Volar's Story - part 04 At first light, the newly formed third company woke. After morning prayers, the people stretched out the kinks gained from sleeping on the cave floor. Looking around, they saw Redel studying a blank space on the back wall of the cave; and after consulting his ancient data pad, ordered the company to begin digging there. They were to dig until they found a door. Since they only had two picks, two shovels, and two buckets, Jocham ordered them to change teams every two tipas. This allowed everyone to dig their hardest for a short period of time. Their turn was over before anyone became too tired. In ten tipas, they found it. In two more tipas, it was cleared completely. It was a large door. Large enough to drive a hover car through. Redel connected his datapad to the locking device next to the newly uncovered door and a small cover snapped open. When he pushed the button underneath, the ancient door slid up with a loud hiss, followed by a rush of air into the spaces beyond, which had been sealed for five centuries. Volar recognized the smell of a sterile environment. After the lights slowly came on, Redel ordered the company to wait at the door until called for. They watched as the two men moved down the hallway unlocking two large doors and six smaller ones. The duo inspected each room as it was opened. As each was unlocked, air rushed past the crowd into the opened space. After their inspection was complete, Redel was lost from view when he entered the second door on the left and stayed there. Jocham waited outside the same door and spoke quietly for a few tipas before returning to the crowd. Jocham stood at the door and called "Shtopa the Dancer"! When Shtopa presented himself, he was led into the second door on the left. Jocham then returned to the main door and waited. About five tipas later, Shtopa came out and returned to the crowd. As soon as he exited out the large door, Jocham called another name: "Khofu the Dancer"! And so began a long series of interviews. Each man and woman in the cave, was to be called into the second door on the left. An animate discussion was occurring within the crowd concerning what would happen in the future when at the end of the littim the last name was called: "Volar"! Volar presented himself to Jocham, who led him to the second door on the left. Volar entered. Inside, Redel the Dancer was sitting behind a large desk. It was a plain, utilitarian piece of furniture, unlike the other desks Volar had seen throughout Lazavelt, it had no decoration, no artistic embellishments, no...soul. The bunk bed and lockers were also straight, green plastic things. Unappealing to the eye. Redel motioned for Volar to sit in the other chair, then asked: "What is your name?" Volar gave his name. "What is your designation?" Volar replied "Gifted". At that, Redel looked up. "Truly? How did one of the gifted end up under my command? How did you receive the warning?" Volar replied at some length "I did not. My teacher, Rechat the Healer of Humana City ordered me to come here and present myself to whoever was in charge. Here I am. I was not told why." Redel smiled "This is good. I was concerned we might not have a healer. Do you have any other skills that would be useful to a military command?" When Volar answered no, Redel made some notes on his data pad and said "Thank you. Return to the cave." As soon as Volar exited out of the large door, Jocham said to the crowd "Attention! That is the end of the interviews this littim. We will continue at first light. For the next one hundred tipas, we will sleep. No one is to pass this doorway until first light. Shtopa the Dancer! You are in charge." With that, Jocham walked into Redel's office and was not seen until first light. But at first light, Jocham was already just inside the large door watching as the people woke, prayed, stretched, and ate. The Evets family had brought lots of food and water. They shared with those who did not. Jocham began the day by calling out "Nan the Machinist!" A second littim of interviews ensued. At the end of this littim, the people were again ordered to sleep. This time, however, Khofu the Dancer was placed in charge. People began to speak among themselves as to why it was important who was in charge while they slept, what would happen when the interviews ended tomorrow, and explained what had already happened to the new people who continued to trickle in over the last two littims. Khofu the Dancer felt it was her responsibility to note the names of the newcomers and report them to Jocham. At first light of the third littim, Jocham was already standing just inside the large door watching. He started the day by calling out "Sharon the Painter!" After a prayer of thanks to the Creator-Sustainor, and stretching, Volar looked at Jocham and marveled out loud "Doesn't that man ever sleep?" A few people laughed, and Volar followed them outside. He had spent two littims in the cool mountain air, listening to the forest critters. He would have gone for a walk, but the dancers (who all seemed to be in cahoots) would not allow anyone to leave the immediate area of the cave. Volar breathed deep the fresh morning mountain air. All in all, it was a pleasant little vacation - so far. The interviews continued for another fifty tipas. When the sun was at it's highest, everyone was called into the cave. Redel the Dancer stood next to Jocham at the large door and addressed the crowd: "A military command has a specific organization. Everyone has a specific job to do. If any one person fails to perform their assigned tasks, the command will fail. This usually means everyone in that command gets killed. If everyone performs their tasks well, then only some of us will be