Reward Your Curiousity
Boot Camp
Heroes: Jenissa, Zeke
Enemies: Khaurus Vanbaal, food poisoning, and new Vanilla Coke
As the second episode of Res Publica opened, the scene had radically shifted. Our heroes, Zeke and Jenissa, had spent the last several days travelling from the pristine Electran Military Academy to the rugged Field Camp, located in the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. Field camp was a hastily erected assortment of tents and fortifications, and currently served as the Electrans' main entry point to the mountains where the real fighting was taking place. The journey itself had been gruelling enough, but of course both commanders had varying thoughts on the matter.
After a nice, comfortable night in your private suite at the Academy, you and your troops have spent the last three days en route to the Electran Field Camp in the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. The journey was absolutely beastly! You spent most of your time in the back of a cramped military truck, and the rest of the time on foot marching through these abominably uncivilized hills. You still don't understand why you couldn't bring your own chauffeur, that truck-driver must have gone out of his way to hit every bump on the road! Your Daddy is certainly going to hear about your ill treatment!
Troop Status
- Supplies: PK-33 Handguns, 1 set of field Medkits,
spotless set of Deluxe
Uniforms, full supplies of ammunition and field
rations
- Morale: Morale is generally good, however, some of
your troops have
expressed complaints at being jammed into the same
truck with a bunch of dirty
Auxiliaries. Sgt. Sassoon doesn't approve of this
either. He says it could
be bad for your 'image.'
- Health: Your troops are currently suffering from no
injuries or health
ailments.
Military Communiques
- You have yet to receive any communications from
Special Forces command.
Captain Wincester seems to be charge of bringing
the new recruits to the
front, regardless of their affiliation.
- Reception on the road has been very bad. As such, you
haven't been able to
call your Daddy since you left the city. You'll
have to make sure to do so as
soon as possible!
Personal Notes
- You were pleased to see that your victory over what's
his name's - you know,
the grimy one - troops during that training exercise was
all over the papers
the other day. Being in the army turns out to be
even easier than you
thought! You intend to make sure that this trend
continues at Field Camp.
- You are getting along very well with your fellow SF
Lieutenant, Cetina. In
particular, she was very impressed that your Daddy
was none other than Senator
Bremingham, a former Special Forces officer, and
currently an influential
Senator who serves as the Senate's military
liaison. Such things seem to
matter very much to her.
Mini-Objective
- Outshine all your fellow officers in the eyes of both
the press and your
superiors.
Since leaving that swanky Electran Academy, you've spent the last three days on the road, either crammed into the back of a military truck, or simply on foot. The going's been pretty rough, but at least you got to entertain yourself by listening to the whining of the Special Forces everytime you hit a bump in the road. However, you are glad to finally be at Field Camp, that whining can really only stay amusing for so long...
Troop Status
- Supplies: Hacksaw Shotguns, Combat Daggers, full supplies of
ammunition and
rations. Your men tried to raid the Academy cafeteria too, to
try and "bolster
supplies," but all they could find was coleslaw,
which of course they didn't
take.
- Morale: It's good to be out in the field, your troops
were getting a little
restless back in the city. However, some of them are
still upset at that
Special Forces squad for beating them in training.
- Health: A couple of your men claim to be suffering
from headaches, but other
than that, they are all in good health.
Military Communiques
- Not surprisingly, you haven't received any dispatches
from Auxiliaries
Command. You're happy to just go with the flow for
now.
Personal Notes
- Though some of your troops aren't too happy about it,
you're not too
concerned about losing to the Special Forces in
that exercise. You're certain
that the fight was rigged, probably by the spoiled
brat's dad, and the rules
of combat are sure to change now that you're out in the
field.
- A couple of the boys have been raving about this brand
new Vanilla Coke
stuff. Supposedly, the hint of vanilla is
alluring, and the flavor, smooth.
You personally are curious to try the stuff,
although you have heard a couple
of your men muttering about how it "isn't worth the
pain..."
Mini-Objectives
- Reward your curiousity by acquiring some new Vanilla
Coke.
The action resumed with the four newly arrived Lieutenants, Zeke, Jenissa, Cetina and Varin, seated in a large, pavillion-style briefing tent. It was cold up in the mountains, a cold that Zeke felt accutely as he shivered in his ragged flight jacket. Jenissa, on the other hand, was toasty warm in her bright pink mittens. Varin contemptuously asked her what she would do should a surprise Spheran attack force come barging down into the tent, but fortunately, the mittens were the kind where the top could be flipped back. Cetina thought this was outrageously "cute." Jenissa, meanwhile, had worries of her own. She was concerned that her troops might have caught some kind of disease from Zeke's scruffy men while in the close proximity of the truck. While Zeke maintained that his own men were tough and in 'perfect health,' Jenissa made it very clear that she did not want the situation to repeat itself.
