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RP: Section 6 Readiness is liveliness

Kim

スター軍の司書
----188604/ indoor training yard/ morning----

Jack looked over the two he would be running some basic training with as he waited for Jay to arrive.

"Alright ladies, today I am not the director, I am the commander. I will be starting you on a series of exercises to prepare you for field work. We will cover everything from basic use of the R1-SPA, or Revenant power armor to firearm safety. We will start of with basic exercises while Lieutenant Nagato prepares some things for later. Any questions?" Jack asked the two in black tank tops, boots, and BDU pants.

Aster shook her head no. Her raven hair was pulled back into a tight braid to keep it out of the way of physical training. Her violet eyes appraised Jack curiously. They had a short exchange on the hunting trip about her joining Saber later on down the road but she wasn't opposed to getting any sort of training. Her mom would've encouraged her to participate, if her mother wasn't busy with ONI operations on Onishima and dealing with the PACT.

Aras stood silently with her hair tied up into a pony tail. She was obviously the least active person in the room, and as such was not looking forward to the exercises. "What will the exercises entail? she questioned. She fidgeted with her hands, clearly nervous.

Jack looked to Aras, "For right now basics. Then after that, an obstacle course. If there are no other questions you both will do the following. Twenty push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks. This will be followed a short run before hitting the course." he said in a stern tone.

"As a circuit or in sequence?" Aster asked with a soft smile. "Just the standard variants of the movements or did you have something else in mind?"

"Just the basic standard excersices, Miss Blake and in order as was given." Jack answered.

Aras nodded and dropped into pushup position, beginning the exercises. She begins to sweat halfway through the set, the activity allready showing.

Aster easily dropped into the front leaning rest position and began her push-up set, transitioning easily into the other two exercises in sequence. She wasn't winded or sweating, her mother had conditioned her and her siblings to be active.

Jack looked briefly between the two, "Good job Blake, keep it up. Aras, it looks like we need to run you through more of these exercises later." He said.

After a marginally long time Aras finally completed all of the exercises, panting as she stopped jumping. She then proceded to line up for the run, the look on Aras' showing her unenthusiasm.

Jack sighed, "Aras, grab a water bottle and take five."

Aster completed her exercises and looked to Jack again. "Are we running as a group, Mr. Pine or just doing a couple of laps?" She smiled brightly as she waited for further instruction.

Jack turned to Aster, "Group, wait for Aras, then we'll do two laps around the track."

Aras departed from the group and proceeded to the washroom. As she entered, she took a glance at the mirror to the side of the room. Her face stared back at her, red with exhaustion and embarrasment. She approached the sink and proceeded to splash water on her face. She sighed briefly to herself before exiting the washroom, proceeding to grab a water bottle on her return. She drank some of the liquid before returning to the group, awaiting her next orders.

Aster stretched as she waited to start their run. She wondered when Jay was going to arrive so that she could train a bit with him too. She had actually been looking forward to spending some more time with him, even if the training was slightly work related.

"On the count of three. One...two......three!" Jack gave before signaling to run. He waited for the other two to go first to keep track of progress and an eye on Aras as she was already having difficulty.

Aster waited a moment to begin running. He said it was a group run, and she moved to run alongside Aras, using the other woman to gauge the pace. "I'll run with you! Slow and steady pace, right?" She smiled at Aras as she jogged alongside her.

Aras smiled back in the best of her ability. She jogged slightly better than she could push up, but it was still obvious that she was out of practice. She managed to finish the two laps with little problem, slightly less exhausted than when she finished the last.

"Alright good job, now it's time for the obstacle course. Please enter the inner field." Jack said as they finished motioning to the obstacle lanes field at the center of the track.

Aras reluctantly lined up to the track, taking a moment to look it over.

Aster's violet eyes moved to the inner field with the obstacle course as they made the transition from the track. She slowed to a walk and considered the obstacles. "This is baby Saber training, Mr. Pine?"

Jack chuckled a little, "Yeah, I guess you could say so. When these obstacles and the rubber mats that make up the track are removed, the actual course goes into use. The entire floor is composed of one by one foot rectangular reinforced metal pillars. They can be raised as needed to form obstacle courses and mock battle fields for war games."

