secret-project/General_Chapters.md

The Difference Between an Idiot

and a Moron

General Chapters

To be Incorporated

***Chapter** **\[\]-- Corporal Adir Levin***

"Says here you're a, uhm, corporal?" said the NCO sitting across from
Adir.

"Yeah, I-" Adir began answering before being rudely interrupted by a
takeoff. They were sitting in the Technical Division part of Air Base
10, in the far north of the country. The building was absolutely
disgusting, and unfortunately situated a spitting distance from the
massive runway.

Both sat there stupidly waiting for the plane to take off. Adir assumed
it was big because it took much longer than usual. The NCO motioned him
to continue with the booming sound of the engine still hung back, but
Adir waited a bit longer. At last, the last wisps of the jet faded out.

"Yeah, I've long lost track of whatever's written there. I have no idea
what it says -- only that it's wildly inaccurate at this point."

"That doesn't sound right to me. We air force guys, we keep track of
things, don't we? Now, it says here you're from the headquarters."

"I haven't been in months."

The NCO cast a doubtful look at first, but seeing how Adir did not
flinch he continued.

"Before that, you were in, uh... Hm. Air base 30. You've gone around,
haven't you?"

"I've been there a grand total of six hours. Never stationed there."

"Look, it says right here in your file..."

"It also says I'm a first sergeant at that station, doesn't it?"

The NCO chuckled. "Now, don't be -- What? How did you know?"

"I told you so."

"You've been serving just under 18 months at that point. That doesn't
make any sense. No promotion could get you in this early."

Adir eyed him smugly.

"Where did you get this?" the NCO demanded, waving Adir's Ground
Personnel file.

"Where did *you* get *this*?"

"What??"

"I left mine in Hutspace. Well over a year ago. Whatever it is *you're*
holding I've never seen in my life."

The NCO sighed deeply.

"This is some mess of paperwork for your commanders. Never mind. I'll
send you back with the documents and your commanders can sort it out. HQ
loves this stuff."

Adir began to protest but was cut short. "But wait, you're not HQ now,
you said?"

"Nope. 15^th^ wing."

"Fine. You'll give them the papers."

The room fell silent.

"Anyways, you're here for a Computer Network Manager course -- but I was
told you came over from a computer profession already, something from
the greens. Is that right?"

"Yes. I'm a Computer Systems Infrastructure Manager."

"Never heard of it."

"It's from Communication Corps"

"That explains it. Is that it's brooch pin?", he asked, pointing to the
insignia on Adir's left breast pocket.

"Yeah."

"What's going on there? What is it?"

"It's a computer in the middle. Around it is the radioactive sign, for
some reason. All Computer Academy courses have it for some reason. And
it's split in three for the three arms of the army we get assigned in --
the green part for ground forces, the blue for navy and white for air
force. And there's a square root, for some reason."

"It's too busy."

"It is."

"So basically, you have to go through the whole course again. It's two
months in here, Air base 10, and you'd be assigned alongside the
privates. However, seeing as you're already familiar, we decided to
offer you the same test they get at the end of the course -- if you know
your stuff, it could save us all the trouble. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great. I wouldn't have come up here otherwise."

"Up to the building?"

"No, up north."

"You're a handful, aren't you?" the NCO remarked fondly. "But that's
someone else's problem. Look, I've asked Idan -- my most senior course
instructor, to swing by and ask you a few questions. If you're
reasonably familiar, you can take the test. He should be here any
moment."

"Sure."

"Would you like anything to drink in the meantime? Cold water? It's a
hot day"

"No, thank you kindly. I'm all good."

"There's some disgusting coffee too, if that's your thing"

"Not many other options in the military, are there? But thank you, I'm
all fixed. Nice of you to offer."

"Of course. It's common courtesy. Ah, that must be Idan! Come in!"

\~\~\~

Chapter II -- The New Cyber Kids

'So, I'm standing there like an utter idiot, and all of a sudden the
syringe flies across the room and into my shoulder!' Adir was telling
several of his new coursemates, all huddled excitedly.

'Into your *shoulder?*' Karin asked with silent awe. She always spoke
silently.

'Still have a nasty mark,' he answered, 'Look'. He lowered the thick
green uniform to reveal a blackened old bruise. 'This is where it went
in', he gestured just below the neck.

