NationStates Jolt Archive

An average sized world hung by invisible strings in the universe, rotated silently around a nearby sun. Other planets joined it in this timeless dance though no others were inhabited. Accompanying this planet were what appeared to be small dots blotting the planet but tha was simply a trick of almost zero light in space. Upon closer inspection, the planet was a hive of activity as a great number of ships circled around the planet along with a network of planetary defenses.

Ships of all make and sizes from the Star Forces made it their duty to keep the planet of D'Hara safe from any harm. If that wasn't enough, then the system wide defense grid would sure help. However the war vessels, defense towers, or ship yard was not what made the planet so important; it was the contents of the planet itself.

The worth of D'Hara was not in commercial investment or resources, it was in the people that inhabited it. One of the two "primitive" tech planets in the Abh Empire, D'Hara had made some gains in becoming more technologically advanced as set by the parameters of the Abh. Under Richard Rahl's guidance along with his wife, Kahlan Amnell, the descending generations of D'Harans were being raised in an universal enviroment as they went to Abh schools and travelled to other star systems and nations.

Despite all these advancements, D'Hara still looked much the way it did before Richard's world was completely destroyed along with all of his people. Resurrected once more, his people were given a second chance at life and the Lord Rahl did not intend to let it go to waste. With former Emperor and Admiral Abriel Dusanyu's help, Richard Rahl had turned D'Hara into a culture center and, important for this reason, the home of the Rangers. Recruited by Dusanyu during the last years of his service to the Jade Throne, Richard had been entrusted with their teaching and upbringing.

All the years of work and training had paid off it seemed as the Rangers got their work fill during the Shadow Wars, ESUS-GFFA War, and most recently at the request of the Kingdom of Mythrandir. By all reports, the mission was accomplished as best as could be expected though it might have appeared a bit unorthodox. Still there could be no complaints about their duty and reputation thus far.

Everything seemed to be on the mends except that the Lord Rahl had received a message from one of the Rangers, Marcus, concerning one of the new recruits. Apparently a recruit on the last mission showed great potential and Marcus was requesting that the Lord Rahl see to the matter personally. It was for that reason why Richard Rahl's entourage was walking through the Ranger Temple halls. Two Mord-Siths dressed in form fitting hard redleather outfitts walked silently and deadly on each side of Richard with Agiel's dangling from their wrists. Behind Richard was General Meiffert who was home from his recent duties to the Galactic Federation at the capitol.

Holding Richard's hand was his son, Cypher, who had aged to ten years by now and was everything his father was. They both shared the same dark hair, also the same as his mother's, while they also sported piercing grey eyes. With Kahlan away at Lakfakallae, working on holding on to her seat on the Galactic Federation Consul, Richard was left with the sole responsibilty to their son.

All around them, Rangers from all over moved aside for the group to pass through. "Is this the door?"

General Meiffert pulled out a piece of paper and looked it over. The middle-aged general wore the traditional leather armor and green cape with a wide assortment of weapons hanging from his many belts. "It says Nick Tyrol, west-wing, room 5B."

The numbers and everything matched up. Richard nodded his head and a Mord-Sith with a long blond braid pounded on the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUvdWeeFqhU

Nick sat at his computer, wearing a brown button up long sleeve shirt, untucked, and his classic blue jeans. Next to his computer, smoke rolled up, curling it’s gray trail from a burning cigarette in a clear square ash tray.

To his left, a small plastic glass filled with some sort of green liquid sat at the edge of the table.

“What do you mean you thought the ride home was uneventful.” the young colonial boy spoke into the monitor, as he picked up his green drink and took a sip of the sweet liquid. It was smooth and sweet as he let out an Ahh...

“Listen how in the hell do you expect to land a shuttle like that. You slammed your jets down to early, and you buckled your landing gear. I mean shit, you know that after a move like that, it is going to take me a few days to repair your ship.”

Nick sighed, “Oh I know you love to ride it hard. I am just saying if you do not like the head gaskets blowing every time you steer the ship into it’s landing dock, you should take your time.” he spoke into the phone, with a grin that stretched ear to ear.

"Yeah I brought it with me. Sure, I can practice at least once a day, they do have a rifle range here. "What do you mean I missed, dude that is not the way it happened at all. I hit my target. No frakking way, that target exploded. What do you mean that you shot it at the same time I did. Listen, never let me take credit for something I did not do, that is so not cool." Nick told the screen as he leaned in closer

As he spoke, a knock came from the door. He turned to the door. “Gotta go, someone is actually here. Yeah I know. See ya later Blue.”

Nick reached over hung up the "phone", as he leaned back and smiled. “Gotta say one thing old boy, she is interesting.” he said to himself, as he reached down and smashed his cigarette into the ash tray.

“Knock Knock.”

Nick turned to the door, and sighed. “Damn it, give a man a minute.” he said to himself as he stood up. He grabbed the glass of ambrosia and quickly drank it down. The room was a small one, and there was not much room for anything, but on the bright side, it was not a long walk to his door. Nick walked over to the door and opened it.

The last thing he expected to see was standing out side the door. Some leather bound blond bombshell with a whip. Nick looked her up and down, then smiled. “Damn this is one hell of a planet.” he said with a smile beaming off his face, as he stared at the living embodiment of any teenage boy’s dream. “ Please tell me you are my new roommate?” he asked as he looked up to the beautiful woman, as he leaned against the side of the door frame, completely oblivious to the other people on the other side of the door.

Cara's icey blue eyes narrowed at Nick while Richard stood in the back trying to suppress a laugh. His life's work had always been trying to humanize the Mord-sith but it was often a painful task that resulted in him being endlessly teased by their new found awkward sense of humor. It was good to see others interacting with them that were not deathly afraid.

Benjamin Meiffert, the General of D'Haran forces and the Galactic Federations combined ground military might, cleared his throat as the young kid was trying to flirt with his wife. Cara shoved the Nick hard to push him out of the door way so that everyone else could enter. She was followed soon in by another Mord-sith though this one with a brown pony-tail. General Meiffert's large D'Haran frame filled up the door frame in his leather armor and shining weapons. However he quickly stepped aside though to make way for someone else.

Richard Rahl came in, standing tall and muscular though not quite to Meiffert's extent. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, black pants, and his typical hiking boots. Flowing behind him was a long golden cape that accentuated his broad shoulders and his grey eyes. Hooked around his shoulders was a baldrice that carried a sword which rested at his hip. Standing at his side, though much smaller, was his son who still held on to his father's hand.

"I hear the rumors about you are true then, Nick Tyrol but I am afraid that this particular woman is too much for you."

The Lord Rahl walked his son over to Rita, the Mord-sith with the brown braid. "Take Cypher for me, Rita. Thank you."

Rita held onto Cypher's hand. "Come along young Lord Rahl."

The pair left the room while Richard watched them go. Finally, he turned his gaze back to Nick somewhat lessened by the lost but still imposing. "Grab your gear and come with me. It's time you become a true Ranger."

Nick was pushed aside, as the people just barged in. Normally that would be considered rude, or hell even an invasion of privacy, but he knew he was not a ranger. Right now he was their guest. As the pair left, and Richard nearly broke out laughing, Nick shrugged his shoulders, “Hey can’t blame a man for hoping. Besides this one girl I know would probably blow my head off if I actually tried anything.” he said to Richard.

Nick turned to Cara and then the General. “So why is everyone here?” he asked being much more serious for once in his life.

"Grab your gear and come with me. It's time you become a true Ranger."

He then let out a smile, as pride swelled in the young man. “Of course.” he replied. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of hiking boots, the pair he wore during the Geth invasion.
Then he walked over to his drawer and pulled out his pistol. Reaching in the drawer below it, he loaded the clip into it, and place a bullet in the chamber. Reaching for his lighter, pack of Caprica Lights, along with his room key, and his wallet he placed them in his jean pockets.

“Alright I am ready to go.” he said to the Ranger before him, still wondering why in the hell a General and the BDSM chick was here.

Without another word, Richard swept up his entourage and strode back out into the temple halls. Many Rangers were about and seeing to their daily duties while the group passed. Most bowed in respect as Richard's group walked by.

Finding his way through the labyrinth as if by memory, Richard was able to talk and walk like Onstar was implanted in his brain. "Traditionally, the Rangers would train new recruits in small groups since senior members did not always have time train them one-on-one. It also gave the recruits a sense of team when they could see and recognize familiar faces.

Your training will be a slight variation. You will have a senior Ranger that will act as a mentor and answer any questions you might have as well as guide you through your trials though he will not be training you personally. During the days to come, we will find what weapon proficiency you have and where you can excell and specialize. We will also look into what other niches you have besides mechanical. Perhaps we can expand on that and you may be able to increase your skill rate.

The rest of your training will be divided into physical, weapons, and knowledge. We're heading to see your trainer for the physical aspect. Any questions?"

Richard made another turn, this one taking out the main gate of the Ranger's Temple and out into the morning sky of D'Hara.

Nick followed Richard down the twisting maze like halls of the lower section of the Ranger Hall in D’hara. It was a wonder that Richard knew his way around this place, maybe it was the Ambrosia, or maybe the unfamiliar setting, but Nick felt more and more with each passing step that he could be lost in here forever. The way this place stretched out was.... impressive. With each face the group passed, Nick nodded, or smiled, depending on the gender and their “visible assets.”

“Yes.” he replied as he kept up the brisk pace with Richard, the General and the leather clad chick, “Why am I being trained differently than the other rangers. You said usually they use teams, but it sounds like I am going solo. Why?” he asked as his head still floated a little with the green drink of the gods.

“You also said that I am going to have a mentor, who is he? And who is going to actually be training me?” Nick continued to feel uneasy, something about this was very odd.

Then the rays of the morning sun slammed into Nick's retina's. He held his hand up, as the golden rays tried to burn his sleep deprived, ambrosia filled blood shot eyes.

As his pupils contracted, allowing him to see clearer in the bright rays of the sun, he looked out at the breath taking view of D'Hara. He had missed it somehow, the mountain ranges in the distance, the trees, the beautiful land scape. "How in the hell did I miss this?" he asked himself. Then he remembered, he was staring at another pair of mountians that night. Nick shrugged, "Ok so now what?"

"Well there is no current war going on with the Abh Empire or its allies so the Rangers are not as busy as they normally would be. Plus our ranks are higher than average so we have a few to spare. That aside, I am looking to improve our training methods and you will be the guinee pig of sorts."

The serene beauty was broken up by the sound of roaring engines descending into the courtyard of the Ranger Hall. A marine assault transport blew dust in the air causing Meiffert and Richard's capes to flap in the breeze. Richard rose his voice to be heard over the noise. "Now you meet the man that will be handling the physical training. Think of this as Basic when you enlist in the military. Your mentor though is someone you are already familiar with. You already know Ranger Marcus so he will act as your mentor. You will find out who your other teacher is later."

When the dust finally settled, an older man with dark skin hopped out of the transport. He was dressed in olive green clothes and chewed on a cigar in the corner of his mouth. The man snapped a quick salute when he made it over to the group. "Sargeant Johnson reporting in as ordered sir."

Richard smiled and returned the salute. "Welcome to D'Hara sargeant. I'll have someone stow your belongings. This is your charge for now. Nick Tyrol."

"I'll see to it he comes to love the sound of my voice, sir."

The Lord Rahl stepped aside for the two to meet. "Sargeant Johnson is from the outter territories of the Empire and has seen more than his fare share of engagement."

"Damn right. I got so much shrapnel in me I can't pass through the security gates without setting off every alarm. What do you have in mind for training?"

"That is up to you sargeant. I trust your methods will both be creative and effective."

A sly grin spread on the black man's face. "Free lancing eh? With your permission Lord Rahl, and would like to have access to some of your men when the time comes to test the boy's skills."

Richard nodded his head. "Granted. Just be sure to have him back for weapon's training and classes."

Johnson snapped a salute. "Yes sir!"

Nick waited outside, as the dust and small debris began to fly in his face. He turned his back to it, as the loud engine noise muffled most of what Lord Richard was saying, but Nick seemed to understand a few of the words that came out of his mouth.

“Marcus?” he asked as Richard spoke about his mentor. “Does grandpa know about this yet, or did he volunteer?” Nick asked the man in charge. “Would not surprise me if he did, he loves to screw around with me. I am starting to think the old man has a crush or something.”

Then out of the transport, a large man, dressed in green with a cigar hanging out of his mouth approached the pair. Nick looked him up and down, clearly the in charge type. The cigar hanging out of his mouth, the tough exterior, the somewhat threatening yet commanding tone in his voice, made Nick somewhat home sick. On the Galactica, he knew many of these types, Colonel Tigh, Sargent Adriana, hell half his old drinking buddies. Nick straightened his back when the man approached. He knew somehow, this was going to be a guy he would like.

“Sir.” Nick replied, his tone all of a sudden becoming much more serious. Nick knew this type well, fun as hell to drink and hang with after work, but during work all serious. Hell Nick was nothing more than a nugget, and he knew it. Nick stood still, waiting for the Sarge to begin issuing him his first assignment for training.

Richard only grinned at Nick's complaint about it being Marcus and Marcus had warned as much when he had informed the Ranger that he would be Nick's mentor. Despite both of their complaints, Richard knew that the pairing was a good one. There were few who had more experience with the Rangers than Marcus since he was one of the first members. If they didn't kill each other first, Richard was confident that Nick would learn well at Marcus's side.

"We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

With that, Richard and his entourage moved back into the Ranger Hall and left Nick standing outside with Johnson. The sargeant looked Nick up and down then nodded his head towards the shuttle. "Alright son, let's move."

Once they were aboard the shuttle, it quickly lifted and started streaking for the woods and the mountains on the horizon. It was a quick ride with the craft's speed and they quickly descended into a little clearing in the woods. Down below was a small camp that had been erected for their use. There were a number of personnel walking about but none of them were discernable at the moment.

Johnson hopped off the shuttle before it ever touched the ground. "Fall in. Welcome to your home away from home for the next few cycles. Here in the good old outdoors is where your gonna learn to keep up with the rest of the Rangers.

They say you're good, I'll make you better. I've read the reports on the incident with the light bulbs, I have to say it doesn't impress me. I'm mean, tired, and I eat consentina wire and piss napalm. Now, if you got a problem with that then I suggest you stow it until you get to wear the little Ranger crest."

