A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  "Just pull your head in ok, we have our interviews today and the last thing we need is you screwing us all up" his assailant said, looking just a little bit pissed off. The other two just ignored what was being said, their grasp of the Gestonian language rudimentary.

  Sain rolled his eyes and stood up, pulling his singlet over his head and looking about for his shirt, a bit surprised it wasn't on the floor where he had left it last night.

  "Yeah, I get it Sabuu. Now, question of the day. Where is my shirt?" he asked no one in particular. Looking about for it, he gasped slightly as something collided with his face and flopped over his head.

  "There it is you moron" Aron managed to say in his heavily accented Gestonian, grinning slightly as Sain groped at the shirt.

  "Now get your ass ready, we have inspection in twenty minutes" stated Sabuu irritably as he set about tidying his own bunk.

  Pulling the shirt off of his head, Sain sighed and yanked it over his body properly. Doing the shirt buttons up slowly, he ignored the other three bustling about getting themselves ready. He quickly surveyed the room, looking for anything that needed to be done. For a start, his bed was messy so he set about straightening it out and making it up.

  He had shared this dorm with the other three men for the past eight months as they had all undergone their basic military training, both physical and magical. There were only another twenty-six in their class, all with magical aptitude and the training had been pretty grueling on the lot of them. Sighing again, Sain joined the rest of his dorm mates in getting ready and cleaning up the place. He really did not want to screw up today.

  All too soon they heard voices in the hall and they all quickly stopped whatever they were doing. The room was tidy, they were presentable and their clothes clean and ironed, and so they all just stood beside their beds and waited patiently.

  Sure enough, Sain saw the handle of the door to their room turn. Sain stood there rigid and at attention with the others, even as Sabuu gave a slight gulp of apprehension and Aron fidgeted with the pocket of his trousers. Sain smiled slightly thinking that this whole thing wasn't that serious. There was nothing much to be nervous about in his opinion. This wasn’t the be all end all after all, and besides, they had all passed their tests.

  But as the door opened and two officers stepped into the room, Sain couldn’t help but feel a small nervous flutter in his stomach. Or maybe that was hunger because he hadn't eaten yet. Looking over the officers in front of him, he recognized one of the sergeant's and Lieutenant's responsible for the class of mages.

  Sergeant Koss just looked at them all, the short stocky man death staring them even as Lieutenant Ravasse looked about the room slowly, inspecting it. Then he gave each of the recruits a quick look up and down. Staring at them all intently, the Lieutenant pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled before speaking.

  "You all look presentable I see. So, you will all go to the administration office hall and take a seat. Once there, there will be no talking. Am I understood?" the officer said in the Samite language, looking at each of them again before continuing.

  "Also, I would like to congratulate each of you for making it to the end of your training. The mage training is not an easy regime. Now be on your way" he continued, turning on his heel and walking out of the room, followed closely by the Sergeant, not even giving the recruits a chance to salute. Sain blinked as he tried to decipher the words, his grasp of the Samite language not being overly fantastic. Getting the gist of it though, Sain looked at the others for a second to see what they would do.

  As no one else seemed inclined to take the lead, Sain shrugged and walked straight out the door, the other three following after a few moments. They all made their way towards the office block in silence, Sain still contemplating which division he wished to apply for, as he hadn't really given it much thought. Though if it came down to a preference, he supposed he would like to apply to an airborne division.

  Before long, Sain exited the dormitory building and looked up, shielding his eyes from the glare of the morning sun. It was around seven in the morning and the sun was still low in the sky, casting an orange glow over the landscape.

  Feeling the heat of the day already setting in, Sain cast his eyes around his immediate vicinity, noting the lack of anything green. The grounds were just dusty dirt areas. In the distance he could see dense jungle, a few hundred meters out from the buildings and the perimeter fences. The main area where the dormitories were located was simply a large open area which was dominated by a parade ground and a single flag pole. The area was flanked on all four sides by low one store buildings.

  To his right, facing the north, Sain saw the main building and he turned towards it, ignoring the shouts and sounds of the newer recruits and their drill Sergeants in the parade ground. Sain felt a poke between his shoulder blades as one of his comrades urged him forward and he grunted in annoyance before starting to make his way towards the main building where the offices were located. When he reached it, Sain wasted no time in vaulting up the steps of the office entrance.

  Pushing open the double doors of the entrance, Sain raised his head and saw another officer standing just inside the lobby. The officer simply held out his hand in the direction the recruits were meant to go. Keeping his expression impassive, Sain went in the specified direction, walking through a doorway into a small hall. As he entered, he looked around, his eyes flitting over rows of seats set up in the hall and the numerous recruits from his training. Not saying anything to them, he walked down one of the rows and took a seat silently, Sabuu coming to sit beside him in silence.

  They waited another fifteen minutes as the rest of the recruit's filed into the hall in small groups, mostly as silent as those already within the hall. When it seemed as though all the recruits from the class had arrived, the classes officers appeared. The Sergeant and Lieutenant appeared first, striding straight to the front of the seated recruits, followed quietly by a third, unfamiliar officer. From the man's attire and ranking stars, Sain surmised he was a captain.

