Iugales

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."

-Helen Keller

In engineering class i learn to control my nanoweap skills, testing durability speed to convert and duration. In honing senses we are training to use nanites senses rather using human senses, nanites detects heats colds, frequencies, movements and vibrations. In fast tactical response we was given problems to answers, but later for tactical a field trip will be put into one month of the sessions, i reckon it will be a survival rather than tactical. It's been 5 weeks of endless trainings, this was the last week of progressing for the three basic development. Next week we will be going for the Ritmic Jungle south west of the Valorem, under the hegemony of the military base of bent hills. The Ritmic jungle is a wild life reservation that being used to home grown some of the military slave animals. The subject of animal mutations was told a week ago, a clone is weaker in strains than the naturally born one. That is why Fang is big, he is a unique mutation a beast. The nanites will evolve by maximizing the evolutionary chain. According to measurements fang has grown to almost 5 by 6 feet, he is a giant. I can't let him to sleep in the bed with me, it was a single size and he just taken so much space on it.

After training, all fifteen of us, the new students were told to come to the home class room. Ms.Rose will be instructing a multiple test, it was part of the final assessment to go to the field trip. On her side there were fifteen box of package, one by one she distributes the package as we sit on our desk. According to the guide handed to us in the monocle via direct link, we should prick our finger to tagged the package activation. After 1 minutes of blinking the box opened with hissing sounds. A orb in a size of a palm, with a controller to be placed in the temple connected with the monocle small box on the temple, it was an extended transceivers. The orb started to fly, the control instructions was embed to the controller transceivers box, since it uses a DNA marker the connection is neurally formed, it like having an eyes in the air. The orb will be used as a homing device on the account that we need help or scouting, the durability of the orb is limited for only a couple of hours. On that same box package there is a color marker, the system has assessed our compatibility and divided us into 3 groups.

My groups have 3 combatant, 1 engineer and 1 support. While the other team is consisted of 2 combatant, 2 engineer and 1 support. Out team is Alpha team, 2 team as Betta and Gamma.

Engineer Cassidy, Combatant Dean, Grey and Shawn, Support Jean. "The Alpha team" Ms.Rose forming the team into 3 groups. "In this week you are should trains in groups on the simulations! The initial grounds of the jungle simulations will be opened for your team, if you should shorts of crews, you can't logon into the routines, it takes a minimal number of five to participate in the show! You are now dismissed!" Ms.Rose leaves the room. The room is now buzzing with talks.

Jean is a beautiful girl with black hair and athletic body, very strict and independent, she was 100% my type. Dean is bulky brown hair with power muscle he was the physical damage dealer of the pack. Grey is tall blonde hair, agile, aggressive and fast. Shawn black hair a silent type a bit quiet but in training he is the most realiable to backed any stunts you pulled in a fights, he knows where to go and reads moves what you will do. "You are the only engineer, you should be the leader" Jean speaks with me. "You are alone too! why should i be?" Half declined the offer. "She can't cover our ass and in command at the same time in command right?" Dean is commenting a point in a real fights. Grey and Shawn nods, Jean smiles "Your time Cass! Be our leader oh great commander" she is taunting me.

"Please be gentle with me guys" i said it.

Dean hit my back, grey pat my shoulder, while Shawn handing me the groups digital forms through my monocle. I filled in the forms and submitted the booked jungle simulations, we will meet in the simulations on bed time. The groups record is permanently recorded in our students history details.

Alpha Team #3862

Leader: Cassidy Reed [Eng]

Dean Smalls [Com]

Grey Figgs [Com]

Shawn Collins [Com]

Jean Lee [Sup]

The jungle simulation is like a survival training and when we are there the difficult level will be random by the Valorem main system. We will be there for 6 hours a day, with a week of leased time, that means when we logged off our positions and status will be preserved until the next time we logged on.

It was 22.00 hours the system warning notice rang, reminding me that i have one hours to get ready before engaging the jungle simulations. I use this time to read the information about the jungle details and double checking my equipment's, it was a close simulation which will locked you out of the system for 6 hours in 7 days, that means you are cuts off from the system for 42 hours. The system is announcing my party to logon the simulation system.

