Nine – The Basis Part Three

The next morning, everyone has an even worse muscle ache than the previous day. Thus there is a lot of moaning when the men get up.

Slowly, they begin to get ready for the inspection. Their uniform is on, with the harnesses over it. The weapon belt is buckled over and the shields are placed at the door. Then everyone will make their bed and pack their box neatly. At least, everyone except John. He quickly puts the blanket over his bed and then lies down on it with his harness already on. His bed creaks under the weight.

"Beware, John, you'll crack through it soon!" warns Gareth. A warning that John obviously does not pay attention to.

Then the second bell rings and everyone stands in front of their bed. John has some trouble getting up from his lying position on the bed. So when Major Quinn enters, John is still just out of place.

Quinn looks at everything. Everyone has a few rough spots. One man’s bed is not tight enough, someone else still has a dirty spot on his harness. Also, some chests are not neat enough. But everything falls into nothingness when he gets to the last bed. John's place is in the back corner and it's a drama.

"What is this supposed to mean!", Quinn shouts. "You think you don't have to do what the others have to do? That bed is a disgrace! It is even completely dented. If you think you're getting a new bed, you are wrong. You can repair that yourself."

The list of faults is endless. There is even a dirty uniform under the bed. John's chest is also a disaster. Everything is just crammed in.

"This means that you are the group doing the extra tasks," Quinn tells the men. "Next time you can make sure that everyone in your group has everything neat. How you arrange that, I don’t care. You will hear your extra tasks this afternoon."

After the inspection, the recruits are given a short time to take off their harnesses.

"As you know, you don't need the harnesses for training yet," says one of the guards. "So go and change, you have five minutes."

While taking off the harnesses, the atmosphere in the bedroom is deadly.

As soon as Major Quinn and his guards are out the door, the comments begin.

"Thanks, John, you gave us those extra tasks!" Someone shouts.

"Why thanks to me!", John shouts back. "How was I supposed to know that Quinn would be so fussy. It's my stuff after all."

"We were warned! He personally told us during dinner!" Shouts another.

"So?" Asks John. "Even if he begged me on his knees, I wouldn't have done it. And if he thinks I'm going to do those extra things, he's so wrong!" And John can't be convinced to change that point of view.

Once outside, it's time for morning gymnastics. During the rounds, Raidon and the others get a lot of looks and comments. The other groups are only too happy with John. Now they don't have to do an extra corvee.

"Thank you, John!" is shouted more than once while running.

During breakfast they are finally told what their extra tasks are. Major Quinn steps forward to tell everyone what the tasks are that Raidon and the others from his room have to do.

"It is clear that one chamber did not have its affairs in order. This was mainly due to the fact that they could not work well enough together to ensure that everyone had their belongings in order. I hope that they have learned something from this and that from now on they will make sure that everything is in order," he begins. "From today until the end of the week, they will ensure that the laundry is picked up everywhere at the end of the day. They will also help serve the other hungry men during dinner. Finally, after that dinner, they can help with the dishes."

Raidon looks at the others incredulously. Is that their punishment? Getting to bed extra late to pick up smelly clothes and have a lot less time to eat in the evening. He really can’t use that. The others also looking rather angry and surprised and a stray curse can be heard from the other side of the table.

But then Quinn starts speaking again:

"From now on, there will also be unannounced inspections. If a different room emerges as the worst, they will finish the punishment. But if the same room loses, the punishment will be way worse. After all, there is always something to do at the toilets." At that last part, a small smile appears on his face.

Raidon is the first to respond.

"John, from now on you will make sure your place is tidy! I have absolutely no appetite to clean or dredge toilets or whatever it is they want. This is bad enough!"

The others immediately nod that they agree, but John doesn't seem impressed.

"Quinn can do those things himself. I don't intend to do anything. I am my own man and I will continue to be so."

"No, John, we are all punished and together we will finish it. You're the one who had the most problems, so you'll definitely help," says one of the others.

The rest of the day there is a noticeable tension in the group.

After breakfast it is time for the weapons exercises. Today is a platoon day. As the instructors explain, this means that the entire platoon has to do the same exercise and all at the same time.

"Today we will start attacking as a unit," the instructor begins. "This way of moving as a unit is called a formation. Some of the formations that you will now learn, we still know today as part of ceremonial occasions."

