Training Rooms

"Don't draw attention to yourself, you said. No one will notice you, you said. Fat chance of that. I have the bloody general breathing down my neck!"He thought worriedly. Titan breathed in quietly, then hardened himself. Well, if he had already noticed him, might as well go all the way. He saluted the general, and then handed the flag towards him.

"Respectfully sir, that's wrong. I was standing with all the other recruits until that guy," He cocked a thumb over at Marcos. "...figured out how to do it. The only thing I did was land. He's the one that threw me; and I'll be damned if I just ride along like some sissy - no offense intended, sir."

"Fantastic, now you've also insulted the general as well. Why not just tell him you're planning on deserting, while you're at it?"

Titan drew himself back into a salute, as he waited for the general's reply. He swore, everything at this camp was designed to test him. He still wasn't sure if he had passed any of the tests, really. But he might as well keep on trying. If only the bloody Zabrak hadn't chosen him, of all people. Still, the look on the Knight's faces was probably worth every spot of trouble, and it was kinda fun. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe with more warning next time.

Well this was a surprise most people would have jumped at the opportunity for the easy route. In his peripherals the droid could see the bewildered looks of the other recruits who thought he wasnt watching. He was silent for a moment before taking the flag from Titan. Well then, if you do not want to be a sissy like me then by all means feel free to run with the others. Both of you did well, and I do not even need to ask LE-9615 I know he wants to run with you. Good job now carry on the morning is wasting!

Titan had started running with the rest of the group, and soon was running low on breath. Damn, how could everyone else just outpace him like that? He pushed himself harder still, and kept on running. A few minutes into the run, the Zabrak Giant, the one who had tossed him like a spear towards the flag, had settled in beside him. A few moments after that, the man had actually introduced himself. Well, apparently Titan had made an impression on the man.

Strange, the man had not only memorized his troop number (something all troops were supposed to do, but few actually did), but introduced himself by it. Titan debated filing him under "Patriot", or possibly "Needs a Hobby". From even that little phrase, that introduction, the shorter man was already making assumptions about his personality. He was huge, and incredibly muscled, but carried himself without the aura of arrogance others of his size sometimes carried. Which either meant he had always been such a behemoth compared to everyone else, or he considered his body simply a tool of his mind - not something to be polished and refined, but something to be made efficient, useful, and deadly. Titan suspected a combination of both. He had thrown Titan, and then rejected the ride home for himself, which furthermore suggested a sense of fair play. A weakness he could exploit, if he ever needed to use him.

Titan blinked, then stored that informative guesswork away for later. For now, he could gather more information, and attempt to salvage the absolute mess he had made of his situation. Playing it off as a friendly competition between budding friends could be a way to reduce the notice put on his behavior. It wasn't perfect, but it was a step. The man smiled, then turned his head slightly to respond to the Zabrak. Friendly mode engaged.

Could ask the same of you. Besides, I'll be damned if I miss out on my morning jog because of some boring flag.

Another smile. It didn't feel like it reached his eyes, but then again, his smiles never did.

You could, but I'd prefer you call me Titan. AE something or another, I think.

He really should get around to memorizing that number. It was useful for a variety of things, things Titan couldn't really think of right now. He was sure they existed. Somewhere.

 The jog neared the base of the hill, and some of the recruits were starting to slow down. Bad move. If they fell behind, the whole unit would be punished. Last time someone had done that, they had ended up running the same distance twice over, with full gear, and packs filled with stones. Needless to say, very few of them were willing to suffer that again. Some of the cadets who had fallen near the back started yelling and scowling at the cadets who started to fall behind, joined in by certain cadets all around. It was mostly name calling, with a few encouragements from the more soft-hearted cadets, but the end result was the same. They were pushed, coddled, and bullied back into formation, and given a healthy dose of motivation to keep moving with the rest of the unit. They were close the end by now, Titan could feel it. Or hope it. Either way, they had to be close by now, right?

Back to the man beside him, Titan realized that this conversation had become rather one-sided, and figured he'd ask his own question. Something that would, ideally, make him think Titan was a caring, concerned individual, who considered his friends to be important to him. He could be important to him, as a tool at least, but to be perfectly honest, Titan could give a rat's ass where he came from, unless it gave some clues as to why he was here.

"You have to empathize with your target, learn why he cares about his wife, his children, his pet. Learn what makes him wake-up each morning. Once you see things from the same viewpoint as the target, you can see what he'd do next."

The voice in his head quoted another lecture to him, and he recalled a loud bang, followed by a dull pain in his chest. His finger twitched, and he barely managed to control himself from doing anything more obvious than that. That memory, or fragment of it, had been more intense than the others before it. He could smell the gunpowder, feel the recoil as he pulled the trigger. Which brought more questions than answers. What had he done?

He shook his head. Not the time. Not the place. For now, he had the Giant to talk to. Remember the question. He'd figure it out later.

So, what made you join up?

