02 - Welcome To The Force

A new addition to the Capalr City's Military makes his arrival at the base.

Sitting just on the coast of Capalr Beach is the City's Military base. Tall and square, made from large cement bricks painted gray, and surrounded on three sides by an ivy-covered wall. In the center of the square building is a large courtyard where training is held. Anyone standing around the place can hear the shouts and commands of people training in the courtyard.

 Borlo Orlman, a twenty-two year old human, stood on the cobblestone road outside. In front of him loomed the tall base, and behind him waves lapped at the beach. He stood staring intensely at the monster base, his purple eyes locked on the gate. A sea breeze rustled Borlo's thin shoulder-length brown hair. Three weeks ago he had written an entrance request letter to the Base Captain Ciprano. Borlo waited by his mail basket every day for his acceptance letter, and today he finally got it. He held it in his hand, that light purple envelope with the copper military stamp. Inside was the letter typed on gray military stationary and signed by the Base Captain and the Secretary in Chief. Borlo had practically memorized it's content:

 "Dear Borlo Orlman of Capalr,

after the review of your letter and paperwork, we, Base Captain Ciprano and Secretary in Chief Chase, would like to welcome you to the Capalr City's Military. Please pack your things and prepare for your move into our base this afternoon. Show this signatured letter to the guards at the gate and they will lead you to your assigned squad captain who will manage your arrival from there. We look forward to your arrival and welcome you with open arms."

 Signed Base Captain Ciprano and Secretary in Chief Chase. Borlo took a deep sigh and walked towards the gate that lead into the base. In front stood two men, the man on the left a Rittle, and slightly shorter than the man on the right. Both men, standing with slight smiles, feet placed fourteen inches apart, and hands clasped gently behind their backs, nodded and smiled as Borlo came closer.

 "I received this letter this morning..." Borlo turned red handing the envelope to the human guard. The guard took the envelope and took the letter from inside. Borlo watched the guard's eyes scan the page nervously. The guard then placed the letter back into the envelope and handed it back to Borlo.

 "Alright. Welcome to the family." The human guard nodded towards the other and he rang a brass bell that hung near the gate. Another guard appeared within a few seconds and the human guard began walking down the path to the base.

 "Come with me. I'll take you to your new squad captain."

 As Borlo and the guard entered the lobby of the base, an overwhelming sense of mystery and excitement filled Borlo. The man he'd be meeting would be the man that commanded and trained him for the rest of his life in the City's Military. Standing off in a corner of the lobby was a short blonde girl in olive green talking to a tall, muscular human in the same midnight blue the guards where wearing. Borlo wondered why the girl was wearing such a different uniform. The guard led Borlo over to the man and girl. Borlo smiled politely and assumed that the tall man was his new squad captain until the tall man bowed slightly and left the lobby, leaving only the short blonde girl in the olive military uniform.

 "Good morning, Squad Captain Marisa." The guard bowed slightly before the girl.

 "Oh, good morning. How may I help you?"

 "I've brought you your new squad member." The guard beamed and gestured over to Borlo, who stood in shock.

 "This tiny woman is a squad captain?" Borlo questioned in his mind. Before forgetting his manners, Borlo also tried to take a slight bow. Which made Marisa laugh.

 "Oh, thank you. You may return to your post." Marisa nodded at the guard and he slipped out of the lobby and returned to his place at the gates. Leaving Borlo and Squad Captain Marisa to stand alone in the lobby.

 "So you're the new recruit I've been hearing about. Welcome to the force!" Marisa held out her hand and Borlo shook it gently, which was returned with a painful squeeze from Marisa.

 "Look, kid. I may be just a little girl in your eyes, but I can take down a horse with my bare hands! Don't underestimate me." Marisa walked off in the direction of a doorway that lead to a staircase. "But you'll find that out in your training. C'mon. Let's go get you settled in." The two walked up four flights of stairs until Marisa lead Borlo through a door and out into a long hallway that appeared to wrap around the building.

 "This is the fourth floor. You'll find that each squad's floor corresponds to the squad number. Since you're in my squad, squad four, you'll be living on the fourth floor. Get it? Room numbers start over on each floor, so don't get lost." Marisa explained, leading Borlo down the hallway, turning the first corner.

 "There are 20 rooms on each floor, not including supply closets. You're in room number 18." Marisa continued to explain as they turned the second corner. Borlo looked around slowly, trying to memorize the place. When he looked around the corner, Borlo seen '18' painted in dark green on the first door in the row. Marisa lead him up to the door and pulled a brass key from her jacket breast pocket, unlocking the door. Marisa stepped inside, Borlo following after, and walked into the center of the living room. Borlo walked in slowly, looking at his new home. Walking in to the left was a coat closet, and on the right a marble counter with cupboards on bottom and shelves above. The floor was dark wood. The hallway only stretched a few feet before it opened into a small living room with one large window in the center of the back wall. One glass coffee table sat in the middle of the room, a small black leather couch and matching love seat surrounding it. Borlo walked in nervously and sat down slowly on the couch, trying to get a feel for his living space.

 "As you receive pay, you're free to decorate your home as you'd like, but we ask you not to change the walls or floors. If something needs to be replaced, let me know." Marisa walked to the door and grabbed the handle. "I'm in room twenty at the end of the hall if you need anything. Don't be afraid to come to me if you have any questions, or if you need to talk." With that Marisa walked out the door and closed it behind her, leaving Borlo to himself.

 Looking behind him, on the left wall, Borlo noticed another door. The counter that ran along the right wall extended out into a bar. Behind the bar was a small fridge, an oven, pantry, and off to the left another door. Borlo decided he would explore his new home while he unpacked his things. He slid his bag off his shoulder and stood up from the couch. He decided he would check the door on the left wall first. Upon entering, Borlo realized it was a bedroom. A bed, not too big for one person, was pushed into the left corner. On the far right of the room was a tall dresser with a glass cabinet on the side. Borlo sat his bag on the bed and began to unpack his things. When he opened the top drawer of the dresser he was surprised to find the full, midnight blue, dress uniform folded nicely inside. Beside it was what appeared to be the training uniform: a midnight blue tank-top and a pair of black shorts made out of a loose, swishy fabric. When Borlo opened the bottom drawer of the dresser he also found the shoes to each uniform. A pair of black, heavy, lace-up combat boots and a pair of black slip-on tennis shoes.

 When Borlo finished unpacking his clothing, he left the bedroom to check the other mystery door, which at this point Borlo assumed was a bath room. Opening the door revealed a beautiful bathroom checkered from floor to ceiling in tiny midnight blue and white tiles. A wide mirror on the back wall stretched from one corner to another, and filled the wall that wasn't covered by counter. Borlo placed his tooth brush and a cup on the white marble counter near the sink, and put a bottle of shampoo in the shower. When he walked out of the bathroom Borlo noticed something. It was twelve. Lunch time. Marisa had failed to explain how meals worked around here and Borlo was dreading having to go to her with questions already. He sighed and sat back down on the couch. He decided he'd leave any questions and further exploration of the building for tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to sit and soak in what was happening.

Author's Note

These first few chapters will be a little short until the rebellion begins. For the record, Dhuala doesn't have age-limitation laws the way we do. There are only four squads in the military, squad one being the strongest, and squad four being made up of the weakest, and new recruits.