Hangar 10
"Open the doors!"
The hangar doors opened, revealing the outside and basic obstacle course. A slalom, a small wall, and finally a target range.
When Dorian pressed the buttons, the PATCH brought up a window which currently housed the operators manual. The Strategic Map brought up a larger, more distant map. This one seemed to be able to manipulated by touch. If he were to touch a piece of terrain, it would bring up the combat usefulness of said terrain. If he pressed the blue dots that marked the other units, it would bring up their current status and condition.
"Now, slowly push the center pedal by your feet to walk, press it harder to run, and then floor it to sprint to the obstacle course. You'll get used to movement soon enough. Demonstrate all three now."
Zach slowly pushed his foot down, making his Stahl walk forwards, jerky though it was. He then pressed a bit harder, breaking it into a jog, and then a run.
"I'm flooring it."
He then pushed down his foot, causing the thing to burst into a sprint, rocking Zach around in his seat.
"Woah woah woah WOAH!"
He skidded to a halt just short of the slalom.
"Yep, this is going to take some getting used to."
edited 9th Dec '15 10:09:25 PM by UndyingPhoenix
Giving a quick check to the forelimbs of the Stahl, spinning each part in place sequentially to ensure the full 360 degrees of motion were available, Marynia had just about finished her overall very exhaustive systems check. These things just can't wait, you know?
She did as the instructor asked, moving the mech at a lazy pace forward. Over the radio, she couldn't help but add a bit of advice of her own. Patching into Zach's end of the line, she said, "Press down on it slower than that. Like trying to sneak on creaking floorboards." She continued towards the course, running, then sprinting, and slowing down well short of the course in order to give the Stahl plenty of time to brake.
Leo floored the pedal and zipped away immediatly to the obstacle course.
"YEEEEEAAAHWWW!!!! GIDDY UP BABY!!" said the tomboy while laughing maniacally, but she had her hands firm on the "Wheel".
"Allright sweety, calm down, I don't wanna become fine paste in the first day on duty".
She slowed down as soon as she reached the first obstacles, but had so much momentum that she had to slalom through the course, the metal of the mecha creaked loudly while she did sharp turns to avoid the obstacles.
"Nnnngh! C'mon baby, don't disapoint me now!" She said with her theeth barred and the hand firmly on the wheel, as if she's trying to keep the mecha togheter by herself.
edited 9th Dec '15 11:05:21 PM by Damacyn
"No defiant last words, Dr. Jones?" "I like Ike""And knock off the over eager recruit for the year. Anna, you owe me 10 bucks. Alright, for those of you less inclined to use the wheel, use the pedals on the left and right of the center one to strafe left and right."
Zachary slowly pushed down on the pedals, moving with thoughtful steps as he made his way through the slalom.
Reiner promptly left the gate after he looked through the relevant areas on the Patch and made sure the hatch was secure, moving much more gracefully and practised than his comrades. He demonstrated several of his boxing moves on thin air, and then did a military level shuffle through as if looking for enemy combatants.
Not my usual, but it'll do.
Reiner looked over at the others and chuckled to himself.
Over-eager... He looked at how wobbly the others were, glad he was giving such an account. "You don't want to jerk around the controls, otherwise you'll wobble and look foolish!"
"Strafing? Wow, that's new!"
Leo used the strafe pedal as soon as she heard the instructor, but she was still fast like a bat out of hell.
"C'mon slowpokes! The last one owe a cold one to the entire academy! HAHAHAHA!!" Laughed the speed maniac while she checked the PATCH for the course map, and grinned widely as the finish line fast approached.
"Alright, now see that wall up ahead? There's a lever next to your PATCH. Push it up to jump, push it down to crouch. Jump over the wall, and then duck under the beam just a little bit further. Don't forget to hold the center pedal down when you jump."
Zachary took a deep breath, running forward and jumping over the wall, and then crouch walking under the metal beam a bit further on.
"At least it's getting easier. And it's easy for you all to talk! I've never piloted anything like this before."
edited 10th Dec '15 12:37:49 AM by UndyingPhoenix
Reiner came in, running and calculating his approach. He smirked and crouched before leaping over the wall, letting out a peal of triumphant laughter. His landing was a little rough, but he managed.
"Let's keep going, show me what you're made of, Zachary!"