'And I though I had it bad', said Dennis. 'I still think I had it bad.
Bastards wouldn't let me out for a smoke. We sat there for hours'.

'Well, you got in front of me in line. You have the bigger Personal
Number.'

'That's Time Length!' Sharon excitedly pitched in. 'Nothing's more
important!'

Adir found the whole concept of 'Time Length' *incredibly* stupid.

'Alright, line up', Shani said from the now open classroom door, just
enough for them to hear. Adir has yet to decide his stance on the whole
constant shouting business, now that's it's over with.

They lined up in front of the classroom, all forty two of them.

'One minute to attention', Shani said coldly. 'Look nice for the Course
Commander'.

'ONE MINUTE TO ATTENTION!' bellowed Roi. Well, maybe not entirely over
with.

After much more than a minute, the CC showed up.

'Alright, alright', he chuckled. 'Come on, get inside'.

It was 11AM and Adir was fiercely struggling to stay awake. The CC was
vigorously instructing them on Operating System Internals, and Adir
realized that for the first time in all these months he is in real
jeopardy of dozing off. He stood up -- joining most of his coursemates
at this point.

Much to his surprise, Re'em nudged his shoulder. He had fallen asleep.

Adir suddenly felt a wave of despair. What else is he supposed to do?

'Could I go?' he suddenly blurted out to the CC.

The CC stopped mid-sentence, and everyone turned their fragile attention
to him. The officer was so surprised he did not even seem about to scold
him.

'Go?' he asked, frowning.

'Yea'.

Silence fell, and eventually Adir realized the CC was expecting him to
say something else.

'Pee, I mean'.

Yotam, the course commander, did not expect this from Adir, who had
never piped up before.

'Be a bit more, er, professional next time, please', he said, and
gestured at the door. Adir fuddled out with elation.

'The key,' Yotam added.

'Here man', mumbled Bar and tossed the keys at him. They hit him right
in the face and fell to his hands.

The heavy metal door closed behind him. He stood at the small, empty
space outside, overlooking the muddy nothing with the few benches in
between. The other coursees in the other classrooms were all still
studying.

He took a deep, exhausted breath. He felt the warm sun on his uniform.
He stretched lazily, joints cracking softly, feeling some strength
returning.

He began rounding the small classroom towards the restrooms, very
slowly, humming to himself.

He inserted the key in the door -- to his surprise, it was unlocked.

A tall, red headed coursee opened the door. Behind him was another
squat, dark haired soldier.

'What?' he demanded.

Adir saw his stripithings. Black and white. These must be the new Cyber
coursees.

Socially handicapped as he was, even Adir had managed to pick up on the
long lasting rivalry between the Computer Systems Infastructure Managers
and the Cyber Security Defense Specialists. He could not understand why
-- they do pretty much the same thing -- though he dared not utter this
aloud. This was a fact of this place, inherited one course cycle at a
time, and like everything else in his life right now he accepted it
offhandedly.

He would not buy into this foolish affair, though.

He would treat this person with utmost respect.

'Pee', he answered diplomatically.

The Cyberer sighed.

'Don't make a mess', he reprimanded. 'We clean this up later'.

'Everyone cleans this up later', he said. The Cyberer looked at him as
one might a deranged, fuming chimpanzee.

He 'ugh'd and left.

By the time he got back around the classroom, everyone was outside. How
long has it been?

Naturally, he went to his desk for his three minutes of intense sleep.

When he sat down in front of the computer, however, he did something
else -- and was not quite sure why.

\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~

'I don't understand why you would act like this', Commander Dan told
him. 'You've been a good soldier so far. Where is this coming from?'

Adir was vaguely aware of the situation. They were sitting around one of
the tables outside, after Dan pulled him out from class. He suddenly
felt cold.

Adir did not answer, because he genuinely did not know what this is
about. Why can't he hold on to thoughts lately?

Dan did that thing where he sits and stares until Adir blurts something
out to break the silence. Every single soldier ever trained for command
used this tactic liberally, certain all the enlisted would break under
their steely gaze.

It never worked on Adir, and he quite liked seeing confusion creeping up
their faces.