  The trio stood silently in front of the massed recruits for a few moments before the Lieutenant coughed into his hand quietly, clearing his throat somewhat before speaking loudly and clearly.

  "And here we are recruits. Today is the beginning of your career in the SNDF. I hope you have all got an idea of which field you wish to apply for. Keep in mind it is good to have a few options, as there are not empty positions everywhere. If you do not have ab idea, you will be provided with options to choose from. Now, this is Captain Eredine of the Daigon Administration Corps. Captain Eredine will be conducting the interviews and handling your applications. You are to remain seated until your name is called. You will then proceed to the room at the back to be interviewed. And no talking" the Lieutenant stated, his last words rather sharp. He then took a step back and hand control over to the Captain with a gesture of his hand. Captain Eredine nodded and took a step forward his eyes darting around the hall quickly, surveying its occupants.

  "I am Captain Eredine, as I was just introduced. For the rest of the day, I will be your best friend, or your worst enemy should you choose it. I have your test and practice scores. I have a fair idea of what you are capable of from said scores and if I do not think your scores are good enough for a division you wish to apply for, I will tell you. Do not take this the wrong way, you can always apply for a transfer after three years of service. Now, this could take some time, but we have all day, so once I am finished with you, the rest of the day is yours, hopefully I will have your transfer papers come eighteen hundred, it may take up to forty-eight hours for some applications to be processed. Regardless, however long you must wait for your papers, you will be required to stay on base until you receive them, and when you do, you must contact the office administration immediately. They will organize for you to take up your posting" the Captain spoke rather firmly, albeit softly.

  "Now, Private Aron Swiveld, you are first, so please follow me" the Captain stated
and not even waiting to see who Aron was, the Captain turned on the heel of his foot and strode towards the back of the hall followed by the Lieutenant and Aron who was shaking somewhat from nerves. As the trio disappeared into the room, the Sergeant shot a glare at all the recruits before picking up a chair and planting it down directly facing the recruits. With a huff he sat down and seemingly produced a newspaper from thin air which he flicked open and started to read.

  Stuck in uncomfortable silence, the recruits sat, each nervous to some degree. Sain sat still, slouched over his chair, feigning bravado even though his stomach was twisted by nerves. His eyes slowly moved around the hall, just staring at things even as he listened to the gentle tick tock of the clock perched above the sergeant's head on the wall. Eventually his eyes settled on the hands of the clock, watching the minutes tick by. Twenty minutes passed in what seemed like an eternity, and quite suddenly Sain heard the door behind them open, the sound loud and sudden in the halls eerie silence. Turning his head, Sain watched Aron emerge from the room and head out of the hall in a brisk walk, his expression somewhat downcast. The Lieutenant then appeared from the room and called the next name.

  This continued for the next four hours, Sain getting frustrated as it became evident to him that he was the last on the list. He simmered quietly, his thoughts wandering from his lack of activity. His mind drifted to his most recent memories, namely his life ever since coming to the Union. Very little had changed, but he felt he had matured incredibly quickly, almost as though he had caught up to his lost years. Even so, he had a niggling feeling, one that he could not identify. It sort of just felt like he was missing something. Something important that he should have experienced growing up.

  Hearing the door to the office open, Sain jolted out of his reverie, the sound rather stark in the near empty hall. Looking around, Sain blinked somewhat tiredly, realizing that he was now the last person in the hall. Well, except for the Sergeant who was still reading his newspaper even though he had probably finished it hours ago. Turning his gaze to the office door, Sain watched the previous recruit exit, followed shortly after by the Lieutenant who cast his gaze on the final youth.

  "Private Belford" he said tiredly, lifting a hand to beckon to Sain.

  Grimacing slightly, Sain rose to his feet and gingerly stretched his legs out, grimacing as they gave a satisfying crack. He looked up and started walking stiffly towards the room and upon reaching the door he saw it was being held open for him by the Lieutenant. Sain entered the room, the Lieutenant stepping in behind him and pulling the door closed behind him.

  "Have a seat Private Belford" the Lieutenant stated before taking a seat for himself positioned in the corner near the door.

  Sain sat down upon the only other chair in the room, which was placed before a desk, behind which the Captain was seated. Upon the desk were a number of objects. A computer took up most of the space whilst a stack of files, papers, and a collection of empty coffee mugs adorned the rest of the space in a cluttered mess. The Captain looked up and reached over the desk, offering his hand to Sain.

  "I apologize about the wait Private Belford. Not much one can do about paperwork I'm afraid" he stated, smiling somewhat tiredly. After Sain shook his hand respectfully, the Captain relaxed back into his chair, setting it creaking in protest.

  "Would you like a drink? We have tea and coffee" the Captain asked turning slightly and gesturing behind him. There was a small table set up with a jug, a water cooler, a few cartons of long-life milk and a myriad of essentials for tea and coffee.

