Once they were moving in the morning and headed back towards the Academy the instructors started to enlighten the Cadets on all the mistakes and operational security breaches that they'd made during the previous day's journey. The list was long, and the students were more than a little horrified to hear about the potential ramifications of their actions as so vividly described by the Instructors.
Max simply enjoyed the vibrant green foliage as they maintained the sedate pace, not stopping for breaks this time, and listened for any actual decent advice that might be hidden among the reprimands. Mostly they were just getting chewed out though, for things they'd already been taught not to do, but forgot at the first hint of civilian admiration.
General Tennant was waiting for them to return next to the Mecha hangers, a big smile on his face that both Cadets knew didn't bode well for their future.
"Welcome back Cadets. I made you a very special training room that we can begin work in next week. It's got your physical simulators in it and everything. I'm sure you're going to love the new surroundings." The words are friendly and enthusiastic but something about that greeting gives Max chills down his spine.
When they reported to the training room in the morning, it was just as amazing as the General suggested though. He'd turned the disused training room into a full on apartment for the Cadets. Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, martial arts training room with a padded floor, the three mecha simulators that they use for their training, desks for book work, everything that they could need was in here. The thought that they might need to actually cook for themselves concerned Max a little. He knew how to reheat premade foods, but cooking from scratch was beyond him.
"Don't look at me like that. You'll still be getting meals from the cafeteria, the kitchen is just for snacks and such, since you won't be leaving this suite until the next phase in your training is complete." General Tennant gave that same reassuring smile that always made Max think he was being tricked. As usual, he was correct.
"Is this a gravity room, General? Nico asks, standing by the control panel.
"Exactly right. Every day for the next two months the gravity in this chamber will increase to help tone and refine your bodies. We will spend less time in the simulators over these next few months, and more in the gym. I've been informed that you've both gotten basic martial arts training, so we will be using that to improve your skills as well as your physical conditions. Not every planet you will land on has gravity as close to Imperial standard as Kepler Terminus. It's better that you're prepared for the change in advance."
Once he's finished his speech, General Tennant turns on the gravity system and their body weights immediately increase by a third. The General seems fine, but Nico doesn't have a huge amount of strength and visibly struggles to move normally under the effect. With his already high Strength, Max is doing better, but it still feels sluggish moving in this environment.
"First things first, let's see what you've got for martial arts skills, so I know where to work from. Cadets, into your coveralls and report to the gym in ten minutes." The General instructs, watching them run to their new rooms.
The interior of the training room has been remodeled to exactly replicate the inside of a Kepler Interstellar transport ship, with walls painted Navy Regulation blue gray, the rooms were standard junior officer bunks, three meters long by two wide with a bed over a desk and a large locker. The gym too was a direct replica of the one on the last ship he served aboard. His idea was that the surroundings would be their new normal once they graduated, so the sooner he got them used to it the better. Plus, everything on board a ship was designed to survive rapid and extreme gravitational changes, should the ships gravity field fluctuate or fail entirely.
Both Cadets were back out in a few minutes, excited to have seen that all their belongings were already present in their new rooms. General Tennant was surprised to see that they didn't have anything hidden in the not so secret crevices of the room or under mattresses, it was all safely stored in their lockers, as per regulation.
"Alright, I'll have you two spar to start things off. Do you know multiple styles or just the one?" General Tennant asks.
"A little bit of a bunch of different styles, Sir." Nico answers, saving Max from coming up with an explanation of how he learned them all from her memory.
"Good, begin."
The two cadets are much more skilled than the General expected, being so used to the 'ranged attacks first, last and only' mentality that pervaded the Kepler Kingdom. But since they were skilled, he could teach them even more without having to start from the very basics. Once you know one martial art, the basics of the others are much easier to learn, just a stylistic difference from what you already know.
The style he wants to teach them is Kep Maga, an ancient close combat form passed down in his and many other military families that teaches their children both unarmed and knife based fighting techniques. They seem to already know something similar, so General Tennant starts right in on the Grappling techniques once he gets an understanding of their current level of ability.
The additional Gravity is a great benefit to Max, who rarely won a match before. Nico has troubles kicking him in this environment, so when the General moved them to grappling and close combat, her speed and agility advantage wasn't as noticeable. She's still much faster than he is, but it's not as overwhelming as when she's free to pick the style and use her legs to counteract Max's longer arms.
"Very good, now, try with these wooden sticks in place of knives." General Tennant instructs, eager to see how his Cadets will come along.