Chapter 5: Learning The Real Rules
The two young Cadets head back to their rooms to change and get their uniforms ready. Max made a mental note of the location of the patches on the older Cadets uniforms earlier, so he wouldn't get it wrong, but Nico has managed to pull the description up on the screen by the door of their room.
"Is that supposed to be available?" Max asks, indicating the screen.
"Of course. It's not locked, they just don't think we know how to work the system or they would make the test tougher. Now, grab some hot water from the bathroom to soften the boot polish. The can is cold, so I am pretty sure they keep them in frozen storage."
Max decides they must have done too well yesterday, the Academy is pulling out all the tricks today to catch them off guard. Or maybe like Nico said, they're being treated as idiots and the Major is planning to teach them everything step by step.
As if thinking of her Summoned her, the Major walks by their door at just that moment and Max flags her down to obtain a few more important details for their first day. "Major. What uniform will we require this afternoon, the coveralls or the Dress Uniform?"
Major Payne smiles at her new charge, impressed by his understanding, and then notices that the other young prodigy has started placing the polishing kits out and arranging uniform badges.
"Cadet, do you both know what you need to do?" She asks curiously.
"Yes ma'am. The data screen showed us everything that we needed to know." Max responds, standing at the cadet version of attention.
"Since you got the prep pack, I recommend the coveralls. This afternoon is a physical assessment." The Major informs him and walks away to help the other Cadets, who are not doing nearly as well.
The combination of the healing abilities provided by the nanotechnology and the Kepler Empire's advanced technology leads to very long lives for those who can afford it, or those who remain in military service, and Major Payne has been training Cadets for over fifty years.
She might have seen more outstanding Cadets in the past, but she believes these two have a special promise to them. That assessment goes into her notes, along with a recommendation to fast track them through early education, as most of it will be unnecessary.
The Cadets don't know it yet, but their first Physical Assessment will activate their Systems. After that, she will know just how good these Cadets are. Her Innate Ability isn't a combat type like superhuman Agility or rapid healing, but it's perfect for a drill instructor, she can see other's System Status.
With their uniforms prepped and their coveralls matched with the lightweight training boots that thankfully don't need polishing, Max and Nico clean up their mess and neatly organize their lockers. When the dorm is spotless they head out to lunch, getting away from the crying, complaints and not so patient explanations that fill the First Year Dorms.
They're both certain a Dorm check is coming soon, they're just not sure when, and they don't want to end up on punishment detail like most of their class will be.
In addition to the cafeteria on their floor, there is another they can use on the main floor. It's open to all, but Max understands that with its improved menu, it will be dominated by the top classes. But they have arrived early enough that it shouldn't be too busy.
The appearance of a pair of Fist Years, their coveralls freshly steamed free of wrinkles by the in room laundry machine that most Cadets don't figure out for weeks, startles the Cafeteria supervisor. But they pass muster with every required element in order, so he allows them to join the short line and points them to a corner of the room next to the kitchens.
The others are avoiding the kitchen noise, which always makes it the last place to fill, a small blessing for the two brave young souls.
Upstairs the lunch meal is tasteless protein sandwiches with a vegetable soup. Here they get the option of four lunch sets. Max doesn't recognize any of them, the names are all generic, and the Cadets are assumed to know what the dish name means. Unfortunately, neither of them read the menu before coming here and there are no pictures.
"Two Lunch C Sets with Juice Please." Nico tells the worker with a smile and pulls Max along before he can decide.
"The last six students all ordered it." She whispers and Max nods. They're in their final years here, so they wouldn't order anything awful.
It turns out to be meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Max gives Nico a look as if to say 'seriously' and she just shrugs, digging into her meal.
"Tomorrow we can check the menus first. But at least it's not a recombined protein sandwich."
For some reason it's served with a tube of spicy processed cheese. Max isn't sure what that's about, so he checks the mind of the seniors and finds its a very popular condiment here, but not needed for this meal and usually saved.
Max grabs both packs and tosses them to a group of seniors who are giving them dirty looks, making the boys smile.
"Good call junior. You just might get along here." Their leader laughs, spreading the cheese on the noodles of his Set A Lunch.
Again, the call comes for the First Year Class to get to the courtyard. They're only twenty meters away from there in the cafeteria, so they finish eating quickly and take their places in the front row. In front of them an obstacle course and a variety of strength training activities are being assembled, making them glad the Major recommend the light and comfortable version of the uniform for today's class.
Max listens in to the minds passing by as they wait for the other Cadets and learns that the coveralls may be rolled to the elbows without being out of regulation, so he does his, finding that the uniforms are even more comfortable this way.
In the end they stand there for three whole hours while Cadets are reprimanded for a wide variety of failures, often being sent to correct them and then running a lap of the building.
The older students watch in amusement at the spectacle, having the whole afternoon free, since they're not starting their own semester's classes for one more day.
"Now that you've finally learned to dress yourselves, let's see if you can walk across the lawn without getting yourself dirty." A Drill Sargeant named Zamm calls out and a cheer goes up from the spectators.
"Pay up punks, I told you they'd clear Uniform Drill in one shot." The boy Max gave their cheese tubes to cheers, making Max struggle to hide his smile.
"Nico, Max, to the obstacle course, you're up first."