The warrant officer rises from her lean against the picnic table, and waves a casual hand, palm outwards, across her body in response to Mei and Jackie's apologies. "Cadets usually - what is the military phrase - yes, 'have the opportunity', to learn this lesson much later on, in the months five or six when things begin to be very difficult indeed. You have the chance now, so carpe diem.
"Instructors do not punish a team for the actions of the one - unless by their actions or failures to act they clearly and consciously permitted the person to act. No instructor punishes a squad for the words of one of their members; only if you all agree do we issue penalties, and as I said before in regards to black marks, you can request a review of such responses; if the reviewing officer agrees that the instructor's response was incorrect" -- both Mei and Corwin will notice that she said neither wrong nor bad - "then the instructor's disciplinary action is placed in abeyance. If you think of instructor's discipline as, mmm ... administrative?" She sounds a little uncertain, and she glances at the scattered older cadets to clarify what she means.
After a moment, CCpl Rausch S puts his hand halfway up and, barely hesitating, speaks up. "Commander's mast, ma'am, or adminstrative discipline."
Everyone knows what that means, since it was one of the Big Sunday Events. All the recruit companies assembled to hear the boot camp commander review disciplinary actions, or significant disciplinary requests, from the senior drill instructors that headed the three or four recruit companies. If you really screwed up during the week, that's when the penny dropped, when 'Dad came home', as it were. Recruits could be assigned severe punishment duties, dropped back to Day 1 of training, or be kicked out if the recruit was a hopeless case, or a habitual offender, or if the situation was a no-strike-policy one. On (very) rare occasions, the commander could decide that the offense was actually borderline illegal, and the situation got kicked over to a formal court-martial.
"Merci, Sean. Yes, we are administrative discipline. If the reviewing officer decides that the response is incorrect, it goes to court-martial." She glances around. "As you now already know, there is no removal, no being sent home." The results of that she leaves for you to decide for yourself, although there's undoubtedly detailed information to be found in your PITs. "But instructors do not penalize the many for the one. In the field, you will be commissioned, non-commissioned, or warrant officers. You will work with unThreaded people, people like me. In recruit training, you learned to become a member of a team. Here, you must learn to carry your discipline always with you, always inside you. You will become leaders of people who cannot do what you can, not - not usually - members of a team of others like you. This Saturday," she adds, and smiles slightly, one might almost say ghoulishly, as she does, "you will find out what this is like from the view of the people you will lead."
Her wrist beeps at her, and she glances at her own remote-PIT-readout. "If you decide to have some 'informal discipline' among yourselfs," she says in a raised voice as the older cadets, and then other members of your squad, start to rise, "I recommend that if it is physical, it leave no bruise; if it is social, it lasts only a day or three. You may not be punished as a squad, but you need to interact with each other anyhow to get all the things done that you must. Now - off to locker rooms and your next class." She gives a sharp, loud clap. "Dismissed!!"
Foucaut looked up to regard Corwin as he spoke, her eyebrows lifting slightly at his comment about 'wondering what I was going to do with so much time'. Before Jackie replies, she says mildly, "Learning three clearly-sorely-needed lessons, I hope. If you aren't, well, you'll be spending four years here; there's plenty of time for you to learn. Or, if you prove too stupid to learn, die from it; hopefully you won't take any promising cadets with you."
When Jackie does reply, though, Foucaut is not the only one keen to hear Corwin's answer. If there had been a spotlight, he'd be standing in the middle of it.
To Cartwright, Foucaut nods courteously. "We've a lot more to go through, chippie, but it's a start."
In response to Jackie's question, she continues by saying, "You are allowed to request time on a Course during your three hours of free time on each of Saturday and Sunday. You will, of course, be at least one short during the foreseeable future, as punishment tours - I believe the cadets call them 'hours' - must be worked off before free time is accessible." Foucaut is clearly allowing you to do the math for yourself. " While none of the MTIs recommend attempting team movement at this point, almost everyone tries it within the first month."
"The second part," replies Agrippina, considerably less coldly than she's been, "is part of the first. No, the second purpose is to record your movement methodology, your endurance, your focus, everything that goes into moving at your very best, so that we - and by 'we' is meant myself and the other Movement Training Instructors, not myself and you - can understand how to help you learn to move better.
"You," and here she turns her attention back to Corwin, "did not execute your task. You did not follow my instructions. You did not give us the information we need." She stands there for a long moment, then says, "Costas. Kreis. How many levers on today's course?"
