Graduation from Basic (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 25

Cadet, Third Degree Reuben Calloway felt the sting of tears around the corners of his eyes but he managed to hold them back as he stood rigidly at attention.  He made it through basic training.  He made it!

His crisp, black and red dress uniform was spotless.  Reuben had polished his boots three times to ensure that they could reflect lights.  On his right arm was the traditional red insignia of the Imperium and on his left he now bore the symbol of Special Assault Corp.

He couldn't see them but he knew his parents were sitting proudly in the audience.  It was every human parent's dream to see their offspring have a distinguished military career.  They all were required to serve their five years but only the best continued on to become high-ranking officers.

Reuben could see himself continuing down this path.  He had been terrified of what he would have to face in training but now he was no longer afraid of his future.  He could handle anything the Rebellion threw at him, he was sure of it.  He still had four more years of schooling and training but it would only serve to make him even better.

The last speaker finally concluded and Sergeant Bamtrob walked onto the stage.  "You are now soldiers of the Imperium.  Soldiers SAL-UTE!"

The audience erupted into cheers and Reuben felt himself swell with pride.  This was the greatest day of his life.  Things could only go up from here.

Recovering (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 24

Reuben groaned as he tried to wake up.  His eyes still felt heavy and everything ached, especially his throbbing ankle.  Peering through the slits in his eyelids he felt momentarily disoriented.  He expected to see the familiar stone walls of his Gittern cave but instead saw the clean metal paneling of his barracks.

Then he remembered.

The rendezvous point... his tracking device not working... barely making it to the ship just as the doors were closing...

He also remembered making it back to his bunk and feeling as if he could sleep for days.  Perhaps he had?  He had no idea how much time had elapsed since he returned.  He glanced at his chronometer.  It was only a hour or two from dawn.

The sound of light snoring made Reuben look around.  Some of his classmates were also back in their bunks but not all.  A girl he had trained that had had a pretty smile was missing and Reuben felt saddened.  Not everyone had been as lucky as he.

Tapping the screen on his chronometer he saw orders to appear in full dress uniform at 0700... two hours from now.  He leaned back against his hard pillow and let his eyes close again.  He made it.

Survival Day 14 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 23

Reuben's eyes felt heavy.  If he could just close them for only a minute everything would be so much better...

No!  I have to stay awake!

There was only one hour left until his rendezvous time.  The pickup point was only twenty minutes away but he couldn't risk leaving too early.  The weather was too unpredictable, too brutal.  The heat seemed to have lessened slightly by Reuben was not fooled.

His stomach growled.  The first thing he was going to do when he got back was eat.  The roots that he had found and the rations had been enough to sustain him, but not much else.  The biting edge of hunger had become an old friend by this point... his only friend.

Forty minutes left.

Reuben peered outside his cave.  The weather still seemed to be holding.  Now was the time.  Tightening the straps on his pack and boots, he set out at a brisk pace despite his protesting ankle.  There would be time enough to let his limbs heal.  He would not be stuck on this lifeless rock.

Twenty-five minutes left.

Vert!

The ankle was slowing him down more than he thought it would.  He was going to have to pick up his pace.  The weather was noticeably cooling off by the second which made Reuben glance around nervously.  Snow was sure to start soon, he could feel it.  There would be no way for him to make the pickup in time with a bad ankle and trekking through feet of snow.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain as best he could and pressed on.

Ten minutes left.

A thin sheen of frost began to form on the skin of the mushrooms.  Reuben looked at the time and quickly did some calculations.  At this pace he should arrive there exactly on time.  Exactly on time.  No room for error.

Two minutes left.

His tracking device began to blink and fuzz out.

"Vert!"

Looking around frantically he search for any signs of the ship.  The mushroom forrest made it impossible to see very far but he should at least be able to hear the ship... anything!

He heard a low rumble coming from the south.  At least he thought it was from that direction.  It was impossible to be certain but he didn't have time to question his decision.

He sprinted in that direction has fast as he could.  The rumbles were growing louder as the engine prepared for take off.  There!  In the small clearing!  He could see the transport shuttle.  The doors were slowly sliding shut.

"Wait!  I'm here!"

Survival Day 13 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 22

It wouldn't have even mattered if he could walk.  There was nowhere to go.  The heat seemed to be growing more and more intense as each day dragged by, turning Reuben's hideout into a veritable oven.  The only problem was that it was still hotter outside the oven than in.