However, this banter came to an end as the tent flaps were pushed aside and Captain Wincester came marching inside. The fastidious captain greeted his four young recruits, and reminded them once again that his reputation was riding on their performance. He also told them that the Camp's commander was already on his way to brief them on their current duties. However, before he could say more, he was knocked aside as the tent flaps were forcefully flung open in his face and another man stormed into the room: a man who certainly did not seem happy to be there.
Khaurus Vanbaal
Race: Fenixan
Rank: Major
Affiliation: Electran Special Forces
Major Khaurus Vanbaal is not a pleasant looking man. Bright red
spiky hair, with a single braid by his left ear, frames a harsh
and angular face. The closest thing he has to a shirt is a set
of heavy leather bullet-straps crossing over his chest, and over
top of this he wears a red leather trench-coat with the emblem of
some kind of black bird stitched onto the back. The man's
temperament is a perfect match for his countenance, and he seems
to have little use for pomp or fanfare. As well as being among
the four highest-ranking officers of the Republic Special Forces,
he has also been put in charge of the Electran Field Camp and the
new recruits that are in the process of arriving there. Of
course, the presence of an obvious foreigner in such a
high-ranking position is an oddity in and of itself, but after
all, these are odd times.
Vanbaal wasted no time in telling the "worthless dogs" that life in the field would be very different from what they were used to back in their cushy Academy. Their official standing order was thus to do exactly what their superior told them, exactly when they were told to do it. Despite the simplicity of this explanation, the Fenixan Major briefly paused to see if there were any 'problems.' And naturally there were. Jenissa raised her hand, and proceeded to state that the ride up to the base had been extremely bumpy, and that the competency of the truck driver should be looked into. Staring her down for a moment, Vanbaal demanded Jenissa's name and rank, and then told her to drop and give him fifty. Without hesitation, Jenissa reached into her purse and handed her commander a fifty mark bill. With a bemused look, Khaurus took the proferred money, but it didn't get Jenissa out of doing the push-ups.
With discipline thus enforced, Major Vanbaal went on to inform them that their first task as new recruits was to fill the water tank outside the camp mess-hall from the well atop a nearby hill. And it had better be done in the next hour before lunch. His instructions given, the Special Forces officer then stalked from the room as angrily as he had come.
A surly Special Forces soldier directed the four lieutenants to the mess-hall and the well, and with only minor amounts of grumbling, Zeke and Varin got to work. Jenissa, of course, had other ideas. Heading to her tent, she returned with an entire crate full of pristine bottled water, and started daintily emptying the bottles into the tank. Cetina thought this looked like great fun, and offered to 'help,' by standing by and 'boosting morale.' Varin and Zeke were both aghast when they returned with their first load of water, but Jenissa countered their protests by proposing that the water from the well probably wasn't properly filtered at any rate. This didn't stop Zeke from simply sloshing a bucket full of well-water in among Jenissa's "pure" supply. Varin, meanwhile, tried to convince the two girls to actually help with the task at hand, but Cetina patiently explained that it really was a waste of the Army's resources to have two such highly educated soldiers as herself and Jenissa performing a grunt's task. Apparently, it was far more efficient for them to simply do nothing at all.
Despite this, with some serious sweat and toil from Zeke and Varin, the tank was filled - just in time for our heroes to break for a much-needed lunch.
Due to their work on water duty, the four lieutenants were slightly late for lunch, and as such, the officer's mess hall was packed. So much so, in fact, that only one large table seemed to have enough seats for them; and it was already partially occupied by Captain Wincester, Sgt. Slaughter, Desrae, Brock and Vidal Sassoon. At the far end of the room, there was a long line-up in front of the food counter. Slinging his jacket over the back of a chair, Zeke immediately went over to stand in line along with Varin. Cetina and Jenissa, meanwhile, took their seats at the table, chatting idly about how the more 'important' officers (like themselves) really deserved their own private dining room. No sooner had they sat down, however, than Brock leapt up and offered to go fetch the ladies' dinner. Both declined this offer, and Jenissa asked Vidal Sassoon to bring them their meals instead. Sassoon was more than happy to do so, and informed his superiors that there was a choice for lunch: chicken or fish. Both ladies opted for the latter choice. After taking their orders, Vidal immediately turned and assigned the task of getting lunch to Brock, thus allowing him to seat himself once more at the table while Brock ran pell-mell towards the line-up.
