Commander Payne

Alexis and Matt went back to their room first so that she could change into her uniform. She sent a message to the four candidates to meet her in one of the military bays. The time she said was early and Alexis told them to stand at attention. She purposefully arrived thirty minutes late. This was a simple strategy in order to wear someone down. It was not as effective for experienced soldiers but it would still place some pressure on them along with the competitive atmosphere in the room.

When the duo arrived, there were five soldiers standing with their back straights and heads held high. Matt stood near the entrance and watched Alexis do her work. She walked over to the candidates and looked them up and down one at a time. Everyone knew her and didn't complain that she was made the new leader. They were especially fine with the situation since her maternity leave started. She had to choose someone to take temporary leadership which would pave their path to being the future leader.

Alexis stopped in front of the extra person. She had not asked him to be here, but he would not be so brazen to arrive without orders. She guessed it was likely the Captain or Shephard that told him to join this lineup. Alexis could dismiss him, however, that would only give fuel for the other side. It was best to force him to drop out on his own.

The four people she invited knew that this fifth person didn't fit. They were all aware of their varying degrees of neutrality and this man was everything but neutral. He openly displayed the influence backing him. He never did ranking tests and sat firmly in the tenth position. He was known as the gatekeeper for top ten since there were only nine spots actually contestable because of him.

Alexis smirked at him and turned around walking away slowly. She had a cunning plan in mind. If it were just the four of the people she called over, it would be a simple interview and she would decide. However, since someone was playing around behind the scenes, she made some plans. The military bay she chose was near the large centrifuge. She didn't intend to use it immediately, but now with the new factor she decided to move her plans up.

"I am sure you are all aware of the reason I gathered you here today. I will not mince words. For the next few days, you will be undergoing training in the centrifuge with me from morning to evening. If you cannot keep up, you will be disqualified. If you complain, you will be disqualified. I have already called to set the last ring to ten-times gravity. Grab your suits and report in thirty minutes."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The four shouted.

This was going to be Matt's first time seeing the proper combat suit. In order to survive and function in that intense gravity, one needed to wear a functioning combat suit. The various Military Bays were made for training but also storage of various weaponry and the suits. Alexis switched into her 'Space Marine' suit and was now a head taller than Matt. Alexis went on ahead while Matt stayed back to observe the other candidates.

The suit was sleek with thin, flexible armor plates that allow for good maneuverability. The other five quickly returned in their own suits. Matt noticed that the person who arrived without notice had the Pyrotechnician suit which gave him an unfair advantage in higher gravity. The other candidates had already left to the centrifuge but he stood around and gloated in front of Matt. The heavier armor included more support for the physical body. This meant that the suit would carry most of the load of the gravity.

Matt was interested to see the performance of all of these suits since the normal human couldn't survive in ten times gravity. In fact, they could barely survive in five times gravity. However, these suits were designed with the idea of doing missions on larger and denser planets. Because of this, they can handle eleven times gravity at their very limit before functionality begins to drop. The inner suit is capable of creating negative gravity around the body and the outer suit creates a pressurized environment to allow for travel in a vacuum.

Matt arrived later than the others. Each centrifuge ring had a specially designed observation deck in order to see what was happening in each ring. When he arrived, he saw that Alexis had already started doing drills. However, instead of standing at the side she was leading them directly. He understood what she meant before. Her innate ability Fatigue Resistance meant she could outlast a normal human. The four candidates they chose showed good traits befitting their positions. Their endurance and perseverance should be much higher than someone who coasted by with someone else's support.

The drills lasted several hours and Matt had since grabbed dinner and brought it for him and Alexis. When she called the training for the day and told everyone to report here tomorrow at six in the morning, everyone collapsed in exhaustion and relief. This was only a few hours, they had to really be mentally prepared for a whole day. The 'gatekeeper' was especially angry.

He was told that he would definitely get the position of acting-leader with minimal effort. However, he had to be subjected to so much work. He grinned devilishly while thinking to himself. Although he didn't work for his rank, he had the qualifications to compete for it normally. The difference was, years of relaxing had dulled his drive. Physically he could handle it, but mentally it was exhausting.

He began to curse Alexis internally. There was no way she had more stamina than him, he thought. The criteria were to outlast her and the other candidates. This would be easy, he mused. He immediately left the centrifuge with these thoughts. He was not worried about the next few days at all. In his calculations, it would end tomorrow.

However, the other candidates talked amongst themselves. They noticed that Alexis hadn't even broken a sweat and was able to command them clearly without any signs of heavy breathing in her voice. Everyone else was pushed to their limits. They realized this was not an easy assignment and were even more determined. This was the position of acting-leader, it naturally wouldn't be so simple.

When Alexis arrived in the observation room, she quickly disengaged her suit and stepped out of it. She was glistening with sweat but didn't seem tired at all. Matt had brought her favorite dishes from the cafeteria since it was already over an hour after it closed. She started eating, barely breathing in between mouthfuls. She seemed more voracious than Matt on some occasions.

"Slow down, you'll choke."

{Shut up, I'm starving.} She sent through telepathy because her mouth was filled with food and she couldn't speak. She didn't even have the patience to glare at him as it may slow down her intake.

{This is probably a side effect of your ability. The body doesn't create energy from nothing. You should start increasing your portions. Since you are pregnant, no one will question the request. Ideally, get some packets of high-calorie powder for when you overexert yourself.}

She chose not to respond as it seemed to be tiring for her. Although she was filled to the brim with energy, it was at the cost of all of the excess nutrients in her body. This was not healthy in the long-term so it would be best if she gained some weight in order to give herself a safety net for the ability. The high-calorie powder he mentioned dissolved in water. It is tasteless and odorless and often used for injured and bedridden patients that cannot take in calories on their own. One packet was enough to support a person for a week.

After scarfing everything down she burped. They had been sitting on the floor while Alexis ate, so she laid her head on Matt's lap. They were still in the observation room, but it was for the third ring and no one ever entered here. She was feeling a bit sleepy from overeating, so she ended up falling asleep after a few minutes.

He didn't want to interrupt her sleep so instead he activated Dream Walking. Matt created a happy dream for her while he sat on vigil in the room. He had taken off his uniform jacket and placed it over her. She would occasionally giggle in her sleep or grab Matt's arm and mumble nonsense. He just smiled and ran his fingers through her hair occasionally. Watching her sleeping face that had many expressions was enough to keep him entertained.

In these moments of simple bliss, Matt thought about how his life had been before and compared it to the life he wanted to have in the future. If he had the ability to return to his previous life, he would refuse. This was a realization that slightly surprised him. He had already fully accepted his life and made important connections. Although he missed his family, he couldn't abandon the family in this life either.