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1353 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
CASTLE Base, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Drill Instructor Nugent stood in front of the armoured doors, used to protect this building from any attack. His hands were getting sweaty and it felt like an oven. He put his hand in his pocket and found a white tissue, which he used to wipe away the sweat that was on his forehead.
Nugent was wearing a costume today. He would normally just walk around in his armour, but today was special. He wore a black tuxedo, but replaced the usual bow tie with a normal, white-coloured tie. A M6G Magnum was bungling around a belt he wore around his waist. Safety first, he had told himself.
He put his tissue back in his pocket. He sighed, looked around the room. The floor was painted a tan color, accompanied by glass flooring. It showed you the depth of the building. Multiple pathways could be seen that were built around the granite walls. This place was pretty secret: built into a mountain, two kilometres under Reach’s surface. Few people knew the place, even fewer actually got access to it.
Nugent still didn’t know why he was summoned here. He hadn’t done anything special before. He did fight on the Alpha Moons in 2538, along with Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb. After that, he changed jobs and became a drill instructor. Sure, he was one of the very few survivors of the Alpha Moons, but he would have never thought this would bring him this close to an ONI building.
Nugent grabbed his Chatter and checked the time. 13:58. Only two minutes left. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. Maybe he broke one of the rules, and he would get punished?
A lot of ideas came to mind. He could be prosecuted, executed and a lot of other things. Now that he thought about it, he’d much rather not be here, but just sit at home on Earth. Nugent was sunken in his thoughts and he didn’t even notice when the door in front of him slid open. In the opening stood a huge man. His black eyes were concentrated on Nugent, almost looking through him, Nugent thought. One of his hands was stroking his moustache that was hanging over his upper lip.
‘Welcome to CASTLE Base, Tony. It’s been a while’, Vice Admiral Whitcomb said with a smile.

1412 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B Outskirts, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys was running as fast as he could. This new training session was the worst he had in his entire training. He just wanted to get over with this. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, since Military Reservation 01478-B was also called ‘Painland’ by some. But running over 20 miles on jagged gravel while bare-footed was pushing it a bit too far in his opinion.
A few other trainees were running in front of him. Every step on the ground left a small red spot on it. The exhaustion could be seen by the way they ran across the wide-open field. Rhys thought that he could drop dead at any second, whether it be exhaustion, dehydration or just bleeding to death.
He could also just give up, but that would mean no food in the evening. He did skip a training once, but he wasn’t going to that ever again. No food until the next was just plain hell.
Rhys checked how much distance he still had to traverse. 2 miles left. Not that bad, even though Rhys had the feeling he already ran around the whole planet.
He noticed another trainee slowing down, to walk next to him. It was Adam, one of the best friends of Rhys. His white T-Shirt had become extremely wet and it looked like a waterfall was streaming from his head.
‘We are almost there, right? I forgot all my devices’, Adam told Rhys. Rhys quickly replied: ‘Are you insane? If the Drill Instructor notices that…’
‘Don’t worry, the DI isn’t here today. I heard he was summoned by the ONI. Probably some sort of special treat. He might get promoted and work there. Sure saves us a lot of trouble running on this stuff.’
Rhys looked at the horizon, and saw a gate appearing, with two guard towers next to it. 2 guards were positioned in the towers, holding Battle Rifles. Perception training helped the trainees to see objects from much farther away than a normal Human.
‘Hey Adam’, Rhys said, ‘wanna see who reaches the base the fastest?’
Adam looked at him for a second, thoroughly thinking, and came with an answer: ‘You always win. You are always the fastest during training.’ Adam paused for a second, then grinned. ‘Well, at least you are the fastest boy. There is still Melissa.’
‘Yep, Melissa is pretty fast during trainings’, a voice behind them said. ‘I heard something about a race to the base?’ Rhys turned his head around, and noticed Melissa was running behind them. There was no sign of sweat drops or that she was tired; she looked perfectly normal.
‘Yep, a race to the base?’ Rhys responded. ‘You up for it, Melissa and Adam?’
‘I am always up for a race. Let’s go!’ Melissa shouted.
‘I am not going to be the only one that keeps on walking with the group, so I am in too’, Adam said, while sounding a sigh after that.
‘Alright then’, Rhys responded, smiling. ‘On three. One, two... Three!’
The three trainees quickly sped off towards the base, leaving the rest of the group behind them.

