Crocea Conquerors

Spare Moments

A dozen militia soldiers took aim on a makeshift range. Several old boxes and pieces of wood were stacked on each other. A can flipped in the air and landed in the dirt with a fresh hole on the center.

The militia had target practice today.

A woman in a black jacket squinted with her right eye even though she was left handed. Most of the single shots she made with her rifle rarely connected to her target.

"Ms. Darman." The instructor called the young woman out.

When the instructor would walk beside a recruit. It was taught on day one to the recruits that one called upon should immediately lower their weapon and turn on the safety.

Rebecca Darman was part of the new recruits that showed up 8 days earlier. She was green as grass and well brown as sand, but people preferred to remember to say grass since it would remind them of what Patch used to be.

"You seem to be having difficulties with your weapon. Why is that?" The Nod instructor leaned forward.

"I just haven't used a weapon before in my life, sir." Rebecca broke eye contact.

"Hmm." The instructor took hold of Rebecca's weapon. He adjusted to so that she held the weapon correctly and her eyes were leaned in to view the iron sight of the rifle. The instructor whispered in her ear.

"Take a deep breath." Rebecca did as ordered. "Now exhale slowly and use your eye at the sight, your left eye." Rebecca closed her right eye. "Now find your target." She focused on a red bottle that no other recruit aimed at. "Fire as you exhale."

BakkaBakkaBakka rrrrrooooooooommmmmmm. The bullets echoed around her.

Rebecca noticed that three bullet holes were planted around the red bottle as the top portion of it was missing. The recruit smiled in excitement.

"Good, now make that routine but remember. Your future targets aren't going to be defenseless bottles." The instructor looked around as half the recruits scrambled back to fire downrange.

"Carry on." The instructor walked away from the crowd. Jaune watched the entire time of range practice. When it was over, Jaune walked alongside the instructor.

"How do they look Cardin?"

"Half are material we need. Others might be better suited to the maintenance division. Some of them don't even have experience with a gun." Cardin rolled his shoulders back and forth.

"Right. How are the older ones?" Jaune looked over his shoulder.

"They can hold their own." Cardin glanced back at the recruits. "The one with the raven black hair and the sideburns... what's his name..." Cardin snapped his fingers. "Ah yeah. Tukson, I guess you can say he's at the top of the class so far." He shrugged.

"Alright, just keep them on the drills and make sure their rations are equally divided." Jaune looked to his right to see Sky Lark walk toward them. "I want them able to clean their weapons as fast as the GDI standard. Can you do that Cardin?"

"Consider it done boss." Cardin smirked at Jaune. The smirk wasn't of malice or hatred, but rather a challenge. How could Jaune even suggest that Cardin couldn't get the job done? It was an endearing insult for Cardin and he walked off to carry out the order. The moment Cardin looked away, Jaune smirked at him.

Ever since the battle of Signal. This militia was left to its own devices after that Signal Ruins Skirmish. Most Militia Groups around Remnant kept in decent communication with the actual Brotherhood. But still, most chapters just depended on the soldiers that volunteered from their perspective regions.