Always been a heavy sleeper, but I never thought that I could sleep through tear gas. Or maybe it's just cause I'm on the top row of pods. Either way PT today is gonna be rough for the squad especially with a new drill sergeant breaking us in. But this is what I live for.

"Up here!" I slide down the ladder as quickly as I can without injury and get my armor on. You'd think they'd make armor easier to get on. "Thanks for coming to get me brothers, it's gonna be a tough day for us all. Sorry about that."

I quickly form up outside awaiting the sergeant's wrath.

As Shaak Ti leads the way down the reddened corridor towards the clones. Sensing the Padawans surprise and uncertainty, the master would half turn as she walks to address him. 'There is no need to worry Padawan. I will explain all that is happening soon enough, there is no need to be hasty though'.

Meanwhile, sergeant Swapar was stood by the entrance to the barracks, legs spread wide as he taps his swagger stick over his palm, megaphone set on the floor. He didn't really need it with the decibel of his voice though. Finally CT-8128, 7777, 4216 and 3478 burst through the smoke into the corridor. 'Nice of you ladies to join us!' he would shout as he strides forward, slamming the plan of his hand into the button that seals the door shoot, a few wisps of gas escaping before disappearing.

By this point, most of the other clone squads were stood to attention in varied degrees of preparation. Some were without weapons or armour, some were still stood in their body gloves. Nearly all were coughing or had reddened eyes from the smoke.

Swapar watched the clones leave the room with a look that could melt its way through the hull of a capital class ship. Seeing CT-8128 dash from the smoke, he would lunge forward, yanking the clone roughly forward towards him. 'You again! Were you left too long in your tube snail trail? First you're so slow a Bantha could overtake you, and now you have to go back for a man your forget?' With a snarl Swap would go to push 8182 onto the floor. 'Press ups! Now! Count them off and don't you dare stop till I tell you! If you do, it best be because your heart gave out!'

'You two!' he would roar, jabbing his stick in the direction of CT-4216 and 7777. 'Show some camaraderie and join Snail Trail on the ground! Now!' Next he would move to grab CT-3478 by the forearm, pulling him in front of the line. 'Rule number one! You never leave a man behind! You are a squad! Brothers! You're only any good when you look out for each other! Most importantly you are bloody expensive to make, so don't waste the Republics money!' He would push 3478 back towards the line as he continues his way along.

Fortunately, thanks to the alarm still blaring, the whispering was missed by the drill sergeant. Unfortunately, CT-5472's expression was well and truly spotted. Swapar would lung forward, wrapping his fingers around underside of the clones helmet, tearing him out of the line so he was inches from the giants face. 'What the **** do you think you have to be smirking about boy? All of these children made an embarrassing display, but none were more disappointing than your squads performance! Your men were slow, one nearly didn't make it, and you stand here looking proud of yourself?' Keeping a grip on 5472's helmet he would drag him down the line to stand before Acklay squad. 'When you do as well as they did, then you can smirk! Next time I see you smiling like that, I will remove your teeth boy! Join your faliures on the floor! Press ups!

Off all the squads, Acklay squad had fared the best. All their members were fully dressed and holding their rifles to attention. Since the beginning of training, Acklay squad had shown the most promise, there were even rumours they had been earmarked for ARC training after Kamino. Though nothing was confirmed, it had made them the envy of many clones they trained with, and also those to beat if you wanted to make a name for yourself. Cyclone squad, though undeniably a talented and deadly squad had seen less success than Acklay. From their position down the line they could see their current squad leaders smug grin. That clone had already gotten his name; 'Law', and was known for his sheer efficiency and lack of humour.

At this point four figures appeared at the end of the corridor, approaching the gathering. 'Sergeant!' Zombie would call out as they approach. With the clone was the Jedi master that was overseeing the clones training, a Kaminoan who had not been in this part of the city before, and a young child in robes. Swapar would turn the face the newcomers, snapping his heels together as he salutes them. 'Good morning sir! Just introducing myself to the recruits'. As he addresses his superiors, his tone of voice would lower significantly from a bellow to simply talking. Shaak Ti would turn at this to address the Padawan. 'You must realise Padawan, things here are very different to the temple. The clones are trained for war, not peace as you are'.