The sargeant paused to chew on his cigar for a moment and to let Nick stand for a time. "You'll see that I've brought a few friends with me. They're here to make sure you complete each exercise I have set out for you. First thing we're going to do is test your endurance and see how much of that flab needs to be turned into grade A marine muscle. After that the doctor will take a sample of your blood to make sure you're not a walking time bomb."

A number of the trainers had already lined up behind the sargeant, and none looked to be the overly friendly type as they were all dressed in the same olive drab as him. "Get to it son! We're burnin' day light!"

Nick saluted, “Sir yes sir.” as Johnson began to issue his first opening statement. Nick knew this is how training was supposed to be, going out, getting chewed out and made to feel like an insect. Hell this is what he signed up for, and no matter what this man threw at him, it was sure to be a hell of a lot better than going out and fighting more frakking cylons, or lightbulbs.

Nick however was taken back slightly. “I am good?” he thought to himself but dare not speak to the Sargent and his platoon. “How in the frak was I good, all I did was run away in the beginning, and pick up an Abh?” He quickly dismissed the thought.

He stood there still, full of fortitude, until Johnson told him to move. “Sir?” he asked. “What is my first endurance test Sir?” he asked the man in the wilderness. “Which physical training exercises should I complete for you sir?”

"The nature trail. You've got a 6 mile run ahead of you. At the half-way mark there is a station where you pick up a 40 pound ruck sack and finish the rest of the run. You'll know when you have reached the end of your run when you reach the foot of the mountains."

Johnson turned around to the rest of his instructors as the cigar in his mouth was rolled over to the other side. "Gentleman, our newest recruit will be starting his 6 mile run. Please be sure he completes all 6 miles. If he falls behind our time schedule, give him the prod."

The instructors saluted and dashed off into woods and were soon out of sight. Sargeant Johnson turned back around on Nick. "What are you still doing here?! I'm not going to wrap your ass in Christmas paper and mail you to the mountains. Get a move on Jarhead!"

As the order was issued Nick took off running. Internally he wanted to be the best, not only for himself but for the rangers. Had the battle of the Light bulbs never happened he might not have cared so much, but it did. He bonded with them, even Marcus, although he was still a pompous ass. Nick pushed himself hard, as his body pushed himself as hard as he could. Over the rocks in the path, and barely exposed tree roots, Nick flew by them as hard as his human/cylon hybrid body would take him.

He felt his breath grow a little harder as sweat poured slightly down his neck, but he did not let that phase him. Nick continued to push himself to the half way point.

Five Minutes later, Nick pushed himself as hard as he could when he approached the half way point. Nick smiled at the man who would be waiting there with the ruck sack. Quickly he put it on, and continued his run towards the mountain, sprinting as fast as he could, pushing himself to the limit.

This run was a little tougher with the forty pounds of weight on his back, but it was not that big of a burden. He continued to jump over some of the rocks, and dodging the debris in the path. Six minutes and forty eight seconds later, or eleven minutes and forty eight seconds after he began his run, he came to his destination, the foot hill of the mountain. His chest was wet with sweat, his breath was slightly hard, but he stood up straight waiting for his sargent to come.

Nick took in a deep breath, hoping that he made the time requirements, for the six mile run.

The instructors had all been equipped with stun baton of sorts to give Nick a little jolt if he was lagging behind. With the time that he finished the run, using the training tools was not going to be a needed. None of the trainers said anything as he finished the run though the results were reported to Sargeant Johnson.

"Just under 12 minutes eh? That's about 33 miles per hour."

The old marine was silent as the voice on the other end of the line continued to talk. "Well the Lord Rahl said there was something different about him. This is well above the mark for any normal human to be running. Especially from someone who was a mechanic before they became a Ranger."

Again Johnson listened to other end. "Get a sample of his blood and then get him up the mountain. I want that blood test kept secure. Send it straight away to the doctor and let no one else but the Lord Rahl see the results. And for God's sake, keep it off frequencies. If it is what he thinks it is, then the rest of the Rangers don't need to know right now nor does the rest of the universe. I don't want a hundred scientists flocking to D'Hara wanting to disect the boy."

With that, Johnson ended the conversation and headed off to his duty. When Nick arrived at the other station, a field medic would be ready to take his blood for standard tests and everything else. Once a phial of blood was drawn, it was stored in medical case and shipped off. Finished with that, the next series of instructors had Nick directed to the mountain itself. A hike up the mountain face where there would be a rope in harnass at the end of the path. Once Nick found the rope, he would have to scale a sheer rock face until he reached a cave. Inside he would find Sargeant Johnson waiting for him. Somehow already there ahead of him.

Nick would have to make the next hike and the rock climb, all with the forty pounds still on his back.

Still heavy in breath, the doctors came up to Nick, needle in hand. The fifteen year old colonial looked very puzzled as they asked for a blood sample, not knowing why in the world they wanted one after the exercises began. Usually it was done before any training began.

He shurgged his shoulders at the doctors request, as he rolled up his sleeve. “Sure doc.” he replied, as they stuck a needle in him and filled up a couple of vials. “What is that for?” he asked.

“Move it soldier!” one of the trainers barked as he asked his question. The gruff looking man no less imposing than the Sargent, walked up to him. “Did you not hear me nancy, move it, you have to hike that hill, and climb that rock face. No one will hold you hand, move it now!”

Nick did not hesitate, as he began to run up the hill, and down the hiking trail. Pack still on, it did not slow him down that much as he navigated towards the rock face. Once there he looked at the rope.

Nick had no clue what to do. He had been born and raised on a battlestar. Aside from a few vacations, or that battle with the light bulbs, he had never really been on a planet, and there were no rock faces on a battlestar.

Nick looked at the harness as he tried to put it on. "Rock climbing was a serious sport, one that could easily take your life. What in the hell kind of requirements did these people have, making one on the first day of training climb a vertical several hundred foot rock face that only the most experienced climbers would try solo, without even so much as an explanation of how to put on the harness." Nick could not help but to protest internally, as his frustration built up inside him.

He tried a few different ways, as he clumsily put on the harness. The first attempt was an utter failure, as the rope became twisted in the harness. The second was even worse as he nearly put both legs in the same loop. After seven or eight tries, he finally managed to put on the harness in a working position, although the straps were still somewhat twisted.

He then walked over to the rock wall. He reached out to it with his left hand and touched the surface of the wall. “How in the frak am I supposed to do this?” he asked himself. He looked around for a hand hold or footing place to begin his ascent. He looked around til he found a small place that could fit three of his fingers. Reaching up he grabbed onto it. Slowly he pulled himself up, as his feet scrambled for a place to find traction. It did not take long before gravity took it’s toll, and he fell to the floor below. A five foot drop, still it stung as he fell back first on the ground. Pain shot through his legs, and lower back as his one Hundred and fourty seven pound body collided with the ground. "Mother Fraker!" he yelled as it felt like lightning was shooting through his legs. Although uninjured the shock of falling on the rocky ground below still stung. He knew without climbing shoes, it would be a real pain in the ass to climb this wall...

Over two hours, Nick tried and failed, each time learning from the previous mistake. He was not remotely close to being proficient in rock climbing. Then the idea hit him, the rope was already preset. Nick reached up to the rope. Holding onto the rope itself, he pulled himself up the rock wall. He had no hope of actually climbing the wall, without some lessons, but anyone who has passed gym class could climb a rope. In the end, the result was the same, tired, and somewhat bruised, Nick made it to the cave.

When Sargeant Johnson saw Nick crawl over the rock lip to the entrance of the cave with cuts and bruises, the old man could only drag on his cigar with a resigned sigh. Some lights on wires lined the cave to give off an eerie glow to the complex. Jonshon simply stood blocking the way with his arms crossed and cigar smoke filling the area.

"I don't know what in the hell kind of training they give you in the Colonies but I'll be amazed if you could poor piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel. That was the sorriest excuse of a climb I have ever seen. You looked like a one armed monkey swinging from vine to vine."

Johnson walked over and grabbed Nick by the arm, helping him stand on his feet. Heading back further into the cave, the Ranger would-be could see a work out gym complete with weight sets and everything imagineable to man which might seem odd being up in the mountains.

"Judging from spanking the mountain gave you, you got your first real good introduction to a little thing we marines like to call gravity. But that is only the start of it. Gravity factors into every aspect of a soldiers life when he is fighting along with the terrain he is on. Take our current situation. The higher up in the mountains you travel, the less oxygen there is to breathe. The less oxygen, the more difficult to carryout physical tasks."

The old sargeant turned so that Nick could see the workout room in the hollowed out cave. "We're going to get you stronger by changing the environment in which you exercise so I'm introducing you to the newest workout facility in D'Hara. When I joined the marines, we didn't have any fancy shmancy weight set. We had sticks, two sticks for the whole platoon and a rock. And we had to share the rock. Buck up son, you're one lucky Ranger."

Johnson pointed to a small clearing in the weightroom. "Drop your sack there and hit the weights. The average physically fit man can lift his own body weight in normal conditions. I want that and more from you here. Hit the irons son! You got one hour so don't let me see you stop."

Adapt and Overcome, was the first words Nick had heard when he joined the rangers. The first rule of this group, was a simple one. When faced with a problem that you did not know how to overcome, figure out a way to over come it. So when Nick made it to the top, although it was highly unorthodox climb like his entire short career in the rangers, he felt a sense of pride.

The air was thinner, but still he could not help but to feel some pride at his accomplishment of making it to the cave alone, to be met by the glare of Sergeant Johnson. It did not take long for any sense of pride of self confidence to be shred before him, like a paper doll in the mouth of an angry bull dog. Nick felt somewhat pissed that his accomplishment was so belittled, his people who knew suffering in a way that the Abh would only read about in fiction books, and go to bed grateful that it was only a story, were degraded. Did Nick want to deck the Sergeant, how could he not. Instead though, he stood, back straight and took the verbal abuse that was part of any basic training.

After the initial Verbal assault, Nick then listened to the poor hard luck grandpa style walking up hill both ways to school in the snow, in the middle of July story. It was hard not to laugh, but somehow he managed not to. Although a small smile broke his demeanor, he tried to remain resolute. It was just really hard. "What is up with this planet, does everyone here have a grandpa complex?" he thought to himself.

As the Sargaent began his new set of orders, Nick nodded. “Damn, hasn’t this bastard ever heard of giving a recruit a five minute break?” he thought to himself. He knew he was being pressed hard, but he could not escape the feeling that none of the other rangers had such a tough PT, on their first day. “That frakker Marcus.” he thought to himself. “Bastard is trying to get me to quit.” Was the first thought that came to Nick’s mind. Nick dropped the sack of weights as he walked over to the weight machines. “I will be damned if I am going to let him or any one else force me out.” he thought to himself as more anger built up inside him. He grabbed the bar, set for exactly his weight, One Hundred and sixty three pounds and began to lift. “One.... Two.... Three...” he called out as he pressed the bar one inch above his chest then lifting it as high as he could.

Johnson watched as Nick went to work on the benches lifting the weight of his body with relative ease. Once Nick returned it to the rack, he placed more weights on it as it would steadily increase with each repitition. The last target weight that Johnson had in mind for Nick was around three hundred pounds if the recruit could make it that high.

Afterwards, Nick would be introduced to a few bars for curls with increasing weight. All of Nick's work was being documented of course to see how much he was progressing at each mark. The workout would continue with mainly upper body lifting since Nick's legs would be getting enough of a work out from all the running and climbing he was going to be doing.

The hour would pass quickly from all the working out and then it would be time for Nick to leave. "Alright son, that's enough. Pick up your sack and make the hike all the way back to the original drop site where the camp is. There will be a drop ship waiting to take you back to the Lord Rahl."

All of it meant that Nick would have to go through his obstacle course again along with the trek back down the rock face. Luckily, Johnson was there to show Nick how to properly hook up the harnass and use the ropes so Nick could repel safely down.

At first, Nick was amazed that he was lifting his own body weight, and with each set of reps the weight increased. Two Hundred LBS, Nick did another set of ten. Two Twenty Five, he did another set, until it hit Two hundred and Fifty pounds. Nick knew then at that moment that he was being set up to fail. What other explanation was there, there was no way in hell that this was a normal set of training.

Nick grabbed the bar, determined to lift it. He was angry, angry at someone in the rangers trying to set him up, someone trying to get him to quit. There was no way in hell that this was part of any first day training for any trainee. That and the fact he was alone, instead of with a squad furthered this notion in his mind.

Tightly he grabbed the bar, as he lifted it. ‘These frakkers think they can get me to drop out, they have another thing coming.” he told himself as he lifted the bar. ONE.... TWO.... THREE he yelled out.

Then they put Two Hundred and Seventy five pounds on the bar. “Oh those bastards.” he thought to himself as his arms burned, “frak them.” In his mind it quickly became a competition, between the fifteen year old hybrid and the Ranger in front of him. “ONE... TWO... THREE.” he yelled again until he reached ten.

Then came the final weight, three hundred pounds, or two times his body weight. Nick looked at the bar, knowing how hard it was for anyone to lift this much, especially after the work out he previously had. Determined, his blood full of adrenaline, he lifted again, “One Two Three.” until the set was complete.

After his set was done he reached in his pockets fumbling around for his pack of cigarettes. He grabbed one and pulled out his lighter. Lighting it, he took in a deep breath, as the smoke filled his lungs calming him down. He took a second drag, as he watched the Sergeant’s face at what he lifted. He took in another, as his arms felt the burn, especially in this low oxygen environment.

Nick did his best to ignore the throbbing pain coursing through his body. In front of this man, he knew he could show no weakness. This man who was trying to break him. Nick was not about to let that happen. He took another drag off his smoke, before putting it out.

“Alright son, time to go.” The Sergeant said as he threw the harness at Nick. “Now put it on right son.” After giving Nick a brief lesson on how to put it on, and how to repel, Nick was on his own. He quickly yet safely repelled down the rock, and began his run back to the drop ship. His body sore, he ran as hard as he could. If these mother frakkers wanted to test him, he would show them what is up. He ran as hard as he could, as fast as he could until he reached the drop ship.

He ran hard, as his mind tried to escape the stress of the situation. As he ran past the tree, he soon found himself back on the planet where the battle of the Lightbulbs had occurred. He lifted his glass of dwarven ale, and stared down the dwarf before him. “Yeah, hell yeah, this is some good shit.” he said as he guzzled down the ale in front of the bearded little man.

