Mei grabs a drink and a snack as she enters, then takes a seat in the second row on the right side of the room.
Lt. Walker wrote:
Settle down. My name is Shiloh Walker, Lieutenant, PDF International Delta Company, Summer 2068. Oscar Company, Second of the Third, First of the First, welcome to the Alicia Alonso classroom. Alonso was a Cuban prima ballerina of the Twentieth century, mostly blind but widely considered to be one of the top dancers of the century. Like any of our Classroom Heroes, in your spare time you can find out more about them by opening up their file. Now, Henry the Fifth. We'll be starting where I see you both left off, at the opening of Act IV. Do I have a volunteer for the Chorus?"
Mei waits a while, then looks at the rest of the class. Seeing no one else volunteer, she stands up and begins reading.
"Now entertain conjecture of a time
When creeping murmur and the poring dark
Fills the wide vessel of the universe.
From camp to camp, through the foul womb of
night,
The hum of either army stilly sounds,
That the fixed sentinels almost receive
The secret whispers of each other’s watch.
Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames
Each battle sees the other’s umbered face;
Steed threatens steed in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night’s dull ear; and from the tents
The armorers, accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers closing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation.
The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,
And, the third hour of drowsy morning named,
Proud of their numbers and secure in soul,
The confident and overlusty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice
And chide the cripple, tardy-gaited night,
Who like a foul and ugly witch doth limp
So tediously away. The poor condemnèd English,
Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires
Sit patiently and inly ruminate
The morning’s danger; and their gesture sad,
Investing lank-lean cheeks and war-worn coats,
them unto the gazing moon
So many horrid ghosts. O now, who will behold
The royal captain of this ruined band
Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,
Let him cry, “Praise and glory on his head!”
For forth he goes and visits all his host,
Bids them good morrow with a modest smile,
And calls them brothers, friends, and countrymen.
Upon his royal face there is no note
How dread an army hath enrounded him,
Nor doth he dedicate one jot of color
Unto the weary and all-watchèd night,
But freshly looks and overbears attaint
With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty,
That every wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks.
A largesse universal, like the sun,
His liberal eye doth give to everyone,
Thawing cold fear, that mean and gentle all
Behold, as may unworthiness define,
A little touch of Harry in the night.
And so our scene must to the battle fly,
Where, O for pity, we shall much disgrace,
With four or five most vile and ragged foils
Right ill-disposed in brawl ridiculous,
The name of Agincourt. Yet sit and see,
Minding true things by what their mock’ries be."
She struggles and stumbles at some points where the language is especially archaic, but manages to get through it.
While walking back to the dorms, Mei says, "I think we should get together as a squad after we get cleaned up and discuss our first run through The Course. Let's see if we can learn some lessons from each other so that we can all improve next time. We need to get to know each other better as well."
Mei snaps to attention at the squad being dismissed. "Ho!" She then heads back to the dorm with the others, eager for the opportunity to discuss the experience they just shared.
"I will make sure that if I prove too stupid to learn, that I will be the only one to die from it. However, given that I have proven otherwise for quite a long while, I expect that I will learn much while I am here, WO Foucaut." Corwin replied grimly.
With a less grim expression he shakes his head while addressing Jackie. "I don't want to waste the WO's time with my reasoning as the WO has clearly stated that she does not care what my reasons were. For those who are truly interested, I will be willing to do so later."
Mei's eyes widen in shock at Corwin's disrespectful response. What in the actual f*ck is wrong with this kid!? she wonders. She looks at the faces of the other cadets and WO Foucaut in alarm. She decides to step in.
Mei bows deeply to WO Foucaut. "Tsumimasen, WO Foucaut! I deeply apologize for the actions and words of my squadmate today. Please give us the opportunity to correct Chippie Talmadge's behavior within the confines of the squad before you punish him further. We will try to teach him proper respect for his superiors so that he does not shame us further." She bows again to WO Foucaut and all the other cadets in attendance.
