Anler can feel the exhaustion setting in as he moves slowly over the thick mud. Only the Adrenalin and the pressure to perform in front of the clones and the audience keeps him going now as his feet finally touch the ground on the other side. Surely there has to be an easier way to do this? Use the Force to propel the body during a jump would work.

"Come on men," he shouts at the others as soon as he's over the mud. "Let's finish this and show Acklay what we're made of!"

Didn't even have the decency to put the swim after the mud..

Gunslinger is a muddy frelling mess, bringing up the rear, going into the final obstacle.

"Through the water, through the mud,

Mudslinger's gonna need some suds!"

The second squad was rapidly closing in on the jedi's team rapidly after their difficult attempt to clear the last obstacle. It was understandable why the squad behind them was going so fast to be fair. Czerka was almost undefeated in athletics challenges like this. Everyone was convinced that it was a fortunate accident with their birthing pods. Whatever it was wasn't important to Cyclone Squad. The finish line was within sight, and there were no other obstacles in sight. To the squad, it looked like it was just a simple sprint to finish up.

Of course this wasn't the case. As they run towards the line, once again the floor panels would shift, and rising out of the floor seven B1 Battle Droids would appear. They were all painted grey with the yellow dummy marks painted on them, and each held what looked like a riot shield.

In unison the droids would bring their shields to bear before bracing themselves behind them. The droids did not carry any weapons, and made no move to attack the clones, they simply held their line, blocking the finish of the course. The objective seemed simple, get past the droids and finish the course.

Mynock lets out a sadistic laugh once the B1 Battle Droids rise out of the floor panels. The laugh was more out of relief it wasn't another tedious obstacle but a mechanical opponent. The kind of opponent this clone studied and trained to defeat his whole life. Quickly noting the pattern the seven droid positions, Mynock makes a call. " Doc! Pass my left side! " he shouts, setting up his stance. The clone expeditiously drives his feet towards the droid and thrusts his arms upward against its riot shield to create a clear pocket for Doc to pass by to the finish line. The over adventurous clone slides forward at an angle shoving past the B1 droid's shield once his squadmate was in the clear.

The hasty clone notices Gunslinger following nearby while he was still full of adrenaline. Eagerly the clone jumps to say " Gunslinger, again in 3! ". Mynock quickly re-balances his posture by sinking his hips lower, with the plan to target the next closest B1 Battle Droid. As the passionate clone bolts towards the next droid, he drops his shoulder at the last moment to strike the riot shield at another upward angle. The solid tackle against the shield generates a massive opening for Gunslinger to safely sprint by. Of course, luckily, the forward momentum of Mynock's block allowed the clone to pass as well.

As he swiftly catches up with his squad, he howlingly cheers " Yeah!!! Cyclone! That's what I'm talking about!!!! Owwwww ! ".

Doc sees the gap that Mynock makes and goes for it. He heads through and crosses the finish line, tired.

"Thank the Force for Mynock. Guess someone high up had the right idea," Doc says on the team comms.

Taking advantage of the grouping at Manock's position, Jackpot slams his way through two of the droids leaving a larger gap between them, "Move! Move! Move!"

Anler approaches the droids cautiously at first, but when Jackpot slams through two of the droids, the young Jedi follows suit, grabbing the shield of one of the droids and using his momentum to push it further aside. The droid pushes back, but the cunning Jedi Padawan releases the shield and drops down on one knee, causing the droid to trip over him. He takes a blow to the back of the head from one of the metallic knees, but pushes on regardless, blood flowing from a superficial wound. He moves defensive line of droids before checking if any of the others need assistance. He looks at the others who have broken through. "With me!" he shouts gathering them around him. "If any of our guys get into trouble we charge in and take those droids apart. Either all of us finish or we don't finish at all!"

Gunslinger is still sloughing mud from his slog beneath the previous obstacle.. "Make a hole!" ..and is relieved to see Mynock create an opening in the shield wall just ahead of him. With no time to lose, he slides through as soon as the shield goes up. Don't know why the sent him to us.. but sure glad they did!

Slugger tried to go wide at first and escape the droids attention as his brothers made their own attempts through the mess of battle droids, however a droid spotted him and pushed him back. Trying again he decided to go closer to where Mynock had already pushed a few of the droids over and managed to slip through with out much resistance. " Good Job Team" he said as he saw everyone pass the finish line or already be passed it.

