The Cupel Recruits Read Online Free PDF

addressed Wood and Stone, “Will you be performing the final check on my training room this morning?”
    “Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
    “Excellent,” Saraceni responded, “If you wouldn’t mind, could you please each try out the sensory awareness platform yourselves? It seemed to be underperforming yesterday and I would like to be sure it’s running clean. We’re going to have a tight enough schedule on this one; we can’t afford any technical delays that could have been avoided.”
    “Certainly, sir,” they responded. Saraceni still felt uncomfortable with all the “sirs” from the junior staff, but Ruth Fielding had explained that certain customs are really more for the benefit of the recruits at the lower levels than for the senior staff themselves. She had explained that a sense of familiarity helped people adjust until they passed level 5, after which some of these unnecessary elements were halted. So, Saraceni endured despite his own personal preferences. He reflected on Wood and Stone and remembered how he himself had felt at Circle 2: Somewhat confused, somewhat excited, eager to contribute and slightly fearful of failure.
    “Would you like to listen in on the briefing today?” Saraceni asked. Wood and Stone both brightened noticeably and looked at each other to confirm their good fortune.
    “Yes, sir,” they replied, but this time with noticeable enthusiasm. Though Circle 2’s were not usually included, Saraceni felt a desire to motivate these two young men that reminded him so much of an earlier self. In addition, he thought the move was strategic since he would rely on Wood and Stone heavily for administrative and technical support in the coming weeks. Due to the accelerated pace, he would have to delegate some tasks that he would normally perform himself, and their improved understanding could only help.
    “Needless to say, if I allow you to participate, the details cannot be discussed outside of the core project team. We wouldn’t want to distract any of the parallel operational teams from their subtasks as we will rely on them to be complete in our final week.”
    “Of course,” Wood acknowledged quickly and Stone nodded.
    “Excellent, I’ll pick you up on my way to the briefing,” Saraceni advised and abruptly departed, glancing at his watch. Energized by their enthusiasm, Wood and Stone practically raced to the training room to complete the final check so they would be sure no unfinished task would interfere with their ability to listen in on the briefing. Surveying the training room, clipboard in hand, Wood noted the setup of the room was set to “Configuration 1”: A traditional configuration, this, too echoed the comfort of past experiences for the recruits, though it was not the most efficient. The room consisted of one large table at the front of the room, a display module with an array of controls, and 6 tables arranged 3 on the left and 3 on the right with 2 chairs at each. Training teams generally consisted of 12 recruits. Arranged in semicircles on the right and left sides of theses tables, on the outer perimeter of the room, stood multiple platforms set to meet a variety of requirements. The sensory awareness platform resided at the front left position. Setting the clipboard down, Wood removed the 2 chairs from the back right table and stored them in the adjoining anteroom.
    “What are you doing?” queried Stone. Wood walked to him, picking up the clipboard on the way, and tipped it casually in Stone’s direction so he could see the instruction as listed.
    “It says to remove those 2 chairs. This class will have only 10,” Wood commented, shrugging his shoulders with a half-raised eyebrow.
    “I hate that eyebrow thing,” Stone informed.
    “I know,” Wood grinned. “Have you ever heard of a class of 10?”
    “No, but I’m sure it’s one more thing they did ‘before our time’,” Stone mused dismissively. Since the checklist was complete, he walked