1419 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys sat on one of the numerous rocks in the base, inspecting his feet. Some gravel was stuck in his left foot, and he tried to pull it out as slow as possible. As soon as he touched the gravel, his feet started to feel like it was burning.
“Do you need some help with that?” Adam asked. Before Rhys could even reply to that answer, Adam grabbed one piece of the gravel and pulled it out without warning. Rhys thought his entire feet was being pulled off as well. He could contain his need to scream, and only let a grumble escape his mouth.
“Adam, go get some drinks for me. I can handle this myself”, Rhys said, rubbing the place where Adam had pulled out the piece. Adam walked off without saying anything, towards a building.
“This training session wasn’t too bad”, said Melissa to Rhys.
“Not too bad? I think they could start amputating my feet now!” Rhys replied. “Next time they give this as our training session, I’ll smuggle a pair of boots to run on.” He watched as the other trainees passed through the gate leading into the base. They all looked exhausted, and some of them were close to crawling to the base. Other SI were standing at the entrance, presumably checking the amount of time it took for everyone to cross the finish. Also to just give the trainees hell by shouting at them.
“Catch”, Adam shouted, snapping Rhys to attention. Adam threw the water bottle at Rhys, who caught with one hand. Another one flew through the air, which Melissa grabbed. Rhys quickly began gulping all the water that was in the water bottle. After that, he aimed for the trash can and threw the bottle in it.
“Nice throw”, Adam said, as he threw his own bottle in the trash can.
“Yours wasn’t bad either”, replied Rhys. “Anyways, I’m starving. Time to check what food we get today.” Rhys stood up, and clumsily walked into the building behind him, still feeling the pain of the gravel that was stuck in his foot. Adam and Melissa followed him, laughing at Rhys.

1933 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys was lying in his bed, trying to study for the test next week. However, with all the other trainees in the barracks, it was hard to concentrate on it. Too bad they weren’t allowed to go out after 1800 hours.
Suddenly, the door of the barracks slammed open. Everyone was quiet at once and stood in a fighting stance, ready for an attack. However, it was DI Nugent. “At ease, trainees”, he said calmly. He seemed to look for a certain trainee, and stopped glancing through the group when he saw Rhys.
“You, on me.”
“Yes Sir”, Rhys immediately replied. Rhys had no idea what was going to happen. He slowly walked through the group of trainees, and felt the eyes watching him. He took position next to DI Nugent, and waited for orders. However, it seemed he wasn’t done yet. He pointed his finger at another trainee.
“You’re on me too.”
He snapped to attention, and quickly took his place at the other side of Nugent. Rhys had never seen the guy before. He was at least a head taller, and more muscular.
“The rest, stay here.” DI Nugent then walked away, with Rhys following him.