Dan was a bit proud for that, though. 'You skipped out on the CC's
lesson,' he continued, 'And now you write this nonsense on the course
forum. You're one of the better soldiers here. Why? Why would you spoil
it by acting out like that?'

Adir's poem burst out from the great nothing, and he was supremely proud
of it. It read thus:

The New Cyberers / Pooshellu

The Man Bar hands me the key,

Methinks to meself, make water I shall

And just when the hand reaches out for the trousers

Into the room enter the new Cyberees.

The first's eyes fall to my stripthings

Purple is great, yet he did not see it thus

His nose rising just shy of his brows

'What, do you have a bathroom key too?' he asks

The restrooms are for all coursees, says I

Yet Cybereeno remains unimpressed

*Do me a favor, he begs with a look of plea*

Don't thrash the bathroom

Wer'e cleaning it later.

'I thought it was funny', he stated.

'And you came here to laugh?', Dan inquired.

He stared Adir down again. Adir mulled the question over.

'I know things are difficult', Dan finally gave out, 'But get a grip.
You've been given a great privilege. Act like it'. He left.

The others were just pouring out, and as soon as Dan was out of sight
many they flocked to Adir.

'You're an idiot,' Yogev thoughtfully stated. Even Karin seemed to
agree.

'What else is there to be?'

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Chapter II -- The Feline, Or The Language?

Commander Kim gracefully turned away from the blackboard. He surveyed
the class calmly with a proud smirk, and was content to see no confused
faces.

'And that is it,' he said. 'That was a good introduction to case
statements. Does anyone have any further questions?'

'No', the others piped smugly, which Adir found kind of annoying.

He raised his hand. Commander Kim looked at him, offended and
bewildered. 'Yes?'

'Permission to speak, commander'.

'Adir,' he said, 'You don't need to ask for permission to speak anymore.
This is not boot camp'.

'I understand, commander'.

'And you don't have to call me commander', he added benevolently. 'This
is not boot camp'.

'I understand, Kim'.

'Adir,' he admonished, 'You can't just call me by my name. I'm not your
mate from boot camp'.

'I understand, commander'.

'And you don't have to call me commander', he said sternly. 'This is not
boot camp'.

Adir simply stared at him, relinquishing control of the situation. Kim
stared back with futile anticipation of a response.

'You had a question,' he prompted after a billion years.

'Yes...'

'...'

'...'

'Commander Kim,' said Commander Kim.

'Commander Kim,' said Adir.

'I have a question about case statements, Commander Kim'

'Yes, Adir -- you had a question about case statements'

'Yes'

'Well?'

The guy did not even twitch. It's almost midnight, for god's sake. What
do they do to these people? *What happens in INBA city?*

'I don't understand'.

'\...You don't understand?' asked Commander Kim

'I don't understand', said Adir.

'You don't understand case statements?' Commander Kim cleverly deducted.

'Commander Kim, I think Adir does not understand case statements',
Re'em, Adir's desk mate, helpfully pitched in.

'Commander, I don't think I understand case statements', Adir admitted.

'What,' inquired Commander Kim, 'About case statements don't you
understand?'

'The case statements, commander', Adir stated. 'I lost you a good 50
minutes ago'.

'We've only been on case statements for the last 30 minutes'

'Yes.'

'Well, then, why didn't you say anything earlier?'

'Commander Kim, Adir did say something earlier', Re'em pitched in.

'I did say something earlier, Commander Kim', confirmed Adir.

'I'm sorry,' said Commander Kim, who was not at all sorry. 'I can't
quite recall. Could you repeat your question?'

'When we just started,' he said, 'You explained what case statements
were, and I said I did not understand'.

'I told you to see me after class if you don't understand', Commander
Kim recalled.

'Yes.'

'I answered your question, then'

'I suppose you did at that'

'But you did not come to me after class'

'Class has yet to end. Commander.'

'Commander Kim.'

'Commander Kim.'

'Okay,' said Kim, who was clearly going for something else. 'What else
don't you understand?'

'The whole thing -- you were talking about case statements'

'And?'

'I do not understand case statements'

'Come see me after class', Commander Kim commanded.

'Does anyone have any further questions?'

'No', everyone else piped smugly

'Good. Class is over. Adir, will you come see me, please?'