"Engaging simulation on 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Jungle close simulation engage, five member linked successfully! Entering realms… connected!" And the five of us is standing in the edge of a forest, with our slave on the sides and fully equip. Dean's slave animal was a Pit bull, Grey's was a Bob Cat, Shawn's was a Black Cat, seems it was his house pets a natural born. The cat is quite big for a house pets. Jean's slave was a grizzly bear, i bet she came from a military family, since bear is one of the military exclusive slaves.

"Shall we?" Pointing at the forest, "Dean point, Grey rear, Shawn and Me will scouts, Jean! You are the prettiest here! So please cover our ass!" She smirks and give a middle finger to me.

Everybody smiles except for Shawn.

"Let's go to our first sleep over party then!" Jean smiling.

We move inside the forest in line, in unison.

The simulation rules is on this jungle every participant is given a healthy point, health point can be depleted because of injury or activity as walking, swimming, etc. Health point can be attain by foraging for food or restore nominally low by resting. By resting is a waste of time in training simulation the second option was foraging, and that was the best way to attain health point. After sweeping the area on the forest, Fang found a beehive, honey is a high grade HP restorative items. We talk and come out with a plan, Jean will do an initial attack using a light wave then she will run towards the small swamp near the area, since bee can't get near water. The combatant will take the honey as fast as possible, i will scouts and provide covers with a smoke grenade.

We do as planned, up until the time the combatant start to fill in the storage with chunks of honeys. Fang told me Jean is in danger. I pull the smoke bomb pin, and throw it at the bees then signal a retreat to Jean coordinates, only to find Jean is feet to toe with this giant Anaconda about 15 feet long with a head-size of a 50" TV screen. The combatants quickly take over the fights, Dean slip in front of the snake, Grey from the side, and Shawn flanking the snake. Leaning forward Dean try to stick his sword to the snake, when the snake found out that Shawn tip toeing, and sweep him with the tails. Shawn is swept up flying to the nearest tree lines, Jean blasting the snake's trying to prevent it from coming after Shawn. I quickly sent Fang to check on Shawn. Dean is know piercing the side body of the snake trying to give Grey a crack in the snake's defenses. Jean is blasting a wave as her bear provided cover for her. Using a spear Grey find an opportunity, he stick the spear with a stabbing sound 'zup!' lunging to the snake right eyes, taking it out. The snake is in pain and move wildly, swiftly Grey let the spear go from his hand. The spear lost its form and drops to the ground as a ball of round nites that is now rolling towards him with a homing function. When i check Shawn is fairly OK, although his HP has drop 25% because of the fatal hits.

He got up and join the fights, the snake is now furiously attacking at the right sides. Totally unaware Shawn approaching it from the left blindside, climbing a tree then leaping landing on the head of the snake. He stab the snake right on its brain, sending also an electrical charges. The snakes stunned the attacked seems to fried it's brain cells, then collapsed to the nearest ground, after that a video of how to harvest a snake played in the monocle. The five of us watch with extreme focus. The first is using this tools called a culler, it was a device to cull the zero nites of the snake, with this size 4 vials is the maximum can be culled. The quality of zero nites come in variable of low, mid and high grade, it depends on your luck and the maturity of the animals. The snakes skin, snakes meat, usually venom of a snake also can be harvest, since anaconda is not venomous we can't gathers any poisons. The snake body gone after the short clip, the harvesting is considered happened by simulation system. After that we setup camp feasting over snake meats and drinking honey tea. After a we restore our HP, a sudden sound makes Fang alerted, i sense something is approaching fast.

"Everybody on their feet!" I screamed.

From the left side of the bush a big animal came to the fire and put it out. Then it's gone with a huff and puff sound grunting. It was a Rhino, we gather our things and went out hunting that blasted rhino. It takes two hours to subdue that blasted animal. Fang and the Pit bull got injured by that rhino, after eating the meat they restore the HP too. We decided not too light a fire since it would do us harm, and expose our position. After taking a position upon a tree we are preparing to logout the simulator. On the field area at day time is the orb training, the air space of that entire area is filled with orbs. After the development class Ms.Rose asked us to gather in the home class room. She gives us an evaluation, our team is the highest since we have 6 full vials from the culling. Other teams got 5 and 4 vials, and to announce on the last day, the simulation will be given a join tasked mission. Three team will gathered on the same spot.

