Louise ran.

"I won't lose."

She slammed one foot in front of the other despite the protest of her joints.

"You're not better than me."

Her muscles ached, her lungs burned.

"Founder be damned I will not-GAH!"

Her foot slipped, her legs failed her, and her body collapsed.

The rough terrain beneath her was designed to mimic an untrodden path leaving rocks and roots scattered about their way. Louise was unfortunate enough to land on a particularly sharp rock as she collapsed. She cried out as the sharp edge sliced a red line up her forearm.

"Ow ow ow ow..." Louise furiously fought back tears as the pain shot through her system.

"I DON'T SEE YOU MOVING RECRUIT!" The merciless shout of the drill sergeant assaulted her ears.

"My... my arm is-" "DO YOUR SKINNY LITTLE LEGS WORK!?" The sarge interrupted.

"What-" "DO. THEY. WORK." The spectre had abandoned its post to loom over her.

"Yes... but-" "THEN. WHY. ARE. THEY. NOT. FUCKING. MOVING! RECRUIT!"

"My-" "IF YOU AREN'T MOVING IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL BE IS THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

"But-" "FIVE"

"I-" "FOUR"

"Just list-" "THREE"

"Wait-" "TWO"

"DAMN IT ALL!" "ONE!" Louise growled and forced herself to her aching feet. She tried to ignore the stinging in her arm or the terrifying possibility that an infection would likely lead to an amputation.

"A MEDIC WILL SEE YOU IF YOU FINISH! NOW MOVE!"


"SIT DOWN! LIE ON YOUR BACK HEELS BENEATH YOUR KNEES!"

Louise opened her mouth to protest. "NOW RECRUIT!"

Louise shut her mouth and sat in the dirt.

"ON MY COUNT YOU WILL LIFT YOUR HEAD TO YOUR KNEES! IF YOUR FEET OR YOU ASS LEAVES THAT DIRT IT DOES NOT COUNT!"B

"Wha-" "ONE!"

Louise groaned as she tried to do as the instructor asked but her core strength was nearly non-existent.

"I SAID ONE RECRUIT!"

Gritting her teeth she somehow found the strength to peel her back off the dirt and curl up to her knees.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOUR GODDAMN FEET! AGAIN!"

"But I-" "AGAIN! NOW!"


"IF YOUR CHIN DOES NOT PASS THAT DAMN BAR THEN IT DOES NOT COUNT MAGGOT! AGAIN!"

Louise groaned and fought back tears as she struggled to lift her own weight. Her arms burned and her muscles fought her every move.

"Not... some... damn... zer-eep!" Her grip slipped and Louise fell into the muck below. Mud and dirt clung to her loose hair creating clumps and knots.

"GET! UP! RECRUIT!" The drill sergeant roared standing over her. "GET UP! OR DON'T BOTHER MOVING AT ALL!"

Louise fought tears as she pulled herself to a sitting position, her arms falling limply at her sides. The 'exercise' had sapped her of all her strength.

"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN OFFER ME!?" The drill sergeant stood over her. "THIS ISN'T SOME HIPPIE MEDITATION SESSION! ON! YOUR! FEET! NOW!"

Louise struggled to find the strength to carry on. Her legs wobbled, her arms sagged, but she still reached for the bar above her head.

She wasn't done yet.


"KEEP THE PACE! KEEP THE PACE" The drill sergeant roared as they crawled through the mud. Strings of sharp metal wire were tied above their heads forcing them to dig their faces into the wet mud below. Louise could feel it stick to her skin and clump up her messy and loose hair.

She dreaded every moment.

"KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN! DON'T STOP MOVING! THIS IS NOT NAPTIME GODDAMNIT! KEEP MOVING!"

Her body was giving out, yet she still persevered.


"KEEP RUNNING MAGGOTS!"

The supposed 'final stretch' was another gruelling 'jog' to reach the finish line. Supposedly if they made it there they would see their results, but Louise was beginning to seriously doubt whether or not she had the energy to finish.

Her breathing was shallow, every intake felt a thousand daggers shearing through her lungs. Her 'jog' was practically a tangle of placing one foot in front of the other just to keep herself from falling flat on her face. Her arms were tight to her sides as she fought to keep her vision in front of her. She was almost-

Her toe clipped her ankle and she lost the strength to recover. Her body lurched forward and she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

She could vaguely make out the angry tone of the Drill sergeant yelling at her but it sounded so distant. Her body had no energy left to listen, she just wanted to lie on the ground... and let it all fade away...

"Please my Lady, you mustn't give up yet..." A pair of strong arms gripped her under her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. Lacing one of her arms over her own shoulders they hauled her forward.

In that moment Louise had never felt more broken. 'Saved by a commoner... is this what my life has come to...?'

She could hear Siesta gasping for breath herself as she struggled to support Louise, but she did not drop her. "Almost... there..."

Louise could see the finish line ahead of them, a simple banner supported by two poles. They were almost there. She pulled together what little energy she could muster as she pushed her feet beneath her. It was only thanks to Siesta's support that could she barely keep her balance. Seconds later they crossed the 'finish line' and both collapsed in a heap.

"Well done," Louise perked up at the sound of FS's voice. "That was a very strenuous test. Here, I strongly suggest you drink this."

FS offered her a bottle of... something, a potion of some sort? The liquid was not clear, more of a semi-transparent purple. Reaching for the bottle she struggled to grip it as her hands trembled and refused to close. Shakily bringing it to her lips she greedily gulped down the contents.

"Slowly Louise, you may choke otherwise." FS chided, Louise glared but complied. "Now that the test has concluded both of may take a few minutes to rest, I will display your results when you are both ready."

Louise nodded and continued to slowly consume the offered beverage. Glancing to her side she noticed Siesta was doing the same. Evidently having been offered something similar by Yasuke. The taste was... interesting, it was close to a mixture of berries but... a touch sweeter and with a slightly powdery texture to it.

After a few minutes of rest, the duo managed to calm their breathing to a more manageable state. Siesta stood up first, Louise following her example albeit rather shakily. She desperately wanted to claw and grime that was caked onto her face and matting up her hair but she could barely find the strength to move her arms. Instead, she busied herself scratching at the mud on her hands and forearms.

"Louise you will be visiting the showers after this to clean off. Please do not try to remove the mud with your hands, you might injure yourself." FS stated to Louise.

She stopped with a huff.

"TEN-HUT!" The drill sergeant suddenly yelled. Louise stiffened and stood up straight, she was not familiar with this order.

"If either of you ever hear this from a superior office you are to stand at parade rest." FS explained.

Both of the recruits complied immediately, FS's gaze silently ran over both of them inspecting their stances before nodding.

"On the screen behind me, I will be displaying your results. Since neither of you can presently read the Militia standard language I will be announcing the categories verbally. If your score is blue, you passed, if it is red, you failed. Your scores have been calculated based on your Skeletal and muscle structure alongside your Age group."