“Aye laddie, Dwarven Ale is the best.” the dwarf replied back his beard covered in suds.

“Dude no way.” Nick retorted back. “You have never had Ambrosia I see. That is the shit, my friend.” Nick retorted back, as he pointed his finger at the dwarf shaking it. He then broke out with a slight chuckle, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask. “One sip of this, and you will never go back.”

As he offered his flask to the dwarf, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see the Abh Pilot Trainee. “Oh hey Blue.” Nick said laughing slightly.

“Do you not believe you have had enough. You are making a fool of yourself.” She told him.

“What?” he asked, “Can’t a guy have some fun around here. He turned to the dwarf, “This is my friend.... erm what is your name again?” he asked Blue.

"Oy, someone's gonna get his arse whooped fer dat!" the Dwarf yelled mocking the young "human."

He was about to say something, as he felt his arm being pulled on by the trainee...

“It is time to go." she said definetly. "You are making a fool of yourself, and I do not associate with fools." she demanded.

"Oh come on now, one more drink."

"You can have one more drink if you like, then you can sleep in the cargo hold on the way back." she said to him, sharply and clearly.

"Alright, boys, it has been a pleasure." he said as he tried to stand up and nearly fell over. "Have, a great day." he said as he staggered away...

As Nick ran towards the end of his destination, the memory faded. His legs were nearly as sore as his arms and chest. In the end, he bent over and breathed deeply. His clothes saturated in sweat, he took in a couple of breaths. Tired he summoned the strength to stand tall and erect as the Lord appeared before him. “Sir.” Nick greeted the Lord as the drop ship landed. He smiled as he looked at the ship. "At least I do not have to walk back to the base." he thought to himself somewhat relieved to see Lord Rahl, who for some strange reason had taken a interest in his training.

Once Nick was on his way down the mountain, Sargent Jonhson was on the wire talking to Richard Rahl once again. "Lord Rahl? Yeah it's Johnson. The kid just finished his first weight intensive.

How much?

Oh, we got his bench press up to about 300 pounds. Yeah that's right. About doubled his body weight all the way up here in the mountains even after the run and the climb. Any new from the doctor yet?

Mhmm...mhmm...How long until the results come in?

I see. Well he is on his way to you. I'll be in touch with you, Lord Rahl."

Johnson clicked off the comm line running through his ear and ended the conversation with Richard. Silent and alone again, the Sargent went about packing up and getting ready for the next phase of the physical training.

-------------------------

On the other end of the line, Richard had closed off his own communication device by the time the shuttle dropped down. Richard gave the raw recruit a smile and a helping hand into the shuttle. "I trust all is going well with your training so far."

The shuttle ride was quick as they sped back to the People' Palace. Grass flew beneath them in a blur until they were over the plateau city's walls and on the descend. Looking down from an aerial view, the layout of the palace looked to be in an exotic pentagram. Quickly descending, dust blew away from the streets outside the entrance to the palace.

Once it touched down, Richard hopped off and headed up the stairs as guards opened the door wide for his entrance. "It's time you began the second phase of your Ranger training today and meet your other teacher."

The halls of the palace were filled with heavily armed guards and people dressed in finery. It was a veritable maze of hallways and whatnot but being Richard's home, the Lord Rahl was more than capable of navigating it all. At the end they found themselves in a private library with light coming from a candle chandelier in the ceiling. The same Mord-sith that Nick had hit on earlier, Cara, was there waiting for them.

She opened the large oak door and held it open for them. Richard walked in and looked at the shelve of books surrounding him. "Now begins your class sessions and later, your weapons training. For both lessons, I will be your instructor."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt8ZMchgp_4

Nick felt relieved as he set foot on the transport. Sitting down for a moment, he took in a deep breath for relief. He turned to Richard as his ever present smile came back although he was visibly tired, “Yeah it is going well, I am just wondering when you are going to get to the hard parts.”

Putting his head against the transport wall, he rested for a moment, allowing his tense muscles to relax for a moment. As they relaxed, he felt a new surge of energy, a second wind of sorts, until the transport touched down.

He quickly followed Richard down the hallways, and the maze that was the ranger’s halls. He wondered how in the hell Richard was so easily able to navigate the interior of this place, until he came to the doors.

Nick saw then his other instructor, the same leather clad woman who pushed him in his room. He tried to restrain himself as he remembered the words of Richard earlier, about her being too much for him, as well as the image of the Abh Pilot Trainee which he actually liked, looking at him with her disapproving stare entered his mind. He gently cracked a smile, "Hey." he said to the new teacher.

Turning his head back to Richard, "OK, sounds interesting enough. So what will be my first lesson?"

Cara shot the young man a glare as he walked by. Once they were all inside the small library, the woman closed the door as it locked shut with a metallic click. The Mord-sith turned a golden knob by the doorway which increased the lighting in the room so that the stone working was now visible along with some of the books.

Richard pulled the sheath off his shoulders and rested his sword against a large mahogany desk. "The first lesson is actually about you. Tell me, why did you want to join the Rangers?"

Well this was the mother of all surprises, and here I thought I was going to be learning about infiltration, or weapons, or hell the 101 intro into the history of the Rangers. Instead though, he wanted to know about me. I do not know if this is standard in the rangers, or if I am suddenly some lab rat that was being examined, but damn it, might as well indulge the man, besides damn I need a smoke bad, it has been almost two hours since my last one.

Reaching down into my pocket, I pulled out a cigarette and my lighter. Cupping the end of the cigarette in my hand, I flicked the lighter, and took in a drag. Man that feels much better.

I sat in the chair, and gently rested myself in it. “That is a complicated question.” I told him truthfully. “After the civil war in the Colonies, I was part of what your people call the Colonial Remnant Fleet. Although I was born on the Galactica, which technically makes me a Caprican, I found myself in exile of my homeland, not in the military because of my age, with no where to go. The Military Academy I was accepted into was destroyed, and soon my home worlds were nearly destroyed by the cylon bombs. Basically within forty eight hours, my entire life was destroyed.” he said as he took another drag.

“I sat on the ship, doing what I could to help out our side, my father being the chief of the flight deck, I tried my best to keep up with him and his crew. Repairing Raptors, and Vipers, arming the ships, so the viper jocks could go out and get all the glory, to have them come back and bitch us out over some rotator not being perfectly in sync, which would not cause any tactical problems in combat. Needless to say, my future which was once bright soon turned to a dead end, and quick.” I told him, as the memories of the early part of the civil war began to weigh heavily on my mind.

“To be perfectly honest, Lord Rahl, I wanted out. I wanted a better life for myself. It may not be the brave answer, or maybe the answer you wanted to hear but it is the truth. I wanted to get away from the cylons or the Colonies which were trying to kill us. I wanted to get away from all the bullshit of being enlisted without being in the military because I was born on a ship. I wanted to make my life my own. I heard about you on your space station, when the Galactica was being refit, at the Dornie lease. I thought hell why not, and after some red tape, Admiral Adama consented and I am here.”

I had to pause for a moment. Talking about the past was a bitch, I hated it. There is nothing in the past that was worth a damn, nothing that could be changed, but still orders are orders. If he wants to know then frak it...

Taking a third drag off my smoke, I looked up to him. “At first I was unsure if I made the right decision. Marcus is a good guy, but damn if he does not make a piss poor first impression. Then I met your Pilot Trainee and found out I would have my own room, as well as meeting Chris, who by the way deserves a promotion, the man is a large asset for the rangers. Anyway, I thought I had it all under my belt until the light bulbs showed up. It was then and there in the middle of that cluster frak I learned it is not truly about me. I somehow ended up commanding the op, lords know why, but still. I ended up being responsible for Marcus, Chris, Blue, Dry’tch, not just myself. In the end I discovered it is not about me at all, but about the team.”

Taking another drag, I looked up to him, “I want to be in the rangers, to improve myself, to help my team, and to do what I could never do in the Colonies, to make a difference.”

Richard smiled as Nick gave his answer. It was a seemingly simple question to some but carried with it a great weight in judgment of character. There was no small coincidence to how people want to improve themselves and live a better life regardless of what planet they live on.

Lord Rahl eased down on the wooden desk while placing both his hands on the table top for support. "That in fact, is what we are here for. It is true that the Rangers serve others and no doubt that good comes from that work for all, but the Rangers is a place for people to come and better themselves. Whether you are looking for a better life or becoming a better person, is wholly up to you."

Getting up from the desk, Richard walked over towards a far shelf along the wall. He returned to stand before Nick with two leather bound books in his hands. "I have had some of our librarians copying texts from across the universe on varying philosophies that some people follow. One here is a code of the Jedi while the other is the code of the Sith. I don't know if you are familiar with either one, not that it matters.

Here the Jedi believe that all others come before ones self and self-sacrifice is held as an ideal tenant. The Sith on the other hand believe that absolute power regardless of their concern for others. The Sith breed tyrants while Jedi sacrifice themselves without cause. Remember, the dead serve no one but the dead. You cannot be of any use to anyone if you are dead.

Now you might ask, 'why bother bring this up?' It is important to note that we are not Jedi or Sith. Very few people have special powers of that sort nor do we carry around the glow rods. I tell you this because no matter where you travel, people will always have something guiding their life. You should know where you fit into the scheme of philosophy in the universe. So your first class lesson is about the mission of the Rangers and our philosophy here. These are the ideals we live by.

The Rangers have a different philosophy from most anyone you will encounter. We as the Rangers seek to better people where they can be the best to their ability while bettering our selves in the process. To accomplish this goal, we patrol borders and keep the peace so all people may prosper. So if you are in the position for bettering yourself, then you have come to the right place.

Any questions so far? Once we are finished, your weapons training and class sessions will be meshed together."

“Man these Abh are strange people.” I thought to myself as I enjoyed the full flavor feeling from my Caprican Light. I sat back, leaning gently against the chair, as Lord Rahl spoke, and Cara glared at me. Ah must be something with this planet, who the frak knows.

While he spoke, I could not help but to wonder why the Jedi and the Sith were being brought up. Were the rangers some sort of competition with the jedi and the sith? Were they at odds, or why were they even brought up.

Oh well to each their own.

I finished listening to his speech, and all I could do was simply nod. “Well Lord Rahl.” I spoke up. “Honestly I don’t know much about the Coredians and their gods, and truth be told I do not give a frak about it. I’m not exactly sure why the comparison is mentioned, but I understand whatcha mean. As my dad told me, ‘A man is judged by those he hangs out with.’”

I glanced over at that hot piece of tail, in the corner with the icy stare of doom, and gave her a simple smile. Man I hope that bitch does not murder me in my sleep.

I turned back to Richard. “And listen, I completely get that part about the dead serving the dead. After all I love living, it is my favorite activity, so I guess we are in agreement so far.”

Richard gave a hearty laugh at Nick's response. The kid had spirit, that was fairly obvious. Now if he could only be molded into a final product instead of being left at the raw material level.

"Well I agree with you there as well. To each his own, but I prefer the D'Haran ways."

Just then a knock came at the door. One of the D'Haran soldiers dressed to the nines in weapons and armor walked in carrying a rolled up scroll. The man thumped a fist to his heart in salute and handed the scroll over.

Richard took it with a smile. "Thank you."

Without another word, the soldier was gone out the door and closing the door behind him. Richard unraveled the paper and quickly read over it. He nodded his head at the last bit of it. "Cara, can you wait outside please."

The blond Mord-Sith nodded her head and left the same way the soldier had. Richard rolled up the paper and set it back on the desk without another thought.

"You talked earlier about your past. Tell me about your parents Nick. What were your mother and father like?" The question probably seemed strange and random, but anyone that knew Richard always knew that he would go somewhere with his ramblings if he was just allowed some patience and time.

The Truth of his Parents (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufaI0hHCRAI)

The mention of his parents, killed his spirit as quickly as a bolt of lightning could drop a man. He grew quiet, the smile on his face vanished instantly, as was his nature. Nick’s emotions were usually worn on his sleeve, and this situation was no different.

“My parents?” he asked. He turned to see the bombshell of a woman, whom he secretly feared walk out of the room. His hands shook slightly, as he closed his eyes trying to think of what to say.

“Do you mind if I have a quick drink? I am quite thirsty after the workout.” Nick asked the Lord trying to buy some time from the subject.

Without waiting for a reply, Nick pulled out his flask, and unscrewed the top. Quickly he took a swig of the liquor inside. It burned him, but not as bad as the memories coming back to him.

“My mother’s name was Cally Henderson-Tyrol.” he finally spoke up. “I do not know much about her, she died when I was one year old. She was born on the Colony of Picon, and originally enlisted prior to the second cylon war to get money to go to dental school.”

Pausing again, he took another swig of his drink. “My Father’s name is Gallen Tyrol, Chief of the flight deck of the Battlestar Galactica. He is from the Colony called Aeralon. He and my mother were assigned duty together, before the sneak attack by the cylon forces.”

He shook his head for a moment, “What does this have to do the rangers? I mean this is very weird, and I have to wonder is this important?” he had to ask, while subtly trying to change the subject.

What was usually a soft expression on Richard's face during the time that Nick had known him, vanished as the young man tried to stall for time. The war wizard stood their resolute and crossed his arms as he waited for an answer. When Nick finally started to answer, he knew it was a lie or at least not the full truth. At least it didn't work with the story that his medical readouts were telling him.

"Actually this has everything to do with the Rangers."

Richard picked the scroll up from the desk and held it in his hands. "Because what I hold here is about to change everything. Your relationships, how other Rangers see you, how your own world sees you. Not the least of all how you see the world."

The Lord Rahl paused for a moment reading over the scroll one last time. "It is a journey I am willing to take with you. But only if you are ready and willing. Are you ready to learn what everything I have been talking about is going to suddenly collide with you?"

If Nick was not confused before, certainly he was now. What in the hell was on that piece of paper that was so damn life altering. He could only wonder, as he noticed Richard looking hard at the young colonial sitting before him.

Nick could not help but to feel nervous. What ever was on that paper was big. Did he have some strange disease, nah that could not be it. What in the hell was it?

He looked up towards Richard, “I would not be here, if I did not want to learn. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to know the lessons of the rangers, or not fully commit to it.” he responded quickly.

As he spoke, a cloud of dread descended on him. Bad news is one thing, but not knowing what someone else does, the wait, was unbearable.