1942 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys wasn’t feeling very comfortable. He had never been picked out of the group of trainees, and he knew there could be some bad things happening. Quite a few trainees who had to come with a DI were gone the next day, not suitable for an ODST. He sure as hell hoped this wasn’t the case, he had no idea what to do if he was sent away. He wanted to fight the Covenant for every piece of land he could fight for; even if that meant dying.
It was better than just let the Covenant invade and watch them glass planets.
Rhys turned towards the other trainee. He was sure he had never seen him before; nothing unusual to him. He had no interesting features on his face. It was awfully smooth, not battle-worn at all. His hair was a brown color, just touching the regulation length. His eyes were hazel-colored, shimmering in the light. If Rhys hadn’t known he was a trainee, he would’ve mistaken him for a civilian. The trainee did seem quite nervous, though.
The door opened and DI Nugent finally came back. He looked kind of happy ever since he got back from his meeting with the ONI spooks, Rhys noticed. He sat down, sighed, and began his talk.
“If I am correct, your name is Rhys. And you must be Alex then.”
“Yes sir”, both Rhys and Alex said.
“Well, it is probably no surprise to you that I was not here today. Knowing how fast rumors spread inside this facility, you probably also know that I’d been summoned by ONI.” He faintly grinned. “I had the pleasure to meet up with Admiral Whitcomb there. He and some high ranks at ONI had created some sort of plan to have a squad of ODSTs that is geared for an entirely different purpose. We needed strong trainees, still young and full of energy. Determined for fight, not battle-worn. Admiral Whitcomb was involved in this project, and picked me to choose the best of the best trainees in this facility.”
He paused, and pushed a button on his desk. A projection screen slowly appeared from the ceiling.
“And that is the reason you are here now”, Nugent continued. “I’ve watched everyone’s progress, and you were the two trainees that were improving the most.”
“Permission to speak, sir?” Alex said.
“Go ahead”, Nugent replied dryly.
“Isn’t a squad of two a bit… underpowered? I mean, even if we are the best trainees, there’s no way we could handle huge operations with only the two of us.”
“Good point”, Nugent replied. “But your squad will consist of 6 people. You both know how important teamwork is, basically as much as skill, agility and communication. I could’ve chosen the 6 best trainees, but if they couldn’t work together, this project would go to waste. You both get the chance to choose 2 people. You are effectively creating your own squad.” Without waiting for a reply, he continued his story.
“ODSTs are mainly used for front line assaults. ‘Feet first’, as you like to say it. This squad will be specializing in stealth and infiltration. You’ll still have the action an ODST wants, and having a better chance to survive. Besides that, you will get some new toys that are a bit different from the usual ODST gear.” Nugent pointed towards the screen. It flicked on, and showed a 3D-image of an ODST suit.
At first, Rhys didn’t see any differences from a usual ODST suit. Slowly, some parts were highlighted on the suit, and the changes would make a huge difference. An extra layer of polymer was added, making the suit deflect some higher caliber rounds. Slightly bigger shoulder plates, protecting from flanking attacks. An extra vacuum layer was also added, for an added 15 minutes of space movement without oxygen.
“You will need these upgrades”, Nugent said, snapping the trainees to attention. “I’ve seen the missions they want to send you out on, and you’ll be glad you have your extra protection.” He pressed the same button on his desk again, sliding the screen back into the ceiling.
“In any case, you will be transferred to another training facility in three days. You need to have your team ready by then. Dismissed.”
The two trainees turned around and walked out of the room when the door slid open.
“Well”, Rhys began, “welcome to the team, trainee.” He grinned.
“Likewise. Let’s not waste any time then”, Alex replied, and he walked off to the barracks, closely followed by Rhys.

Didn't feel like stretching the page :P

1419 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys sat on one of the numerous rocks in the base, inspecting his feet. Some gravel was stuck in his left foot, and he tried to pull it out as slow as possible. As soon as he touched the gravel, his feet started to feel like it was burning.
“Do you need some help with that?” Adam asked. Before Rhys could even reply to that answer, Adam grabbed one piece of the gravel and pulled it out without warning. Rhys thought his entire feet was being pulled off as well. He could contain his need to scream, and only let a grumble escape his mouth.
“Adam, go get some drinks for me. I can handle this myself”, Rhys said, rubbing the place where Adam had pulled out the piece. Adam walked off without saying anything, towards a building.
“This training session wasn’t too bad”, said Melissa to Rhys.
“Not too bad? I think they could start amputating my feet now!” Rhys replied. “Next time they give this as our training session, I’ll smuggle a pair of boots to run on.” He watched as the other trainees passed through the gate leading into the base. They all looked exhausted, and some of them were close to crawling to the base. Other SI were standing at the entrance, presumably checking the amount of time it took for everyone to cross the finish. Also to just give the trainees hell by shouting at them.
“Catch”, Adam shouted, snapping Rhys to attention. Adam threw the water bottle at Rhys, who caught with one hand. Another one flew through the air, which Melissa grabbed. Rhys quickly began gulping all the water that was in the water bottle. After that, he aimed for the trash can and threw the bottle in it.
“Nice throw”, Adam said, as he threw his own bottle in the trash can.
“Yours wasn’t bad either”, replied Rhys. “Anyways, I’m starving. Time to check what food we get today.” Rhys stood up, and clumsily walked into the building behind him, still feeling the pain of the gravel that was stuck in his foot. Adam and Melissa followed him, laughing at Rhys.