Louise gulped, she had a sinking feeling she already knew how she did and she was not optimistic.

"Cardio, or running. Both of you were put through a 5KM on uneven terrain. Par time, 19 minutes and 42 seconds. Louise, Fail, Siesta, Pass."

Louise grit her teeth as she watched the symbols that she assumed represented her time switch to a condemning red.

"Sit-ups, par score, 47, Louise, Fail, Siesta, Fail."

'Well at least I'm not alone on that front...' Louise thought bitterly.

"Push-ups, par score, 13, Louise, Fail, Siesta, Pass."

FS seemed to twitch as he announced another of Louise's failures.

"Pull-ups, par score 3, Louise, Fail, Siesta, Pass."

Louise remembered those, the memory made her arms ache once more.

"The remaining obstacles required only that you cross the line at the end, both of you have reached the end goal meaning you both passed."

'At least I have something to be proud of I suppose... but will that be enough?' Louise panicked internally.

"Under ordinary circumstances, no failure is tolerated. One failing score is enough to bar a recruit from proceeding further."

Louise felt her heart sink as she stared at the 'screen' behind FS. Four red scores confirmed her worst fears.

"However these are not ordinary circumstances."

Before her eyes Louise watched as the red scores blinked blue.

"You will both be retaking a test similar to this in one month's time. Fail it again and you will be sent home. Do I make myself clear?" FS's voice dropped a few octaves as he delivered his last statement. Louise did not need her Neural link to feel the finality in his words.

'I am giving you a second chance Louise. There will not be a third.' FS privately informed Louise.

"SIR YES SIR!" Louise and Siesta yelled in unison. And for a brief moment, Louise felt a small burst of pride come from FS's link to her.


As FS led the duo to what he described as the showers Louise continued to pick at the mud clinging to her. Her uniform was a disgrace, there was barely a patch of green left on it! She internally groaned, her arms were slowly regaining feeling but her movements were still quite sluggish and sloppy.

Thankfully the walk was over before her legs gave out, as they moved into another room that Louise recognized as a locker room.

"You may discard your dirty uniforms down this chute, there will be replacements ready for you when you leave. Be advised that you will only be requisitioned one uniform." FS stated coldly. "If you are to damage or dirty that uniform you will be subject to disciplinary action, and you will need to file for a new uniform. Until a new one is supplied to you you will wear your current attire provided it covers enough of you."

Louise flinched at her Familiar's words, at least at the academy she had a few spare uniforms in the event that one needed to be cleaned. Here, she would need to be extra careful going forward.

"The showers are around the corner, the water flow is controlled by the handle attached to the wall. The further to the left the dial is the hotter the water will be. The water is also laced with a compound that will break down the dirt clinging to you and disinfect your skin. Lastly, since you are unfamiliar with modern showers against the wall you will face three dispensers, use them from left to right. The first is for your hair I recommend thoroughly scrubbing to ensure it is cleaned before rinsing it all out. The second is also for your hair, it is recommended you leave it to set for a few minutes, use this time to clean your body with the third dispenser. Ensure that none of the soaps remain on your body before leaving the show." FS continued. "Your next activity will be an introduction to your general studies, you are expected in the classroom in one hour. A MRVN unit will guide you first to the mess hall, and then your classroom upon your request. However I strongly recommend you begin to memorize where everything is as after today, I will no longer be providing assistance in any form."

With those words, FS turned to leave. "Wait, where will Seista be bathing?"

FS turned around to face Louise. "In the same shower block as you."

"WHAT!?" Louise screeched. "As a noble, I cannot accept this!"

"As a recruit, your previous affiliations and class mean nothing. I suggest you get used to it."

"FS! I am still your master-!"

"Our link has not changed, Louise." FS hesitated when choosing how to address Louise. "However for that to remain you must earn the qualifications of a Pilot. Abandoning your prejudice would be a good place to start."

"Your time is limited and you are both covered in enough mud to risk infection. I recommend you shower immediately."

With nothing else to say FS marched out of the room, the doors shutting behind him.

"FS!" Louise yelled aloud, when he did not respond she tried her link. 'FS! FS I demand you answer me!'

Silence.

Louise ground her teeth. Her mind was tearing itself apart, she was exhausted, she had been consistently humiliated, her sanity could only be described as hanging on by a thread, and she was entirely out of her element. Now she was forced to either endure the utter humiliation of attending her classes or shower with a commoner.

"Unacceptable," Louise growled. "Siesta wait here, you may enter when I am finished you may enter."

Siesta hesitated but bowed nonetheless, "Of course my Lady."

Louise then stripped her 'uniform' and made her way to the showers, feeling a spike of irritation as she did so. Oddly, the emotion did not feel like it had originated from her.

Ignoring the feeling she made her way into the 'showers' to clean up. What greeted her was a peculiar sight, there were no tubs and every couple of paces along the floor was a square dip in the floor with a plate of metal that had small holes drilled into them. Stepping onto the plate Louise noticed the 'Dial' that FS had mentioned. Painted above it she saw a curve that gradually went from blue to red.

Turning the dial to the middle Louise was suddenly showered with frigid water.

Yelping she leapt backwards and looked up. Above where she had stood she could see another square metal grate that was now dumping out a sizeable amount of water. Fascinated Louise held her hand out to the water and flinched at the cold temperature.

'FS mentioned to turn the dial to the left for hot water... so then...' Momentarily ignoring the frigid water she reached for the dial turning it further to the left. She held her hand out until the water warmed to a more comfortable temperature. 'Whoah...'

For a few minutes, Louise simply stood in silence, allowing the comfortable warm water to wash over her. Slowly the mud and dirt that clung to her washed away as time passed. 'I wonder what is in the water that enables it to be so thorough... most aristocrats would spend a fortune on water like this, perhaps I could convince FS to sell some?'

Shaking her head she recalled that she was on a time limit and that if she was going to eat before her studies she would need to make haste. Using the first dispenser a smooth lotion was placed in her hand... but the water quickly washed it away. Trying again this time stepping out of the water's range Louise then applied the lotion to her hair, taking multiple handfuls to clean her abundance of hair.

Finally, after a generous amount of time, Louise was satisfied and stepped back into the water to clean it all off. She was surprised at how effective it had been at removing the mud and dirt. Next, she moved on to the second dispenser repeating the same process as before only this time she did not immediately step back into the shower, instead opting to make use of the third dispenser to clean her body.

When she got to the white fabric that covered her arm she was surprised to notice it was surprisingly dry. The water seemingly rolled right off it. 'Curious...' Ignoring it for the time being she finished scrubbing the more stubborn clumps of mud that stuck to her hissing every time the lotion revealed a small cut or scrape resulting in a nasty sting.