Costas: "One hundred twenty-eight."
Kreis, simultaneous: "One hundred twenty-six."
Arlene looks at Yakoub, who shrugs and says, "The two in the Maze."
"Oh, right, inaccessible. One twenty-six, then, ma'am," agrees Costas.
"Very well," Warrant Officer Foucaut says, swiping the surface of the TriPIT to turn off the holo then picking it up and making a notation. She then puts it back down onto the picnic table in front of her, folds her hands, and regards Corwin with cool aplomb. "Cadet Private Junior-Grade Corwin Talmadge. I don't know what you were thinking - that you knew better than your instructors; that you wished to be able to plan ahead in the future even when you were informed that within the month this course's arrangement would be altered; that you have difficulty following orders; that you are trying to see how much you can get away with; that you already knew all you need to know about your abilities; that you are trying to show that you can think on your own; that you do not need further training, and are ready to take on the Thunder today; that you want to display how much of a military mindset you have.
"Cadet Talmadge, I do not care what you were thinking; I care that you did not succeed at your assigned task, openly disregarded my instructions, and by your deliberate actions refused to provide me with the information I require in order to do my job. You have in your squad someone who tried to pace herself, someone who used what many would consider a throwaway ability with great cleverness, someone who took risks in order to try to use his skills in a situation to which they were not suitable. You did none of these things. Instead, you stopped frequently to take rests, many of them unneeded; you did not use your abilities in several situations in which they would have been exceedingly appropriate; and you were passed, not only once as might be understandable - Chippie Kingsley passed up Chippie Price, but didn't get too far ahead of her - but by five individuals. Going by course total time, only if we had placed you first would someone have come in after you.
"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."
Agrippina then climbs off the bench and, standing, glances at the face of her TriPIT before looking around at the squad. "Chippie Younger - very good. You asked about running the course again." She smiles slightly, a faint little crease of a curve. "Feeling rested? Up for it? Well, we have another hour, so by all means, let's get you back on the horse, see if you can put my brief advice into action before it's time for you to get out of those things and into your afternoon classes. Costas, please lead them to the start."
"Yes ma'am!! You heard the lady, chippies, let's go, let's go, let's go!!"
Foucaut slashes Bill with a glance at his non sequitur, but Mei's answer, fast on his heels, allows her to continue. "That you put forth your maximum effort," she repeats, adding, "this time and every time. Cadet Younger," she says, looking over at the capitellum interruptus, "do you recall the two stated purposes behind these exercises?"
The warrant officer, watching Corwin with that cold expression that bears a remote redolence of disgust or contempt, and after Jackie runs down, repeats softly, "To get therough the course as quickly as possible." Raising her voice again, she continues. "Does anyone recall what, speaking as your instructor, I added to that assigned task?"
Foucaut - who is, please remember, a petite female - regards Mei for a long moment, then nods. "Good. I'd have to wait for analysis on it, but it also looked like that first jump was perhaps at your maximum distance. We'll need to work you on accurate leaping at range. But like I said, good job on the Pier, just start swimming next time, or else we'll have to figure out how to do it on piles in the water."
Listening to Corwin's response, and looking at what certainly appears to be a smirk on his face, she replies in a calm voice, "Why in the world should I offer you any additional challenges when you cannot, for thirty seconds, recall the single challenge you were given?" She looks at the rest of the cadet privates junior grade in the squad, i.e. the actual First of the First, Oscar Company, and asks, "Can anyone remember the task you were assigned?" If Corwin even starts to open his mouth, she spears him with a cold glance. "You don't get to answer, Cadet Talmadge, since you clearly forgot."
The sense Bill had was brief, fleeting - a miniscule fraction of a moment, the amount of time it took his Threading to awaken, grasp the structure of the Plug, and sunder it. Whether handling the concrete, his weapon, or the wood of the table, it's no longer within reach - or at least, not within his conscious grasp. Perhaps, should he have a need to burrow into something else, it will awaken once again.
Foucault replies, "For now, it's about using your abilities as best you can. If it's necessary, you'll receive restrictions later on, in order to hone other capabilities, but for now, we want you to find, and use, your Threaded movement capabilities until you're as comfortable with them as you were with walking and running before you Threaded. There are no shortcuts in the Woodpile, or anywhere else, really, except for those your movement abilities allow. One black mark for the Walls. Good job otherwise; we'll work on your confidence with maneuvering in tight spaces."