Watching the interaction between Corwin and WO Foucaut, Mei feels a strange sense of relief. I have a feeling he's going to be drawing a lot of attention over the next year. That will be good for the rest of us. Unless the instructors decide that the rest of us need to be punished for his transgressions, as was done in my great-grandfather's day. Mei shudders at that thought.
Mei steps up next to Jackie as she questions Corwin. She has a decided interest in trying to understand her squad-mates.
At the end of her second run, Mei listens to the counsel of WO Foucaut and the senior cadets carefully. When they are done with her, she bows to WO Foucaut, the senior cadets, then her comrades. "Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita. I thank you all very much for your advice and instruction! I will do my best to use what you have taught me today to improve." She then clips back into silent contemplation.
"Failure to execute task, blatant disregard of instructions, refusal to provide information. There are one hundred twenty-six levers in the course today; I am assigning you one black mark for each lever. One hundred twenty-six black marks. I expect that's a record - several, probably. You may, as any of you may, request a review of the allocation of black marks upon your record; I personally recommend against it, but it is your right as a cadet. You may step back."
Holy Sh!t!, Mei thought. How long is it going to take to work those off? Either way, he deserves them.
Mei eagerly joins Bill on another run through The Course. She focuses more on trying to hit her spots on her leaps now that she has a good measure of far she can jump. When she reaches The Pier she traverses it in the more traditional manner, as instructed. Other than that, she tries to go a little bit faster on the runs in between obstacles, pushing her stamina more than on the previous run.
It doesn't take long for Mei to figure out that she won't be Tunneling through the Plug. she backs away and waits for her next squad-mate to arrive and make the attempt. That happens to be Bill, and she watches in awe as the Plug comes apart in front off him when he lays his hand upon it and pushes.
So THAT is what Tunneling looks like.
Mei takes up her shovel and works with Bill to clean up the rubble that he's made of the initial Plug. Once they are done with the cleanup she works on cleaning her Sabordo, as instructed. She finds the act of taking apart the weapon to be calming and meditative. She finishes before the last team of her squad-mates completes the Plug. It was time for evaluations.
WO Foucaut wrote:
"Very clever climbing along the bottom of the Pier; good lateral thinking. In the future, or unless otherwise authorized, swim it; you won't always be able to use that ability, and we want to improve your facility in the water as well. However, your first jump at the Walls," and she indicates that very first way-off-target one. "Explain."
Mei comes to attention. "Sir, I misjudged the first leap because I wasn't sure if I could make it or not. This caused me to land off-target on the first leap. After that, I was more confident in my abilities and focused on hitting my spots."
Mei was just getting used to running in a waterlogged combat suit when she came up to the Raft. I guess I'll actually have to swim this time. She dives in and swims the water part of the course as quickly as she can, which is relatively slow compared to everything else. She finishes that as quickly as she can and then continues the land portion of the Course. I'm tired of being wet!
The next part of the run had the most erratic turns so far; erratic enough to actually be interesting. At the end of that run she came to the Booths. These seemed to be simple ladder climbs, which she excels at. She took to the ladders like a monkey on a jungle gym, sometimes simply leaping up to grab the top rung of the ladder and swinging onto the next level up. This part is fun! I never realized how useful the ability to simply latch onto things could be. She flipped her switches and moved on to the next part of the course.
When she came to the concrete building filled with a maze of rebar she paused for a moment to analyze the best path for reaching the switches.
analysis:
Rolling to see if she can find an advantageous route.
INT, 12-:3d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 3) = 12
Looks like I can get through that little gap there and save some time. She wends her way through the rebar constraints/climbing assists and flips the necessary switches. She leaves the Racks behind and makes her way forward.
A little more running and she comes up to the numbered Trees that require climbing. Stepping up to the first tree she leaps up to latch hold of one of the lower branches and then leaps and climbs her way to the various levers. Once she gets into the higher elevations of the trees, she takes fewer risks with her leaps. I need to learn how to better control my body in mid-leap. I could brachiate through these trees like a gibbon if I had some acrobatic skills. I wonder how many cadets have an ability like mine that makes climbing so easy? It's almost like cheating. The only thing holding me back from crushing most of these obstacles is my lack of stamina that prevents me from going full speed for longer stretches of time.
