The long, hard way to become a Minister


A note from the author:

With these little stories I wish to chronicle Mara's way through the basic Ministry training. I plan to post many more over the next five weeks or so. Please note that what I write here is by no means exhaustive when it comes to the training. I choose the parts most interesting to me. Also, while Sul has approved these he remains the final authority on Ministry matters. So all question regarding details about the training should be directed to him. Of course, you can still ask me too :)

But now, without further ado, I give you Mara Khan.




Phase 1

Part 1


Mara's fingers wrapped wearily around the spoon. It almost looked as if she was expecting it to bite her, and that wasn't too far from the truth. Obviously, she didn't really expect an attack from eating utensils. She didn't expect any attack at all, but she expected an interruption of the most terrifying kind. It wouldn't be the first time, and probably not the last either.

However, nothing out of the ordinary happened. No interruption of any kind came, neither as Mara lifted the spoon and nor as she sank it into the pale gruel on her plate. At first she had wondered about the purpose of keeping the recruits on edge like this. Maybe it was to fortify their mental shields against stress. Maybe at some point the weariness would turn some state of permanent alertness. However, she had stopped wondering weeks ago. She suspected that she would get used to it, the same way she had gotten used to the stale taste of the gruel.

A shudder went through Mara as she remembered her first week at the School of Ministry. Many had told her that it would be hard. Citizens who had heard stories, some Ministers she had talked to and most prominently the Ministry's recruitment officer. They all had warned her that the School was a terrifyingly hard ordeal. Having seen the things Ministers could do she didn't doubt that one bit. But she had dismissed the more horrible things. Tales about terrible, sadistic instructors, about how recruits were purposefully broken, about accidental deaths and suicides. It was said that there were only two ways to leave the School of Ministry: As a Minister or in a body-bag.

Mara did not doubt them anymore. As she looked around carefully she saw empty faces with haunted expression. The horrible handwork of the Training Instructors was plainly visible. Quite a few of her fellow recruits had fear etched permanently into their expressions. Plenty more wore looks of resignation on their face and on one or two faces the hybrid thought she saw looks of final submission. It was quite possible that over the next nights one of them would lay down to sleep and never get up again.

And to think how bright-eyed they all had been on the first night. Well, only during their first hours, really. They had said goodbye to friends and family and boarded the Ministry dropship. Each an everyone of them had been happy and enthusiastic until then. The first damper however had come right away when the lights had shut off, leaving them in complete darkness. There were no windows and no sound came to them from the outside, all done to disorient them, no doubt. The School of Ministry was shrouded in secrecy, especially concerning its location. Many thought it was somewhere in the Nightlands. The flight had taken hours, so it was possible. However, they could have flown circles, so it could be right in the Toride just as well.

Upon arrival the recruits had received their first proper shock, their first taste of what it meant to be at the School of Ministry. Under loud shouts coming from hidden speakers and with not just a few kicks and shoves they had been ushered from the dropship. Searchlights had blinded them and at one point Mara had felt the kiss of a baton when she slowed down for a moment to try and get hear bearings. The tall, WhiteGear-clad figures of their Training Instructors had made no pretence of kindness. From the first moment on they had made it clear that only hardship was awaiting the recruits, beginning with a hasty undressing and series of humiliating final tests and scans.

Mara's hand rose to her throat as she remembered the next part. Each of them had been clipped with a heavy metal collar, disturbingly similar to the Citizen Rehabilitation Collar. The Instructors had made sure they knew that it performed similar functions as well and contained a small explosive charge that was sure to kill them, should the need arise. More than anything that happened that night, the collar had made it painfully clear to Mara that the School was every bit as terrifying as she had been told.

"RECRUIT 01577/190!"

Without thinking about it Mara jumped up, standing straight. "Yes, Sir!" she said in a loud, clear voice.

"HOW LONG DO YOU NEED FOR A LOAD-BEARING MID-LEVEL OBSTACLE RUN?"

"This Recruit needs three minutes and nineteen seconds, Sir!" Mara shouted in reply.

"YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DO IT IN UNDER THREE MINUTES. TO THE COURSE RIGHT NOW, RECRUIT!"

"Yes Sir!" Mara shot one last, wistful glance at her meal. She hadn't even finished half of it, but she wouldn't dare to complain. It wouldn't do any good anyway.

As she ran through the corridors of the School Mara thought back to the first time she had been subjected to an unexpected exercise. It was during their very first night. The entire training platoon had been woken roughly, in some cases literally thrown from their bunks. They had been forced to put on their Training Greys, the form-fitting uniforms they had been issued, and then herded towards the obstacle courses. Mara's memory of that night was rather hazy, but the thing that had burned herself into her mind was how she had cried herself to sleep when they finally allowed them back into the barracks. It wouldn't be the last time that she did it, but the shame of such a display of weakness still burned hot.

"Recruit 01577/190 reporting for load-bearing exercise!" Mara eventually announced her presence. A Training Instructor was already waiting for her. As always, he or she was wearing full WhiteGear. The recruits didn't know the identity of any of them.

"SUIT UP, RECRUIT!" he said in the same voice that all Ministers used, neutral, robbed of all emotion and made electronically androgyn.

Nothing else was needed. Mara immediately proceeded the strap the weights lying ready to her ankles and wrists and put on the large backpack.

"YOUR RUN BEGINS IN THIRTY SECONDS!" the Instructor said before disappearing, probably into some observation room. Mara stepped through the door into the obstacle course, counting in her head. The same moment she reached 30 the signal came for her to start.

She had been in quite a good shape when she applied for Ministry recruitment, but with such a load she wouldn't been able to move much back then. The merciless training however was showing not only negative signs. The run to the obstacle courses hadn't even made her sweat and even now Mara moved quickly and with grace, despite the weights and the huge, heavy backpack. She worked her way across the obstacle course, climbing, crawling, even jumping, counting the time in her head all the while.

In the observation room the Instructor who had awaited Mara was watching her progress closely. A number of cameras, some obvious, some hidden, allowed him to watch her from pretty much every possible angle. He could see where she struggled and where she was sure on her feet. He could seen the expression of grim determination on her face and he could see it falter when she missed a step or timed a jump badly. He didn't look around when the door to the room opened and another figure clad in WhiteGear joined him.

"Will she make it?" the other one asked after a few moments.

"No," the Instructor said with absolute certainly. "She will probably make an impressive time, but she won't make it."

"Good."

For a few moments there was silence as the two Ministers watched Mara struggle to perform a task that in her current state was impossible for to complete. Then the second Training Instructor turned around to leave again. "What do you think?" the first one asked before he could reach the door.

"Of her?"

"Yes."

Again there was a moment of silence as the Minister pondered his reply. "I think she will be a force to be reckoned with," he eventually said. "If she survives."

"Aye, if she survives."

Phase 1

Part 2


Mara’s limbs burned with pain. Fatigue poisons were saturating her muscles, making every movement, every twitch an agony. And still she trudged on. So did the other recruits all around her. They had been woken rather roughly, at the appropriate time for a change, but immediately after a hasty dressing they had been ushered to a long-distance march without any breakfast. Mara’s stomach was rumbling in protest, making its demand to be filled noticed with noise and pain.

“PICK UP THE PACE, RECRUITS!” the Training Instructor at the front of the group shouted.

Groans rose from the double-line of recruits, but they obeyed the order. Under normal circumstances this would have been an easy jog for her, but without food in her stomach it hadn’t taken long before Mara’s body began to protest. Mara had done her best to enter Ministry training with her body well prepared. However, it had become obvious to her very quickly that there was no way anyone could be prepared for what awaited them at the School of Ministry. She had had some pretty harsh tutors before, but none of them even came close to the TIs. This was beyond training. It was torture. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten a full night’s sleep or the proper meals for a night and yet they were whipped through the most brutal training regime Mara had ever seen or heard of.

She wasn’t sure for how long they had walked, but it must have been at least three hours by now and yet they trudged on.

“By Frey, I don’t think I’ll survive this,” the recruit beside Mara muttered. She allowed herself a glance at the male hybrid. She didn’t say anything but she was harboring similar thoughts. When the training began she had been so sure about her physical and metal abilities, but now she doubted them. And it wasn’t even a lack of will. It was simply that, much like many of her fellow recruits, she wasn’t sure anymore that her body and mind could take the strain. Mara’s head slowly tilted upwards to focus her eyes on lights overhead, as she had done often during her early training sessions back in the Toride. Somehow it had become something that always helped her when she thought she couldn’t continue anymore. However, there were no lights here. The whole School of Ministry must have been under ground, for all these marches always led them through endless tunnels. Overhead there was only darkness, the ceiling just vaguely visible. The only sources of light for the recruits were the Instructors.

Suddenly there was a commotion ahead and the whole double-line came to a more or less orderly halt. Panting hard Mara accepted the pause gratefully. After about a minute she looked up again, seeing one of the other recruits sprawled on the ground. He must either have stumbled or simply collapsed from sheer exhaustion. One of the Instructors had knelt down beside the limp form and examined him quickly. Eventually the large, WhiteGear-clad figure rose and ordered two of the other recruits to carry their unconscious comrade. No Minister was ever left behind, that was something they had been taught from the first day.

“TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOST TIME WE WILL RUN THE REST OF THE WAY!”

Mara’s eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could walk, much less run. And she couldn't even imagine how it was for the two who had to carry the unconscious recruit. Groans and even words of protest rose around her, but they were quickly silenced by a harsh shout from the TI, who then started to run without any further words. Mara allowed herself a second for a deep breath before she started to run as well.