Finally the clone cadets were able to make the dash across the finish line and were allowed to let the exhaustion sink into them. They had done plenty of these exercises before, but they were never easy. The faster you got, the harder you were pushed, it was the only way to improve. After a few minutes the other squads began to finish, doubled over as they gasped for breath. In the end it turned out that Cyclone squad didn't have the fasted time of the day. It was still a respectable time, but unfortunately a couple of the other squads had pushed themselves faster on this day. The clones were allowed a short respite before Swapar approached.

'Pitiful! I may as well strap you all to balls and roll you into battle! You'd certainly move faster!' He'd snarl menacingly at the troops as the stalks around the outside of the panting gathering. 'Alright, you sorry excuses of DNA, back on your feet! Time for firing drill! Get a move to the shooting range, now!'

There would be a low rumble of groans and moans as the cadets pull themselves to their feet as they begin the steady jog out of the room and into the exiting corridor. As they begin to jog Swapar would bellow out once more. 'Cyclone squad, see me, now!' This was to be expected. While most squads did standard drill and training, this squad had specialist training crammed into their already busy days.

As they gather, Swapar would clear his throat as he removes a datapad form his belt. 'Alright boys, a few things. First off, your specialist, Summers, she's been sent back to Corouscant for incarceration. Turns out she's been stealing from the Kaminoans so you won't be seeing her again'.

He'd pause for a moment to let this sink in before continuing. 'Alright, next up! Your replacement for your tech specialist finally arrived. CT-2112! Get up here!' A clone dressed in the same armour as the others would be summoned up to join them. This would be 2112. 'This one's coming from the engineer training programme'.

'Next, you've got a new specialist for the squad. With Summer's mess, this whole programme is hanging by a thread, so you are all responsible for this ones actions!' He'd turn to roar over his shoulder at a young Dresselian standing near the back of the room. 'Hey farm boy! Time to go to work!' Like the new clone recruit, he was summoned to join the gathering.

Swapar would give them a few minutes to carry out their introductions. 'Alright! I'm sure you'd all prefer to sit around here and talk about girls, but you're not getting paid to do that!' They weren't getting paid at all, but the point was made.

'Alright, time for your training assignments! CT's 5472, 9182 and 7777 report to holdout chamber two! CT-4216 report to surgery room four! CT-2112 report to the engineering deck! CT-9182 report to flight simulation room six! Alright ladies, move!'

As the clones are effectively herded out of the room, Swapar would turn to Tanne and Anler. 'Alright, you were meant to be training with Master Shaak-Ti, but with farm boys appearance there's been a change of plan. You're both to report to the duelling chamber for assessment'.

Gunslinger tries not to let his disappointment show. We gave Summers the chance.. ah, well.. hopefully they didn't press this new Specialist from incarceration...

"Welcome to Cyclone Squad." CT-5472 welcomes their new additions. So if Spanner, here, is our tech.. what is this Tannen's specialty, I wonder?

Holdout chamber two, huh?

"Slugger, Jackpot, with me."

As Swapar chewed out Cyclone, CT-6180 knew he was largely responsible for slowing the squad down. " Apparently this is why the Republic developed mechanize cavalry.... for clones like me, Ha! I'd love to see those Clankers even try that exercise " he joke to himself.

Surprised by the news, Mynock discovered he was no longer the newest recruit in Cyclone. CT-6180 greeted both replacement newcomers into their unit before heading off to flight simulation room six. " I hope this program lets me blow up some Seppie defenses. No need to climb over any reinforced walls today boys; Mynock just made our assault that much easier " he'd imagine, walking through the corridor to his simulation.

"Well, considering that she was out most of the time, I wouldn't be surprised." Doc thought. "Still disappointing, though."

" Welcome to Cyclone." Doc says to the new people, before hearing where he was being sent. "Good. This will help."

"Understood, sir." Doc says to Swapar.

5 hours ago, Rabobankrider said:

'Alright, time for your training assignments! CT's 5472, 9182 and 7777 report to holdout chamber two! CT-4216 report to surgery room four! CT-2112 report to the engineering deck! CT-9182 report to flight simulation room six! Alright ladies, move!'

" Sir? You called out my number 9182 twice, sir! I know you want us to improve our times but I can't be in two places at once, sir! Where am I going the Holdout Chamber or the Flight simulation room, Sir! " Slugger would say before the Sargent would dismiss them to their separate tasks.

Tannen looks at the clones, pauses a bit, nods, and lets out a quiet "Thank you."

He hesitantly heads to the dueling chamber.