killed. Those in charge are responsible for everything their subordinates do, or fail to do. This command has a Leader. That is me. It has a Second. That is Jocham the Dancer. It has four Subleaders: Shtopa the Dancer! You are appointed first Subleader. Khofu the Dancer! You are appointed second Subleader. Wendell the Gamer! You are appointed third Subleader. Nan the Machinist! You are appointed fourth Subleader. You four will come with me. At first light we will form the rest of the command!" With that, the six leaders went into the last door on the right. Unknown to the rest of the group, this was a multipurpose room. It could be set up to be a classroom, conference room, command post, medical treatment room, or dining room. It was large enough to hold over a hundred people. Now, it was set up as a classroom. For the rest of the littim, and well into the dark, the leaders reviewed holographic recordings of war. Recordings that showed them how to organize, how to train, how to fight. The dancers already knew how to train and gave pointers to the other two. Wendell the Gamer readily grasped the tactics and strategies outlined on the holographic displays before them. He explained them to the others. This was the pattern the leaders followed every night from then on. Redel explained what the Leader, Second, and Subleaders were expected to do. They then toured every room, opened lockers, and boxes of weapons. Nan the Machinist thought it was obvious he would have the most work to do. Redel disagreed. So it came to be understood, that Redel would create the plans for the company. Jocham would tend to the details of how Redel's plans would be carried out. Shtopa, Khofu, and Wendell would carry out those plans, while Nan would provide the weapons, armor, and other supplies required. When Jocham pointed out the time, Redel ordered them to get what sleep they could. At first light, they would form the rest of the company. Twenty tipas later, the sun rose. The leaders were already standing by the large door. They woke everyone else with a yell of "Good morning!" All six of them yelling at once created an incredible level of sound within the cave. Redel said to the startled crowd "This is just one example of what six people can do when we work together. Think what a hundred can accomplish. Stirip the Reader! Pray for us." A man in the crowd went to one knee. The crowd followed suit. Stirip raised his hands, and looking up said "Creator-Sustainor, we honor you. We thank you for life, for light, and the chance to serve. We ask for patience and strength." Stirip lowered his hands and stood. When the crowd stood, Redel said "Well done. This littim we form the rest of third company. Listen. When you hear your name, stand beside your subleader". The dashing Shtopa stepped aside and said "I am Subleader Shtopa. I assume charge of the following people..." He then read a list of thirty names. Volar waited, but his name was not called. When Shtopa was done, the woman stepped away from the group and said "I am Subleader Khofu. I assume charge of the following people..." She then read thirty names off a datapad (it was the same bland green as Redel's desk). Volar waited, but his name was not called. Wendell then read his thirty names off a similar datapad and still Volar was not called. Finally, Nan the Machinist called out 'Volar the Healer' among his thirty names. Volar knew he hadn't actually earned the title Healer yet, but he didn't think this was the best time to argue with the immense machinist. There were two men and six women left. Volar noticed these were the seven smallest people present, plus the man who walked with a limp. Redel then called out "Subleaders, take charge of your people and carry out the plan for this littim." As the Subleaders turned in different directions, Jocham went to the eight who remained. Volar's attention was yanked back to his group when Nan the Machinist boomed out "O.K. boys and girls, this way!" He turned and walked to the second door on the right. It seemed most of the men and women who had come with him followed him through the large door and the second smaller one. The others who were assigned, including Volar, followed them. Once inside, Volar saw this could only be a dormitory of some type. It had thirty two beds and one desk. There was a wall locker beside and a large chest at the foot of each bed. All were unceremoniously green. Nan the Machinist walked around the room touching each bed and calling out a name. The first one on the left, the one with the desk was his. Volar was told to sit on the first bed on the right. Next to him was Stirip the Reader. When they were all seated their Subleader began: "I am Nan the Machinist. I live and work in Indus - the industrial city...or at least I used to. Now, I live here and I work one door down. You and I are the fourth platoon, third company. We are the support platoon. Our first task is to place the machine shop next door into operation. We will then modify the entire company's personal armor so it fits properly according to the specifications. In the wall locker beside your bed you will find one suit of personal combat armor, with a laser carbine, longknife, and four grenades. You will not touch the weapons until instructed on how to do so. In the foot locker you will find clothing, and other necessities. You will also find a datapad similar to mine (he held up a plain green datapad). It contains information you will need to be a soldier. You will read it every littim - read it, learn it, live it! If you do not, you will die! If you do, you may return home when this is over. Our training begins tomorrow. Our schedule will be this: twenty tipas of spiritual instruction, twenty tipas of physical