Finally finishing up she stepped back into the shower taking care to rinse of all of the lotion that she had used prior. Once satisfied she chose to stay a few more minutes to enjoy the warm water. Nodding to herself she turned the dial off entirely and was shocked when the water was suddenly replaced with a torrent of warm wind.

She was about to leave when she realized that she was actually drying off quite quickly. She cursed herself for her short-sightedness, she'd heard of some wind mages with a fire element doing something similar to dry off quickly. Clearly, FS's people had discovered the same strategy.

After waiting for approximately a minute more until she was completely dry Louise made her way back to the locker room. Stepping out she could see Siesta seated in silence patiently awaiting her turn to use the showers.

"You may go ahead, I'm all finished." Louise said as she made her way to the neatly folded uniform and undergarments sitting on the bench. Siesta nodded silently and made her way into the showers. Quickly getting changed Louise walked to the doors and approached the Marvin unit that was waiting for her.

"Take me to the dining hall." She demanded.

*beep beep* The yellow golem just chirped like a distorted dysfunctional bird.

"Urgh, food? Directions?" Louise waved her arms trying to mime what she wanted. The yellow golem just tilted its head to its side. It chirped again and the painting... no, screen, switched to a photo of Siesta's face with a symbol next to it. "She's not here right now, and she should be eating somewhere else no?"

The golem chirped again in a lower tone and shook its head. Louise groaned. "You have got to be joking."

The golem just chirped uselessly, again the screen changed this time with a red X on its chest. Considering its screen was at eye level with Louise it almost felt like it was taunting her. Part of her was tempted to punch the X, but she thought better of it. Not only did her arms still feel incredibly weak, but she would wager the strike would do more damage to her than the golem.

Huffing defeated she glanced down the large empty corridor and debated storming off on her own.

'I wouldn't even know where to start... I'd just end up late, hungry, and more embarrassed than I already am!'

"FS! The Golem is not listening to me!" Louise complained through her link. "FS? Hello...?"

Nothing.

"FS? Can you not hear me?" Louise asked concerned.

"I can hear you fine Louise." FS's voice suddenly rang out from a corner of the room. "Everything is working as intended, the MRVN unit will guide you and recruit Siesta to the mess when both of you are ready. Not before."

"But I am ready now!" Louise demanded. "Why should I have to wait on a commoner!"

"You will wait until your squad is ready to leave, and then you will move together. No exceptions." FS stated, and Louise felt a mild pressure run through her skull, as though the words themselves had weight to them.

Louise grumbled and stomped her foot, knowing any further argument was pointless she folded her arms and took a seat on the bench. Opting to wait in comfort rather than feel her legs wobble even more under her own weight. 'Making me wait... the nerve of this commoner...'

As the minutes passed Louise's temper steadily grew worse. She had no method of accurately keeping track of time but she could still feel the minutes pass. Finally, Siesta rounded the corner making a beeline for her uniform. She seemed surprised to see Louise seated on the bench.

"The gol-Marvin outside refused to move until you showed up." Louise stated in a low tone, not bothering to look at Siesta. She opened her mouth to say more but hesitated for a moment. "Just hurry it up. I intend to eat before my classes begin."

Siesta said nothing in return, merely opting to focus on dressing herself quickly instead.

Once she was ready she made her way to the doors, Louise leading the way there.

This time when she approached the Marvin it chirped happily and its screen displayed a yellow smiling face. Louise grumbled but said nothing as the Marvin unit finally started leading them to the 'mess hall'. She was determined to memorize the path so she would not be stuck waiting again.

One straight corridor and another 'elevator' (Louise noted the voice said sub-level 2 again) ride followed by a few turns and the duo was standing in a large open room. Aligned neatly in rows were large grey tables with equally bland benches. Lousie felt the room could certainly benefit from some colour, but by this point, she had given up on the militia's aesthetics.

The Marvin hobbled over to a table with a short glass barrier. Behind it, Louise could see a pair of different Marvins with chef hats and aprons. Both were portioning food items onto a pair of trays in front of each of them. Once they were done both of them lifted their trays and presented them in front of them. On their chests, their screens displayed Louise and Siesta's faces respectively.

Taking the cue Louise collected the tray from the Marvin that was displaying her face before taking a seat at the table nearest to her. Behind her, she heard Siesta collecting her tray herself but she seemed to hesitate unsure of what to do next.

"Take a seat anywhere you like, just not at my table of course." Louise huffed.

"I... see, thank you? My lady." Siesta addressed her formally as usual.

Louise ignored her as she took a seat at another table, instead, she glared at the 'meal' before her. Divided into each of the rectangular indents of the tray was a small variety of foods. A few Louise could recognize at a glance, namely the scrambled eggs, though they were dreadfully plain, some roasted potatoes and a slice of toast. What she did not recognize was the beige-coloured paste in a bowl next to it. Dipping her provided spoon into it she found she did not mind the flavour, it was bland certainly, but it was palatable enough for her empty stomach.

Trying the eggs next she was mildly surprised when she recognized the sharp flavour of cheese mixed in. Next, she moved on to her potatoes, she was grateful that they had been seasoned as well. Overall the food was quite decent, and certainly, the presentation was pathetic. At the very least the food tasted good, and in her hungry state that was all she cared about anymore.

Finishing her meal a little quicker than she usually would she left her tray for the Marvin unit to clean up and made her way to the doors. Glancing over she noticed Siesta had collected her tray and left it in a bin next to where the food was served. She ignored this however and made her way to the guide hoping that she would not be late for whatever FS had in store for them next.

Thankfully it was only a short walk to reach their next destination, the 2nd floor also had noticeablybetter air quality. Something Louise could appreciate. Entering the next room Louise was surprised to find a near-familiar setting for once. Most of the architecture of the base had been largely alien to Louise so to see a classroom with a similar layout to those at the academy. With four rows of desks stacked like a staircase with a split down the center and sides for students to move through.

Of course, the wood was replaced with metal and the size of the classroom was about half that of those at the academy, but taking a look at the seats it seemed the students had considerably less space between them. Moving to the front row Louise took a seat next to the center aisle. Siesta moved to take a seat a few rows back but, "There are only two of you. I expect both of you to be seated in the front row."

A feminine voice halted in her tracks. Looking at the doorway the voice was revealed to have originated from another unique spectre unit. Although its size was more akin to that of a Stalker unit. Its head was quite unique, having what appeared to be a mix between a helmet and a hood made of large blocky segmented plates. It had no face, just one glaring red orb that stared at them.

Their torso matched that of a stalker unit, plain and blocky. Although it did seem to have a few more lights than the regular stalker units, its legs were slightly larger than a regular stalker and they seemed to have two sets of four canisters symmetrically aligned on either thigh. The arms were also thicker than a regular stalker with an extra layer of plate armour built over them, and at the shoulders were an odd set of pauldrons, they looked more like thick and flat handles than pauldrons though.