Adir came to see him. Everyone else left besides Re'em, who was never
tired because he eats so many coffee beans. Re'em left when Commander
Kim demanded that he leave.

'Do I really have to leave, Commander Kim?' he insisted. 'I kinda wanna
see this'.

'You can go back to the hostel with the other soldiers,' Commander Kim
said.

'Yes, but -'

'Don't you ever yesbut me. I'm not your mate from boot camp'. Re'em
sulkily crunched a coffee bean.

'Now go'.

With that, they were two.

'Adir,' Commander Kim said with everlasting patience, 'What don't you
understand about case statements?'

'Well-'

'If you don't understand case statements,' demanded Commander Kim, 'Why
don't you stay after class to study it?'

'Because it is 11P.M. Commander'

'Stop calling me commander'

'I'm sorry, commander'

'Why don't you stay after class?'

'We start at 7AM'

'That you do'

'You must see some fault here'

'I do,' he said poignantly. ' I do see a fault here. You're giving up on
yourself'.

Adir thought that was a rather exaggerated statement. 'I think that is a
rather exaggerated statement', he said.

'When I was a coursee here,' Kim lectured him, 'I did not understand
case statements. So I stayed late every day, until I understood case
statements. Do you understand?'

'You had also studied programming throughout highschool with
excellence', Adir said. He knew this because Commander Kim often told
them he had studied programming throughout highschool, with excellence.

'The course requires no prior programming knowledge', Kim reiterated yet
again.

'And yet, Everyone here has extensive prior programming knowledge'

'Pele does not, either'

'It doesn't matter, because Pele is getting released in a month'

'How did you come to that conclusion?'

'It's true,' Adir insisted, 'he told me.'

They sat at their tent together, in the Spring Buds Rookie Base Har'el
Division Tent Area B. It was cold and damp and there was fuel on the
floor as always.

'You mark my words, Adir', said Pele, who says very little. This sudden
outburst alarmed Adir. 'If I am still in the military in three months',
he proudly intoned, 'then I am a god damned whoreson'.

'Don't be silly', Adir had told him. 'We just got in'

'I'm not going through with this. It's just not for me.

You mark my words, Adir. Should I still be drafted three months from
now, I am a stupid, spineless whoreson.' Adir did mark his words, and
could not help but admire his perseverance. There's a man who knows what
he's after.

'What are you on about?' asked Kim.

'Look,' he said. 'I could obviously sit here and grind water for many
sleepless nights until I understand case statements'

'Good,' Kim said, 'We've reached a solution.'

'However', Adir put in, 'We study for 15 hours everyday'

'And?'

'And I am a smooth brain. My brain is smooth.'

'You're getting off track here.'

'I cannot study any more than 15 hours.'

'See? You're giving up on yourself."

'I do just dandy at everything else, and I need to work very hard to do
so, because I'm not supposed to be here. I have only so many hours, and
I choose to use them to surmount the challenges I can'

'You can do whatever you want if you study hard enough.'

'I have limited time and energy and I choose to spend them thus. If
you'd like to help, Commander, I'd be grateful. But I just don't have
the patience to grind through this alone'

'Ask your coursemates.'

'Hey, can you help me with variable type declaration?' Adir had asked
Tom, who was the best programmer in the course.

'Sure Adir,' said Tom, 'I'm the best programmer in the course. What
don't you understand about variable declarations?'

'The variable declarations', said Adir.

Tom had gathered the course's finest with a solemn mission -- to teach
Adir variable declarations. They sat with Adir for about four late
nights before declaring him unteachable.

'We're sorry, Adir', they had told him, 'But maybe you should ask
Commander Kim'.

'Do you guys wanna get ice cream or something?'

'It's midnight', said Nitzan.

'Oh, right,' Adir replied.

'What are you on about?' said Kim, finally losing his patience. 'You
know what? When you put in some *real* effort, I may consider helping
you. I'll see you tomorrow' he said and left.

Adir left the cold, dead classroom and sat outside, even though he could
go home. He wished he had some coffee beans. Programming, the feline
cat, jumped to his lap. They were best buds, even though he was allergic
to feline cats. And they say he can't pull through.

The next day, Commander Idan spoke to him just before lunch, robbing his
precious free minutes. Adir mentally bade his sweet, sweet desk goodbye,
and silently mourned the three minutes he had lost.

