Welcome to Pandora

At an outdoor training camp, a group of soldiers were lined up in order. Among them, one man stood out not only for his physical build but also for his expression. 

Maxwell had managed to enlist in the Atlas army, it wasn't difficult for him, or maybe the people in charge of the tests made it easier. Not that Maxwell minded, he just wanted a free ticket to Pandora. 

He laughed internally, who would be daft enough to go to Pandora willingly? But he was confident that he could get a lot of money on Pandora, no wonder the planet was always full of mercenaries hungry for an easy buck. 

Maxwell can't continue his train of thought when all the soldiers move into an attention position, and of course, he does the same when he sees an officer coming. 

"Congratulations on making it into the 3rd Starborne Brigade's D Company. But don't get excited, our incursion into Pandora will require you to be in impeccable physical and mental condition, you will spend the next 10 weeks in rigorous training at one of our bases in Pandora."

"All set? Then line up and follow me." A woman appeared on the scene and called out to everyone, she was holding a digital clipboard, probably the one responsible for organizing the troops. 

They were taken to the ship's hangar where they stopped before a rather large ship. Sitting in his seat on the ship, Maxwell tensed as he heard the roar of the ship's engines. He watched as the horizon slowly receded, the ground becoming more and more distant. 

"Countdown to hyperspace entry in three, two, one." The ship's pilot's voice warns. 

Fortunately for everyone, Pandora and Promethea weren't that far apart, and after a few seconds, the ship came out of hyperspace. 

Maxwell looked out of the ship's window as they approached Pandora. The planet was dry, with few bodies of water, which was obvious from this distance. 

The ship began to heat up, causing sweat to drip from Maxwell's forehead; he was a little queasy. The experience of traveling through space was incredible, although it was quite nervous. He knew he had to get used to the sensation, as he would be traveling between planets in the future.

Everyone on the ship then stands up as they feel the ship land on the ground. The ship's rear door opens, letting in a cold gale. 

As he leaves the ship, Maxwell covers his face because of the bright light. Narrowing his eyes, Maxwell sees what looks like radio towers, with the buildings covered in snow. A light bulb seems to switch on above his head when he remembers a place he visited in the first game. 

"Crimson Enclave uh, not bad" Maxwell mutters a little breathless because the air is so thin, as Crimson Enclave was located on top of a mountain in the Salt Flats territory. The place would have been safe until the Vault was opened, he would have deserted Atlas before the events took place. For the time being, he would be enjoying his stay. 

Once they were organized, they were taken to their quarters in Crimson Fastness. The place was inside the mountain, it looked like a labyrinth, so it wasn't difficult to get lost. Entering the dormitory Maxwell was not surprised to see several beds lined up, although he had never been in the army he knew a few things. Single rooms were only for important, high-status individuals. 

Maxwell was then taken to the refectory, where the food was decent. He was expecting something more disgusting given his location on Pandora; the game always gave the impression that cookery was nonexistent on the planet. 

At the end of the day, they are put to bed early. Tomorrow they will be starting their 10-week training program. 

The next day... 

A loud alarm woke Maxwell, his eyes were groggy, and he wasn't used to waking up so early. 

Getting up, he prepares himself and goes to the designated place. They were taken to Crimson Enclave to practice physical exercises, which was the main focus of the first week, preparing them for the following weeks. 

The week went relatively smoothly for Maxwell, he gained a few points from the exercises, although not a lot. Unfortunately, things wouldn't be so smooth in the following weeks. 

"Good morning recruits, this week we'll be starting your CQC training. We'll start with something more lethal..."

To create suspicion, the instructor pulls a knife out of nowhere. The man keeps a low posture while holding the knife with a reverse grip. 

"I'll be teaching you how to handle a weapon that has accompanied humans for millennia. And this is the first lesson I'm teaching you; the knife was made to be felt, not seen." 

Maxwell's eyes widen; he could have sworn the man was unarmed. 

"Try to find a place on your body that is easily accessible and hidden. Having the element of surprise on your side is always advisable, most people always think that only guns are a danger to them," The man struck a few blows with the knife, his movements quick and decisive. "I was one of those people until I got into a street fight with a guy. As the fight went on and the adrenaline flowed through my blood, everything was fine, until I knocked the guy out and realized there was a knife stuck in my stomach." 

"After that day I always carried a knife with me, and this is where the second lesson lies," The man then lifted his shirt, showing several scars on his body, some of which were dangerously close to his heart. "Nobody 'wins' a knife fight; the loser bleeds lying in the street, the winner bleeds lying on a hospital bed." 

"Unless you have a shield to protect you, you'll always end up getting cut, whether you're a complete beginner or a veteran." 

"Sir, so in which scenario should I get into a knife fight?" One of the recruits asks, not understanding the instructor's point. 

