Decker was alone at the shooting range. He had been firing his weapon for so long his hands were sore. Decker didn't really care. He had body parts way more sore than that. He was turning off most of the major pain but was keeping just enough to let him know what was damaged. At the moment that was 'everything'. 

His railgun was at one of the highest settings. After some sustained fire he was actually able to get the defense field spark flecks of green. This coupled with a wide spread had allowed him to ensure sufficient coverage to "destroy" his holographic target, but that wasn't what he was here for. He was supposed to be learning accuracy.

He supposed he wasn't going to do that spraying slugs everywhere.

Inspired, he turned the setting back down to the minimum, barely faster than a projectile from one of the ancient firearms of the distant past. He took the weapon off automatic fire and set it to single shot.

Slowly and carefully he lined up his weapon, checked the holodisplay, looked down the sight, waited for his arms to steady, aimed, and fired.

He missed.

* * *

"Just try to cushion your landing," explained the drone. "Push down with the AG."

"Right," said Decker, as he floated uncomfortably high off the ground of the landing bay, "right, right, right."

"Don't be afraid to use the small ones," said the drone.

Now wasn't the time to tell him he didn't know how to do that yet, Decker decided.

Decker took a deep breath. It hurt a little. Then he allowed himself to drop and pushed down with the AG.

With a thump a crater appeared below Decker in the deck of the ship. The indentation looked like a reverse bubble.

"Stop, what are you doing!" yelled the drone. He grabbed Decker in a force field and cut power to his AG harness. He flung him to the side a little more roughly than he intended.

"Do you have no sense of restraint? An AG harness is not a toy!"

The drone came flying up at Decker, getting in his face.

"I was trying to do what you told me," said Decker.

"Well now I'm telling you to fly softer!"

* * *

Decker knew that Aranarth would kick him. He knew roughly where he would aim. He tried to block it with both hands. Instead the impact sent him skidding all the way into the wall behind him with a thud.

His hands burned bright red. They throbbed. He could barely move his fingers. He turned the pain off.

Decker tried to roll out of the way of the inevitable follow up, but Aranarth didn't attack Decker where he was. He attacked where he knew he was going to be. His fist slammed Decker's head into the wall, knocking him out cold.

Decker awoke a few seconds later, lying on his back, dazed.

"What are you going to do, Decker?" asked Aranarth. "Are you just going to let us break you until there's nothing left? When are you going to admit defeat?"

Decker shook his head and tried to focus.

"You can stop this whenever you want."

Decker painfully rose to one knee then, with a hiss, pulled himself back up to a standing position.

"Suit yourself," said Aranarth.

* * *

Decker was mentally and physically destroyed inside and out. Bruises from one day were layered over those from another. Everything hurt. One by one he turned off each source of pain. He didn't even have the mental energy to do that.

His body was a mess, he was certain he'd need a new one before long.

He collapsed into his bed. There was nothing he wanted more in the universe, in all the possibilities of the quantum multiverse, than to sleep for these precious few hours he had to himself.

He groaned loudly as he rolled over and retrieved his tablet. He barely had enough willpower to turn it on.

The lights went out automatically, but Decker read by the glow of his tablet.

* * *

Aranarth sat beside his mind control device, looking like the smug monster he was.

"I think we've exhausted all the easy stuff," he said. "It might be time to move on to the hard."

"Do it then," said Decker.

"Last chance to quit without having to learn what 'hard' entails."

"Can we just get this over with?" asked Decker.

Decker could feel the machine probing his mind. He knew that the compulsion would follow soon after.

He didn't fight it this time. He didn't struggle. He allowed the alien thought to flow harmlessly through him. He was so untouched by it he didn't even know what it was. His mind was like clear water.

Decker crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at Aranarth. The ranger fiddled with the controls on the machine but nothing happened.

"What am I supposed to be doing this time? Am I doing it now? Is it to hit you over the head with that machine of yours? I think that's it. If I do that it's not my fault it's the mind control."

If he didn't know any better he could have sworn Aranarth smiled a little.

