"How to take it. Today I was surprised!" Trail leaned forward a little and lowered his voice. "She was out of action for a month because of the experiment - you know - and suddenly she is completely fit again, and even stronger than me! "


He could have saved himself the whisper, she thought, I heard it anyway! Not to mention the fact that I already knew it!


Waat's giant eyes eyed her again. She looked dark and dismissive.

"So that means you think she's strong enough to do standard training?" said the captain without any discernible connection after he had finished his new draft.


"Yes, it is!"


"Hm!" Waat activated his scouter and was surprised when he saw the ad "Well, I think it really is. How high was your combat strength before ... a month ago?"


"Five hundred and ninety-nine."


"Pfff ....."


A moment of stunned silence.


"All right. Trail, you can go, I'll take care of everything else."


“Thank you, Captain!” Trail saluted and left the room.


Maiju suddenly had the feeling that a section of her life was over and a new one was beginning. She was excited to see what it would bring, but at the same time she was sorry that she had to give up Trail.


Thanks, Trail! You were a great trainer, everything I can do I owe you!she thanked him silently.


"Stand still!" Captain Waat's hoarse voice ripped her out of her thoughts. Completely taken by surprise, Maiju immediately straightened up: stomach in, chest out, eyes straight ahead, hands on the sides. Waat circled her once, eyed her critically.


"Good posture!" he praised, "And reacts promptly. Hope for you that you fight just as well, because" he padded up and down in front of her and yelled as if he were giving orders to a whole company, "from now on a rougher wind will blow for you! Trail may have been considerate of you, but I will definitely not do that! And woe to you if you disobey me! Then you will find yourself in Medi-Tank faster than you can stand up! So, don't allow yourself any stupid things ! Roger that?"


"Understood, captain!" she replied obediently.

"Good. The next one would be ..." Maiju prepared himself for another roaring tirade, "Since your fighting strength is now over a thousand, you will get a breastplate. Follow me!"


Waat turned and left the room. The surprised Maiju did the same.


She didn't have to go far: the storage rooms for clothes were right next door.


They entered, Waat motioned her to wait and disappeared between the rows of shelves that dominated this room.


A little later he was back and tossed her armor and wrist protectors, "There, that should fit. Try them on!"


Maiju slipped into the armor a little clumsily. Waat had estimated her size well, he fit right away "Uff, this part is damn heavy!" she moaned.


"It's a training tank, they're heavy!"


"And what is that supposed to be good for?"


"That is very clear: you automatically become stronger when you wear heavy clothing.We also have rooms here where you can train with increased gravity. But for the time being the tank is enough! "


Luckily! Maiju tried the hand protectors on and found that they were made for five fingers, not four. "I'm afraid the protectors are too big for me!" she noticed.


"I can see that! It doesn't matter. We always have cases for which we need custom-made products. You will feel the same way later, once you get a stem!" Waat grinned impudently. Maiju looked at him blankly "Please what?"


He was still grinning. "You will notice when you get older. Or you ask the person in charge."


The captain thought for a moment. Then he said: "The best thing I can do is show you the camp so that you know what to do if you need something."


Then he took Maiju through between the rows of shelves and showed her where what was stored: "Here in the first row are the utensils such as scouters in all colors, gloves, wrist guards and boots from XS to XXXL.In the next ... in this row the combat suits are stored, of which every soldier should always have a few in his cabin. Behind it are the training tanks and the tanks for combat missions. And then all sorts of odds and ends from headbands to cloaks. You can get what you need here at any time. "


"Yes, captain!"


"Finally, all you need is a training plan."


They returned to the room they had left earlier and Waat handed her a slide showing all of the training hours. And there were quite a few.


"You only have to take care of the hours in red. The rest will be held by other coaches."


Oh soo ... Now Maiju could see at a glance that she was training inside all day three days a week, outside on two days all day and half day on the remaining two days, once inside and once outside, in the morning.For today the morning session was over, tomorrow it was half day again. Very good!


"To ask?"


"No, captain, thank you! All right!" Except for the thing with the porch. But she would find out what that meant!


"Then get out! I really have better things to do than explaining everything to unsuspecting beginners of long and wide! Fortunately I don't have to worry about the boy too!" with that he pushed her out into the corridor so that she almost slammed into the opposite wall.


Such a tramp! Can't he watch out ?! thought Maiju angrily. She showed her tongue at the closed door and went to the hospital wing. He had said himself to ask the person in charge. She would do that.


Then something occurred to her: Waat had said earlier that luckily he didn't have to worry about the boy too. He could only have meant Jeice by that. That means he had also made the 1000 mark!

Too bad Waat didn't train him too. Sometimes it seemed to her that everyone was doing their best to separate her. Just why she didn't understand. Also something she would ask the senior doctor.


Maiju hurried to get to the station quickly despite the heavy equipment.




"What do you want to know?!" the Primary blinked at Maiju in utter amazement.


"What a stem is!" she replied defiantly. The facial expression of the person responsible unsettled her - had she asked the wrong thing? "Is there anything in there?"


"Well- no ... I just never expected such a question ... where did you get the expression?"


"From Waat. - I mean, Captain Waat said that I would need custom-made products later, when I first get a porch."


Oh so ... "The hell with that idiot Waat! The senior doctor had just thought he would wait until she was a little older to explain, and now she was standing there and wanted to know what was meant by stem- Now, of course, he couldn't get past it; but how do you enlighten a five-year-old?

"So what is it now? Have you swallowed your tongue? I asked you something, maybe I'll get an answer too?"


The doctor took a deep breath and tried to push aside all inhibitions about saying these ... certain ... things.


"All right ... But it will take longer, I have to go back a little."


“Never mind, I have time!” Maiju hopped a