A Man of War

I cannot recall exactly when they turned off the fire hoses.

Drill Sergeant Thayne then had us form up once again, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. He paced down our ranks, his massive yet still lean frame blocking the light from our eyes for long seconds, staring at our muddy, shivering forms with a sneer on his face.

"It has only been fourteen hours since you arrived at my camp, and most of you already want to quit," he announced in that universally recognized drill sergeant voice. A quick glance at the faces around me told me he was right. I mentally blessed Ducell for having driven me to that edge once already, and Kay as well for all he'd done. I knew what to focus on for my motivation.

"You look like the kind of warmed over crap that my wife's pathetic poodle would bury in the backyard," Thayne continued, bolstering our self-confidence. "It seems to me that the Dominion has wasted an awful lot of money bringing you all here just so that you can fail. Well, by damn, I am going to see that any of you who last the whole ten weeks will have learned how to be good soldiers. If that means I have to kill every one of you, I will. Do you understand?" he shouted.

"Yes, sir!" the formation shouted back. Not loudly enough, though.

"Apparently you do not! But I guarantee you will," he assured us. "Training Sergeant Murphy!" A lithe dark man presented himself confidently to us. Thayne faded back to stand with the rest of the cadre off to one side.

"Drill Sergeant Thayne is convinced that you are not fit to live in his army. I have argued on your behalf that I think at least a few of you have the potential we need. So you are going to prove me correct. Starting right now. Ten kay run! Follow me!" With that, he took off, bounding away and across the field like a startled deer. I didn't even hesitate to follow. As cold and dirty as I was, I knew lagging behind would just make things worse. I glanced back and saw that at least three cadets from our group of fifty had stayed back in formation. When we finally returned, their lockers and bunks were empty. They were only the first to go.

Sometime during the second week we were running an obstacle course. I was boosting France up onto one of the walls. Something hit me behind the knee, and I sprawled down into yet more of the ever present mud. France scrambled up to the top of the wall despite the loss of his support. I looked up to see Thayne and his thrice damned megaphone staring down at me.

"What in the name of all of Dante's circles do you think you are doing, Cadet?" He roared loud enough without the megaphone, with it I could hear him in my colon. "Were you told to help other cadets?"

"No, sir!" I shouted up, scrambling to my feet and attention. "Nor was I ordered not to, sir!"

"Carry on, Cadet!"

This surprised me enough that I actually turned my head to look at him. A mistake. He jammed his megaphone right in my nose.

"Do you have problems following orders, Cadet? You were told to carry on, were you not?"

"No sir! Yes sir!"

"I want your skinny ass over that wall yesterday, Cadet! So why the hell are you still standing here staring at my pretty face?" I turned to attack the wall again, but I wasn't quick enough.