Aras was already dreading the current course, the thought of a more difficult one frightened her to say the least.

Arriving in a plain dark grey tracksuit, Jay greeted Jack with a slight frown. "Before we continue, know that I'm going to be pushing them a fair bit. No apologies for that." Looking out at the two on the track he continued, stoic. "I hope you understand."

Aster beamed at Jay when he arrived. "It'll be fun, Jay-kun." Her violet eyes watched him for a moment before it drifted back over to the obstacle course. "It reminds me of the training room on Leo except, actually involving actual gravity. It feels different."

Locking his gaze on Aster, the lieutenant responded without remorse. "Miss Blake, I can personally guarantee you this will be harder than anything you've done before." Staring off into the distance, he closed his eyes in thought. "I will be teaching you to fight for your life - something that may save it one day."

Aster met Jay's gaze, there was something more in her violet eyes, a touch of sadness at the mention of it being harder. She smiled despite it. "It's why I'm here. I'm not 8 any more," she added quietly, referencing their conversation from the other day. "I'm still alive."

Aras' face faltered at the mention of fighting. It changed frome one of repugnance to blankness. She was obviously deep in thought, the subject however remained a mystery.

"Fighting comes later Jay, for now they need to know how to move. Each battle, each battlefield has its own flow and that if used fully can determine who lives and dies. I admit that I've been going easy, but yes, now things get serious. There will be times when you will have to possibly go into the field, and in a galaxy where an unknown lies around every corner, you have to be ready for anything. I'm not sure what your past at the age of 8 has to do with anything, Miss Blake, but yes you even as an intern need to know this.

Aster redirected her attention to Jack again. "I will have to talk to you about Mayer Station another time, Mr. Pine, but I am not arguing the value of the training or protesting being included. Perspective is subjective to knowledge of an experience," she replied politely. "Akuma mo shukan-tekidesu."

Jay was getting a bit impatient by this point. "Moving on, Mr. Pine, would you care to explain the course?" he said with a touch of urgency in his voice.

"Yes the devil is, but yes onto the course. Here we have a basic four lane course filled with every mock obstacle to simulate most encountered hindrances. Over, under, around, and through you will go to complete each lane to eventually complete the course. This a basic found in any NSMC boot camp and one that every marine will usually remember fondly. Any further questions?" Jack said not bothering to hide his knowledge of Yamataigo.

"Is this a time evolution or you just want us to get through it as fast as we can, Mr. Pine, Nagato-senpai?" Aster asked looking away from the two men downrange towards the obstacle course. She appraised the obstacles wearily. It was supposed to be challenging, from what both of them said.

"Quickly, but don't work yourself too hard." Jay said with a straight face. "Can't be having you drop unconscious on the course. Now, Miss Blake, if you please..." he said, motioning to the course.

Aster smiled at Jay and gave him a wink, "I'll try not to have you worry about me too much. I'm pretty energetic," she jogged towards the course and waited the signal to begin.

Jay returned the smile, pulling out a stopwatch and raised his hand, ready to signal the start. "On your mark. Three... two... one..." He lowered his hand. "Go."

Aster took off toward the first over obstacle, trying to get as much forward momentum to carry her over it.

The first set were hurdles that had to be climbed over, then tires that the trainee had to alternate steps through, a short cylindrical tunnel, then a log climbing wall to top off the first Lane.

"You can do this ladies." Jack said as he walked between the lanes, a hand brought to his side which flared with soreness from the run a few.minutes ago.

Aster navigated over the hurdles and through the tires and tunnel, without too much trouble. The climbing wall slowed her down a little bit as she worked her way up and over the wall before she navigated to the next lane.

Jay watched Aster with surprise as she navigated the course with unexpected speed. Not knowing how to react, he simply gave a slight smile of approval - though he knew she wouldn't notice.

Aras ran to the hurdles, managing to scale them with minimal trouble. As she reached the tires she began to stumble however, only narrowly avoiding falling flat on her face. The tunnel seemed to be her strong point, managing to crawl though it without much effort. With some effort she managed to climb the wall, nearly falling off multiple times. In the end she reached the finish of the first lane as well, and proceeded to line up at the next.

