The aftermaths of the ambush was even more tiring than the actual fight which has lasted a short moment. Though things had looked bleak at the time, in the middle of the battle the squadron"s first encounter with an enemy had almost seemed ridiculous. "Who knew there was so much to do after finishing an enemy." Clay couldn"t help but think of this as he was forced to salvage the Larcenous Coyts" corpses in front of him for anything of value that could be used.To him the scene that he could see looked like the setting of game, where a destroyed enemy creature could be looted for items, unfortunately there was no simple loot b.u.t.ton, this was not one of those scenes. Standing in front of them Sergeant Coniver demonstrated the proper method of hiding their tracks and the sign of the destruction that had taking place, as well as supervising the removal of the usable body parts of the Larcenous Coyts that they had managed to kill.
As recruits of the Groot Colony who were training to form an official squadron they were expected to slowly learn how to deal with situations like these, after all in a military operation it would not do to let their enemy discover their tracks. Self sufficiency was also an important drive behind the colony philosophy and the military way of life. The reasons humans were able to expand and grow was in part because of their flexibility in using all the tools at their disposal as well as their creativity that managed to help them thrive in outer s.p.a.ce.
For example, the part that Clay was now extracting from the alpha"s body. The small size of stone, which was found inside its brain was better known as a psi energy core: extraterrestrial creatures that survived in the areas where the colonies had set up would sometimes hold cores like these, which were could be used as a form of energy source, it was particular useful for psionics like them. He had been meaning to ask, but Sofi had beat him to it. The explanation Sergeant Coniver gave about the source of the psi energy cores was rather interesting.
From what he could understand, psionics like them would also have an energy core inside their body which would also grow in a condensed gas form made up of psi energy waves. For example the urn shaped energy storage inside his body was different to that of Tigul"s cube shaped storage inside his body. Everyone"s energy storage s.p.a.ce was different and this corresponded in part with their abilities.
"It has only been in the recent decade that scientists like Dr Sullivan had come up with a way to artificial create the process of awakening, though the mortality rate is higher, you guys are lucky in being awakened, at least your future prospects are much better than a normal person."
Looking at Sergeant Coniver"s expression as he was talking to Sofi, Clay could see a small flash of envy temporary show in his face as he looked at the recruits, he couldn"t help but think if the ranked official in front of them had his own story behind his stony expression that remained clear and commanding in their presence.
Taking out an implement from his back pack Clay started to clean himself up after handing out the psi energy core to Sergeant Coniver who seemed to take another look at him. "You did rather well earlier."
It was high praise for a person who remained aloof from the group. "But I didn"t do much..." Clay wanted to explain himself, he really hadn"t, other than shouting out a direction to his squadron, he had hardly involved himself in the ambush.
"That"s not wrong but you kept your calm, people that can keep calm and focused are the type that the military hopes to gather, after all who knows what situation you might be facing next time." Maybe he was right, but Clay still couldn"t admit that he had been of any real help in this situation, his ability after all..
"Is everyone ready?" A chorus of confirmations filled in the air. The mood was more dark now, minus the laughter that had filled it earlier replaced by a sense of wariness.
"Do you guys understand now why I didn"t command you to stay in formation or keep quiet? It was a lesson, when a person first starts a fire they might get burned but they will remember that. This is the same thing, we are now in unknown terrain and your noise attracted the Larcenous Coyts and your lack of awareness of your surroundings resulted in you guys being ambushed. Now you know. Life is not simple. What would have happened if that pack did not retreat, half of the squadron had already used their ability, are you guys that confident in your abilities. Maybe it is true that one or two of you might have survived this time. But what about the next time and the people around you. Think about it."
"I"m sorry." The sound of Reo"s voice could be heard as he bowed in a ninety degree angle with his fists tightly clenched at his side.
"Good, the first sign of progress is humility, admitting when you make a mistake, only then can you improve," nodding at the actions of a member of the squadron, Sergeant Coniver made a motion with his hands and the group continued.
"Due to the incident, the journey to the camp site has been postponed, we will break and make camp in three more hours, this is to ensure we are a safe distance from the area where we are ambushed and extend our safety zone. If you understand then lets go."
The quiet silence hung in the air as the squadron embarked once more, no more voices could be heard, keeping a safe distance from each other, enough to manoever in the face of danger but alos able to react and help within a moment"s notice, the members of the squadron were finally learning the hard way on the first day as recruits.