Order was abandoned as the recruits ran, each too busy just trying to keep up to worry about keeping in line. Sweat was soaking through Mara’s already damp fur, stinging in her eyes and making it hard to see. A few times she almost stumbled and only just managed to keep on her feet. The pain in her legs grew all-encompassing as she willed them to eat away at the distance. It didn’t take long before Mara was teetering on the edge of consciousness herself, just a barely clinging on. She could barely see her surroundings anymore, just the moving lightly of the TIs and the ground directly before her feet.

By Frey, make them stop... please, she pleaded silently. Even if she wanted to say those things out loud, she could not. All the little energy she had left was used to keep her upright and running. Eventually though she did notice changes in her surroundings. There was a dim glow ahead that grew stronger and stronger as they ran on.

Eventually Mara found herself bathed in light. After the hours in the darkness of the tunnels it was blinding, and it was only thanks to the numbing exhaustion that it didn’t bother Mara. The realization that she made it finally dawned on the hybrid and she came to an awkward halt. Her legs felt like every bone had splintered into tiny shards and her muscles were torn. They quivered and shook, growing too weak to support her. Mara did her best to stay upright. She poured every ounce of strength into the desire to remain standing. She had made this hellish run, she couldn’t succumb to weakness now.

It was a hopeless struggle though. Mara’s body had reached the limits of what it could do and after mere moments of coming to a halt she dropped to her knees. Damn... damn, damn, damn, she thought, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

“BACK ON YOUR FEET, RECRUITS!” the Training Instructor shouted. “TIME TO RUN BACK!”

Mara managed to lift her head to look up at the tall, white figure standing right before her. She could see it only indistinctly. “Damn...” she managed to say before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell over, unconscious.

The Minister nodded his head a single time. She was resilient, this one, but the School of Ministry would eventually get to everyone. With some it was easy, with others it took longer. Some needed a purely mental approach, others a purely physical, like this one. She was so sure in her abilities, it was just a question of taking that certainty away. They would simply present her with demands she just couldn’t possibly fulfill and it was only a matter of time until she broke.

The Instructor looked around for a moment before turning and walking away from the lone figure on the ground. Mara was the only one who had made it all the way.

Phase 1

Part 3


Mara had struggled on. Despite her failure in training the sessions, she went on struggling past hardships and harsh words from the Instructors. It dawned on her that she was inadequate, not ready to be a Minister. But she kept going for a glimmer of hope remained, a small but resilient hope that she might prove herself worthy after all. More often than not she had to fight to keep herself from sobbing bitterly when it was time to sleep, the resolve she had when the training began slipping away from her.

But she kept struggling on. Of the fifty or so recruits that had started the training barely 35 remained, many of them dead by their own hands. The first time such a thing occurred Mara had been disgusted. Now she understood them, for she wasn’t sure anymore that she had the power of body or will to keep going much longer. The exercises became more and more brutal. Forced marches, load-bearing exercises, obstacle courses through burning-hot areas and ice-cold water, unbelievably long timed runs and more often than not with little food or sleep. For a long time Mara’s belief in Unity had helped her through all of it, but it didn’t work anymore. Even the sheer stubbornness of which Mara’s parents had often accused her wasn’t doing much anymore. Mara’s reasons to keep going were more and more quickly eroding underneath her.

The mess hall was silent except for the quiet sounds of eating hybrids. During the first weeks there had been talk, even laughter. But it all had slowly faded away until the recruits were eating in silence. Mara’s eyes were cast down at her food as she ate. Her movements were stiff, almost robotic and the exhaustion from last night’s exercises was only partly to blame for that.

"RECRUIT 01577/190!"

She jumped up immediately at the sound of the loud, emotionless voice, despite her aching legs. “Yes, Sir!“ She could just make out the tall, white form of a Minister to her right.

“THE MINISTRY REGRETS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR FATHER HAS DIED.”

Mara felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath her. The sensation of nausea took a hold of her stomach and her legs began to grow week. The Training Instructor was already turning away, his message delivered as she finally managed to bring out a few words.

“H-how? Why?” Any other day Mara would have been surprised that the TI actually stopped and turned back to her. However, she was much to shocked to consider it now.

For a long moment the four red eyes regarded her emotionlessly. “HE WAS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT OUTSIDE THE TORIDE,” the Minister finally continued.

Vertigo hit Mara full force. She reached out, trying to find something to steady herself, but she only succeeded in knocking her tray off the table. It had become completely quiet in the mess hall but Mara didn’t notice. Her head was spinning, her thoughts doing a hundred miles per hour. The only reason why her father would have left the Toride was to accompany a shipment. That duty had been Mara’s for years, but she had assumed that her father would simply find a new assistant to take care of that. He was getting too old, that was why Mara had taken over that duty in the first place. It’s my fault, Mara realized. If I had been there he wouldn’t have had to go... If I had been there he wouldn’t have died.

Her legs finally gave in. With an agonized cry Mara dropped to the floor, tears spilling from her eyes. All around her the usual subdued noises of the mess hall resumed, a bit louder than before. Upon unspoken accord all the other recruits tried to drown out the sobbing, some to give Mara some privacy in her grief. Many of them however did it for themselves, for the sounds reminded them unpleasantly of how much they felt like crying as well.

The Instructor had left even before Mara had crumbled. However, he was not at all disinterested in her reaction to the grave news he had brought her. The moment he had turned around he had linked up to the School’s surveillance system and was now watching the fox-like hybrid through the cameras in the mess hall.

They had thought that pushing her past the limits of her body would be enough to break but Mara had proven to be more strongly willed than they had given her credit. She needed another push, but one from a different direction. Any more attack on her body and it might break beyond recovery. But the detailed files the Ministry had about each recruit had revealed a mental weak point. Mara possessed strong feelings for her family. Strong enough in fact that it had resulted in her first application for Ministry recruitment to be declined. So it was decided to fabricate the news that her father had died in a way that suggested that it would not have happened if she had been around.

Judging by the reaction it had worked. Got you now, the Minister thought. Now it was only a matter of waiting to see if she would pull through. If she did the next phases of the training would rebuild Mara as a part of the most fearsome military organization in history. If not one of his brothers and sisters would visit Mara’s parents soon with a message similar to the one he had just given her.

Phase 2

Part 1


It was quiet in the classroom, except for the TI of course or whatever equipment they were using to teach more effectively. It always was, even though some of the recruits were still young enough so they could be in a regular school, where the teachers often had to fight the noise of the students. But at the School of Ministry the recruits were watching silently and attentively. They took in every word, every picture, every second of video displayed to them. None of them was taking notes, for it was expected of them to learn and know the things taught by heart, not by written word. Failure in the classes had severe consequences, usually in the form of additional physical training for the entire platoon. So it had taken only a few weeks until every recruit learned to pay attention in ways they hadn’t known they could before.

The training platoon now was barely half the size of what it had been in the beginning. The hazards of the grueling training the recruits had been subjected to, and still were in fact, had killed a few. Most however had died at their own hands, unable to keep going, unable to admit defeat or simply broken beyond recovery. Some had asked to be taken back to the Toride and resume their normal lives, and a few had simply disappeared.

Those that remained were those capable enough to keep going, despite the Training Instructors, who seemed to put all their efforts into breaking the recruits fully and completely. However, even those had changed profoundly. They kept going, yes, and they strove to fulfill every requirement of the TIs, to meet and even surpass all the standards, to do everything and anything demanded from them. However, they didn’t do it anymore because of their own drive. They had lost that. Instead, they strove out of a simple desire to do as they were told, maybe even to make those who tasked them proud, even if the Instructors never ever showed even the slightest emotion.

“RECRUIT 09441/781! NAME THREE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FROM EINHEIT CITY’S HISTORY!” the TI barked. The tall male hybrid that was 09441/781 quickly jumped to his feet.

“The activation of the Heart Machine, the assassination of Dr. Frey, both in 5 ECE and the founding of the Ministry in 6 ECE, Sir,” 09441/781 replied without hesitation.

“ALL CLOSELY RELATED EVENTS. EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICES.”

“In this recruits opinion they had the greatest impact on Einheit City, Sir. The activation of the Heart Machine drew the attention of the Colonies to Einheit City. The assassination of Dr. Frey was the Colonies’ first open action against Einheit City, thus drawing it into the Species Wars. And the founding of the Ministry was a turning point in Einheit City’s loosing battle against the Colonies, Sir.”

“RECRUIT 09362/914, NAME ANOTHER EVENT AND EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICE!”

Another hybrid jumped up. “Operation Boreas in 29 ECE, Sir. It did not only end millennia of continued warfare but it also ended almost all external threat to Einheit City, Sir.”

“RECRUIT 01577/190, DO YOU AGREE WITH THE OTHER RECUITS CHOICES?”

“No, Sir! In this recruit’s opinion the most significant event was the creation of the UniClass in 14 ECE. It set in stone the ideals of Unity, the superiority of hybrids and paved for the road for the future.”

“NONE OF THE CHOICES WAS WRONG IN AND OF ITSELF,” the Instructor said. “BUT NONE OF YOU TOOK INTO ACCOUNT HOW MUCH THEIR SIGNIFICANCE IS INCREASED WHEN LOOKING AT HISTORY AS A WHOLE. JUST LIKE THE MINISTRY ITSELF IT IS A WHOLE THAT IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.”

Mara slowly sat down again, listening closely. Every word she committed to memory, realizing the importance of this lesson. As significant as they might be, no single event could make up history, just like no single Minister could make up the Ministry.

She would not forget it.

Phase 2

Part 2


Mara lowered the sights onto the target and squeezed the trigger three times in quick succession. The display she could see from the corner of her eyes showed three hits. Not perfect hits, but hits. Perfection would be required eventually, but for now hits were enough. She repeated the motion, scoring three more hits.

"WEAPON CHANGE!"