They sat outside just within sight and out of earshot of everyone else.
Commander Idan, while a skilled adversary at military mind chess, still
fell short of Adir, who has learned to anticipate his moves quite
easily. First, the admonishment.

'Adir, why were you late this morning?'

'Life finds a way, Commander'.

'Do you think,' he said, 'When you're on duty, life will find a way?'

'That is very much a possibility, I'm afraid'.

Then, there is the steely gaze.

Commander Idan gazed at him, steely. Adir did nothing in response
because he was so tired.

Then, the merciful change of subject.

'Commander Kim told me you've been struggling with case statements', he
said.

'I have been, commander'

'Yet you do not stay late and ask for help from your coursemates'

'I do not, commander'

'Why are you giving up on yourself?' Idan demanded fiercely.

'I think that is a rather exaggerated statement.'

'Look, you've got it in you.' Idan said, inspired. 'Otherwise you would
not have been here'

'I am not supposed to be here', Adir stated.

'How are you so certain?'

'Because I am a smooth brain. My brain is smooth."

'Why do you think you are a smooth brain? How do you know your brain is
smooth?'

'I turned half my test in empty'

'If you are here', Idan intoned poignantly, 'You should be here. Look,
you got it in you. Wouldn't you like to be a Computer Systems
Infrastructure Manager?'

'That would be nice', he said

'Don't you feel it burning in your soul?'

'I think that is a rather exaggerated statement.'

'Look, you've got it in you, Adir. What happens if you fail
Programming?'

'The feline, or the language?'

'What are you on about?'

'The feline, or the language?'

'What if you fail the feline, Programming?' Idan asked, dumbstruck.

'I would be greatly upset. We have a special bond'

'So why do you struggle with case statements?'

'What does that have anything to do with the cat?'

'What cat?'

'So the language'

'The programming language, yes'

'Oh. Not the feline cat'

'Don't joke around with me,' said Commander Idan. 'I'm not your mate
from boot camp. You know, you shouldn't even touch it'.

'The language?'

'No, the feline cat. It's prohibited by martial law'

'Because I think I shouldn't touch the language either'.

There was silence.

'The language should also be prohibited by martial law'.

'\...'

'I'm also severely allergic'

Idan tried the steely gaze again. It was ineffective.

'If I touch my face now,' Adir mused, petting Programming, 'It will be
so, so bad'.

'If you fail Programming -- *the language*, you will fail the course.
What will you do if you fail the course?'

'Whatever the country needs me to!' Adir declared patriotically.

'Wouldn't you like to be a Computer Systems Infrastructure Manager?'

'That would be nice'

'Don't you feel it burning in your soul?'

Adir was not listening, because he was so tired, and Programming's fur
was sooooo soft.

'Don't give up on your self,' Commander Idan preached, 'It says a lot
about character'.

That got to him. 'I honestly don't understand,' he said, 'Why is it
considered so awful when I set my own priorities. I'm good at a few of
the other fields. An hour spent there will help me much, much more that
an hour of futile programming. I could grind away coding, sure -- but
I'd like to be good at a few things I already have a grip on, rather
than a mediocre programmer. Is that so bad?'

'Don't make excuses. We're good at everything'.

'It doesn't work like that'

'Life finds a way. Don't give up on yourself,' he said. 'Now go eat
lunch. I don't want to be having this conversation again'.

Yogev walked up to him. 'I think you're absolutely amazing with
Programming,' he said in his usual cold, cynicism soaked drone.

'The language?'

'Don't be an idiot', Yogev said. 'The feline cat, of course. Things that
matter'.

Commander Shilo swung by from somewhere. 'Go! Run!' he told them.
'There's PE! The Communications commander is here!'

'Yes Commander!' Yogev spat back and took off with a frenzy.

'You too, Adir! Get up! *Why* are you giving up on yourself?'

Adir was so, so tired, and Programming was purring softly, which Adir
loved because he'd never had a cat before, much less a feline cat.

'I'm not running', he tossed back, annoyed.

Chapter III -- Corporal Adir Levin

Adir was woken up with a jolt by Ariel, who towered over him seeming
mildly upset.