The best lies stayed closest to the truth. Titan could tell that the man wasn't saying something, but whether it was important, or simply too personal for a stranger, he couldn't tell. Still, he could safely mark him off the list of "Patriot", and slide him under "Needs a Hobby". Well, he could retort the same way. Either playing it as an orphan who needed work, or a homeless kid who needed a place to sleep. Easier to do the second one, would be a bit easier to explain Titan's lack of social graces. Damn, his lungs were on fire! The only thing at this point that kept him going was his competitiveness, and how much face he would lose after telling the General off like that. So the legs kept pumping, as the continued towards the next phase. He wasn't the only one, as a couple of the other cadets, the ones who had been too enthusiastic about running to the pole, were also breathing pretty heavily, and started to slow down. At least, go as slow as their fellow cadets would let them.


Was either this or the streets. Figured I'd make a difference, you know?

Titan smiled again, confident in his choice of words. He had added that touch of naivety into his voice, just enough to explain why he threw himself into his training as hard as he did. To anyone looking in, he was simply a hot-blooded youth, serving the country, and rising off the streets. Inspiring enough that most wouldn't poke too deep into it, would stop themselves by giving him a bit of pity. Not that he cared for it, but it could serve it's purpose every once in a while.

Surprisingly, Titan found himself a bit...angered. It was weird. He shouldn't be letting his emotions distract him, but for some reason, this man's words had annoyed him. More than annoyed, he was angry. It was stupid. LE-9615 was right, was absolutely and completely right, and he knew it. He knew it, damn it! But something about it irked him, made him almost break out of his smile. Almost. Still, what was most distressing is how awkward this anger felt to Titan, how completely different to his other emotions it felt like. He couldn't remember getting angry before, but it was....different. Natural, but not at the same time. Still, like his other emotions, he calmly examined it, analyzed what it made him feel like, what it did to his body.

It felt like his mind was a bit cloudy, but his body was energized, his breath came easier. It was something similar to adrenaline during a fight, but less potent. Then again, he didn't need to steady his hands like this, they worked to his desire. It was difficult to explain, like a weight lifted, yet he was pressing against some burden. Different, was the only word he could use to describe it. He pushed that emotion aside as he focused on the task at hand. His smile twitched just a tad, but that could easily have been from the run itself.

The man was proposing an alliance of convenience - which he would obviously accept to save face - but would he actually work towards it? Was the man a significant enough asset to devote that amount of time towards? Titan reviewed the information he had about the man as the run continued, his breathing slowing a little. He was ambitious, and had the talent to realize his ambitions. He obviously had no special love for any specific nation, as evidenced by his carefree attitude towards joining up with the Imperial Army, which meant his loyalty was probably towards himself at this point, and possibly some individuals, though the fight with his father probably ruled out close family members. Most likely, he would be loyal to whatever faction gave him the greatest sense of fulfillment, and follow his own personal conscience. Which meant that his personal duty would weigh more to him than his sense of nationalistic pride, assuming he was correct. To this man, friends would come first, and Titan could exploit this. He had the raw talent, the charisma, and the initiative to propel him quickly towards his goals, based on what little he had seen so far, so it was most probably in Titan's best interests to accept this deal, if only thinking of future favors.

The run rounded another corner, as they approached a large, warehouse-sized building. Several of the recruits were breathing incredibly heavy now, and slowing down despite the work of the slightly less exhausted cadets in front of them. The Knights even were beginning to sweat, a fact that gave Titan some measure of satisfaction. He breathed in deeply, then chose his words carefully.

We watch each other's backs. But when you're Supreme Emperor, you had best remember your old buddy Titan.

Titan gave a wink and a smile at that joke, though he had a half-serious tone. May as well plant the thought in his head now, so that he feels obligated in the future. Titan had no plans to ascend the ranks, but someone who did would always be useful.

The river was fast approaching as the recruits sprinted the last bit, and Titan readied himself for the cold, rushing water. The first ranks hit the water at full speed, and within a few seconds some were already tripping and falling, which impeded the ranks behind them. It was like a domino effect. The front ranks fell down, and that impeded the ranks behind them, which slowed the ranks behind them, making the entire thing much more treacherous. Any of the cadets that stopped to help the others had to deal with two streams, form the water and the other cadets as they tried to get past, and tripping abounded.

Titan noticed the giant slowing to match his pace, and decided to stick closer to the man. At the very least, LE-9615 could break the current for him. The current was strong, and it seemed that the sand was just that, with no pebbles, stones, or anything at all to provide traction. Under normal circumstances, with a small group of people going at average speed, this would be easy, but the numbers alone here are what made this difficult. They were dealing with a large group of quick-moving, tired soldiers, on the last leg of the journey. They just wanted to get it done with, and the instructors on the other side were just exasperating the situation with the canteens, taunting the soldiers. Still, people were making it, albeit slowly.

Can do. Stick close and we'll be fine.

As Titan approached the water, he pressed close to LE-9615, both to support the giant in case he started to fall, and to reduce the chance of the current catching Titan and sending him slipping. To this end, the Zabrak was on the current's side, and the thinner Titan was just beside him, the current mostly broken by the large man. Titan leaned against him as they walked, using his strength to bolster his footing, and the pair slowly made their way across the water. The other cadets were starting to organize themselves as the duo did this, and soon the entire group had some semblance of order, leading to a much more efficient way past.