Tomorrow.  They're coming to pick me up tomorrow.  All I have to do is make it to the rendezvous coordinates they send.

The heat was making him delirious and his ankle was so swollen he could barely move his foot.  It didn't matter.  There was no where to go.  Best to put off the agony of shoving on his boots until the last possible minute.

What if they forget about me?  What if the season changes make landing impossible?  Or what if they interfere with the rendezvous signal?  What if I'm stuck here?  

Reuben tried to shake off the unsettling thoughts but found it impossible to totally reassure himself.  Prolonged isolation had toyed with his mind, making him paranoid.

They're going to forget me.  I'm just one cadet among thousands.  Why would they care if I was alive or dead?  There will be twenty more to replace me.

Best not to sleep then.  It was the only way to ensure that he heard the communication signal when it came.

What if it already came?  What if I miscounted the days and they've already come and gone?

Survival Day 10 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 21

The heat and painful throbbing of his ankle woke Reuben up for the umpteenth time.  He saw that his sprained appendage was turning several different shades of purple and blue.  With a groan he grit his teeth against the pain and leaned back against the cool stone floor of his cave.

For the second time he had barely outrun the vicious storm.  There he had been dangling twenty feet above the ground and watching the lightning roll in with brutal efficiency.  He had had no choice.  He had pulled his knife out of the mushroom stalk and slid the rest of the way down grabbing whatever he could to slow his decent.

His landing had been less than graceful, the force of the hitting the ground was enough to make him roll his ankle despite the thick combat boots he wore.  Fueled by adrenaline he had managed to make it to the cave right as the first wave of deadly bolts began to strike the ground.

 Four more days.  Just four more days of this and I'm done.

Four days might as well have been an eternity.  His survival pack contained bandages and coagulants but nothing so trivial as a pain reliever.  Which meant he couldn't even find respite in sleep.  Added to that the heat and humidity of the early summer season was oppressive.

Four days.  I can do this.  Only four more days...

Survival Day 8 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 20

This is not good.  Not good at all.  Vert!

Getting stuck on top of a giant, slippery mushroom was not something they had covered in basic survival training.  In fact, if any of his commanding officers saw him now they'd probably laugh at his foolish mistake.

But there was no way I could have stopped it from happening!  I wonder how many cadets end up like this?

It was a question he wasn't really sure he wanted an answer to.  He'd seen the ferocity of Gittern's storms.  He'd seen how many mushrooms had populated the planet before compared to after.  He didn't stand much of a chance and unlike the mushrooms he didn't just grow back.

He had to figure a way out of this.  He did not want his parents to suffer the humiliation of receiving a transmission saying he died during basic training due to getting stuck on top of a three-story piece of fungus.

This wasn't going to be easy.  Despite the rapid growth rate he could see happening all over the surface of the planet, no other shorter mushrooms had sprouted nearby.  So jumping down was out of the question.  The dome of the mushroom he was perched on was far too slicked to safely hang on to the edge to see if there were any grips on the underneath side.

Reuben had managed to hang on to his survival pack but unfortunately it contained no cord or climbing gear.  Which mean he was going to have to improvise.

The only tools he had where his pistol and knife.  Not much but better than nothing.  Setting his pistol to the lowest energy setting, he aimed carefully at a portion of the dome a little bit away from where he was sitting.  There was a sizzle followed by an unpleasant smell.  Reuben inspected his work and saw that there was a hole large enough to stick his fist in... or be used as a foothold.

He briefly considered blasting a hole straight through the dome to the stalk.  But he nixed the idea based on the size of the mushroom and how little damage the low power setting had caused.  To cut through the dome would take almost the entire charge of his pistol's power cell.

Aiming again he fired a few more blasts, enough for him climb down the side of the dome and dangle off the edge.  The decent was still dangerous, the inside contents of the mushroom were squishy and unstable.  More than once he almost slipped right out.

Gripping the edge of the dome as firmly as he could, Reuben took three bracing breaths and then took the plunge.  Panic tore through him as he realized that the piece he held on to was not strong enough to support his full hanging weight and the main stalk was too far away for him to reach.

His left hand completely slipped off the dome and he could feel his right wouldn't be far behind.  Realizing that he had to act now or never, he reached across his belt and grabbed his knife.  Swinging his body once... twice... he heaved himself toward the stalk with as much force as he could muster just before the piece of mushroom he held onto broke off.