1933 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys was lying in his bed, trying to study for the test next week. However, with all the other trainees in the barracks, it was hard to concentrate on it. Too bad they weren’t allowed to go out after 1800 hours.
Suddenly, the door of the barracks slammed open. Everyone was quiet at once and stood in a fighting stance, ready for an attack. However, it was DI Nugent. “At ease, trainees”, he said calmly. He seemed to look for a certain trainee, and stopped glancing through the group when he saw Rhys.
“You, on me.”
“Yes Sir”, Rhys immediately replied. Rhys had no idea what was going to happen. He slowly walked through the group of trainees, and felt the eyes watching him. He took position next to DI Nugent, and waited for orders. However, it seemed he wasn’t done yet. He pointed his finger at another trainee.
“You’re on me too.”
He snapped to attention, and quickly took his place at the other side of Nugent. Rhys had never seen the guy before. He was at least a head taller, and more muscular.
“The rest, stay here.” DI Nugent then walked away, with Rhys following him.

1942 hours, May 25, 2544 (Military Calendar)\
Military Reservation 01478-B, Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani system.

Rhys wasn’t feeling very comfortable. He had never been picked out of the group of trainees, and he knew there could be some bad things happening. Quite a few trainees who had to come with a DI were gone the next day, not suitable for an ODST. He sure as hell hoped this wasn’t the case, he had no idea what to do if he was sent away. He wanted to fight the Covenant for every piece of land he could fight for; even if that meant dying.
It was better than just let the Covenant invade and watch them glass planets.
Rhys turned towards the other trainee. He was sure he had never seen him before; nothing unusual to him. He had no interesting features on his face. It was awfully smooth, not battle-worn at all. His hair was a brown color, just touching the regulation length. His eyes were hazel-colored, shimmering in the light. If Rhys hadn’t known he was a trainee, he would’ve mistaken him for a civilian. The trainee did seem quite nervous, though.
The door opened and DI Nugent finally came back. He looked kind of happy ever since he got back from his meeting with the ONI spooks, Rhys noticed. He sat down, sighed, and began his talk.
“If I am correct, your name is Rhys. And you must be Alex then.”
“Yes sir”, both Rhys and Alex said.
“Well, it is probably no surprise to you that I was not here today. Knowing how fast rumors spread inside this facility, you probably also know that I’d been summoned by ONI.” He faintly grinned. “I had the pleasure to meet up with Admiral Whitcomb there. He and some high ranks at ONI had created some sort of plan to have a squad of ODSTs that is geared for an entirely different purpose. We needed strong trainees, still young and full of energy. Determined for fight, not battle-worn. Admiral Whitcomb was involved in this project, and picked me to choose the best of the best trainees in this facility.”
He paused, and pushed a button on his desk. A projection screen slowly appeared from the ceiling.
“And that is the reason you are here now”, Nugent continued. “I’ve watched everyone’s progress, and you were the two trainees that were improving the most.”
“Permission to speak, sir?” Alex said.
“Go ahead”, Nugent replied dryly.
“Isn’t a squad of two a bit… underpowered? I mean, even if we are the best trainees, there’s no way we could handle huge operations with only the two of us.”
“Good point”, Nugent replied. “But your squad will consist of 6 people. You both know how important teamwork is, basically as much as skill, agility and communication. I could’ve chosen the 6 best trainees, but if they couldn’t work together, this project would go to waste. You both get the chance to choose 2 people. You are effectively creating your own squad.” Without waiting for a reply, he continued his story.
“ODSTs are mainly used for front line assaults. ‘Feet first’, as you like to say it. This squad will be specializing in stealth and infiltration. You’ll still have the action an ODST wants, and having a better chance to survive. Besides that, you will get some new toys that are a bit different from the usual ODST gear.” Nugent pointed towards the screen. It flicked on, and showed a 3D-image of an ODST suit.
At first, Rhys didn’t see any differences from a usual ODST suit. Slowly, some parts were highlighted on the suit, and the changes would make a huge difference. An extra layer of polymer was added, making the suit deflect some higher caliber rounds. Slightly bigger shoulder plates, protecting from flanking attacks. An extra vacuum layer was also added, for an added 15 minutes of space movement without oxygen.
“You will need these upgrades”, Nugent said, snapping the trainees to attention. “I’ve seen the missions they want to send you out on, and you’ll be glad you have your extra protection.” He pressed the same button on his desk again, sliding the screen back into the ceiling.
“In any case, you will be transferred to another training facility in three days. You need to have your team ready by then. Dismissed.”
The two trainees turned around and walked out of the room when the door slid open.
“Well”, Rhys began, “welcome to the team, trainee.” He grinned.
“Likewise. Let’s not waste any time then”, Alex replied, and he walked off to the barracks, closely followed by Rhys.