Planet: Kestra, Elite Training Grounds

First Insurgency War

MAIA

"Urtanes, Maia — please move into the Identification Booth."

At the call of her name, she obeyed the command from the entry receptionist. Her friend, Iana, snorted from her seat when she disappeared behind the glass barrier. Left in silence, an infopod snapped out of the booth's capsule with a tiny envelope to go with it. Excitement coursed through her when it released her back into the awaiting crowd of recruits and she returned to Iana. Her entire body pulsed with soreness from the many tests the Elite Corps put her through for an opportunity for Elite B.T, and a chance to do some good in an uncertain present.

"Celestials, I thought we'd never finish," Iana complained while they walked together through the training base out in the grass fields of Kestra, out of the prying eyes of civilians. "I'm glad we're past the tough part. You think you'll get the sect you want?"

"I hope so," Maia commented and led the way to the chow hall. "I bet the specialised training will be much harder than basic training."

Iana laughed when the doors slid open. Maia noticed Lanson at one of the table booths, though everyone called him Ox. It fit, for he was built and towered over most of the Unit. If I had to guess, he's going to go straight to the Guardian Sect.

"Hey, Lanson," Iana said, taking a seat in front of him while food bots chirped along to deliver food. "How're you doing? Have you looked at the infopod?"

He shook his head when Maia took a tray off the food bot to join in, but stopped when Iana widened her eyes and pointed. "And look who just walked in."

A young man of lean stature marched with a sense of purpose into the hall without a second glance at the crowd of people he pushed through without a word. He slipped into one of the corner booths, alone as he waited for a foodbot to come to him. One rolled up to him while his hazel gaze trained on it, grabbing the plate from it. Another person from her training unit, the stoic, silent type. He adjusted the jacket around his shoulders, where the leather seams fit his form with ease as he brushed his hand through his dirty blonde hair, then ate without care of making conversation.

Everyone in their unit gave him a name, for both his intense sense of drive — and the little wolf necklace resting against his shoulders.

Black Wolf.

"I can't believe he breezed through training," Iana murmured and nudged Lanson, who frowned. "He even got you breathing hard during the training fights."

Lanson stared at Black Wolf. "I suppose, but something about him bothers me."

Maia agreed with his assessment, and she made it a point to get to know everyone in her training unit. Ancient darkness within the hazel shoved her away from the prospective Elite, and she found herself avoiding him at any costs. He scares me... and everyone else, it seems.

'You are fear to the enemy,' the entry instructor spoke the mantra. 'You are the mask it wears.'

Out of everyone, Black Wolf had the most handle on the meaning. He walked around the base as if he was death incarnate. He never got smoked in basic, and when someone else did, he performed the punishment as if it was nothing. He stared straight ahead on a goal Maia struggled to see. Lanson can step on him... but his shadow towers over us.

Such a large shadow... and I almost can't believe he's twenty-four.

"Well..." Maia steered the conversation away from him. "One more day of training? One last spar? I wonder who's going to oversee the Elite B.T."

"As long as I don't have to spar with Black Wolf again," Lanson grumbled.

"I haven't gotten the chance, and I don't want to," Iana agreed.

Maia peered back at Black Wolf at her failure to change the topic, and froze when he turned his head in her direction. Icy nothingness gripped his expression, perfect calm and collection. He rested his cheek in his hand and returned to his food without further acknowledgement.

A bell rang through the hall. Forks clattered on dishes. Cleaning bots zoomed with happy chirps to pick up plates and any mess to take to the washers.

"I'm going back to my pod," Iana said. "I want to see the schedule."

Lanson left with her, and Maia finished her meal to pass it to the Cleaner and swung herself out of the booth and faced Black Wolf once more. Guilt flowed through her. Here we are, going into training for the Elite Corps, and we're acting like this is highschool.

Maia headed for his booth, who didn't even give her a second glance when she sat beside him. Dread pierced her heart, but she pushed through it.

"Hello," she said.

He continued to eat. Her lips pursed, and she crossed her arms at his blatant attempt to ignore her. Maia leaned closer, and she scowled when he glanced at her through a chew, then snubbed her.

"I see you got through to Elite Corps training," she tried to start a conversation, and hear his voice for the first time since she met him in B.T.

I haven't heard him talk once.

Maia waited, but he gave her nothing to work with. Lovely conversation. Oh well, can't get everyone to talk to you, Maia. Out of the booth, she said, "Pleasant talk. I'll see on the field, Black Wolf." I've got to get back to my pod before the last workout. Without a goodbye, she raced out of the hall and right to the lifts going high into the common towers for Elites.

"You heading up?" another soldier asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm heading to the D-Level," she replied with a return of his acknowledgement.

He pressed his thumb against the D button, then clicked B.

A scream almost left her throat when Black Wolf slipped into the domed elevator as the doors closed behind him. The soldier at the buttons frowned at him.