For one heart stopping moment he was suspended in air.

He slammed into the stalk hard enough to knock the wind out of him while jamming his knife into it with all of his strength.

The knife sliced through the mushroom's outer membrane easily.  Too easily.  At first Reuben thought it might not be enough to slow his decent.  After plummeting several yards down he finally came to rest.  He was still dangling nearly twenty feet off the ground however.

With a grunt of effort he reached for his pistol with his right hand and blasted a few uneven holes for his feet.  Using his knife as a sort of climbing pick to steady himself and his pistol to make footholes in the smooth surface, Reuben was managing to climb down... very slowly.

He only had about ten feet left when a familiar roar tore through the sky.  He knew that sound.  Another storm was about to start.  He had minutes, maybe less.

There's not enough time.

Survival Day 7 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 19

It was the middle of the night and Reuben had been watching the lightning for hours now.  At first it had been an exciting spectacle.  Now he really just wanted it to stop.  He knew that surviving should be keeping him occupied but, quite frankly, he was bored.  Bored and lonely.  He hadn't realized it before but until this training regiment he had never gone this long without speaking to a single creature.  He had always taken light pleasantries for granted.  Now he would give just about anything to be able to say a simple "hi" to someone in passing.

The loneliness and boredom gnawed at Reuben, amplifying how featureless the cave walls were and how hungry he was.  He was by no means starving.  But intensive rationing did not allow for him to eat until his belly was full.  If he had been in the thick of action he probably would not have even noticed.  But sitting in this cave...

The rain abruptly stopped making the silence that followed almost eerie.  Reuben knew he had no time to waste.  Grabbing his pack he sprinted out of the cave and straight back to the large mushroom he had tried to start work on before.  Fortunately, the rain had made the ground soft.  The lack of snow also made digging much faster.

It didn't take long to find the roots.  The mushroom was large enough that even the shallower growths were nearly as thick as Reuben's arm.  He touched the root and held his finger there for a few seconds.  No burning sensation, no allergic reaction... so far, good good.

He pulled his knife out and sliced off a chunk.  Nothing oozed out, also a good sign.  He bit off a tiny piece and held it in his mouth, his heart hammering in anticipation as he waited for any possible toxic side effects to take place.  The root was bitter but not completely revolting.  More importantly, it was food.

Aside from leaving a dry taste in his mouth, nothing seemed to be happening.  His tongue still felt like its normal size, there was no itching or swelling on his body and, after checking his reflection on the blade of his knife, no strange spots.  It may not be gourmet dining but food was food.

Reuben began to hastily slice off more root sections.  Time seemed to be his greatest enemy on this planet.  Not enough time to gather and far too much time doing nothing but twirl his thumbs in the cave.

A deep rumble shook the ground.

Vert!  Not another storm!

Another rumble.  It occurred to Reuben that it didn't sound the same as the storm he had heard before.  This noise wasn't coming from the sky.  It was almost as if...

The ground started to move.  Yelping in surprise, Reuben managed to grab an armful of the roots before a huge dome shaped something began to push its way up right where he had been standing.  Reuben watched in awe as a huge mushroom sprung from the soil and grew right in front of him at an incredible rate.

So that's how those things survive.

The soil beneath his boots began to shift again.  Reuben shifted the weight of his bundle and started to sprint back to his cave but it was too late.  This time the mushroom was faster than he was.  It was all he could do to hang on for dear life as the newly formed fungus stretched itself toward the sky.

Survival Day 4 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 17

Sleep was impossible as the raging winter storm continued to howl outside so Reuben resigned himself to light dozing.  The thermal blanket he had pulled out of his pack seemed almost useless against the below freezing temperatures.  But something was better than nothing.  Gritting together his chattering teeth he pulled the thin fabric even closer.  He had to remember to look for fire fuel when he got the chance.

Snow was accumulating in thick sheets but at least the deadly ice storm had stopped.  Reuben could deal with snow.  Any minute now the winter weather should start to slow down and give way to spring... whatever spring meant.

Reuben blinked his tired eyes.  He had to stay somewhat alert.  He had to watch for his chance.  On a planet that changed hourly, every minute counted.

With startling suddenness the sheets of snow stopped.  Reuben sat up and checked his chronometer.  A little early for the new season but he didn't have time to waste.  Double checking the fastenings on his jumpsuit and the ammo level on his pistol, he trudged out into the waist-deep snow.

