Jada started jogging for the bunks as soon as she took her first step away from the Lieutenant. Within seconds, one of her flightmates was jogging at her side- an overweight fellow who’d been giving her the eye since they’d first formed up.
“How’d it go?” he asked. Despite being large, jogging didn’t seem to tire him at all.
“I’m running off to my bunk to stay outta trouble,” Jada said.
“Good choice. I wouldn’t wanna be you for all the spice on Kessel if this thing got too big.”
“What do you mean? The Lieutenant just told me he’d look out for me if that witch Medea gave me any more trouble.”
He stopped, holding her arm to make her slow down as well. He said, “you mean you really don’t know?”
“Don’t know what? Is she his daughter or something?”
“Close enough, Sanddancer. Cadet Medea? She’s his cousin.”
#
Norrin looked at the droid that stood about two dozen feet from him, wishing that there weren’t so many people around. If he were alone with this droid, he could have possibly pried off a panel and reprogrammed it to do something interesting.
But unfortunately there were others around. Worst of all was Second Lieutenant Solo, who was busy giving Slak the workout of his life. The last thing Norrin needed was some busybody like Solo screaming in his ear while making him do things Norrin hated doing- which included push-ups, sit-ups, and just about anything else that didn’t take place in front of a video screen.
Things weren’t perfect in Norrin’s life. But if he were to be honest, he’d have to admit they were better than they had been for a long, long time. He’d started boot camp barely able to do a single push-up unless his knees were touching the ground. But by the end of three weeks he could do twenty real push ups without breaking a sweat. But the end of the eight weeks of basic training, he could do fifty without any real difficulty.
Of course, there were others in his group would could have done a hundred with the same effort it took Norrin to do fifty, but that hardly mattered. Norrin was fitter than he’d been at any point in his life. Likely even fitter now than a number of the able-bodied bullies he’d known in school.
But Norrin hadn’t had the same practice at sports that he’d gotten at doing punishment exercises. Those who’d joined him in basic training had found themselves increasing in their skills, too. By the end of Basic Training, Norrin was still at or near the bottom of the pile in terms of sport and all-around physical ability.
Hence, now that it time for sports, he had to try and find the easiest exercise he could. The gravball, slingball or smashball courts were off his list- he’d be humiliated in a heartbeat for his lack of skill on a slingball court, and probably injured for weeks on end if he tried some of the more demanding and potentially hazardous games like gravball or smashball.
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The only place he could possibly have any success was playing a game of hit with this stupid droid, who was going to shoot smallballs at him while he tried to bat them around with a plastic stick.
Phut! Went the droid’s shooter, as a smallball flew through the air at Norrin in a gentle curve. Norrin made an awkward swing at the ball and missed.
“Could I...” said a voice behind him.
Norrin whipped around. He was used to someone making a caustic remark when he messed up at sports. Here, though, he knew it could get worse. Bad enough to be at the bottom of the list in terms of ability. Worse to be chewed out and screamed at in front of your peers, as if somehow that would help you do better. He could still hear 2nd Lieutenant Solo screaming at Slak Daggart on the track, asking him if he was getting tired? Was there anything he’d rather be doing? Anything on his mind besides impressing the 2nd Lieutenant?
Norrin turned slowly. Behind him stood the big ape that had made him look twice as short and skinny as he usually did. He wasn’t looking at Norrin with contempt, though. Far from it, really. Instead he looked as if he felt compassion somehow for the smaller boy.
“We played...played a game,” said the large one- what was his name? Crasna? “...like this, back at my home. Look, we can...”
Norrin wondered at Bondo. The fellow was truly huge, not just for his age, but really for any age. In fact, Bondo could probably pick Norrin up and snap his spine like a twig from one of the trees in the forest back home.
“May I,” Bondo said, picking up the stick. “You...you were, hold-holding it wrong, here. Just- put, put your hands in a grip, here. Don’t choke it, hold-hold it. Give the- show... no, I mean...like this.”
Bondo stood sideways, waggling the bat in front of the [lace the ball would be travelling. Norrin realized the first thing he’d done wrong. He’d stood in front of the droid, thinking he was supposed to hit the ball aside.
“Then you...swing, not sideways, but, up, in a curve, like this,”
Bondo took his stance. His feet were shoulder width apart. His arms were raised to his chest level, holding the bat in the air. He tapped his foot, just as the posted instructions told him to do, and a smallball chucked through the air at him, launched by the simple droid.
Bondo swung, met the ball, and knocked it far, far over the heads of the crowds of cadets.
“Here,” said Bondo, “you try.”
Bondo helped set up Norrin, putting his hands on the bat and moving his feet arms until he was in an more awkward version of the stance the Bondo had taken. Bondo then stepped back, and left Norrin to his own devices.
Norrin swallowed, then tapped his foot.
The ball launched out of the droid, and flew through the air in a hissing curve.
Norrin kept his eyes on the ball, swung the bat, and connected.
The ball flew. Not a long way, but it would have been a respectable hit in a team game.
“See?” said Bondo, smiling. Norrin smiled back. Maybe Bondo could be more than just an ally, but a friend as well.
Unseen by either of them, Rex, the R2 unit that Norrin had helped earlier in the day, stood in of the exitways regarding them silently. After Norrin hit the ball, it turned without making a sound and drove down the hall.
#
TO BE CONTINUED....