Zeke and Varin had been watching this display from afar and shaking their heads in resignation. However, as the line slowly inched forward, they found themselves listening to the conversation of the two men standing in front of them. From the sounds of things, these were two very important and distinguished fellows indeed.
The Duke of York
Race: Electran
Rank: Duke
Affiliation: Electran Conventionals
The Duke of York is a grand old man, who despite his advancing
age, looks to be in tip-top physical condition. He sports a
thick, white, walrus mustache, a tall British-style hat marked
with blue plumage, a royal blue officer's uniform and a whole
host of medals and decorations. The Grand Old Duke is quite the
jovial fellow, always quick to find the bright side to any bad
situation or gruelling bout of physical labor. In fact, he's
renowned throughout the Electran military for his marching
techniques, and is said to be able to command ten thousand men at
once! With such assets on his side, it's hard to find a more
respected officer throughout the Electran military.
Edward Byrne-White
Race: Electran
Rank: Major-General
Affiliation: Electran Conventionals
Edward Byrne-White is the very model of a modern Major-General.
He is smartly dressed in a beige beret and khakki military
uniform, and sports a truly gigantic pair of black
sunglasses. He also has a helicopter that's red and white, and
he likes it so much that he put in shag-rug and air-conditioning.
Which is an absolute necessity, given the amount of time he
spends in that aircraft. Byrne-White is known for his strict
adherence to rules and procedures, and his strong respect for
formal international boundaries, as well as a general intolerance
for discomfort of any form. It's said, however, that he is also
easily impressed by useless and dangerous displays of flashy
skill, but this rumor has yet to be confirmed in any way.
Byrne-White was in the process of complaining about the intolerably long line-up and overcrowded facilities. Apparently, even during the Yemen Desert campaign, he had received better meal service. And he was a prisoner at the time! The Duke of York only clapped his fellow officer on the back and made some comment about it all building character. With a slight cough, Zeke got the two officers' attention, and introduced himself and Varin to the Duke. Surprisingly, the Auxiliaries officer seemed to already know Byrne-White, although the latter didn't seem to remember him overly well. The four made small talk as they finally made their way to the front of the line. Both Varin and Zeke decided that the chicken was where it was at, and upon receiving their lunch, started making their way back to the table.
However, it was then that Zeke noticed a rather strange booth at the end of the line-up. Around the booth were several red and white posters with the words New Vanilla Coke written in a wavy design. The booth was flanked by a pair of burly men in suits, and standing beside them was a decidedly smug-looking man.
The Vanilla Coke Guy
Race: Unknown
Rank: Civilian
Affiliation: Coca-Cola Inc.
This man's name almost says it all. Little is known about this
enigmatic fellow, other than the fact that he has a red Coke
jacket and a near infinite supply of new Vanilla Coke. He also
has a mysterious knack for showing up at unexpected times and
locations, and for sounding very sure of himself. However, he is
always more than ready to reward the curiousity of any
enquiring young mind.
Zeke was intrigued by the presence of this booth, and stepped up to ask what it was all about. However, he hardly had time to say a word before he was grabbed by one of the burly goons and put in a painful headlock! With a mysterious smile, the Vanilla Coke Guy declared that his curiousity would be rewarded with a new Vanilla Coke. He thought Zeke would find the hint of vanilla alluring, and the flavor, smooth. However, just as the promised Vanilla Coke was produced and placed on the table, Zeke passed out from the pressure of the excrutiating headlock.
A few moments later, Zeke came to with a vigorous shoulder-shaking from Varin. The young Conventionals officer was also holding an empty can of Vanilla Coke. He swiftly apologized to Zeke for taking his drink, but had been too curious to resist giving it a try. Frustrated, Zeke sat up and looked about. Naturally, there was no sign of the Vanilla Coke Guy.
Zeke and Varin returned to the table just in time to see Vidal Sassoon smoothly relieving Brock of a pair of plates, which he then presented to Jenissa and Cetina. Of course, the two girls were duly impressed with Sassoon's service. Desrae, on the other hand, was not at all impressed with how Zeke had been taken down by the Vanilla Coke Guy and his men. Zeke could only reply with the fact that it was really a painful headlock.
As the meal progressed, our heroes saw a rather noticeable pair enter the mess hall, a pair for whom the crowds even slightly parted. The first was none other than the camp's commander, Major Khaurus Vanbaal, and the second was a man they'd never seen before.
Lanver
Race: Electran
Rank: Major
Affiliation: Electran Special Forces
The first thing that many people would notice about Major Lanver
is that he makes a rather handsome figure. Young and
clean-shaven, his jet black hair is done in a short black
cru-cut, and he wears a red jacket with a golden design etched on
one shoulder and a set of golden chains looping under his left
arm. Black pants and knee-high military boots complete the
outfit, and he carries a golden-hilted sword on a jangling chain
at his belt. Friendly and outgoing, the Major seems to be quite
the ladies' man, but despite both this and his youth, he is, like
Vanbaal, one of the Special Forces' highest ranking officers, and
that alone should be more than testament to his battle abilities.