"Let's go Gunslinger." Jackpot says, so new specialist, hopefully he was more social than the last one. She was just mean.

Swapar would look down at his data pad, and up at Slugger, then back down, and up again. '9182, go to holdout chamber two! 6180 to flight simulation room six! You're time to get there has just been halved! Move it!' This would be followed by a spinning data pad being flung with impressive pace at Sluggers head. Even when he was wrong, it was always wise to think twice before correcting this irrational man.

Anler gives the Dresselian an appraising look. He doesn't look like much. But like his master used to say, looks can be deceiving. "Catch you later, Cyclones," he says to the others as he walks towards the hall used for sparring, keeping pace with the Dresselian. "I'm Anler, Padawan Learner. I'm sure you've heard about this experimental program with imbedding Jedi with the clones at the training stage. Nice to see a new face around here. Mostly everybody looks the same when you are training with clones," he says with a wry smile.

"So, if you don't mind me being direct, why are you here, Tanne? What do you bring to the table that the clones and I lack?"

Slugger caught up with Gunslinger and Jackpot as they made their way to the next training exercise, "Come on Brothers we got half the time to get to the Holdout Chamber!" He would Jog past them on his way to said chamber.

CT - 2112 would snap to attention and salute. "Sir yes sir!" And then take a second to glance at the troopers he was being assigned to. Oddly enough, even in an army of clones, it was strange seeing new faces compared to the ones he birthed and trained with. You'd think there wouldn't be much to differentiate, but there always were marks here and there. Clones were unique as they were uniform, which was a contradiction that he found amusing. Some would take pains to make themselves distinctive, and he was no different. The streaks of fire engine red along his temples, towards the back of his hair, was his way of making a statement. Plus he just liked red. Maybe because it was close to flames, which was heat, which was energy, which was what ran his beloved machines. Or maybe the technician in charge of his batch just played with the dials a bit on the hormonal mixture, and gave him a love of metal, oil and fire. He didn't know, and he didn't care. He liked what he liked.

His quick scan of the squad was followed by a short nod to them, and then he ran off as he was ordered, towards the Engineering Training.

Tannen turns to Anler: "I get what you mean, but I honestly can't say why I'm here - you should ask the person who recruited me. How long have you been here?"

The holdout chamber looked very similar to most of the training rooms within the city. It was a huge, and it had been lined with the dark grey cubes that could transform the environment at the push of a button. Set in the centre of the room was a small black dome. It wasn't much taller than human height, making it difficult to see over the top when inside. The dome itself had four doors, with each leading to a narrow corridor. The doors were set at regular intervals, splitting the dome into four quarters. Built into the centre was a round room with a control complex made of a number of different consoles.

The cadets had taken part in a few exercises in this room before, but it had always been standard combat simulations. As the three enter the room, they would cross another squad leaving the room. They were not standard clone troopers, not even ARC troopers. Their armour showed them to be clone commandos, the best of the best, the final word in military personnel.

There was four of them leaving the room, each with a different colour and markings on their armour. The first one was covered in burn marks with yellow strips down his arms and legs. He would be walking backwards towards the door talking to the others. 'I'm just saying, if we get leave, we should be on Corouscant or something, seeing how much Sev can drink. I mean, do we need to keep coming back here to train every time?'

A green commando with a narrow green stripe down the front of his helmet would be the first to respond. 'After what happened during our last mission? Yes, yes we do'.

'Ah, you're no fun' the yellow commando would state in a sulky tone.

The other two; one commando with a wide orange stripe on his helmet and arms, and a second who looked like he had been splattered with blood would remain silent as they follow the others. They would hardly notice the three newcomers as they pass by. Their armour was state of the art technology, and the DC-17 interchangeable weapon systems they carried were a rare sight in deed.

As the door shut behind the commandos, the cadets were left alone. Jackpot and Slugger would find their weapons proper up against one of the consoles in the dome, but Gunslinger's pistols were not there. As they reach the centre a loudspeaker would sound out to them. 'Attention cadets, welcome to holdout. The objective is simple, survive as long as you can against endless waves of enemies. There are some special conditions though. CT-5472, as current squad leader, you will provide strategy and orders to the others. You will be unable to fight, but the others will be unable to act without your direct orders. You are all completely reliant on each other for survival. The number of enemies will increase with each wave until you are overcome. The scenario is over when the enemies reach the command consoles. You have two minutes to plan your strategy and then the exercise will begin'.

