Chapter 1: Untrained & Untested
Vice's POV
Today, the general would like to have a word with me. All I know it is very important, and he did not go into details with me, wishing to speak with me in person. I don't blame him since what we will discuss will stay confidential and the general would only do this if it's necessary.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to his office to see the general waiting for me. He is watching a group of soldiers practicing their drills and routine. I have experience with training recruits, and they turn out into fine soldiers on the field, and they know what I will expect from them.
"Captain Vice, sit." the general motion to me a chair.
"You wished to speak with me, sir?" I asked.
"Yes, I called you here to discuss your training experiences." General stated. "I know you push the recruits to be at their best and drilled into fighting shape."
"That I do, sir. I do desire for them to be the best in what they do and I don't play favorites." I've made sure they will be no room for failure.
"Then are you familiar with Loser Squad, Captain?" My eyes widens at the mention of them.
"Sir, with all due respect, I heard they are the worst of the squads in the military." I shook my head in horror upon thinking about them. "They excel in certain areas, but they are worst in others and they not to mention they don't work well together." I was wondering why he would bring it up.
"That is why I called you here, Captain. Most people would give up on them saying that they don't have any potential, and they are a waste of talent." The General sits down to ponder on what he will say next. "Then I have thought about you and your reputation of not settling for less, and you have the capability of training these washouts."
"Sir! Are you asking me to train these people?" I protested on the idea. "I know one of them, Sirena. She has the willingness to work harder than the other members of her team. But the rest of them, I don't see any hope in any of them."
"I would not ask you if I didn't have any confidence that you can training these recruits into soldiers." he reasoned. "I know full well that you would not tolerate their behavior and can whip them into fighting shape."
The general hands me their files.
"Here the information about your charges under your command." as I took the files into my hand.
"Is there anything else, sir, before I take my leave?" I asked.
"That is all, Captain. Dismissed!" I salute as I took my leave.
The Squad themselves
Reading their files gave me an idea of the charges that I will train under my command. I thought to myself: Why have me train these failures when you can have someone else do so. Taking a deep breath, I've reminded myself that I cannot rely on my training methods as one size fits all.
I must go over on these soldiers under my command:
Todd Foxmensky- Excels, in Marksmanship, has Excellent Leadership skills which he can inspire those under his command. However, he has poor logistics and strategy skills. Note to self: He has a short temper and let his emotions get to him, is reckless on missions and sleeps with men and women even while on a mission.
Ronald Tonbente- Excels in Logistics, Strategy and Marksmanship. He has skills in Navigational, Science and Mechanics. Has poor skills in leadership since those that work with him find him unbearable. Note to self: He acts like he is the smartest man in the room, he hates getting his hands dirty and has a big ego.
The Men of Kai Emaroldo- He does excellent in Logistics, but he is poor in everything else. He also had a Criminal Record- Assault, Battery, Resisting Arrest, Theft, Carry Contraband. Note to self: He doesn't respect the chain of command and got put in the slammers for 4 times.
Sirena Savaveryt- She is average in everything, she is not great in any area, but she is not poor in any area. Note to self: She has little confidence in herself, but she has the highest work ethic among her teammates.
Hmm… It looks like that I will have my work cut out for me.
Meeting the Squad
"So, this is the Squad #7430 aka Loser Squad." I looked at the squad in front of me. "Right now, I do not see soldiers in front of me" I turned to them.
The squad immediately salutes except for Kai, who only crossed his arms, which his behavior doesn't faze me.
"At ease!" they put their hands down.
I walked toward Foxmensky, looking up and down at his revolvers. I read his file that he's known to refuse the use of rifles; he feels it slows him down.
"Private Foxmensky!" I spoke to get his attention.
"Sir!" he salutes.
"I have read up on your file and your reputation, Soldier. Knowing well that you bring the best in people and shown that you are a born leader." As I stated what I know about him.
"Thank you, Sir!" I didn't do this to compliment him and I had more to say about him.
"But, I know you have a short fuse, Foxmensky. You can lead men through a firefight, but when it comes down to strategy or logistics, you will be dooming your men on poor decisions." I spoke based on his past training, exercises and experience.