Not more than a minute after Corwin arrives, CSgt Kreis calls everyone to order. Sitting 'correctly' at the middle of the three picnic tables, facing inwards, the Warrant Officer Movement Training Instructor looks like a judge at a court-martial; the rest of the squad is spread out over the other two tables, with the squad 'noncoms' sitting at both the side and the middle table, and Costas perched on the Plug's upper rail.
"Finally. Chippie Talmadge, dry your weapon. Chippie Stein, front and center." WO Foucaut places her TriPIT on the table in front of her and taps a few things in; the primitive holoprojector draws a schematic of the Course in the dust motes floating through the air, then zooms in on the Maze, where a figure is hopping through the early stages.
Bas stands and steps out from behind the picnic table at which he was sitting, moving forward to a spot a proper three steps from the warrant Officer, and comes to attention. "Ma'am."
"I believe I spot paint on you."
Sebastian looks kind of hang-dog. "Yes, ma'am."
Foucaut taps the TriPIT, freezing the holo at the relevant moment, where Bas went above the top of the maze walls. "In the field, that would have meant you either exposed yourself to the enemy, or smashed your head against a ceiling - not comfortable either way. Turn around." She makes a '360' gesture with her hand, which Bas obediently obeys. "Three hits. Do you know who shot you?"
Bas looks a little uncertain, but finally admits, "No, ma'am."
Foucaut sniffs. "You are lucky I am not training you for situational awareness yet, or I would issue you another black mark for not knowing. One black mark per hit," she states, making a notation in Bas's file. "You learned quickly, however, and did not make that mistake again through the rest of the Maze; one black mark rescinded, total of two. You may return to your seat."
Bas salutes, turns, and hurries back to his seat next to Bruce, who elbows him when he thinks WO Foucaut isn't looking.
Apparently Foucaut has eyes in the back of her head or something, because Bruce is the next one she calls to the carpet. "You can teleport, yet you ran the entire way down the Race," she states, bringing up a holographic replay of Bruce's kilometer-long run. "Explain."
Nervous, Bruce says how he found it took him more time to make a long teleport than it did to just run it, so since he was trying to make a good time ...
Foucaut nods, accepting the explanation, and sends him to sit back down. She does the same for everyone else, isolating a failure or a point of interest, and demanding an explanation. Specifically:
Bill:
"Younger. You could have flown over the Walls - flown from switch to switch - and yet you didn't. You also could have flown through the Woodpile tunnels instead of climbing around on it. Explain."
Mei:
"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."
Jackie:
"You smacked your face against the Walls. Damaging yourself is not a wise decision; explain."
It must be her favorite word.
With Corwin, whom she leaves for last, she taps in a command, and the TriPIT shows the entire course, everyone who's on it from the moment Corwin is set off. His miniature holo-self, walking, soon shines an angry crimson among the otherwise-amber course and miniature-others. Running at a ten-to-one compression, it takes the last-sent, Dakota, two minutes to go through the course - but over three minutes to run the simulation, because of the length of Corwin's run.
She lets it sit where it stops for a good ten or fifteen seconds, then says that dreaded word: "Explain."
Warrant Officer Foucaut smiles at Mei. "You do. The Course is run sequentially, with a two-minute interval between each person's start. Everyone makes the run alone, but because the course in general favors running, those of you who are quick on your feet may well pass another up - it IS thirty-five-hundred meters long. If you catch up to one of your squadmates, that's fine, but don't keep pace with them unless their pace is your current pace.
"The Course uses standard cross-country directional colors. Some of them will be flags, many will be paint marking on trees. This early in the quarter, there will be flags at the tree markings as well, so rest your minds on that account. Keep red flags or marks on your left, yellow ones on your right; sometimes that will mean a turn, sometimes it'll indicate a gate when paired with one or multiple other markings. Blue marks indicate center-of-course, and can also mean keep going straight forward.
"As I said before, there are levers to pull. You are required to flip every lever you encounter; they are numbered, and have bright orange handles, so they're tough to miss. If you're with a squadmate when you reach a lever, each of you flips it, which means it'll be back in its original position when you leave.
"If you can see a lever nearby - especially if you can see its number, and it is the next one in sequence - you should proceed to it as swiftly as possible, using your movement powers and learned skills. Using gymnastics to get around an obstacle is allowable, and part of the intent; breaking an obstacle is not.