He crouch walked under the bar with a practised ease.
Maybe he is fit to be my rival.
edited 10th Dec '15 2:57:35 AM by NickTheSwing
"Alright sweety, lets do this!" Leo pushed the jump button, and the Stahl leaped over the wall.
The ground shaked under the landing mecha, and Leo could swore that the Stahl creaked.
"Owww... Not my best landing..." She said feeling her back a bit sore for the rough landing.
Her Stahl crawled slowly under the metal beam, but after that she flatted the pedal and began zipping away again.
"Hey Reiner-Boy! See you on the finish line!" She said on the radio to Reiner while she ran past him, blowing a very mature raspberry.
"Alright, your mechs are automated when it comes to choosing weapons. Right now, you're in melee mode. Use the left or right joystick on either side of the wheel to control the arms. Just throw a few punches. It works the same for melee weapons."
Zach did as he was ordered, though his punches certainly didn't look combat worthy. They were wild and inaccurate.
"Not exactly my forte..."
Leona looked on, speaking into her comm unit again.
"Don't worry. I've gone through your application. You're a distance fighter, I get that. But when push comes to shove, you're going to appreciate this basic melee training."
A hatch opens out of the ground, bringing up 5 handguns and 5 assault rifles.
"Now, switch to ranged mode using your PATCH. After that, just point towards the weapons and press the 'Pick up' command on the screen. Pick up both, then use the PATCH screen to equip the handgun. Everything else is automated."
"Got it."
His Stahl picked up the weapons, slowly holstering the rifle and switching to his handgun.
"Good, there's some targets down the range. Take a few shots with the handgun. The button on top of the joystick will fire the weapon."
He took careful aim, steadying his breaths.
"Fhoo...deep breaths...like video games..."
He took 5 shots, each at a target of differing distances. Closest one was a bullseye, following three were just outside the bullseye, and the last was was reasonably close to the center.
"Kinda weird with one handed guns."
Leona nodded. He was a sniper in the making.
"Two handed weapons needs the right joystick to aim and fire and use the left to steady your aim. Now, show me what you all can do with the rifle."
Zachary nodded, closing his eyes and taking more deep breaths as he switched weapons. The rifle pointed towards the targets. 5 shots...
5 bullseyes.
"Now this is more my style."
Leona marked down something on her PATCH.
"Good work. After everyone else is finished, get back here. Your basic training is complete."
edited 10th Dec '15 9:26:52 AM by UndyingPhoenix
Reiner grinned in response to that, moving along and keeping a log in his mind where everyone was. Moving through the course quickly, the aristocrat soon enough joined Zach, demonstrating some of his boxing moves using his mecha as he went along.
It was a rough approximate, but the inspiration for the moves was clear.
He then switched to ranged mode, picking up an assault rifle and heading off for target practice.
Leo stopped and proceded to fly some punches. Sadly they were rather wide and imprecise, but she will address that with some training.
"Allright, let's get a couple of bullseyes!" She said with a grin while picking up the weapons.
Aiming was a bit of a chore, since it was nothing like aiming with a normal gun or with rhe pointing system of a fighter plane, it was more like one of those videogames her gramp played back in the 21st century.
The pistol was imprecise, scoring only two bullseye but the rifle managed to score better, with 4 bullseyes.
"I'm done here ma'am, awaiting orders!"
The boxing competition wasn't what Marynia was here for. She ignored it, and went to work. The pistol, though Marynia thought little of it, certainly was an accurate weapon. She picked it up, and lined it up with the bullseye. Three loud clicks later, Marynia noticed something.
Only two of the shots had hit.
She put the car-sized sidearm down and brought up the rifle. With a little more effort into positioning, she fired. It missed. She took a kneeling position, the appearance of professionalism starting to be overtaken by what she believed to be panic. The second and third rounds hit, but the fourth didn't.
She decided that was plenty enough. She could pilot, sure, but evidently the last couple of years had rusted her firing with the Stahl, somehow. She would have to make some extracurricular trips to the firing range, where there wouldn't be an audience. She quickly put down the rifle and started to head back to the hangar, with a bit of haste in her mechanical step.
"Leave that for the combat drills Reiner. All of you, get back here."
Zach was back on the ground, stretching his cramped limbs.