She finishes the Trees and runs as fast as she can during the final leg of the Course, only slowing when fatigue sets in, or when she comes upon the lever to be flipped. Finally, she sees the Plug in front of her and slows down to catch her breath and consider how to approach it. [i]I can't budge this through brute strength alone. This is about activating a new power...if I have it.[\i]
She stops in front of the plug and centers herself, pushing all other concerns from her mind and focusing on the Plug.
Meditation:
BS: Zen Meditation, 11-:3d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 2) = 9
With her mind clear she steps up to the plug and visualizes herself moving through it. She doesn't know what the Tunneling ability that WO Foucaut described would look like, but she imagines herself moving through the Plug. She places her hands on the surface of the Plug and gradually applies her strength against it, eventually pushing with all her might.
Spoiler:
I'm going to assume that Mei gets to the Plug first, obviously. I'll leave the calculations on time to TWO :)
Mei continues through the Course, conserving her energy in the long stretches of running between the obstacles. She reaches the Maze and works her way through it methodically. They are going to make this hard someday. I wonder what that will look like?
Moving on after the Maze, Mei came upon the pond with the Pier obstacle. This seems like a nice peaceful place for a swim. Not today, though. She evaluates the obstacle itself as she approaches it at a jog. Apparently, the switches are underneath the Pier. She enters the water under the Pier for a closer look.
Seeing the orange buoys floating up to denote underwater switches, and seeing the fencing that surrounds the perimeter of the obstacle, Mei formulates a plan for tackling it. I can use the fencing to climb through the water faster than I can swim through it, though there isn't enough room to avoid the water entirely. Water resistance will slow me and fatigue me more quickly than otherwise. I will have to be careful not to tire myself out.
With her plan set, she begins moving through the Pier obstacle accordingly. She will climb along the underside of the Pier when feasible and then use the fence to pull herself toward the underwater switches that need to be pulled. She pauses for rest regularly so that she doesn't put herself in distress when she needs to go after an underwater switch. Eventually, she throws the last switch and pulls herself out of the water at the end of the Pier. She pauses for a short rest afterward to gather herself, making her best effort to stand up straight as she gulps for air. That was the hardest one yet. I hope it gets easier from here.
Mei continues her run through the Course, finding herself tiring if she tries to sprint through the long runs between obstacles. I need to work on my stamina. She works on finding a consistent rhythm on the runs between obstacles so that she doesn't have to actually stop to rest. She finds that she can maintain a quick jog without tiring, allowing her to preserve her energy for the major obstacles.
She approaches the next major obstacle, which appears to be large piles of logs with rebar tunnels through them that are too small for her to move through upright. The first tunnel she needs to negotiate is about 4 meters off the ground so she leaps up and grabs the upper lip of that tunnel by the rebar and flips herself inside.
There are switches to flip inside the tunnels and she decides to move through them in a spider-crawl, using her exceptional grip to climb through the tunnels using the rebar rather than crawling through them. This is somewhat fatiguing but seems like the best option available at the moment. She makes her way to the end of the first tunnel and leaps to the next.
She finishes the 12 tunnels and drops to the ground on the other side. She pauses for a few seconds to stretch out her back, then starts jogging to the next obstacle, hitting whatever switches she comes across on the way.
OOC:
Mei's going to maintain a jog at 5"/phase to maintain her END on the long runs between obstacles. She will then use her Clinging to climb through the rebar tunnels and hit the switches at 5"/phase. She will take 2 phases for Recovery after finishing the obstacle, then move on.
I'll make some rolls in case you think they might come into play.
Mei steps up to the mark and takes off running. She starts a full sprint and slows when spots the first set of markers indicating a course change. Stay on course. Don't miss the switches. She spots the first switch and carefully flips it, not taking any chances.
