[b]Salient Tertius[/b]

The rest of that first day, and the following first weeks, were very similar. The scalps would rouse themselves early, eating a scant breakfast, and then they would be issued things. Sometimes those things were temporary implements, only used for the day’s training; hardwood staves for close combat training, or gas masks for what was deceptively named ‘confidence’ training. 

Sometimes, the gear issued was permanent. They had received their fatigue spares, for instance, and socks, their webbing gear, body armor, helmets, and even autoguns. They were, of course, not allowed ammunition yet, but they were required to keep them clean. That was, Wode was coming to find out, a challenge. The Eluhim desert’s sand was confectionary sugar-thin. No matter how well oiled or scrubbed a rifle was, it would accumulate that sand in every crevice, and any sand in the gun was an affront.

After the gear issue, inspection. This was a formality, as nothing they did was correct. Wode later learned that this was done as a team-building exercise; if the entire group was subject to the tyrannical whims of the drill instructor, then by necessity they would band together and make sure their own gear was as good as possible before they were seen. The scalp’s favored strategy was to pair off and check a buddy’s gear; and Wode’s battle buddy, Saul, did his best to make sure his fellow scalp, giant as he was, looked as good as possible. 

Wode did the same, and of the two, Saul got the far better deal. Wode was turning out to be an enigma - no matter what he did, he excelled at it, from polishing groups, to not puking when tear gassed, to even running. Oh, the running!

When a gig was found during inspection, the drill instructor, that old bitch, sent them running, often for miles, and no matter the gear load, temperature, or fatigue, Wode always left the rest of the scalps in the dust. This punishing physical training was done from midday to evening, and the last item of the day was always class training.

This training was carried out in a large tent, with one-piece desk/chair combinations, and there the scalps received their academic attention. These were often quite relaxed, with the only real challenge being staying awake. Should a scalp drift to sleep, the instructor would often, with pinpoint marksmanship, nail the recruit with a thrown field manual, ruler, chalk, or whatever other weapon the instructor had to hand. 

Where Saul and the other, normal scalps often received this corporal punishment, again, Wode seemed entirely immune, often asking questions and taking sheafs of notes which he would pass out to the more lax scalps during the evening meal. Such was the speed of his writing that he would make multiple copies during the lesson itself, and his handwriting never devolved into chicken scratch. The other scalps were grateful to have such a prodigy with them for their training, and Wode did his best to make sure they did as good as possible. 

At the end of one such day, Wode and Saul, the former just as chipper as he always was, and the latter just as exhausted as he always was, shared evening rations by a fire outside their tent. They usually ate in companionable silence, but this day, Saul decided to see if he could find out a little about the tall enigma in their midst. 

“Hey, Arnie.” Saul said, setting his mug of tea down. “I just wanna let you know I appreciate all the help you’ve been given’ me.”

Arnulf looked up from cleaning the bolt on his autogun. “Hmm? Oh, you don’t gotta thank me. We’re in this together, right?”

“Right.” Saul said, looking into the fire. His hawk-like features took the shadow of the evening’s fire well, making him look brooding and quiet, although Saul himself was an affable sort. “We are. You don’t talk much about yourself, Arnie.”

“Hmm? Why should I?” Wode asked. “The last time I did you all got beat.”

“Yea but, you were just pullin’ her leg, right?” Saul said, looking at the giant. “You ain’t really six years old, is you?”

Wode said nothing. Saul repeated himself.

“C’mon man, I’m your buddy.” Saul probed, “If you’re an underage enlistee or somethin’, I ain’t gonna tell. You hidin’ a medical issue? What’s the problem?”

“The problem is, Saul…” Wode said, putting the cleaned bolt aside, and picking up another autogun part from the towel he kept them on, “...is that I ain’t lying to you. I really am six.”

Saul looked at Wode, feeling slightly frustrated, but Wode’s wide, expressive face hinted no dishonesty, or even humor. Saul raised himself up on his elbows, and stared.

“You really ain’t lyin’, are you?” Saul said, his voice instinctively dropping quieter. “You’re really six?”

“Really really.” Wode said. 

“How do you know?” Saul asked, “I didn’t know shit when I was six.”

“The date on the capsule I came out of.” Wode said simply. “It was six years ago.”

“You’re jokin’.” Saul said, “A capsule? What, like, a buried time capsule?”

“No, no. I guess it’s more like an escape pod.” Wode said, screwing his face up in thought. “Crashed into the mountains….”

He pointed a truncheon-like finger at a distant mountain range. “Thereabouts. I think.”

Saul blinked. “You mean you fell outta the god damn sky?”

Wode nodded. “More or less. I don’t remember it, but I suppose I had to have.”

“Gol-ly…” Saul said. “You’re really not lyin’?”

“Swear to God.” Wode said, crossing himself in the Catheric manner. Saul echoed it. 

“When we get a pass into town… maybe not our -first- pass, but y’know, when we get to that part, will you take me to see your… escape capsule?” Saul asked. “Y’know, if it’s still there?”

Wode nodded. “Sure. I can’t imagine any reason it would’ve left. You gotta not tell nobody though, alright?”

“Hey hey, cross my heart, hope to die.” Saul said, and crossed himself again. “I ain’t sayin’ nothin’ that’s gettin’ our golden boy out of this training class.”

Wode beamed a smile at Saul, who smiled back. They bumped fists together. Afterwards, Saul kicked dirt over their cooking fire, and the two scalps went to sleep. It would probably be a long day tomorrow, and they would need all the rest they could get.