Immediately Mara turned around and handed the pistol she had been firing back to the Instructor behind her. In turn he handed her a rifle. Just as she had done before Mara turned back towards her target, aimed and fired.

None of the recruits knew which weapons they would be handed during flexibility drill or in which order. That was the purpose, to train them to be flexible, expect the unexpected and still perform up to the standards of the Ministry.

Mara pulled the rifle up, placing it against her shoulder and aimed. She barely had time to fire a single shot before the shout rang out again.

“WEAPON CHANGE!”

The recruits didn’t know how long they had with each weapon either. Once again Mara spun around. Her hands moved automatically, locking the rifle’s safety catch in position before handing it back to the TI. In return she was handed a bulky pistol of a design she had never seen before. She didn’t question the Instructor though. The thought didn’t even occur to Mara. How the weapon was handled was obvious enough, so she simply turned back towards the target. With her thumb she pushed the safety catch from its position, aimed and squeezed the trigger. The heavy pistol rocked only very lightly in her hands. There was a clap, followed by a brief hiss, the signs of a micro sonic-boom and the training dummy that was Mara’s target was torn apart. A brief blur of superheated air was the only visible sign of the shot.

Before Mara had time to even realize properly that she had been handed one of the Ministry’s monstrously powerful gauss pistols another dummy popped up. Almost automatically she moved her hands, aiming the pistol at the new target and fired, obliterating it as well.

“WEAPON CHANGE!”

During the second it took Mara to turn and hand the pistol back she finally could marvel at the might of a weapon as this pistol. Obviously she had read about them, but to actually see, even wield that power was much different. It was hard to imagine how much more deadly a gauss rifle would be.

The thoughts were cut short however as Mara looked at the new weapon she was handed. The polished steel of a long, curved blade reflected the light of the lamps overhead. “Sir?” she asked, drawing her gaze up from the sword to look into the emotionless red eyes of the TI’s WhiteGear.

“BEHIND YOU, RECRUIT!”

Reflexes took over. Mara spun around in a single, graceful, fluid motion. Her hands both gripped the handle of the katana and swung it around, using the momentum of her turning to put force behind the swing. From the corner of her eye she just had time to see the targeting dummy shooting towards her. The blade connected with it just underneath its right arm. The hardened steel was sharpened far beyond the visible range of normal persons, almost to the molecular level. It easily cut through dummy, which had been manufactured to resemble an average citizen of Einheit City in matters of how its body resisted to damage. The swing continued, slightly upwards so that the blade eventually excited at the left shoulder. The dummy came to a halt, its right arm, shoulder and the head sliced cleanly off the rest of the body. Mara barely had realized what had happened. For a few seconds she stared in surprise at the dummy, then at the sword she was holding, still extended far out where the swing had finally ended.

“WEAPON CHANGE!”

Surprise and wonder were swept away as Mara straightened, spun around and held the sword hilt-first to the Instructor. Once again she looked up at his face, or rather the face of the WhiteGear he was wearing. However, there was no sign of acknowledgement or anything else for that matter. He simply handed her an automatic rifle. She had done what the Ministry expected, and now she was expected to continue doing so.

Mara did.

Phase 2

Part 3


The cry of pain was barely subdued, despite the recruit’s best efforts. At least it would make her easier to find. Mara pulled herself back to her feet, did a quick assessment of her own condition and then carefully moved across the rubble. It was a path of peril and she dislodged many chunks of ancient masonry, but there was little time and the groaning of pain did not subside. That at least was a good sign. If one still had the presence of mind to feel pain and the energy to complain about it chances were good.

It took Mara only a few moments to find her fellow recruit. Mara herself had been lucky. She only got hit by a few smaller bits of stone when the ceiling collapsed. The other female was not so fortunate. Immediately Mara could see that her left leg was pinned under a large piece of rubble, and she didn’t look very good otherwise either. The right leg was bent at an unnatural angle and large portions of her body were covered with cuts. None of those were life-threatening though, so Mara turned her attention to the legs.

“MEDIC!” Mara shouted as she reached out for the right leg. It was definitely broken, she could tell that much even before she started to feel along it. There didn’t seem to be any external bleeding though, so it could wait. The left was more worrisome. A puddle of blood was already spreading and despite her best efforts Mara could not move the large chunk of stone or concrete or whatever it was.

“MEDIC!” she cried out again. “Don’t worry, we have you,” she said in a more normal tone of voice. “Just stay with us and we’ll get you out of here.” Mara didn’t even notice that she didn’t use first person. It was strictly forbidden, but among themselves the recruits usually still used first person. They had done so less and less though.

For a moment Mara looked up, trying to see if anyone was coming. “MEDIC!” she shouted again. Thanks to the collars the recruits could be tracked easily enough but Mara wanted to be sure.

The movements of the other recruit grew weaker and Mara reached for her head. “We said stay with us! That’s an order!” she shouted. Of course she had no authority to give orders to a fellow recruit, but in such a situation anything that would keep the wounded conscious was permitted. And it worked well enough, the eyes of the other hybrid snapping open again. “Now stay awake!” Blood trickled over Mara’s brow and she had to blink a few times to keep it out of her eyes. She must have hurt her head, but she had no time to worry about that.

A few moments later Mara’s ears perked as they picked up the sounds of footsteps. Then she could see moment and finally one of the TIs arrived. “MOVE ASIDE, RECRUIT 01577/190,” he said and Mara obeyed immediately. Where she had struggled but couldn’t move the stone at all the Minister had no troubles. With the WhiteGear enhancing his strength he moved the rubble easily. However, to Mara’s surprise he didn’t take care of the wounded recruit but stepped back.

“WOUND ASSESSMENT, RECRUIT 01577/190,” he ordered.

Surprise faded away and duty took over. Without questioning she knelt down beside the other recruit and examined her leg. “Broken in at least two places, probably three,” she started, the intensive first-aid training the recruits had received kicking in. “Bone splintered in one place. Deep lacerations, major bleeding.” Without thinking about it Mara shrugged off her backpack. “This recruit needs medical attention immediately,” she said as she used one of the backpack’s straps to bind off the leg. It wasn’t exactly well suited for that purpose, but it would suffice for now.

“A VEHICLE IS ON THE WAY, BUT IT CANNOT GET HERE. YOU HAVE TO TAKE HER TO THE RENDEZVOUS POINT, 1.2 KLICKS NORTH.”

Again Mara obeyed without questioning. Surely, the TI could carry her much more quickly and securely, but he wanted her to do it, and Mara would do it. Grabbing the other’s arms she pulled her over her shoulder and then pushed herself up. Normally Mara would have tried to put splints on the other recruit’s legs, but there was no time. It would be painful and there might even be more damage coming, but time was of the essence.

Mara made sure that she had a good grip on her fellow recruit before she started to run. It began with an easy jog, but soon the movements sped up as Mara found a rhythm. 1.2 klicks, she thought as she pumped her legs, propelling herself forward. It wasn’t easy, and not just for the considerable weight on her shoulders. The route was meant as a long-distance obstacle run that emulated natural terrain, and thus was quite difficult. More than once Mara almost stumbled or had to circumvent an obstacle that she simply could not cross with the other hybrid over her shoulders. “Stay with us!” she shouted regularly, along with other words and sentences to keep the other from fainting. Soon Mara was breathing quite heavily, the effort taxing her body. However, thanks to the grueling training she had already been put through it was far from giving out.

However, as Mara jumped over a low row of stones something caught her foot. With a loud cry of “NO!” she fell forwards. Automatically she extended her right am and pulled her free leg up while she tightened her grip on the other female’s waist. The impact sent a wave of pain and nausea through Mara and made everything blur before her eyes, but she managed to keep the wounded comrade on her shoulders.

Get up...” Mara said to herself. Her limps ached and her lungs were burning. Her body wanted to rest, to lie down right here and recover its strength. However, that was not an option. Failure was simply not acceptable. “Get up... get up... GET UP!” With a groan Mara forced her aching limbs to move, to push herself up once more. And after that she forced them to run again.

It seemed like an eternity, but eventually Mara finally could see bright lights ahead. She would have emitted a sigh of relieve if she hadn’t been too busy panting for breath. The vehicle was a simple terradyne with an open rear compartment, designed for use in these tunnels and another Training Instructor was already waiting.

“PUT HER IN THE BACK,” the Minister ordered and Mara obeyed, quite glad to rid herself of the weight. She stepped aside, giving the Minister room to work. Her limbs screamed for rest and she wanted to sit down somewhere, but instead she simply leaned against the terradyne while she caught her breath.

Eventually Mara was addressed again. “STAND STRAIGHT AND HOLD STILL, RECRUIT.” She did, and the TI took a moment to examine her.

“YOU HAVE NO SERIOUS WOUNDS, RECRUIT. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FINISH THE EXERCISE!”

A part of Mara wanted to groan, to protest. However, after all she had been through that part was very, very small and the rest of her that only wanted to do her duty to the Ministry easily overpowered those urges. “Yes, Sir,” she replied. She stretched to loosen up her limbs took a deep breath and then returned back onto the way she had already been along twice tonight.

Phase 3

Part 1


This night had been awaited anxiously by all recruits. Some had dreaded it and a handful few had even looked forward to it. Most of them had not done either, but even those had awaited this day with a certain anxiety. It meant a step forward, meant that from now on things changed. They would get even harder, no doubt, but their training would make a noticeable step forward.

“YOU WILL STEP INTO THE ROOM ONE BY ONE, RECRUITS,” the Instructor ordered. The recruits gave no sign that they understood, but it wasn’t necessary anymore. He knew that they had and there was no need for acknowledgement.