He knew already from his walk to his cave that there had been no usable resources.  At this point it would be best to attempt another direction.  He had only made it a few yards from the opening of the cave before stopping to think.  What were his priorities?  He needed food and water.  Snow was water. Clean water at that which is something he might not be able to find elsewhere.

He was going to need a container of some sort...

Heading back to his cave he turned his pistol up to the highest setting and in three powerful bursts he had drilled a hole out of the bedrock floor.  Not a perfect solution by any means but if it gave him just a day or two of extra water without having to tap his rations it would be worth the spent ammo.

After carrying several large armfuls of snow to his makeshift water basin to melt, Reuben resumed his quest to find food.  He knew that Gittern had native mushrooms but that was questionable.  He vaguely remembered from school that many types of fungus were poisonous to humans.  The roots of some of the larger growths might be a better bet.

Trekking through the frozen buildup was slow going but at least it was easy enough to see where he was going.  Most of the younger mushrooms had been destroyed or buried.  Only the largest ones remained.  He stopped at the foot of one such growth and dropped his pack to the ground. Reuben had just started to make serious headway shoving aside snow with his bare hands when a distant roar made him look up.

He had never heard the like before.  Was it an animal?  Peering off into the distance a black cloud loomed on the horizon.  Lightning sliced flashed and an almost solid wall of rain was rapidly moving toward his general direction.

Spring was here.  He looked down at his progress and back at the approaching storm.  There wasn't enough time.  Picking up his pack his sprinted back toward the cave.

Survival Day 3 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 16

A chuck of ice large enough to render a man unconscious struck the ground near Reuben's feet with brutal force.  He dove for the cover of his cave with mere centimeters to spare.  The winter on Gittern had settled in full force and what a force it was to behold.  Reuben had never seen anything quite like it before.

The entire planet was being decimated by the violence of its season.  Only a few a few of the larger, sturdier mushrooms were managing to survive the onslaught of ice and electric storms.  It made even the coldest winters on Reuben's homeworld, Tabor, pale in comparison.

A chunk of ice roughly half Reuben's size hit the ground outside the cave causing a few deadly shards to explode off of it in every direction.  Reuben moved deeper into his temporary home to avoid being struck by the shrapnel.  At least his choice of shelter was a good one.  The cave was at the base of a large hill and it seemed to be holding its own.

Reuben shivered and he recalled his briefing.  The days on Gittern lasted about eight standard hours and each season lasted for three of Gittern's days.  If he was going to survive this he was going to have to become acquainted with these seasons fast.

Another huge chunk of ice sailed by the cave's entrance.

When he had been dropped off by the shuttle the weather, though not welcoming, had been more or less temperate.  If this was a Gittern winter Reuben was not fool enough to think that the other seasons would be any better.  But it made sense that there had to be lulls long enough for the native fungus to grow.

Winter was going to last another day.  It was a risk but as soon as he saw the storms let up a bit, Reuben was going to have to head out and see if he could find a source of food before the next season settled in.

Survival Day 1 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 15

"Calloway!  Your drop point is next!"

Reuben clung tightly to his survival pack.  The pack and the jumpsuit he now wore were the only things between him and death for the next two weeks.  The thought both scared and thrilled him.  He had never before felt so intensely... alive.

The shuttle swooped low and the doors opened.  Reuben jumped out and then watched as the shuttle became a tiny speck in the sky.  The other cadets participating in this survival test would be scattered around the planet.  Theoretically, it was possible to find another cadet and team up but it would be difficult and a waste of valuable time.  Not a safe strategy to bet on.

Reuben glanced around.  Gittern truly was a sight to behold.  It seemed to be mostly dirt and rock and fungus everywhere.  Mushrooms of every shape and size populated the surface; some small enough to be crushed by his boot, others bigger than full-grown trees.

He could spend hours just starring as the alien setting but that would be foolhardy.  His first priority was to find shelter.  The second was to find a source of food and water.  His survival pack contained enough dried rations to last him two weeks if he really watched how much he consumed.  But that was a quick way to lose strength and potentially make him vulnerable.  His third priority would be to fashion some sort of weapon.  His pack contained a short-ranged pistol but if that somehow got lost, he would be in trouble.

The mushrooms made it difficult to see very far.  He noticed, however, that the ground toward the east seemed to slope upward and became rockier.  Rocks meant shelter and higher ground meant a chance to scout the area.  It wasn't much but it was a start.  Besides, he only had a few hours before the seasons changed...