"Guess that wasn't so bad..."
Katrina looked over the class again, pausing her gaze at a few people.
"Alright, Deckard, Nari, van der Walt, Stokes and Martinez, you're up next. Get ready."
Zander, the black man, the Asian woman who volunteered earlier, and a Hispanic man who had gotten there later stepped forward. The woman was first to speak.
"Sandra Nari, ready and waiting."
She immediately climbed into the Stahl, and had it up and running in seconds.
Zander was also climbing into another empty Stahl, Myrnia's one.
"Alright, let me show you kinders a thing or two. Too old se voet"
His Stahl was up and running as well.
The black man, Stokes, and the Hispanic man, Martinez, waited. There was one mech still open for James.
"Ja! I'll look forward to those!" Reiner announced, smiling and glad he'd made a good showing for himself today. He returned to the start, noticing that it seemed that Zach was likewise doing good for himself.
He might not be at my level physically, but mentally perhaps...
Back on the ground, Reiner stretched as he looked back at the Stahl there, and walked back with the others. He threw an arm around Zach's shoulders and grinned down at him, "Quite exhilarating, isn't it? The first time in a mecha? Just imagine your first time fighting...oh, but that's even more intense!"
Leo jumped off the Stahl with a sunny smile on her face "Man, that was sooo much fun, I can't wait to pilot the Skye!"
She sneaked on Zach and put her arm around his neck. "Hey Zach-boy, you did pretty well on that mecha, buddy." She said with a friendly grin "How about we catch a beer togheter later? do you drink?"
Hangar 10
"Actually...no, I don't drink. Never liked the stuff."
Zach looked uncomfortable having so many people close to him.
"And yeah, this is the first time I'm piloting a mech."
As Leo got out of the Stahl, Stokes, the black man, climbed in. After Dorian returned, Martinez soon followed.
Katrina looked at the next group.
"Alright, you know what to do. Walk, run, and then sprint after putting the PATCH into the socket. Strafe through the slalom. Jump over the wall, crouch under the heavy metal beam. Throw a few punches. Switch to ranged mode and take a few shots with the pistol and then the rifle. Then get back here on the double."
As soon as she was finished, Sandra was already out and running, going through the slalom at a cheetah's pace. She leaped over the wall, ducked under the beam, threw superb quick punches. As soon as it came to the target range, however...
Only a few of her shots just managed to land on the targets.
"Hmph."
She returned, having completed the course in record speed.
Stokes was slower, but his punches, while slow, were powerful. At the target range, he sprayed and prayed, hitting targets just as often as he missed before he ran out of ammunition.
"Why don't I get any heavy weapons?"
He also returned a few minutes later.
Martinez was slightly faster than Stokes. Come target range, and his accuracy was...average. Some missed, some hit by a small margin, others near dead on.
"Eh, can't complain."
Zander was even faster than Sandra, though his punches were lacking. His shots were a bit more accurate than the rest though.
"That's how it's done."
edited 13th Dec '15 5:14:28 AM by UndyingPhoenix
"Alright boy, then I'll fetch ya a coke" she said sticking out her tongue.
She looked at the others performances, wich she tought were pretty impressive even tought there where flaws.
while nobody was looking her she took off a file from her backpack and began reading about the other guys.
"This is not a nice thing to do..." she repeated to herself inside her mind.
Focusing on her own performance, Marynia thought, was probably the best course of action. Looking to others gives you unrealistic expectations, or an inflated ego, as she had just been reminded. Why bother? Marynia, unable to find a reason, tried her best to ignore the ongoing tests.
She considered talking to the others, but knowing that class was technically still in session she decided against it. It was time for one of Marynia's least favorite activities: leaning on the wall and doing nothing in particular.

Marynia, snapping her goggles on and securing her piloting helmet (all carried in her luggage, of course), felt entirely at home. The claustrophobic interior was as comforting as a nice pillow to her, the enclosed nature of her piloting gear adding to the feeling. She made a note, even with the PATCH already having done all of it automatically, to ensure all the right checks had been made and that everything was nominal.
Hand on the throttle and everything as it should, a thin veneer of ice seeped into Marynia's voice as she spoke over the radio, the earlier attempt at a kind tone gone. "Bezruchko, Stahl 4, ready."