The recruits stood in two rows of twelve each. That was all that was left, the grueling training having taken a heavy toll on them. The TI barked a number and one of the recruits stepped out of the rows. He briskly stepped up to the door ahead, which opened to admit him and then closed again. That was it. None of them knew what would happen in that room, but they all could make an educated guess.

The entire last week had been an endless series of tests and examinations. Each of the recruits had been measured in minute detail. They had been examined closely to find the limits of their body regarding strength, flexibility and reflexes. They senses had been tested and mapped out and all of that in addition to their classes and training, of course.

Tonight they had been woken early but amazingly enough allowed a full breakfast before they had been marched through the school until they came to stand in this featureless hall. And now they entered the door before them one by one, as the Instructor had announced. It took between five and ten minutes between recruits, the remaining ones growing more and more anxious, even though few of them showed it. A twitch of tail here or ears there, that was it.

“01577/190!” the TI shouted. Immediately Mara stepped out of her row and walked towards the door. Like the fellow recruits before her her steps were quick and sure, the brutal training having pushed her body beyond insecurity, even if her mind was no so steeled. She wouldn’t dream of disobeying though, so she entered the room quickly, as ordered.

It was lit dimly at best. Mara could only just make out the two Ministers, and even that was mostly thanks to the red eyes of their WhiteGear. She thought there was some sort of complex looking machinery between them and behind them as well, but she couldn’t be sure.

“STEP UP, RECRUIT,” one of the Ministers said, and once again Mara obeyed without hesitation. The machine between them looked like an upright cradle of sorts, made to fit a single person. Several curved plates of metal extended all around it, like the petals of some strange mechanical flower.

“STEP HERE, RECRUIT,” the Instructor said, indicating to two elevated pads that looked like they would fit Mara’s feet. “AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF.”

Mara did as ordered, stepping up on the pads, right before the person-shaped mechanical flower. “Recruit 01577/190,” she said.

“Identity acknowledged,” a new voice said. It was as mechanical and emotionless as any Minister’s voice, but it came from right in front of Mara. One of the Instructors reached out to press a series of buttons. “Power-up initiated,” the voice said and the mechanical flower before Mara started to move.

A moment of shock came over the fox-like hybrid, but she didn’t dare to move. She could feel cords of fiber reach out and pull her closer until she was pressed into the cradle. Only now Mara realized how well it fit to her body. The plates moved and shifted around her, slowly moving into position. She could feel them slide around her, embracing her body, arms and legs. More and more Mara was sealed into this strange device, first in that same fibrous material that had pulled her in and then with metal plates. It didn’t take long before she was left in complete darkness. Even her long ears were encased, though it seemed to take a little longer with them. Eventually only her tail was left free, but not for long. A strange material slid over it, covering it completely before stiffening into segments.

For a few agonizing seconds nothing happened. Mara was completely sealed, left in utter darkness, nothing to see or hear and unable to move. Then the voice sounded up again. “Power-up completed.”

Suddenly the world returned, and what a grand entrance it made. Mara could move again and she made a surprised step backwards, stepping out of the harness that had been holding her GreyGear. Like all the other recruits she had wondered how it would feel to wear the bio-mechanical armor the Ministry was so rightly feared for. She had never imagined that it would feel so natural. Every movement came as easy as if she was wearing nothing at all. Mara lowered her head, looking down at her hands. Before she could barely see anything in to room. Now everything was as bright as a corridor in the Toride.

“RECRUIT 01577/190!”

Mara immediately jumped to attention, looking straight ahead. The two Ministers were easily visible now and after a split second “TI” appeared over both their heads. No other identifying marks though, no names or ranks. She had no doubt that they could now see “01577/190” floating over her own head.

“THROUGH THAT DOOR, RECRUIT.”

The door hadn’t been visible at all before, hidden in shadows. Mara walked through it as ordered, once again marveling at the ease of her movements. With this armor she could bend steel, but still felt confident to handle raw eggs if needed.

In the room beyond the door the recruits who had already received their GreyGear were waiting, once again lined up orderly, even though there was no Instructor present. They were hard to tell apart now. Mara could still identify a few of them by distinguishing marks like antlers, horns or a distinctive shape. However, they all had their serial numbers displayed over their heads now. A sensation of pride filled Mara, a strange and very unfamiliar sensations after all these months. They were still far from being actual Ministers, but now they at least somewhat looked the part.

For the first time in a long while Mara smiled as she stepped into one of the two rows of recruits, the expression hidden behind the cold mask of the armor.

Phase 3

Part 2


The training had changed dramatically. It was no less hard. In fact, ever since the recruits had been issued the GreyGear the Instructors had been pushing them even harder. But the nature of training had changed as well. At first there had been plenty of lessons about the handling of the bio-mechanical armor and its capabilities. The Instructors had been quick to make clear that they were not wearing true WhiteGear. That privilege the recruits had not earned yet. The GreyGear was generally similar in capabilities, but it could be remotely controlled by the Tis to simulate any kind of failure the armor could possibly suffer.

They were still doing obstacles courses, long-distance runs and all the other brutal exercises the recruits had become so familiar with. However, overall the training had become much more combat-oriented. The martial arts of which they had been taught the bare basics before now were brought to them on an intense level. The recruits had to familiarize themselves with their weapons much more intimately than before and their classes now included combat tactics of all imaginable kinds. More often than not those lessons were followed by battle drills in all manners of likely and unlikely environment and scenarios.

“09442/781, 01577/190, you are distraction. Go!”

Mara threw herself down behind the dubious cover of a crumbling wall. Hot stone-chips bounced off her armor, not even noticed by the hybrid.

"Cone on!" she said as she raised her rifle over the edge of the wall and fired a few quick bursts. Shouting was not necessary thanks to the radio-comm build into every Gear. The enemy fire stopped for a moment and she allowed herself a glance back. The tall figure of Recruit 09442/781 was running towards her, his body crouched down as far as possible. Halfway across to the wall where Mara was hiding however the fire resumed and he stumbled, clutching his right leg.

"Damn," Mara muttered. WhiteGear was resilient but not impervious. There were weapons that could damage, even completely destroy it. Obviously, the bullets used in the exercise could not actually harm the GreyGear of the recruits, but its systems would register the hit and if deemed appropriate the remote controls could shut the armor down.

Once again she fired blindly, hoping to discourage the enemy gunner for a few valuable seconds. Pushing away from the wall she practically jumped towards her comrade. "Your hand!" she said, reaching out.

Mara couldn't remember the name of 09441/781. She hadn't kept the names of any of her comrades. Sometimes it surprised her that she still remembered her own name. However, she remembered the jokes he used to make. During their first evening meal he had made a comment about how the better the army the worse the food. That should make sure that the soldiers were in a fighting mood. "Woah, I had no idea how good the Ministry really is," had been his comment after his first taste of the gruel that was their only food. They all had laughed. For the most of them it was the last time, and 09441/781's joking days had ended pretty soon as well.

It took a moment during which Mara pulled herself forwards but eventually her hand reached the other's. He nodded his head once, indicating gratefulness as she pulled him into cover. Ministers never leave a comrade behind, that was one of the core ethos of the Ministry. The Training Instructors had gone to great length to drill those ethos into the recruits, and Mara had every intention to follow them.

Once she had her comrade behind the relative safety of the wall she took a moment to inspect his leg. “Disrupted power-conduit,” she said after a moment. The proper ways to take care of WhiteGear had been the subject of many lessons as well. Ministers were expected to keep their armor in top condition and even do minor repairs themselves in the field. Obviously Mara’s comrade’s Gear wasn’t actually damaged, but the image system of her own GreyGear overlaid a proper simulation of the damage onto what she actually saw. “Self-sealant in place. Integrity intact. No damage to your leg.”

"I’ll be fine," 09441/781 replied as he pulled himself up. "We’re almost there, no time for repairs."

Mara simply nodded, quite agreeing with her fellow recruit. "They have a nice firing lane here," she said, taking a careful glance over the wall. She pulled back quickly and a second later a brick burst into pieces just where her head had been.

"Yeah, but so do we."

"True," Mara agreed with a nod. She looked around for a moment. "I'll dash over there," she said, pointing towards another wall close by. "Then we can fire from two positions."

"Understood. I'll cover you," the male hybrid replied.

Mara dashed across the small stretch of open space between covers while her comrade fired short bursts at the enemy position. Once she was safe again she gave 09941/781 a signal and they both started firing. They alternated randomly, trying not to let a pattern emerge between shooting and dropping back into cover. Still, they were by no means safe. While their opponents couldn't focus on either of them, they had a fortified position and the chances of Mara and her comrade to actually do any damage were pretty slim. But then again, they didn't have to.

Less than a minute after they had starting shooting the enemy fire suddenly ceased. A few seconds later the voice of another comrade came over the comm. "All clear!"

With a sigh of relief and a smile Mara rose to her feet. Then suddenly the fire resumed.

“Trap!” she said, dropping down again. “83256/449, what happened?” However, the team-leader didn’t reply. Mara looked at the appropriate icon and the squad status appeared on her screen. 83256/449’s indicator had gone read, meaning that his Gear had stopped transmitting. “Dammit,” Mara muttered. She called up a map of the area. Bullets ricocheted off the wall she was hiding behind as she studied it quickly. “09441/781, how is your leg?” she eventually asked.

“I’ll manage,” he other hybrid replied.

“I need you to cover me. And I need your grenades.” The male recruit didn’t question the demand and quickly threw his grenades to Mara. “09362/914,” she addressed the final member of the team. “I need you to get into position at 34-6 and help covering me. When I give the signal, use your grenades. Try to hit 34-8 and 37-9.”

“Understood,” came the reply. Mara and 09441/781 fired at the enemy position, covering 09362/914’s advance, until she signalled that she was in the position where Mara needed her.