The second lane was three long patches of various earths. Sand, craggy rock, and thick foliage and mud. Each very uneven and on vibrating platforms.

Aster stared at the second lane for a moment and assessed the first patch and how it leaned. She cautiously walked onto the platform to test how it distributed her weight and attempted to balance herself in the loose sand as she transversed the terrain. The craggy rock was more concerning to her, it meant that she needed to not only balance properly but to watch her foot placement to not get her boot caught between outcroppings. Her instinct was to jump across but she fought it made her way cautiously across, testing her balance before taking the next step.

The mud was even more troublesome, there was no real way to move quickly through thick mud on uneven ground. She had to let her boots sink into the mud until she found purchase and then test her balance. She couldn't see the depth of the mud or where it got deeper. The thick brush was sketchy, she couldn't trust it to hold her weight or really be supported by anything. She took a tentative step forward and she sank knee deep into thick mud. Aster inwardly grumbled she couldn't settle long or the pressure from the mud would create a suction that would pull her boot off. She struggled forward through the muck.

Aras stared at the track in front of her and decided that running through would be her best option. As she ran however, her mistake manifested as she slipped in the sand. She quickly regained her stance and continued to jog across the sand. After a small while of slow stumbling through the sand, she finally reached the craggy outcroppings. She proceeded to slowly inch across the rocks, carefully tip-toeing across each one. In the end she managed to reached the end of the stones unharmed.

Aras' hopes were lowered even further as she stared at the mud and shrubbery. With a cautious step into the mess, Aras realized she would not make it out of this unscathed. With a slide she quickly fell into the mud, the tip of her hair coated in the brown goo. "Eww..." She muttered, attempting to shake off some of the mud. In the end she accepted defeat and continued her trek down the lane. As she slowly sloshed through the mess, her foot would occasionally caught, coating her hands in mud. "Gross.." She mumbled slightly louder. As she neared the halfway mark of the mud, a deeper patch caught her off-guard. With a loud 'Plop' Aras was plunged into the muck. As she slowly lifted her coated face from the course, a rage began to build in her eyes. She began a sprint toward the end of the track, mud and plants being splashed out of the way. She kept her balance well, the anger propelling her forward.
 
Jack bit back a laugh, "Half way there ladies."

The third course was almost a replica of ruins and the focus was to vault over the low portions of the walls where the wall had partially crumbled, crawl under the wire topped no man's land, and to climb the hill at the end. All of it only 7 feet wide, and artificially made.

Aster made it out of the mud with her boots still on her feet and was grateful for it. She kicked off the mud from her boots and estimated the distance she needed to clear on the first wall. She walked up to it and glanced on the other side before she took a couple steps backwards and took a running jump over the walls. She did this a few more times until she got to the curled wire. She gauged the distance between the ground and the wire and flattened herself down and began crawling through the last obstacle.

Aras burst out of the the end of the track of mud, her shoes still somehow fastened to her feet. She rounded to the edge of the third track and began a sprint. She kept up her speed until she was near the crumbled wall, using all the force she had to leap over it. She repeated this for the rest of the walls, managing to avoid each one narrowly. As she reached the edge of the wire, she dropped into a crawl and began to inch forward. The mud from the previous track had began to cake, flakes of dirt crackling off her with every move.

Pleased at Aster's progress, Jay had turned his attention to the other trainee. "And who might she be?" he asked Jack nonchalantly as his face showed his concern.

"Aras, surgeon, a recent addition to the medical department." He said simply.

Aster finally cleared the last obstacle and returned to Jay and Jack, coated with dust and drying mud. "Okay, what's next?"

Aras slowly dragged herself from the end of the third track and stood up. Most of her was still coated in mud, some splotches of skin showing through the dirty crust.

"Give her a moment to finish." Jay said, nodding towards Aras. "Not everyone is as... adept as you are." This was as close to a compliment as she would get for now.

Aster nodded as she gave Jay a small smile as she waited. She was glad for her mother's insistence on active lifestyle alongside active learning. "I think the gravity here is less than on Leo Star Fortress," she commented softly.