* * *

Decker fired off several controlled bursts. He still missed more than he hit, causing orange-red energy to crackle on the shielding, but he did score several hits on the Old One hologram. At the very least it was an improvement from his previous performances.

"That... wasn't embarrassing," said Xing. "Let me try something."

She reconfigured the hologram. It changed into a barn.

"What's that?" asked Decker.

"You know what it is," said Xing. "I want you to hit the broad side of it."

Decker laughed and fired a burst and easily scored several hits on the giant hologram.

"I feel a great seething rage being lifted from my mind," said Xing. "That's not all I can ask from you but it's all I'm going to ask from you. Let's move on to particle weapons."

* * *

Decker flew around in a circle, gracefully sailing through the air. Once he got a handle on the control, which he had to admit were extremely difficult to learn, it was like piloting a hover racer. Basically all the same principles applied.

He did a little loop and then brought himself in for a perfect landing, touching down with no more force than if he had taken a ginger step.

"For Tellus' sake don't get cocky!" exclaimed the drone. "You almost got yourself killed learning the basics. Have some respect for the people who will have to peel your body off the ceiling."

"People do that?" asked Decker, shocked.

"It's a figure of speech," said the drone. For not the first time since it was constructed it lamented that it lacked the ability to roll its eyes.

* * *

"Prepare yourself," said Aranarth.

"Right," said Decker, with a nod.

"Try to last more than few exchanges this time."

As Decker guessed Aranarth opened with a kick. He liked to do that if he had the room. Rather than try to block the full power of the attack Decker caught the kick briefly and tried to redirect the force of it.

Pushing with all his might Decker was able to pull it off. He pushed Aranarth's leg to one side and in doing so created an opening. Wasting no time he immediately delivered a clean punch to Aranarth's liver.

Decker disengaged right away, jumping back before Aranarth could counterattack.

He smiled at Aranarth. Aranarth gave him a nod.

Aranarth came at Decker with a flurry of punches. His hands moved with electric speed and Decker couldn't hope to deal with the punches like he had the kick. Decker tried to dodge but Aranarth kept up with him. After taking four solid blows Decker crumpled to the ground for what seemed like the millionth time.

* * *

Decker wore a sleek, streamlined spacesuit and the AG harness as he drifted along through the 3d obstacle course. He carried a Perjurer railgun in both hands. Being out in open space freaked him out. He felt like the void was just going to swallow him whole.

He dodged one of the small rocks being carefully and slowly hurled at him by the drone. The drone was using his force-field to swing the rocks around from the sides or from the top or bottom to force Decker to think in three dimensions.

The drone flung two more rocks, one from the top and one from the bottom. Decker swooped to avoid them both, but they changed directions. Decker fired several bursts from his railgun and one of them hit the upper rock, pulverizing it. The second smacked into him, sending him spinning out of control.

Decker used his AG harness to stop himself dead, ending the spin. He turned in time to see the rock flying at him for another hit. It was so close even Decker couldn't miss. He blew it away with another burst.

Already another rock was coming for him, but he easily evaded it and fired after it as it went flying past him.

* * *

Decker evaded Aranarth's opening kick. Anticipating his reaction Decker was able to stay one step ahead and dodge his next two attacks as well. The third punch connected, but Decker rolled with it and minimized the blow. It stung like a beast though.

Decker turned the roll into a roundhouse kick of his own. The attack was completely reckless and stupid and that's why Aranarth hadn't seen it coming. He was forced to disengage entirely.

Decker pressed him and now, for once, Aranarth was fighting on the defensive. He blocked five of Decker's punches, each becoming easier than the last, before he was able to go back on the offensive by punching through Decker's guard. Decker staggered backwards.

Decker tried to reassert himself but it was too late. Aranarth delivered a hard kick to his leg, and he was forced down onto one knee unable to stand.

"That was adequate," said Aranarth, as Decker struggled to stand, "I would like to see more of that."

* * *

"Congratulations," said the old woman, "you've survived the first two months of training. The easy part is over. Let's get you prepped for surgery."