The first thing he felt was a sharp pain in his temples, and he
shuddered back with disgruntled revulsion.

Everything came crashing back at once -- he had spent another night in
the Pit, and was now paying the price for it. The headaches hurt him
very often lately, which was understandable -- yet it was the worst when
waking up in here. *No one should have to wake up without sunlight,
without wind and fresh air*, he thought. But that didn't explain why
Ariel was towering over him -- he was deemed problematic, and she had
shunned him ever since. He didn't mind, of course, as he was shunning
everyone else as well. What a bunch of bastards.

But that *still* didn't explain why Ariel was towering over him. He
sought answers.

"Huh?" he asked eloquently.

"Huh," Ariel replied with visible disgust. "Good morning."

"I've had better."

"Everyone else is cleaning."

Great, he thought, Passive aggression for breakfast again.

"OK"

"Go help."

"I'm really in pain."

"Can't you even help?"

"I don't know."

Ariel kept staring him down, which was unusually aggressive for her. She
was always quite cheerful and accepting, which Adir absolutely hated. Is
he really that bad?

"Go wash your face or something. You're a mess."

"If you'd had a night like I had," he answered, "You'd be a mess too."

"I've had plenty."

"Good for you."

Ariel finally disengaged. Adir rose from his office chair -- how he ever
fell asleep in that thing he could not tell for the life of him -- put
away his book, tossed aside his coat and went towards the bathroom.
Looking around, he was dumbstruck by the amount of people in the room.
There were well over four dozen people in Operation today, which was
significant, and they were all running around with great vigor.

He had to dodge several officers on the way out, all of which eyed him
suspiciously -- some with open animosity, though he did not know them.

He was glad to put Operation's big metal doors behind him, and started
the endless trek through the hall to the bathrooms, praying no one else
was there. He creeped on the floating tiles with hard won mastery -- if
even one of them bangs again today his head would literally explode --
and reached the bathroom.

He stood in front of one of the sinks in the long, disgusting row,
keeping his eyes lowered and doing his utmost to ignore his
surroundings. He reached in his pockets and was glad to find his
toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap each wrapped neatly in plastic
sandwich bags -- at last a success in these troubling times. He brushed
his teeth, lathered the soap and carefully washed his face with frigid,
mildly yellow water. When he felt mildly more refreshed, he finally
gathered some loose wisps of courage and met his image on the mirror.

His reflection gazed back, amazed and horrified.

The image he saw was very far from how he remembered himself, and the
dissonance jarred him.

He was gaunt, and there were great dark gray circles around his eyes. He
had far too much stubble for a single night, and his faced looked
wrinkled and greasy even after washing. And the eyes... the eyes felt...
wrong. Too cold. Too lifeless. He quickly looked away, realizing he was
breathing uneasily.

Slinking back he found everyone putting away the cleaning supplies, but
against his expectations the frenzy did not slow down -- it even
magnified, which was disconcerting. Nothing good can come out of this.

Unhelpfully, the first person he ran into was Keren.

From the second he stepped into Headquarters, Keren absolutely despised
Adir -- and this time, he could not figure out why. It was something
else -- a raw, seething hatred, a hatred of great velocity, intensified
with each time they met. In a way, it was refreshing to be hated so
intensely -- and while Adir did mildly dislike her for it, he did not
hate her back nearly as much, which sort of made him the winner in this
transaction.

"Ariel, he finally bothered showing up", she muttered back into the
Operations Chamber staring at him yet never addressing him. To her, he
was some animal unworthy of engaging in conversation, and if that was a
mean to attain the peace Adir so desperately sought he took it without
hesitation.

Ariel scurried towards them from much further back in the chamber with a
speed that greatly concerned him. This was not good.

"Where have you been?? it's been twenty minutes!"

"I-"

"Ugh, never mind. Just go back and get in line." She surveyed him
carefully. "And put on all of your badges, Why would you even take them
off?"

"I-"

"Never mind. Your problem. Model yourself and get in line. The
commander's coming any minute."

With that, they both scattered. Adir stood there dazed and confused for
a few seconds until Karin passed nearby.

"Hi, Adir"

Adir admired Karin greatly. She always seemed peaceful, and always
treated him with respect.

"Hi, Karin. What's happening?"

