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1124 Words
Yusef grunted as he completed his push up.
Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu spoke his mantra, “You are the Warrior caste. Your old caste is in the past. Some of your parents were Makers, who created our weapons and armors, our barracks and ships. An honorable life, filled with the knowledge that their efforts serve the Warriors. Be grateful you are not them, for if you were, you would only bloody your hands by proxy.”
Everyone screamed back, “We are Warriors!”
A training Instructor neared the woman next to Yusef and started screaming at her for letting her body sag from the perfectly flat plane that they were meant to maintain.
Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu didn’t stop his mantra, but did raise his voice as he passed through their orderly ranks.
“You are the Warrior caste. Your old caste is in the past. Some of your parents were of the Community, making your food and your clothes, maintaining our homes and our ships. Respect them, for they are the ones who allow you to be Warriors and spare you from worrying if you will have food or clothes that fit. Be grateful you are not them, for if you were, you would only support the war, not be in it.”
Everyone screamed back, “We are Warriors!”
Exercise Instructor Almante called for them to start doing high knees, and everyone jumped to their feet. Yusef was just grateful, as his arms were starting to tire, so the change of exercise was welcome.
Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu never stopped speaking. “You are the Warrior caste. Your old caste is in the past. Some of your parents were Leaders. They guide us with their wisdom and Talents, bringing forth order from chaos and purpose to the aimless. Be grateful you are not them, for you would never protect our home yourselves.”
Everyone screamed back, “We are Warriors!”
From the corner of his vision, Yusef saw Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu raise a trainee’s hands to be higher and therefore raise the contact point for their high knees. The man had been slacking with his exercise and had gotten caught.
Never a good thing.
While Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu was gentle in his correction, the swarm of training Instructors who started screaming at the trainee were anything but.
“You are the Warrior caste. Your old caste is in the past. Some of your parents were Warriors. It is them who you follow, those are the few you should seek to emulate. To try and reach, and even surpass. Treat your fellows with respect, for you share a common goal. Be grateful you are them, for the blood of our enemies will be spilled by your hands.”
Everyone screamed back with even more fervor than the other replies, “We are Warriors!”
“You are the Warrior caste. You are the archwarriors of the Warrior caste, your Talents beyond all those who you once thought of peers. It is your duty to surpass all others and be the tip of the glaive as we pierce the throats of our enemies.”
Yusef wanted to smile at that reminder. He would be one of the best in the future. Before he could daydream about the time where he could lead normal Warriors into battle, Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu then reminded them why they fought.
“We are the strongest Great Power. The others fear us, they cower in their homes, posturing and seeking to intimidate us with shameful tricks. They will not succeed. We will fight them all and win. It took all seven of them to equal our brilliance but, today, we shine brighter than all of them.”
Yusef missed what Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu said next, as a training Instructor saw his eye twitch to the side to follow the Lead Instructor.
“Did the Lead Instructor tell you to look at him, trainee? Do you rate to look at the Lead Instructor?”
“No, sir!” Yusef screamed back at the top of his lungs while doing his high knees even faster.
The training Instructor then told him to switch between burpees and bicycle kicks as he commanded him to go faster with every breath.
When someone else caught the training Instructor’s eyes and left Yusef alone, Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu was cursing the beasts that pretended to be human.
“What are the imposters who wear our flesh and pretend to be like us?”
Yusef and everyone screamed with spit flying, “Monsters pretending to be human! Nothing better than monsters from the rifts, who pretend to be like us!”
Their exercise lasted until the sun was high in the sky, when they were eventually passed food by the Community members who had the privilege of working on the base.
A Trainee near Yusef spent too much time looking at one of the helpers, and the training Instructors fell on her. “Do you think you rate to look at a member of the Community, trainee?”
As he watched through his peripheral vision, Yusef quickly ate the meal provided.
It was his favorite time of the day.
Potions of Strength were passed around, and when they drank them, Yusef could feel his sore muscles vanish as they loosened and twitched.
Flexing, he could feel the increase in his strength. In time, the potions would be replaced with proper technology, turning his body into a weapon incomparable to all others. He would surpass his own self, becoming an unstoppable war machine, but that would be in due time. They all started with the potions.
Once their potions were drunk, Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu called for them to turn and start running.
Today was obstacle course day.
“At the obstacle course, you will simulate the attacks of the enemies as you weave through the rubble of their defenses and seek to take their lives.” Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu explained the same thing as he always did, but Yusef was grateful for it, as it gave them time to catch their breath and settle their racing hearts.
As they broke into teams, with half of them moving through the obstacle course, Lead Instructor Ha Hyonu once more explained their purpose.
“You are the Warrior caste. Your old caste is in the past. Some of your parents were Makers who created our weapons and armors, our barracks and ships. An honorable life, filled with the knowledge that their efforts serve the Warriors. Be grateful you are not them, for if you were, you would only bloody your hands by proxy.”
Everyone screamed back, “We are Warriors!”
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