He could not take it anymore, “What is on that paper that is so big, that it would change everything?” he asked nervously.

"Very well then." Richard took the paper and placed down on the desk.

"From the moment I've returned to D'Hara and visited the Ranger's Hall once more, I could tell someone here was different. When I finally located the person, it was a familiar sense after having been around so many people that were gifted with the Force. You, Nick, are possessed with the Force. How strong it is or how strong you will be come, I cannot say only that it is there.

But I did not need the blood test to find that out for me, it merely confirms what I already know. What it does tell me is perhaps the more grave of them all. The doctor in the palace checked your blood for abnormalities, diseases, things like that. All fairly standard. What he found is this."

Richard turned the paper over to Nick to see. Along with a midicloryn count, disease analysis, and blood cell count was a column where the patient's blood type was supposed to be labeled. This particular column was blank. "There was no known blood type to match yours up with. As odd is it sounded, I tracked down your country of origin and had some friends research known blood types of the Colonies. We found that the blood types to all other humans in the universe are identical.

But, the interesting fact was that an intelligence report from Star Forces went on to mention that there was another unofficial blood type. This blood type had no markings or nothing for that matter since it belonged to the Hybrid Cylons. Your blood matches that of a cylon. You both have the regenerative properties and so far your test scores show your above average stamina and strength."

Richard gave Nick a moment for everything to settle in. The Lord Rahl walked across the room and sat down next to him. "I can understand this might come as a bit of a shock for you not to mention the fear that might be within wondering what others are going to think. There are only two people know about this. Myself and the doctor. I cannot keep the fact that you have an ability with the Force masked from the outside world. That will be discovered one way or another but I can keep this other business a secret.

If you want to tell others, then that is your decision to make alone. I cannot do it for you. However, you will not be removed from the Rangers and no penalty will be placed on you for this."

Placing a hand on Nick's shoulders, "Nick, you are still human and you will be treated as such. You have nothing to fear from me. So long as you are a member of the Rangers and remain on D'Hara then I will keep you safe from the rest of the outside world. No one will lay a hand on you nor will anyone be permitted to study. In the case of your fellow countrymen, from what I've been told they have a fascination for airlocking people. You won't have to worry about that.

I know this is a lot to digest. Take your time to think things over, and remember that I am here to help you if you need it. If you want, you can have the rest of the day off and go back to your room to rest."

The suspense was killing him, as Nick sat in his chair staring at Richard Rahl. Watching, waiting for whatever bad news it was he sat in his chair waiting for the verdict.

Needless to say, nothing could have prepared Nick for the bombshell that was about to be dropped. His eyes widened with horror, as Richard began his speech. The first order of business was when he told Nick that he was a force user, a dirty, backstabbing Coredian...

Nick stood up, in outrage at the comment. “ Midi, whatever in the frak it is be damned.” he thought to himself, pushing his chair back, “There is no way in hell that I am going to let this or any mother frakker call me a gods damn pedophile.” he thought. Nick opened his mouth about to let Richard have it, until the second portion of the speech came out.

It was revealed, the one secret he hoped and prayed would never come out did. He is in fact a half breed human/cylon. Nick’s mouth quickly shut before he could offer any words of protest against the earlier claim. His eyes sulked, as his fighting spirit that existed moments before died as quickly as a small camp fire being hit with a raging river. He felt weakened for a moment, as he reached back for his chair.

Nick closed his eyes for a moment, knowing soon his life would be at an end. What else could he do, his father was a cylon, thus he knew that he was no better than those dirty toasters. Sighing as he rubbed his temples, he awaited his sentence. He only hoped that when Richard scheduled him for death, that it would not be too painful. He hoped that Richard would not tell Chris or Blue, that he would just disappear. He said nothing, in his defense. There was nothing to say.

Nick lowered his head, as Richard sat next to him. He knew that this was one of his last moments. Nick turned his head to him, knowing the only thing he could do before he “vanished.” He opened his mouth, about to offer his resignation, so that way when he was airlocked, at least no one would wonder what happened. They would just assume what Marcus did, that the kid could not handle it.

Then the biggest shock of them all came. Richard offered a pardon. No penalty, no death, no nothing. Nothing would change, except for the fact that people would now think of him as a damn Coredian. Nick said nothing, his eyes averted away from Richard. He breathed in a sigh of relief, but still it was not that comforting.

It took him a while to process it all. The coredian gods taking an interest in him, the fact that he is now outed as a half breed, and is still allowed to breathe. It was one hell of a turn. Nick looked at his flask, sitting on the table. His hand reached out for it, as he put it back in his pocket. No amount of booze would help him today, that was for damn sure.

Turning his head to Richard, Nick looked towards him. He had the look of a man who just lost everything. “Lord Rahl” he finally spoke after what seemed to be an eternity. “Thank you for sparing my life.” he said humbly. “If you will please do not tell anyone, after all the others might not be as kind as you are. I really do not want to be lynched in my sleep.” he said his voice full of fear. The boy was so shaken, one could only wonder what would have happened to him had this come out in the Colonies. It was also a wonder that Doc Cottle, never put this in any of the boy's physical reports when he transfered over to the rangers.

He then paused for a moment, and sighed the sigh of a man who's world just collapsed. "No sir." he responded, although saddened and angry, still quite defeated. "I do not need the day off. Let's just put this behind us, and move forward."

Richard watched as Nick's emotions played out. Nick showed much the same outrage about being gifted with the Force as he did when he learned that he had the ability of magic. But that was many, many years ago.

Thankfully, the boy didn't completely break down when he learned the other half of the news. Richard was unsure of how he would be able to bring someone back from news like that and found himself wondering what sort of age he had awaken to that people could be half machines. Still, machine or not Nick was still human in his eyes.

"No one else needs to know. The only person that will ever tell this story again, is you if you so choose to one day."

Just before Richard was ready to move on to their next lesson, something Nick said jogged his memory. "One more thing before we go, the ability to use the Force or magic for that matter is not automatic dictation of obedience to any god. You are still your own person with your own free will. Being gifted with the Force does not automatically make your a Coredian or a pedophile."

Richard squared around at Nick to make sure he was still paying attention. "You are still Nick Tyrol, a Colonial and a Ranger. Only your actions and choices will truly dictate who you are. In time, I can teach you how to use your ability. Others also might come looking for you if they can sense your own abilities. I cannot say who will come or if they will at all but if they do, then will most certainly want to take you back to their own worlds to train you. If that happens, all you have to do is say you do not want to go and you shall remain here. For now, you only need to think on that and we'll move on to the next lesson then."

Nick’s head began to pound as his blood pressure began to settle down. The adrenaline that coursed through his body, subsided, causing him to crash. He felt tired especially after the work out that he had done not thirty minutes before.

Still though Nick gave Richard a silent nod. In his heart, he only really wanted to talk to one person, but his pride would not let him quit. He did not want to hear Marcus laughing at the boy, mocking him for quitting, and the disapproving stare that would be sure to follow. It would be hard, hard as hell, but Nick knew he had to endure. He had to work harder than anyone else, since it seemed he had the most to prove.

Raising his eyes to Richard as the pain still shot freely across his body like lighting during a summer storm, Nick finally opened his mouth. “What’s today’s lesson boss?”

Richard smiled at Nick and quickly stood up. Clasping Nick's forearm, the former woodsman hoisted Nick out of the chair and stood him on his feet. With a clasp on the shoulder, "You've already learned the first lesson and probably the most important one. Love life and live yours to the fullest. See the good in people but recognize evil. And know that your choices and reactions determine who you are, not genetics or family."

The Lord Rahl moved to the desk where his sword lay and through the strap over his shoulders. He turned back to Nick and waved him towards the door. "Come along now. I think I got the best thing to shake you from your stupor. Weapons training."

Richard opened the door to be greeted by Mord-sith Cara who had not left the door since she was told to leave. He guided Nick on through so he wouldn't be distracted by the blond woman this time. "Let's move on to the Garden of Life. I'm sure your opponent is already waiting for you."

Nick emerged from the room, his eyes sulked, his spirit still shattered. He for the first time in his life, had to trust a non colonial with his life, and that was something he was not accustomed to. Richard held his secret, the very words that if ever spoken would leave his life in ashes and ruin. Nick sighed, as in his heart he knew now that he had to trust the Rangers, had to trust Richard. Trust them to keep their word. Although he was uncomfortable at the thought, as most Colonials had lost trust over the years, still though something in the back of his mind felt relieved at the thought. As if some part of him longed for someone he could and had to trust.

Sure he trusted Blue and Chris enough, I mean hell Chris is his bro, and Blue is his world not that he had the guts to tell her, but still he did not believe he could trust either of them with this. It was not a slant against them, but due to his background he really feared his friends would try to kill him. Had he been home, he would have been right.

As he walked down the hallway his mind drifted, back to when he was very young. His mom was walking with him down the flight deck of Galactica. He saw people doing their thing, fixing raptors, and vipers, a few stopping trying to talk to his mom. She did not reply, as she walked by them coldly. Like she was dead.

He sat in his mom’s arms, felt her loving embrace. He loved her so much, the way a son truly loves his mother. She was there for him, took care of him. He sucking his pacifier, looked at the cold look on his mother’s face. “What is wrong mommy?” he asked himself, although he was too young to speak.

With that he heard a hiss. Moments before, this he remembered his mother clubbing his father over the head with a monkey wrench. The little boy, was very confused, as two giant gray doors opened before him. The tunnel was long, and cold. She took him in there though. As they walked in, she stopped by a window. He clearly saw the blackness of space, dotted with billions of stars. It was so pretty to him, like one of his toys he had in his room. He just smiled, as his mother held him in his arms.

Suddenly a dark skinned woman walked in, and everything changed. Cally glared at her, as she walked over to a panel. Nick could not remember the exact details, but as she held her only son in her arms, his mother shut the doors. Nick would never forget the words that came next, “Better hope there is a spare body waiting for you.” as the doors closed.

The next moments were a blur, as his eyes teared up as he walked down the hall. Nick was in the control panel for the flight tube, being held by the dark skinned woman, as his mother laid beaten on the floor of the flight tube. As she pushed a button, his mother screamed his name. Then she was gone. He never saw her again, as he sat in the arms of the dark skinned cylon too shocked to cry.

Nick shook his head, “No, I can not tell Blue, or Chris. What has happened before can not happen again.” he thought to himself, as he walked along side Richard, and Cara, yet very much alone.

He walked with the ranger, silent. He made no motions, no eye contact, nothing until he walked in the weapons training area. Waiting for Richard to let him inside, he wondered what in the hell was going to happen now. If it was anything like the rest of the day, he knew he was in for a brutal beating.

(OOC: Yes the flashback is a direct rip off of an episode, but hey the event happened to this character since he is taken from the show)

Truly the Garden of Life was alive. Trees grew tall to stretch the open ceiling of the palace while flowers grew in brilliant colors. Stone benches dotted paths meandering through the garden to provide strollers with a good view of the flora. In the center was a small fountain that sprinkled water into several different bowls.

Sitting around the fountain was the same Mord-sith that had been with Richard earlier. Rikka leaned easily against one of the bowls as she watched over Richard's son who wondered through the trees and flowers.

Richard stopped the group short and nodded his appreciation to Rikka. "Thank you for taking care of Cypher for me."

"It's quite alright Lord Rahl."

Rikka leaned over to get a look at Cara. "I see I have to do the motherly duties while you get fun time with Lord Rahl."

Cara stuck her tongue out back at her. "That's because I'm the favorite."

Richard sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he had a head ache. "Could you two wait to embarrass me when someone is not around? Besides, you're going to confuse my son. He's going to think he has twenty different mothers."

Rikka looked over at Cypher then shook her head. "Nah, the Mother Confessor got the pleasure of that experience. He knows who his true mother is."

Clearing his throat, Richard decided to move on and change the subject before things got worse. He grabbed Nick and hurried him along after Cypher. "It's time to meet your sparring partner and time for you to choose a weapon that suits you to train with. We'll go over modern weapons later but sometimes training and the old ways of combat can come in handy in a situation where you have been stripped of your weapons and need to make do with what is around you."

The room was full of life, as the smell of the trees, flora, and the other plants in the air came to Nick. Such life and beauty was in this room, and it was not just the women. Nick looked at the child playing in the fountain, and the beautiful woman next to him.

Watching, listening, the pair in this room of life, Nick felt his spirits rise. He smiled as he watched the true beauty of woman and child, being together, caring for each other. His heart warmed, as the mood of the last few minutes vanished. He felt his heart beat, and he could feel the fresh air of this indoor park.

Nick stood silent though, as the two women began to tease Richard. He smirked at Richard, as Richard's face began to become flushed. These two women, cold as stone to him really came to life. He watched as these women came into their own, laughing smiling, filled with happiness and joy. It was a moment he never would have expected, considering the mood of the last few minutes. Nick watched as he noticed the pair really cared for Richard, and he cared for them.

The moment was priceless, as Richard’s face grew red at the teasing. Nick soon found himself chuckling, as Richard began to pull him out to avoid the verbal jabs.

Nick looked at him in the eye, as the kid he first met seemed to be revived. “You pimp you.” he said, as he put his hand on Richard’s shoulder for a moment, before dropping his hand back down to his side. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a harum. Now that is a skill I would love to learn.” he tossed his own little jab as he walked next to the Lord of D’Hara.

As he was pulled, soon he came to the next room. Nick listened to Richard, explain the need of older combat forms. Nick nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah man, well what are we waiting for. I really could use to bust some heads. So who is going to be my teacher or sparing partner? One of those hot chicks in leather?” he said with a chuckle. “I hope not, cause after seeing that, I do not wanna get my ass kicked.”

"Hardly, a harum full of women like that would try any man's patience."

From behind them came a voice. "I heard that. Wait until Berdine finds out that you don't like her company."

Richard hung his head and walked on. The area they came to was a sort of tranquil sand garden that some might expect to see in a zin garden of sorts with a few large rocks dotting the area. Along the stone wall was a weapons rack complete with every melee weapon imaginable.

"Cypher!"

At the sound of his name, Richard's 10 year old son came running out into the sand. He wore a simple white t-shirt and brown pants that were typical around D'Hara. "Yes pa-pa?"

Richard smiled at his son and gently padded his shoulder. "Did you bring your sword?"