The first part is easy with simple directions and well-placed switches. After flipping the last switch she sees the first Wall rise up before her. She slows her pace to catch her breath and consider how to tackle the obstacle. I think I can make the top of that wall with one leap. The purpose of this course is to test our limits, so let's see what I can do. I'm gonna to make this obstacle my b#&%&!
When she gets to within 10 meters of the first wall she increases to full speed and then launches herself towards the top of the wall just before reaching the first step. She hadn't really gone all out like this in a while so the sensation of flying through the air was exhilarating. She landed in the slot in the top of the wall and took a moment to look around. She spotted a level in the slot near the middle of the wall and made her way over to flip it.
She couldn't help but smile. So far, so good. She looked out to see what was next and found that the next wall was only about 10 meters away. She paused to consider her options. I can jump down the other side and approach this the next wall the same way I did this one. On the other hand, I might be able to leap directly from the top of this wall to the top of the next one. She was just getting ready to decide when she noticed a switch at ground level between this wall and then next. Oh well, I guess I'm not leaping straight to the next wall. I am Jack's disappointment.
Mei steadied herself on top of the wall and leapt down to the ground on the other side. She made her way to the switch at ground level, flipped it, then ran straight to next wall and leapt to the top, confident now in her ability to make it. She repeated the process for the rest of the walls, then continued on to the next straight-away.
rolls and stuff:
I'm going to do a few DEX rolls in case they are needed (I hope they aren't). Mei's Leaping is 5.5" horizontal Combat and 2.5" vertical. This should make dealing with the Walls easy if I am understanding how they work correctly. She's going to deal with the switches in a way that rolls will not be required, though it will slow her somewhat.
All this talk of a 'Course' piques Mei's curiosity. The Cadet-Sergeants sound like kids talking about raiding the cooking jar when they talk about showing it to us."You mentioned a Course. Could you elaborate on that?"
Considering the conversation between Dakota and Bruce, she smiles slightly. "Don't go thinking it isn't regulated," she advises. "What we look up on our PITs, and what gets looked up on the desktop ones in our rooms, is tracked. You spend a lot of time looking into something, and they'll start getting into it in class. From what the cadet officers say, there's nothing you can study that doesn't have a military application. I'd guess that if you really start looking into materials, you'll get combat engineering training tacked on. And demolitions, but from what I've heard, demolitions is a sub-set of ComEng."
That's interesting. I hadn't given much though the using the PIT outside of my assigned studies, but if what I look up on there can impact how my studies progress, I will need to come up with a strategy to direct my course of learning through it.
"Cadet-Sergeant, are there student activities clubs, or something of that nature here?" Mei asks. "I'm a practitioner of Kendo, and was wondering if there was any way to continue my work on that here with other students."
Holy sh@t! Mei thinks, her cheeks reddening that she didn't make the connection herself. I wonder what brings him here? From Kreis' reaction, he must not come around here often.
Mei has had a sense of impending doom ever since her train entered the Chicago ruins. Not doom in the negative sense necessarily; just a sense that momentous events were beginning to unfold around her. That sense that you should remember where you are so that in the future you can remember where you were. These are not feelings that she would reveal to the others, but she feels a strong urge to write a letter to her mother tonight. Haha would understand what I'm feeling.
Mei watches and listens to the others with interest, but does not interject in the conversation. She is surprised at the reaction that Cadet-Sergeant Kreis has to the appearance of Commander Fisk and searches her memory to see if she can recall anything about him from her boot training.
Mei stands up and bows to the Cadet-Sergeants in recognition of their losses they've suffered."Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita. Thank you very much for telling us about that terrible day, Cadet-Sergeant Kreis. I hope we can be wise enough to learn from your experience without having to through it ourselves. Some such events are unavoidable, but if we remain mindful of the fact that anything that can happen, will happen, perhaps we can reduce the odds of such occurrences coming to pass." She then retakes her seat at the table and quietly goes back to consuming her meal, internalizing the emotions brought up by that harrowing story.
"Oscar Company, First Platoon, First Squad, on the deck!! Cadet Privates Junior-Grade, get your toes out here and on the line!!"