The unique stalker ignored the stares it was receiving and instead moved to the podium placed at the far side of the room. "I will be your professor for your general studies. In this class, we will cover everything from Chemistry to calculus, my mission parameters are to assist you in reaching the level of a 27th-century high-school graduate." They continued. "You will refer to me as IT-404 or IT. Refer to me as 'it' and you will be given disciplinary action. Clear?"

"Um... yes?"

IT-404 glared at both of them, its single red eye twitching between the both of them. "You will finish every answer you give me with ma'am or you will not answer at all. Clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Both Louise and Siesta said at once.

"Better." IT-404 nodded. "Before we begin, built into each of the desks is a display, above each is a stylus you may use. When it is in contact with the display it will act as a pen for you to take notes. It is recommended you do so. To navigate the display use one finger to move the page, and pinch two along the surface to enlarge or shrink the image. Additionally, unit FS-1041 has managed to create translation software for the standard Halkengian written language."

Louise glanced down in front of her, noticing a cylindrical object that ended in a rounded point. Picking it up she touched the empty table in front of her, nearly jumping as it lit up. Curious Louise brought the rounded tip to the glowing surface she smiled lightly as she watched a line appear traced from the tip.

"You may also flip the pen in your hand to use the other end to erase any unwanted lines or text." IT spoke up noticing the duo experimenting with their displays. "I strongly advise colour coding your notes, to change the colour by touching the pen tip to the colour wheel in the bottom right of the display. Drag the tip to a colour of your choice and then release, your writing will now appear in that colour."

Louise followed the professor's advice and began to experiment with various colours, erasing any she did not like.

Against the front wall, a large screen turned on, turning a majority of the wall into a display. "We will be starting with basic Sciences, your first task will be memorizing and reading the periodic table of elements. Let us begin..."


Louise left the class with her mood significantly improved. They had only been given the supposed 'basics' of the elements that humanity had discovered. Many of which Louise had already been familiar with. Then came the curveball, the periodic table. FS's people without the assistance of magic had managed to catalogue and structurally identify the elements based on what they called the atomic weight!

That was another fascinating concept, Atoms!

Louise's mind was awash with possibilities while next to her, poor Siesta seemed to be seeing stars. Where Louise's academic upbringing had moulded her mind to intake new information, Siesta had always been more physically adept. Her time growing up on a farm had meant she frequently needed to spend entire days performing physical labour. The very intensive lesson had been quite an overwhelming ordeal for her.

She hoped the next lesson would be less taxing on her mind.

The duo had been given directions by IT-404 on where to go next, along with a vague layout of the section of the base they were in. Apparently, the facilities were organized onto two floors. The top floor was primarily classrooms and laboratories, while the lower floor housed the gyms and pools for physical education.

Currently, they were headed to one such gym now. The route was quite simple as well, it was a straight walk to the staircase, according to the floorplan there were three staircases total, one on either end and one in the center. At the bottom, they would take a left and search for the symbols that matched 'Gym-S003'.

Following the directions to the next floor down it was immediately obvious that the doors were spaced much further apart now. 'The rooms must be bigger on this floor...' Louise observed silently.

Glancing above the doors they could see painted symbols above each. The one above the nearest read 'Gym-S002', whereas directly across another read 'Pool'. Walking along the hall the next door they came across thankfully matched the symbols they were looking for. Approaching the entrance the doors slid open allowing them entry.

Inside was a very spacious rectangular room. Along the floor were four rows and two columns of what appeared to be a soft cushioning material. At the center of the room was none other than Yasuke.

"Greetings recruits," His voice still had its unique distortion but it was a few decibels quieter now. "In this class, I will be teaching you various forms of martial arts and close-quarters combat. As today is only your first lesson we will not be focusing on any sparing but instead on stances and technique. Regrettably, we are short on time, as such this class will be quite demanding of you physically."

Louise gulped at that, she was familiar with martial arts, but she had never practiced any. Perhaps this could be an opportunity for her?


By the end of the class, Louise was gasping for air and trying to walk without her muscles making her very aware of just how stiff they were.

As Yasuke had informed them the moves they practiced were all relatively simple. However, simplicity did not mean it was easy by any stretch. 'Urgh... streches...' Louise shivered remembering the painful positions Yasuke had them assume. Supposedly they loosened up their muscles and prevented stiffness down the line but Louise was debating whether or not it was worth the pain. It certainly had not helped by the time they had repeated a single punch or kick over a hundred times.

Louise had to have spent nearly a quarter of the class falling on her rear. Her sense of balance had been atrocious, to say the least. Groaning she shook her head and gazed at Siesta with envy. She had taken to the lessons like a fish to water, she had also cited that apparently, her grandfather had taught her a number of the moves when she was younger.

'Cheater...' Louise thought, ignoring the irony in the statement.

Brushing it off Louise made her way to the next classroom. Apparently, it was back on the upper level, Yasuke had kindly informed them it would be their linguistics class. Louise revelled at the prospect of academics instead of more physical torture.

She just needed to make it back up... the stairs... 'Just kill me now...' Louise thought.

'That would be a violation of protocol 3-'

"FS GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Louise yelled, making Siesta jump.


The hike of the stairs was rather difficult as Louise struggled to keep her legs from falling out beneath her. She was grateful for the handrails as it meant she did not need to rely on Siesta again. Despite the woman's efforts to offer her aid, Louise stubbornly refused to accept.

When they finally reached their next classroom Louise all but collapsed into her seat. Once she was settled she was able to fully appreciate the change in aesthetics. Most of the metal had been painted a tan colour resembling wood. The lighting was also felt quite natural despite there being no windows.

"Sit down, your lesson will begin shortly." A wise feminine voice drew Louise's attention to the front of the class. Again there was a unique model of a Stalker unit making its way to the podium in the corner. Its 'face' was also different, it was still triangular like a regular stalker, however, it had one large circular light blue eye at the center and three glowing strips around it. They ran along the edges of the triangular face. Like the previous unit, it had heavier armour on its chest and arms, although this one appeared to have pipes that were attached from its shoulder to its forearm. They seemed to extend and contract with their movements as well. However, what was certainly most eye-catching was the large rectangular box attached to their left shoulder blade. The unit's armour plates were all painted a bone white, with their various joints and pipes remaining a gunmetal grey. It reminded Louise of FS's acolyte pods. "My serial designation is T-800, you will either refer to me by my designation or as Ma'am. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Both Louise and Siesta said in unison.

"Good," T-800 nodded. "As with your science class, the table in front of you contains a display that you can use. I trust you remember how to use them?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Good, then let us begin." T-800 said, and like before the wall behind them turned into a large display that began to display information relevant to their lessons. "We will be starting with your language studies and will begin on history lessons tomorrow."