Cypher turned up the sheath hanging at his hip with the small sword housed in it. Smile a father's smile, Richard nodded his pleasure. "Good."

Nudging Nick out into the sand, Richard put the two sparring partners together. "My son, Cypher, will be your sparring partner. Go the weapons rack and pick a weapon that suits your personality. It may take a few tries to find a weapon that you are comfortable with. A single handed sword allows you to be quick and is often accompanied by a shield. The two handed swords compose both concepts of defense and attack where no shield is needed. However the extra weight may slow you down. Axes are an excellent weapon for attack where once momentum is built up, it is difficult to stop. Without the momentum though, an axe is difficult to wield.

Spears can keep attackers at bay and pose a good defense. However, should someone close the gap between you and the spear tip then the weapon is all but useless. Maces and hammers work much the same way as the axes. The fight pike is slightly different where it has an equal balance of attack and defense. Shorter than the spear it allows you to wield it quickly two-handed for multiple attacks or like a pole to keep multiple enemies back. You also might recognize it as the weapon your friend Marcus uses."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VneISQyP9R0

Battlestar Galactica
One Year ago
Colonial Day.

The ship was bustling with life, as Nick awoke from his rack. Rubbing his eyes, the fourteen year old boy, slowly got out of his rack. With one free hand, he reached under the bunk, and grabbed his clothes, a pair of green BDU pants, and a grey tank top, along with a second black tank top to go over top of it.

Shaking his head, the boy yawned, as he put his clothes on.

“About time you woke up.” the voice of one of the marines said. The marine was only five years older than Nick, but over the course of the last couple of months they had grown into buddies. Nick looked at the marine, the tall man, with a strong physical build, as he raised his left hand towards him and extended his middle finger.

“Bright and cheerful as always.” the marine said, slapping Nick on the back, hard enough to cause a thud sound echo across the room.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nick said as his body jolted forward.

The guard shook his head, “Well you are about to miss the fun, young’n.”

“What fun?” Nick said as his eyes light up.

“Didn’t you know? It is colonial day. Open bar, boring speeches, and the Admiral authorized a dance.” The Marine told him, his face very serious almost as if it were etched out of stone.

“A Dance?” he said, jumping to his feet. “Why in the frak didn’t you say so!” the boy said very excited.

The marine chuckled for a moment, “Hey if you couldn’t get you lazy ass out of the rack, why in the hell would I get you up for it.”

“Yeah frak you too. You going?” Nick said smiling at his triad buddy.

The Marine nodded, “Frakkin A, I am. Half the ship is in the hold right now. You wanna throw in your tags. Oh that is right you do not have any tags.” the Marine said to Nick, busting his chops.

“Yeah kiss my ass, lets roll man.” Nick said as he raced down the ship.

The pair walked through the cooridors, the fimiliar A shaped halls, each light with a side flourescant light. It gave off a pale glow, as they passed many people, some carrying crates, other marines dressed in all black with rifles slung over their shoulders, and a few of the viper jocks, wearing their flight uniforms. As they walked down, Nick turned and stared as he saw a hot brunette walking along with a tall dark skinned man, with a shaved head.

Watching, her walk down the hall, suddenly he felt a sharp pain come from the back of his head. “Come on you wanna be playa.” his buddy said. “You know that an officer won’t give you the frakkin time of day.”

Nick laughed for a moment, ‘Maybe not you, you thick headed bitch.’

“So you wanna dance, alright.” the marine said to him, with a slight glare.

“Bring it on Bitch!’

The Marine just laughed, ‘Whatever.” Turning down into the hold, Nick watched the the crowd. People were laughing and smiling. In the corner of the room, were lots of bottles of every kind of liquor imaginable, in plastic cups, flasks, you name it. Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey, Brandy, Moonshine, Ambrosia, you name it, it was there. Nick quickly walked over to the bar and grabbed a flask of Ambrosia.

In the center of the room was a large boxing ring. Nick shook his head, as two people were exchanging cubits in front of him. It was a party alright, as people were cheering in the center of the room. “Who are they cheering for?” he asked himself as he pushed his way through to the center. Aside from glares, or the “what the frak is your problem” response he had, he soon found out who it was.

Admiral Adama, and his father were in the ring, again... Ever since the second cylon war, his father and the Admiral ended up in the dance, every time one happened. It was kind of a tradition, as he watched his father, bleed slightly, and the admiral’s face looking like it has just been pounded by a jack hammer. Colonel Tigh, again was the ref.

“Come on Dad, kick the old man’s ass.” He yelled as he felt his adrenline rise.

Within five minutes, the match was called, as the Chief hit the admiral hard, knocking him to the floor of the deck.

“Hell yeah Dad!” Nick cried out, taking pride in his father’s victory. Chief Tyrol turned to his son, and smiled, as he got out of the ring. Holding his gloves out, Nick quickly began to unwrap his father’s hands. “Good job old man.” Nick said to his father.

His dad gave him a loving smile, then nodded. “Remember son, when you fight someone, they are not your friend. No matter who they are, when you are in the ring, they are your enemy. You fight to protect your family, your friends, your ship.”

D’Hara
Ranger HQ
Present Day

Nick walked around the rack studying the weapons. He had never really seen anything like them, except the pike that Marcus used. Nick just shook his head at the choices. Aside from the brief summery, he had no clue how any of these things worked. He really only had one choice, he reached out and grabbed the weapon of Marcus, the only weapon he had actually seen used on this rack.

With it in hand, and Nick not having a damn clue on how to use it, he held it out, somewhat clumsy, towards his opponent, the ten year old Lord’s son. “So how do you use this?” he asked, as he prepared to be attacked.

"That's what you are going to learn today."

Richard walked out into the sand and stood between the two opponents. "You didn't think I'd throw you to the wolves on the first day?"

Grabbing Nick's hands, Richard moved them to their appropriate position about shoulder width apart. "The traditional hold on the pike is here. You have the middle section for blocking an attack while the ends can be used to counter with an attack. When blocking up, you keep your arms slightly bent to help absorb the attack. You never go out to meet but allow it to come to you."

Standing back out of the way, Richard nodded to his son. Cypher's sword came free from its sheath in a hurry. While he currently lacked the muscular build of his father, the sword still came in fast in the exact angle that Richard had just showed Nick how to block.

“Well it is certainly clear now that Richard is not Johnson.” Nick thought to himself somewhat relieved that he was going to be taught how to use the giant metal stick. Bending his arms, as Richard showed him, he listened to his first instruction as well as he could.

With a quick nod, Nick lowered his face unsure of himself. “Yeah, I think I got it.” he replied. As the words came out, the boy lashed out at him. “Damn that frakker is fast” Nick thought to himself, as the sword came flying at him. His first instinct, was to jab the kid, followed by a move out of the way.

“No, I can’t do that.” he told himself. “I need to do what Richard told me. Holding his arms up, in the position Richard just showed him, keeping his arms somewhat bent to help absorb the shock, Nick let the sword come to him, exactly as Richard instructed.

As the blade hit, Nicks arms barely moved. The boy was quick, and hell he was a lot better at melee than Nick hoped to be, but the sheer force was not all that much as the clank of metal hitting metal sounded.

Nick stepped back for a moment, and looked at the boy. He noticed his stance, his feet, where his eyes were looking. Any and all of it could be a give away of where he would try to strike next, although if the boy wanted, Nick knew that he could be toast in a second.

"Well done."

Richard move back in to instruct the next phase of defense. "Now comes defending horizontal attacks. Your hands stay relatively in the same place only now you alternate the angle of the pike and guard one side of the body."

Moving Nick's hands so that they were in the proper position, the pike eventually was parallel with the right side of his body. "It also works the other way."

Richard moved Nick's grip and stance so that it now protected the left side of his body. "Like that."

With this level of the lesson completed, Richard moved aside and nodded for his son to begin. Cypher wasted little time in his attacks. The sword came in horizontally at Nick's waist on the right side just as Richard had shown him to guard against. Once Nick successfully blocked the strike, Cypher altered the angle of his blade and came sweeping in on the left side with a horizontal attack.

As before, Nick held the pike arm, somewhat clumsily, but still managed to take the first hit. It was a simple move, knowing exactly where the blade was about to crash, but then something unexpected happened, as second attack to his other side.

Nick moved the pike to the other side. Although it was light to him, still it’s size was quite awkward. Moving it as fast as he could, trying to block the shot, the boy proved to be his better quickly. The sword slashed through his t-shirt, and lightly grazed his side.

He winced, as he noticed some blood spilling across his left side, across the eighth through tenth rib cage. Although it was not deep, since the boy was not trying to actually hurt him, it still hurt like hell. Grabbing his side for a moment, as the pain surged through his body, he winced. “Mother Frakker!” Nick yelled out in pain and anger.

Looking to the boy, who probably thought he was the center of Nick's rage, Nick gave him a slight smile. "Sorry" he winced through the pain. "Didn't mean to cuss in front of you, I was just stupid. Again?" he asked, as he picked up the pole arm. He grabbed the staff, and waited for the kid to strike again. The pain motivating him not to repeat the same mistake twice, Nick moved the pole towards the right side, then towards the left deflecting both blows.

Richard watched as Nick moved to deflect the blows and winced when his son landed a glancing strike. It wasn't long before the expected curses drifted through the garden. He wasn't too worried about his son being unnerved by the outburst, but more how the hit would effect Nick.

Seeing that Nick wanted to try again, Richard grinned with approval. Glad that his pupil would not quit so easily. Cypher struck twice and there were two solid rings to note that Nick had deflected each one.

"Very good. You corrected your mistake and managed to deflect both blows."

Richard guided Nick over to a stone bench to have him sit down. "Let me take a look at it."

Regardless of any protests, Richard opened up the shirt to take a look at the wound. Placing both hands on the wound, the War Wizard closed his eyes. "This might feel...weird is how I guess you say it."

Richard fell into the rivers of pain as his magic took hold and he methodically worked to mend the wound. What pain there was, Richard himself took on. It was a minor pain, and the Lord Rahl had felt far worse in his time which was always a danger to healing with magic. If you weren't careful, a wizard could lose himself in a river of pain.

Opening his eyes, Richard saw that the wound was well on its way to mending with no more blood coming from the cut. "There. How does that feel?"

Weird was hardly the word, as he could feel the pain slowly drifting away like a stick in a river. Looking down, the like of blood that poured out of him like a slow moving waterfall stopped instantly. He could feel his flesh reaching out to it’s severed partner, as the small threads of muscle and skin struggled to reach out to each other, to reattach.

Nick looked down at the would, the pink flesh still visible, with the small overlap of pale epidermis hanging freely over his side, the blood that was drying on his side, and the visible pain of Richard, was more unnerving than the feeling he had.

He was shocked to see what had happened. He looked up at Richard, “What did you do?” he asked as his face turned nearly pale not from the blood loss, but from the shock and awe of the metaphysical abilities he possessed.

Slowly Nick stood up, as he re buttoned his sliced shirt. The pain was completely gone. “How in the hell did he do that? “ he was left wondering.

Richard rubbed the bridge of his nose as the moment of minor quickly subsided. It took a second for him to realize that Nick had asked him a question.

"Hopefully healed your wound. It was a minor cut so it wasn't terribly difficult to mend."

Easing off the ground, Richard took a seat next to Nick on the stone bench. "I know you have some strong feelings towards those people that use the Force, but regardless you have that power within you. If you ever want to explore that route of who you are, I can sure you how to manifest some of that power."

Nick remained speechless at the offer, as the total of the events of the day really began to add up. First he was forgiven for being born half cylon, for the sins of his fathers race. Then he found out, that the Coredian gods had found favor with him, and now he was being offered to be trained in such ways. Had Nick not just seen the potential not only to help him, but his friends, he would have rejected it outright.

Instead he sat silent, pondering the decision. Looking down at the seven inch long slash across his abdomen that was healing before his eyes, it truly made him wonder about what he was capable of.

Minutes past, as he continued to think. It was a huge decision, and once he answered he knew one way or the other his life would change forever. “If I do not, then I might remain the same.” Nick thought to himself, “but what if Chris or Marcus wind up in danger and there is no other way. They might die. Can I live with myself if any harm comes to them?” he asked himself.

“I am here to learn to be the best I can, to find out who I am. Frak it, if it will save one team member it is worth it.” he thought to himself.

Then visibly the boy clammed up, as fear of the unknown, fear that all people have when faced with something they do not understand. He nodded gently at Richard. “Ok, but on one condition, if you tell me to grab some little kid off the street, or offer them candy I am walking.” he said as the classic smile stretched across his face, letting Richard know the boy was joking around.

Richard patted Nick on the shoulder, glad of the response. "Good. We start tomorrow. Go ahead and get some dinner and some rest. The rest of the day is yours. I know the Hall has a cook on stand by or your welcome to eat with the D'Haran soldiers in the barracks."

He nodded gently at Richard. “Ok, but on one condition, if you tell me to grab some little kid off the street, or offer them candy I am walking.” he said as the classic smile stretched across his face, letting Richard know the boy was joking around.

"I've always been partial to grown women myself though I try not to judge too harshly on other's preferences."

Nick nodded, as he stood up and headed down the hall. It had been one hell of a day as he walked alone. He was not all that hungry, nor even that tired, as he walked down through the maze that was the Rangers HQ. Taking his time, he tried to recall how exactly to get back. After getting lost once or twice he finally made it back to his room. He shut the door, and took off his shirt. He looked in amazement as the slight wound across his ribs was gone, not even a scar was left.

Nick sat down and looked at his computer screen. With a few clicks he checked his e-mail. No new messages. He sighed, as he walked over to his dresser drawer and pulled out his bottle of Ambrosia, then a cigarette. Lighting it, and taking a sip he sat down on his bed.

“Happy birthday.” he told himself as he took another sip.

The next few weeks would continue on for the Ranger in training as Johnson and his team of drill sargents continued their relentless training session. Everyday was much the same though with added difficulty as the morning runs got longer, the mountain climbing higher, and the weights heavier. On occasion while Lord Rahl taught melee combat, Johnson would freelance Nick on firing ranges and demonstrate the functioning of almost every make and model of weaponry that D'Hara could get its hands on. The weapons ranged extensively from Dornalian make to world's names that were no longer worth mentioning having passed from existence.

