved to surround. A second toon of blue lights came to attack the surrounding mass from a separate angle as the larger toon was rapidly annihilated; turning the scene into a huge conflict while they all tried to take cover behind the nearest stars. The fourth orange toon moved to provide support, and a slight smile formed on Neil's lips when two smaller, faster strike forces came in to pincer them.
The smirk turned to a frown, however, upon seeing the original blue force all but destroyed shortly after and the remnants of the three orange toons attacking them split into two forces; one going after their reinforcements while the other backtracked to hunt down the two strike teams who were still occupied with their fourth toon. He watched as blue lights rapidly blinked out before finally closing the program prematurely with a disappointed grunt and burying his face in his palm. The room was silent and dark for a moment, before his eyes snapped open when the familiar beep of an incoming message resounded from his desk.
How are you? Still haven't given up? You'll only be crushed again, brother.
He grit his teeth uneasily, before typing a reply.
We'll see.