Louise perked up at the mention of history. Not only was she curious about the history of FS's people, but also about what he had mentioned about 'revolution'. Grabbing her pen she got ready to take notes, she wasn't yet certain how she would be accessing them later but that was a problem for later.


'Okay... suddenly linguistics is my second least favourite class, third if morning training counts.' Louise internally sighed. 'Why the hell is English so damn complicated!? So many damn words that when simply spoken with different inflections on specific syllables completely changes their meaning... urgh... this is not going to be easy.'

Thankfully T-800 had been kind enough to inform them their next period was actually Lunch. Louise was already beginning to feel hungry and she could really use a break right about now.

Returning to the cafeteria with Siesta Louise was surprised to see FS and Yasuke seated at a table chatting. Noticing their approach FS nodded in their direction. "Louise, Siesta, please grab your food then join us at this table."

Louise stiffened at the implication that Siesta would be dining at the same table as her. She tried to hide it but the glare FS gave her told her she hadn't hidden it well enough.

Quickly making her way to the counter where she had collected her food last time she was surprised to see a... golem? Standing in front of a grill of some sort. Previously Louise would relate the unique Stalkers to their more mass-produced counterparts, but this one was a special case. It was noticeably larger, but not so much in height... more horizontally.

Its chest was built to be round like it had a large gut, and it seemed to lean back to counterbalance this. Its shoulders were broad but slumped and it also had those weird handle pauldrons that IT-404 had. It also seemed to be capable of spewing flames from its open palm to cook the food on its grill. Covering its front was a large reflective silver apron with triangular patterns running over it. Glancing down at its legs, Louise noted they were enormous in comparison to any of the other units. They looked like large rectangular crates with the thigh extending over the knee joint to cover it like armour. The various segmented plates that made up the armour were all painted a dull orange with the occasional yellow highlight. Additional boxes and divots however were left the usual gunmetal grey.

From its current angle, Louise could not see its face as it was intensely focused on whatever it was cooking on the grill.

"Serial designation S-0-" FS cut himself off as the golem slowly turned its head to face him. Its face was rather frightening, it appeared to be a helmet with two vents running along its jawline, above which rested a quarter sphere with six glowing orange eyes built into it. As it glared it slowly raised its free hand to rest upon the handle of a soup ladle attached to its hip. "Apologies, 'Chef' " FS corrected himself, and the golem slowly turned its gaze back to its work.

"Chef has chosen a name for himself and does not take kindly to those who do not address him by it." FS continued. "He will be preparing your food from now on. Once your meal break is over you will remain here to take your next class."

Louise nodded, quickly drilling it into her head to address the intimidating Chef by his name. She did not want to antagonize a Chef who could spit flames from his open palms. Patiently waiting for their meal to be finished and plated she silently contemplated the ladle at the Chef's hip. It did not seem to be dangerous, but if it was enough to give FS pause then she was not about to test that theory.

Finishing the meat on the grill the Chef used a simple metal device to clamp both slabs of meat and place them on two respective plates. Reaching to its side it grabbed a small container and delicately poured its contents over the meat and, it was difficult to see at a distance but Louise guessed it was mashed potatoes.

Bringing the two plates to the counter the chef presented the two with their meals. "Enjoy your meals."

His voice was surprisingly deep, carrying a lower baritone note that FS in his main body. Glancing down, the meal appeared to consist of a slab of steak, mashed potatoes with what appeared to be gravy overtop and stalks of an oddly green plant. Gladly taking her plate and cutlery roll Louise made her way to the table with FS and Yasuke. Glanced down at her plate and she could sense a hint of disapproval from him.

"Chef, you were asked to reserve higher quality meals for special events." FS stated accusingly.

"First impressions are important, sir." Chef responded.

FS did not respond, allowing Louise and Siesta, who just had to sit directly across from her. Sure it was next to Yasuke but it meant she was constantly reminding her she was dining at the same table as a commoner.

Unfolding her napkin to reveal her cutlery she was surprised to see the larger knife. Picking it up she barely noticed any weight difference, although she did notice how the edge was serrated. Rather surprisingly it seemed the edge worked to her advantage cutting into the steak quite nicely. Popping a chunk of the meat into her mouth she was taken away by how it melted in her mouth.

She finished her meal quite quickly.

"My compliments to the chef, that meal was simply exquisite!" Louise could not help but say.

"The praise is appreciated." Chef said, standing rather opposingly at the end of the table.

"Now then, before Chef begins with your next lesson Yasuke and I need to give you something." FS said. Reaching in front of him he slid a black and grey slab towards Louise, across from her she saw Yasuke do the same for Siesta. "These are TacPads, they are capable of performing a variety of tasks and calculations as well as well as record information, should you choose to do so."

Louise picked up the 'TacPad' and carefully looked it over. It was just about half as thick as one of her textbooks. It was surrounded by a material that was surprisingly easy to grip, yet slightly soft at the same time.

"To turn them on please press down on the button along its ridge." FS informed them.

Following his instruction Louise was surprised to see the glass suddenly light up like the 'displays' that were built into the desks.

"Using your fingers you can swipe to navigate through the various functions. Presently I have locked most recreational functions with the devices so you are not distracted. The various squares on the screen will take you to different applications that will serve different functions. Feel free to explore this in your own time. Lastly, any notes or drawings you have made on your displays in your classes can be accessed through the notes app. Simply select the class and it will bring up the canvas you last worked on."

Seeing as the recruits had now gotten an understanding of the device FS and Yasuke stood to leave. "I have other matters to attend to in the base, Louise, Siesta, I advise you to make the most of your remaining break to familiarize yourself with the TacPads. I calculate they will increase your odds of succeeding in this course."

With everything said the Titan inhabiting a Stalker left the cafeteria. Louise barely noticed, thoroughly invested in her new toy.


Leaving the Cafeteria with Siesta in tow, Louise continued to tap away at the device in her hands. Having discovered a keyboard function had enabled her to drastically cut down on the time it took to take her notes. No longer having to draw each individual symbol was saving her tons of time.

Quickly taking a moment to review the notes she had just taken from Chef's class, she debated using a colour coding system. The nutritional groups that she had learned about also had a conveniently colour-coded diagram that made them easy to remember.

"My Lady..."

'To think pages and pages of notes, all held on this convenient little tablet!'

"My Lady!"

'When I get back to the Academy the other students are going to be so jealous! I cannot wait to rub it in their face-'*Bonk* "Ack!"

Louise cried out as she walked face-first into a wall. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking, too enraptured by the TacPad. 'Well, that was embarrassing...'

Quickly dusting herself off and checking that her nose was not bleeding, again. She turned to face Siesta. "Ahem... pardon me but do you recall where our next class is to be? I seem to have forgotten."

"Of course, according to Chef, our next lesson is to be in the gun range." Siesta replied, evidently getting used to Louise's rapid changes in demeanour. "We will need to take an 'elle-ee-vae-tore' to reach our destination."