When Nick wasn't being drug all over D'Hara with Jonhson, he spent time in the People's Palace studying with Richard. Once their first lesson was concluded, Richard immersed Nick in a world of military tactics and philosophy on life. Ancient tactics typically seen used by medieval armies were at the core of his teachings and were slowly evolved over time to include modern technologies and how the tactics were altered but fundamentally the same. Books of philosophy were strewn across their studies as Nick was given a chance to find his own way unlike most groups who would beat down one particular philosophy. Nick was free to find himself in the environment without personal hindrance as Richard and even Marcus were there to help guide him.

On days when the books were not stressed, Nick found himself sparring against Cypher in the Garden of Life as Richard continued instructing the fighting pike to Nick and increased the training as it encompassed defense and offensive stances. Soon Nick was able to wield the weapon fluidly and transition from defense to offense at ease, often creating a draw between Nick and his ten year old partner.

Perhaps most exotic of Nick's training came when Richard began showing him how to tap in the powers of the Force. Often he would speak of a friend, Doron, and how he showed him to call upon a shield that was more powerful than most Force Users could call upon. Instead of studying ancient texts of Jedi or Sith, Richard was Nick's gateway to that deep power as he did his best to instruct Nick on the use of his power as Richard learned many years ago. For hours they would spend sitting cross legged on the floor with their eyes closed as Richard would try to use his own magic to show Nick the way to his own gift.

Unfortunately Richard's gift was so unique, that he often relied on his grandfather to give lessons. A wrinkly old man known as Zedd, proved to be eccentric as often dressed in his rough woolen robes. In the early phases, this crazy old man's tricks would prove useful in helping Nick link into the Force as the connection was gradually made stronger and enforced over the days.

Hey Blue,

I am sorry for not talking to you earlier, I know it has been three weeks since we last talked. Richard has been keeping me damn busy. Who in the frak knew there was so much to do around here.

Mountain climbing, swimming, rifle and pistol practice, then studies. Yeah I know what you are going to say, but I have gotten better. Next time I see you, I will have to show you how well I can handle a piece now.

Although to be honest, I do enjoy this place, although it is weird. Have you ever been to D’hara? It is like medieval fair mixed with a damn comic-con convention. Wizards, Warlocks, frak it is a damn D&D convention. Although the people here are very nice. Well except for those leather clad chicks, damn they are something scary. I mean you say hi and they want to bite your head off.

How is your training coming along? Have you finally learned not to buckle your landing gear, or not getting excited and kicking in the afterburners too soon? What new tricks have you learned during your missions?

Well time to go, I got the history of the Abh Empire 102. Think we can study online together sometime, I could use the after school tutoring.

Yours,

Nick Tyrol

The training continued on for days on end as it grew and became more complex. It worked in harmony with Nick's classroom lessons so that what he learned from Richard, not only about himself but tactics as well, could be applied to the battlefield that Sargent Johnson seemed to so masterfully create.

One night in particular proved to be just as interesting as Nick was awaken from his tent out in the middle of no where near the mountains. Nick had been exposed to a variety of terrain deserts, tundras, jungles, and fields but the mountain side seemed to be Johnson's favorite. Johnson threw open the tent flap and barked out a quick, "On your feet soldier!"

Cigar lit and in the corner of his mouth, the Sargent was in his typical army greens standing tall in the night. Everything else around the camp had been broken down and shipped off elsewhere leaving only Nick's tent, the Sargent, and a drop ship waiting nearby.

"Time for a night drop, son. Fall out."

The air was cold, as Nick got out of his sleeping bag. The slight breeze, the dry crisp air with the cold temperatures whipped across him, snapping him out of any drowsy state he was in. “Alright.” the boy said somewhat irritated being woken up in the middle of the night in the mountain regions.

Nick reached over and grabbed his bag that laid next to him. He grabbed his sleeping bag, and gently folded it up, and shoved it in the bag. “Damn, not another drop, probably another survival mission. At least this time I brought power bars and a jar of peanut butter. Those damn bugs tasted like crap last time.” he thought to himself, as he checked his supplies. Combat Knife, Ammo, pistol, canteen of fresh mountain water, food supplies, all were there. Nick grabbed his pack, and wrapped it around his back.

Kneeling over Nick unzipped the tent. He was shocked to say the least to see everyone else had gone, and somehow he slept through the drop ship landing. “Damn I must have been tired.” he said looking around. “That forty mile run really took it out of me if I slept through all this.” Nick reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it quickly as his body shook slightly in the cold air. He then ran over to the drop ship, waiting for it to take him wherever it was going.

Johnson left the drop ship door open as he boarded the transport. The cigar stayed cradled in the corner of his mouth as the ship took off and speed towards the denser part of the forest. Smoke and the glow of the end seemed to be impervious to the cold wind blowing in his face.

Finally, he turned back to Nick. "Lose the pack. You're goin' in light with only your knife and canteen of water. You have two objectives: reach a flag that is about five miles up stream from your drop; second, there is another shuttle about three miles at the edge of the forest where it meets the Midland Plains. Consider your area hostile. You have until dawn to complete this mission. No maps or compass by the way, you'll have to use what you've been taught about your surroundings and how to direct yourself by using the forest."

Johnson notices the cigarette in Nick's mouth and gently pulls it out. "Oh yeah, be careful what you light up when you're down there. Something might pick up on it. Remember what I've told you before. Machines might never need to eat or sleep, but they are easy to break."

The drop ship pulled up low over the tops of the trees as it circled around a small clearing in the woods. "Any questions?"

Nick nodded at Johnson as he slipped off his back pack, and removed his pistol from the holster. With only his canteen, combat knife and anything in his pockets he stood in front of the man. "Yes sir." Nick responded towards his Sargent, as he reached back and took the cigarette back from him. Taking a puff Nick asked, "What kind of opposition am I allowed to know is in the area, and where is the drop point?" he asked Johnson as they flew closer to the location.

As the ship grew closer, Nick peered out the window. Johnson loved to push the boy to his limits, and give him as little info as possible. So he stared out the window, looking for the stream as well as any reference points that may help him on the ground navigate to the objective and back out safely.

Johnson grinned slightly as he chewed on the corner of his cigar "I just told you son. Now get goin'"

The Sargent nodded Nick towards the door and threw down a long length of cord for the trainee to slide down. Johnson gave Nick one last pat on the shoulder. "Don't get killed."

Then gave a healthy shove.

Nick dropped down quick as he was shoved from behind. Unlike weeks ago, he managed to catch himself as he went down to the forrest floor below. Looking around he could hear the small stream that Johnson had mentioned. He stayed behind the tree line, as he had no clue what was around him as he watched it's flow. Once he figured out in the pale moon light which way it was flowing he began to move upstream still concealed by the tree line.

Nick stayed silent, as he walked through the woods. Nick moved his head gently to the front and back, to give him the best vision at night. He breathed softly as he extended all of his senses to the surrounding area, trying to see if any enemy was around, as he transversed the wooded floor.

All that surrounded Nick now was the trees and the insects quietly chirping in the night. Johnson's shuttle turned and left as soon as the Ranger in training was safely on the forest floor. For now, the boy had the area entirely to himself though that did not mean he wasn't being monitored.

Still there were a faint few stars along with the moonlight to help cast a luminous glow through the holes in the trees.

It wouldn't be until Nick reached his objective where he would run into adversity. Automated turrets on the forest floor covering the ground along with a number of turrets in the trees themselves guarding the flag.

The air was cool as it wrapped around Nick through the dark canopy of the forest. Incests and the cool water that ran next to the boy, he walked towards the direction of the target. He held his pistol out in front of him as he moved as quickly and silently as he could. Although the forest floor was covered with leaves, so some noise would exist. He walked on for what seemed to be forever, as he jostled his head to the left and the right slightly, taking advantage of the cones in his eyes to help him see in the dark.

With the moon as his only light source he moved from tree to tree, on the look out for any enemy that could be out there. As he came to a small clearing though, the enemy was worse than he imagined. It was not soldiers, or Rangers guarding the flag, but turrets.

Nick shook his head, “More frakkin machines.” he thought to himself. “Johnson, that bastard.” he thought again. Levying his pistol at one of the turrets that he could see, he took in a deep breath. Nick grabbed his knife and was about to throw it at the turret.

“Not yet.” a small voice in the back of his head spoke out.

Nick stopped and looked around. “Do not forget the lessons of Richard. Not everything is what it seems.” he heard again slightly, as a quick after thought.

Nick nodded to himself as he took a deep breath again. Under cover Nick closed his eyes. He reached out, looking, feeling for anything that was around him. As he did, he came to realize what in the hell the small after thought meant. Three turrets surrounded the flag, not the one he could see, along with two in the tree tops above him.

Nick turned and put his back against the tree trunk. “Just great.” he said to himself. “Alright, if this A-hole wants to play, lets play.” Nick said to himself.

Nick looked up to the tree top. He hated this part, but it was part of who he was. He needed to accept himself, even if he hated it. It was the first lesson of Lord Richard. Nick looked to the tree top. Reaching out with his right hand, the boy grabbed the first turret in the tree top and slung it as hard as he could towards the other one in the tree.

Perhaps unbeknownst to Nick, he was following the advice of Sargent Johnson as well just before the man gave Nick the shove out the door. Machines were great in some respects, but they were easy to break.

This proved quite true in Nick's situation. While a living opponent might have noticed something was wrong, the automated turrets only classified friendlies and foes. A flying turret was simply a friendly moving, not some strange anomonally.

None of the other machines tried to trace where the attack came from or lock onto the turret as it flew through the air. They simply continued their scan of the surrounding area in search of any intruder.

Though now there were two less as the flag gently rustled in the night time breeze.

Confusion was hardly the word to describe the chain of events that unfolded before Nick. The toy guns collided, and crashed, then nothing but silence. No tracking, no gun fire, nothing, as if his attack did absolutely nothing, or caused nothing.

“What the frak?” he asked himself, as the other turrets laid silent as before, scanning the area for potential targets. “Must not be on a motion detector.” he said to himself as he peered around the tree and looked at the flag.

Nick rested himself against the tree again. Looking down at his arsonel of one combat knife, he knew what he had to do. "So this is what this test is about." Nick thought to himself as he looked at the turrets again. "Johnson wants me to put Lord Rahl's lessons to work." he said again somewhat annoyed.

Nick took his left hand and concentrated on the turrets. Reaching out he could feel them, their cold metal, their lifeless shells, their weak frames. He lifted his right hand and made a pushing motion, trying to slide all of the turrets away, hopefully breaking them.

Nick was correct in his assumption that the turrets weren't tracking each other and with Nick behind a tree, it was difficult for them to lock onto anything. That changed though when the Ranger trainee moved out of the brush to summon up his abilities. The closest turret swiveled to his general direction and opened fire. Dirt, grass, and tree limbs all flew as the stun rounds tore through the forest scape.

Another two turrets went down from Nick's attack but there was still the firing one left to deal with which would leave the flag open. Though if Nick had been with Jansen long enough, he would be wondering if this could really be it.

The flash of the last turret began to fire, unleashing a hail of bullets and projectiles at his location. The dirt shot up, as the leaves were blown away, and branches were torn asunder. The sound of the gun was near deafening, as Nick found himself in the mouth of the tempest.

He didn’t think, he didn’t have time to, as instinct kicked in. He took off running, as his feet pounded hard against the forest floor. Nick looked around for some cover, some saving grace, from the uncaring and unrelenting onslaught from the mechanical beast.

Being in the forest however did have some advantages, especially one as ancient as this. His eyes scanned the surrounding area and soon found a tree, that had fallen in some sort of storm. As the bullets buzzed him, he knew that it was his only saving grace.

As he took off, the bullets continued to chase him down. Tearing at his clothes, and nipping at his legs, and his arms. The dirt plumes continued to rise, smashing into his face. He held his hand above his eyes, as he ran for his life, to his one saving grace, the tree that had fallen so long ago.

When he got near the tree, the boy jumped. His legs, fueled by adrenaline, pushed him as fast and as far as he could, as he took the leap of faith towards the fallen tree below.

The terror of the gun was not over however. It continued to hail him with it’s fury, as the sounds of the machine gun over loaded his ears. The bullets continued their pursuit, as the boy landed hard against the tree.

As he hit the floor below, the boy quickly scooted up against the back side of the tree. Out of breath, his heart pounding, and his body filled with fear and Adrenaline, Nick just leaned back against the tree, hoping that the next shot would not rip through it. To his surprise though, he heard nothing but silence, and the sound of his own heart pounding like a rock concert.

Three minutes past, as he sat there, waiting for the damn thing to make a move, and still it laid silent, dead to the world. “Alright.” Nick said to himself. “I need to take that thing out.” He said. Laying down, he began to move across the fallen tree, to another position in case it stayed where it last fired.

Crawling through the fallen leaves, and the mud next to the tree, the boy soon came to the end of the trunk, where the giant root ball was unearthed. “Ok so it is not motion sensitive.” he thought to himself, “Otherwise the damn thing would have locked on to the turrets.” “So it must be heat.” the thought again to himself.

Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He pulled out of his pocket his lighter. With a quick flick he light the cigarette. The boy took a drag, “I almost forgot how good you are.” he thought to himself, as he then flicked the cigarette away from him. Hopefully if it was tracking heat, it would lock onto the cigarette and fire, giving him time to locate and destroy the last of the turrets.

The turrets did indeed track heat but the heat source had to be large enough to register on their sensors. When Nick flicked his cigarette butt, the sensors on the turrets quickly took note of the embers then assessed it as a nonthreatening matter. There were, after all, a number of woodland creatures that would have the turrets running dry should they be trained to attack any heat signature.

It would require a larger heat source that would match the bio scans that fit a human's profile. Once the cigarette was discarded, they focused right back on Nick's location. Time for plan B.

Time was not on his side, as Nick hid like a coward behind the large fallen trunk of the tree. In between him and his goal, the flag, stood one hidden turret, one that he didn’t see initially. If he moved out of cover even for a second, a hail of bullets would be thrown at the boy, and despite his speed, he could not run faster than a speeding bullet.

So what was he to do? He reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette as he leaned against the tree thinking. The smoke was calming, as the boy inhaled it. As he breathed out, the stress began to leave him, just like the smoke out of his lungs. He was pinned down, and there was no where to go, without being shot.