The recruits have to line up in a double row, twenty-five men next to each other. Every time the instructor shouts that there is a need to push, the men have to put their shield forward and push, while the men behind them make sure that extra force is added from behind. As soon as the instructor then shouts that they have to stab, the front men have to stab with their swords. The men in the second row are always holding the belt of the man in front of them, to ensure that he remains in balance.

This exercise requires good coordination and cooperation, because it can be ruined if both are not done at the same time. If the men in front and behind do not do their movements at the same time, they are both out of balance. The whole training period they are busy with this exercise, where they go back and forth across the training field several times.

Raidon is partnered with John. As long as John is at the front, things are going well. Once the roles are reversed though and Raidon is at the front, things don't go so well. Raidon does his utmost best, but John continues to resist by breaking the rhythm. Every time Raidon has to push, John pulls a little on his belt. And when stabbing, he always pushes a bit to push him a little off balance. As a result, the instructors think that Raidon is not doing a good job and he gets scolded at more than once.

When more than half the training is over, John whispers in his ear:

"That will teach you to command me to do those tasks. I can make life difficult for you here. Remember that."

Having said that, John continues with the exercise in a normal way and does not make it difficult for Raidon anymore.

After the training it is almost time for lunch. First they have to run a few laps.

Fortunately, Raidon and his roommates do not have to help serve during lunch and they can just enjoy the food. There is still some tension in the group, especially between John and Raidon. Thus it’s quite quiet while eating.

After lunch there are writing lessons again. The beginners can write their first words this time. Raidon and the other four men have to continue learning the ancient language. Even though the letters are the same, the language is absolutely not.

When the lesson is almost over, Raidon notices something. The name legion is legion in the old language. Veterans are veterans and even a sword can be found. A sword was a gladius, while swordsmen are still called gladiators today. This means that there are many similarities with the old language.

It also means that the language is easier to learn than Raidon had first thought. He only has to find the similarities between the words of the old language and the current words. If that succeeds, he is already a long way and he only has to learn in which order to put the words.

Maybe with this knowledge I can even recognize some words in the handbook, he thinks. But before he can further develop his idea, the lesson is over, and after their laps they have to get back on the training field.

The exercise with the swords and poles is back on the schedule. This time at a higher pace to see if the men still know the moves.

Since each movement has been given a number, the instructor can call them out very quickly. For example, number one is a thrust forward, while number three is a slice from the top right. The even numbers are defensive, while the odd numbers are offensive.

For now, the movements are all still in the same order, but the instructors did say that they will change the order in a few days. That's not such good news for Raidon because he often has to think about which stroke belongs to which number.

Then it's time for dinner. Raidon and the others haven't exactly been looking forward to this.

Their fears come true. As soon as they enter, they are directed to the kitchen. There they are told which pans and bowls have to go where. It is a tough job after training, because the pans are quite large. Fortunately, they only have to bring the pans and they don’t have to bring the plates or pour drinks.

John largely gets out of the task by taking one of the smallest pans each time and dragging his feet while the rest bring the other pans.

All in all, the serving does not take very long, and they can start eating themselves fairly soon afterwards. The task is difficult and especially annoying thanks to the nice smells that came from the dishes. Raidon now knows that he really doesn't want to do this longer than a week.

During dinner, the conversations get going again. Some of them tell something about what it was like at home, others complain about the training.

Raidon doesn't say much this time. He's too tired to show any real interest. He is also still thinking about the situation with John.

If they can't persuade John to work with them, then not only is their training at risk, but their entire life in the military. And to do all John's chores for him, also goes too far. The other option would be to report John to the officers. Yet that also seems like a wrong choice somehow. There must be another solution.

However, Raidon can't think of anything, and when the bell rings indicating the end of dinner, he's not one step closer to a solution. Meanwhile, Gareth and the others have become much happier. While they work washing the dishes they keep chatting. Even if it's not their favorite chore, the cheerful mood stays all the time. When they go back to their room afterwards, they also try to drag Raidon along in their cheerful state, but he still does not feel like this at all.

"I'm going to bed on time today. Tomorrow is a new day," he says.

But alas, it's not time for a rest yet. When they arrive at their room, they are met by a guard. He shows them where to get the laundry and where to take it. This is another tedious job, because with all the heavy training of the day, also the clothes stink enormously.

Half an hour later they have finally finished lugging the clothes all over the camp. By that time, everyone is ready to sleep and there is not much left of their cheerfulness.