"Right, that's where I was... headed." Louise groaned. "Back to the floor with the horrifically poor air."

Siesta nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so my Lady, shall we be going then?"

Louise huffed but turned to make her way to the elevator. "Might as well, no point delaying the inevitable I suppose."

A short ride later the metal doors opened to the foul-smelling, lung-shredding, decrepit atmosphere that was 'Sub-level 3'.

"Well... at least it isn't as unbearable as the last time..." Siesta said coughing lightly as she did.

"The less time we spend on this floor, the less time we are taking off of our lives." Louise said grimly. "Where to?"

Siesta pulled up her TacPad. "According to this map, we make a left turn when leaving the elevator and then move to the end of the hall. I have a picture of the English words for 'Firing Range' on here as well. That should help us identify the door."

"Very well then, let's get moving." Louise said covering her mouth as she walked. 'Founder help me this air is abhorrent!'

As the duo made their way through the hall checking every door's label against the symbols on Siesta's TacPad. Finally, after a half dozen attempts, they found a match. Once again upon approaching the door, it opened without further prompting. Stepping inside, "Oh thank the founder, clean air!" Louise cheered.

The room's atmosphere was considerably cleaner than the prior halls. The room was also quite large, however unlike the above floor, or sub-level, the room seemed a tad... messier. There were various dings and dents in the metal surrounding them, and the materials used in the room's construction clearly favoured function over form.

Taking a quick look around the room Louise noticed there was a suspended table that cut off a large section of the room. Running along it were various thick metal dividers, far enough apart for an average human to stand in. Glancing between the dividers Louise could see a great distance away was the silhouette of a male torso and head. At the center of its chest and head was a red circle with increasingly larger white circles around them. 'Those must be targets then...' Louise noted.

"Welcome to the range. Take a seat on the bench so I can begin the safety demonstration." Another deep and baritone voice on par with Chef's broke the silence.

Louise glanced over and instinctively tensed. Like Chef there was another 'Golem', granted, this one certainly was closer to in shape to a Stalker, it was still too unique to be called one. Its shoulders were also broader but unlike Chef theirs were up and squared. Its hands seemed to be fairly normal-sized, as a result, its heavily armoured forearms seemed to almost swallow its wrists. Its face was... very intimidating, it seemed to be a helmet but instead of a visor a plate with six glowing blue eyes stared her down. Its chest armour was so massive it came up to cover its lower jaw as well. Attached to its front Louise could see some heavy crates of... something. Moving down to its legs she noticed they were very similar to Chef's, being incredibly thick like crates and the thighs once again extended to cover the knee joint. The colouration of this one appeared to be a gunmetal black. The only colour coming from its glowing eyes.

Standing to its full height it towered over Louise and Siesta, its footsteps echoing across the empty room. Gesturing with a free hand to the bench it spoke. "Sit."

The young recruits did not hesitate to comply.

Reaching up with its arms it grasped a divot on the neckline of its chestplate. "Listen closely as I do not want to repeat myself. Do not take notes until after I am done demonstrating, it is crucial that you watch my actions very closely."

The massive golem spoke aloud.

"Do I have your attention?"

"Sir yes sir!" Siesta and Louise answered with the same tone they would address the drill sergeant spectre.

The Golem nodded. "My serial designation is LG-0747. You will address me by either my designation or by Sir. Clear?"

"Sir yes Sir!"

"Good. I will be teaching you the ins and outs of firearms. Your files inform me that neither of you have handled anything equivalent to firearms, so we will be starting with the very basics. Failure to comply with any of the regulations and your weapons privileges will be revoked for the rest of the class. Is that clear!?"

"Sir yes Sir!" Louise's throat was beginning to feel sore from all the yelling.

LG-0747 stared them down, he was silent for a few beats before reaching reaching over to the crate next to him. Popping the metal latches he opened the case. "Before you can hold these weapons you need to understand these rules. Never look down the barrel, never aim these weapons at anyone or anything you do not intend to kill. Always assume the weapon is loaded and can go off without any prompting. Is that clear?"

"Sir yes Sir!" Louise gulped, 'Just how dangerous are these weapons!'

"Good, we will begin with small arms and then move onto rifles. The normal routine would mean you do not even touch these weapons until at minimum your third week. However, due to the extreme circumstances, you are being granted an exception. Pay close attention..."


After some very lengthy demonstrations and numerous examples, Louise and Siesta were finally allowed to fire the weapons. And by the founder were they loud. Even with the tacky hearing protection that had been provided to them, Louise could feel her ears ringing.

According to LG-0747, they would be limited to small arms for today. Currently, Louise was shooting a P2011 Hammond pistol. Standing directly behind her was her teacher's imposing form. According to him, all it could take was a sneeze for their weapon to go off and hit something or someone.

*click*

Louise glanced down at the pistol. The 'Hammer' on the back of the pistol had dropped which meant the gun should have fired. Turning the gun to its side being mindful not to point it at herself she could not see a shell jammed in the chamber.

"Sir, my gun is not-" "WEAPONS DOWNRANGE RECRUIT!" Louise yelped as an enormous metal hand reached past her eyes and pushed her wrist back downrange. "Sorry, but it's not-"*BANG*

The weapon roared and kicked in her hand hurting her wrist. She yelped but kept her grip on the weapon.

"That was a hang fire recruit." LG-0747 informed Louise, his voice was steeled. "You have failed to comply with the safety regulations. You will not be handling any more firearms today. Take a seat."

Louise hung her head in defeat. 'Damn weapons... that wasn't my fault!'

Mercifully/ Louise was not stuck waiting for long as Siesta finished firing her last 'magazine' and placing her weapon on the counter. LG-0747 nodded and instructed her to join Louise on the bench.

"As this is your first class handling firearms, and considering the accelerated nature of this course I will overlook your near safety violation. I will not overlook anything else. Understood?"

Louise bowed her head. "Yes sir..."

"Good, this concludes your lesson. Make your way to your next class." LG-0747 stated.

Silently Louise and Siesta got up and left the gun range. Stepping back out into the toxic air outside. "Siesta... where is our next class?"

"It's still on this floor... actually it's only a few doors down. We're going back to those... 'sim pods'." Siesta replied.

Louise raised a brow. 'The sim pods... those false reality machines...' "Does the map list the name of the class?"

"It might... but I'm afraid it is written in English. I'm sorry my Lady I cannot read it."

"It's fine... whoever our teacher is will inform us anyway." She finished her sentence with a cough. "The sooner we get there the better."

Stalking along the halls Louise recalled the door being the first after the elevator. Not bothering to wait for directions she made her way back down the hall. Pausing momentarily to watch another yellow horseless carriage drive below her. It was a curious transport, she wondered if her classes would teach her its function.