He reached up and took another drag. “Adapt and Overcome” came to his mind, as he took his third breath. Marcus lesson to the boy, the lesson that was the heart and core of the ranger philosophy. If Nick was going to be a ranger, he needed to Adapt, he needed to over come. He put his head against the tree trunk as he took a fourth drag. “How can I over come?” he asked himself, as he put his head back against the tree. Suddenly a small spur in the trunk hit the back of his head. “Ouch.” he said as he rubbed the back of the tree. Then it came to him.

Nick closed his eyes, and mustered up all the strength he had. Pushing his hands together against the tree, Nick released all of his energy into it. If it worked, hopefully the tree trunk would go flying in the direction of the turret knocking it over. If not, well game over.

As Johnson had told Nick before the Sargent pushed the Ranger recruit out of the shuttle, machines are easy to break. It was true in this case since the automated turret could not run, dodge, or anything to avoid the massive trunk flying in its face. The solid wood trunk collided with the turret and sent it flying back into the woods with a loud crash.

Standing before Nick now was a quiet forest and the flag resting in its pedestal by itself. All that remained was for Nick to find his own transportation out at the rendezvous point that Johnson had given him.

(OOC: Sorry for the horrible post)

The Second of God’s Generation sighed, as it was finally over. Or so he thought. Johnson had an annoying way of making life difficult on the boy, and Nick was wary of something else that he missed. Looking around, he tried to stay alert, as he reached up and grabbed the flag. As he touched it, wrapping his hands around the flag, the boy began to run. If there was another trap, he wanted not to be in the area, as he ran as fast as he could towards the evac point.

All was serene as Nick reached out and grabbed the flag. It was to be the object of his goal that this current test had been concluded. Still, despite with flag in hand, Nick could not help but feel something was wrong.

Bugs chirped in the forest and there was the distant but still audible sound of a stream running over rocks. Nick's further objective lay up the mountain where a transport would bring Nick back to camp. All he had to do was reach it with proof that his mission had been completed.

Nick would find no contestation all the way up to the mountain where a Raven transport was waiting. Standing around the transport was a group of men draped in dark clothes. Nothing had been said about a pick up party by Johnson so it was to anyone's guess who these men were.

OOC: Sorry for interrupting but could someone tell me what a ranger is?

It's a FT organization that I created with the help of some other players on NS.
Basically an intergalactic organization dedicated to helping people in need and to be their military when they cannot protect themselves.

Pretty much the UN without the bureaucracy, politicians, and when it works.

This thread might help explain it a little more.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=540991

Nick had a bad feeling, as he approached the landing craft. Peering out from the darkness of the forest, he saw several men draped in dark clothing. Who were these men, and what happened to Johnson, and the men and women he had been trained with. It was anyone’s guess as Nick stayed hidden in the back ground.

Squatting down, he shook slightly in the dark cold forest. Looking out at the men, he shook his head, when the obvious conclusion was to be drawn. The test was not over.

He peered out at the men, as they roamed around in their positions. Were they friendly, or were they enemies? Nick could not be sure, but as this feeling was wrecking at him, he had to assume they were the enemy as well.

Nick got the ground, and began to slowly crawl, towards the perimeter. Slowly pushing away the leaves, to lower any sounds, he moved inch by inch closer towards the men. Slowly he crawled under a thick bush. Looking out he saw the professional’s in front of him. None of them spoke, as they were oun guard. Nick reached out, and grabbed a large branch on the other side of the camp. He then tossed it in the woods as hard as he could, trying to make a commotion, to see their intentions.

There was not a sound made between the group of men when the branch crashed into the brush. Some of them jumped into ready positions while one man flashed a few hand signals ordering two others to check out the noise.

Two cloaked figures broke off with a long rod of sorts in their hands as they quietly headed for the source of the noise. In the mean time, the rest of the figures hanging around the Pelican began to step up their patrols for any sign of Nick hiding around the area.

“ Two were gone, and a frak more left, damn just had to be my day huh?” Nick thought to himself, as he held the flag in his hand. Unarmed, with a giant flag, hiding out in the woods, against an unknown enemy. “Well at least two of them are gone.” he said to himself.

Nick got up and began to move quietly towards the men, who were scouting the woods. He moved as silently as he could, except for the small rustle of leaves beneath his feet. This was a lot different that the previous engagement. These were living breathing people. They were not programmed, or had sensors, no they were sentient people seeking his direct harm. Nick slowly walked towards them in the shadows of the trees. “This must be the real test.” he thought to himself as he approached the men.

Nick Held back, hiding his silhouette behind a tree as one of the men approached. Using the only weapon he had, the flag pole, he reached out with the pole and slammed it towards the unknown man’s abdomen.

The flag pole connected with the man's abdomen, knocking the wind from him and preventing him from shouting out to the rest of his unit. Nick grabbed a hold of the flag pole as he had been instructed with his fighting pike by Richard. He swung his knew found weapon across the back of the man's head, knocking him out cold.

While that was all well and good for the immediate thread, there were other guards in the area patrolling. The thump of man's body on the ground, while quiet, was still loud enough for two nearby guards to hear.

Picking up on the location of the sound, they activated their stun batons and dove into the woods. Having been trained by the Sargeant himself, they were no novice to combat and were going to put Nick through the real test of improvising, adapting, and overcoming.

The leaves rustled, and were pushed aside in a frantic commotion, as Nick put down the first guard. He didn’t know how many were coming, or what they were armed with, but in the woods one thing was clear, the direction and distance. Nick looked around him, as he needed a place to hide out, or a place for ambush, something aside from the out in the open nature he was in at he moment.

Nick walked over to one of the near by trees. He didn’t have long, til they got here, and he needed to hide out. Reaching down, Nick grabbed the first man’s weapon, the stun baton. He slipped that between his belt, as he held the flag pole vertically. All he had to do was wait again, for another to come by, and try the whole process over again.

Nick would find that the soldiers were a bit more organized this time. He would have a harder time taking one at a time since they were now in a group of two hunting for the Ranger trainee that they were told to expect.

Weapons were ready and the men stalked in slow to get a reading on where Nick was. Finding the body of their unconcious friend, they began tracking Nick's tracks. Unfortunately for Nick, they had the advantage of numbers and knowing the terrain.

It was going to be a matter of timing, as the Hybrid was hunted liked down. He held still, as he could hear their footsteps coming closer. The hum of their stun batons outreached, he took a deep breath.

“Focus, focus.” He thought to himself, as he held the baton, perpendicular to his body. “You have been trained for this, remember.” he tried to reassure himself, as he alone stood alone, like a fox before a pack of dogs.

He took a deep breath, as one came closer. He only had a second to react, a second to make the odds even, one on one. If he failed in this move, this one simple act, it was all over.

It was his worst fear to be surrounded in this situation. It would mean he would have failed, which would be signaled, by the beating these men would have given him. He could see it now, as Marcus would come to him in his room, and chuckle. He would probably make some smart ass comment like, “What did I tell you about hitting on another man’s woman?” or, something. No, I can’t let him get something like this over me.” Nick thought to himself again.

The noise of the leaves began to get closer, as his heart began to beat faster. It was a horrible thing to be hunted, as his adrenaline coursed through his body. He felt his muscles tighten, as his heart beat in his own head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a movement. It is time, do or die. Frak it.” Nick said, as he swung the baton at the man coming around the tree trunk. He only had one moment to disable this man, before his buddy came along. If he failed, it would make his life a lot more difficult…

Nick's stun baton sent a surge of electricity through the man's abdomen and effectively cut off all air going and leaving his lungs. He crumpled to the ground in a heap and didn't move anymore. Hearing the noise from the side, the second man came crashing through the woods to pounce on Nick.

Stun baton held high, Johnson's man took a good swing at the Ranger in training to hopefully catch him while he was off guard.

The move was quick, and almost caught Nick off guard, as the nameless man swung at Nick. He pulled back, as the baton passed within an inch of his face. He could hear it whizzing past him, the smell of the energized baton filled his nostrils, feeling of the air rushing past him. Half a second late and he would have been lying out in pain on the ground.

Nick took his baton, and walked slowly around the man. Looking for an opening. If he rushed in, then he would be hit hard, and the mission would be over. Yet he couldn’t stay back forever either. Nick held out his baton in a defensive manner.

“Alright chuckles.” he said to the nameless man in front of him. “Lets play ball.” He waited for the man to come towards him, hoping the taunt would bring the enemy to him. Nick was faster, and stronger than this guy before him, but he knew that in melee combat that wasn’t always enough. Lord Rahl, taught him that the most intelligent of combatants would win. He needed to wait to see a weakness. Although he couldn’t wait forever, the others would be here soon enough.

Part of the exercise was for Nick to see how he could survive on his own, melded with that was seeing how much of Nick's studies had taken. He had already been tested with his mind and powers that had been cultivated by Richard Rahl. Now he was being tested on his physical abilities in a fight.

The guard standing in front of him wasn't baited by Nick's taunts nor did he mindlessly rush. They circled each other for a while with the soldier testing Nick's defenses as their stun batons collided. Finally the man charged in with a whirl of his weapon trying to break the defenses and knock the Ranger trainee out of the mission.

And so it came, the attack Nick had waited for. The dance had lasted a while, too long, as the pair circled each other like a pack of wolves fighting for a piece of meat. He was strong, and quick, as the man opened his attack with a whirl, slamming his baton Near Nick’s mid section.

The teenage hybrid didn’t have long to decide what to do, in a moment he was about to be hit with an immense amount of pain. Locking his baton downward, Nick parried in the way he often did with the young Cypher, in the melee matches with Lord Rahl.

A loud crack sound erupted, as the electrified batons slammed into one another. Nick then moved in. With his left hand he threw a punch towards the man’s hidden face, with every ounce of strength he could muster.

Then Nick threw his knee up towards his body. The man before him was well trained and would either attempt to duck to hit him, which hopefully the knee would rectify, or the man would dodge, causing the stand off to begin again.

Still though, the man’s speed and intelligence in the fight was quite high, and the boy knew he had to disable him before the others would come.

OOC: Wow. I thought I was the last one to post in this.

IC:

The soldier sent by Johnson moved in with a sudden rush and flurry with his stun baton. Nick parried nicely and held the man's weapon in check. The soldier was able to dodge the punch to the face but it was hard to avoid the knee as well without losing his weapon.

Nick's knee hit off the man's side but the added Cylon strength was enough to send him sprawling. It was up to Nick now to finish off the guard quickly because the sounds of their fight had alerted the other soldiers who were now rushing towards his position.

The Ranger in training had to find a way to deal with them and get the flag to the Pelican to complete his objective.

Time wasn’t on Nick’s side as he looked at the long flag pole in his hand. The man was down, but in the distance, he heard the others coming.

What was he to do? He couldn’t take them all on in a brawl. Despite his natural endowments, than many men would be too much for the Ranger to handle alone, and with only a stun baton, and a bag of cheap magic tricks. No, he needed to do something else.

Nick grabbed the flag and ripped it off the pole. Quickly taking off his shirt, he tied it to the pole. Hopefully in the dark, the color difference wouldn’t matter, as it would be hard to tell exactly what color it was.

Then he reached down, and grabbed the man’s dark cloak. Shoving the flag into his pocket, he proped the man against the tree, and put the flag pole in his hand, to make it look like he was holding the flag yet hiding. He also reached down and if the man had any sort of radio equiptment or night vision goggles, he took them as well.

The rule was to get the flag to the pelican, not the pole.

As he heard the men get closer, Nick walked quietly into the woods. His baton out like he was looking for himself, he slowly walked towards the pelican. With any luck if anyone saw him they would think he was one of their own.

Finally after making it through the brush, he saw in the distance the bird he needed to get to, to get out of here. Time was running out, and he had to make it. Calmly and casually he walked towards the plane.

Quick thinking on Nick's part allowed him to give a few guards the slip through the woods. Without a large pole waving a bright flag in the air, it would be more difficult to spot the Ranger trainee. Still, there was the matter of two guards around the Pelican. If Nick could dispatch them quickly and quietly, there was the matter of piloting the large transport out.

As Nick came closer, the two guards stood up as they spotted him moving through the clearing. "Hey!"

It took them a moment to call out since it was pitch black and they were expecting more of their comrades around in the clearing. Once they brought their night vision over their eyes, it didn't take them long to realize that the kid wasn't one of Johnson's guards.

Stun batons appeared in their hands as the familiar hum of energy coursed through the rods. "Alright, kid. It's the end of the line for you."

The two rushed him, going towards the boy with all their might and speed. Nick knew the end of this op was coming to an end, and he also knew that there was no way out. He couldn’t fly the Pelican; he wasn’t familiar with the ship. But he had to get back to the base, he had to get back, with the flag. So Nick smiled…

Reaching out to the two guards, he took his left hand and flung them both to the side. He could feel their bodies in his mind, as they were lifted up from the ground and thrown to the ground like a dog would throw it’s toy.

Nick then ran, he ran as fast as he could. His blood pumped through his veins, his heart pounding, as his feet slammed against the ground. Pushing himself as fast as he could he ran up the ramp. Turning around quickly, he pressed the close button, pulling up the ramp and sealing it from the outside.

Nick looked around the empty transport. He looked for anything he could use, anything he could do to hide the mission. Nick knew the door wouldn’t hold them that long. One of them probably had the intelligence to bring along a torch to cut it open.

His heart pounding, he came to an old tool bench. His hands shook, as he ripped out the drawers looking for anything he could use. Finally he found a wrench.

Nick ran down the short hallway til he came to panel 21-B. Pulling out the wrench he unfastened the bolts, and pulled off the panel. Inside was a simple series of pipes. One that had water that went to the engine as coolant, another as fuel. Nick pulled the flag out of his pocket and tied it to the coolant pipe, in such a way that it would not slip from it's position. Picking the panel back up, he refastened the bolts to the wall making it for all intense and purposes the same as he found it.

Running back, he then placed the wrench back in the drawer.

Suddenly sparks began to fly as Nick looked at the cargo hatch. Sparks burned as the men began to cut their way through the door. He didn’t have long. He ran as fast as he could to the cockpit. Sitting in the seat he looked at the controls. Some things were familiar to him. The joystick to lift or descend, engine acceleration. He knew the basic function of all of these things. However the act of flying itself was beyond his reach. Getting into the air was one thing, but eventually he had to come back down.

Nick sighed as he heard the men bursting through the ramp. He took a breath. It was almost over. Soon, he would be back at the base, one way or the other.