"The unit commander is coming any second to grant our ranks." she
replied without a hint of judgment. "The grant is scheduled for 10:00"

"The grant?"

"Yes, we're getting our corporals!" Karin told, beaming. "You didn't
know?"

"I had no idea. It's been ten months already?"

"Would you believe it?" Dennis chimed in from behind. "We've been stuck
here a while!"

"See you," said Karin and went further into the chamber.

Adir sat down in his spot and pondered all these new findings when
officers flooded the room, put on their berets and rose suddenly. A
bunch of random people stood around Adir, all with eyes towards the back
of the room where Adir's eight coursemates stood proud and motionless.
Grateful for the anonymity, Adir stood like the rest and gazed ahead
with purpose.

The Horizon commander, Secondary Champion Ram Halabi, stepped into the
room after an escort of officers from PR. He walked around the room
casually greeting anyone he came across with an easygoing, friendly
manner as he made his way towards the back. Adir was again grateful for
his tactical remote location, far away from the passageway. The
department commander, John, quickly appeared at his side.

"Hello, everyone. Officers, NCO's, soldiers. How happy I am to be here!
What a happy day!"

A murmur of agreement came from the crowd.

"Hello, Ram, happy to have you here as always", said John with atypical
enthusiasm. "So, as you may or may not know", he said cheerfully, "We've
gathered to grant these great soldiers, cycle 38 of Computing Systems
Infrastructure Management, the rank of Corporals. In the Greens, and in
other units of the force, it's not the custom to make it a ceremony;
Certainly not with the unit commander -- When I was a corporal a million
years ago, I was handed the rank and told to sow it on!"

That was a killer, apparently; An audible chuckle went through the
crowd.

"But here, in the Horizon unit, we treat our people with the respect
they deserve. The are skilled professionals, devoted soldiers, and
they've worked hard to earn their rank. Corporal is said to be an
automatic rank -- stay ten months, and you have it, but that's not true.
A rank is earned, not bestowed! I've seen people remain Privates
throughout their service, some even rookies, and I hope never to come
across that again! Here are people who worked hard, and so we wanted to
do them the honors, bring Ram here to show them how much we appreciate
them -- and grant their rank from the unit commander, personally. Ram?"

\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~

Ram spread his arms and looked about the room with ecstasy.

"How great it is to gather with good news for a change!" he declared
proudly, and a wave of clapping went through the room.

"Ah, there's no need for much introduction, is there? We all know each
other. We all work together. And we all watched these fine young men and
women, standing here before us, grow empowered as they shape the next
generation of the defense of our country. Those on the outside may be
mistaken as to think these are quiet times, but if only I could tell you
what goes on in the shadows! The threats nowadays are much more severe
than most care to think. It is only via our..."

At this point, the Horizon commander went into the omnipresent rant
about the air force's crucial air superiority, the threats from the
north, the technological advantage which the air force has gathered and
the increasing reliance on it, all delivered with a confident,
deliberate speech.

Adir, who had heard this speech dozens of times since joining the air
force (do they gather monthly and rehearse these things? They\'re so
alike!), naturally drifted away skillfully. He was a person of
incredible mental will, a trait which manifested itself very helpfully
in these situations -- once he decided he does not want to hear, then he
will not commit so much as a syllable further into memory, and looking
into his rigid stance and attentive eyes you would never see it.

Now, however, he was exhausted -- and in his fatigued mentality,
something managed to slip through the cracks.

Ram approached each of his coursemates in order. As if through a haze,
he could see each receiving their rank. Daniel, ever the happy-go-lucky,
saluted each of the commanders proudly and stood facing the crowd as
they sewn in his rank, one sleeve each. Each gave him a loud pat on the
back, and he thanked them with his clear, ringing voice.

Dennis stood casually, but with a smug air, and received his after
respectfully shaking the commander's hands rather than going for the
pat. Karin thanked them each in her quiet, shy voice, with eyes downcast
as her rank was sown. Roni, ever the energy blast, often blurted out
amazed excerpts - 'I can't believe this is finally happening!', 'Thanks
so much for this! That's awesome'. Arrogant as ever, Tom gave each
commanders a strong handshake after a small, satisfied chuckle, and then
of course prompted them to give him a 'worthwhile' pat on the back.
Omer, always in neutral, merely went with a 'yeah, cool', and shook
hands as if with buddies from highschool. Dana screeched with excitement
and giggled with glee, never managing to gather her feelings into a
coherent word, let alone a sentence. Reasonable Chen addressed the two
commanders as of dealing with two respected colleagues, Thanking them
humbly with an official, reserved greeting and a friendly air.