Turning right she waited for Siesta to confirm the symbols over the door before entering. Walking inside she was no longer surprised when the light turned on overhead. Nor was she surprised to see a unique spectre standing with a relaxed posture in the centre of the room. Like Yasuke its legs had an extra joint that seemed to allow for a wider range of movement. Although, unlike Yasuke's legs that appeared armoured, the spectre's joints had no visible armour and instead looked like solid steel beams. They were all slightly arched and there also seemed to be a painted yellow cover over the exposed joints. Their toes were also painted red with a white base. Their chest had a dark red-painted rounded chest piece. With segmented armour plates lifting around their collar. Glancing at their arms it was almost the same story as the legs, they were attached to a ball socket joint at the shoulder, with their arms and forearms having little discernable detail. However, on their back, they seemed to have a few blades along with a few canisters of some sort. Glancing up at their head they had a globe with a vertical rectangle running down it. At the back, they seemed to have the same box that FS's head did except it seemed to have three rectangular metal fins slightly fanned out from it on either side.

"Good afternoon recruits!" The spectre greeted them with a two-fingered wave. "Name's NS-0360, but you can just refer to me as Ma'am or 360NS if you like."

Her voice was feminine and she spoke with a slightly cocky tone.

"Now, I could bore you to death with an explanation," She started, "Ooooor we can just jump right into it! Hop in the sim pods and I'll see you both on the other side!"

She gestured with a jerk of her head to the sim pods behind her. As she did, two pods hissed and opened. Louise just stared at the teacher disbelievingly. After having just been taught by two of the most stern and intimidating teachers to come across such unprofessional behaviour was giving her mild whiplash.

"Um... yes, ma'am?"

"Ew, nope that's weird. Just call me NS, you're still technically my superior." NS recoiled slightly in mock disgust.

"NS... then." Louise nodded and made her way to the sim pod. Once she was settled inside the doors sealed around her. Once again she was momentarily blinded by the bright green lights covering her vision, and when they cleared... well she seemed to be back in the FOB's hangar.

"Allright! Let's get right into it!" NS's voice. "Tell me, do either of you two ladies recognize this wonderful work of science?"

Walking between Louise and Siesta, who Louise just realized had once again changed attire. Although they seemed to be lacking the helmets this time around. NS approached a large winged craft in the center of the hangar. It had a box-like shape with a window that made seeing inside the craft possible.

"FS showed me something similar when I asked him about his people. Sadly I am not familiar with the name." Louise spoke up.

"Well, that's more than nothing I guess." NS shrugged. Striding up to the craft's side as they began to explain its purpose. "We call these transports crow's. They are fast, somewhat maneuverable and they can carry a few squads if they don't mind being packed in tight. You could fit-"

NS jumped away from the craft as it suddenly started moving erratically sinking into the floor like it was made of quicksand. Sparks flew and smoke kicked up as the craft violently moved about. Moving so quickly it seemed to be leaving after images in its wake.

Then it abruptly glowed a light blue and vanished from existence.

"...huh." Was all NS said in response to the blatant disregard for the laws of physics. "Well, FS did mention the sims had a few bugs... that might complicate things."

"U-um... what was that?" Louise asked shaken.

"Hm? Oh... that? Pfft, that was just a physics glitch. They don't generally happen that often with Hammond sim pods but we are technically running bootleg software so there's bound to be a bug or two."

"A... bug? As in an insect?" Louise questioned.

"Uh... no... a glitch in the software? Like... the sim pod mixed up a calculation and everything kinda just... freaked out?" NS replied casually.

"So... that won't happen with a regular crow transport?" Louise asked.

"What suddenly ignore solid objects, sink into the earth, suddenly remember collisions exist and stat jibbing out like that?" NS casually explained. "Hell no, we're in a simulation right now. A fake reality? There's bound to be a few quirks here and there."

"I- I see... I'm sorry but what is this class meant to be about again?" Louise tried to bring things back on track.

"Huh... oh right I was getting to that!" NS tapped the side of their head. "Welcome to your flying and driving course!" They said throwing their arms in the air. "They don't call you guys 'Pilots' just because you can handle a Titan after all! Well, sometimes they do... kinda depends on the... you know what never mind, let's just start with some vehicles, what they're called and what purpose they serve."

Waving their hand in front of them a light blue transparent square appeared. It was covered in a list of symbols Louise did not recognize, but when they tapped on one of them another 'Crow dropship' appeared out of thin air. Approaching it cautiously this time NS then began a rundown of the ship, some of its history and the various functions it served in the Militia.


Feeling mildly queasy as she exited the sim Pod Louise grasped the convenient handles on the sides of her seat to keep herself from toppling over.

"You'll get used to it in time, coming out of VR is always a little disorientating." NS comforted. Clapping her hands together she brought attention to herself. "Right then, this will conclude your first day with me, and I look forward to seeing both of you here tomorrow! Now dinner is going to be served in aboooouut, two minutes and 32 seconds... you might want to hurry. I hear Chef does not appreciate his food going cold."

Louise and Siesta shared a glance, before sprinting for the door. Quickly offering a thank you to their teacher as they passed they made a break for the elevator.

Once the doors finally closed around them the two paused for a moment to catch their breaths.

"Louise, Siesta, please do not run through the halls unless it is an emergency." FS's voice suddenly came out of the elevator speaker. Clearly, he had been keeping an eye on them. "I calculate that you will have no trouble arriving on time if you walk to the cafeteria." "Sub level-2"

Leaving the elevator, walking this time, the duo made their way to the cafeteria for the third time that day. Dinner was a simple affair, no steaks this time, much to Louise's disappointment. Although the potatoes made yet another return... she was beginning to grow confused about that. The 'protein' this time was a set of three sausages, and the vegetables were 'broccoli' this time.

Louise and Siesta once again sat at different tables and enjoyed their meals in silence.


Louise was just finishing her meal when her TacPad made a chirping noise. Glancing down she noticed the screen had turned itself on. On the... messaging app if she recalled correctly, there was a pending notification. Tapping the icon she found that in the 'inbox' column there was an unread message from a 'Vanguard-class titan FS-1041'.

Louise quirked an eyebrow. 'Why is he using this roundabout method of contacting me? Is something interfering with our link?'

Glancing down she read the message that had been translated into Halkengian. 'Louise, your next class will be located in lecture hall 1. Due to pressing matters, it has now also been moved forwards. You have 10 minutes before you will be considered late. Please notify Siesta and make your way to the classroom ASAP.'

Louise dropped her fork, 'Ten minutes!?' Her tablet chimed again, another message from FS.

'Please note that ASAP is an acronym for As Soon As Possible.'

Louise audibly groaned. "Siesta, FS has just moved our next lesson forwards, we have just under ten minutes to finish our meals and make our way to lecture hall 1."

Siesta perked up from across the cafeteria. "I see, very well then I am almost finished, shall we make our way there together?" She asked politely.

Louise hesitated, "Very well, I trust you have the directions then?"