"Great question. That's the neat part, you don't. That's where guns are used, just don't let your enemy with a knife get close, I tell you, veterans can stab you more than a dozen times before you've squeezed the trigger." 

Maxwell swallows the lump stuck in his throat, he didn't know knives were that scary. 

"Now that I've given my thoughts, let's start with the basics," The instructor speaks with a smile as if he hadn't frightened all the recruits, he takes them to a table full of knives there were also some small stones near each knife. "First, you need to know how to sharpen your knife; An unsharpened knife is useless and can get you killed when you need it." 

Approaching the table Maxwell picks up a knife along with a whetstone, they were all the same so it made no difference. When everyone was equipped, the instructor began to show them how to sharpen the blade correctly. 

After a few minutes, everyone finishes sharpening their weapons, and the instructor focuses on helping some of the recruits who haven't done it properly, helping until the edge of the blade is decent by his standards. 

Maxwell didn't need any help, he'd done it first. It would be a shame for him, with his high DEX and INT stats and the help of an instructor, not to be able to sharpen a blade. The man himself nods at the sight of Maxwell's blade, a fine piece of work for a beginner. 

"Well, I think it's time we tested the blades." The man whistles, causing two soldiers to appear holding a psycho on the spot. The lunatic himself was wriggling to free himself from the clutches of his captors.

The recruits retreat in fright, not expecting the sudden arrival of a savage, most of whom had never seen a psycho until now. On the other hand, Maxwell was calm, just a psycho, the cannon fodder accompanying the skags.

To be honest, he was even a little curious about the psycho, it was interesting to see an enemy from the game in real life. The psycho seemed much more intimidated in real life, as well as smelling very bad.

"Come on, don't be shy, let's see if your knife at least breaks the skin hehehe."A sinister smile grows on the instructor, he looks at everyone, wondering who would dare to be the first.

Murmurs grew among the recruits and they pushed a young man forward. He was visibly shaking, he wanted to turn round and refuse, but when his eyes locked with the instructor's he knew there was no way back.

Reluctantly he approaches, his two hands gripping the knife so tightly that his knuckles turn white. With one thrust he lunges at the psycho, who is writhing, trying to avoid his fate.

*Puk*

"ARHHHHG!" 

The psycho shakes and screams like an animal being slaughtered, his movements further aggravating the puncture in his chest and causing him even more pain. The two soldiers seemed to be having trouble holding the psycho, but this didn't last long as the movements slowed to a complete stop.

The young recruit steps back, his hands shaking, soaked in blood. He couldn't stand it any longer and vomited the contents of his stomach.

"Did he just kill the psycho? I said just to test the knife, did I not make myself clear?" Although his words were harsh, the instructor shook his head, not really caring, there were too many prisoners anyway. "Take that baby to the infirmary and bring in another prisoner."

Some soldiers appear and carelessly grab the young man by the legs and arms. The recruits watch the scene in silence.

"Next, you"

The instructor then points at Maxwell. He had seen that the man was not shaken by the appearance of the psycho earlier.

Maxwell can only curse softly, he doesn't take long and approaches. Maxwell uses the knife to make a few superficial cuts. The blade cuts through the psycho's skin easily, finding no obstruction.

The instructor nods—an acceptable result.

"Now, stab him"

Maxwell freezes for a moment. Gritting his teeth he grips the knife in a reverse grip and without hesitation lowers the knife into the psycho's arm.

"*GURK!*" A grunt came out of the psycho's mouth, this one tougher than the other.

The flesh being torn all the way to the base of the knife, the muscle contractions, the sticky feeling of the blood. He could feel it all, it was as if the knife had become a part of his body and he could feel everything that happened to it. Maxwell feels a little queasy at the sensation but resists the urge to vomit.

Slowly withdrawing the knife, a torrent of blood began to leak out, making the scene more and more disgusting for Maxwell. His face turned pale, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

"Good job, soldier. Return to your position, you can keep the knife and sharpening stone for further training." The instructor patted Maxwell on the shoulder before calling the next person. "Now, next."

Maxwell nods and returns to his seat without saying anything. He stayed there until the last recruit had been tested, some fainted and others passed, albeit with traumatized psyches.

The psycho was still the one Maxwell had attacked, he had several cuts and punctures, and some bones could be seen. The psycho sighed with relief when he realized that it was over and that he was still alive, unfortunately, Atlas doesn't pay medical bills for bandits.

The instructor pulls out his knife and with one swift movement sticks the knife into the psycho's ear hole and removes the blade without a speck of blood. The psycho's body spasms before falling to the ground dead, blood and brain matter coming out of his ear.

"That's all for today, you're dismissed."

A/N: I've just got back from my trip, here's a chapter :D