Mei makes her way out to the hall and 'toe's the line' as ordered. She listens carefully to everything Costas has to say about what comes next, then goes back into the barracks to collect her weapon and head to chow with the other members of her squad.
Mei is quite famished at this point, so she takes all the food that she can feasibly pile onto her tray. She sits down at the table with her squad-mates and digs into the food like it's her job. She would have eaten it greedily no matter what it tasted like, but she was pleased with the selection and flavor.
As she She listens to her squad-mates as they quiz the Cadet-Sergeants about what is to come. There are no surprises revealed other than that some of her squad-mates seem to be less serious about this undertaking than others. Bill and Bruce seem more interested in getting a whiz-bang super-power than fighting the Thunder. I wonder if they have forgotten how dangerous this training is going to be?
Mei finishes chewing a bite of food then clears her throat and straightens her back. "Sumimasen, Cadet-Sergeants. Please do not be offended by my question, but I would like to know how many of the members of the squads you started with survived the first year of training." She asks this somewhat meekly, and her voice seems unbearably cute for such a serious matter.
"Maybe we can explore if they give us some free time later. Don't forget that we have to do everything as a group. I'm not enthused about getting demerits on the first day we get here."
Mei shakes her head as she sorts through her things. "I've never played the game, I'm afraid. I usually spend my leisure time on things like calligraphy and meditation. What do you like to do for fun, Jackie?"
Mei nods and gives Jackie's hand a firm shake . "Hajimemashite, Jackie. I'm very pleased to be a member of this squad. If you need any help with anything let me know."
Mei goes collects her 3 remaining lockers when called by the C-Sarg and takes them to her bunkroom to start getting herself squared away. She notes that one of the girls has decided to room with her. I think her name is Jackie...? Mei continues her unpacking while trying to stay out of Jackie's way.
Mei shrugs, then picks up her locker and makes her way to the bunkroom closest to her. She claims the bed nearest the door and opens up her locker to see how her belongings have survived the journey. She removes her bathroom necessities and makes sure everything else is in order. She knows she will have to wait until later to get everything setup just right.
Once the bare necessities have been taken care of she goes back to the common room and waits for the call to mess.
As Mei listens to the indoctrination speech, she notes that the Company Quarterly Orders match the informal orders that Cadet-Sergeant Costas gave them as they boarded the train. I think we have been lucky to have been put in Costas' squad. She seems to be preparing us well.
She takes note that her squad, along with another, remains intact during the Chippie sorting process. It's interesting that we came together by circumstance, but the PDF approves how we've sorted ourselves out. This bodes well for us, I think.
After finally coming to the barracks that will be her home for the next 183 days -barring catastrophe- Mei places her carbine in the weapons rack and fights off the urge to collapse into the couch. Setting down her locker for the moment she rubs the ache in the small of her back.
Jodie wrote:
"So, how're we going to figure this out? I don't really mind unless one of you snores?" she grins, "Should we flip a coin, or what?"
"There appear to be four of us girls so we can go 2 and 2, or 3 and 1. I would suggest we start out 2 and 2 and see how that works for a week. If we decide we want to change that up it won't be that hard."
A chill goes down Mei's spine as she ponders what she has just seen and heard.
One might think such recitations to be mindless on first blush, but Mei knew better. Her father was a product of Marine officer training and she had never met a more mindful man than he. This was not mindless obedience to some motto, she thought. This was an indication of dedication to a creed. The creed of mission accomplishment. This is what I want to be a part of.
Mei takes little interest in Cadet-Sergeant Costas' speculations about the train they are riding in, and the location of PDF International.
Where the school is and how we get there is irrelevant to becoming the weapons that we need to evolve into if we are going to defeat the enemy, she thinks. She finds the conversation between Commander Fisk and O-C Masterson far more instructive.