Meanwhile Doc would find himself in a small sterile room. It seemed to be a cross between a scientific lab and a medi bay. A number of people lay asleep in beds with varying degrees of injuries. Stood amongst them and the equipment was a Kaminoan doctor. She would turn to face the cadet as he enters. 'Ah, welcome. You must be here for your medical training'. She would gesture to the injured, mostly clones but there were some alien species as well. 'You have a lot of work ahead of you'.

On the engineering deck, CT-2112, would find himself in a large hanger reminiscent of those seen on the republics star destroyers. Set in the centre of it was two vehicles. The first was a battered looking AT-TE, the second was an LAAT/i covered in burn marks. Stood between them was one of the 'soft shell' engineers with a data pad. He'd sigh as he waves the cadet over. 'Come on then! We've got a lot of work to do today! We're going to see how well you can repair these vehicles and if you can improve them'. Behind the vehicles were various crates and spare parts stacked up, along with the tools that would be needed for repairs and modifications for the vehicles.

CT-6180 would find himself in a very familiar room along with about twelve or so other cadets. They were all familiar with other training simulations. They would chat amongst themselves until the door to the room would slide open.

Judging by the blue and white helmet, this newcomer was Mandalorian. he had what looked like a small red demon face painted onto the front of his helmet. As he speaks he would sound bored. 'Alright, I've been asked to take some time to oversee your training today. This is going to be a land battle, so we're looking at tanks and walkers. He'd look down at a data pad before looking up at the cadets. '6180, you've been listed as leader for this'. There would be a low groan for a few other cadets as this was announced. This was thanks to a combination of aspiring squad leaders, and the fact a few didn't always trust this cadet with leadership roles.

'Alright 6180, you want to take the heavy armour or the lighting units for this one?'

The specialist and Padawan would find themselves in what was surprisingly close to the dojos used by the jedi. Instead of the jedi's colours and symbolism, the room was made of grey metal as most of the rooms in the city were. Stood in the room were a number of clone troopers dressed in standard armour. On closer inspection however there was some differences. All the troopers wore kamas, and their chest plates had been painted blue. On their arms vibroblades had also been attached. One would turn to walk towards the newcomers, leaving the other five there.

'Ah, greetings jedi. I am Swat. You were meant to be training with master Shaak-Ti today, but with the arrival of your special unit here, we've been asked to test both your capabilities. As a jedi and a force user, you're likely to be expected to deal with different threats to the rest of your squad. The revelation of the Padawan no longer being the only force sensitive may come as quite a surprise to him.

The clone would move back to the centre of the room. 'The first thing we've been asked to test if close combat capabilities'. He'd gesture to a rack of wooden weapons near the side of the room. 'When you're ready we can start'.

This is it. You wanted to lead this squad, so do it!

"Jackpot, scan the Northern hemisphere for hostiles, I'll scan the South." Gunslinger makes sure the clone knows his zone, before continuing. "Slugger, get that cannon ready to roll, then scan the perimeter until you have a target. Jackpot, guard Slugger while he lays down a barrage of fire. Jackpot, you can also carefully target the vanguard, keep them back. Slugger, prioritize leadership and heavy weapons. I'll continue a full perimeter scan, while you're engaging. We are not going to win this one. This is a holding action, a last stand. Let's show them the calm at the center of a Cyclone! Let's make it count!"

1 hour ago, Rabobankrider said:

On the engineering deck, CT-2112, would find himself in a large hanger reminiscent of those seen on the republics star destroyers. Set in the centre of it was two vehicles. The first was a battered looking AT-TE, the second was an LAAT/i covered in burn marks. Stood between them was one of the 'soft shell' engineers with a data pad. He'd sigh as he waves the cadet over. 'Come on then! We've got a lot of work to do today! We're going to see how well you can repair these vehicles and if you can improve them'. Behind the vehicles were various crates and spare parts stacked up, along with the tools that would be needed for repairs and modifications for the vehicles.

CT-2112 did not squee in delight, Clone Troopers of the Glorious Republic do not squee in delight. The sound was simply a high frequency auditory check he made, to make sure his vocal range and hearing were within normal parameters. He controls his approach to the tools and spare parts, and then turns to the controller for this test. "Any special instructions, or should I just dive in sir?" His expression and near twitching body language clearly indicating which option CT-2112 was hoping for, but his training did keep him in check...for now.

Slugger readied his Rotary Cannon and started to look around for battle droids. " Oh we can win, when they run out of battle droids! Come on Brother let's roast some Clankers!"