The Sergeant would step to one side, gesturing to the Clones as the alarms a finally switched off, leaving only a ringing in the ears. The red lights remain though, most clones and personnel were still sounds asleep. 'Perhaps you would like to inspect the men before training begins?' Shaak Ti would take a step forward before placing a hand gently on the Padawan's back, bringing him with her. 'I feel this would be a good time for you inspect the clones too young one. Such knowledge will be helpful in the near future'. The clones would all be stood to attention already with the exception of those doing their press-ups, their grey armour shown dimly in the red lighting. Most held standard DC-15's though a few carried other weapons. Each squad was signified by a different coloured shoulder patch. Acklay's patch was a deep green, while Cyclones was a rich blue colour. Though most clones all looked the same at this stage, a few had already begin to make changes to themselves in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. Of course nothing quite as drastic as the veterans, but a few still looked different to the others.

CT-8128 dropped to the floor and started his push-ups. "I've disappointed the sergeant once already, there won't be a second time" he thought, determined not to stop before the sergeant let him off despite feeling how his muscles started to burn. He was so focused he almost missed the arrival of the two Jedi. "I wonder what they're doing here, I don't think they normally observe training drills"

CT-5472 has been spending his downtime at the pistol range, not the gym, and it shows. Muscles burning, he manages to rest in the up position, and crank out some more press-ups when the Sergeant glances his way.

CT-4216 struggled with the press-ups. Normally, this wasn't too much of a challenge, but between the stress of the gas drill, Lana's response, and the drill instructor's shouting, the press-ups were just too much to handle.

Looking at CT-5472, CT-4216 notices that he's resting while the Sergeant has his back turned. "So that's how he does it...impressive." CT-4216 thinks, getting the hint.

Anler watches the clones being bereted by the drill sergeant, some of them doing pushups as he yells at the others. A couple slack off when the sergeant isn‘t watching, which might fool him, but seems obvious to the Major and the two Jedi.

The teenager, barely seventeen years old, has never known the sort of training the clones go through, that much is clear from his face as he watches. Training soldiers is clearly much different from training Jedi. He tries to imagine the clones meditating and fails miserably.

When Shaak Ti mentions the different training methods, Anler nods. “That much is obvious. Does this really work? Seems to me all it does is create animosity towards the sergeant.”

He then walks alongside the Togruta as she inspects the troops. He looks each clone in the eye as he passes, except those still doing push ups. He feels young, compared to the clones, but tries to take comfort in the fact that they are, in fact, much younger than he is. He isn’t certain about the actual mechanics of it all, but with the accelerated growth they might only be a few years old.

7777 hits the ground instantly once the sarge tells him to start doing push-ups, rapidly doing them, with the correct technique without stopping, counting them off as he goes. Before a random thought pops into his head, We really need nicknames.

Shaak Ti would smile at the Padawans question, dipping her head in a slow nod. 'Indeed, you are most perceptive Padawan. However that is the objective of the sergeant here'. Zombie would go to follow the pair, as would the Kaminoan, but at a distance. 'Sergeant Swapar has one of the most important and least popular roles in the army' the clone would supply. 'It is his job to train these clones, but it is more than that. He has to ensure that they are tough enough to survive in the battlefield. The best way to do this is to push cadets to breaking point, both mentally and physically. If they can survive the sergeant, they stand a much better chance of surviving against the clan- er, the Seperatists'. Shaak Ti would take over the explanation once more. 'The sergeant has much experience training soldiers, I have faith in him, even if they are not methods a Jedi would readily choose'.

She would pause before Lana, glancing down at the Padawan. 'In this time of crisis, we must consider all options to ending this war as soon as possible. Some individuals volunteer to join the army as specialist units, or are given military service as an alternative to imprisonment'. While she explains this the Padawan, Zombie would pause before CT-5472 and 4216, staring pointedly down at them with a stern expression, though not outright calling them out for shirking their punishment.

All the while Shaak-Ti makes her way from one end of the line before turning, walking slowly back the way she came, still talking to the Padawan. 'It will not be long before these clones leave Kamino to join the Grand Army of the Republic, led into battle by Jedi Generals and Commanders Now more than ever we need clone troopers and Jedi to lead them'. Pausing before Cyclone Squad again, Shaak Ti would make a wide ave of one arm towards the line of troops. 'What do you think Padawan? What do you make of all this?'

It would be at this point CT-3478 would join in with his comrades ont he floor, though he would not have much chance to repay them. With a shout of annoyance the sergeant would take a step forwards before raising a boot up, resting his full weight on the cadets back, going to force him into the ground. 'You were not told to join in sleepy head!' he would shout down at the clone, his already reddened face practically bloody under these lights. 'Should I clean your ears out with a blaster or will you follow orders next time?' At this his head would swivel to watch CT-5472, disgust written across his face. 'And you thought you're squad was something to smirk about! Pathetic!'