"Of course my Lady, I will be ready momentarily." Siesta replied.

Finishing her meal Louise as usual left her dirty tray where she sat and made her way to the door. Once she was there she waited for Siesta to direct them on where to go.

"According to the map, lecture hall 1 is still on this floor... we just need to go right at the junction instead of left. It will be the first door on the left." Siesta explained, TacPad in hand.

"Very well then," Louise gestured with her head. "Lead the way."

Siesta smiled and began walking with Louise following just behind her.

Entering the 'lecture hall' Louise was surprised by the size of the room. Unlike the classrooms which had five rows of seats the lecture hall had ten. Additionally, the layout of the seats was arched so every seat had a clear view of the speaker. What was also quite nice was the seats appeared to have once again been painted to look like wood. The walls were painted a light beige as well, giving the room a familiar feel for Louise.

"Please take your seats." FS's mechanical voice came from the center podium. The layout of the room had Louise and Siesta enter from the third row up. Making their way down to the front row they both took seats at opposite tables.

Glancing down at the space in front of her Louise noticed there was the usual display built into the desk. Although she now questioned its purpose now that she and Siesta had been given the TacPads.

"I recommend the use of the displays, but you are free to use your TacPads to take notes instead." FS said aloud, likely having read Louise's thoughts again. "Correct Louise, the displays built into the desks are for regular recruits to take notes. The TacPads you and Siesta were requisitioned are meant for squad leaders and commissioned officers. Since both of you will be training for these positions you have both earned the right to use them."

Louise nodded in understanding. She placed her TacPad over her display. 'If I am going to be using this outside of classes then I might as well get as much practice with it as I can.'

'A wise choice Louise,' FS praised her through their shared link.

"Now, listen closely." Louise felt her connection with FS abruptly dim, it seemed he would be taking things more seriously now. "Today you have gone through a light rundown of what your daily life here is going to be like. Today you both made many mistakes and they were all brushed off. When you are woken up tomorrow that will no longer be the case."

Louise felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. The day had been borderline torture for her, now she was being told that was a light version of their daily routine.

"In this class, I will be teaching you the essentials of military structure. The significance of each rank and what they are in charge of. I will be explaining how you will properly address your superiors, how you need to dress yourselves in the mornings, and the various forms of disciplinary action you will receive for the slightest infractions." FS continued. "In your classes following this, I will be teaching you how to lead your soldiers effectively. I will be teaching you how to command respect from those around you and how to win wars. After today, summer camp ends, and boot camp begins."

"Now then. Shall we begin?"


Louise practically stumbled back to her bunk in the residential quarters. She was so mentally drained she was terrified she was going to forget half of what FS had drilled into her by the morning.

According to FS under ordinary circumstances, they would have a period called 'study hall' where they would have unrestricted access to the Library. Followed by nighttime exercises, then a shower, then they would have approximately one hour before lights out. Presently Louise was too tired to be grateful, the only thing left on her mind at this point was lying down in her bed.

When she arrived at her bed she was surprised to see a small book had been placed on its center. Picking it up she read the cover.

"The Art of War, Sun Tzu"


Unit FS-1041 : requesting status update target: primary reactor

System : Request received: Generating report. . . . . . Complete

System : [WARNING] Power output decreasing steadily due to outstanding repair orders on the primary reactor.

System : [NOTICE] In order to perform necessary repairs reactor must be shut down temporarily.

System : [WARNING] No backup generators found! Recommend immediate construction.

System : [ NOTICE ] Resource shortage detected. Recommend surveying for new mining site for harvester deployment.

Unit FS-1041 : Acknowledged. Generating new orders. . .

Unit FS-1041 : System confirm all organic occupants are confined to their quarters.

System : Confirmed.

Unit FS-1041 : Commence reactor shut-down. Supply essential systems to relevant rooms only.

System : Orders Confirmed beginning shut-down.

Unit FS-1041 : End Dialogue.

\\ END OF DIALOGUE \\

Generating daily report. . . .

[ NOTICE ] Recruit Louise Francoise le Blanc the la Valliere the 3rd has displayed problematic behaviour. Recommend immediate dismissal from Pilot Program. Recommend immediate dismissal from Officer Program.

O-O-[DENIED]Overw-[DENIED]-wr-writt-en . . . [ di-dire-e-e **** CLASSIFIED ]

[ WARNING ] SEVERE ERROR DETECTED RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE FULL SYSTEMS REBOOT

. . .

Overwritten. Deleting report. . . . success.

Returning to standby mode. . .


Valliere Estate

Seated at her desk positioned against the wall of her room within her family's estate Louise's middle sister. In her hands was her furry little familiar, a fuzzy black and white cat. Currently she was resting her head on her desk, she was aware of the breach of etiquette but sadly she was just too weak to hold herself upright. Since she was young it has always been this way for her. Her body spent most of its energy battling the mysterious ailment that not even the royal healers had been able to diagnose.

The illness had cost her an engagement and deterred any would-be candidates for courting. It was for this reason that she had grown quite close to her younger sister. She always believed that she would achieve great things, even when her parents seemed to doubt her abilities with magic.

A distant knocking at her door gave her a burst of energy she needed to stand. Brisquly making her way to her door she dusted herself off, expecting her younger sister and unique Golem to be awaiting her.

"A letter for you my Lady, it is from the Academy." Crushing her hopes, she did not see her sister nor her familiar, just a simple housemaid.

"Thank you," Taking the letter Cattleya closed the door behind her and sat on her bed. Fearing she lacked the energy to make it back to her desk again.

Opening the letter and reading its contents revealed it was a letter from her younger sister. It detailed that she... would not be returning home for the break. She claims she intends to focus on her studies and bonding with her familiar. Citing some 'complications' with them.

"Louise... what are you up to?" She muttered to herself. She had always been good at reading her younger sister, and it worried her that she had changed her mind so suddenly. Her last letter had made it quite clear how proud she was of her familiar, and Cattleya was so certain she could not wait to show it off to the family, so why delay? What did she mean by... complications with her familiar?

The young woman sighed as she felt her strength leave her. She would need to bring this matter up with her older sister. Oh but her bed felt so soft... perhaps she should sleep on the matter. Perhaps she could bring it up over tea in the morning. Yes, that sounded lovely. She was likely just overthinking things after all.

Yet as she drifted to sleep she could not ignore the welling anxiety in her chest.


A/N

I'm still here!

Wow, 11.5K words of purestory, I really hope it delivers! Truth be told this chapter was supposed to release with only ~6K max! Although I am quite happy with this alternative.

Now, down to business, we have now officially entered the training arc and the next [Classified] chapters will be covering this arc. I've got some juicy plans for this arc, so stay tuned!

Check your inboxes for my responses to your reviews! (I put them there to prevent word count inflation)

Now then, until next time! Stand by for Chapterfall!