"You know nothing about me!" he spoke in anger while forcing himself to calm down. "You don't know me, Sir!"
"You need to learn how to discipline your mind and temper, Foxmensky!" I walked in front of him. "When you are the leader of a team, you must learn to think it through and keep a cool head. If you let your emotions get the better of you, you will make decisions that can endanger your unit." I turned to Ronald and moved toward him.
"Sir! It is a pleasure to meet with, sire!" He smiled at me as I got near him.
"The honor is mine, Private Tonbente! I am well aware of your reputation-"
"Of being the smartest of all the soldiers in this dirty hole who knows Mechanical, Scientific and knowing the towns and regions in the area…" I frowned at him on him talking about how great he is.
"And an asshole to boot, Private." I didn't mince words with him.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" he became dejected.
"I don't doubt your knowledge, marksmanship or your 'Smarts', I question on how you can work with your 'Inferiors', private."
"Sir, I can think of several plans on the fly and I can lead men with my intellect-"
"You? Your ass can't even lead a paper bag and sure as hell ain't going to follow ya." Kai interrupts him.
"Oh! And you think you're the better choice?" he asked sarcastically.
"I trust Todd. I just don't trust your ass, you pussy."
"Enough! Both of you!" I shouted to interrupt them. "However, Private Emaroldo have a point. You are not giving them any reason to trust or follow you as a leader. You can be a smart man but a terrible leader to follow."
Walking over to private Emaroldo, he has the posture of a juvenile punk that have no respect for the proper chain of command. Still, he is no stranger in dangerous situations.
"Private Emaroldo!" I stood before him.
"Sup!" spoke nonchalantly.
"Sir! Not 'Sup!' " I correct on his wording. "That is the wrong attitude to have, Private!"
"You ain't my father! And sure as hell that you ain't the boss of me." he warns me.
"Your right I am not your father!" I agreed with him. "I am your superior that is going to whip you into fighting shape, and you will start picking up, Private. You're putting up that tough guy act will not help build trust in your team, and you can only do so much by yourself."
"Man, whatever!" Kai reacted indifferently to what I said in the manner.
"Then tell me why you have low scores on every subject since you think you have everything under control, Private?" I got straight to my point.
"Nah, man. Just like getting close and personal, and I don't like guns or working in a group." he looks at me in the eyes. "I don't like authorities who think they are the hot stuff or telling me how to run my life."
"Is that why you pick fights, Private Emaroldo?" I get into his face. "Here, we respect the chain of command. You listen and follow orders. And you will work as a unit, you will watch their backs, and they will watch yours. You are not a one-man badass who thinks he can solve problems by himself, you have teammates can complement the skills that you don't have, and they will bring out the best in you."
Kai chooses not to say anything.
"Private, these are your new teammates. They are the people you will eat and sleep with. These are the soldiers that they you will fight with -"
"You mean I have to fight with the egghead with a gigantic ego and talking about being the smartest man in the room?" Kai stated with contempt.
"Yes, Private. He can even save your ungrateful butt if given the opportunity." I pointed to Ronald.
Moving on to Sirena who is unsure of her potential, but I know she has good ethic befitting of a good soldier. When I got near her, she got into her stance and salute; I did the same to respect her as an equal.
"Sir! It is nice to meet you. Uh…" She seems unsure to say.
"Private Savaveryt! I know you are seeking to join the Hunter squad because of their devotion to helping the lives of others in the wastelands." Sirena nods her head. "You have average scores among your team, but your dedication to your craft and work ethic is undeniable. However, the higher ups decided to place you in this unit with the others in order to motivate to be at your best."
"Sir! I can prove myself that I can hang with the best." I stopped her right there.
"Do not misunderstand me, Private. It is not my choice that you are in this unit. They felt your squad is the worst group among in the military." I shook my head at the way they formed this unit.
"To be truthful with you, Privates." I turned to face them. "You all are not ranger material, I would simply state you should all pack your bags and go home."