Final Test (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 14

Reuben stood stiffly at attention with the other cadets in his training squad.  His formal uniform of black and red had been washed, starched and polished with extreme care.  Reuben couldn't help but stick his chest out with pride at the addition of his third degree pin.

"So you think you know a thing or two about combat do you?" Sergeant Bamtrob said as he paced between the lines of Special Assault trainees.  "Well think again."

Despite his growing confidence in his abilities, Ruben couldn't totally surpress the flutter of nervousness at the sergeant's words.  When his CO said something was going to be difficult, it usually was... very difficult.

"For better or worse, you've all passed your first year of training and now the real work begins.  No more play-time.  You either pass, or you die.  In exactly 36 standard hours you will all be flown to the planet Gittern to begin your final two week survival test.  You'll receive a standard survival pack similar to what you would find in your ship should it crash in a hostile environment.

"Your objective, cadets, is to survive.  Gittern is an extremely hard environment.  The seasons change every 24 standard hours not to mention a few other fun surprises that I'm sure you'll discover.  This is not a youth camp, cadets.  This is military training.  Not every cadet has made it out alive.  But if you're smart and you remember your training you have a good chance.

"So I suggest you spend the next 36 hours resting.  You'll need it.  Dismissed."

Training Day 142 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 13

Reuben cracked his eyes open despite the throbbing behind his temples.  Somehow he was in his bunk.  Straining to recall how he got there he remembered being on the training mission... going after one of the ambushers... and then nothing.

The barrack door opened and Ruben struggled to an upright position to see who approached.

"Sergeant!" he began to push himself up off the bed to issue a formal salute.

"At ease, cadet.  I know the stun setting on those V7s pack a pretty serious punch.  The first time I got hit with one I was unconscious for three days.  You've only been out for a few hours.  You got lucky."

Reuben collapsed back onto the bed.  "Yes, sir."

Bamtrob crossed his arms the way he always did when he was about to issue a serious lecture.  "That was a pretty crazy stunt you pulled out there, cadet.  It was reckless.  You should have spent far more time surveying your attack position, your distraction tactic was childish and you got yourself knocked out in the process."

Well, there goes the rest of my career in Special Assault.  "Yes, sir."

"But you got results and I can't argue with that.  You alerted your squad to the ambush in time and they managed to successfully complete the objective.  You can wipe that 'vertin grin off your face because it's not like you were even awake to see the victory."

Reben tried and failed to assume a sober expression.

"The higher ups liked your little stunt even though I said you're still too green.  But they wanted to give you a promotion.  Congratulations, cadet.  You're third degree.  Don't make them regret this decision."

Reuben saluted from his prone position.  "Yes, sir!  And thank you, sir!"

"Yeah, whatever.  Let's just hope that reckless streak doesn't get you killed on Gittern."

Training Day 141 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 12

The darkness began to lace with shades of pink and orange as the sun rose.  It would have been a beautiful morning if Reuben hadn't had this mission to think about.  Despite it being his turn to sleep, he could only lightly doze.  His nerves kept him semi-alert the entire night.

The scouts had returned, reporting that Bamtrob and six others were holed up in a bunker not too far from their location.  That made the the fight an easy one-on-one.  Reuben was immediately suspicious.  There was no way Bamtrob would make this this easy.   One of the first things he had been taught was know your enemy.  And he knew that Bamtrob probably had backup waiting in ambush somewhere.

"Did you do scans of the area?" he asked one of the scouts.

"We did, sir.  The only sentient life forms detected where in that bunker.  If the sergeant has backup they would have to be flown in or take at least twenty minutes to arrive on foot.  As far as we can tell, they're just waiting to shoot it out."

"Hmm... well, it would be foolish to do a direct assault.  Too many unknowns.  What's the terrain like, cadet?"

"Rocky.  Some cover from larger boulders but not much."

"Well, that makes things tricky.  All right, we're going to have to use diversion rather than brut force. Listen closely..."

It was nightfall again when Ruben settled into his position.  In exactly three minutes the attack would begin.  He was counting on the fact that there were reinforcements hidden somewhere.  But his scout had been correct in that they probably wouldn't arrive by air.

Therefore, their first job would be to draw them out.

Unhooking his V7 from his back, Reuben turned on his visor and adjusted his scope at the bunker.  The first phase of his plan was somewhat simplistic.  He and the other cadets had positioned themselves just out of their accurate distance range.  The point was create commotion rather than hit targets.  Plus, it would make counter-attacks difficult for Bamtrob.