instruction, twenty tipas of dancing, and twenty tipas of mental instruction. The last twenty tipas will be to clean up and eat. The other three platoons are combat platoons. They will train one task and one task only - they will learn to kill. We are different. We have work to do. If at any time you do not have work to do, you will pair up with a partner and attend whatever training one of the other platoons is conducting. When you are not working, you must also train to be soldiers. The first ten here (he pointed to the first ten beds not counting his own) are first squad. You are all machinists. The second ten here (he pointed to the last five beds on each side of the room) are second squad. You are all machinists. The last ten here (he pointed to the first ten beds on the right side of the room, including Volar's) are third squad. You are the specialists. You report to me, but will provide support in your specialties to the entire company. First and second squads come with me. Third squad, look about, then I suggest you review your soldier's manual. With that, the machinists went to the machine shop. For the rest of the littim, they uncovered tools that had waited for centuries. As the old machines were serviced, new ones were set up to replace a few that time and innovation had rendered obsolete. The Lazaveltians were a people who loved simplicity and efficiency. Meanwhile, the specialists, otherwise known as third squad, fourth platoon, third company, Humana battalion were left to their own devices. Volar greeted the others in third squad. Looking through their lockers they found it contained a chemiplastic suit of armour with a form fitting body suit, laser carbine, grenades, and a longknife. The armour was the color of grass in spring. The body suit was dark green. The laser carbine had an electronic sight, and a power cable that attached to the suit. The pieces of the suit overlapped so no part of the body was unprotected. Handling the pieces of the armor, Volar discovered they were light - much lighter than they looked. The overall impression was one of utilitarianism. Every bump and port had a purpose. Nothing protruded. All edges were rounded. It all smelled like antiseptic soap. In his footlocker, Volar found a plain green datapad sitting on top of another form fitting body suit different from the one hanging in the wall locker, a first aid kit, and one lightweight net loosely woven from a clear plastic. There were also a couple of items no one could identify. Volar put his feet up on the bed that had been assigned to him (He just couldn't think of this unartistic green 'thing' as his) and read the datapad. It contained moving images and a narration describing and demonstrating how to put on the body suit. The datapad said the material of the body suit was fireproof. It would also self regulate the body temperature of the person wearing it. It would not allow poison gas or biological agents to penetrate. There were two styles; male and female. Volar had noticed the women in the platoon were taking the body suits out of their foot and wall lockers, and leaving the room. They returned a few minutes later. This continued throughout the day. Now he understood they were exchanging them from a supply room somewhere. Putting down the datapad, Volar looked at the body suit in his locker. It was one piece covering the feet, hands, and had a hood. He handled the material as the man in the datarecording had and saw it stretched. But he could not believe this cloth would stop projectiles or turn a blade. Returning to his datapad, Volar read and watched the demonstration of how to put on the armour. He learned about the comlink, drinking tube; how the weapons had places where they clipped to the armour so the soldier didn't have to carry them all the time; about the suit's solar recharging cell and power pack; and lastly where the laser's cable connected to the suit. This cable transmitted power from the suit's power pack to the laser and images from the laser's sight to the armour's visor. Reading was interrupted by twenty machinists entering the squad bay. Looking up, Volar saw Nan the Machinist in the middle of the crowd eyeing third squad as he spoke with those around him concerning some machine or another. Nan seemed pleased to see third squad was studying their datpads and discussing these new ideas among themselves in his absence. He bellowed out "Listen up boys and girls! You have five tipas to put your things away, wash and be in your beds. This is not negotiable! At that time the lights will turn off. At first light you will don the body suits in your footlockers! Now hop to it!" The machinists scrambled for the showers at the back of the squad bay. When the lights turned off, not everyone was ready. There were a few stumbling in the dark...some falling over beds. Volar was glad his bed was at the opposite end of the room. The last man moving (Volar didn't know who) cried out in pain when he jammed his shin on one of the beds. Nan's voice cut through the darkness "You did not complete your orders within the time given! This time your failure will only cost you some pain. Failure to follow orders in battle will get you killed! Report to the healer tomorrow! For now, get in your bed and be silent!" Volar thought this cruel, but he was beginning to see a pattern to the commands of the company leaders. It was a pattern of obeying orders instantly without argument or discussion. Source: Mark Nielipinski These pages are in no way endorsed or sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd or West End Games. ®, TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL). All rights reserved. Trademarks of LFL used by West End Games under authorization.