Much to the surprise of the squad they were arguing among themselves about my statement they should leave the military. Then I noticed they look at Todd, who speaks on their behalf, who took a step forward.
"Sir! With due respect, we don't have anywhere else to go, and we joined the military because we see it as the right thing to do. I admit we don't have the best scores on the exams and people think we are the worse in the military. We will shape up and prove to you we can be the best." He reasoned.
"You can try, Private Foxmensky! It won't be enough to cut it." Then now Ronald step to explain his reasons.
"You can teach us how to be better leaders! Have us learn demolition, strategy & logistics, sharpen our skills with marksmanship, not to mention navigational skills as well. We can improve immensely by 75.5%" he stated, which I got a laugh out of that.
"And how long have you been training, Private Tonbente?" I wanted to know how long he trained.
"4 years, sir. But I don't -" I raised my hand.
"I do, but I still not convinced that you all will make the cut of being soldiers."
"Then why the fuck you are here?!" Kai shouted "Our asses are on the line, our superiors have little faith in us, and we are trying to improve ourselves. If you didn't want to train us, then you should have simply not bothered instead of meeting with us!"
I stood motionless; Kai's outburst surprised me on the matter. For someone who lacks discipline and for technically untested by fire, he showed passion. Still…
"Your right, Private!" I said with no hesitation. "All of you, start looking for other careers. Your Military career is officially over! Dismissed!"
As I turned to walk away, someone grabbed me on the shoulder… It was Private Sirena.
"Sir, please! Give us a chance to prove ourselves by any means necessary." she pleaded with me not to have them consider resigning from the military. "Give us 1 week to prove to you we can be soldiers. If we meet expectations, they'll reconsider our place here with the rangers, and if we don't…" She trails off, but she is showing the fire in her eyes that tells me she is serious on being a ranger. "Then we'll resign from the military, but at least you see can if we are ranger material."
She… pleading for me to consider give these washouts another chance. I do not know if they would really cut it, and I may suggest they will give up before the week ends. Then again, I want the chance to see if I can make anything out of them.
"Fine!" I looked at the squad. "Privates, I will train you all starting first thing in the morning. Through drills. WE WILL EDUCATE YOU IN THE WAYS OF WAR. WE WILL SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS AS SOLDIERS. YOU GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD, SWEAT AND YOUR TEARS!" I shouted so they understand what is at stake.
"IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE IT, THEN WALK OUT! IF YOU GET YOUR BONES BROKEN, YOU ARE OUT. IF YOU BACKTALK TO ME AND CAN'T BACK IT UP, YOU'RE OUT!" I shouted louder.
"Sir!" They said in unison.
"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, LOSERS! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO SHAPE UP AND BE THE SOLDIERS THAT YOU ARE. NOT TOMORROW, NOT NEXT WEEK OR MONTH! NOW! BE THE BEST THAT YOU ARE!" I pointed to private Sirena "YOU SHOULD THANK THE PRIVATE WHO ENCOURAGE ME TO GIVE YOU ALL A CHANCE AND YOU ALL WILL GET ONE TRY FROM ME AND THAT IS IT!"
"Sir!" They shouted in unison.
"ONE CHANCE… YOU GET ONE MORE CHANCE, IS THAT CLEAR?!" I shouted louder to the squad.
"YES, SIR!" they shouted.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" I wanted them to repeat it.
"SIR YES, SIR!"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" I wanted to hear it again.
"SIR YES, SIR!"
"YOU AIN'T CONVINCING ME YOU WANT THIS BAD ENOUGH! ARE YOU-"
"SIR, YES FUCKING SIR! We'll make the best of this, Sir!" To my surprise, Kai spoke up. I walked over in front of him.
"YOU WILL, HUH?" I shouted in front of him.
"I WILL SIR!" Todd stood behind him and salute.
"ME, TOO… SIR!" Ronald stands with him as well
"I'm... I'M IN THIS TOO, SIR!" Sirena stands along with her teammates.
"Then I want you all to be here in my tent by 6am. Don't be late, or you're finished! Dismissed!" I warned then as I dismissed them for tommorow's training.