The two Special Forces officers made a beeline for our heroes' table, and Vanbaal gruffly told the four lieutenants that they had better eat well and eat fast, as he had yet more 'fun' in store for them before the day was done. Meanwhile, Lanver began to introduce himself, but was swiftly distracted by the presence of the two fine young ladies. He remarked to Vanbaal that there certainly hadn't been so many good-looking girls in the army when the two of them had signed up. The Fenixan gunman only snorted and stomped away, telling the new recruits he would see them in the briefing tent in twenty minutes. Lanver was quick to apologize for his colleague. Apparently, "K-Man" could come off as pretty grouchy most of the time. But if the girls were ever having any real trouble with him, they were more than welcome to come talk to Lanver. However, before Lanver could get any further, he was interrupted by none other than squinty-eyed Brock. Lanver's eyes narrowed as the two men ominously stated each others' names repeatedly. Finally, Lanver was forced to excuse himself, as he did have duties to attend to. Brock was only too happy to see him go. Apparently, the two Special Forces officers had had issues in the past.
It seemed that the new recruits' table was destined to be a popular one; for no sooner had Major Lanver made his departure when another man came up to make a quick introduction.
Mace
Race: Electran
Rank: Captain
Affiliation: Electran Auxiliaries
The man called Mace looks and acts like a grizzled, veteran
soldier. His iron grey hair short and slightly curly, and his
weathered face is lined with countless scars. As a member of the
Auxiliaries, his 'uniform' is, perhaps as expected, less than
immaculate: a beat-up grey military shirt, a leather vest and a
utilitarian pair of black-and-grey army pants. Although gruff
and to the point, Mace seems always ready to help out the 'boys'
of the Auxiliaries against the regular Electran brass. His own
status, however, as an Electran in the Auxiliaries, is unusual
enough in its own right.
Mace had apparently heard that some of the Auxiliaries boys were coming up with the new recruits, and as ranking Auxiliaries officer at Field Camp, wanted to check in with them. Zeke was quick to introduce himself, and Mace told the new lieutenant to give him a shout if any of the 'brass' of the other divisions started to get on his case too much. Apparently, they could be like that sometimes. Just as Mace walked away, our heroes' attention was suddenly drawn by a much more noticeable fellow who was just making his way into the room, with an enthusiastic and decidedly arrogant-sounding shout.
Carlo Rota
Race: Spheran
Rank: Civilian
Affiliation: The Great Electran Food Show
Ha-hah! There's nothing more irresistible that describing
Carlo Rota. A smug face, a shaved head and an orange rain poncho
make up his most noticeable characteristics, along with the plate
of cheesecake that he seems to carry everywhere he goes. Carlo
professes to be the host of the Great Electran Food Show, a
travelling television series seeking out good food all
over Electra. Although smug and irritating to the extreme, Rota
was not a man to be trifled with, as his Smug Shouting and
powerful Friendly Shove could spell certain doom for any enraged
enough to engage him in combat.
Upon making his entrance, Carlo began to shove his way through the crowd, and in between bites of cheesecake, declared that there was nothing more irresistible than the smell of good food. And rain or shine, he was the kind of man who just can't resist. Zeke was a bit puzzled by this and as Carlo passed their table, asked the smug-looking man what this was all about. After giving Zeke a friendly shove to the shoulder by way of greeting, Carlo explained that as host of the Great Electran Food show, he was filming a special episode to dispel the myth that military food was all dry and boring field rations. Jenissa found this rather odd, but this only earned her a shove of her own, about which she was none too pleased.
However, before Jenissa could retaliate, with her cell-phone or otherwise, one of the officers at a nearby table started choking and gasping rather loudly, before collapsing to the floor. Certified in First Aid, Jenissa tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the stricken fellow, but it seemed that there was nothing caught in the man's throat. The man's coughing continued and he broke out in a heavy fever. Calls went out for a medical officer, and in due time, such a man arrived on the scene to professionally take things over.
Dr. Rumack
Race: Electran
Rank: Doctor
Affiliation: Electran Field Medicine Corp.
The distinguished Dr. Rumack is a deceptively competent looking
man, with combed grey hair, a professional brown suit, a
briefcase, and a ubiquitous stethoscope hanging around his neck.
Although seemingly calm and professional at first glance, a
closer inspection reveals Dr. Rumack's medical techniques to be
somewhat questionable. The Doctor is known both for having
extensive experience with food poisoning, and for misinterpreting
extremely obvious statements.