“Alright. Cover me... Now!” The other recruits started firing as Mara jumped up and started to run. She dashed from cover to cover, jumping over the remains of walls and ducking through miraculously intact doorways. Urban battlefields like this one were riddled with hazards but they also provided lots of cover and Mara made good use of the latter. She was circling the enemy position just like 83256/449 had done and she hoped to achieve something similar.

Eventually Mara crouched down behind a fallen chunk of masonry. She took a moment to inspect the map again and judged her position good enough. “Get ready,” she said to 09362/914 while she unclasped her own grenades. With two in each hand she waited, watching the enemy position. Slowly she moved her thumbs in position on the pins. “Now!” she eventually said. With quick movements she pulled the pins of all four grenades and threw them. A second later she jumped up herself and dashed up the incline towards the enemy position. Almost immediately they directed their fire at her, but Mara dodge the stream of bullets. Then the grenades exploded. They were too far away to do any damage, but they throw up plenty of dirt and dust, obscuring the view almost completely for a few seconds. That was all the time Mara needed. With GreyGear enhanced speed she moved to the side, changing the angle of her attack. She dashed through the cloud of dirt and dust and jumped.

The enemy position was build out of the remnants of a small building, roughly but effectively reinforced and shielded with metal plates. Mara had studied it enough to know a weak point though. With a powerful push of her legs she propelled herself the final meters and crashed into the wall closest to her, right between two of the plates. The wall could not offer much resistance and crumbled under the assault, letting Mara right into the stronghold. Her view had already changed to a different spectrum, allowing her to see clearly despite the lack of light and the dust in the air. It was only a matter of seconds and a few well-placed hits and all the enemies were taken down.

Still Mara did not relax, and only after she had made sure that all the opponents were neutralized and she had found the still form of 83256/449 that she said “Enemy position taken. All clear.”

In a hidden observation room the Instructors watched the team’s performance in the exercise. Countless cameras and other sensors allowed them to view virtually every corner of the battlefield. It had been them who had caused the complete failure of 83256/449’s GreyGear, even though he had taken the stronghold at gunpoint.

“Adaptable,” one of them commented, zooming in on a replay of Mara’s performance.

“Takes initiative,” another said. “We should give her a command. See how she deals with that.”

“Agreed, but not yet. If we make her a squad leader now it would seem like a reward. We’ll see if she is officer material soon enough.”

Phase 3

Part 3


Mara lay awake on her bunk. Her eyes were open but she wan’t actually seeing anything in the darkness above her. Even if there had been something there to look at she wouldn’t have seen in. In her mind she was going over the day’s lessons. The parts of a K1A1 pulse rifle whirled before her inner eye along with the instructions how to clean and assemble them. Along with the parts the voice of an Instructor was repeating the class about combat tactics in aquatic environments. It was unlikely, but still possible and a Minister had to be prepared for everything. Mara didn’t have a shred of a doubt that some time during the next nights she and her fellow recruits would find themselves in exactly such a situation. It had happened before, after all.

She lay awake quite often these nights. During her first weeks she had done that too, but back then it was out of fear. Then had come the time when the permanent exhaustion meant that she would fall asleep almost the exact moment that she lay down anywhere. Now however her mind had too much to do to sleep. There was much to process, countless things to commit to memory so she could use them the same way she used a weapon.

Mara also found that she needed less and less sleep. Eventually she would have to to do a full night’s of it, but in the meantime she could get by with just a few hours. In her mind the K1A1’s loading mechanism inserted itself into the hull of the weapon while the Instructor told of specially equipped WhiteGear for aquatic combat. There were tactics and weapons that allowed a single Minister to destroy an entire battleship. Drum magazines provided greater ammunition reserves but they also put a greater strain on the loading mechanism, so extra maintenance was necessary.

Slowly Mara’s eyes drifted close. Her mind was still working but her body was slowly shutting down for sleep. Aquatic WhiteGear was usually equipped with its own propulsion system, but in cases of emergency it was buoyant enough that regular swimming was still an option. A twitch made Mara’s legs jerk lightly. Myoclonic jerk, the still aware part of her mind informed her. Interpretation error of the brain. It interprets the slowing of heart rate and breathing as the body dying so it sends and impulse through the body to stir it back into activity. Perfectly normal.

Another recent event rose from the depths of memory. A Minister had to avoid capture at all costs. The thought that the Ministry’s knowledge of advanced weapons and tactics might fall into enemy hands was unthinkable. However, even the most skilled of Ministers might be captured some day, so the recruits had been taught countless ways of resisting torture and interrogation and eventually of ending their own lives should they be taken by the enemy and rescue was unlikely. The technique that had amazed Mara the most was to use the sheer power of will to stop their own hearts beating. She hadn’t thought that such a thing was possible, but after only a short period she had been able to do it herself. At times it amazed Mara how much more aware of her own body she was now.

Slowly but surely actual sleep came over Mara, finally forcing her mind to rest as well. It was an easy, calm sleep, as every time these nights. The intense training had much more far-reaching effects than simple physical prowess. It put the recruits into more and more complete control over themselves in order to allow their bodies and minds to become more effective weapons.

The sleep didn’t last long though. The lights suddenly flared on and Mara’s eyes snapped open a split-second before the loud voice of an Instructor echoed through the hall.

“ALL RECRUITS REPORT FOR EXERCISE RUN!”

Mara jumped up immediately, as did her fellow recruits around her. It was a matter of seconds for them to put on their Training Greys. “Squad 3, form up!” Mara barked. The four other recruits she had been given the command of quickly lined up behind Mara. Within less than 30 seconds after the lights had been turned on all recruits were formed up. Two squads of five each and two of six. The platoon guide quickly made sure that all recruits were ready and in line before he stood with his own squad. The recruits then left the hall in a quick and orderly fashion to face whatever in instructors had in store for them.

Phase 4

Part 1


The room was of the same featureless design as the rest of the rooms in the School of Ministry. Bare walls, bare floor and ceiling, strong lights, nothing remarkable. Mara had seen countless rooms like this in her time here and they had started to become more familiar than the lavishly decorated rooms and hallways of the Toride, which she had called home for over 15 years.

The thing that actually was remarkable about the room was the chair. Surrounded by machines that Mara couldn’t identify it looked comfortable enough. It even was padded, which made sense if Mara would spend most of the day sitting in it, as the Instructors had said. However, there were restraints that would keep her completely immobile and around where her head would be there was a number of objects that made the chair look like a torture device. Mara could see clamps as well as long needles.

“SIT DOWN, RECRUIT,” the TI who had followed Mara ordered her and she obeyed. Similarly to a few months ago when the recruits had been issued their GreyGear they had been divided up. This time however they knew what would happen to them, but that didn’t make it any easier. While most, if not all of them would have looked forward to finally using the Gear very few were thrilled at the prospect of being wetwired. Something was deeply unsettling at the thought of someone rooting around in your mind.

Of course, it was not a negotiable option. Without another word the Minister secured the restraints around Mara’s arms, legs, waist, throat and tail until she was quite unable to move. Then he left. There was no need for further instructions, for all the recruits new what would happen. They all had gotten long classes about the process of wetwring, how it was done and how they should prepare themselves. Mara tried to relax, but she simply could not help being nervous. For a moment she wondered if the Ministers understood that. If they had been as nervous when their mind had been linked up to the Ministry’s network for the first time. And she wondered if the other recruits were reacting like she did.

Mara’s train of worries was interrupted though as her ears picked up the faint sound of whirring from the machines around her head.

“HOLD PERFECTLY STILL, RECRUIT,” a Minister’s emotionless voice said. Mara fought down the urge to look around at the machines coming to life around her head and forced herself to remain perfectly still. A clamp lowered between her ears, pressing against the top of her head to help keep her in place. Mara swallowed but did her best to relax while mechanical arms moved around her head. Sensor pads were pressed against her temples and a few seconds after that she felt the touch of the needles. At first the pain was negligible at worst. Mara had gone through much worse during the training. The needles didn’t just pick Mara’s skin though, they pushed deeply into her flesh at the base of her skull. She could feel the cold metal slide deeper and deeper until suddenly her entire spine seemed to explode with pain. Unable to hold back Mara screamed out and began to struggle against the restraints. They had warned them that the uplink would be painful. With the lessons the recruits had already received to resist torture she had thought that she would have been better prepared for it. However, the pain was so intense and came so suddenly, Mara didn’t stand a chance against it.

The restraints kept her securely in place as the arms inserted the needles into Mara’s brain and she screamed in pain.

In a hidden room the Ministry neurohacker watched how the fox-like hybrid struggled. He was clad in WhiteGear, although not so much to conceal his identity since none of the recruits would ever see him anyway, but because the armor’s systems allowed him quicker access to the rest of his equipment. He watched her closely, for he had quite some interest in Mara’s reaction to the uplink. In his experience the more intense the reaction the more receptive the subject was to the data that would be uploaded directly into their minds.

One screen showed a scan of Mara’s head so he could watch the progress of the needles. One by one it moved into place, green lights indicating that each had linked with her brain successfully. Only once all needles showed readiness did the neurohacker press a few buttons and the struggles ceased. Artificial sleep would make the rest of the procedure bearable for Mara. All in all it still wouldn’t be pleasant though and if an intense headache was the worst she got out of she could consider herself lucky. Some simply couldn't handle the mental overload and went insane or even died from sheer terror.