We must always be ready to take the initiative. In battle, your commander may fall at any time, and we have to be prepared to act in the absence of command authority. My Casa taught me that smart people learn from their experiences and mistakes, while the wise are able to learn from the experiences and mistakes of others. Masterson's lesson in leadership was hard-earned in battle. I will endeavor to be wise enough to learn from it without paying the same price he did.
She looks around her at the members of her randomly assembled squad of Chippies. We are all responsible for each other now. I will do my best not to let them down.
Commander Fisk wrote:
Though the cadet and the officer talk generally quietly, they are facing your way, and a few minutes into their quiet discussion, the officer gestures at the ten of you (nine plus Costas, after all). And then after a moment of continuing to speak he rather loudly says - or perhaps orders, considering his tone - "Don't f#ck it up."
Masterson's head jerks upright, his shoulders, neck, and head at attention. "Yes sir," he replies and regards you brand-spanking-new Chippies with thoughtful interest.
Mei can't help but stiffen her spine when the officers' attention seems to be on her. "Hoh!"
Mei sees an opportunity to take a seat and does so, securing her weapon as instructed.
I wonder why they don't have enough seats for everyone? It seems unwise to take unnecessary risks in simply transporting us to the school. I will be mindful of the potential for a hidden meaning in this.
She silently observes the others boarding the train, as well as those who were already aboard when she embarked.
After recovering from the arrival of the train - and the pep-talk from Gunny Hudson - Mei works on gathering her locker up in preparation for boarding.
Roll:
DEX, 12-:3d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 2) = 10
Mei manages to leverage the locker into position on her shoulder and waits for the order to board the train. As she waits, she looks with interest at the Cadets exiting the train in their Specialized Combat Jumpsuits. The design of those suits is impressive to allow such agility.
She watches carefully as Cadet-Sergeant Costas squares away the boys that are having problems with their lockers.
The call comes to board and Mei whispers under her breath to herself, "Idō shimashou,"and moves to get into the boarding line with the rest of her cohort. I haven't heard from the kitty in a while. I hope it's ok.
Mei smiles at Jackie and gives her shoulder what she hoped would be a reassuring squeeze.
Costas wrote:
There's only one way out - boots first. You can't follow that rule, chippie, then you're no better than someone who went psycho at Threading, and they'll put you down just as permanent.
They are not f%*$ing around! Childhood is officially over, Mei thought.
Mei joins the gathering around the Cadet-Sergeant, eager to absorb any information she can get. She commits the first orders from the Cadet-Sergeant to memory as if they were spoken from on high.
General Order #1: No use of powers unless ordered to by a non-cadet noncom or warrant officer.
General Order #2: Do everything together.
Mei looks around her to memorize the faces of the cadets who are now members of her cohort. It appears that are going to be a team from here on out. Good luck to us all.
General Order #3: Obey all orders from Cadets of superior rank that don't violate General Orders 1 and 2. That could be trouble.
Leaning over, Jackie spoke slowly to Mei, offering a hand. Nice to meet you, Mei. I'm Jackie.
Mei took Jackie's hand and shook it vigorously, grateful that she stepped in to save her from embarrassment. She nodded wordlessly in thanks, with a slight smile.
Mei is of mixed Japanese and Caucasian ancestry. She has her American father's blonde hair and her Japanese mother's brown eyes and porcelain complexion. She's one of those girls who appears to be physically maturing before her time if you get my drift; another trait she inherited from her corn-fed father.
"Chicago area, but I was born in Australia and I grew up with my parent's accents, so I have a bit of it myself. Where are you from?"
Mei looks at the boy when he responds, then replies, "I was born in Japan, but mostly grew up in Jacksonville Florida. You know...since Japan isn't there anymore. My Dad was a U.S. Marine so they got us out before the end."
Mei listens to the conversations going on around her but does not join in. She did notice with interest that one of the boys had a foreign accent to his speech. British or Australian...? she wondered. She'd not had enough exposure to such things to be able to tell the difference. She found his optimism charming, and her interest overcame her reticence.