That night when we logged in, there are a pack of wolves waiting us to come down, a good thing for us to climbed the tree before logging off, otherwise we risking getting a preemptive attack. Using the neural link we strategize a plan, i throw the flash bang. While the wolves distracted Grey swiftly killed a couple of the wolves. Shawn take out one the nearest from his tree. Blasting wave Jean will distract the other couple and Dean and me will take out both without resistance. The plan succeeded, we got 10 vials of zero nites. For today jungle simulation we learn about preservation rules. For example, we can't kill an avian with a nest, how every we can gathers the eggs on a 40% ratio harvest, that means from 3 eggs on the nest we can take 1 of them to be taken as a harvest. Avian eggs such as golden eagle or giant owls are expensive in the market. It's highly demanded, or even get auctioned in high opening bid. Avian slave embedding is easy as soon as the egg hatched the nanites will be injected to the newly hatched. Most of the avian slaves are usually natural born. Clone slaves will not mutated, since their DNA will be locked to a specify growth.

The routines pretty much the same for five days, our teams became solid for everyday trainings. On the last day we are dropped in a ravine there are high cliff on both side of the ravine, fifteen of us waiting. But my team is always vigilance, since over the past five days there is no rest without something lurking beyond the nearest tree lines.

Suddenly Fang alerted me to run, direct message broadcast "RUN!"

The other two team just in silence looking at each other, as my team picked up the wind and blasted away without asking to the direction Fang instructed. About a 100 meters away between us then their companion also start to runs toward us.

A STAMPEDE!!

"Serves you right dumb ass!" Dean mocking the other teams. Yes we are the number one team for a cause, the chemistry and the unison on my team is proven again and again in these five days.

We are running for our lives, while running i was trying to find a solution for this problem equation, i told Fang to scout for an exit. "Run pass us, as fast as you can, scout our running routes!" Fang runs by pass me only to find that the ravine is a straight wall dead end. I looked around on top of the cliff, and sees a couple of boulders as big as a truck! I asked Jean, can she brought down that rock by bombarding the cliff side. She replied with a stop and beginning to charge her hand, a condensed wave, "BAM!!" The blast shook the cliff trying to created an avalanche, still not enough! I toss a couple hand grenades to Shawn and Grey, "Throw this thing as high as you can, i hope the blast wave can help to rocked the boulder! Dean be on stand by!" After that three blast occur successively as the two other team catch up with us i can see the dust of the stampede, it was a hordes of bison. The blast seems to works, two giant size boulder falls down toward us, we just have to dodge it and trying to not get killed while waiting it to a full stop! The boulder reach our level, we manage to avoid being squeeze by it.

"Now take cover behind the boulders!" Three teams hiding behind the boulders.

The stampede pass over and everybody saves, overjoyed we got out from the cover. A pack of lioness is on our sights. These are why the bison are running.

20 lions versus 15 compilers, please do not die!

The fights was a fierce fights, the lions teamwork's are seamless. With the three teams back to back, we try to cope with the beast offense. The pattern of attack is our first move, the plan was to observe, the other four engineer agree with me that the lions have this specific tends to try to attack from a blind side of the target. Six combatants was tasked to front for defenses, one combatant a safeguard cover for the three supporters, they attack a little slow with the charging time, they will be the most vulnerable. The engineer is brainstorming while fending the attack, Jude Sands is a quite nimble engineer, she is the fastest and manage to fend off most of the attacked. The strategy is to let the avalanche to occurs one more time. By attaching a couple of orbs to an explosive and ram it to the top of the cliff and try to detonated them in self destruct near the boulders. The plan works, several boulders falls down the cliff taking out six lions, and injured a few which makes the odds even. Hacking on the diversion of the blasting of waves was our four fastest combatants, which slicing the neck of the lions at speeds. The engineer throw a couple of flash bang and smoke grenade to blinded and diverted. We finish the job in less than 20 minutes.

Without casualties, and minor injuries we all pass the test to take the field trip. And we class up to the advance class mid grade. As dangerous this simulations was, tomorrow we will face the real thing for two weeks.

That morning we wake up with another package on our dorm door. It was a set of culler device, tanning laser blade, rations pack, camping and climbing equipment. And instructions to ready to go in 10.00 on the outer field near the school gates. The bus will be leaving on 10.30.

Ms.Rose Important Notes:

"Don't missed the bus or you will be marked failed for this semester!"