Aras bedruggingly draged herself in line for the next lane, ready for the next step.

The last lane was a large glass box with a mud coated floor of three inches, and heavy simulated rain fall like that in a hurricane, or monsoon. "Eh, yeah I ran out of ideas for the last one." Jack admitted rubbing his side.

Aster looked at the last lane. "...there are easier ways to get people to do mud wrestling?" She commented with a roll of her eyes, sighing as she made her way into the box and slogged through the mud and downpour. The combination of the slop and the wet was the perfect cocktail of slow for the teenager. It took her the longest amount of time to get through the fourth lane and she eventually emerged, drenched through and muddy.

As she stared at the final track, Aras realized there was no way to get through it unscathed. She took a step back and prepared for a third wild sprint. She quickly ran down the glass chamber, the occasional stumble and constant downpour soaking her even more. As she neared the end of the track, it was obvious how disheveled she had become. The parts of her hair that weren't coated in grime were frizzy and bedraggled. Whatever outfit she was wearing before was ruined, with tears and stains making it useless. But she finally made it, dragging herself from the box in a daze.
 
Jack bit back a laugh, "Half way there ladies."

The third course was almost a replica of ruins and the focus was to vault over the low portions of the walls where the wall had partially crumbled, crawl under the wire topped no man's land, and to climb the hill at the end. All of it only 7 feet wide, and artificially made.

Aster made it out of the mud with her boots still on her feet and was grateful for it. She kicked off the mud from her boots and estimated the distance she needed to clear on the first wall. She walked up to it and glanced on the other side before she took a couple steps backwards and took a running jump over the walls. She did this a few more times until she got to the curled wire. She gauged the distance between the ground and the wire and flattened herself down and began crawling through the last obstacle.

Aras burst out of the the end of the track of mud, her shoes still somehow fastened to her feet. She rounded to the edge of the third tank and began a sprint. She kept up her speed until she was near the crumbled wall, using all the force she had to leap over it. She repeated this for the rest of the walls, managing to avoid each one narrowly. As she reached the edge of the wire, she dropped into a crawl and began to inch forward. The mud from the previous track had began to cake, flakes of dirt crackling off her with every move.

Pleased at Aster's progress, Jay had turned his attention to the other trainee. "And who might she be?" he asked Jack nonchalantly as his face showed his concern.

"Aras, surgeon, a recent addition to the medical department." He said simply.

Aster finally cleared the last obstacle and returned to Jay and Jack, coated with dust and drying mud. "Okay, what's next?"

Aras slowly dragged herself from the end of the third track and stood up. Most of her was still coated in mud, some splotches of skin showing through the dirty crust.

"Give her a moment to finish." Jay said, nodding towards Aras. "Not everyone is as... adept as you are." This was as close to a compliment as she would get for now.

Aster nodded as she gave Jay a small smile as she waited. She was glad for her mother's insistence on active lifestyle alongside active learning. "I think the gravity here is less than on Leo Star Fortress," she commented softly.

Aras bedruggingly draged herself in line for the next lane, ready for the next step.

The last lane was a large glass box with a mud coated floor of three inches, and heavy simulated rain fall like that in a hurricane, or monsoon. "Eh, yeah I ran out of ideas for the last one." Jack admitted rubbing his side.

Aster looked at the last lane. "...there are easier ways to get people to do mud wrestling?" She commented with a roll of her eyes, sighing as she made her way into the box and slogged through the mud and downpour. The combination of the slop and the wet was the perfect cocktail of slow for the teenager. It took her the longest amount of time to get through the fourth lane and she eventually emerged, drenched through and muddy.

As she stared at the final track, Aras realized there was no way to get through it unscathed. She took a step back and prepared for a third wild sprint. She quickly ran down the glass chamber, the occasional stumble and constant downpour soaking her even more. As she neared the end of the track, it was obvious how disheveled she had become. The parts of her hair that weren't coated in grime were frizzy and bedraggled. Whatever outfit she was wearing before was ruined, with tears and stains making it useless. But she finally made it, dragging herself from the box in a daze.
 
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