She turns toward the blonde haired boy with the accent and opens her mouth to speak, then closes it momentarily, sheepishly hugging her arms across her torso under her breasts (which are surprisingly ample for her age). Then she manages to ask him, "umm, where are you from if you don't mind me asking?" She ducks her head down shyly and averts her eyes.
Mei spent most of the bus trip from New Joliet to Chicago observing the wreckage left in the wake of the Night of Fire. So many souls extinguished in such a short span of time. It makes one wonder why any of us are still alive. Humanity must have some part left to play in the Thunder's plans. She wondered if such sights and thoughts might trigger another nightmare like the one she experienced the night she Threaded. The bus lurched to a stop shaking Mei out of her reverie.
Quote:
"PDF CADETS!! ON YOUR FEET, FRONT AND CENTER!! MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT, YOU'RE HOLDIN' UP THE MARINES!! FIND YOUR FOOTLOCKER AND GET A MOVE ON, WE GOT A TRAIN TO CATCH AND NO MINCE-FOOTED PRINCESS IS GONNA MAKE ME MISS MY G0DD@MN TRAIN!!"
Mei snapped to her feet at the sergeant's command, her training taking over. She filed into place to exit the bus, nodding her appreciation to the Marines who wish her well on the way.
She was gathering up her footlocker when...
Quote:
"YOWLP!!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING, CADET?? WHO THE THUNDERING HELL EVER TOLD YOU YOU COULD BRING YOUR PUSSYCAT TO THE ACADEMY??"
Mei focused on the task at hand as the sergeant berated the unseen Cadet with the cat. After getting her footlocker from the Cadet Corporal who unloaded it from the bus, she found her way into line and focused on keeping her load under control as she made her way down the many steps to the train platform far below.
Many cadets are talking about the Cadet with the cat on the way down, but Mei doesn't join their conjecture. At the bottom of the platform, she finds an appropriate spot and sets down her footlocker and stands at ease to wait for the train. As she waits, she gives consideration to the matter of the pussycat.
It must take significant clout to get a special exception like a having a pet at PDF International. The owner must be a scion of one of the old power dynasties that have influence with the PDF. I have to admire the courage of someone with that kind of background choosing the risk of undergoing Injection with the KS Serum and devoting themselves to the service of humanity. Every option available to a human being in this world lay before that cadet and this was the path they took. I hope I get to meet him or her... and the cat, of course.
Mei's Threading was a very close call. It happened while she was sleeping. During a nightmare, to be more precise.
Nightmare:
Mei was back at the dojo practicing Gokaku-geiko with her friend Joe. The practice had not been going well for Mei. Joe’s shinai had bounced off her men for what seemed like the 20th time as they separated in preparation for another round.
Mei looked around to see much of the rest of the class watching them as they practiced. Joe was displaying a bit of swagger as he moved to take his place again, flush with the feeling of victory. Sensei looked on dispassionately. Mei was feeling a flush of her own, but quite different from anything she had experienced before. She was frustrated and angry at her performance thus far, but the heat coursing through her body was more than that. She readied herself for Joe’s next attack.
Joe came at her, and sensing her lack of kisei, executed a perfect Tobikomi-waza, striking Mei right on her sayu-men. A red haze seemed to drop over Mei’s vision then. Without thinking, she quickly executed a Harai-waza, knocking Joe’s shinai up out of the way, then thrusting forward powerfully with her own. The tip of her shinai connected just below Joe’s facemask, right in the apple of his throat.
Joe backed away drunkenly for a moment, then sank to his knees clutching at his throat. Meanwhile, it felt like fireworks were going off inside Mei’ brain. Part of her mind screamed in horror at what she’d just done; another exulted in a feeling of ecstasy she’d never before imagined could exist. As her sensei and other students rushed forward to aid Joe, Mei slowly removed her men and dropped it on the floor.
She looked down at Joe’s body convulsing on the floor, feet pounding arhythmically against the wooden slats, his hands tearing at his men. Sensei knelt at his side and had to restrain his hands, while another student stripped off his men. Joe’s face was bright red, turning towards purple, his eyes wild as he desperately tried to suck in a breath.