  "Ah, some water would be appreciated" Sain replied, a lilt to his voice betraying his nervousness. The Captain showed no reaction as he stood up and grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water, the noise of the cooler the only sound in the room.

  The Captain returned, placing the cup down on a free part of the desk in front of Sain before taking his seat. Pulling a file from the top of the stack of folders and placing it before him, the Captain flipped it open and started reading it as Sain picked up the water and sipped, his eyes flicking over the Captains features curiously.

  The captain was perhaps in his early forties, and quite heavily balding. He was sturdily built and had a brownish skin color, suggesting that he may have been of mixed blood.

  "Private Belford, the reason you were left till last is because you happen to be a special case, of which I do not think you are aware" the Captain stated quite suddenly as he flipped through the pages of the file slowly, tapping a finger occasionally on a section of a document. The man looked up suddenly, his eyes locked on Sain's own.

  Sain met the gaze of the Captain somewhat uneasily, his mind whirring into action as he tried to decipher the man’s words. Was it just a language barrier, and was he just mixing up word’s. But if he had understood correctly, the why was he a special case? Perhaps that was why he had been treated differently to the other recruits. He had thought being a Gestonian refugee had made many suspicious of him, resulting in harsher treatment from the officers during his time here.

  "What do you mean, Sir. I think I misheard. Did you say I am a special case? I am sorry but I don’t speak Samite incredibly well." Sain asked, as politely as he could, trying not to sound as nervous as he actually felt.

  Captain Eredine closed the file and leant back in his chair once again, placing his left elbow upon one of the armrests whilst casually scratching his chin with his right hand. He looked sharply at Sain a moment before offering the youth a disconcerting smile.

  "Yes Private. I did say that. To speed things up I will speak Gestonian. I have no desire to confuse you” the Captain stated and chuckled as relief washed over Sain’s face.

  “So to expand a bit, I will explain why you are a special case. Private, the vast majority of recruits get to choose their postings. To some degree anyway. Some recruits get requested by divisions, due to connections or relatives in the armed forces, something like that. But even then, they have the option to refuse these positions should they choose to do so. You however, are not being requested into a division. Rather you are being conscripted into one. In all my years as an administration officer there has only been two other cases such as yours. And unlike those of different situations, you have no right of refusal, unless you wish to end up discharged and jailed. Or worse" the Captain said, enlightening Sain whilst a tight-lipped smile crept across his face. Again, he leaned back into the chair, setting it creaking.

  Sain stared at the Captain dumbly for a few seconds as the words registered in his mind. He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts.

  "Well, who is conscripting me then, I don't know anyone who would do that, uh Sir" he asked, his voice quivering slightly on the first word and evening out as he continued to speak, his nervousness and shock getting the better of him for the moment.

  The Captain chuckled lowly before leaning in and picking up the file once more, placing it on top of a second pile on the desk as he seemed to be thinking on what to say next.

  "You have been conscripted into the Magi Infiltration Forces under the jurisdiction of Fleet Commander Sembak Fuldhouser of the twelfth battle fleet. It is to my understanding that you were under his patronage when you first came to this country. Regardless, he has conscripted you and that man nearly always gets what he wants. Also, he wants you on his base as soon as possible. Personally, I don’t believe you attained high enough marks for this, but as I said, the Commander usually gets what he wants" the Captain said, filling Sain in on the situation. He stayed silent a few moments, looking at Sain as the information sunk in. With Sain staying silent, the Captain continued.

  "The Commander has sent a car from his base to pick you up, it should be here within the hour, so you are to retrieve your gear from the barracks dorms and head straight to gate house two. Say any goodbyes to the other recruits if you wish, but I'll let you know, the Fleet Commander does not like to be kept waiting. And with that, you are dismissed. Good luck Private Belford. I think you may need it" the Captain s
aid rather brusquely, dismissing Sain even as he stood up, a hand outstretched for the youth to shake.

  Blinking in mild confusion, his mind a whirl with information, Sain rose from his seat and politely shook the officer's hand. He turned away then and moved towards the exit of the small office, stepping past the Lieutenant who held the door open for him without a word, a look of pity on his face. Sain shook his head as he stepped out of the office and into the hall, feeling the temperature drop. The cooler air finally seemed to jolt the youth out of his distracted state and he looked up at the halls roof, sucking in a deep breath and composing himself.

  After a few moments, Sain straightened his posture and realizing he still had the cup of water in his hand, he felt a surge of embarrassment and quickly downed the rest of the water. Scrunching up the cup, Sain made his way out of the hall, depositing the cup in a bin just inside the entrance on his way out. He didn’t even stop to talk to a few of the other recruits waiting in the lobby of the administration office, instead bounding quickly out of the building and down the stairs.

  Not hesitating in his movement, Sain crossed the parade ground with a brisk step, his eyes darting around the place, his gaze latching onto specific points that raised memories from his training. He smiled grimly, realizing he wouldn’t actually miss this place. There had been times he thought he would snap and simply punch someone. Usually an officer. At other times there had been instances he thought he would pass out and die. Especially during some of his training bouts in magic. Those were brutal.