“He is in here.” One of the men yelled. Nick didn’t fight, as the baton slammed into the back of his head. It was the last thing he remembered on this flight…

Nick would wake up a few hours later on a soft bed. Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he would be able to see that he wasn't in the forest or the pelican or the Ranger's Temple for that matter. Some bandages had been removed and laid off to the side. There was also the familiar smell of certain brand of cigar smoke hanging over the air.

As Nick turned his head to the side to get a better glimpse at the rest of the room, he would notice Avery Johnson and Richard off to the side having a quiet conversation. Only bits of the conversation could be heard through the dimming ring in Nick's ears from the shock.

"Your men worked him over pretty good Sargeant."

Embers from Johnson's cigar glowed faintly in the room. "Two of my boys had to be treated for broken bones with a few others being cared for more than bumps and bruises. I'd say he got off lucky."

Richard nodded with a slight smile. "Fair enough. Did he manage to bring the flag back?"

Johnson flicked some ashes on the floor then returned it to his mouth. "They went over his things and inside the Pelican but couldn't find anything. We found the pole in the woods but no flag. I doubt he dropped it in the woods."

"Then we're missing something. Have your men check the pelican again."

Avery snapped a salute and the sound of his military boots hitting the floor accompanied his exit. Richard looked over and saw that Nick had finally woken. The big man took a seat next to Nick's bed in a chair that had been set aside.

"How do you feel?"

His head was pounding as he woke up with Richard sitting next to him in the bed. His arms were soar as the electric shock that had coursed through his body, still left the pain behind in his nerve endings.

Nick tried to sit up as he looked at Richard. “I feel like I just had one hell of a party the night before.” Nick said as he rubbed his eyes. Looking down in the infirmary, he leaned his head back to look at the white florescent lights in the ceiling.

“Did they find the flag?” he asked as he turned his head back towards the leader of D’Hara.

Richard couldn't help but laugh slightly. "I imagine you do feel like hell. Johnson's men gave you a good going over. Even after you were on the ground. I think you might have upset a few of them when you took their friends down."

Lord Rahl reached over to the table by Nick's bed and grabbed a pitcher and cup. He poured the cool water into the cup and handed it to Nick.

"Go ahead and take a drink."

Richard waited for Nick to take the glass before continuing on. "As for the flag, Johnson's team is going over the Pelican to see if it is hidden in there but they have been unsuccessful so far. I imagine you know where it is though."

His body ached, as he pulled the glass of water to his mouth. It was cool, and flavorless like most waters, still though it did help him somewhat.

Nick nodded, “Yeah, I do, unless they beat it out of me.” Nick said as he slid himself up in the bed. “Where are we?” he asked Lord Rahl.

Richard took the glass from Nick's hand and set it off on the night stand. He grabbed another one of the bed's pillows and placed it behind Nick to help prop his back up without putting to much stress on his body. Lord Rahl took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You're in the room next to mine inside the People's Palace. Cara took care of you while you were transported into the city, then I and a few nurses took care of the rest."


Richard smiled over at Nick. "Don't worry, no one is going to beat anything out of you for today. There will be plenty of other days for that. So where did you hide it?"

Upon hearing that he was in the palace, Nick leaned back with a smirk on his face. For one with such a beating, it was hard for one to imagine why in the hell he would be smiling. Were the pain killers that good? Only Nick knew.

Nick sat up, as his body ached. He pulled himself up from the bed, as he looked at the leader of the planet. “Is this an interrogation, or is the mission over?” he asked the lord, as he tried to bring himself up to his feet. “Then again if I am here, I guess I won.” he said as he pushed himself to the floor. “But I will only tell you if the mission is over. Otherwise, I have to complete it.”

Richard grinned at Nick as he put up his hand to keep the young one from moving around too much. "I think the term 'won' used in your case as a matter of some debate. Taking a beating like the one you received, you hardly look like you won anything. More like got your face rearranged in a bar room brawl.

But yes, the mission is over. Why don't you debrief me on what happened."

Nick nodded, as Richard officially declared the mission over. “Well the objective was simple, bring the flag back to the base, and ride the pelican home. That is exactly what I did.” Nick said as he touched his bruised face, “Although the ticket cost was high. I hid the flag in panel 21-B, of the pelican. It is tied to the main coolant pipe inside that junction.”

Nick then leaned back and pulled out a cigarette. Richard noticing he was about to smoke, reached at the tubes in his nose and quickly pulled it out, so that his lungs would not catch on fire.

Nick breathed in and out a few times, as the oxygen enriched air left his body, leaving only normal air. Reaching down painfully, he pulled a cigarette up to his lips and light it.

“It all started.....” Nick began to debriefing, leaving out no details, and exaggerating slightly to make the beating of the other three men. Grandstanding aside, he told what happened.

Richard sat mute as he listened to Nick retell his story listening to every detail. The boy had performed admirably for the most part where he did everything he could to complete the mission without taking any unnecessary risks. Since the time of his training, Nick had lost some of that hot headed personality and was becoming more calm. Especially in situations that required a little bit of thinking. Given time, Nick would make an excellent Ranger and could one day lead when he was ready.

Still there was one part that bothered Richard and that was the manner in which Nick completed his mission. Had this been an actual mission, Nick might have ended up dead even though technically the mission had been completed.

Richard rubbed the stubble on his face as he looked at Nick. "Can I ask you something? If you didn't know how to fly the Pelican, why didn't you force one of the pilots to fly you back?"

Nick sat up, and looked at Lord Rahl. “What good would that have done?” he asked as he puffed on his smoke, one of the few pleasures he had at the moment. “If I had, how would I have known he was taking me where I wanted to go? He could have flown me to the enemy base, or thinking he was dead either way, taken off and flown into a mountain.”

He took another puff, “That is what I would’ve done had I been a pilot.” “Best case scenarios, I would’ve been captured regardless, worse, dead regardless. So frak it, if I am going down, it’s on my terms.”

"And you would have accomplished nothing more than getting yourself killed this way. If you were in enemy territory trying to make your way back to your allies, surrendering as you did would only have gotten you executed and the mission would have resulted in a total failure. I promise you this, I will never ask you to sacrifice your life for me or any mission. Protecting life and keeping it sacred to us is one of the founding principles of the Rangers. How can we hold life so highly if we are ready to throw it away."

Richard placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "This is the more difficult part. Someone that no longer respects the lives of others, has lost the right to their own. It is one of the things we do not tolerate here.

Now, no one said you had to let that pilot crash you into a mountain or take you the wrong direction. You have lived on D'Hara a sufficient amount of time to at least have memorized a few major land markings. Should he have threatened your life in any way you could have immobilized him with a stun baton that you took from one of the soldiers. I hear taking off is the hardest part. Once in the air, I'm sure you could have managed to at least steer the craft."

Nick listened to the older ranger impart his opinion about his flaws on his solo mission. He listened to the advice, of the man with the title Ranger 1. It was quite different than anything he had ever heard before. Where he came from, suicide missions were issued. People were asked to die, for the objective, or at least the odds were highly in the favor of them dying. So when he said that he would never ask that, it was almost a shock to Nick.

He wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Nick took another puff of his smoke. There was wisdom in that, but at the same time, being familiar with D'hara wouldn't mean he would be familiar with another planet, at some future point. But that wasn't the point of this. It wasn't a training operation on how he would act in the future, it was an op for the here and now.

Nick loved life, as much as anyone ever could. He loved the smells, the tastes, the sights, the sounds, every aspect of being. He loved breathing, eating, drinking, making love to a beautiful woman, and all of the subtle joys that life had to offer.

As he pondered all that the Lord of D'Hara had said, Nick nodded, painfully. "Your right." he told Richard. "Sorry, old habits from home. I know, when you are a ranger, you are no longer a Caprican, or wherever a person may be from. Still life experiences and all do mold ya. I won't disappoint you again, on this issue." he said as he leaned back.

Richard patted Nick's shoulder and smiled. "You didn't disappoint me. Just live and learn and you would only have disappointed me if you had gotten yourself killed."

With that last bit of encouragement, Richard left the room for Nick to rest up and recover from his training session. He would get a couple of days to rest and eat a bit of room service from the palace servants. Once he was rested up, Nick would find that he had a dinner invitation with Richard.

Once Nick made his way to the dinning area, he would be greeted by a finely laid out table. Richard was dressed in his typical black wardrobe and golden cape but the surprise was who was sitting on the opposite end of the table. Cara was sitting in an elegant strapless black dress that wrapped around her chest. Her slender arms were graced by long gloves the reached to her elbows. Even more stunning was that the long blond braid was done up into a stylized weave. A silver necklace wrapped around her neck with a diamond pendant falling down the middle.

Richard held out his hand to the empty chair. "Take a seat."

The Lord Rahl gave Nick a moment to sit down where he would see a wide variety of silverware laid out before him. Richard continued on. "In the Rangers you are called to adapt to your surroundings and blend in. You can blend in with the ruffians with the best of them but when it comes to higher social grace environment, you seem to be lacking in that area.

Look at this as another training exercise. And if you are going to want to date an Abh, there will be some expectations that go along with that adventure."

This wasn’t the training Nick had in mind when he signed up to be in the rangers. He looked around, at the formal setting, with enough silverware to be used to feed an entire army per place setting. The table was white with flowers set, and the woman in front of him, was quite stunning.

He looked her up and down, at her long flowing black gown. Her arms were covered in a long glove that extended to her elbow, and her hair was groomed and was styled in a way fit for royalty.

Nick however was far from dressed for the occasion, and if it bothered him, there was little sign of it. He wore a blue t-shirt, with another longer brown one unbuttoned, and some faded jeans and boots.

He just looked at his counter part for this exercise. “I have to say.” Nick began as he turned to Lord Rahl, “This training is a hell of a lot different than the last assignment. And my partner on this exercise is a lot better looking.” he said to him, as he smiled at Carla.

He walked over to a crystal ash tray that was towards the side and put out his cigarette. Looking over at Carla, he then flashed a quick smile, “You look beautiful.” Nick said to her, “Aphrodite must be quite beside herself at the moment.” he said. “What do we do?” he asked again, turning his head back to Richard.

Nick's compliment was a bit out of character, at least in Cara's mind it was. She arched an eyebrow slightly a little confused. "Thank you."

Richard smiled and placed his hands on Nick's shoulder. "I can see an improvement already. You do not need to make crude remarks to compliment a woman on her appearances. It may sound surprising, but most woman do not appreciate remarks of a vulgar nature.

Remember though, when you are in a foreign nation remarks about deities can be a telltale sign that you do not belong among them. Know your surroundings and the people you are among."

Moving on, Lord Rahl indicated the numerous utensils surrounding Nick's plate. "Let's cover silverware first. Here we have your salad fork, shrimp fork, steak fork. Then there are your knives, spoons..."

Richard looked at Nick for a moment. "Let's keep this even simpler. When you sit down, just work your way from the outside in."

Next came the drinks as wine was poured into fine crystal glasses before Cara and Nick. "When drinking make sure you do not over indulge yourself at the table. For one it is poor manners and often disrespectful to your host. Secondly, a Ranger must have his mind focused at all times so that no detail is missed."

Fishing through his pocket, Richard produced two small capsules and laid them on the table. When Nick looked up at him, Richard simply shrugged. "Never know when your drink might be poison."

As he sat down, and looked at the fine placement of about a dozen forks, spoons and knives it was a bit over whelming. Each seemed to have a specific task, and he didn’t know shit about shit when it came to what did what. “Who’d have thought eating needed more tools, than my frakkin vipers.” he muttered to himself, as he sat down and watched the wine being poured.

At least there was one thing he knew well enough. Good booze, being poured in front of him, and a woman who was as fine as the wine, across from him. Nick was about to reach for the red wine, when Richard began to speak up about his lesson.

Nick sighed, “Seriously.” he finally spoke up. “Why in the hell is there so much to do with eating. Can’t people just meet over a cheese burger and some fries?” He asked with a slight smile, showing some hint of joking, if for nothing else than a mask to cover his anxiety over this meeting.

He reached across the table and took the pill and swallowed it. “Alright, so outside in.” he said to himself. “So what do we do now? Dance, chit chat, try to offer Carla more wine?” he asked, somewhat joking, but it was obvious that he was very confused.

As he sat down, and looked at the fine placement of about a dozen forks, spoons and knives it was a bit over whelming. Each seemed to have a specific task, and he didn’t know shit about shit when it came to what did what. “Who’d have thought eating needed more tools, than my frakkin vipers.” he muttered to himself, as he sat down and watched the wine being poured.

At least there was one thing he knew well enough. Good booze, being poured in front of him, and a woman who was as fine as the wine, across from him. Nick was about to reach for the red wine, when Richard began to speak up about his lesson.

Nick sighed, “Seriously.” he finally spoke up. “Why in the hell is there so much to do with eating. Can’t people just meet over a cheese burger and some fries?” He asked with a slight smile, showing some hint of joking, if for nothing else than a mask to cover his anxiety over this meeting.

He reached across the table and took the pill and swallowed it. “Alright, so outside in.” he said to himself. “So what do we do now? Dance, chit chat, try to offer Carla more wine?” he asked, somewhat joking, but it was obvious that he was very confused.

You have an extremely poor writing style.

Without another word, Richard swept up his entourage and strode back out into the temple halls. Many Rangers were about and seeing to their daily duties while the group passed. Most bowed in respect as Richard's group walked by.

Finding his way through the labyrinth as if by memory, Richard was able to talk and walk like Onstar was implanted in his brain. "Traditionally, the Rangers would train new recruits in small groups since senior members did not always have time train them one-on-one. It also gave the recruits a sense of team when they could see and recognize familiar faces.

Your training will be a slight variation. You will have a senior Ranger that will act as a mentor and answer any questions you might have as well as guide you through your trials though he will not be training you personally. During the days to come, we will find what weapon proficiency you have and where you can excell and specialize. We will also look into what other niches you have besides mechanical. Perhaps we can expand on that and you may be able to increase your skill rate.

The rest of your training will be divided into physical, weapons, and knowledge. We're heading to see your trainer for the physical aspect. Any questions?"

Richard made another turn, this one taking out the main gate of the Ranger's Temple and out into the morning sky of D'Hara.

Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.
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Watch Movies Online Free (http://moviesonlinefree.biz)

Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.
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Watch Movies Online Free (http://moviesonlinefree.biz)

Hey, welcome to the forums.