Brittany Connor ran up to her without thinking. “What have you done Mei?” she cried. Mei looked at her dazedly for a moment, then swung her shinai backhand at Brittany’s head. It struck her on the right ear, tearing it halfway off in a spray of blood. The force of the blow spun Brittany 90 degrees and left her stunned, mouth agape in shock. As the shudder of the impact traveled from the shinai up Mei’s arm so too did another wave of ecstasy. One small part of her mind was still screaming ‘Stop! Please, stop!!’ as she laid both hands on the hilt of the shinai, and swung it as hard as she could at Brittany’s face.
The Mei that was trapped inside her own mind screamed in horror as the shinai caught Brittany full in the mouth. The force of the blow spun her off her feet and sent a spray of blood and teeth flying across the room. She fell on her back unconscious, gagging on the blood running into her throat from the ruin that had been her face.
“Everyone, get out of here!” Sensei shouted as he ran over to Brittany. He quickly turned her on her side to keep her from drowning in her own blood. Students were already running for the doors, keeping as much distance between themselves and Mei as they could in the process. Her friend Donnie picked up her little brother Ken and carried him bodily from the dojo as he reached out to her futilely. Mei looked dispassionately at Joe’s blue-faced, twitching body, as he finally gave his last, desperate gasp. Then she turned her attention to her Sensei.
He had turned Brittany over onto her belly to keep her from drowning in her own blood. As he stood up to face Mei, he picked up a discarded Dō and held it before him as a makeshift shield. Mei looked at him like a deranged animal, cocking her head to the side for a moment to consider him before rushing forward to attack.
Sensei used the Dō to keep her wild attacks at bay, buying time for help to arrive. She whaled away at him with her shinai with incredible speed and strength, but he always kept the Dō between them. The ferocity of her attack was gradually destroying the Dō, but he was also luring her away from Brittany. The inner Mei noticed that for all the damage that she was doing to the Dō, her shinai was taking no damage at all. It should have been no more than a handful of rattan slats by now, but it looked as good as new.
Finally, Mei knocked the Dō from Sensei’s hands and struck him down with a thrust to the solar plexus. He lay stunned on the ground as she turned to finish off Brittany, only to find that she’d been dragged away as she was engaging her teacher. She screamed incoherently as she rounded on her Sensei, preparing to finish him off. Just then, the door in front of her slid open, and soldiers began pouring into the dojo.
Without hesitation, she launched herself at the nearest man, nearly 5 meters away. She held her shinai rigidly before her, and the force of her leap drove it clean through the faceplate of his helmet. He went down in a heap, but now she was surrounded. There was a degree of panic among the troops at how quickly she’d dispatched one of them, and they opened fire at close range, striking each other, as well as Mei. Several were wounded or killed in that first volley, but it sent her reeling to the ground, wounded in many places.
More troops filed in to take the place of the ones she’d injured and killed. They held her down until their leader entered to stand over her. He spoke into the microphone in his helmet. “This one is a lost cause, sir.” He paused for a few moments, then drew his sidearm and cocked the hammer back. “Understood, sir,” he said as he stood over her, aimed his pistol between her eyes, and began to squeeze the trigger...
Mei opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself high in the air above of the rows of beds in the girls dormitory in which she had been sleeping, her hands clasped in a death grip on the sprinkler pipes crisscrossing the ceiling. Pandemonium had broken out; girls were running for the exits helter-skelter as the female gunnery sergeant acting as dorm monitor tried to take control of the situation and bring in help.
Mei was lucky that the chaos prevented the incoming Marines from having a clear field of fire on her as she gathered her wits about her. They are going to think I'm one one of the crazy ones and kill me if I don't get myself under control immediately!
Mei dropped to the floor, cat-like, and lay face down with her hands behind her head and waited for the Marines to take her, hoping for the best. Fortunately for her, the Gunny was very experienced, and though it was extremely rare, had seen a successful Threading occur during sleep before. As a squad of Marines covered her approach, the Gunny put the cuffs on Mei and led her out of the dorm.