Each of them were praised as they received their rank -- how they had
solved this and that malfunction, how funny it was when this and that
happened to them, how much so and so trait help the team and make
everyone happy. Adir had not been there for nearly all of the events
described, recent arrival as he was, and could not relate -- yet even
through the haze, the words hurt him. He felt envious of the standing
his coursemates made for themselves -- knowing full well from their own
words they were unhappy. It was a facade, he know, but he could not help
but feel strong misgivings, pangs of regret and solitude -- perhaps if
he had powered through at Hutspace, he could attain that ever-off
acclimation he so desired, and be left alone in peace.

But why should I wait to be left alone in peace, if I can force the
others to acknowledge I am alone, in peace? He thought, and with that
took a deep breath, feeling himself washed away, and shut himself down
from the rest of the room through sheer determination. It always works.

This time, however, it backfired magnificently.

When he next opened his eyes, every single person in the room was
staring at him -- some with unveiled curiosity, some with open contempt,
others with confusion and some even with a shred of pity. He had no idea
what was going on, and was suddenly growing aware of his sorry state. He
felt his eyelids droop, the heavy black circles around the eyes
throbbing, the wrinkles around his eyes and forehead dry and stiff, the
skin greasy.

Amit was suddenly at his side.

"Come up, Adir. Why did you even stand out here? Come on!"

Adir furrowed his brow, and stared Amit down for an answer.

"You're getting your rank, Adir! It's your turn. Come up! Everyone's
waiting"

Then it suddenly registered.

They're granting **me** a rank? He wondered, stunned.

They're granting **ME** a rank!? He thought, indignant. What a fucking
charade!

Amit motioned John to come over, and he promptly surged through the
crowd parting for him until he was at Adir's side as well. He grasped
his arm, trying to lead him up, eyes towards Ram. Amit put a hand
between his shoulder blades. "Go on, it's okay. Go and receive your rank
like the rest of your friends."

What happened next was profoundly idiotic, on Adir's part, and he was
well aware of it beforehand. Adir realized very early on he could not
fight every affront thrown his way by the military -- hell, he could not
consider even 5% of them. He had to pick his battles, so he may have the
strength to stand his ground where it mattered. These stupid affronts,
he would have to take. He would have to stand there like an idiot, no
one knowing him, no one saying one positive thing about him, and receive
these two stupid stripes that declared him as slightly less a piece of
shit than everyone else.

"No," he said. His voice rang surprisingly loud in the silence.

John turned to stare at him, alarmed.

"Are you missing your markings?" Amit asked. "It's okay -- I had some
brought for you. Here -" he handed Adir a set of two Corporal markings.
"You'll need to bring the other sets afterwards from HQ. Now -"

"I'm not going", he said again, and was surprised to hear how feeble his
voice sounded. He was shaking, he realized suddenly -- with fear, anger,
stress or sadness he could not even tell.

In the Pit, things stay very constant. The lights are always on, and the
temperature is always fifteen degrees Celsius. There's always the hum of
servers and fans in the background, and every ten minutes or so a short
alarm or announcement is sound. Under such static conditions, Adir's
emotions stabilized as well -- growing more timid with each passing day
until, finally, dying out completely. He had felt nearly nothing for
well other two months now; nothing upset him greatly. Nothing brought
him joy. Nothing went beyond irritating him, and being tired was just
another state of being.

But now, now he was flooded. He was quivering with anger, tearful with
sadness, breath heaving with stress and panic coursing through every
vein in his body. He was proud, he was assertive, and he was deeply
hurt.

He could see Ram, from the corner of his eye, considering the situation
awkwardly. The man who'd just been so eloquent and precise now seemed at
a loss for words.

John stared him down severely. Adir thought he could see a brief flash
of sympathy in his eyes, which was quickly gone.

'We'll talk about this later', he said quietly, and motioned Ram to
continue.