Calm and composed, Dr. Rumack asked Jenissa to move aside so he could take over. Apparently, this 'taking over' involved giving the choking man a vigorous shaking and repeatedly slapping him in the face. Although this did little to improve the man's condition, it seemed to satisfy the doctor. The crowd's observation of this spectacle was interrupted by Khaurus Vanbaal. Rising to his feet, the Field Camp commander declared that lunch was over, and that they should all clear the mess-hall to give the doctor some room. Our four new recruits, he would see by the briefing tent at once.
The next assignment given to our heroes by their gruelling task-master was even less glamorous than the last one. They were to organize their respective squadrons and move a gigantic pile of dirt from one end of the camp to the other. With enthusiastic 'directions' from Sgt. Slaughter, Varin's troops set to work right away, but Zeke suggested team-work. He proposed the construction of a human-chain type affair to keep the buckets moving at a constant pace, and force the Special Forces to actually do some work. Jenissa cheerfully agreed to this, so long as Varin's troops were the ones actually filling the dirty buckets. Meanwhile, she assigned Vidal Sassoon the task of making sure that her men stayed spotlessly clean throughout the 'dangerous' dirt-moving operation. This was a job for which Sassoon was ideally suited. The work proceeded mostly smoothly from there, although occasionally, to Zeke's annoyance, the chain was stalled so that Vidal could conduct a thorough brushing of one of his men's uniforms.
However, when they were nearly done, one of Jenissa's men suddenly started clutching at his throat and gasping for breath. In moments, he had collapsed to the ground. A call was swiftly sent to the medical division, and a pair of nurses arrived on the scene, who started shaking the fallen man's shoulders and telling him to get a hold of himself. Fortunately, Dr. Rumack arrived on the scene soon afterwards, and gave the man an even more violent shaking, along with several punches to the face. After doing this for several seconds, Rumack declared the man's ailment to be very similar to the man who had collapsed in the mess hall. And there had already been several other such cases reported throughout the camp. As an expert in such matters, Rumack asked what had been for lunch, and was told about the choice between chicken and fish. The Doctor, of course, had had lasagna. A quick investigation showed that all the men stricken thus far had had the fish. So had Jenissa, for that matter, and she suddenly started feeling a bit queasy to her stomach herself. She thus brightly volunteered to escort her man to the medical tent.
After reaching the tent and conducting a few more examinations, Dr. Rumack concluded that the fish was definitely the cause of the soldiers' sickness. Having experienced just such an event on numerous occasions, the doctor had a vaccine on hand, some of which he gave to Jenissa. With proper care, he believed the soldiers would recover, but depending on the popularity of the fish, he might not have enough medical supplies to treat them all. Even as he spoke, several more soldiers were being escorted into the tent. Swamped with such work, Rumack asked Jenissa if she could look into the matter of the fish for him, which she agreed to do. It certainly sounded a lot better than moving dirt.
Jenissa's first stop was the kitchen, where she questioned the chefs concerning the preparation of the fish. Eventually, she tracked down the fish-chef, Frankie, only to find that his hands and face were swathed in bandages! Frankie admitted to having started to prepare the fish for lunch that day, but had suffered some kind of mysterious accident partway through, the details of which he didn't remember. He just knew he had awoken sometime later with his hands and face covered with burns. The kitchen had been a mad-house of confusion with all the hungry soldiers waiting in line, and none of the other chefs had seen the event, or remembered who had finished dealing with the fish. Although this alone was suspicious enough, Jenissa wanted to know where the fish were normally stored. Apparently, all such military supplies were handled by Acquisitions. Most of the chefs weren't even authorized to access the supplies before they were brought to the kitchen. A quick visit to the Acquisitions tent confirmed this, as well as that nothing out of the ordinary had happened with the supplies. If it had, it would have been logged, filed and processed in six to eight weeks.
However, there was no more time for Jenissa to continue her investigations for now; for as Vidal Sassoon came rushing to inform her, they had to prepare for a formal Inspection Parade that was taking place in mere minutes. All the camp's most important officers were conducting one final inspection of the troops before they would be moving out the next day.
Naturally, impressing the camp's commanders was a top priority, and Jenissa quickly hurried to join her battalion. They were stationed outside their field tent, next to the other new arrivals, Zeke, Varin and Cetina. Within moments, the officers' procession came into view, and it was up to each unit to show their stuff, and be the best they could be with the following moves.
