April arrived and with it, squad assignments. For the size of their class that meant 13 people to a squad. Helena and Marceau had been put on a team together. She knew the other pilot as well. They were a mix of every department, at least two, security science, medical, linguists, pilots, engineers. They all had specialties. They had about two weeks of classes before their first training mission and there was a lot of speculation. They were given packs and told what they needed. Between classes they had to figure out where to get most of the supplies and who had access to get it. It was a puzzle that they had to solve. Everyone’s pack would be checked for the required equipment. Points would be taken for poorly organized or incomplete packs. Helena was excited to get off the Academy grounds and breathe after the turmoil of returning to campus. Not everyone was so eager…

Helena