The neurohacker leaned closer, linking his armor with the equipment. His fingers darted over the keyboards in front of him and almost immediately endless rows and strange symbols began to scroll over his field of vision. It took him only a minute until he was satisfied that the uplink was completed successfully. While actual neurohacking, the attempt to retrieve information directly from the subject’s brain, was a rather imprecise form of the Ministry’s black science, uploading information into a brain worked surprisingly well. It was just a question of the brain in question being able to handle all the new information. In some cases it simply shut down, leaving the recruit comatose. Others died from fatal hemorrhaging.

He entered a few commands and disengaged his equipment from recruit 01577/190 and switched to the next recruit. The machines would take over from here.

One could almost think that Mara was sleeping peacefully. Her eyes moved behind their lids and occasionally a finger or her tailtip would twitch as The Library, the Ministry vast biodigital database of combat knowledge, accessed her brain. Before her inner eye blurred images danced. With her mind in the correct, receptive state of sleep the new knowledge was forced onto it like a dream. Mara saw fighting, she saw combat. She saw movements so sophisticated she would never have been able to copy then, even if they had been shown to her a hundred times. But in that dream-like state Mara saw them, saw herself perform them perfectly.

Combat stances, movements, tactics and other knowledge was written directly into her brain. The only question was wether her mind could take it.

Phase 4

Part 2


Mara shook her head. It was a vain attempt to rid herself of the unpleasant sensations, but it came almost automatically before she could stop herself. It had been weeks since the wetwiring sessions started but she had never really gotten used to them. They always left her with more or less severe headaches as well as some minor pain from the physical damage the needles did every time.

However, as unpleasant as the sessions were, Mara could not deny their usefulness. Over the past weeks she along with her fellow recruits had made more and greater advances in their training as all the month before combined. In a way it felt like everything before had simply been preparation for this stage of their training.

As almost always after a wetwiring the recruits were required to make use of their new knowledge in physical tests and tonight was no different. The recruits had all assembled in one of the great exercise halls and paired in twos. The task they had given was simple in theory. Each recruit was to land a killing blow on his or her respective partner. However, the level of ability the recruits possessed made the task more than just challenging.

Mara stretched to loosen up before she nodded to recruit 36887/301, indicating that she was ready. It was weaponless combat, so 36887/301’s taller build would be a great advantage. However, Mara knew that she was the faster and could use that to counter his greater size.

With slow movements both recruits began to circle each other, eyes on the partner, watching their every move. By this point Mara did not have to focus on her own movements any more. Muscle-memory and lightning-fast reflexes combined with vast amounts of combat knowledge and training meant that she had a degree of control over herself that few individuals outside the Ministry could claim to possess.

Suddenly and almost without any signs of warning 36887/301 practically shot forward, his arms both swinging for a rather unorthodox strike. It gave Mara very little room to manoeuver, limiting her options. However, she had noticed a barely perceptible change in his stance and was just able to duck under his arms. One of her own arms shot out, punching her fingers into the other hybrid’s side. Under better circumstances the hit would have been enough to bring him down, but as things were Mara simply couldn’t put enough force behind the strike. She rolled to the side and jumped back onto her feet, just in time to block a punch and retaliate with a kick of her own.

The exercise had two purposes. Firstly it was to further the recruits’ ability to calculate their opponents’ intentions and thus pre-emtively know what they would do, where they would strike and how they would move. And obviously, on the other side they trained to prevent themselves from giving any signs that would result in their own actions being predicted. That made fights looked somewhat choreographed with almost all strikes being blocked or dodged. However, those with some knowledge of hand-to-hand combat could see the shocking truth. The punches and kicks came far too quickly and far to direct to be fake. It was only the equal skill of the opponent that allowed them to counter most of them somehow.

Once again Mara ducked underneath a swing from 36887/301, her own kick getting blocked. She could keep this on easily enough, but the constant dodging meant that she was on the defensive. All the initiative and thus the combat advantage lay with the other hybrid, and that was simply unacceptable. Within seconds her mind had formulated a plan. On 36887/301’s next strike she simply allowed herself to fall backwards, out of his reach. She rolled back onto her shoulders, put her hands on the ground and then pushed herself upwards. Normally such a move would be used to get her back into her feet quickly. However, in this case Mara extended her legs, aiming them squarely at her partner’s chest.

Normally Ministers did not bother with such flashy moves. They were too easy to predict and for the most part completely unnecessary. However, that also meant that 36887/301 was not expecting such a move. The blow made him stumble backwards while Mara used the rest of her momentum to get herself back into her feet. Not giving him a chance to recover she trust her left arm forward, her fist hitting his stomach. At the same moment her right shot up, hitting his neck.

There was a loud buzzing sound as the sensors registered what would be a killing blow. Mara pushed 36887/301 to the side so should rise triumphantly over him while he coughed. A moment later however she reached out to help him back into his feet.

“Good one,” he said, holding his stomach for a moment longer before he straightened up fully. “This recruit won’t fall for such a trick again.”

“This recruit would be very disappointed if you did,” Mara replied. They both nodded and began round two.

Phase 4

Part 3


Mara trained the sights along the corner of the building. She was crouched down herself, counting the seconds as she aimed. Slowly her finger moved closer and closer towards the trigger, finally touching it. Then she squeezed, a split second before the Coloninal soldier stuck his head out. The canine’s face was reduced to a red blur by the pulserifle’s high-speed bullets. Mara was already motioning her team to advance.

“Just .5 more klicks and we’ll reache the plaza,” she said as she ran across the street, the rest of the team following her closely. “All signs indicate that they have fortified their position, so we must be cautious.”

With quick, silent movements the five recruits dashed to the corners of the builds at the entrance to the next street. They quickly surveyed the area, each of them giving and “All Clear.” after a few moments.

“Wait!” one of them suddenly said. “Something at 3-2-7.”

Mara turned her attention to the indicated spot and indeed, there was something. It was subtle but her honed senses, amplified by the GreyGear’s sensors noticed the movement in one of the upper windows of one of the buildings down the street. “Good call,” she said. “83256/449, your turn. The rest, look out for more of them.”

Recruit 83256/449 stepped up after Mara made some room. He put his own weapon down only to reach for the long rifle that was attached to his back. It took him only a few moments to properly align the sniper rifle and fire a single shot. The large-caliber bullet easily punched through the concrete wall of the building, hitting and killing the soldier hiding beneath.

“Target eliminated,” 83256/449 confirmed a few seconds later.

“No other targets in sight,” another of the recruits said.

“Alright, we proceed.” Mara didn’t have to tell them to watch out for more hidden soldiers or other traps. They advanced quickly, always keeping their attention on their surroundings though for the subtle signs of traps or ambushes. Twice they came across hidden mines, which were easily disabled.

Mara was quite proud of her team and she advanced with confidence as they reached the final corner. “AES standard attack, on my sign,” she said. Assess, Eliminate, Secure was a simple but effective strategy. However, before Mara could give the sign the whole street exploded around her. She was thrown backwards, a moment of disorientation and vertigo coming over her. Reflexes took over and Mara used her tail and arms to turn herself around enough so she could land easily on her feet while her mind analyzed the situation. Obviously the colonials had some heavy equipment there, probably a vehicle like a tank. And not only that but they had been able to detect the recruit’s approach. For a few seconds Mara thought back, trying to find a mistake in their advance down the street but there was none.

A quick glance at her tactical display showed Mara that none of her team was injured or suffered equipment failure. “Situation assessment!” she barked across the comm channel. “Lookout position, roof, ground and the floors. 03994/091, you’re with 83256/449. The rest spread out. Go!”

Immediately the team began to move again, into the buildings that separated them from the plaza. Some used doors or windows, others simply used the strangth of the Gear to break through the walls. Mara herself gathered up her rifle, attached it to her back and started to climb. She scaled the wall of the building quickly and only a few seconds later she pulled herself onto the roof. A few seconds more and she had an unobstructed view of the plaza.

Sure enough, there it was. In the center of the plaza there used to be a large fountain. Now that spot was taken by a large, ugly but no less dangerous tank. Its turret was moving slowly as if the main gun was an eye, looking for new targets.

“Target assessment,” Mara ordered her team. “We attack the moment the armor is gone.” Then she opened another channel. “This is Fireteam Beta, requesting fire support. Heavy armor at 45 from our position.”

“Acknowledged, Fireteam Beta. Presence of heavy armor confirmed. Fire support in 15.”

“Acknowledged,” Mara replied and turn her attention to the rest of the team. They had already begun to mark targets and a strategy was forming in Mara’s mind. “Fire support in 10,” she told them. “Get ready.” In her head Mara counted down the seconds, her eyes on the tank. As she reached zero the heavy vehicle’s turret was suddenly ripped off the main body. A second later it exploded. Only the brief lines of blurred, superheated air showed what had happened.

“GO!” Mara shouted.

83256/449 was the first to open fire, his sniper rifle sending out bullets in quick succession, each taking out at least one enemy soldier. In a few cases he managed to hit two with a single shot. Then came the bursts from the other recruits’ pulse rifles. The jumped out of the windows or, in Mara’s case, straight off the roof. The GreyGear made that no more challenging than a jump off a table. She formed up with another member of her team and together they quickly and effectively took out one enemy position after the other. The other two worked similarly, making use of the colonials’ confusion after the sudden destruction of their tank. Although the soldiers managed to put up some resistance but in the end it was more a massacre than a battle. At least until the APC arrived.

It was designed similarly to the tank, big, ugly and powerful. It simply broke through one of the buildings on the far side of the plaza, its heavy doors dropping open the moment it came to a halt. For a second Mara could see the glowing dots of red eyes inside, much like the eyes of a WhiteGear. However, were the Ministry’s armor usually had four such sensors, these had only two. An amplified battlecry echoed over the plaza and large, heavily armored warriors stormed out of the APC. Each of them wore a dark-red and yellow uniform with strong plates of grey metal to protect them. Ushanka-like hats sat above evil canine masks that hid their actual faces. The most worrisome however was the blue glow and the sparks coming from their heavy gauntlets.