"Don't go above the walls of the maze. Three of your noncoms will be switching live ammo out for Simunition, which I am told stings a hell of a lot even for you kids, and they will shoot you if you try to jump a wall or fly above them.
"There are duplicates of certain especially difficult obstacles; pick one, and go through it. There is one section of this course where you have to go through water; that section is underneath a walkway. Go into the water; the course does not go over the water, but through it.
"The final obstacle is typically a multiple-person obstacle; it is a mass plug, a heavy object that is movable with sufficient strength or a particular rare ability, described as 'tunnelling'. It is this obstacle that typically reveals the presence of such an ability; please note that punching is not tunnelling. The plug will be re-set after every successful shifting. If you reach the plug first, attempt to move it; if you cannot, when the next individual arrives, please allow them fifteen seconds to attempt to move it before joining in. If the two of you cannot move it, wait for a third person, and again allow them fifteen seconds in which to attempt to move the plug alone. Continue until the plug is successfully moved.
"You should complete the course as quickly as you can; since your endurance plays a part in your mobility, that is measured as well. While we don't expect a great change over just two weeks, every little bit of information helps."
Foucaut looks you all over. "Speaking as your instructor, I expect you to put forth your maximum effort this time and every time you run the course under my supervision. I have a rightfully-earned reputation as one of the top five issuers of black marks to first-quarter students; despite having been through Candidate Boot Camp, none of you ever truly understand what it means to work your body to its limit. Black marks are a negative encouragement for you to put forth effort, both physical and mental, to learn your body. The only positive encouragement I offer you is my approval. You will rarely earn it, but when you do, you will know it. In my class - in the class of any Movement Training Instructor - you will not only learn precisely where your body's limitations are, you will learn how to push it past those limitations, why not to push it past those limitations and the cost of doing so, how to keep your body performing at its very limits for as long as physically possible, and how to over time expand your limitations. If you do not, I will give you black marks and you will spend most of your free time doing scutwork and makework for the Academy until you learn that Warrant Officer Foucaut is a harridan you are better off cooperating with. You will, in brief, train like ballet dancers.
"Any final questions? Is there any amongst you who does not know how to swim?"
Presuming the answer to both is either a dead silence or a general negative, Foucaut will step up to the white-painted starting line and wave Mei forward. "To your mark, then, Cadet Private Junior-Grade Cartwright. Set? Go!"
And she sends Mei off, selecting her next victim from among the eight remaining.
Foucaut looks at Bruce for a long moment, as if he were something nasty found on the floor of her studio. "Not a good question. To answer it anyway, the student who was able to use an enhanced ability throughout the entire Course is a very rare duck indeed." Addressing the class generally, she states a bit more loudly, "The Course exists for you to improve your skill in movement. If you have multiple enhanced abilities, you should use them all, whichever one is appropriate at the moment. If they overlap, then you should make an effort to alternate between their development, to learn which is better at any particular moment. As I stated to this cadet," and she gestures at Corwin, "at the current time there is no time limit; learn yourself first before adding concerns of time and competition.
"Are there any other questions??"
Foucaut eyes Jackie thoughtfully. "Interesting question. Never got that first one before. Not easily - they're made out of the same materiel as the personalized jumpsuits, but they're not fitted to you quite as well, so there's some resistance degradation - or so I'm told, but I make it a point of not getting into the sorts of extremely dangerous situations where that would be taken into account. As for the Maze --" She looks at Costas and Kreis. "Cadet Sergeants?"
"For today, because it's a straight run, about two hundred meters, ma'am," replies Costas. "Depending on configuration and required travel, well ..." she hesitates, frowns, and looks over at Kreis.
The self-described 'New York Yid' gives that tell-tale crooked grin again. "Twenty-seven levers. At its nastiest configuration, almost five kilometers."
Foucaut smiles, a thin ballet mistress sort of thing, where her approval has been earned, but only barely. "Questions."
Foucaut nods again. "Good question. So long as you're wearing your interim combat jumpsuits, which means for about the next two weeks, there is not a time limit; you are expected to get through the course as quickly and effectively as you know how. It is from this movement that I and the other instructors will know how to best teach you to move better. Questions."
"Good question," replies the warrant officer. "When on the Course under supervision of one of your Movement Training instructors, you may use at any time any movement ability you possess. While this may not matter right now, that means moving yourself, not moving something else; the goal is for you to learn how to move, not use telekinesis should you develop it."
"Questions."
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