Star vs. The Forces of Evil - Never Hold Back

Chapter Four

Star followed close behind Skullnick, Marco and Jackie walking beside her. It was their second month of training, and they were being led to meet their new drill sergeant at the training grounds. Before then, Skullnick had trained them, and she was rather gentle about it in comparison to what they expected. She still pushed them, but she was more focused on strength than formality. She didn't tell them to always stay in formation until they started practicing techniques. Nobody knows for sure why she allowed them to huddle.

As they walked, everyone around Star seemed anxious, not muttering a single word and sticking close together even in formation. Star, being a royal Mewman with magical abilities, couldn't really empathize with them. Skullnick lead them to a pair of large steel doors that were bigger than trucks. There were a few seconds of silence, when suddenly, there was a loud, booming echo, and the doors began to pull up into the wall, shining the dawn’s rays of sunlight into the eyes of the soldiers.

“Alright, soldiers, move out!” a gruff, distorted voice shouted. “Quit being chicken and get your asses out here!”

“Yes, sir!” Skullnick answered.

The students followed close behind her as they exited the building out onto the training grounds. The ground was composed of dirt and sand, all surrounded by a massive, towering stone wall. They moved out to the middle of the area and stood still, facing the drill sergeant. Once they were there, the sergeant nodded at Skullnick, dismissing her. She glanced back at the students briefly before leaving for the door in which they came.

The sergeant was a tall, extremely buff man in uniform with green skin and a face mostly hidden by a helmet. The helmet was a round and black, the mask piece connecting to it from the forehead area. There were two round holes for the eyes, but even then they could not see through them. It looked so… apocalyptic. All over, his body was completely covered in steel armor, which, even in the light, never shimmered.

“Now listen up, rookies,” the sergeant said as he walked back and forth, examining them. “You're all gonna call me ‘Sergeant’, or ‘sir’. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything else and you won't like the punishment, guaranteed. Now get in formation!! Symmetry! What is it with this huddling?? Hold your hands behind your backs!”

“Yes sir!” everyone cried, frantically aligning themselves into a three by four square formation.

Sergeant let out a hearty, bellowing laugh.

“You all looked so frightened at the simplest command!” he chuckled. “Well, let's see how you respond to this next important lesson…”

He glared at the front row of students, Jackie, Marco, Star and Oskar, and nodded to them.

“You four…” he called. “Tell me, do any of you know what happens when you… misbehave…?”

Three of the students remained dead silent, staring at the ground as their hearts pounded in terror. Oskar, as seemingly naive as he was, answered up.

“Punishment,” he said clearly.

Sergeant snapped his head to look over at Oskar... He began to slowly step closer to him…

“And what kind of punishment, boy?” he spat the question as he got close to his face.

“Depends on what you do,” Oskar said with a shrug.

Sergeant grinned as he turned to face away from him.

“Boy… who am I?”

Oskar didn't answer.

“I said WHO AM I???” Sergeant hollered as he turned abruptly and grabbed Oskar by the collar of his uniform.

Oskar didn't seem phased.