The three minutes were up.  Reuben looked through his scope, aimed as best he could and began to squeeze off shots.  The energy bolts (set to low power so no one was killed in the exercise) hit wide.  Soon a rain of bolts came from seemingly all directions as the other cadets began to fire at random.

There was return fire from the bunker but their attempt at deception seemed to be paying off.  The random spread made it difficult to tell exactly where the shots were coming from.

Reuben checked his scanner and blinked into surprise.  It was now detecting three sentient life forms.

'Vert!  They must have faked their life form signature as they waited in hiding.

Thinking quickly, he got up from his position and headed to the closest one on his scanner, using the darkness to cover his movements as best he could.  The main objective was to advance on the bunker.  So he would let the other cadets continue their assault as planned.

There was a flutter of movement that he caught out of the corner of his eye.  Without thinking, he whirled and fired.

The man dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap.

One down...

The other cadets continued their assault, as ordered.  They all continued to fire while one of them advanced forward a few paces.  Then another one would advance a few more paces, slowly closing in on the bunker with cold efficiency.

Reuben noticed on his scanner that the two other sentient life forms were starting to move in on his squad.  He would have to work faster.

He sent a warning signal for his squad to be on the alert for ambushers.  Then began to sprint to the next target figuring they were already aware of his presence.  He should be coming up on the target soon...

There!

Ruben took aim... and a stinging sensation washed over his body.  His body stiffed and he felt himself crumple into blackness...

Training Day 140 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 11

The water was impossibly dark.  Reuben centered himself, remembering what Bamtrob had told him about situations like this.  He had to get over relying on his vision.  Eyes were weak and there were four other senses, all equally perceptive if you give him the chance.

He could feel the water ripple around him.  His squad members were near and maintaining formation.  Checking his wrist nav computer, he continued toward the landing site.  The environmental suit he wore allowed him to breathe under water.  Visibility had to be sacrificed for stealth in this training mission.

Reuben had to make this mission count.  He had been placed in charge of running the operation.  This was his team and his plan.  If they managed to successfully complete their objective he would be well on his way to earning his third degree.

For this mission he and the other cadets had been allowed free reign.  Bamtrob and a few other training sergeants would be playing the role of enemy.  Therefore detection must be avoided at all costs.  They would have to use their collective skills flawlessly.

They slipped out of the water silently, keeping all movements to a minimum.  Reuben signaled for his squad to scan the area.  No sentient life signs detected.  As one they striped off their enviro suits and switched on their visors.  Normally equipment such at this was not issued to grunts.  But special attack teams were the exception to this rule.

The squad moved to a heavy cluster of rocks.  They were going to need more information about their area before attempting their land attack.  Reuben gave the signal to set up camp.  Two were on watch, two went to scout.

Then he would assess how best to outmaneuver  Bamtrob...

Training Day 76 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 10

Reuben thought he was going to be sick.  His C.O. had drilled the safety and tactical instructions into his head until he was muttering them in his sleep.  But nothing could prepare him for... the view.

The transport shuttle had taken Reuben up to the topmost layer of atmosphere and then opened the cargo doors.

"The first jump is the worst," Reuben heard Sargent Bamtrob say in his suit's earpiece.  "Then it becomes easer once you know what to expect."

"But... it looks like a planet!" Reuben blurted out.

This wrung a rare laugh from Bamtrob.  "You're doing a high altitude drop.  What did you expect?"

"I don't know... like I was flying really high in the sky? But I can see the curve of the planet! What if I miss?"

Reuben had no idea why seeing Tabor from what seemed like space scared him so.  But it did.  All the confidence in his abilities that he had painstakingly acquired were swept away in one quick second.

"It just looks that way," Bamtrob assured.  "We're still well within the planet's gravitational pull.  You won't miss.  Don't think.  Just jump."

Reuben took a breath and then ran out the cargo bay doors.

For one perfect moment he was suspended above his home planet.  He felt an unexpected sense of peace wash over him.  There was no one to fall back on.  It was only him.

Angling his body downward, he began plummeting toward the distant ground with increasing speed.  High altitude jumps such as this were done for the sake of speed and secrecy, not sight seeing.