Battle experience is far from the only thing that makes the difference for a military unit. Arguably equally important is the good will of a commanding officer or two: good will that could make the difference between a cushy supply-line appointment and assignment to a suicidal frontline mission. Fortunately, the following tried-and-true maneuvers are available to win the admiration of your superiors. As each superior passes, you can perform one of these maneuvers. If the given check is successful, the unit receives the first Impression Point value for the maneuver; otherwise, they receive the second value. Note, of course, that different commanders will be influenced differently by different moves, so the values listed below may not always be completely accurate.
| Move | Check | Impression Pts. | Description |
| Hearty Cheer | x2 Morale | 7/2 | The troops cheer enthusiastically at the commander's approach as a show of their support. |
| Picture Perfect | x2 Discipline | 8/1 | The soldiers snap to attention, showing off their perfect discipline and spotless attire. |
| Body Flexing | x2 Condition | 7/0 | The soldiers flex their muscles, showing off their buff physical condition to their superiors. |
| Beer Party | 20 - Discipline | 4/-3 | Your friendly troops throw a beer party in the middle of the parade and invite their superior to join in! |
| Military Salute | F-Att vs. Def 13 Must have Firearm |
10/-2 | Your troops salute their superiors the 'military way' - by firing their weapons in an impressive display of firepower. |
| Men of the Blade | M-Att vs. Def 13 Must have Melee |
8/0 | Rather than using their hands, your troops use their weapons to salute their officer instead. |
| Sharpshooting | x3 Morale F-Att vs. Def 14 Must have Firearm |
12/-2 | Your crack marksmen perform a live demonstration of their skills. |
| Precision Bladework | x2 Discipline M-Att vs. Def 10 Must have Melee |
11/0 | In an impressive display of skill, your troops twirl their weapons in perfect unison. |
| Friendly Message | HW-Att vs. Def 8 Must have H. Weapon |
1/-5 | Your troops send the officer a friendly message by jokingly bombarding and destroying their favorite transport vehicle. |
The first inspecting officer to march by was none other than Captain Wincester. Jenissa's troops decided to start off the parade with a proper Military Salute, firing their handguns into the air in perfect unison. Varin's men tried to do the same, but only ended up shooting out the supports for their own tent. Zeke and his Auxiliaries, meanwhile, showed their support with a loud and hearty cheer, while Cetina's troops were a bit less than picture perfect. Next came the Grand Old Duke of York, and Jenissa and Zeke decided to exchange tactics. This seemed to be a bad proposition for both, as the Special Forces' cheer was a bit less than encouraging, and Zeke's shotguns went berzerk, nearly blasting their nearby colleagues. 'By accident,' or so Zeke's men claimed. Varin seemed to have the most success here, as he and his troops pulled off some major body flexing, much to the Duke's approval.
Before the next officer could arrive, however, Zeke spotted something rather curious right across the parade line. It was a small booth covered with red-and-white posters and manned by the Vanilla Coke Guy himself. Ignoring the protests of the soldiers holding the parade line, Zeke charged across and demanded to know what the deal had been the last time, and why he was unable to get some vanilla coke. However, this curious question only earned him both another headlock and an assurance of vanilla coke's smooth and alluring flavor. Zeke struggled with all his might, even declaring that there were pretzels making him thirsty and thus justifying his need for the coke, but it was all to no avail. When Zeke awoke, Major Lanver was standing over him and helping him to his feet. And much to Zeke's chagrin, Lanver had just finished consuming the vanilla coke that the Coke Guy had left for him. Apparently, the gruelling parade had made the Major thirsty.
Denied his prize once again, Zeke returned to his post and the inspection continued. Unfortunately, Lanver's inspection didn't go over very well. Jenissa's troops smacked themselves in the foreheads with their picture perfect salutes, Cetina's men all dropped their weapons in their precision bladework, and Varin pulled a muscle with some heavy flexing. Only Zeke's beer party seemed to be reasonably successful.
After the beer party ended and Lanver had moved on, the next officer on the inspection roster was Captain Mace. Jenissa's troops went back to the tried and true military salute, while Zeke's men made a pathetic attempt to put up a hearty cheer. Mace only grunted and walked by, giving no clue as to his reaction. The next procession was rather large, mainly due to its inclusion of a red and white helicopter being wheeled down the parade road. Edward Byrne-White. Jenissa once again went with the military salute for the modern major-general. And while Zeke longed to send the man a friendly message, he achieved nearly the same effect with a horribly botched round of shotgun sharpshooting. Meanwhile, both Cetina and Varin went for a picture perfect, but although Cetina pulled hers off flawlessly, Varin's men forgot that they still weren't wearing shirts after their previous bouts of flexing. As expected, the final officer to make the inspection rounds was Khaurus Vanbaal himself. Although Cetina's picture perfect was just as neat and sparkly as before, it seemed to make little impression on her bad-tempered commander. Varin's military salute went over better, unlike Jenissa's failed attempt at some precision sharp-shooting. Meanwhile, Zeke figured there was only one way to go with this man, and that was to throw another beer party with some hellfire tossed into the mix. This was of course very popular with his men. Vanbaal, for his part, simply accepted the proferred hellfire and kept right on walking.
