"OK, let's start."
The captain did not give any time for reaction, she was not in favor of extending herself further when time was short.
Thus, everyone from the director to the teachers, including the students, held their breath.
"We will start with the older ones, always within the age limit of course."
Alex and Ivan looked at each other with resignation.
The age they mentioned in the news was from 15 to 17 years old, and the problem was that they had only been there for one semester and had just turned 16 years old.
They knew who would go first.
"The first on the list… which in this case is first, Amira Saadi. Please, whoever is mentioned should stand next to the sergeants located at the entrance. Thank you."
Amira, the girl who had just been mentioned, paled.
Of course, it was a common reaction in this case.
Everything was too abrupt and being separated from your parents was almost necessarily not a dish of good taste for anyone.
Adding that to the fact that possibly only seeing them again via video call made it more desperate.
"We continue, Amaia Jones, Robert Miller, Ivan Brown, and Alex Weber."
There it was.
What seemed like it would take an eternity, it didn't take even five minutes for Captain García.
Alex looked at Ivan, who was being hugged by his sister, and at himself, who was hugged by his own sister, and sighed.
He touched her small blonde head and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall with his other hand.
"Sarah…"
Sarah, who by inertia hugged her brother as if she were carrying her life in it, trembled when she heard his voice.
"Haaa… You two, we are waiting for you to release your brothers."
Another voice echoed from the top of the room, and the two raised their heads in confusion.
As they processed the situation, they looked at each other and realized that their reaction had been exactly the same.
As they simultaneously looked at the room, Alex and Ivan's faces seemed to have a clumsy smile. They blushed but still didn't let go of their brothers.
"Sergeant Wang, Sergeant Volkov, go free the two cadets. Don't hurt the girls."
The captain smiled slightly when she saw the stubborn look of the two girls.
Even with the shame they would have to be going through, they clung to their brothers like two lionesses protecting their cubs.
With a mischievous smile, she led the 15 children of different ages, including the two who had just been released, to the gymnasium which had been adapted for the next four months.
****
"Okay, everyone listen up. Right now you're just students…"
The captain's sharp gaze and the solemn faces of the lieutenants and sergeants caused the students' chatter to cease as soon as they gathered in the gym.
"…But starting tomorrow, your home will be the gym. Mom and dad will not be there to assist you. The instructors and I will only be responsible for teaching you. We will fulfill our mission, but success and failure depend on you."
When Alex heard the captain, he was surprised. What kind of training would they do to make her speak that way?
"And what is more important, starting tomorrow they will no longer be students. They will be cadets, and they will be part of the confederation army reserve until their graduation from the lunar academy."
Once again, the boys and girls were surprised. They had just been enlisted in the army and would disappear from the Earth for God knows how long.
"Starting tomorrow, they will only respond with 'Yes, captain,' 'Yes, lieutenant,' or 'Yes, sergeant.' Anyone who fails to comply will be punished according to the military regime."
With an increasingly sharp gaze, the captain made it impossible for them to refuse.
They felt that the next four months would be hell.