“Tesla Guards!” Mara shouted. “Fire at will and prepare for close combat.” Bursts of pulse-rifle fire, as well as single shots from the sniper rifle felled a few of the Guards. However, their powered armor protected them from most oft he bullets. One of them with the markings of an officer on his hat came directly for Mara. She side-stepped his first blow and used her rifle to deflect the second. As resilient as her Gear was, a blow from those tesla gauntlets would likely damage it, so she had to dodge the attacks as much as possible.

Strike after strike only hit empty air. The Guard was a skilled warrior, but Mara was too quick for him, even if his ferocious attacks meant that she could rarely retaliate. Eventually however she managed to sidestep the Guard in such a way that she could strike against his back with her ruined rifle, making him stumble forwards. Immediately Mara checked for her comrades. She spotted the other three surrounded by a group of the Tesla Guards and dashed to their help.

A simple, powerful blow against the backpack that contained their suits’ power supply took down one of the Guards and allowed Mara to join with the other recruits. As dangerous and capable as the Tesla Guards were, they specialized in one on one combat. The inherent danger of their gauntlets precluded most group-based tactics. The recruits on the other hand were drilled to work as a team, a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. Just like the Ministry itself.

Mara dodged an attack, allowing the recruit beside her to strike at the head of her would-be attacker. The recruits moved as one, dodging and attacking, augmenting and protecting one another, dealing with the overwhelming threat in ways that individuals never could.

From the hidden control room one of the Instructors watched the team's performance in the simulation, noting where they excelled and where they were still lacking. They were doing well. Their movements were not simply coordinated, they were united. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and were able to balance them out.

It wasn’t perfect yet, but the TI had to admit that he had certain feelings of pride. He had accompanied these recruits from their first day on at the School. He and his fellow instructors had broken them and from the shards they had started to form them anew. And now, finally the fruits of that labor were visible. Soon they would be ready.

Well, not ready. Nobody could possibly ready for the Ascension. However, they would be prepared. For those worthy enough to give everything to protect Unity that had to be enough.

The Ascension

Part 1


Explosions erupted all around Mara. She paid them little heed though, since her GreyGear protected her from the heat, as well as the shrapnel of hot stone chips raining down all around her. Only occasionally did she duck or otherwise shield herself. Not that she had many options, having to drag the limp form of a fellow recruit, but fortunately only a direct hit from these grenades had any chance of damaging the GreyGear in any serious way.

“Any help would be appreciated,” she called to her comrades via the armor’s radio.

“We’re on our way,” came the reply just a moment later and true enough, three armored figures raced over the hill just in front of Mara. Two of them were carrying the standard pulse rifle, but the third wielded a heavy assault cannon. The moment they opened fire the volleys of grenades lessened, allowing Mara to move more quickly.

“We’ve got this. Take care of him,” one of the other recruits said and Mara acknowledged with a nod of her head. She hurried to drag the limp form over the hill, out of the line of fire before leaning over him. A quick check confirmed that there was no visible damage, meaning it was either the result of a more sophisticated weapon or the Gear’s failure was remotely commanded. Whichever the case was, Mara had to get it going again immediately. There was no reaction from the comrade, so he was probably out cold. It was very difficult to move in an unpowered GreyGear but it was not impossible. An attempt to interface with the disabled suit confirmed that it had shut down completely, requiring a reboot.

Mara quickly rolled him around onto his front and removed the power-cell from its slot just below the Gear’s neck. She replaced it with the one from her own suit. Then she started to move his arms to generate additional power and after a few moments of doing so she pressed the restart switch that was hidden in the same compartment that held the slot for the power-cell.

For a few moments nothing happened. Mara was already fearing that there was more extensive damage done to the GreyGear but then a tremble went though the suit. The tail started to twitch a moment later her comrade pushed himself up.

“Came out of nowhere and hit me with some sort of EM burst,” he said as he rose to his feet. “Warn the others.”

Mara did so while her comrade checked the rest of his Gear’s systems. She reached for the powercell that she had taken from his armor and inserted it into her own. Sure enough, it was drained, but with any luck she could recharge it. Most of the GreyGear’s systems were powered by the user’s bodyheat and movements anyway. The powercell was meant for emergencies.

For a moment her thoughts went back to the night before. It had begun like any other. The recruits had risen early and took their brief breakfast in the mess hall. However, instead of and exercise or class the TIs had led them into the squad bay were their GreyGears plus other equipment were already waiting. Much to everyone’s surprise the Instructors had then given a short briefing, telling them that The Ascension, their final test was about to begin. After that and a quick designation of the squads and the recruits who would lead them they had been left to their own devices.

That had probably been even more of a shock. While none of the recruits had any doubt that they were still being watched, normally they would never been without a TI figuratively breathing down their necks. However, after that briefing they had all left. With no direct orders what to do most of the recruits had begun to make final equipment checks and familiarize themselves with the comrades making up their squads. Mara had not been designated one of the leaders, but she didn’t begrudge her fellow recruits the position. While she had performed well, there were others better suited for that duty.

“Okay, everything checks out.”

Mara rose to her feet while locking the power-cell and sealing the cover in place. “Your weapon,” she said, handing him the rifle.

“Thank you. For getting me out of there too.”

“Any time, Comrade. Ready to get back into action?”

“Most definitely,” he replied as he checked the rifle. “Let’s go!”

The Ascension

Part 2


Lightning flashed and incessant rain hammered down. Mara had been quite impressed the first time she had experienced the simulated environments the Ministry could create down here. Usually they were perfect down to the detail, at least in their effects. Maybe not necessarily the looks, but those were of secondary concern after all. At times like this however it was more annoying than amazing.

The storm had raged for hours. While it couldn’t physically impede the recruits in their GreyGear the constant rain did disrupt vision and hearing, as did the lightning, and that put them on edge. Mara was in front of the group, scouting ahead. The tunnel was almost completely bare here, meaning she had as much a clear field of vision as the storm allowed. Of course, it also meant that she was exposed herself, and Mara didn’t like that at all. She tried to keep to the walls as much as possible to compensate and otherwise moved quickly and never in any predictable way.

Once again, lightning flashed, filling Mara’s vision with glare for a split second. The visual systems reacted quickly and compensated, but it were those short moments when she was technically blind that set Mara on edge. Over the next minute the disruptions got so bad that Mara didn’t notice the curve in the tunnel until she was almost past it. She pressed herself to the corner and carefully looked around. The emplacements were easily visible, barely 25 meters past the sharp curve of the tunnel.

“This is scout 2, Have encountered enemy emplacements, 25 meters north-east of my position,” Mara said.

“Acknowledged, scout 2. Assessment?”

Mara focussed her vision on the closer emplacement, then on the other one. “Two emplacements, five enemies each. Light rifles on each of them and a heavy machine-gun in the emplacements.” Impressive firepower. No real match for the recruits, but had they walked around this corner without warning things could have gotten unpleasant.

“Can you advance without being noticed.”

“Positive,” Mara replied. She had been watching the soldiers in the emplacements carefully for the past minute. As it happened so often when people waited for something they fell into patterns. Patterns Mara could exploit.

“We will make a coordinated attack. Mark the emplacements and advance as far as possible towards one of them. We will give the signal.”

“Acknowledged, advancing towards emplacement 1.” Mara lowered herself to the ground and began to crawl around the corner. Her comrades were at least a minute behind her, so she had time and could afford to move carefully. She kept watching the emplacements closely, always waiting for the right moment to move. These men were no true soldiers, Mara realized that quickly. Actual soldiers would have taken more care, watched out more. She easily closed in on the emplacement up to 5 meters before one of them seemed to notice something. He was looking roughly in her direction, but then a rhythmic thumping distracted him. Her comrades had arrived.

“Here they come. Wait until they all are in the tunnel,” she heard of the enemies mutter.

“They plan to let you all come around the corner before springing the ambush,” she said to her fellow recruits.

“Acknowledged,” came the reply.

Ahead in the emplacement the soldiers readied their weapons and aimed them at the tunnel behind her. Mara reached for the rifle on her back and readied it as well. She didn’t need to look to know that her comrades were entering the tunnel. The noises they purposefully made when walking was enough to tell her where they were.

“Now,” the voice of the squad leader whispered in Mara’s ears.

Using arms and legs she propelled herself upwards, jumping into the air. She started firing even before her feet hit the heavy machine gun and knocked it aside. Completely surprised by the sudden attack the enemies in the emplacement could do little but fire a few shots out of reflex before Mara cut them down. Nimbly she climbed down into the emplacement, firing small bursts at the survivors.

Behind her the other recruits opened fire as well. The soldiers in the second emplacement too had been surprised by the sudden attack on the other emplacement and now they paid the price as the concentrated fire quickly reduced them to shreds. Within less than a minute the ambush was no more.

Mara jumped out of the emplacement and in doing so noticed a stiffness in her right leg. For a moment she looked around, making sure that there were no more enemies left before kneeling down. Upon a neural command the suit released the armor plating of her right leg and she started to remove it.

“Scout 2, report.” Her comrades were moving up, a few of them making sure that all opponents were neutralized, others watching out for more enemies.

“Damaged knee joint,” Mara reported. The right knee joint of her Gear was already exposed. “Stray bullet has torn the undercoat. Sealant already in place.” With quick movement Mara removed the bullet and then set the plates back in place. The damage was minor, so the self-repairing capabilities of the suit would take of it, but that would take a while “I will be slowed down for approximately three hours.”

“Understood. 09362/914, take over as scout 2. 01577/190, you’re with the rest until your Gear has repaired itself.”