With that, the inspection was over. A Special Forces officer informed the four new recruits that they were to report with their units to the Training Field at the edge of the camp in one hour. Until that time, they were dismissed. Jenissa mentioned to Zeke what she had found out concerning her troops' food poisoning, and the two began to suspect foul play. Top at their list of suspects was Carlo Rota. However, they had no idea where to find the man at the moment, so they decided to visit the command section to see if they could find out. As luck would have it, they ended up running straight into Khaurus Vanbaal and two of his aides. Vanbaal was skeptical of the notion that the food had been deliberately poisoned, and thought that the new recruits just had weak stomachs and a bout of home-sickness. Of course, he hadn't had the fish himself, but rather lasagna. However, our heroes did manage to find out that Rota was most likely set up in the small civilian section of the camp, which was slightly separated from the military section, and promptly made their way there.
The civilian section of the camp was rather small, but the largest tent there immediately caught their attention. It was a giant pavillion-like tent, bright red in color and with the Coca-Cola logo written all over it. Apparently, Coke, as a corporate sponsor of the military, was allowed to have facilities even in frontline military bases. Still craving that new Vanilla Coke, Zeke made small talk with the men at the entrance to the tent, while Jenissa snuck around back to try and crawl into the tent from behind. However, as soon as she poked her head into the tent's darkened interior, she was grabbed in a painful headlock and confronted by the Vanilla Coke Guy. She too found out the hard way about vanilla coke's smooth flavor and alluring hint of vanilla, but passed out almost immediately from the pressure of the headlock.
After waiting for several minutes, Zeke wondered what was taking Jenissa so long. Walking around to the back, he saw her legs sticking out unceremoniously from the underneath the tent. Zeke decided to crawl in himself to see if she was alright, but this proved to be a mistake. Instantly, he too was grabbed by the Vanilla Coke Guy's goons and reminded once again of vanilla coke's alluring attributes. This time, he demanded that his have a straw so that he could try some on the spot. However, by the time the Vanilla Coke Guy had popped open the can, Zeke had gone comatose. The two officers awoke at roughly the same time, to find that Zeke's vanilla coke had tipped over and all spilled out via the straw. Having spent so much time unconscious, there was no time for the two to visit Carlo Rota as they had originally intended, and instead hurried off to the training field, where their men were supposed to be waiting.
Fortunately, Desrae and Vidal Sassoon had done their jobs, and both the Wheel and the Outfit were already waiting for their commanders when they arrived. So too were Varin and Cetina and their respective units. Major Khaurus Vanbaal himself arrived moments later, and explained to the rookies that they were to engage in a live field simulation. Varin's Lightning Fist and Cetina's Rose Legion were to face off against the Outfit and the Wheel. The battlefield was also more interesting than what the commanders were used to, containing such features as a hill, a grove of trees and a protective wall.
The commanders and their subordinate officers led their troops onto the field and the battle began. Varin and Cetina's side seized an early advantage when the Rose Legion managed to close with the Wheel and lay into them with their Republic Sabres. The Lightning Fist lay down cover fire from behind the wall with their SIR rifles. However, miraculously the Wheel managed to break free and circle behind the hill, forcing Varin's troops to approach. Finally, after a great deal of fighting, by concentrating their firepower Zeke and Jenissa had managed to take the Rose Legion out of the picture. However, both their units were heavily damaged, while the Lightning Fist, which had seized a position on the hill, was all but untouched. In a desperate maneuver, the Outfit charged with their handguns and succeeded in climbing the hill. After pulling out their combat daggers to fight back, Varin's men retreated to the woods, with both the Outfit and the Wheel charging in after them. A fierce bout of hand-to-hand fighting followed, but when the dust settled, there was but a single unit left standing on the field. And that was Zeke's Wheel. It seemed that the Wheel was on a roll.
Following the exercise, the four young lieutenants were ordered to report to the central briefing tent. Apparently, the senior officers at the base would be offering last minute workshop classes for the newly arrived troops. Sign-up would be on a first-come, first-serve basis, and each officer was responsible for getting their troops into the workshop they wanted. However, first, there was a small ceremony to take care of. The six senior officers had compared notes on the inspection parade, and it was decided that Lieutenant Jenissa's Outfit was the most promising new battallion as a result. Wincester was most pleased by this turn of events, as were all the press who had mysteriously just showed up to photograph this event. Once all the picture-taking was done, our heroes went about the business of signing up for a workshop. Unfortunately, this process did not prove easy. Jenissa approached first Major Lanver and then Khaurus Vanbaal, but Lanver had to turn her down with a regretful sigh, while Vanbaal told her that her men would have to learn how to hold their guns properly first before he'd have anything to teach them. He didn't have time for baby-sitting.