His jump suit regulated his air but seemed to do little for the massive force against his body as he continued his decent.  Reuben tried to relax his breathing as best he could.  If he started hyperventilating as this altitude, there was a good chance he would pass out.

Carefully watching the coordinates displayed on the corder of his faceplate, Reuben aimed himself toward the landing site.

Just a few more seconds and he would have to engage his landing gear.

Almost.... almost...

Now!

He spread his arms and legs, activating the superfine material on his suit that connected them.  It almost felt as if he slammed to a halt as the material did its job catching air and slowing his decent.

The view had gone from terrifying to spectacular.  If only he wasn't doing a training exercise and getting marks, he might actually be enjoying himself.  Reuben relaxed a little, allowing the currents to catch him and help direct his movements.

The landing site was close.

He allowed himself to drift and then used the repulsors in the feet and hands of his suit try and complete the job.  He felt himself wobble as he struggled for balance and then dropped to the ground just a little too soon.

Reuben landed on his back with a thud and tried to blink away the stars that were dazedly floating before his eyes.  "Ow...."

"Good work, cadet," Bambtrob's voice said over the earpiece.  "You landed right on target.  We'll wait a few hours and then attempt a nighttime jump."

Training Day 5 (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 9

Reuben swore under his breath as he missed his target yet again.  These mock space fights were completely different from fighting on land.  Firing a rifle was more tactile.  Swiveling around in a Cillo gunner's chair made him feel completely out of control.

"You're trying too hard, again," Sergeant Bamtrob commented casually over the ship's comm.

Easy for him to say.  He's piloting the 'verting thing.

"Stop trying to fight the motion of the ship.  Work with it."

Reuben squeezed his eyes shut in frustration.  He had been at this for 5 days straight.  He almost missed the intense physical aspect of basic training.  That had been nothing more than an endurance contest.  This required skill.  Skills he didn't have.

But he knew he wouldn't be able to move on until he got this.  He wouldn't give up now.  Not this early in his military career.

"The next round of targets are being launched.  Get ready, cadet."

Reuben opened his eyes and forced himself to relax.  He felt Bamtrob adjust the ship's heading and allowed his body to follow the motion rather than move how he wanted to move.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught the small motion of one of the targets.  He felt the ship adjust.  Using the motion of the roll to his advantage, he aimed ahead of the target and fired.

It exploded in a small cloud.

Elated, Reuben aimed again at the next target but missed.  He missed two more times before he finally hit another target.

Another round of targets launched.

Reuben felt himself become part of the ship.  He was completely focused.  All that existed was his gunner's chair and the targets flying by.

Two more hits.

Another miss.

"Good," Bamtrob comment.

Reuben was startled.  He had forgotten about the sergeant.

"You're improving.  Might be some hope for you yet, cadet."

The Real Work Begins (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 8

In the few hours Reuben had to himself before being shipped off to Special Assault Corp training, he was able to vid-comm his parents.  They had been thrilled by the news of his assignment.  It was the kind of news every Imperium parent hoped to hear from their child.

Their approval had made Reuben burst with pride.  Finally it felt like he was doing something with his life.  Things could only go up from here.

The shuttle finally arrived to pick up the next batch of cadets to their respective assignments.  The trip to the Special Assault training grounds was surprisingly short.  Reuben could feel the other trainees staring at him when he was the only one to leave the shuttle at this stop.

I wonder what they are thinking of me?


The large building looming before him was clearly labeled the command center.  The guard stationed out front told Reuben with a smirk that Sergent Bamtrob's office was down the hallway, second door on the left.

Though the guard was too well trained to say anything else, Reuben could tell the guard was silently laughing at him.  As if to say: "there's the office, it's your funeral."

With trepidation Ruben walked to the office and knocked.  A voice bade him to enter and he walked in confidently hoping his body language would cover up the uncertainty he truly felt.

To his surprise, there was no one sitting at the desk.

"Sergent Bamtrob...?"

Before he even had a chance to look around a grip of iron grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground with bruising force.

Reuben felt the breath get knocked out of his lungs and his vision was momentarily blurred.  It was apparently a moment too long because his assailant was instantly upon him, pinning his arms and pushing a knife against his throat.  If his attacker so much as twitched, the blade would pierce his skin.

"Are you Cadet Calloway?"

"Yes," Reuben croaked out, not daring to move.

"I'm Sergent Bamtrob and today your real work begins starting with replacing ever instinct you've ever had."