“Acknowledged,” Mara replied as she rose back to her feet. She and 09362/914 quickly exchanged their gear, Mara taking over the load that would only get in the way of a scout’s duty. Each of the recruits not fulfilling the duties of a scout was carrying at least 100 lbs of additional gear and weapons, each bit of it necessary to survive the Ascension. Many of the recruits had been surprised and even voiced a few words of doubt when they had been issued all that equipment, but that was before they realized how long the Ascension would take. This was their fourth night and so far there was no sign of an end.

“It’s amazing how real it looks,” 09362/914 said while they exchanged their equipment.

Mara turned to glance into the emplacement. The bodies were still there, even showing up on infra-red as slowly cooling. She could also see blood spreading thickly on the wet ground.

The simulations they had gone through during the training had been impressive, but by no means flawless. There had been pixilation or static in the holographic opponents or maybe some coloration here and there that didn’t quite match. They had always been more or less obvious simulations, definitely artificial. More then once they even had been paused to a TI could teach them something.

There had been rumors that the simulations during the Ascension would be the most deadly and realistic that they had ever seen, but even so Mara had been surprised. These opponents were without flaw, up to details like facial expressions and idle chatter.

“Do you think they might be some kind of androids?”

“Somehow I don’t think so,” Mara replied. “Maybe some sort of kinetic holograms. I’ve heard that scientists are working on such things.” She stared as the still bodies for a moment longer before turning her attention back to the equipment. There was no time to waste on such musings, as fascinating as they might be.

Once everything was secured in place Mara signaled that she was ready and the squad leader gave the signal to continue.

The Ascension

Part 3


The murky water was as bright and clear as floodlight to the sensors of Mara’s GreyGear. The sight flickered occasionally but other than that it gave her an undisrupted view of her surroundings. She was almost at the end of the stretch of water. Under normal circumstances it would have posed a severe problem. Not only was it much to deep to wade through, it also was just a few degrees above freezing and impossible to cross through any means other than swimming. However, the GreyGear changed things. Not only did the suit of biomechanical armor protect her from the temperatures, it also provided Mara with enough air so she didn’t actually have to surface. Thus the water actually gave her new options.

Once again Mara was scouting ahead of the rest of the group. The training had already shown that she had an affinity for such work. During the past nights of the Ascension it had turned out that she excelled at this work of stealth and silent close combat. More than once she had been able to quickly and quietly eliminate a threat that would have been a grave danger for her fellow recruits. She was smaller and more slender than many of her fellow recruits, even in GreyGear, and she favored speed over raw strength, further qualifying her for this sort of duty. And when completely submerged the water hid Mara very well, allowing her to continue forward relatively unhindered.

Suddenly and without warning everything went dark. Mara had to suppress a curse and commanded the suit to cycle through any other available modes of vision. The glitches had been increasing over the past hours. Even the Gear wasn’t perfect and after the past nights of performance it wasn’t that surprising that it suffered some minor system glitches. The visible world returned in shades of grey. Almost all the really sophisticated modes were not working, so regular lowlight-vision had to do. Of course, there was no actual source of light in the dark water that could be amplified, but the Gear could emit a tightly focussed beam of light that was almost impossible to see unless it was directly aimed into one’s eyes. But it provided that tiny bit of illumination that the suit’s night-vision needed. On the next rest she would need to re-initiate her Gear’s systems. Hopefully that would take care of the glitches.

Pushing and pulling herself along the rough, rocky ground Mara slowly rose and eventually her head broke the water. Immediately the GreyGear tuned the lowlight-vision off, for there was a source of light ahead. Mara climbed completely out of the water and waited for a few moments before she continued. She could feel fatigue pull at her limbs and her mind. The training had left Mara’s body steeled and more capable than she herself had thought it would be possible. However, after six nights of almost uninterrupted combat and marching the strain was very noticeable. Like the rest of the recruits Mara barely had gotten an hour of sleep per night and she actually found herself thanking for the torturous first weeks of the training where lack of sleep had been a constant companion. It meant that she was much more able to handle it now.

After about a minute Mara pushed herself up and moved on. She kept to the shadows as much as possible and darted quickly from cover to cover as she approached the light ahead. Down here in the tunnels light usually meant danger. There was no movement or activity of any kind ahead that Mara could identify but that only made her more suspicious. The closer she got the more details she could make out. Ahead was what seemed to be a large, round room, lid enough to allow sight even without any vision enhancing. There was some rubble lying around, as it was usually in the tunnel, but other than that it seemed empty. Was surprised Mara the most was that there was no obvious exit. The tunnel had twisted and turned, went up and down, seeming to turn in on itself only to straighten out again. A sensation of excitement filled her. Could this be the end?

The attack came without warning. Mara had barely reached the room and it was only thanks to her superior senses and reflexes that she could dodge a strike that would probably had taken her head off. She twisted and jumped backwards, into the round room before she even got her first good look at her attacker. He was a hulking giant, wearing a heavy plate armor reminiscent of the berzerkers of Korvulgr. There was a giant broadsword in his hands which he wielded with skill and ferocity. He came at her with brutal attacks and three more times Mara dodged his mighty strikes before she went on the offensive. She dashed directly towards him as his lifted his sword for a powerful downwards strike. There was a flash of metal as Mara drew her own sword to stop the blow that without a doubt would have damaged even her GreyGear.

Before the Ascension had begun they not only had been given some time alone but also some leeway in the choice of their equipment. So, once Mara had spotted the katana she had immediately requested it. The weapon complimented her duty as scout very well and ever since had first used it she had developed a certain affinity for it.

It was a strange sight, the smaller, grey figure standing up to the much bigger attacker, stopping his powerful strike with a much smaller weapon. However, the katana was of much better craftsmanship than the broadsword and the GreyGear allowed Mara to match the berzerker’s strength. That fact surprised him, and Mara sensed the opening. With a quick movement she pushed his sword aside and then directed a strike at his left leg. Her blade bit into his knee joint between the armor-plates and severed the lower half of the limb neatly. He fell with a loud roar of either pain, surprise or anger, Mara couldn’t tell. She didn’t care either way and brought her weapon around again. A push of her legs propelled her up into the air and onto his bulk. She thrust the katana down, through the thick plates covering his chest and into his heart. The large body twitched for a moment longer before going still.

There was no time for pause though, for Mara’s ears already picked up new sounds. Her ears swivelled, the helmet of the Gear matching their movements. A moment later she dove forward, letting the sword of the other berzerker hit only air.

The sneaking was impressive for someone of that size, but he had not been able to hide completely from Mara’s well-honed senses. However, he had witnessed how she had taken out his companion and he attacked her less brutally but with more skill. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the large room as the two swords met again and again, speed and strength meeting and finding each other equal.

Although the whole fight lasted for only about half a minute, it was one of the most intense Mara had lived through yet. More than once the berzerker’s sword nicked her armor, leaving scratches. Even though there was no actual damage done, it drove home how dangerous the foe was. However, as skilled a fighter he was, Mara was a Ministry recruit on her final test. She could see things that a normal person could not. She could find patterns in her opponent’s movements others would miss or simply would not have the time to pay attention to. As her body fought, so did her mind, attacking the berzerker from a mathematical angle. She dodged and deflected his blows, slowly forcing him into the position where she wanted him without him even noticing. Thus she manoeuvered him onto less steady ground where he had to try and avoid rubble and give Mara openings. Still it was not an easy fight, but her katana bit his flesh again and again until finally she managed to sink it into a gap in the side of his armor. The mono-edged steel pierced his flesh easily, making him groan out in pain as he sank to the ground. Before his knees met the ground Mara spun around, taking off his head.

She was panting within her GreyGear, not lowering her guard until she was sure that there were no other opponents waiting in the large room. For a moment Mara once again marvelled at the amazing realism of the simulation. It was perfect in every aspect, so much she could swear that these two had been living, breathing opponents. A quick movement removed the most of the blood from the blade before Mara sheathed the katana. A light blinked in the lower-right corner of her field of vision, indicating that the squad leader wanted her to report.

“This is scout 2,” she said, contacting her fellow recruits.

“This is squad leader,” the reply came. “Report.”

“Have encountered and eliminated two opponents. Minor water-hazard ahead. Otherwise the way is clear to my position.”

“Acknowledged, scout 2.”

“Have found possible dead-end.”

There was a pause, which didn’t surprise Mara. The implication that the tunnel was coming to an end must affect the others just as much as it did Mara. “Please repeat, scout 2.”

“I repeat, have encountered possible dead-end,” Mara repeated.

“Acknowledged, scout 2. Investigate. Our ETA is 4 minutes.”

”Acknowledged,” Mara replied, already turning around. The huge room indeed seemed to be perfectly round and was pretty much featureless, except for the ever-present rubble. On first sight there indeed was no way out of this room, except the tunnel Mara had come through. It was on her second turn that Mara noticed the platform. It was right beside the tunnel, about two meters off the ground, within easy reach for the recruits. Not far away there was another platform, a little higher. Slowly Mara tilted her head back to look up for the first time she had entered the room. The sight almost made her stumble.

Instead of a dome or a simple ceiling the room went on and on until it was lost to the sight. A neural command activated the Gear’s measuring equipment. For a few seconds Mara watched the numbers increase before the system gave up and gave the height of the shaft, for that’s what it was, as over five kilometers. For a few moments Mara simply stared. Then she laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed. It had been so long since she had a good reason to do so, but this definitely qualified as one. During the briefing they had been told that they would have to fight, climb and claw their way to however high it was that the title of Einheit City Minister lay. Mara never would have thought that the TIs had been so literal about it.

“This is scout 2,” she said, contacting he others again. “I have found the way.” And then, after a short moment she added. “We’re almost home.”