Zeke wasn't having much better luck. Apparently, Byrne-White hadn't been too impressed with the holes his men had shot in his helicopter, and Captain Mace was already booked solid. The Grand Old Duke of York's very popular marching routine was already chock full. Eventually, both Jenissa and Zeke ended up going with their own commanding officer, Captain wincester. The fastidious Conventional was more than happy to take Jenissa's prize-winning troops, and accepted Zeke's only to whip them into shape so they didn't make him look so bad next time. Apparently, the numerous beer parties during the parade hadn't won Zeke a stellar reputation.
With the workshop in progress, the junior officers were dismissed for the rest of the day. However, just as Zeke and Jenissa were leaving the tent, they were approached by Dr. Rumack. The doctor was certain by this point that what had occurred this afternoon was no mere case of food poisoning. Someone had tampered with the fish. Which were an aquatic creature with gills and fins, by the way, but that wasn't important right now. After reminding the two not to call him 'Shirley,' the good doctor left the matter in their hands.
Determined to put this matter to rest once and for all, the two officers returned to the kitchen to question the head chef about whether he had any security cameras in the kitchen. At first, the chef denied having such a device for fear of someone stealing his secret recipes, but after some appeals to his ego, admitted that he kept a private security camera of his own. Our heroes asked him to rewind it to the time shortly prior to lunch, with their eyes on the lookout for an orange poncho. They were not disapointed. On the small screen before them, they witnessed none other than Carlo Rota walking into the kitchen, cheese-cake held aloft as always. He then proceeded to the fiery grill where the chef presumed to be Frankie was cooking the fish and shoved the hapless chef into it. Producing a bottle from his jacket, Rota proceeded to sprinkle an unknown substance all over the mound of fish, and then left the shot as quickly as he'd come.
It seemed our heroes were confirmed, and the two made a beeline for the civilian section and Carlo Rota's tent. It was decided that Jenissa would approach from the front and try to distract Rota while Zeke snuck into the tent from behind to look around. The plan worked perfectly at first, with Jenissa making small talk about Carlo's 'fashionable' rain poncho. An idea struck her, and she asked the cooking show host if she could try it on. As the kind of man who just can't resist, Carlo agreed. Much as she suspected, Jenissa found a small bottle stashed in an inside pocket of the jacket. Slipping it out into her own pocket, she gave it back to Carlo. However, it turned out that Rota was not quite the fool she anticipated, and noticed that the bottle was absent when he put the jacket back on. With his usual smug enthusiasm, Rota leapt forward and gave Jenissa a friendly shove that, despite the fact she was at full strength, knocked her to the ground, unconscious.
Zeke witnessed this amazing display of power from within the tent, but before he could escape, Carlo returned inside and spotted him. Looking around in desperation, Zeke suddenly noticed a can of vanilla coke sitting on a table by the side of the tent, with a small hole cut in the tent wall behind it. Addressing Carlo, Zeke pointed out both the can, and the fact that Carlo was the kind of man who just couldn't resist. Carlo agreed to this latter statement, and immediately lunged to grab the can. However, just as he did so, a burly goon reached through the hole in the wall and grabbed Rota in an unbreakable headlock. Striding into the tent was the Vanilla Coke Guy, who informed Carlo Rota that his curiousity had served him well, and that he would be rewarded with a new Vanilla Coke. He was sure Carlo would find the hint of vanilla alluring, and the flavor, smooth. However, even Carlo was no match for the painful headlock being inflicted upon him, and he swiftly collapsed into unconsiousness. His work thus finished, the Vanilla Coke Guy departed, leaving both a comatose Carlo Rota and his can of vanilla coke behind.
Victory was Zeke's at last, and he triumphantly leapt forward to claim the can of vanilla coke. However, after a single sip, he tossed the can aside in complete disgust. The stuff was alright, but was it supposed to be a reward for that painful headlock? Shaking his head, the Auxiliaries officer grabbed Carlo by the heels and started dragging him off to the proper authorities.
And thus ended the second adventure of Res Publica Aeternus, an adventure that was once again a successful one for our heroes. They had survived their first day on the frontline, survived Carlo Rota's food poisoning attempts, and most importantly of all, they had survived New Vanilla Coke.