57 minutes ago, Rabobankrider said:

With a shout of annoyance the sergeant would take a step forwards before raising a boot up, resting his full weight on the cadets back, going to force him into the ground. 'You were not told to join in sleepy head!' he would shout down at the clone, his already reddened face practically bloody under these lights. 'Should I clean your ears out with a blaster or will you follow orders next time?'

Under the weight of the sergeant press ups are near impossible, however, CT-3478 is just in the down position ready to do more. Ct-3478 knew something like this was coming and it's probably just going to get worse. When speaking from the ground it's probably hard to hear, but CT-3478 still tries to respond to the sergeant. " Sir, watching my squad mates get punished for helping me despite my slowness and then I stand and watch them pay for my mistake felt wrong, Sir! So I joined them, SIR!" And now CT-3478 continues to try to hold perfect press up form in the down position waiting for the wrath of the sergeant.

Swapar would keep his boot firmly planted in the small of the troopers back, snarling down at him. 'I'm not sure what's slower for you trooper, your body or your head! On this rock, you don't get to pick your nose without my say so! Now you may not like your brothers being pushed about by me, but let me tell you, there's not a thing you can do about it, and I will not let you decide when and what your punishments are! Now when I take my boot off of you I will expect you to get back in line! Failure to do so will result in me crushing your ribcage! Have I made myself crystal clear boy?'

11 minutes ago, Rabobankrider said:

Swapar would keep his boot firmly planted in the small of the troopers back, snarling down at him. 'I'm not sure what's slower for you trooper, your body or your head! On this rock, you don't get to pick your nose without my say so! Now you may not like your brothers being pushed about by me, but let me tell you, there's not a thing you can do about it, and I will not let you decide when and what your punishments are! Now when I take my boot off of you I will expect you to get back in line! Failure to do so will result in me crushing your ribcage! Have I made myself crystal clear boy?'

"Sir, Yes, Sir"

"Oh, crud."

CT-4216 didn't know what was worse: that the jig was up when the Major realized what was happening, or that he just simply looked at him and 5472 and said nothing.

In 4216's mind, it was most likely the latter.

When 3478 decided to join them, there was a sense of guilt: 3478 had volunteered to suffer due to his mistake, and he was suffering hard. There was guilt, sure. But there was something else in there. It was the drive to do better.

As his muscles burned and hit the breaking point, 4216 remembered a story about a convoy back when he was switched to vehicle training, told by one of the instructors.

We were going down this road, and the engineers told us the Seperatists had improvised mines all about in a section of that road. It wasn't too difficult to pass though: just jam their signals and we'll be fine. One transport moved in, all clear. Others went down the road, no problem. Suddenly, we hear a loud explosion at the back. Someone forgot to turn on the jammer. Someone made a mistake that could have been prevented. But because of one mistake, many of our brothers died on that road...

As CT-4216 collapsed on the ground, he lay there for a second, thinking about that story. Today was a day of mistakes. Tomorrow would likely be the same. But now was the place to learn from your mistakes. Because out there on the battlefield, that first mistake could be the last thing you ever do.

"Come on. Youcan do this, don't stop trying." 7777 continued repeating these phrases and several others as he kept up a steady stream of encouragment to 4216 through their helmets closed channel comms that only he and the rest of the squad would be able to hear. The only way to survive this training was going to be tk work as a team. Without a cohesive unit, they were as good as dead. And one way to build cohesions was positive feedback and encouragment, so that was exactly what 7777 was going to give.

CT-4216 hears 7777 over the comms, encouraging him to get up and press on. Weakened as he is, 7777's words give 4216 a shot of energy, enough to go further.

"Strange, I should be dead tired...or just dead." he thought. But those words are giving strength. It's painful, but CT-4216 goes up and down.

"I suppose I can see the logic in the training method. If they can't handle this, how can they handle a war? But I can see the need for non-clones to lead them. Training like this closes the mind while the training at the Temple opens it. And an open mind is needed to see the bigger picture," Anler replies.

When Shaak-Ti mentions the non-clone, Anler is surprised he hadn't noticed him, no, her, before. He silently berets himself. He had been assuming everyone present is a clone, and assumptions can get people killed. "Wait, volunteers I understand, but serving as an alternative to imprisonment seems wrong. And not really something that would make for a good soldier, I imagine. Is that why she's here, training with the clones? Because she's a criminal?"

