[b][u]Cornet Leventis[/u][/b]

The pressure to perform nearly overwhelmed him. The men among him would no doubt look to him to set the example as their newly appointed leader. But a dilemma quickly presented itself. He found much of this training to be magnificently difficult. The earlier excitement to put his father's gift to use was now overshadowed by the looming obstacle of learning new applications for his skills. He was an outdoorsman by nature, yet he'd never had to examine his surroundings to gain a tactical combat advantage. His marksmanship was unparalleled, but what use would he have had in his past life for using a musket to strike rather than shoot? Even as a skilled horseman, never before was he challenged to remain in formation as he rode, nor had he ever been in need of attacking or defending himself from horseback. He'd led an active life, but nothing would have prepared him for the rigor of this demanding routine. 

Each day he pushed himself to the very precipice of his breaking point and he returned each night more sore than the last, face caked in sweat and dirt. Yet, still he persevered. Some part of him wanted so terribly to make a show of his dominant skills so as to prove himself capable  — he could place a shot in an orange from a distance unimaginable to most under the best of circumstances — but he recognized that it would do little more than yield a short term boon in the eyes of the men present. His priority, instead, ought to be developing the skills in which he wasn't yet proficient and creating a bond with the men under his command. [i]That[/i] would reflect overwhelmingly positively on him in the long run and place them all in good stead to boot. 


Unfortunately for him, Herakles was not a naturally quick learner. He learned through application and repetition, but it would be an arduous undertaking if he were to learn the skills required of him to his satisfaction. He could settle for nothing short of excellence. No one would be able to cite his lack of pedigree as a shortcoming in the face of all he would achieve. And besides, how could he help guide his men if he himself knew little to nothing about what he asked of them? Throughout the weeks, his free time in the evenings was consumed being squirreled away in the citadel's library poring over books on geography, history, tactics, and the various manuals on drill. Otherwise he would return to the hippodrome long after the day's training was concluded slowly, carefully delivering practice strokes with a saber to become more familiar with its technique. It was some time before he felt himself confident enough to competently lead others in such activities, but the moment he did, he assumed a much more active leadership role with his Omadan's training.


His squad was invited to join him in his evening studies should they choose, but he took the initiative to pioneer a mandatory supplemental training program for 2nd Omadan. He presented his plan to Lieutenant Karras: two additional hours a day he'd require of his men's time, 4 days out of the week. In that time they would practice additional drill for a half hour, spend an additional half hour atop their saddles, and requisition an hour of training time within the firing range for Herakles himself to teach the men more about the art of marksmanship. Independent training led at the squad level, he would argue, would help to further bolster the unit cohesion within his own Omadan and prove to be a demonstrable asset in their overall preparedness. Moreover, the additional time spent with the troops would help him to get to better know exactly what drives and motivates them. He knew from his time in the family business that there were some men who were self-starters; intrinsically motivated and driven to accomplish whatever they set their mind to. And then there were those whose motives were sourced externally: money, advancement, recognition. The sooner he was able to identify which was which and among whom, the better equipped he'd be to lead.