Assignment (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 7

Reuben found himself yet again standing outside Sergent Vert's office.  His every muscle was tense and he hadn't been able to eat breakfast that morning due to nerves.  This was it.  His whole life was going to be determined in these next few minutes.

Sergent Vert hollered for him to enter.

"First Degree Cadet Calloway reporting in, sir!"

"Yes, yes," Sergent Vert gestured dismissively as he looked over a report.  "You've had a unexemplary training so far, cadet.  But during your division tests..."

"I know, sir..."

"You know, cadet?  You know what?"

"I didn't follow the rules during the division tests."

"What rules?  We told you to stay alive and take out your opponents.  And you did.  You did that alarmingly well.  I don't know if it rose from some streak of cleverness or cowardice but you did it, cadet."

"I did.... what, sir?"

"You did well enough to be assigned to Special Assault Corp.  That branch needs thinkers like you.  Soldiers that aren't afraid to run in a different direction."

Reuben was stunned.  He had been preparing himself to be sent to the front.  Or, worse, be kicked out and sent home humiliated.   But Special Assault Corp!  Only the most highly skilled were sent there!

"Here are your orders, cadet.  You'll be reporting to Special Assault Sergent Bamtrob from now on."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Oh... and here," Sergent Vert handed him a small box that contained a rank pin.  "You've been promoted to second degree.  Nice work, cadet.  Dismissed."

Unexpected Talent (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 6

"Alright, cadets, listen up!  You've got one last test before we start assigning your sorry hides!"

Reuben stood stiffly at attention trying to simultaneously listen to Sargent Vert's instructions and steady his heart rate.  Assignment trials were even more difficult than basic training.  For three solid days the cadets had been pushed to their physical limits.

They had just finished an extremely long run when Sargent Vert had shouted for them to line up in rank order.

"This will be mock combat!  Live ammo will not be used but we will be monitoring who shot who.  Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"You will be scored based on how long you last.  As soon as you receive your weapon, go!"

"Yes, sir!"

Sergent Kon handed Reuben his weapon and he felt himself immediately go into a sort of automatic pilot state.  He supposed this was want the wanted: very little thinking and all instinct.

A few of the cadets had already charged into the main field and had already shot each other.  A few made an effort to hide behind a rock or a tree.  But for some reason Reuben immediately noticed that they were all running in the same direction to find hiding places.  They were following the pack.

At that point he figured that his best bet was to take a different direction.  He slowed down his running on purpose to let the rest of the cadets pass him up as they charged into the field.  Once he was behind everyone, he veered off the right; taking care to stay out of sight.

He may not be the best shot, but he wasn't terrible and could at least use the element of surprise.  He cautiously made his way from tree to tree until he found one that had limbs low enough to climb.  The tree had thick foliage which seemed to be both good and bad.  The others couldn't see him, but he would have an even harder time aiming.

At last he managed to position himself where he could see through leaves.  It was a perfect spot.  He was just far enough away that his V7 would still be accurate but at the same time the other cadets probably wouldn't be able to tell who shot them.

Lining up his sights, he began to pick off his fellow cadets one by one as they ran by on the field.  He missed about half of the time.  But it didn't matter because, as he suspected, the other cadets where too distracted to notice his shots.

He just hoped he wouldn't get docked for unconventional combat tactics...

Failures (Adventure) - Reuben Calloway Saga 5

Reuben Calloway stood stiffly at attention outside Sergent Vert's office.  His basic combat training was completed and every cadet was ordered to report in to get an individual progress report.

The door slid open and the cadet that had been ahead of Reuben marched out.

"NEXT!" Sergent Vert shouted from his office.

Reuben swallowed, schooled his expression, and marched in.  He saluted Sergent Vert.  "First Degree Cadet Calloway reporting in as ordered, sir!"

Sergent Vert returned the salute and then started to scan through a data pad.  "Cadet Calloway, your scores here have been less than exemplary.  You're not failing.  But you're not going to be impressing anyone soon."

"Yes, sir.  I am doing my best to keep up, sir.  I have found basic training to be quite challenging."

Sergent Vert looked Reuben directly in the eye.  "You're going to have to do better than your best, cadet. It's average soldiers like you that get killed first in combat.  Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"In a few days we'll begin Corp division tests where we will be determining which branch would best suit you.  Try a little harder to impress us."

Reuben felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead but his expression remained neutral.  He understood the sergent.  Find a useful skill or get sent straight into the the front lines.