I am not going to let this poor display be the first impression I leave on the newly arrived Commander!

The will is strong, but the body weak. Determined, CT-5472 starts to go down for another press-up, but stops short, knowing if he goes just a bit further he will be unable to rise.

Never mind the Commander.. If I am to truly lead this squad, I need to do better for them. For my brothers. These are good men.

Looking up, he risks another glance at the touring officers, but sees they have moved on to their specialist. Shifting his gaze back to his fellow Cyclones, he manages an awkward shrug from the press-up position. They get it. We'll get through this.

The drill sergeant would look down at the cadet with a baleful gaze for a moment more before removing his foot, stepping away ad allowing him to get back into line. At the Padawans question it would be the Kaminoan who would speak, not the Jedi. 'It although our clones are far superior, in war the Republic feels such alternatives must be considered'. Judging by her tone, it was obvious where she fell on the debate of auxiliaries. They probably cut into the Kaminoan's profit margin, or if the experiment was successful, they certainly could. She would gesture to Lana with one hand as she continues with the explanation. 'We must admit that some of the Republic criminals have valuable skills and talents that our standard clones, lack'.

It was at this point the sergeant himself would address the Padawan in his booming tone, clamping a vice like grip on Lana's shoulder as he talks. 'Yeah, presides, if convict here messes up even once, it's back to the Corouscant prison cells, if she's that lucky!' He would release her once more, turning to face the clones on the floor. 'Alright you embarrassments, back in line and stand to attention, and hurry up about it! You better start impressing me soon if you don't want to end up in 99's clean up crew!'

Shaak Ti would gesture for the Padawan to follow her down the corridor, away from the Clones. 'Come Padawan, we should leave the clones to their training, and we have much to discuss'. She would turn to the sergeant, nodding to him slightly before speaking. 'Carry on sergeant'. Swapar would respond with a sharp salute before turning on his heel to face the clones. 'Alright you lot! Time to head outside! The rain will wake you up, and I want to find a nice spot to watch the sun come up! Now let's go! Move, move, move!' Moving to the head of the group of clone, he would begin to jog down the corridor, the squads forming rough lines of two to follow him. They were heading for the door that the Padawan and the others had come in through, and it could clearly be seen that the rain was still coming down in the dead of the night.

CT-9182 watched his brothers get up from the floor and line back up, ' Well that wasn't our best showing .' He thought while awaited the next order from the Drill Sergeant.

Doc got off the floor, a bit shaky, but still able to go.

When Sergeant Swapar had everyone jog, Doc followed the line, running near 9182 and 5472.

Running, to Doc, was better in his mind than pressups. Unlike a lot of his brethren, he liked the rain, and at least running meant going outside.

When Doc heard 9182, he whispered, "At least we got running water in spades. Should help your eyes out some."

"The pressups should help with the running...at least I hope it does."

" Sunshine , huh?" CT-5472 joins in on the closed channel, "I think the new Sergeant just earned his name." And like a ray of sunshine he is, indeed!

Glad to be back on his feet, he takes point, and leads the squad outside at a brisk pace. He is actually looking forward to the early morning run, though the sun is still a long ways off. If it even makes an appearance today...

"Then several of us just got sunburned." CT-3478 replies.

A morning run or rather a run until morning comes. Just the thing CT-3478 needs to wake him up. He starts the run and stays in line with the rest of Cyclone Squad.

7777 chuckles silently to himself as he starts to run. Nothing like naming to start off the day.

As Lana ran, she listened to the clones talk. Something just occurred to her. Their just like normal people. Of course that means their just like normal guys. Maybe she'll just go back to prison, at least she can defend herself there. At least there she has respect

Anler only nods when the Kaminoan gives her opinion on the non-clone specialists, not committing to either say he dislikes the idea or that he thinks it‘s a good idea. Frankly, he hasn‘t formed an opinion. There is something distasteful about using criminals as soldiers, but he doesn‘t know the details. If the prisoners volunteer for the duty and perform reliably, perhaps it’s a good way to allow valuable members of society to redeem themselves?

He follows Shaak-Ti away from the clones and the shouting sergeant. “Master, what will be my role here? I don’t see the sergeant’s training methods working too well for a Jedi. Will I work with the clones on a daily bases, and with an individual platoon or squad?”