Golden light pulsed through the rising lift, which bounced off his features. It was then she spotted the deep shadows under his eyes, but there was an inhuman strength Lanson failed to bring down. Nothing broke the silence save for the deep hum of the lift.

Black Wolf ignored them both.

"Level D: Elite Recruits. Do not crowd around the entrance of the elevator," the A.I instructed.

Maia stepped off behind Black Wolf, forced to follow him through the long, dark corridors. I never see him up here... he's usually the first on the training field and I'm guessing the last to bed. Exhaustion weighed her down at the copious amounts of training they had done, with Black Wolf upping the ante on himself. On the same path, Black Wolf led the way. He stopped at a large, circular door with D-5 projected on the upper screen.

Yeah, I don't know what I was expecting.

He opened the door with a keypod, and to her surprise, stepped to the side to let her go first. He stared at her.

"Thanks," she said. Are you going to talk?

He ignored her.

Nope.

Every Elite Recruit was shoved onto the first level of the towers with the promise of grading and more permanent lodgings once they received their sect. Numerous doors filled the pod corridor which led to a small entertainment area. Maia took out her own keypod, eyeing Black Wolf when he disappeared around the bend. Her oval bunk slid open. Nothing in the way of belongings save for a charm Mom brought her, she took a seat on the tough mattress. As she opened the top of the envelope, the door shut behind her and blocked all the noise. Maia placed the infopod into the player.

"Congratulations, Maia Urtanes," an A.I recording spoke. "You've been selected for the Guardian Sect of the Elite Corps. Report to Training Field D."

A small, temporary clip fell into her hands, the sigil of the Guardian Elites until their official uniforms came in. Maia puffed out her chest to clip it onto the breast pocket of her shirt, then threw the envelope into the small burner and left her room behind.

Some wandered out of their rooms with sigils attached to their clothes. Most of her pod neighbours were chose for the same sect, but she spotted a few Medics among the D-5 unit who chose the field of medicine.

Black Wolf rounded the bend once more, where a blood-red eagle eye glared at her.

Well, also not surprised. Black Wolf downright excelled at marksmanship. Any other time she would've wondered if Black Wolf could handle the reported brutal training Sniper Elites underwent, but he breezed through the rest. I'm not sure why I doubt him.

Everyone got out of his way when he stomped forward, on a mission. Another bell rang out to alert the recruits to head for their respective fields. One last session, and then the real work begins.

Everyone divided into the elevators. Maia found herself in the same one as Black Wolf, but she relaxed when Lanson ducked his head inside and gave her a nod.

Maia reached her hand out to press the buttons, but whipped her hand out of the way when Black Wolf beat her to it.

"Thanks," she squeaked as he pressed the main level of the base.

As if spurred by her gratitude, he looked at her once more. His expression nothing more than ice-cold stone, he lowered his arm and straightened himself out. Maia eyed Lanson for assistance, but unease plagued his strong jaw. Two Elites in training, one a mountain of a man cowering in the corner, far away from the smaller soldier who cast a giant shadow.

The elevators hummed to a stop and released them with a cheery ding. Lanson shifted behind her while Black Wolf walked out without a word.

All the units separated and headed to the designated training areas. Obstacle courses stretched across the entire span of the grassy fields and knolls, where the natural Kestran cliffs protected them from around a natural border. Maia fell into a line with Iana, Lanson, with Black Wolf to the side in another line. Instructors prowled around them and herded them like sheep to present to a hungry wolf.

D-5 found themselves in front of a sparring pit.

"Looks like you were right," Iana whispered behind her.

"Quiet!"

Elites scrambled back to their spots, though she stayed resolute in place, tucking her hands behind her back to listen to the last few barked instructions. Her attention drew to the entrance of their training field, where an imposing shape stepped along the path to them, followed by two Elites while the instructors hunted for any mistake to smoke them for.

Maia resisted the urge to gasp at who it was.

General Falae?

It was hard to not be star-struck at the sight of her. Beautiful, in an authoritative, imposing sort of way. Hair as black as the void past their orange sky, her blue eyes pierced harder than the one Black Wolf wore on a blood-soaked pin. General Falae met Lanson in the eye. Everyone brought their hands up when she took one more step into the middle, and Maia tore herself away from staring for too long.

Black Wolf's shadow had nothing on the general of the Elite Corps.

In fact, he hadn't reacted to her commanding presence.

"I am General Illiya Falae," she said, where her voice carried the weight of the galaxy. "I have the pleasure of being your overseer for this intake."

No one said a word.

"There is more training you will undergo, which I will explain, but first I want to see all of you in action," she said and pointed at the sparring pit behind her. "Warm up. You know the drill. Get into the ring when your name is called." She whipped out a datapad and rang her finger down a list. "Maia Urtanes?"

Maia left her line to face General Falae, but the next name she called she didn't recognize.

"James Ranier?"

When Black Wolf stepped up to the plate, she knew the name would haunt her for the rest of her time in the Elite Corps.